The Players

Now that classes have started. My time has been significantly limited (with about 100 pages of reading a day).

However, these are my learned educators:

International Criminal Law
David Tolbert "the compassionate prosecutor": While not serving as Deputy Prosecutor for the Yugoslavian Ad Hoc Tribunal to prosecute Milosovich and his henchman, Tolbert prosecutes us as to whether we have done our reading.

Islamic Jurisprudence
Sherman "Action" Jackson: Prudential scholar and learned author in jurisprudence, Professor Jackson makes the unbearable reading understandable by his learned and lively presence and his enthralling lectures (just watch out for chalk).

International Gas and Oil Law
Dobie Langenkamp: This miner of "Oklahoma Sweet" professes that oil to him is like crushed fruit. When not informing you of his 'daddies' history with Gulf Oil, Professor Langenkamp is too humble to tell that he has served on numerous oil boards including high positions in the US Department of Energy or of his numerous scholarly lectures and speeches. This down home boy is a wealth of knowledge that is ready to be drilled, pumped and exhausted.

In Cairo!

The Jet lag has passed, and I am finally starting to get acclimated. The way over was an experience on Aeroflot airlines. The Russian airlines hosted the worst plane service, coupled with uncomfortable seats and an interesting Russian lady behind me who enjoyed kicking the seat in front of her for the duration of the flight. However, the flight between Moscow and Cairo was a nice surprise in that the seats were comfortable, the flight was not overcrowded, and I encountered a fellow Whitttier Law Student, Jacob Crisp. Sitting next to me on the flight, I soon realized that he too was going on the summer abroad program, and we started a conversation. Soon we decided that we would be roommates, and that eased one of my potential problems.

A few hours later we got into Cairo. Customs in Cairo was surprisingly easy because AUC (American University in Cairo) had a representative waiting for us to assist us and a van to take us to Zalamek.

Zalamek is the Nile Island where the Dorm/Hostel is located. We soon got in and realized that it was already past 3:00 A.M. We got into our room and got what few winks we could muster given that we had class the next day at 9:00 (which really turned out to be 8:00). We got up at 6:00, got breakfast and returned to the dorm to find out that we were late and needed to take a Taxi to the University.

Taxi rides in Cairo make New York Taxi's seem like carriage rides through Central Park. Navigating through streets full of bikes, pedestrians, and parked cars, we finally made it.

We met our professors, had lectures on the Arabic Language, was assigned our cell phones, and other orientation procedures for the next 7 hours. Drained, and exhausted, when we were planning on returning to our dorms, we were surprised to find out that we would be touring the overlooks of the Nile valley. Two more hours later, we finally arrived home, and I had a chance to go mi-mi's. 11 hours of sleep later I feel revived, and am ready for a new day.

Stay tooned for more stories and I promise pictures to come.

I miss you all in the United States!