Never got around to learning how to Salsa dance? Always wanted to master tennis? Now s the time to make space in your schedule for some of the great extracurricular activities Cairo has to offer. Cairo has a unique ability to destroy our health, so it s not a bad idea to take up a hobby that does a little to reverse the adverse effects of pollution and stress. Taking an exercise class has the obvious benefit of making you look good and improving your health. It's also an opportunity to meet a lot of new people. If you have built-up aggression, try taking it out in a tennis class at the Smash Tennis Academy. The academy offers private and group lessons in their world-class facilities in Heliopolis. It might take a while to get the hang of, but what could be more fun than playing doubles with a group of friends? For a more calming experience, try taking a yoga class at the Breathing Room in Maadi. A small co-op run by a group of certified teachers, the Breathing room offers classes in a variety of yoga practices from relaxing Hatha to intense Ashtanga. If you picture yourself as more of a musician than an athlete, ditch yoga class and head to Sawy Culture Wheel for private lessons in your instrument of choice with professional teachers. Alternatively, make your way to the Beit Hawary music school behind the Al-Azhar Mosque in Old Cairo. Beit Hawary offers lessons in oriental instruments - just show up to see what s being taught that evening. I don't know about you, but those movies about dancers always make me wish I'd paid more attention in ballet class as a child. It may be too late to become a prima ballerina, but classes in salsa and belly dance are available all over Cairo for those looking to get their groove on. Try Salsa night at the Swiss Club in Mohandiseen, every Monday evening at 7 pm, no partner necessary. Oriental dance classes are available at Keti Sharif s studio in Zamalek. Sharif partners up with some of the Arab world s biggest names in dance to offer a different program of classes every month. Check out her website for April offerings at www.ketisharif.com. Want to brush up on your religious knowledge for Ramadan, or just learn more about Arabic and Islam? Take advantage of free Quran lessons at Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque in Mohandiseen or Hossary Mosque in Agouza. Pay a visit and check out their posted class schedules. If, like me, you spend your days at work reminiscing about college days, then you have a chance to relive it through the American University in Cairo's Center for Adult and Continuing Education (CACE). Offering everything from business and language courses to art and parenting classes at AUC s downtown campus, CACE will help you learning something new while reliving the golden days of university. Check out course offerings at www.aucegypt.edu. Whatever your preference, getting out and trying a new hobby is a great way to start off the spring on the right foot. Now is as good a time as ever to make your fantasy hobbies a reality; just don t get too carried away.
