Good Morning!

It's Sunday, so it's the beginning of a new week for me here. Right now I'm sitting at my computer having a bit for breakfast, debating what time to head to campus. You see, I am finally giving in and heading to the clinic this morning. I have to face it, there is simply no way I'm going to kick this cold/sinus infection/whatever it is. It's time for an actual diagnosis and prescription, woo! Enough already with the stupid stubbornness.

Today marks the beginning of my last full week of school. Next week I only have classes Sun-Tues, then exams are supposed to begin. However, all of my final exams are happening during the last days of each class, so in reality I am all finished by May 27th. At that point, I have a full week to bum around, go to the beach, travel, pick up some souvenir gifts (get excited :), and pack to go home. I really can't believe it!

Before the end of term, I do have a couple little projects left. For instance, in my standard Arabic class, I have give a 15 minute presentation on the topic of my choice. I'm planning describing the current state of the zoo in Giza, the treatment of the animals, animal rights in Egypt, and the varying perspectives Egyptians hold toward them. Either today or tomorrow I'm planning to head over to the zoo to photo-document and gather my evidence first hand. I was told by a friend that I should bring lots of small change, because I'll need it to baksheesh my way into the animals cages, where I'll be able to pet and feed them. This includes lions and monkeys and such...As cool as it sounds, I think that overall the zoo will be a rather depressing experience. I've heard stories about animals being sedated for petting purposes and that some of them are clearly malnourished.

Yikes, got to get dressed for the shuttle and the clinic!

Spring Break Photos

I have returned safely from my spring break galavant through Jordan, Syria, and Israel. On the road, I attempted to keep a journal. Hopefully I will get the chance to share some of my experiences with you soon. Phil is arriving in Cairo today, so the next few days will be spent showing him around and showing off my amazing Arabic taxi navigation skills, instead of furiously blogging. To tide you over in the meantime, I managed to post an entire series of photo albums on Facebook. I only finished placing captions throughout the first album, so after that you may have to do some guesswork. I'll try to add further explanations ASAP.

The Rihla

The Rihla II

The Rihla III

IV

V

Hopefully I will make time in the near future to actually write a bit on the blog, but in the meantime, here are plenty of photos to entertain. The first album documents my visit to Florence, where I visited NYU friends and enjoyed a little respite from the bustle of Cairo. The second album includes photos from two weekend trips to the Red Sea Coast. During the first excursion, we simply bummed around the beach for a couple days, but the second included snorkeling and a climb up Mount Sinai.

Hurghada

Dahab/Mt. Sinai

While waiting for our Arabic professor this morning, my classmates and I had a good laugh about the following Times article on noise pollution in Cairo:

"A City Where You Can't Hear Yourself Scream"

Here's the latest selection of photos, including my escapades in the desert, Allison's 21st birthday dinner, and a trek through Islamic Cairo.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2287871&l=3d15b&id=825591

Wowza! Thank heavens it's the end of the week--we made it! I think everyone was feeling the pressure this week, what with midterms (although I was mercifully spared) and a gross lack of sleep. What better way to celebrate than to go out dancing and stay out all hours of the night?! Now that is Egypt style.

So what happened this week? Well, last Saturday evening I returned from the desert and gathered up a stockpile of sleep, 11 hrs, which I felt so grateful for later in the week.

I think Sunday and Monday passed without much excitement, just homework and spending time with friends.

