As you might have noticed, my links section has changed a bit. If you haven't checked out the right side of my blog, on the other hand, you really should. There's some cool stuff in there about Egypt, about how to apply to be an Ambassadorial Scholar, about the clubs and districts who sponsored and hosted me last year, info on migration and refugees, news links, and more.
Anyway, my scholarship period came to an end in June. I have reworded my Rotary links to reflect that change, but have kept them up because of the importance of the organization both in my life and to the community at large. Because of scheduling conflicts, I have not yet given speeches back in the US about my experience in Egypt, but will arrange to do so sometime in early 2010. In the meantime, my belated congrats to Three-Month Cultural Scholar, Elizabeth Killingbeck from the Land of Goshen Rotary Club who is serving in Sénégal and to Dr Fetene Gebrewold, sponsored by the Bushnell Rotary Club, who spent the summer as a Three-Month University Professor Ambassadorial Scholar in Ethiopia.
News and Issues:
Egypt
· Doctors suspended after country's second A/H1N1 death
· FM Aboul Gheit says stopping illegal settlements in Palestine is necessary precursor to normalization of relations between Arab states and Israel
· Jewish Nazi-hunter supports embattled Egyptian Minister of Culture in UNESCO bid
· Norwegian national prevented from leaving Egypt, told she is a "national security case"
· Slate examines Egyptian 9-11 hijacker, his urban planning studies and frustrations with Cairo
Middle East
FP article on "Iraq's New Surge: Gay Killings" Even as the US is hailing progress in Iraq, the wartorn country's LGBT population remains incredibly vulernable as their government, and apparently occupying forces, turn a blind eye.
Migration & Refugees
· UNHCR has created an educational online game to allow people to understand the dehumanizing challenges refugees have to face to escape persecution and begin new lives.
· Amnesty International calls on Egypt to halt border killings of African migrants
Showing posts with label Ambassadorial Scholar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ambassadorial Scholar. Show all posts
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Well, nearly two hundred blog posts and over nine months after starting my stint as an Ambassadorial Scholar here in Cairo, I am leaving for Germany tomorrow and continuing onto the US the following day. Even though I'll only be away from Masr for the summer, it feels more final and more bittersweet than I'd anticipated. Though a lot of the closer friends I've made here will be here when I get back in the fall, others will have left Egypt for good.
Three months seems longer as it draws closer and I'm both ecstatic about it and sad about it. I'll miss spending time with my friends here, but relish in the possibility of picking up where I left off with friends and family back home.
I have most things wrapped up here and am more or less ready to begin my thesis research. Grades have been posted for two of my three classes from this semester and in both of those I earned As. I'm satisfied and feel like I'm leaving on a positive note.
News:
Friday, April 3, 2009
I'm snacking on some frozen peas while taking a break from a reaction paper for Comparative Migration Law that I began yesterday in the courtyard of the Greek Campus. My friend Cynthia, who shares my affinity for frozen peas, joined me there to get some work done and to walk her turtle, a recent gift from some of the Sudanese guys she works with. As the sun and its warmth began to wane, we left AUC with the intention to reconvene later.
We met up with Antoine and took the metro to Ma'adi where we met Phil, Marise, Marise's mom, and Marise's friend Sean who's visiting her for a few weeks. We ate at Lucille's perhaps not the most representative choice of the kind of food Egypt has to offer, but Sean graciously indulged our desire to have faux-Mexican and American food. Antoine, who's never been to North America, was unacquainted theretofore unacquainted with the delights of nachos and so stole some of Cynthia's while enjoying a barbecue burger. Because Marise's mom graciously treated the whole table to our meals, a contingent of us continued on to Zamalek to have chocolate fondant.
We met up with Antoine and took the metro to Ma'adi where we met Phil, Marise, Marise's mom, and Marise's friend Sean who's visiting her for a few weeks. We ate at Lucille's perhaps not the most representative choice of the kind of food Egypt has to offer, but Sean graciously indulged our desire to have faux-Mexican and American food. Antoine, who's never been to North America, was unacquainted theretofore unacquainted with the delights of nachos and so stole some of Cynthia's while enjoying a barbecue burger. Because Marise's mom graciously treated the whole table to our meals, a contingent of us continued on to Zamalek to have chocolate fondant.
Today has included more academic reading and paper-writing, although I joined Ross at his window for the first spotting of the sleep-disrupting rooster of doom who apparently stalks the area hemmed in by our building and those adjacent. I include, for your Where's Waldo?-esque pleasure, a photo of the crowing fiend amid the piles of trash and debris which, depressingly surround makeshift homes and crumbling smaller apartment buildings. My backyard, as it were, is not exactly enviable.
I've just finished reading an article in The Christian Science Monitor that my friend Reham posted to Facebook. It talks about terms "not to use" with Muslim. While I find the article interesting, and certainly feel that there are ways to engage people from outside one's own faith or belief system that work and others that don't, I think it would've been much better for a Muslim to write up such an article.
News:
A mob in a village in southern Egypt set fire to homes belong to Bahá'ís
To read more about the situation of Egyptian Bahá'ís, click here. For a joint press release responding to the incident from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, and others, click here.
Palestinian unity talks in Cairo founder
Criticism over Al-Masry Al-Youm's "shoddy journalism" after paper publishes article suggesting that AUC was providing Egyptian state secrets to US
I've just finished reading an article in The Christian Science Monitor that my friend Reham posted to Facebook. It talks about terms "not to use" with Muslim. While I find the article interesting, and certainly feel that there are ways to engage people from outside one's own faith or belief system that work and others that don't, I think it would've been much better for a Muslim to write up such an article. News:
A mob in a village in southern Egypt set fire to homes belong to Bahá'ís
To read more about the situation of Egyptian Bahá'ís, click here. For a joint press release responding to the incident from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, and others, click here.
Palestinian unity talks in Cairo founder
Criticism over Al-Masry Al-Youm's "shoddy journalism" after paper publishes article suggesting that AUC was providing Egyptian state secrets to US
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Indefatigable, I am going to pound out an entry before succumbing to the sandman's evil wiles. The highlights of today including lunch at the French cultural center with my Egyptian friend and colleague Reham, discussing the implications of polygamy and gay marriage on family reunification policy in my comparative migration law course, dinner at a Syrian restaurant in Mohandaseen with friends from AMERA, an excellent seminar given by Barbara Harrell-Bond, and tea and macaroons with my French friend Antoine on my balcony overlooking noisy and fluorescent Tahrir Street.
I took Falaki Street from Falaki Square all the way 'til it dead-ends next to the French cultural institute. Along the way I passed fully-veiled women buying two-piece bikinis alongside the road and then further down the widest selection of remote controls produce in the 1980s that one could ever want. School children were out en masse, making dodging uniformed rugrats and soccer balls quite the task. Once at the cultural center, I joined Reham, who was already being flirted with by the waiters, at a table in the courtyard. She seemed on the one hand to be annoyed by the attention, but on the other to be flattered by it. She decided she didn't mind, after reflecting, their winks or their calling out to her with Arabic equivalent of "hey, beautiful". I felt more like eating crêpes than analyzing what that meant about Egypt and so I did. I suspect they don't use Clément-Faugier crême de marrons there. Shame.
