Donating My Hair

Hello beautiful people. I donated my hair. 

A while back, I was planning for Halloween. I was going to Disney with band so I wanted to be a Disney character. I decided to be Edna Mode from The Incredibles. 

I had the dress, the glasses, the tights. I was only missing one thing: the hair. I went onto YouTube and found a tutorial on how to do a fake Bob. 

I didn't think I would like it and it would be only for Halloween, but as soon as I looked in the mirror, I fell in love. 

That was a couple months ago. I had to wait until the marching band season was over because putting short hair into the shako (hat) would be a pain. 

Now that it's over, I finally did it. And I absolutely love it.

My showers are shorter, my life is easier, and it feels really right. 

I will be donating my hair to Pantene's Beautiful lengths. It will be used to make a wig for a woman battling cancer. 

Life is pretty good otherwise. I will be representing the Bay Area in an exchange student program conference. 

I also got accepted for NSLI-Y semifinals. I'm really excited for that because if learn more Arabic and travel and use this blog more. 

That's all I have for today. 

Learn something today. 

Byeeeeee

Corie. 

Life Update // 27.11.15

Oh, how I've missed you!! 

Hey guys! How's it going? I've missed blogging and have decided that my life is still interesting even though I live in the US. I just haven't had any time. So here are all the blog-worthy moments of the past three months. 

Band, band, and more band

Buddy pictures with my sister

I am in the marching band at my school. If you didn't know, marching band takes up a lot of your life. But because of band I've gotten to do some really cool things.

Like play the national anthem at an A's game:

On the jumbotron.

And march down Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland.

Fancy Disney Preforming Arts Ears

Marching Band

Friends and Ferris Wheel

We've marched at several competitions and won. We've marched several competitons and sucked. Our season ended on Saturday and I'm gonna miss it a ton.

Community Emergency Response Training

CERT is a thing where you learn how to help firefighters when a disaster occurs and there are too many injuries for the limited amount of firefighters.

My mom and I took 6 classes and graduated to become CERT members. We learned how to do basic medical triage, search and rescue, put out fires, lift walls off of people, and more.

I'm going to go through my pictures and see what else happened...

My Swedish sister came to visit

I am applying for NSLI-Y scholarship to go abroad in the summer of 2016 and I had to submit two pictures. I ONLY GOT TWO PICTURES. Last time I applied, I got 5 or 6 pictures. I couldn't decide on only two pictures so for one of them I made a collage. Technically it's one picture.

I got my driver's lisence. During my test, there was construction so I had to drive on the wrong side of the road. 

I met Jojo Moyes!!!! She is a British author and she came to my hometown!!!

You may (or more likely may not) remeber Jojo Moyes from this picture in Hurghada:

The book in this picture is the book she signed(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

We went to Vegas for my parents' wedding anniversary.

First US shawerma

First US falafel

We built a playhouse with Habitat for Humanity

I turned 17

Also Thanksgiving. I tried to make pie last year it turned out like this:

It's supposed to look like this:

So yeah. That's what I've been up to lately. Now that band is over, I'm going to try and post more and do more. If I get this scholarship, I'll definitely be posting all summer. 

Hope your past three months have been amazing.

Learn something today.

Byeeeeeee

Corie.

Life As A Returnee

I roam the halls of an institution I know so well

Faces flutter by of people I've never seen before

The people I consider my best friends have new friends

And I am back in a place I worked so hard to leave

I drive the streets of a town I know so well

Signs fly by of stores that weren't there before

The quaint downtown has been infiltrated by corporations

And I'd give anything for it to feel normal again

My mind knows English, but my heart speaks Egyptian

My mouth tastes burgers, but my soul wants koshary

I'm divided between two cultures I don't even know anymore

And I keep wishing to be standing on solid ground

Hello, it's been a while. Now that I'm back in the U.S., there's not much to write about. Today is the anniversary of the day I left for New York and, eventually, Egypt. Being back is a weird feeling that's impossible to explain. It's even worse when people actually ask how it feels to be back. 

I wrote this short poem when I was feeling homesick... or is it host-sick? It's a bit melodramatic, but it adds to the effect. Being back isn't as bad as I thought, but it's still not easy. Hopefully one day I'll figure out what normal is... If there is such a thing.

3 September 2014: SFO international airport. Last family picture before June 2015

I'll blog again when I blog again. Thanks for reading. 

Learn something today. 

Byeeeeee

Corie. 

Coming To America

I have been home for a couple weeks now and it is... not as weird as I thought it would be. As much as I love and miss Egypt, there are lots of things about America I missed. Things happen on exchange and things happen when you get back.

People may get sick of you talking

It’s not just when I talk about my exchange, but also just in general. By dinner my first night home, my sister was already sick of hearing the words “In Egypt”. 

Also, while I was gone, apparently it was a lot quieter in the house. So me talking about everything and anything probably gets annoying.

Crosswalks are everywhere

I live in Smalltown, USA. There is barely any traffic except during county fair season. Why are there so many crosswalks?

Also, if you don’t use crosswalks, or cross when it’s red, it’s illegal. This leads to standing on the sidewalk on an empty street corner forever waiting for the walking signs.

Missing things more than you thought

Driving gives me so much joy. I love it. It’s scary and complicated (I drive a stick) but it’s amazing.

In school in Egypt, I never did a lot of work. Since this year I’m taking AP US History, I have a lot of summer homework. I’m not actually mad about it. I’m also kind of excited for school to start.

I have a lot of hair. Therefore, I use a lot of shampoo and conditioner. I can finally buy huge bottles of hair products now.

