I haven't written a post in a while, so I have a couple things to get through.

First of all: Egyptian soccer (kura). This past week, Egypt played Algeria in two different games to decide which team would qualify to advance to the World Cup qualifiers. In the first game, Egypt had to win by 2 goals to essentially tie Algeria in standings and force the final game. In a very stressful game, Egypt pulled through with a second goal in the last 3 minutes, keeping Algeria at 0 and necessitating the next game. The first game elicited much excitement on the streets of Cairo, but it was relatively tame where I live, the Zamalek area. However, there had been a few random acts of violence preceding the game and probably a few after; one beforehand had injured 4 Algerian players when people threw rocks at their bus in retaliation for Algerians keeping Egyptians players awake all night right before the previous game in Algeria. Anyway, I watched the second game with several friends at the Hard Rock Cafe just across the river from Zamalek. The game was held in Sudan so it would be "neutral territory," which was a bit of a falsehood since the Sudanese were clearly pro-Algeria. In another very tense game, Egypt was unable to secure a victory and everyone left the Hard Rock Cafe disappointed. There didn't seem to be much of a reaction on the streets, however, as I had expected. I thought that Egyptians would just end up wallowing quietly in their defeat. The next day, apparently news broke in Egypt that Egyptians in Sudan had been the victims of some violent Algerians, and the night after the game, a riot formed outside the Algerian Embassy in Zamalek (about a 5-10 minute walk from my dorm), breaking anything that would break near them from store-fronts to plastic signs. They lit things on fire and flipped a car or two. I had gone to bed early and missed all of this. The next day, much of Zamalek was on lockdown and the bridges were being controlled (Zamalek is an island) to prevent a crowd from coming and causing the disruption of the night before. The riot police were assembled en masse and many streets were completely closed (as an American who lived in the AUC dorms, I was essentially able to move freely through the barricades with only a little explanation... good Arabic practice). However, it appeared that the riots were a one-night thing and I didn't see much of anyone on the streets. Egyptians kept asking me what my opinion was on the matter (in Arabic, so even once I figured out what they were asking, I wasn't sure how to respond). They kept muttering "Al-Gez-e-eer" (Algeria). This dispute has spilled over into politics as well, something related to the foreign ambassadors to each country being recalled I guess. They take their "kura" very seriously here. Anyway, Friday was a good Arabic day for me; I got to use it some and felt relatively competent. One of the guys I was walking around with has a tendency to just stop and chat up people on the street, something I wish I wasn't so nervous about doing because it's so amazing for Arabic practice and they're almost always happy to be patient as you try to make sense and to understand them.
So that brings me to Saturday, an Explore Cairo day. I took a long-procrastinated trip to the Citadel (el-qalaa) with my friends Abbie and Geoff, a big castle with a few beautiful mosques inside and an amazing view of the city. Located in Islamic Cairo, it was built to ward off Crusaders.

From Citadel

From Citadel

Not too much else to say about it except that it's a must-see in Cairo and I'm glad I finally went. We did spend some time in the Military Museum, which was highly entertaining. First of all, apparently they were short on the letter a, because it was missing on plaques around the entire museum. For example, the incredibly important name, "Mohammed Ali Pasha" was often listed as "Moh mm d  li P sh ." Also, all the side rooms were closed, and there really was nothing available to see about the military "missteps" Egypt has taken in recent history.
There are a few other things in Islamic Cairo that I'd like to check out (such as Al-Azhar Mosque and the park by the same name), but I've hit all the must-sees in this city at this point. Saturday was another good Arabic day, as I had a couple good conversations with our cabbies to and from the Citadel. I say "good Arabic day" because I do have "bad Arabic days" when I feel like I'll never learn the language and what I have learned so far is useless in conversations. For example, on Thursday, an old man came up to me when I was waiting for food in a little Egyptian restaurant and started muttering at me in Arabic about Algeria and I had absolutely no idea what he was saying.

So coming up in the next week: Israel! Leaving for the border tonight, hopefully to make it up to Jerusalem by Thursday evening at a reasonable time. Then I'm heading to Tel Aviv on Sunday for a few days and taking a bus back to Cairo on Tuesday, hopefully arriving in time to get enough sleep for classes Wednesday morning. If I have internet, I'll probably have a few posts along the way, but I may end up just doing one long post when I get back.
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They weren't kidding! This "bamb" was highly explosive!

From Citadel