Reham and I headed to Greek Campus afterward where we met up with classmates to chat until it was time for class when an ever-effervescent Cameroonian from among our ranks decided to share with us that his first lady was the best-looking in all the world and that Cameroon was the best country in all Africa. His claims turned into a riotous discussion of the best and worst things about various African countries and whose country had the best looking first lady. Most Americans concurred that Michelle Obama won. We moved on to the more serious topic of family reunification, touching on the rights of refugees and migrants to be with their loved ones as well as the accompanying complicated citizenship rights a person has as the spouse or child of a citizen of a given country. We discussed the difficulties surrounding resettling to the West refugees who are in polygamous relationships, perfectly legal in many parts of the Middle East and Africa. Currently the restrictions on such resettlement has led to husband's lying about second wives or abandoning them altogether. We talked about whether there was any relationship among multiple wives to one another that would establish a right for any of them to sponsor each other to join the family in a country of resettlement and a number of other theoretical family configurations that might complicate questions of family rights.
After class, we went to hear Barbara talk frankly and with a perfect dash of dry humor about the state of refugee protection in the Global South. She's soon going to be unveiling a website to facilitate networking for those providing legal aid to refugees. A wealth of information is available here.
Following the lecture, a dozen or so of us headed to Mohandaseen to have a going-away meal for our friend Saba who is returning to the States tomorrow. I talked mostly with Canadians as it turned out. I got a lesson in Acadian history in French from one and discussed LGBT refugee claims (the topic of my thesis) with another who has a lot of experience with them from her work at AMERA. We're going to exchange notes and articles, so that should be productive as I finesse my proposal. My law professor agreed to join my thesis committee as well, so things seem to be taking shape.
Not too long after I came home, my friend Antoine came over bearing macaroons from Fauchon. I'd passed by it several times when in Zamalek before thinking it must be a knock-off at best, but when we passed by the other night (sadly, after it was closed), we discovered it was indeed an authentic branch of the famous French traîteur. Though they're not Ladurée macaroons, their geographical proximity to me and their significantly lower cost make them very appealing as a potential future purchase.
As I feel like my overly-detailed descriptions of my culinary experiences demand I add something weightier to my entry, I'll move on to the news:
New Israeli Foreign Minister takes conciliatory tone toward Egypt
Despite fears about far-right wing Avigdor Lieberman's appointment to the post of Foreign Minister, things don't seem as grave as they could be. Hopefully the willingness to cooperate with Israel's Arab neighbors expressed by FM Lieberman is genuine and representative of the approach he will take during his term.
Egypt to try and curb the flow of irregular migrants to Italy through vocational education
On the heels of the sinking of a ship carrying migrants to Europe, this effort should be expanded and supplemented with other initiatives to stem the tide of irregular migration because of the risk the migrants themselves face.
AUC denies supplying Pentagon with Egyptian state secrets
As the Egyptian media aren't the least sensational I've ever encountered, you can imagine that charges that AUC were supplying top-secret intelligence to the US military are largely trumped up. At any rate, I would find it hard to believe that the watchful Egyptian government would miss such espionage. As I understand it, it was a cooperative effort to study avian flu which is more prolific in Egypt than in any other country outside of southeast Asia. I suppose this conspiracy is less absurd than the nutty allegations that text messages arriving from abroad to the cell phones of Egyptians were causing brain hemorrhages and death.
I took Falaki Street from Falaki Square all the way 'til it dead-ends next to the French cultural institute. Along the way I passed fully-veiled women buying two-piece bikinis alongside the road and then further down the widest selection of remote controls produce in the 1980s that one could ever want. School children were out en masse, making dodging uniformed rugrats and soccer balls quite the task. Once at the cultural center, I joined Reham, who was already being flirted with by the waiters, at a table in the courtyard. She seemed on the one hand to be annoyed by the attention, but on the other to be flattered by it. She decided she didn't mind, after reflecting, their winks or their calling out to her with Arabic equivalent of "hey, beautiful". I felt more like eating crêpes than analyzing what that meant about Egypt and so I did. I suspect they don't use Clément-Faugier crême de marrons there. Shame.
Reham and I headed to Greek Campus afterward where we met up with classmates to chat until it was time for class when an ever-effervescent Cameroonian from among our ranks decided to share with us that his first lady was the best-looking in all the world and that Cameroon was the best country in all Africa. His claims turned into a riotous discussion of the best and worst things about various African countries and whose country had the best looking first lady. Most Americans concurred that Michelle Obama won. We moved on to the more serious topic of family reunification, touching on the rights of refugees and migrants to be with their loved ones as well as the accompanying complicated citizenship rights a person has as the spouse or child of a citizen of a given country. We discussed the difficulties surrounding resettling to the West refugees who are in polygamous relationships, perfectly legal in many parts of the Middle East and Africa. Currently the restrictions on such resettlement has led to husband's lying about second wives or abandoning them altogether. We talked about whether there was any relationship among multiple wives to one another that would establish a right for any of them to sponsor each other to join the family in a country of resettlement and a number of other theoretical family configurations that might complicate questions of family rights.
After class, we went to hear Barbara talk frankly and with a perfect dash of dry humor about the state of refugee protection in the Global South. She's soon going to be unveiling a website to facilitate networking for those providing legal aid to refugees. A wealth of information is available here.
Following the lecture, a dozen or so of us headed to Mohandaseen to have a going-away meal for our friend Saba who is returning to the States tomorrow. I talked mostly with Canadians as it turned out. I got a lesson in Acadian history in French from one and discussed LGBT refugee claims (the topic of my thesis) with another who has a lot of experience with them from her work at AMERA. We're going to exchange notes and articles, so that should be productive as I finesse my proposal. My law professor agreed to join my thesis committee as well, so things seem to be taking shape.
Not too long after I came home, my friend Antoine came over bearing macaroons from Fauchon. I'd passed by it several times when in Zamalek before thinking it must be a knock-off at best, but when we passed by the other night (sadly, after it was closed), we discovered it was indeed an authentic branch of the famous French traîteur. Though they're not Ladurée macaroons, their geographical proximity to me and their significantly lower cost make them very appealing as a potential future purchase.
As I feel like my overly-detailed descriptions of my culinary experiences demand I add something weightier to my entry, I'll move on to the news:
New Israeli Foreign Minister takes conciliatory tone toward Egypt
Despite fears about far-right wing Avigdor Lieberman's appointment to the post of Foreign Minister, things don't seem as grave as they could be. Hopefully the willingness to cooperate with Israel's Arab neighbors expressed by FM Lieberman is genuine and representative of the approach he will take during his term.
Egypt to try and curb the flow of irregular migrants to Italy through vocational education
On the heels of the sinking of a ship carrying migrants to Europe, this effort should be expanded and supplemented with other initiatives to stem the tide of irregular migration because of the risk the migrants themselves face.
AUC denies supplying Pentagon with Egyptian state secrets
As the Egyptian media aren't the least sensational I've ever encountered, you can imagine that charges that AUC were supplying top-secret intelligence to the US military are largely trumped up. At any rate, I would find it hard to believe that the watchful Egyptian government would miss such espionage. As I understand it, it was a cooperative effort to study avian flu which is more prolific in Egypt than in any other country outside of southeast Asia. I suppose this conspiracy is less absurd than the nutty allegations that text messages arriving from abroad to the cell phones of Egyptians were causing brain hemorrhages and death.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
I have nothing particularly eventful to report. My new landlord passed by this morning nearly two hours before he was meant to arrive. Aside from the fact that his English and my Arabic were both too limited to discuss amending the contract and the fact that his idea of fixing our broken front door involved a piece of cardboard ripped off a nearby box of empty water bottles, things went smoothly enough. I emailed his niece to see about ending my contract early and about possibly renting the place again in the fall. We'll see.