I missed a year of life

If I could go back and do my year abroad over again, I would. I gained so much from it, but I still missed out on an entire year of things. 

My sister has had my parents basically to herself for a year (not counting the Costa Rican exchange student). Sometimes it feels weird because there are stories, jokes, and memories that I wasn’t a part of. 

Egypt feels like a dream

Once you get into a routine, everything in your home country feels normal. Sometimes I think about Egypt and it feels like it didn’t even happen. It went by so quickly, it doesn’t feel real. So little has changed in everything around me, I might not have even left home at all.

Leaving my life in Egypt was the hardest thing I’ve had to do, but I’m glad I’m back. I missed my family and friends so much. I also miss my other friends and family so much.

I promised to post on Sundays and I didn’t last week. I’m sorry, but I’ll be back on track now and next week. 

Thanks for reading.

Learn something today.

Byeeee

Corie.

No Place Like Home

Hey guys, I'm home.

It took about 43 hours to get from my one in Cairo to my home in California

After staying up all night, driving up to the airport, and tearfully saying goodbye to my family and friends I got onto my plane from Cairo to Istanbul. Nothing much happened. The food was good the entertainment was good. 

Plane to Istanbul

I felt like I was going to Hogwarts

I landed in Istanbul and apparently I had charged $300 worth of data charges to my phone. My mom fixed it and it was only $30. I slept and ate in Istanbul until it was time to fly again. 

Gate monitors

Before going into the gate for my flight to New York, you have to go through a mini security. They checked my boarding pass and passport. Then they asked who packed my bags, if I packed anything for anyone else, if I've left my bags unattended, and stuff like that. 

Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul was Constantinople.

The best kinds of pictures.

On the plane from Istanbul to New York City, many things happened. I sat next to a man who was very polite and looked like a buff John Green. Marriage equality was legalized in the US. A couple on  the plane sitting near me got engaged. 

The food I ate on the plane on the way from New York to Istanbul was alright. It was the same as the food on the way back, but I guess on the way back I was used to Middle Eastern food. It was really good.

The first meal was chicken, potatoes, cucumber, beans.

The second meal was meat, rice, cherry yogurt. 

In New York, I was picked up by my grandparents. The plane landed at 9:40 pm. We got to a gate over half an hour later. It took another two hours to get through customs, to get my bags, to get through security part two, get to my grandparents and the hotel.

What happens when your grandparents are tall

This is how we do

Customs

I slept and went back to the airport. I ate Dunkin' Donuts and flew to California. By the time I landed, I was so hungry. My parents met me at the meeting point. Surprisingly, no one cried.

If America runs on Dunkin', why is there no Dunkin' Donuts in Cali?

Welcome to America

Momy

No matter how many times I asked, my mom wouldn't stop to get me food. Turns out, at home there was chips, fruit and veggie platters, cookies, and a cheese plate. My friends also happened to be there. They all surprised me. I was so excited to see them and the food.

The new house

Casey will never escaped my hug

Youth Council's Welcome Home sign

My babe Catharine

Since, I've been going to the doctor's and the orthodontists. Yesterday, we had family game night. All in all, life is pretty good. Turns out, I was scared of nothing.

Two story book store

It's called addiction

I will continue to blog. I have lots of homework and stuff for school and catching up to do, but I will still blog. Sundays are the days. I might blog other times in the week but there will always be a post on Sunday unless told otherwise. 

I hope you'll stick around, even though I'm not in Egypt anymore. 

Learn something today.

Byeeeee

Corie.

Alexandria feat. Fairouz

Hello hello. Welcome back to my blog. I'm taking a break to tell you guys about my trip to Alexandria. After Fai got back from the States, we went to Alexandria with our parents. 

The view from the balcony. 

Sunday

We drove to Alexandria. Once we got there we drove around and found an apartment to rent for the two nights we stayed there. 

The sky was pretty. 

We broke fast at a restaurant called Balbaa. I finally ate pigeon. It was stuffed with "freek" aka grits. It was delicious. 

Pigeon, rice, goulash, mahshy. 

Then we went to the Stanley bridge. It's really famous and I couldn't figure out why. As far as bridges go I gave it a Sea plus (C+). Just kidding, it was a nice bridge. 

I checked another thing off my to do list which was eat corn from the street. It was... fine. I guess. 

Corn grilled on the side of the road. 

Monday

We explored the things. First we went to the Alexandria Library. It was really big. We watched a science movie called "Oasis in Space". It was kinda lame. 

The Alexandria Library

What heaven looks like. 

"You were in the perfect spot"

Then we went to Qaitbay Castle. It's a Citadel military castle building. It was build on the sea to protect Egypt from intruders. 

I've been fasting during Ramadan, but after walking around in the sun a lot, I got very dehydrated. I couldn't walk anymore so I drank. 

After, we went to an aquarium. The fish were really pretty. 

We broke fast that day with rice and fish. Before Egypt, I didn't like fish. But now, I really like it and the fish from Alexandria was really good. 

We also went out for ice cream and bought a kite. 

Tuesday 

After we woke up, we pack our things to leave. Before heading back to Cairo, we went to Qasr Montaza. Montaza Palace is the king's "summer home". We hung out by the sea and flew the kite we bought the day before. 

After we went home. 

It was a really quick trip but I'm really glad I finally got to go to Alexandria. 

I'm also really glad I get to spend time with my sister, Fairouz (aka Roza aka Fai aka Pepsi aka Fairoyz). 

Thanks for reading. I have to get back to packing now.

Learn something today. 

Byeeeeee

Corie.