Signs of the U.S.

Different as Egypt is from the U.S., there are still many familiar signs.  Here are a few:

The U.S. influence is not just in terms of businesses.  The American University in Cairo (AUC) established in 1919, is a significant presence.  The school used to be in the heart of Cairo but now almost all classes are held at the new campus in an area called New Cairo.  Below is a photo of one of the gates of the University.  There are numerous gates to the new campus, each with security guards checking ID's and metal detectors.  The new campus was just opened last year.  It is enormous with impressive architecture, but it feels too big and is challenging to find one's way around at times.  There is a very nice bookstore that reminds me of when I was in college.  College bookstores are fun places to browse since there are wall to wall classics books divided up by classes.  The library has several floors, each with many computer terminals.  It's well equipped as a type of office center as well with places to print, copy and scan materials.   The blog format won't let me post more photos in this entry, so I'll have a new posting with a few more photos of AUC.