The rest of the day was pretty quotidian–hanging out with my classmates on the Greek Campus, enduring Migration and Development, and heading to Zamalek for dinner afterward. I did some more grocery shopping accompanied by my French friend Antoine (my French is improving far more than my Arabic these days) with whom I later walked all the way back downtown. Now Cynthia and I are hanging out in my living room chatting about Egypt and our studies and what our aspirations were in college for the future compared to what they are now.
Tomorrow night, we'll be attending a seminar given by Barbara Harrell-Bond who's something of an icon in the department she helped to set up. After reading many of her articles and one of her books, it'll be interesting to hear what she has to say and to put a name with a face.
News:
Amnesty: Iraq set to execute nearly 130 people charged after proceedings unlikely to have met international standards
A century of restrictions on the press in Egypt
Egyptian comic book author, publisher on trial for infringing on public decency
The rest of the day was pretty quotidian–hanging out with my classmates on the Greek Campus, enduring Migration and Development, and heading to Zamalek for dinner afterward. I did some more grocery shopping accompanied by my French friend Antoine (my French is improving far more than my Arabic these days) with whom I later walked all the way back downtown. Now Cynthia and I are hanging out in my living room chatting about Egypt and our studies and what our aspirations were in college for the future compared to what they are now.
Tomorrow night, we'll be attending a seminar given by Barbara Harrell-Bond who's something of an icon in the department she helped to set up. After reading many of her articles and one of her books, it'll be interesting to hear what she has to say and to put a name with a face.
News:
Amnesty: Iraq set to execute nearly 130 people charged after proceedings unlikely to have met international standards
A century of restrictions on the press in Egypt
Egyptian comic book author, publisher on trial for infringing on public decency
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Taking a breather from working on my draft, I had friends over to conquer the world (play Risk) and eat pizza (from the ever-delicious Maison Thomas). Getting kicked out of Europe was less fun than the good conversations and endless joking around that last until the early morning.
This morning, I finished off the very rough draft of my thesis proposal, printed it out, and went to class. As I looked over my literature review some more, I realized that I've finally reached that magical point where I want to delve further into something, to do lots of unassigned reading, and to work on academic things in my free time. I'm looking forward to get started with my thesis! In class, I ended up downloading articles on theories in sociology to read later.
Tomorrow, our new landlord (our old landlord's brother) comes to collect the rent. Hopefully they'll accept my deposit to pay for the month of May rather than June and let me out of the contract early. I don't want to have to impress upon them that their countless violations of the contract have already nullified it, but we'll see.
News:
Migrants, among them at least ten Egyptians, die when ship sinks en route to Europe
Arab League rallies behind alleged war criminal
Muslim Brotherhood to participate in the upcoming 6th of April strike
I feel like I sort of just leave this news section disembodied, not really giving much context, so here's some commentary: I'm including the link about the sinking of a ship carrying migrants to Europe because it's an all-too common phenomenon. Irregular migrants desperate to find work abroad take huge risks in migrating, sometimes costing their lives. This happens all around the world (take Mexican migrants heading to the US for example).
The Arab League summit in Qatar start off by condemning Israel and with Israel being accused of war crimes in Gaza, perhaps rightly so. But tired rhetoric doesn't bring anyone to justice. Al-Bashir, the president of Sudan has, since having a warrant issued for his arrest, kicked vital aid groups out of Darfur, worsening the humanitarian crisis he fueled in the first place. I cannot begin to understand why the Arab League is roundly supporting him other than interpreting it as a circling of the wagons seeing the ICC as a tool of Western intervention.
As for the 6th of April, it will be interesting to see just how many people come out to protest. Even some foreign students at AUC are planning on taking part. I personally do not feel it's my place and, as part of my Rotary scholarship, I am meant to "exercise caution when expressing personal opinions about controversial political, racial, religious, and other issues."
Finally, I'll leave you with this link to an excellent Al-Jazeera documentary (in English) on the history of the relationship between Egypt and Israel.
This morning, I finished off the very rough draft of my thesis proposal, printed it out, and went to class. As I looked over my literature review some more, I realized that I've finally reached that magical point where I want to delve further into something, to do lots of unassigned reading, and to work on academic things in my free time. I'm looking forward to get started with my thesis! In class, I ended up downloading articles on theories in sociology to read later.
Tomorrow, our new landlord (our old landlord's brother) comes to collect the rent. Hopefully they'll accept my deposit to pay for the month of May rather than June and let me out of the contract early. I don't want to have to impress upon them that their countless violations of the contract have already nullified it, but we'll see.
News:
Migrants, among them at least ten Egyptians, die when ship sinks en route to Europe
Arab League rallies behind alleged war criminal
Muslim Brotherhood to participate in the upcoming 6th of April strike
I feel like I sort of just leave this news section disembodied, not really giving much context, so here's some commentary: I'm including the link about the sinking of a ship carrying migrants to Europe because it's an all-too common phenomenon. Irregular migrants desperate to find work abroad take huge risks in migrating, sometimes costing their lives. This happens all around the world (take Mexican migrants heading to the US for example).
The Arab League summit in Qatar start off by condemning Israel and with Israel being accused of war crimes in Gaza, perhaps rightly so. But tired rhetoric doesn't bring anyone to justice. Al-Bashir, the president of Sudan has, since having a warrant issued for his arrest, kicked vital aid groups out of Darfur, worsening the humanitarian crisis he fueled in the first place. I cannot begin to understand why the Arab League is roundly supporting him other than interpreting it as a circling of the wagons seeing the ICC as a tool of Western intervention.
As for the 6th of April, it will be interesting to see just how many people come out to protest. Even some foreign students at AUC are planning on taking part. I personally do not feel it's my place and, as part of my Rotary scholarship, I am meant to "exercise caution when expressing personal opinions about controversial political, racial, religious, and other issues."
Finally, I'll leave you with this link to an excellent Al-Jazeera documentary (in English) on the history of the relationship between Egypt and Israel.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Later yesterday, I joined grad students from the Institute of Gender and Women's Studies and the political science department for dinner in Ma'adi. We discussed thesis research and our academic interests as well as life in Egypt while venting our frustrations about bureaucracy and classes at AUC.
Today, I was meant to join my host club to assist with a medical caravan, but no one ever returned my emails about directions or transportation, so I was unable to attend. Hopefully there will be other opportunities to volunteer alongside my host Rotarians in the future. Needless to say, I'm disappointed, but this isn't exactly the first time communication has broken down, so I've learned to roll with the punches.
I spent most of today trying to coax my draft thesis proposal into existence, breaking twice. I met an Australian friend to chat about religion and morality over coffee downtown and then later to have dinner and watch a movie with other friends.
By and large, I'm tired and frustrated with not having a clear understand of where to take this proposal. I have an idea I'm really excited about, but not sure how to go through the whole rigamarole of the thesis process. On top of that, there's lots of other work to be done for my methods and law classes and I have an upcoming presentation in Migration and Development. Luckily, spring break isn't too far off.
