All my friends were vampires

I went to the desert this weekend! More specifically, the Black and White Deserts! They are west of Cairo by about 4 or so hours. We were supposed to leave at 6am on Thursday, but that didn't really work out.....the thing was, everyone in our party except me went out to halloween parties the night before, and most of them were hung-over/still drunk the next morning. So, we couldn't even get ahold of 3 people, but we finally tracked them down. Katie was apparently adorable and not wearing pants, wandering the halls upstairs, and when asked if she wanted to come desert camping replied, "yeah! Let's go!" and proceeded to stand there not wearing pants. Good times.

So, we set off around 7am, and after a long and sleepy (and drunk) ride, we arrived in the Bahariyya Oasis (I think). We went into this hotel place and hung around for a spell, and then got in the 4x4 with our official driver and set out into the desert. It was really, really beautiful. He basically drove us to various locations and then stopped the vehicle and let us out, without very many words (sometimes he would mumble about the place we were at). We didn't really know what we were supposed to do, so we ended up just wandering around and taking pictures until he honked the horn or looked really impatient. We kept running into these random other groups of French or Italian people, which was especially hilarious at lunch. We lunched in this little hut that was basically build out of minimal stone and maximal palm leaves, and there was a little cement water reserve looking thing outside. Apparently it was a "oasis" and we were supposed to swim in it. We passed on that particular offer, and chose instead to wander inside the hut and proceed to pass out on the floor. Then we got to eat this really tasty meal and watch the Italian group have this ridiculous 3 course meal complete with 2 bottles of wine and a case of beer.

After lunch we checked out some other sites and headed towards the White Desert. It was definitely my favorite, full of mysterious white, chalky rocks and crazy looking shapes. We finally set up camp around sunset, and then our guide proceeded to throw down his mad cooking skills and whip up this fantastically delicious chicken/rice/veggie situation. It was crazy good.

Then we chatted and told some spooky stories, and then ended the night with a quality game of 'never have I ever'. Good times. It was a little strange, though, talking with my friends. I think that one of my biggest problems is being able to participate actively in conversations about things that I do not have in common with people. Like, if we're all talking about our brothers and sisters, or if all my friends are talking about Washington, D.C (they all go to school there, and all except one of the people go to the same school). Or, my all time favorite, if everyone is talking about the really American things that they did as kids. I don't know, I just find it really hard to come up with a way to contribute to conversations like that without coming off as just flaunting my difference or always trying to bring the conversation back to me. So that whole thing was awkward, because I really didn't say much. And don't get me wrong, because I really like the people I was with, and I don't presume to judge anyone or make claims about myself, but it's also hard for me to jump into the conversation. You know, when people are all talking, and even before one person is done, the next person jumps in with, "No, when I was in fifth grade...", or "last time my family went camping....". I know they are all listening to each other, but it feels like everyone is just too busy thinking up what they're going to say next. I can never find the moment to jump in, and when I do, I feel like everyone is just waiting for me to finish. Oh well.

Sleep was nice (there were so many stars!!!) and I woke up with some other people to see the sun rise. It was really gorgeous. I kind of love the desert. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before....I mean, I've been to Arizona, but it wasn't even like that. I just loved it, especially in the morning before the sun got too hot and when the sand was still cool from the night. The low sun on all the white rocks was absolutely lovely. And I came back so sandy!!! Seriously, after I showered, there was a pile of sand in the bottom of the shower.

We saw a bunch of other cool rocks in crazy shapes yesterday morning, and then drove back to the hotel to hang around until our ride showed up, and then drove back to Cairo. It was pretty funny, we were all falling asleep all over the place. Except for when we had, like, a 4 hour sing along extraveganza in the car on the way home. Good times.

I'll put pictures up soon, but right now I think I really need to go do some Arabic homework. I can't believe how crappy my Arabic class is....it's pretty depressing, seeing as how I came here for Arabic. Oh well. There's nothing I can do now, except study more. Ma'asalaama!