But along came Tuesday, a grand extravaganza! I got the day started off write with some coffee and my 8 am Arabic class--2 hrs. Then I met a friend to grab falafel, smoke sheesha like an Egyptian (ie. at a surprisingly early hour of the day--sorry mom!), check out his amazing downtown apartment literally a block away from campus, and to watch an old Comedy Central show called Stella. I had classes from 2-4, and then I waited around for a bus for an hour, again in true Egyptian form. Nothing more Egyptian than waiting. The bus intended to take us to Sixth of October City to teach the refugees never came, so we grabbed mini-bus and went throttling down the dusty highway toward class. I have to admit that I was feeling terribly insecure about teaching as of last week, and I was considering resigning my position. I just felt incompetent, unsure of how to approach the teaching and frustrated. But as my partner Tom and my dad both guessed, after class on Tuesday I was glad that I stuck with it another week. This class went just a bit more smoothly, and I think we covered just a bit more ground. In shah Allah, we will actually arrive at class on time next week, and things will only continue to get better. After an hour long ride home, I got picked up for dinner and coffee, so that I ultimately rolled on home to the dorm at about 11:30. At point I smelled strongly of smoke, as seems to always happen here, due to the extreme addiction of the population as a whole, so I showered. Then there was a spot of homework done and a few hours of sleep before my 8 am Wednesday began. Let me tell you, it was a good day. I felt pretty proud of myself afterward.

Wednesday was my dear friend Allison's 21st, so of course, in between classes we had to get our hair done and go shopping for a birthday outfit for the lovely lady. In the evening, it was the Hard Rock Cafe for a huge group dinner and La Piste for salsa dancing afterward. In my case, there was more watching and talking than dancing, but I'm considering taking lessons starting next week.

Allison and I met again at 8 today, cause we have that delightfully early class together. Throughout the day, there was laundry, a cat nap, homework, a colloquial quiz, sugar cane juice, learning how to play backgammon, dinner with friends, a trip to the grocery for muesli and the atm, and now I sit preparing for the evening ahead. We're heading out to After Eight for a live music boogy night, and then don't worry, I can sleep in tomorrow morning. Woo! Although I did get an offer to get up at 8 to head to the Birqash camel market, which I'm so tempted to do. Somehow, though, I don't think I'll make it this time around.

What a whirlwind!

For Those Without Facebook

Despite the fact that I'm in Cairo, one of the strangest developments in my recent life happened back in the States: My dearest mother joined Facebook. Holy Cow, my universe has been realigned. However, Dad hasn't hopped on the bandwagon yet. So for his sake, and for all the rest of you who are far too cool for school, I shall continue posting links to my photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2284285&l=3ef46&id=825591

This album includes photos from my scuba trip to Dahab, from a raucous evening at the local dive, and from the Citadel (including the mosque of Muhammed Ali and the Military Museum).

"Islamic Fervor"

Here is a New York Times article discussing the poor job market facing young Egyptians today and the effects it has on their prospects for marriage and a viable future in the community. It explains how these problems have propelled Egypt's youth toward conservative Islam as an outlet for their frustrations and how the government is reacting to this recent trend. The arcticle appeared in the Times a couple weeks ago, but I just got around to reading and thought you might be curious as well.

Cheers!


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/world/middleeast/17youth.html?ex=1361854800&en=8fb6470cb5fbb4b1&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Morning Romance:

Haha, don't get your hopes up for any racey stories. Although a number of seemingly forbidden things have proven possible here (wink wink), I don't have any steamy romance stories to pass along this morning. Instead, I thought I'd provide you with a snippet of poetry from my most recent Classic Arab Lit. homework. I don't love the class--the professor has no knack for facilitating evocative discussions--but some of the texts are really lovely. This may be my favorite so far:

Excerpt from Dhu al-Rumma's "To the Encampments of Mayya," from Michael Sells' Desert Tracings

"After sleep she is languor.
The house exudes her fragrance.
She adorns it
when she appears in the morning.

As if her anklets and ivory
were entwined around a calotrope
stopping the water's flow
in the bed of a wadi,

With buttocks like a soft dune
over which a rain shower falls
matting the sand
as it sprinkles down,

Her hair-fall
over the lower curve of her back,
soft as the moringa's gossamer flowers,
curled with pins and combed,

With long cheek hollows
where tears flow,
and a lengthened curve at the breast sash
where it crosses and falls.

You see her ear pendant
along the exposed ridge of her neck,
swaying out,
dangling over the abyss.

With a red thornberry tooth-twig,
fragrant as musk and Indian ambergris
brought in in the morning,
she reveals

Petals of a camomile
cooled by the night
to which the dew has risen at evening
from Rama oasis,

Wafting in on all sides
with the earth scent of the garden,
redolent as a musk pod
falling open.