News:
Further reports of mistreatment of Dia' Eddin Gad*
Conspiracy theorists claim that a killer text is felling Egyptian cell phone users
"Egypt cracks down on bloggers" from The Guardian Weekly
*I have heard but cannot confirm that Dia' Gad has been released and that news on the subject will be forthcoming.
Today, I was meant to join my host club to assist with a medical caravan, but no one ever returned my emails about directions or transportation, so I was unable to attend. Hopefully there will be other opportunities to volunteer alongside my host Rotarians in the future. Needless to say, I'm disappointed, but this isn't exactly the first time communication has broken down, so I've learned to roll with the punches.
I spent most of today trying to coax my draft thesis proposal into existence, breaking twice. I met an Australian friend to chat about religion and morality over coffee downtown and then later to have dinner and watch a movie with other friends.
By and large, I'm tired and frustrated with not having a clear understand of where to take this proposal. I have an idea I'm really excited about, but not sure how to go through the whole rigamarole of the thesis process. On top of that, there's lots of other work to be done for my methods and law classes and I have an upcoming presentation in Migration and Development. Luckily, spring break isn't too far off.
News:
Further reports of mistreatment of Dia' Eddin Gad*
Conspiracy theorists claim that a killer text is felling Egyptian cell phone users
"Egypt cracks down on bloggers" from The Guardian Weekly
*I have heard but cannot confirm that Dia' Gad has been released and that news on the subject will be forthcoming.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Today has been an exceptionally nice day and it's not even five o'clock yet. Though I stayed up quite late to capitalize on the little time I had left to hang out with Ablavi, I awoke at a reasonable hour, ate, checked my email, read the news online, and started to map out my draft thesis proposal. Before long, it was time to hop a cab to Doqqi. As I left my building, it felt as if all of Egypt were getting in my way. I weaved to avoid stockmen passing boxes assembly line-style into the foyer, destined for the contact store on the ground floor, dodge slow-moving elderly women and families and buses, and hopped into the cleanest taxi I've been in in eons. The drive was courteous and efficient–I almost felt obligated to pay double. As we crossed over Qasr an-Nil Bridge and I saw the palm trees and the hotels and business offices and billboards and feluccas and cars stretch out in every direction, bisected by the Nile, I had one of those beautiful moments where I think, "Oh my gosh, this is actually my life. I'm living in Cairo." Times like that make me want never to stay within the confines of my over-priced abode, to forget coursework, and to explore as long as my walking legs will hold up.
Once at my destination in Doqqi, I fished out an additional handful of fifty piastre notes to add to the five pounds I would've paid for a less comfortable ride, thanked the driver, and headed toward Misaha Street. After a bit of searching, I found next to the Algerian consulate a "villa". My subsequent haircut inside was quite the surreal experience. I timidly wandered in as there were no signs, but I found myself in this semi-swank colonial manor with crown-molding and high ceilings and a team of Egyptians dressed all in white milling around. At the center of the operation was a Parisian hair stylist who was a multi-tasking master–cutting hair, making nice with the customers, directing his team of assistants. As soon as I walked in, I was initiated into the cult; they put a white smock on me and led me to a comfy armchair where they offered me something to drink. A bit overwhelmed and wondering just how much such treatment was going to cost, I declined and looked around the place. Relatively tasteful music played just loud enough to drown out the din of Arabic, English, and French being spoken by employees and customers some of whom were Egyptian and others of whom were European expats. Before long, I was led into a room with comfy reclining chairs and wash basins. The shampooing room had artsy light fixtures and was ridiculously large and airy for its purpose. Wooden doors were drawn shut as I got my hair shampooed (twice?) and conditioned and had a full scalp massage. After that, I was led out to a chair where the stylist and occasionally his assistants lowered my ears. After finding out I was American, he complimented my French, but even better, he didn't screw up my hair. We discussed refugees and living abroad during the cut, and before I knew it, I had a lot less hair, was less than twenty US dollars poorer, and back out in the sunshine. Determined to save money, to get exercise, and to enjoy being out and about in Cairo, I walked all the way home. I crossed two bridges, passed a veiled woman speeding by on a 4x4 in the middle of traffic, and outpaced a worn-looking horse drawing a carriage. Upon reaching downtown, I was delighted to find that what seemed like ten times as many traffic police were out. No weaving and bobbing and ducking and dodging. I walked straight to the Mobile Shop, bought credit for my phone, crossed a half dozen streets without having to worrying about the errant taxi colliding with me.
High on sunshine, sporting my new haircut, listening to my iPod and satisfied with Egypt, I strutted up to my building, began to climb the steps and then fell up the steps. Can't win 'em all. Haha. So now, in addition to my new 'do, I have a new gash on my arm. Ma3lish. I'm sporting an inventive shoelace and sterile bandage contraption to keep the wee wound under wraps.
And now, back to working on the draft!
News:
"Israel and Egypt: A chillier peace", from The Economist
Analyzing the causes behind sexual harassment in Egypt
Islamic cleric issues fatwa against female genital mutilation
Editorial on chances of peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict
Once at my destination in Doqqi, I fished out an additional handful of fifty piastre notes to add to the five pounds I would've paid for a less comfortable ride, thanked the driver, and headed toward Misaha Street. After a bit of searching, I found next to the Algerian consulate a "villa". My subsequent haircut inside was quite the surreal experience. I timidly wandered in as there were no signs, but I found myself in this semi-swank colonial manor with crown-molding and high ceilings and a team of Egyptians dressed all in white milling around. At the center of the operation was a Parisian hair stylist who was a multi-tasking master–cutting hair, making nice with the customers, directing his team of assistants. As soon as I walked in, I was initiated into the cult; they put a white smock on me and led me to a comfy armchair where they offered me something to drink. A bit overwhelmed and wondering just how much such treatment was going to cost, I declined and looked around the place. Relatively tasteful music played just loud enough to drown out the din of Arabic, English, and French being spoken by employees and customers some of whom were Egyptian and others of whom were European expats. Before long, I was led into a room with comfy reclining chairs and wash basins. The shampooing room had artsy light fixtures and was ridiculously large and airy for its purpose. Wooden doors were drawn shut as I got my hair shampooed (twice?) and conditioned and had a full scalp massage. After that, I was led out to a chair where the stylist and occasionally his assistants lowered my ears. After finding out I was American, he complimented my French, but even better, he didn't screw up my hair. We discussed refugees and living abroad during the cut, and before I knew it, I had a lot less hair, was less than twenty US dollars poorer, and back out in the sunshine. Determined to save money, to get exercise, and to enjoy being out and about in Cairo, I walked all the way home. I crossed two bridges, passed a veiled woman speeding by on a 4x4 in the middle of traffic, and outpaced a worn-looking horse drawing a carriage. Upon reaching downtown, I was delighted to find that what seemed like ten times as many traffic police were out. No weaving and bobbing and ducking and dodging. I walked straight to the Mobile Shop, bought credit for my phone, crossed a half dozen streets without having to worrying about the errant taxi colliding with me.
High on sunshine, sporting my new haircut, listening to my iPod and satisfied with Egypt, I strutted up to my building, began to climb the steps and then fell up the steps. Can't win 'em all. Haha. So now, in addition to my new 'do, I have a new gash on my arm. Ma3lish. I'm sporting an inventive shoelace and sterile bandage contraption to keep the wee wound under wraps.
