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!