The white gleam of her teeth,
her immoderate laugh,
almost, to the unhearing,
speak secrets.

She is the cure, she the disease,
memory of her, misgiving,
desire dead
were it not for the affliction of distance."

Quite nice, if I do say so myself.

Long time no blog, right?

I know, I've been slacking pretty badly lately. But you see, I find that I never have enough time for everything, even with my lighter 12 credit course load. Yesterday was my one month anniversary in Cairo, and I still haven't made it to the Egyptian Museum or the Citadel and Al-Azhar in Islamic Cairo, to name a few. I make a shameful tourist. But I suppose that is sort of the point. After all, when I'm home in St. Louis, I never make it to the Arch, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen the Statue of Liberty in New York. In the process of actually residing somewhere for an extended period, I guess it's natural to get wrapped up in the everyday scenery, not just the glaringly touristy landmarks. So for now I'll enjoy the Cairo traffic and bureaucracy as it steals all my time...Haha, don't worry, I'll enjoy the fresh fruit juices and the beautiful shawls and the colorful faces too. :)

Now that my moment of reflection has passed, I suppose I can give you some more concrete details about my latest adventures. The big news is that I spent the last weekend scuba diving in the Red Sea. Thursday night, I struck out on a wild and wondrous bus ride that took me under the Suez Canal and across the Sinai Peninsula. By wild and wondrous, I of course mean slow and arduous, because we made several pit stops to accommodate the insatiable appetite of our driver and waited at numerous Sinai checkpoints. The nearly 9 hour drive did have its perks, though, like the brilliantly full moon that illuminated the desert, and the craggy mountains that loomed over our the bus as we drove by. The majesty of the Peninsula is stunning. In the course of only two days, I saw sand dunes, rock cliffs, and sandy shores along the cerulean Red Sea. It was unreal.

The actual diving wasn't so bad either! I met Nemo face to face, and I introduced myself to some sea urchins and a lion fish. Our dive instructors said that the visibility was pretty crummy compared to usual, but I swam amidst the coral and anemones, so I was a very happy camper.

Before we were allowed to make the 4 Sea dives, which by the way earned me a PADI Open Water Diver certification, we had to practice our dive skills in a confined space the week before. There is only one indoor swimming pool in all of Cairo, and since it is somehow funded by the government, foreigners usually can't gain admission. But our instructor Osama pulled some strings, and I became a VIP member for one evening. It was pretty hilarious--the entire time we were bumbling around the pool bottom acting like handicapped fish (again with the Nemo!), there were little boys in speedos furiously swimming laps above us.

Now, for a change of subject. Hmm, it's been so long since I've written that I hardly know what's significant enough to mention. Well last night I attended a discussion panel presented by an AUC club called Al-Quds (lit. Jerusalem), where the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Arab League, Mohammed Subaih, spoke about ending the siege in Gaza. I'm really glad I attended, because I started learning details about the current situation, including the chlorine crisis and the lack of electricity in homes and hospitals alike. I didn't realize that within 360 square kilometers, 1.5 million Palestinians are crammed together, making Gaza Strip the most densely populated region in the world. This situation alone is problematic, and when aggravated by the shortage of supplies and constant state of violence...I can hardly absorb all the frightful statistics: 65% of the Gaza population are minors, 80% if Palestinians in Gaza are living on aid, 15000 handicapped children. Sitting here in my AUC dorm room, it's jarring to realize that this state of total crisis is only several hundred kilometers away.

I've got plenty more to update you about. For instance, I had my first session teaching Sudanese and Iraqi refugees this past Tuesday, and that was quite the experience. But I've got to be on my way, because I'm going to the Egyptian Museum with friends today (finally!), so I'll catch you later, alligators!!

Suwar! (Photos!)

http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2278190&l=016a3&id=825591

Check out some more snapshots of miscellaneous camels and pyramids!

The prophecy has been fulfilled; the dream has come true; the camel has been ridden.