And now, back to working on the draft!
News:
"Israel and Egypt: A chillier peace", from The Economist
Analyzing the causes behind sexual harassment in Egypt
Islamic cleric issues fatwa against female genital mutilation
Editorial on chances of peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Today I lunched with Ablavi for what is likely to be the last time in a long time. We joked with the waiter and chatted about what the future held over mediocre Egyptian fare from Felfela. Afterward, we exchanged photos from our day at the park and hung out on the sunny balcony. I left for law class which was followed by a seminar presentation by my Burundian friend Claudine who showed a documentary she created about one of the refugee camps she lived in as a child in Tanzania. It was excellent, but I didn't stick around for too long after because I wanted to get back to my building to hang out with Ablavi some more. She's one of the first people to be leaving that I've realized I'm really going to miss. Hopefully we'll be able to see each other again in Europe sometime this summer.
I've got a busy few days coming up with the Rotary medical caravan, a dinner with some of the people in the Gender & Women's Studies Institute at AUC, and a lot of work to be put into the rough draft of my thesis proposal. I am looking forward to spring break in Tunisia for sure!
I'll leave you with a video clip about the state of blogging in Iran. Egypt may not be overly kind to its bloggers all the time, but it's saintly compared to what the Iranian government has in mind.
News:
Alleged war criminal Bashir visits Cairo
Israel marks 30 years of peace with Egypt
"Muslim-Christian Understanding Crucial to Better US Relations with Muslim World"
I've got a busy few days coming up with the Rotary medical caravan, a dinner with some of the people in the Gender & Women's Studies Institute at AUC, and a lot of work to be put into the rough draft of my thesis proposal. I am looking forward to spring break in Tunisia for sure!
I'll leave you with a video clip about the state of blogging in Iran. Egypt may not be overly kind to its bloggers all the time, but it's saintly compared to what the Iranian government has in mind.
News:
Alleged war criminal Bashir visits Cairo
Israel marks 30 years of peace with Egypt
"Muslim-Christian Understanding Crucial to Better US Relations with Muslim World"
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Veiled Paparazzi
Later Sunday night, I had the privilege of dining with some friends from my alma mater who are here for the semester as study abroad students. Together with my flatmate's guest, we enjoyed typical Egyptian food and chatted about our feelings toward Egypt and toward the States. What made it interesting were our different relationships to the country-me here as a graduate student for a year and half, Tyler and Bridget as study abroad students here for a semester, and Rachel as a tourist here for a week. It was funny, Rachel and Bridget both had things they were looking forward to doing when they got back to the States. I haven't really thought much about those sorts of things being logistics-buying plane tickets, rescheduling appointments, etc.
Yesterday, the internet began working at my apartment again since the new landlord, Mohamed saw fit to renew the contract with the ISP. I took the opportunity to finish my paper for Migration and Development, a class I have in an hour and a half. Later on last evening, I joined Marise and some of her friends who study in Colorado. Originating from Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Chile, they also had unique perspectives on Egypt to contribute. We had a nice dinner at al-Azhar Park (seems I'm finding myself there a lot these days).
Other than that, my life has been filled with paper-writing, researching, and group project-tweaking--oh, except for when I got stopped in the street by a triad of teenage Egyptian girls who asked to take photos of me with their camera phones. Flattering or disconcerting, I'm not sure which.
News:
Egypt tourism industry poised to weather the economic downturn?
Copts divided over criticism of Egyptian government
American women in Egyptian prison in adoption fiasco
Yesterday, the internet began working at my apartment again since the new landlord, Mohamed saw fit to renew the contract with the ISP. I took the opportunity to finish my paper for Migration and Development, a class I have in an hour and a half. Later on last evening, I joined Marise and some of her friends who study in Colorado. Originating from Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Chile, they also had unique perspectives on Egypt to contribute. We had a nice dinner at al-Azhar Park (seems I'm finding myself there a lot these days).
Other than that, my life has been filled with paper-writing, researching, and group project-tweaking--oh, except for when I got stopped in the street by a triad of teenage Egyptian girls who asked to take photos of me with their camera phones. Flattering or disconcerting, I'm not sure which.
News:
Egypt tourism industry poised to weather the economic downturn?
Copts divided over criticism of Egyptian government
American women in Egyptian prison in adoption fiasco
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Crossed legs and cross Egyptians
I am currently outside in the courtyard of AUC's Greek Campus. I've traded my drab olive couch, my tiny TV, and the plethora of nearly-tastefully upholstered dining room chairs in my living room for pigeons, cats, and palm trees and remarkably beautiful weather. The reason? My landlord (whoever that is at this point, since apparently the one who I haven't seen in months has handed the reins over to his brother and niece(s)) neglected to pay our internet bill (the second time he has violated the rental contract by not paying for a utility). Since I've been fuming lately, thinking about how much money I've lost in overpaying for this ersatz abode, my blood pressure had nowhere to go but up, so it's a good thing that the internet's working on campus and that the sun is shining.
Despite my recent frustrations, I had a great time yesterday. I joined my French friends for a jaunt to al-Azhar park where we had a leisurely lunch before watching the sunset. For once, the call to prayer was beautiful. You could hear it from so many different minarets that it all blend together into ambient background music for the scene of the sun sinking behind the Cairo skyline. After navigating the alleys and streets back to my building, we rested our weary feet for a while before heading to Ma'adi to get Thai food with Phil and Ross's guest who's been visiting. It was good as usual. On the way back, in the metro, a curious thing happened. I was sitting with my legs crossed in a way so as not to show the bottom of my shoes (because the bottoms of one's shoes and feet are considered offensive to display to others) and talking to my friends when all of the sudden I felt a tap on my shoe. A young but severe-looking man in a galabaya motioned to me that something about the way I was sitting was inappropriate. Shocked that he had the nerve to touch my shoes with the bottom of his and thoroughly annoyed at his intervening, I asked him in Arabic just what the problem was. I'm not sure why I did, because my Arabic's not good enough to understand any explanation he could've offered, but he gesticulated along with his words and I signaled my discontent and ignored his admonition. I can't imagine what his problem was as Egyptians sit the same way I was sitting in the metro all the time. I don't think I accidentally flashed the sole of my shoe at him either, but by the end of the metro-ride I wanted to take it off and throw it at him. As much as I tried to be inconspicuous and inoffensive, the very fact that I have the skin, eye, and hair color I do attracts vapid stares and obnoxious greetings or even snide remarks and rude gestures. I'm tired of being harassed and ripped off just for being a non-Egyptian. At least I'm not a woman, they have to deal with much, much worse here.
Ma3lesh, at least the weather's nice. Mid-70s and sunny!
