As I mentioned the other day, I’m traveling overseas this winter! Again!

First I’m going back to Egypt to visit a friend and to do a short Arabic course, then I’m flying to China. My brother conveniently moved there last year to work so now I can go visit and use him as a free hotel and a free tour guide.

January 5, 2012

Marshes? Somewhere near New York on the descent into JFK.

January 6, 2012

Unfortunately, the French airport employees lived up to the stereotype of “rude French people” but going into the bathroom and seeing a bright pink toilet seat, color-coordinated to match my scarf, made up for it. Since I’m flying on Air France, every trip I make between the U.S., Cairo, and Beijing has a layover in Paris where I can go broke buying snacks with euros.

January 6, 2012

I arrived in Cairo at 7pm after 18-some hours of traveling and since I wasn’t feeling particularly exhausted yet, I agreed to go out to a nearby hang-out place with my lovely hostess where she was meeting up with some friends. I COMPLETELY forgot that people still smoke inside buildings in Egypt and I thought I was going to die of smoke inhalation.

It’s now two days later and I have a sore throat and runny nose. At first I thought I was just getting sick because half the passengers on the last flight were coughing and sneezing but now I’m thinking maybe it’s my nasal passages reacting to the unfamiliar smoke, dust, smog, dust, smoke, and smog.