Today I traveled with ISSO (International Student Services Office) and a bunch of study abroad kids to Giza and Saqqara, where I stood witness to the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx, and the step pyramid designed by Imhotep, to name a few. Looking back at the pictures now, I hardly believe my eyes. It's pretty surreal to spend one day sitting in class or the local coffee shop, just like I would in Manhattan, and then to visit ancient relics the next. Egypt is full of these surprising juxtapositions. Ornate Islamic mosques next door to Vodaphone wireless, the Egyptian Museum beside the traffic-jammed Tahrir Square, and the street children begging in English outside the gates of AUC--the most expensive school in Cairo. One minute I'm going about my daily routine, unaware that I'm living in a markedly foreign country for 4 months. Then suddenly I'm struck by the grandeur of the pyramids or the reality of the butcher hacking meat in his stall, and I realize where I am. Wow.

P.s. I ate pigeon again, and I enjoyed it.

Photos!

Here's a link to some of my photos from Egypt--this installment contains the shots from my trip to Alexandria over the weekend. I put them on Facebook so that my friends here can tag themselves and make witty comments. Hope the link works and you have a blast surfing!

http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2276959&l=c11d2&id=825591

Ma Lish

So Egyptians have an amazing capacity to go with the flow. Phrases like "ma lish" (nevermind, oh well) and "in sha allah" (if God wills it) epitomize this attitude, and you hear them at every turn. When I was stressing about classes last week, my roommate Hend assured me that none of it mattered, everything would be all right in the end. If I don't sleep enough tonight, I will later. If my schedule seems chaotic at first, it will improve. It may have seemed trite in the beginning, but I think she's on to something. As I sit here reminiscing about the weekend and watching Egypt play in the African Cup finals, I feel a sense of relief and satisfaction.

Friday morning 120 study abroad kids dragged ourselves out of bed at 8 am to board a bus to Alexandria. In true Egyptian and AUC fashion, we ended up leaving at least 45 minutes behind schedule, but after 3 hours we reached the coastal city. We were all hoping for lunch, and instead we got the catacombs. Not a bad trade, considering that we saw a mixture of Greek, Roman, and Ancient Egyptian carvings and sculpture hidden deep underground. And we did eat eventually, scarfing down all sorts of spreads, fresh bread, grilled meats...One of the girls informed me that the Kofta (minced meat) contained not only the usual lamb but also camel meat. My reaction? Oh well, it tasted pretty good. I just hope there are some camels left to ride :)

After that very late lunch, we trekked over to the Alexandrian library, the second largest in the world after the Library of Congress in the U.S. The architecture begged to be photographed, and an electric buzz cut the silence. Outside, I managed to snatch a few photos of sunset on the water before we left for the hotel.

Woops! I'm gonna head out with a few folks. We want to see if the streets are crammed with riotous soccer fans. I'll have to leave you with just this little taste for now :)

A World Away

Sorry for my long absence from Blogger, but as some of you may know, the Middle East has suffered a disconnect from Europe and the Americas. Skype and iChat are down, and tonight is the first time in several days that I've had access to my email. I'm currently sitting in a WiFi cafe with some friends, all of us furiously Facebooking, because the dorm wireless is still way too slow to serve any purpose.

I feel like much has happened since I last left notice here, and I hardly know what to say. It's hard to believe that today marks the end of only one week in Cairo, because in some regards, it feels like ages. I've seen so many unfamiliar sights and contemplated a few puzzling feelings and ideas. At the same time, I think that my time here is going to fly right by. There's almost too much to take in. Cairo itself offers seemingly limitless stimulation. I can't wait to explore other regions of Egypt as well, not to mention other parts of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Next weekend I'm heading up to Alexandria with AUC, and of course I'll do my best to give you the scoop.