News:
Egypt demanding return from US of ancient sarcophagus
Cairo the worst city in Africa for air pollution
Water scarcity an increasing threat to Egypt
Despite my recent frustrations, I had a great time yesterday. I joined my French friends for a jaunt to al-Azhar park where we had a leisurely lunch before watching the sunset. For once, the call to prayer was beautiful. You could hear it from so many different minarets that it all blend together into ambient background music for the scene of the sun sinking behind the Cairo skyline. After navigating the alleys and streets back to my building, we rested our weary feet for a while before heading to Ma'adi to get Thai food with Phil and Ross's guest who's been visiting. It was good as usual. On the way back, in the metro, a curious thing happened. I was sitting with my legs crossed in a way so as not to show the bottom of my shoes (because the bottoms of one's shoes and feet are considered offensive to display to others) and talking to my friends when all of the sudden I felt a tap on my shoe. A young but severe-looking man in a galabaya motioned to me that something about the way I was sitting was inappropriate. Shocked that he had the nerve to touch my shoes with the bottom of his and thoroughly annoyed at his intervening, I asked him in Arabic just what the problem was. I'm not sure why I did, because my Arabic's not good enough to understand any explanation he could've offered, but he gesticulated along with his words and I signaled my discontent and ignored his admonition. I can't imagine what his problem was as Egyptians sit the same way I was sitting in the metro all the time. I don't think I accidentally flashed the sole of my shoe at him either, but by the end of the metro-ride I wanted to take it off and throw it at him. As much as I tried to be inconspicuous and inoffensive, the very fact that I have the skin, eye, and hair color I do attracts vapid stares and obnoxious greetings or even snide remarks and rude gestures. I'm tired of being harassed and ripped off just for being a non-Egyptian. At least I'm not a woman, they have to deal with much, much worse here.
Ma3lesh, at least the weather's nice. Mid-70s and sunny!
News:
Egypt demanding return from US of ancient sarcophagus
Cairo the worst city in Africa for air pollution
Water scarcity an increasing threat to Egypt
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A night of Risk
Yesterday, I trekked down to Ma'adi with Cynthia where we met up with a Sudanese friend and ran some errands both in the parts of Ma'adi where expats seldom wander and in the parts where they wander too scantily clad, inviting the still-undeserved negative attention of young Egyptian men. We hung out at a coffee shop with Sudanese men who were not nearly as amused as Cynthia and I were by the cheesy Lebanese music videos blaring from a small television perched high up in one corner of the establishment and we shopped at a couple of grocery stories where I stocked up on the same things I always buy: coconut-flavor Lactel yogurt, Rich Bake baladi brown bread, frozen peas and carrots, Isis organic pasta, and pasta sauce.Later in the evening, I had Phil and Cynthia over for "dinner" which consisted of my specialty-pasta with a side of peas and carrots. Who'd have guessed? Later on, we went back out to a toystore a block away. There we purchased Risk and Scrabble, though I doubt that Parker Brothers is making a dime off of the "special" version that we found ourselves playing. 
Today, I made some headway in writing a reaction paper for my migration and development class. The topic is North African migration to the European Union. Speaking of the European Union, I will be spending the night there on the 1st of June. That is to say, I booked my return flights that will lead me homeward in two and a half months. I'll be back in Peoria somewhere in the second week of June and I hope to begin giving my Rotary speeches soon thereafter!
News:
Darfur rebel groups cease peace talks with Khartoum
"Islam's Soft Revolution"
Relations with Iran up in the air
Today, I made some headway in writing a reaction paper for my migration and development class. The topic is North African migration to the European Union. Speaking of the European Union, I will be spending the night there on the 1st of June. That is to say, I booked my return flights that will lead me homeward in two and a half months. I'll be back in Peoria somewhere in the second week of June and I hope to begin giving my Rotary speeches soon thereafter!
News:
Darfur rebel groups cease peace talks with Khartoum
"Islam's Soft Revolution"
Relations with Iran up in the air
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I've been shirking my writing duties again, my apologies. I spent the rest of St Patrick's Day in a decidely un-Irish fashion: eating sushi in Doqqi with Michelle, Marise, Phil, and Marise's mom. The place, called "Bob's Sushi", is tiny but suprisingly has a leg up on all of the sushi joints in Central Illinois. The quality is inversely proportionate to the size of the restaurant itself which only has two tables. I think they're primarily a delivery venture. The menu is uninentionally witty, offering "Pisces" of sushi rather than pieces. Clever, clever.
Following our repast, we had tea at Marise's. In French, Marise's mom and I discussed religion, French authors from Albert Camus to Victoire Hugo, existentialism, Egyptian history, and more while I snacked on a Turkish delight leftover from Moulid an-Nabi.
Yesterday, after law class, we went to an eventful seminar on the provision of psycho-social services to the refugee community. The presence of a disturbed man who claims to have been a lawyer, but is now disabled did more to hit home the bleak situation for refugees in Egypt than anything the panel described. Afterward, a bunch of us went to the Italian club (alas without Italians, finding ourselves subject to the 10 LE cover charge). I invited Ablavi, my neighbor, and her colleague from CEDEJ. Afterward, we strolled leisurely back through downtown to our building. Speaking of our building, in the process of trying to shorten the length of my contract, I received an email from my landlord telling me he would no longer be "in the business" as of the 1st of April and that his brother and a couple of female relatives would be handling things from then on. I'm not sure what that means or whether our good ol' landlord's in the country, but I think that overall, it's an excellent development.
I receive another email, this one from local Rotarians, inviting me to join a medical caravan to aid people with limited access to medical care here in Cairo. I'll be doing that on the 27th if all goes as planned.
News:
Egypt wants US, Europe to recognize and engage Palestinian government even if Hamas plays a major role
Call to prayer migrates from Cairo to Berlin in the form of a play
Israel to investigate war crimes claims
Following our repast, we had tea at Marise's. In French, Marise's mom and I discussed religion, French authors from Albert Camus to Victoire Hugo, existentialism, Egyptian history, and more while I snacked on a Turkish delight leftover from Moulid an-Nabi.
Yesterday, after law class, we went to an eventful seminar on the provision of psycho-social services to the refugee community. The presence of a disturbed man who claims to have been a lawyer, but is now disabled did more to hit home the bleak situation for refugees in Egypt than anything the panel described. Afterward, a bunch of us went to the Italian club (alas without Italians, finding ourselves subject to the 10 LE cover charge). I invited Ablavi, my neighbor, and her colleague from CEDEJ. Afterward, we strolled leisurely back through downtown to our building. Speaking of our building, in the process of trying to shorten the length of my contract, I received an email from my landlord telling me he would no longer be "in the business" as of the 1st of April and that his brother and a couple of female relatives would be handling things from then on. I'm not sure what that means or whether our good ol' landlord's in the country, but I think that overall, it's an excellent development.
I receive another email, this one from local Rotarians, inviting me to join a medical caravan to aid people with limited access to medical care here in Cairo. I'll be doing that on the 27th if all goes as planned.
News:
Egypt wants US, Europe to recognize and engage Palestinian government even if Hamas plays a major role
Call to prayer migrates from Cairo to Berlin in the form of a play
Israel to investigate war crimes claims
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Apologies and Refugees
The Salon Afrique event went very well. The theme was apologies and their place as a political tool both in Africa and in the rest of the world. Apologies for personal wrongs with political implications, for national wrongs, and for colonial wrongs were all discussed. Most of the discussion participants were from Africa, so it was a much more practical rather than theoretical perspective on whether formal apologies should be accepted, what they meant, the accompanying moral imperative to act to rectify wrongs, and more.
Afterward, I joined my friend Claudine for Lebanese food. Another of her friends joined us and we had great conversation. Claudine, who is Burundian but was born in Rwanda, told us about growing up in refugee camps and her eventual resettlement to Maryland and how she ended up here in Cairo. It's amazing the kind of people you meet here.
