Dahab Hotels
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Viva Italia
Entry 24 of 53 | show all | print this entry |
My absence has been because there isn't a whole lot to report. The weather has been decent enough with a lovely cool breeze for the past few days, so it's been bearable. Evidence abounds to the fact that the high tourist season is gearing up. This is for obvious reasons, as kids are finishing up the school year and it's summer or winter break in many places. Just in the past week it has been amazing to see the increase in tourists around here. It's annoying as it means Anwar has to work later, but it gives me much more material for people watching!
After careful observation, I've decided that by far my most favorite group of tourists are the Italians, hands down. The Germans, Swiss, French and most other Europeans generally always appear grumpy and don't smile much. The Russians just have that whole Mafioso thing that I can't get past. The Aussies are always friendly enough, but too much like Americans sometimes (especially when you get a group of about 10 guys together and they play the same exact lame drinking games that the boys back home play in which they DARE each other to chug their beers and then cheer and slap each other on the back proclaiming themselves to be masters of the universe). The entire Asiatic region of tourists hang out at one single spot in Dahab and I don't generally go down that way, so they didn't quite make it into my research.
Thus, the Italians are the winners in my book. First, they always show up with eye-popping fashion statements. They range from sexy and savvy to outright horrendous and well, ugly. But the amazing thing is that they pull it all off quite well. I think it's their attitude of not giving a shit that makes it work. Next, the language. I've always loved listening to Italians speak...it's such a passionate language and the voice innotations and the pure expressionism is so much fun to watch and listen to. They are always by far the loudest group in any given place, but I don't mind.
I have yet to meet or run into another American in these parts (which I don't mind). I did hear what sounded like an American accent the other day, but the girl turned out to be Canadian.
Anyways, like I said, nothing to comment or report on really. I'm just hanging out really, waiting for a sign from above or below as to where I will go next and when. I've been trying to spend time learning Arabic, from what feels like the very beginning. The Arabic I was learning in school was what they call Modern Standard, which means it's a standard formal form of the language that supposedly is understood in all Arabic speaking countries. Okay, yeah it is, since it's the Arabic they all learn in school. But it's not how they actually speak. Perhaps an example would be like us walking around speaking Shakesperian English...it just doesn't happen. But as someone informed me the other day as I proudly put together a very complex sentence in my Arabic, "No one ACTUALLY speaks like THAT!" Sigh. So while I'm not starting completely over, I am having to relearn a lot of new words, verbs, etc. And of course, it's the Egyptian dialect which is totally different from say, Gulf Arabic and Lebanese Arabic, etc.
As an aside, congratulations to my brother and his wife who welcomed baby Dylan James into the world. Also, congrats to Toots and Dave who are expecting baby #2. And congrats to Marlene on making it through her PhD oral exams.
And the lovely Carly sent me this thought provoking quote the other day, by George Bernard Shaw:
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself"
Well, I guess I could be creating a masterpiece here or just a really big mess!
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