Today, I visited Old Cairo, which can also be considered Coptic Cairo. When we drove up in our dinky AUC shuttles, the place looked like a terrible tourist trap. Small children and old women immediately swarmed around us to offer trinkets. Nevertheless, the area does have genuine significance. Some of the original fortress walls date back to the first century, C.E. The Greek Cemetery contains a well where the Holy Family purportedly took water and rested for a month. The Ben Ezra is one of only 24 (I think) Synagogues in Egypt, and I believe it's the only one still in use. Apparently there are only 200 Jewish families left in the entire country. The Mosque of Amr ibn al 'As was constructed in 642 C.E., near the time of the Muslim invasion of Egypt, and it was also the first mosque I ever had the privilege to enter. Old Cairo is unique because of this peaceful religious coexistence--no where else in Egypt will you find Copts, Jews, and Muslims in the same community.

Tonight I enjoyed my last survival Arabic course, where I've been learning Egyptian dialect--much more practical than the Modern Standard I've studied at school so far. I'm planning a return trip to the academic advising office this week, so that I can register for a semester-long colloquial course. I might end up getting a little burnt out on Arabic classes, but when else will I have the opportunity to study a language in class and then go practice in the street? As one of my friends said, the learning curve should be pretty high.

So after class tonight, my teacher Maysa took my classmates and I out to dinner with her and her 2 sons. On the way to the restaurant, we stopped by the market and practiced asking the price of different fruits and vegetables. At the restaurant, we payed 20 LE per person ($4) for a full meal, including bread, hummus, salad, soup, and oh my--stuffed pigeon! I know, I know, why on earth would I eat those filthy birds?! But as you might expect, they tasted just like chicken. Besides, I don't believe I have ever seen a pigeon on the street here, only hordes of stray cats, so maybe they come from extremely clean pigeon farms? Yeah, right...Well I have no complaints. I agree with my teacher: hulwa awi awi!

I'd love to keep going, but we're about to wrap it up here at the cafe. Tomorrow is the first day of classes, and I suppose I 'll have to do at least a little studying while I'm here :) Assuming the internet continues to be unreliable, I may be slow to respond to emails and such, but I'll do my darnedest to keep in touch.

Goodnight!

Trickery

Apparently Egyptian taxi drivers think they can rook Americans into paying more than they should. Apparently they are right. Lesson learned: get out of the car before paying, and walk away quickly.

Wusuul fil Qahira! ("Arrival in Cairo," in my own personal transliteration)

Hi Everybody!! (Your cue to say, "Hi, Dr. Nick!" Anybody?)

I am officially in Cairo, Egypt, after an incredibly smooth travel experience. To be honest, I expected to encounter problems along the way, especially upon arrival at the International Airport in Cairo. After all, AUC hadn't really done a bang-up job of communicating with Study Abroad students in the U.S.--don't get me started on the Arabic Placement test or the stress of registration. Anyway, our plane landed in Cairo without a hitch, although it was drizzling when we deboarded the plane, much to my surprise. I had expected clear skies and blazing desert sunlight, and what greeted me was grey. The other passengers and I boarded a little tram and zipped over to customs and baggage claim, where I met three other American girls while I waited in line. We chatted excitedly about our dorm (Zamalek) and our classes, then each took at turn submitting our passports to the Egyptian officers, who apparently find my blue eyes very pretty.

In fact, I forgot to mention another the first Egyptian I encounter, the young man I sat next to on the plane from JFK to Cairo. His name is Wael, he is a Coptic Egyptian who has been living in Nashville for 2.5 yrs now, where he's studying for a masters in Computer Science. In addition, he apparently considered himself very lucky to be sitting next to a girl like me, who has such a sweet face and beautiful eyes (my ego certainly won't be suffering this semester! :) He also invited me to his sister's wedding this week, but I won't be attending due to a scheduling conflict, for one thing.

So after the other girls and I maneuvered our bags off the carousels and through the customs checkpoint, we exited the terminal to see a crowd of staring Egyptians. This included a very cheerful Abdul, the AUC representative sent to meet us and put us on our mini-bus to the dorms. Enjoying his rather toothless grin and goofy jokes, we waited until the entire group of 7 students had gathered, then we went on our merry way.

