Tom in Egypt // توم في مصر

Maybe I've said this before, but it feels like I've been in Alex for ever! One full week of Uni has flown by, and I've been hugely impressed with the teaching here, if less than enamored with 09.00 starts every day. The schedule also feels fairly intensive at times, but I've already noticed an improvement in my rusty Arabic which has been almost untouched since I finished in Manchester in May. Whilst I'm fairly sure I could/should have done better on the placement exam, the class I'm in is great and I've even been able to bust out some of my creaking German chatting to my colleagues from Bremen.

Aside from my Arabic fun, I was also invited to - wait for it, laugh at your own peril - the University rugby training, along with Big Tom, my housemate in Egypt. Whilst my rugby experience is limited, as are my fitness and physique, I put in an enthusiastic performance in what was a fairly chaotic game of touch rugby. Only in Egypt can you play touch rugby with 25 a-side. There are two more training sessions this week for me to prove myself as the devastating outside centre I could so easily be, before the big game vs. Cairo on Friday. I do feel that I have a slight advantage in that most of the team is fasting for Ramadan, making them somewhat more sluggish than usual, thus allowing me to fully exploit my lightning turn of speed. I'll let you know if I make the team/squad, there will be pictures if I play my first game a game in the oldest stadium in Africa! Prestigious eh?!

Much of the rest of my time has been spent at the illustrious Portuguese Club, which is a somewhat seedy ex-pat bar near in a villa near the British Consulate. Good fun though, they have cheap beer, pool and it seems to be the only place in Egypt showing any of the Rugby World Cup, which means for the next few weeks it's going to be a winner!