While I was listening to perspectives on apologizing, another building was burning in Cairo. At least it wasn't an attack, just poor safety standards, apparently.
News:
Fire hits historic building in downtown Cairo
Egyptians arrested over unexploded firebomb are claimed to have been "fighting [...] over girls"
US couples plead not guilty to buying Egyptian babies
Afterward, I joined my friend Claudine for Lebanese food. Another of her friends joined us and we had great conversation. Claudine, who is Burundian but was born in Rwanda, told us about growing up in refugee camps and her eventual resettlement to Maryland and how she ended up here in Cairo. It's amazing the kind of people you meet here.
While I was listening to perspectives on apologizing, another building was burning in Cairo. At least it wasn't an attack, just poor safety standards, apparently.
News:
Fire hits historic building in downtown Cairo
Egyptians arrested over unexploded firebomb are claimed to have been "fighting [...] over girls"
US couples plead not guilty to buying Egyptian babies
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Yesterday was one of those days of happy efficiency that doesn't have much interest for the wider world: I called my grandma, hung a mirror, did laundry, washed dishes, etc. Sometimes I think I should have a second blog to share my banal day-to-day life with the few family members and friends who actually want to hear about it and reserve this blog for exciting news and reflections on culture. Anyway, you'll be glad to know that my grandma was thrilled to receive a phone call.
Today I am attending a presentation on the main campus downtown by African Graduate Fellowship holders. There wasn't a great deal of information on the specific areas of research, but it promises to be interesting. Until then, I'm poring through webpages with information on EU law regarding discrimination in migration both for my law class and for my thesis research. Perusing EU pages makes me nostalgic.
Because I don't have anything life-changing to say, I thought I'd share this excellent short documentary on Cairo and the migration out from the core to the suburbs and the divisions it represents and causes. A friend of mine posted it on Facebook and I really enjoyed it.
News:
Palestinian unity talks in Cairo stalling
Hizbullah vows never to recognize Israel
Egyptian cleric issues fatwa saying that neighbors and family can force couples to divorce
Today I am attending a presentation on the main campus downtown by African Graduate Fellowship holders. There wasn't a great deal of information on the specific areas of research, but it promises to be interesting. Until then, I'm poring through webpages with information on EU law regarding discrimination in migration both for my law class and for my thesis research. Perusing EU pages makes me nostalgic.
Because I don't have anything life-changing to say, I thought I'd share this excellent short documentary on Cairo and the migration out from the core to the suburbs and the divisions it represents and causes. A friend of mine posted it on Facebook and I really enjoyed it.
News:
Palestinian unity talks in Cairo stalling
Hizbullah vows never to recognize Israel
Egyptian cleric issues fatwa saying that neighbors and family can force couples to divorce
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Again my busyness is delaying my writing in a timely fashion. After a good Comparative Migration Law class yesterday, I attended a seminar during which the discussants, Nancy Baron, showed a film called Finding Courage. An education adaptation of a longer film, Echoes of War, that has made the rounds at film festivals, this edition was tailored by Nancy herself based on feedback from audiences in refugee camps and elsewhere around the world. Follow the link to check it out.
I grabbed Egyptian food after class with Marise and Phil. We found ourselves surrounded by a sea of tourists and attended to by a very eager-to-please waiter as we noshed on eggplants in various forms, ta3mayya, mashi, and the like. We stopped at Abd al-Hadi's where Philip purchased another kilo of baklawa and a toothy old man made eyes at Marise and told her a story about his college days. The rest of the evening and early morning was spent chatting with Ablavi who's leaving for France and then Belgium in a couple of weeks.
Today I trekked out to the new campus, using both of my bus tickets, to meet with Dr Martina Rieker who gave me some great possible ideas for directions to take my thesis. I hung around the library for a bit, but my computer went dead so I couldn't be very productive having left my adapter downtown. I came back via Zamalek where I did some grocery shopoping and then had a meeting with my groupmates from law class. Nothing else too exciting.
News:
"Arab Diplomacy and the Palestinians" in the Economist
Hamas condemns rocket fire
Delicate balancing act with US aid and Palestinian unity
Wife of recently freed former presidential candidate eyeing possible 2011 run for Egypt's presidency
I grabbed Egyptian food after class with Marise and Phil. We found ourselves surrounded by a sea of tourists and attended to by a very eager-to-please waiter as we noshed on eggplants in various forms, ta3mayya, mashi, and the like. We stopped at Abd al-Hadi's where Philip purchased another kilo of baklawa and a toothy old man made eyes at Marise and told her a story about his college days. The rest of the evening and early morning was spent chatting with Ablavi who's leaving for France and then Belgium in a couple of weeks.
Today I trekked out to the new campus, using both of my bus tickets, to meet with Dr Martina Rieker who gave me some great possible ideas for directions to take my thesis. I hung around the library for a bit, but my computer went dead so I couldn't be very productive having left my adapter downtown. I came back via Zamalek where I did some grocery shopoping and then had a meeting with my groupmates from law class. Nothing else too exciting.
News:
"Arab Diplomacy and the Palestinians" in the Economist
Hamas condemns rocket fire
Delicate balancing act with US aid and Palestinian unity
Wife of recently freed former presidential candidate eyeing possible 2011 run for Egypt's presidency
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Yesterday I got together with Ambereen one of the two other ambassadorial scholars here in Cairo that I met a year ago at my outbound orientation in Kansas City. We went for coffee, caught up, and talked about ways to help potential applicants understand more about the program. Hopefully we'll be able to organize something with Egyptian students interested in becoming ambassadorial scholars sometime soon.
Reading and Migration and Development followed coffee which was mercifully followed by my friend Erin's birthday dinner. We had it at Kandahar, the Indian restaurant in Mohandaseen, and it lasted for hours. It was the perfect opportunity for all of us to de-stress and be among friends. An Egyptian man outfitted in a tux sang her happy birthday between his renditions of Copa Cabana and Willy Nelson songs. Well worth the 5 LE entertainment charge we each incurred.
Tomorrow I'm heading to the new campus to meet with a professor about my thesis. I'm hoping she'll help me with ideas and literature for my lit. review.
Oh, and the mysterious situation with the butcher shop in Falaki Square seems to be nothing more than a case of the building fall apart on its own, the government not feeling obliged to repair it and thus tearing down the rest of the part attached to the edifice that was at risk of falling in. Understandably, some people are upset.
News:
Paintings stolen from museum palace in Cairo suburb
Libya finds US hasn't conceded enough after Libyan halting of weapons programs
Egyptian cleric calls for boycott of Starbucks because of its logo
Reading and Migration and Development followed coffee which was mercifully followed by my friend Erin's birthday dinner. We had it at Kandahar, the Indian restaurant in Mohandaseen, and it lasted for hours. It was the perfect opportunity for all of us to de-stress and be among friends. An Egyptian man outfitted in a tux sang her happy birthday between his renditions of Copa Cabana and Willy Nelson songs. Well worth the 5 LE entertainment charge we each incurred.
Tomorrow I'm heading to the new campus to meet with a professor about my thesis. I'm hoping she'll help me with ideas and literature for my lit. review.