The ride from the airport proved long, thanks especially to the outrageous traffic, which is even more chaotic than up in NYC. I didn't mind the journey, because it gave us students a chance to talk and to enjoy a tour of the city. I certainly have not developed a sense of direction yet, so I couldn't tell you which neighborhoods we passed through. I did enjoy the ride, though. At the dorm, we got checked in, meaning that our bags were searched, we signed some paper work, and we received a welcome bag including chicken-flavoured potato chips--I kid you not. I know, wtf? The other girls and I are planning to open a bag together and to try the chips together. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Considering how long this blog entry is getting, I might skimp on details about the rest of the day. Basically, the dorm is very nice, albeit a little uptight about security. Men and women live in completely separate "wards," but we can mingle in the cafeteria, computer lab, gym, lobby, and garden courtyard. So far, living with all girls reminds me of high school at Nerinx, and I'm definitely enjoying it so far. There's a feeling of community and camaraderie, as well as a sense of privacy and security.

My roommate arrived a little later in the day, after I had grabbed dinner with some of the other American girls and attended a mini orientation meeting. Her name is Hind (which literally means "India" in Arabic), and her home is in Upper Egypt. As counterintuitive as it may seem, Upper Egypt actually refers to the southern half of the country, in accordance with northward flow of the Nile. Hind comes from a large, seemingly conservative Muslim family, although I haven't figured out how many siblings she has. She wears hijab, meaning that she keeps her hair covered except in the privacy of our room and sometimes in other parts of the women's wing. She prays regularly, facing towards Mecca and kneeling on her beautiful prayer rug. A first-year student at AUC, Hind is studying Mass Communications, although she taking other courses like Classical Arabic Literature. She says that she really enjoys teaching Arabic--she volunteered over the summer as a children's teacher--and she would like to study Arabic and English together. I'm really excited for that! Through Hind, I've met a number of other Arab girls, all of them Egyptian except one girl from Libya. On the whole, they are a very kind and welcoming group, and I hope I have the opportunity to spend more time with them.

I think that captures the vast majority of my experiences on my first day in Cairo, other than the fact that food here can be really cheap! For instance, this morning I grabbed a small sandwich and a bottle of water before settling in to write to you, and those two items cost only 4.25 LE (Egyptian pounds), which is less than $1!! I'm sure I'll find plenty of ways to spend money, have no fear, but it's nice to know that I can get away cheap if I try.

Until next time, masalaama!

Angela

Oh god, it's started!

Travel preparations are officially underway. I now possess polarized sunglasses (which I will attempt not to sit upon), baggier pants (for the reduction of curves), and a sneaky, under-the-blouse passport carrier.

As cool as some of my new gadgets are, I can not help wondering if we are going overboard with the preparations, especially in terms of clothing. I definitely want to dress appropriately, to portray myself as a respectable woman according to Egyptian custom. In this vein, I have bought several pairs of loose pants and more modest blouses. But is this really helpful or necessary? Let's face it, a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl is going to receive more than her fair share of attention. Unless I decide to wear a full hijab (which I'm actually curious to try), I am going to stand out in a crowd. It seems almost like a waste of time and money to try to blend in with the locals, if I will be perceived as just another tourist anyway. I might as well just wear the tight jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. Besides, how can I be sure that Egyptians will agree with my conception of modest clothing? I might get the idea all wrong, giving off an out-dated or slightly crazy vibe instead of the conservative one I was aiming for...

Oh well, can't worry about it too much. After all, I am only trying to be thoughtful, and I hope that sentiment comes across.

There is just one problem that continues to bother me. The handy-dandy AUC International Student Handbook provides a list of appropriate clothing items to bring for each season, and it includes a swimsuit. My mom suggested that I purchase a one-piece swimsuit, because my bikinis clearly do not qualify as modest. Really, though, aren't swimsuits skimpy by nature? Once you are wearing a skin tight leotard, what does it matter if your tummy shows? A one-piece leaves almost as little to the imagination as a bikini...

Well, at least the belly-button ring won't show. I guess that counts for something :)