Learn Arabic as it is really spoken. Listen to and read Egyptian Colloquial Arabic.

Amr can see the Pyramids from his home. But why has he never visited them?

ازيكم يا جماعه؟ عايز احكيلكم حاجه غريبه جداً عنى. انا كنت عايش ف السعوديه لفتره طويله جداً لحد ما اتخرجت من الثانويه. بعد التخرج رجعت مصر عشان أدرس فى الكليه، و بقالى دلوقتى اكتر من خمس سنين عايش فى مصر. الغريب انى طول الـخمس سنين اللى قضيتهم هنا، و خلال كل الاجازات اللى كنت بزور فيها مصر (لما كنت عايش فى السعوديه)… عمرى ما زرت الاهرامات! الاهرامات، و ابو الهول طبعاً، هما اهم و اشهر المعالم السياحيه فى مصر على الإطلاق. الناس من كل أنحاء العالم ممكن يسافروا لمسافات طويله جداً عشان بس ييجوا و يشوفوهم. اكيد معظمكم يعرفهم و يمكن بعضكم زارهم قبل كده. الاغرب كمان انى عايش فى الجيزه، نفس المحافظه اللى فيها الاهرامات! المسافه بينى و بين الاهرامات مش هتاخد وقت اكتر من عشرين لتلاتين دقيقه لو انت سايق عربيه. الحقيقه انا قريب جداً منهم لدرجه انك ممكن تشوفهم بالعين المجرده من فوق سطح العماره اللى انا ساكن فيها! و مع ذلك عمرى ما رحت. عشان اكون صريح، انا رحت مره لعرض قريب من الاهرامات اسمه “الصوت و الضوء”، بس برضه كان بعيد الى حد ما. مقدرتش آخد صوره جنبهم، و مقدرتش المسهم. عشان كده المره دى مينفعش تتحسب، خصوصاً لواحد مصرى! بس خمنوا مين اللى خدنى للعرض ده؟ عمتى الامريكيه! (زوجة عمى) اللى بتيجى مصر فى بعض الاجازات بس. و مع ذلك زارت الاهرامات اكتر من مره و عارفه المعالم السياحيه فى مصر احسن منى بكتير. حاولت ادور على سبب مقنع ممكن يبرر ليه مزرتش الاهرامات طول المده دى، لكن ملقيتش. بس عارفين المفروض فعلا ادور على ايه؟ موبايلى، عشان اكلم صحابى و احدد معاد معاهم عشان نروح نزور الاهرامات فى اقرب فرصه!

How are you guys? I want to tell you a very funny thing about me… I was living in Saudi Arabia for a very long time, until I graduated from high school. After graduation I came back to Egypt to study in college, and now I have been living in Egypt for over 5 years. The funny thing is that during all the 5 years that I have spent here, and during all the vacations on which I was visiting Egypt (when I was living in Saudi Arabia)… I have never visited the Pyramids!! The Pyramids, and the Sphinx of course, are the most important and famous tourist attractions in Egypt, for sure. People from all over the world may travel for very long distances only to come and see them. Surely most of you know them, and maybe some of you have already visited them. What’s even funnier is that I live in Giza, the same governorate where the Pyramids are located. The distance between me and the Pyramids wouldn’t take more than 20 to 30 minutes if you are driving a car. Actually I’m so close to them that you can see them with your naked eye from the top of the building that I live in! And yet I’ve never been. To be honest, I went once to a show near the Pyramids called “Sound and Light”. But still it was kinda far. I couldn’t take a picture near them, and I couldn’t touch them. So this does not count, especially for an Egyptian! But guess who took me to that show? My American aunt! (my uncle’s wife) who comes to Egypt on some vacations only. And yet she’s visited the Pyramids more than once and knows the tourist attractions in Egypt much better than me. I tried to look for a convincing reason to justify why I’ve never been to the Pyramids all this time, but I didn’t find any. But do you know what I should really be looking for? My cell phone. To call my friends and make plans with them to go visit the Pyramids at the earliest opportunity!

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