Oh, and the mysterious situation with the butcher shop in Falaki Square seems to be nothing more than a case of the building fall apart on its own, the government not feeling obliged to repair it and thus tearing down the rest of the part attached to the edifice that was at risk of falling in. Understandably, some people are upset.
News:
Paintings stolen from museum palace in Cairo suburb
Libya finds US hasn't conceded enough after Libyan halting of weapons programs
Egyptian cleric calls for boycott of Starbucks because of its logo
Monday, March 9, 2009
Particularly busy yesterday, I didn't have time to write up an entry. From 3 PM until 4 AM I had two meetings, trekked out to Hay al-Ashr to teach English, and hung out with friends on the rooftop of the Odeon Palace Hotel.
Teaching was fantastic. The students were very responsive and it felt like they were actually taking something away from the lesson. For the security of the NGO and its operations around Cairo, I'm not going to blog much about my teaching experiences, but will be certain to share my insights in my Rotary speeches this summer.
We took a couple of minibuses back. I prefer them to the larger city buses. Though before going to and from Hay al-Ashr I always dread the commute, when I'm actually in the taxi there or the bus back, I love watching out the window. There's so much to see in Cairo, so much that's completely unlike home and other things that are quite comparable. On the way back last night, we passed an unfinished apartment building with rebar sticking out every which way from the concrete foundations which were interspersed with bare brick walls. Three veiled women sat on the floor in the dim light of the only finished room in what might otherwise be a towering multi-family dwelling. On the wall was a picture of Ché Guevara. It reminded me of the poster of Usher, G-Unit, and other hip-hop personalities in the school earlier that night. It's interesting which aspects of cultures translate into others and how.
Today was Mohammad's birthday. My friend Reham explained that it's a bit like Christmas in a way–you gather together with family, eat a lot (especially the sweets that I mentioned before that are associated with the holiday), and hear stories about the founder of Islam. After class she and I together with classsmates Erin and Brandy went back to the pastry and sweet shop that Phil, Ross and I went to the other night. We each got something and then parted ways for the evening.
I was reading the Caravan today and, though disappointed by the fact that the Egyptian students are more than willing to organize protests over coffee on campus being too expensive while forgetting that several their fellow countrymen are being held in undisclosed locations without charge, I read a couple of articles about AUC's responses to student requests. The immaturity of the students and the oft-misplaced emphasis of their demands seem actually to be dealt with appropriately by the administration, but by and large, the institution does not function well and is an endless source of vexation for students and faculty. I guess it's a waiting game to see whether or not it will ever improve.
Along the way to Abd al-Hadi (the sweet shop) tonight as on the way to class, I passed by the pile of rubble where the butcher shop used to be out front of the building that houses the Bab al-Louq souq. There was a riot police truck, a heavy police presence, and people tearing down even more of the outcroppings of the building that used to crowd the entrance. I still have no clear idea of what's going on over there.
News:
Cargo ship sinks in the Red Sea
Israeli offensive in Gaza boosts popularity of Hamas
British establish contact with Hizbullah, US not ready to follow suit
After setbacks, American and European delegations allowed entry to Gaza
Teaching was fantastic. The students were very responsive and it felt like they were actually taking something away from the lesson. For the security of the NGO and its operations around Cairo, I'm not going to blog much about my teaching experiences, but will be certain to share my insights in my Rotary speeches this summer.
We took a couple of minibuses back. I prefer them to the larger city buses. Though before going to and from Hay al-Ashr I always dread the commute, when I'm actually in the taxi there or the bus back, I love watching out the window. There's so much to see in Cairo, so much that's completely unlike home and other things that are quite comparable. On the way back last night, we passed an unfinished apartment building with rebar sticking out every which way from the concrete foundations which were interspersed with bare brick walls. Three veiled women sat on the floor in the dim light of the only finished room in what might otherwise be a towering multi-family dwelling. On the wall was a picture of Ché Guevara. It reminded me of the poster of Usher, G-Unit, and other hip-hop personalities in the school earlier that night. It's interesting which aspects of cultures translate into others and how.
Today was Mohammad's birthday. My friend Reham explained that it's a bit like Christmas in a way–you gather together with family, eat a lot (especially the sweets that I mentioned before that are associated with the holiday), and hear stories about the founder of Islam. After class she and I together with classsmates Erin and Brandy went back to the pastry and sweet shop that Phil, Ross and I went to the other night. We each got something and then parted ways for the evening.
I was reading the Caravan today and, though disappointed by the fact that the Egyptian students are more than willing to organize protests over coffee on campus being too expensive while forgetting that several their fellow countrymen are being held in undisclosed locations without charge, I read a couple of articles about AUC's responses to student requests. The immaturity of the students and the oft-misplaced emphasis of their demands seem actually to be dealt with appropriately by the administration, but by and large, the institution does not function well and is an endless source of vexation for students and faculty. I guess it's a waiting game to see whether or not it will ever improve.
Along the way to Abd al-Hadi (the sweet shop) tonight as on the way to class, I passed by the pile of rubble where the butcher shop used to be out front of the building that houses the Bab al-Louq souq. There was a riot police truck, a heavy police presence, and people tearing down even more of the outcroppings of the building that used to crowd the entrance. I still have no clear idea of what's going on over there.
News:
Cargo ship sinks in the Red Sea
Israeli offensive in Gaza boosts popularity of Hamas
British establish contact with Hizbullah, US not ready to follow suit
After setbacks, American and European delegations allowed entry to Gaza
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Full of Korean food and trying to muster up the will to finish my reaction papers for methods and for law, I thought I'd take a break and catch my blog up. Last evening, after Phil, Ross, and I hit the juice place (I got peach for a change-not bad), we headed to the Abd el-Hadi pastry shop where we received a warm welcome and were plied with samples of the treats that are being prepared for the week of Mohammad's birthday (which falls on Monday this year). Hadi, as he introduced himself, seemed to be on top of all the goings-on in his shop. He used to be an equestrian champion of some sort and at one point even produced an aged photo of himself atop a steed leaping through the air. Phil left with a kilo of baklawa (which he has apparently since consumed in its entirety), while Ross and I settled for some of the holiday goods–peanut bars surrounded with coconut and coconut bars with pistachios in the center, surrounded by apricot. Urging us to return often to help him with his English, Hadi bade us farewell. We headed back to the apartment and spent the rest of the evening hanging out with Ablavi from next door and a French coworker of hers.
Today I spent reading and writing and avoiding the increasing heat and sand outside. You can't call it hot yet, but I had to throw off my comforter last night because of how warm it got in my room. Later on, I joined Marise and Phil for Korean which was followed by juice with Ross. Further inquiring as to the mysterious pile of rubble and the hole inside of the building across the street where the butcher used to be, we were told cryptically that "they" didn't want the store anymore and that that's how the system works. God knows what that means. Seems like a drastic way to shut down a butcher shop.
I also found out that I'll be able to work on my thesis research this summer which probably be done at least in some part back in the States, maybe also in Europe. It'd be nice to find a job concurrently with the research for a month or two, but with this economy, that's probably impossible.
News:
Egypt sees its first female mayor
Resignation of Palestian PMs signal progress toward reconciliation
British parliamentarian joins aid convoy bound for Gaza
Pullitzer-prize winning author to travel to Gaza on International Women's Day (tomorrow)
Today I spent reading and writing and avoiding the increasing heat and sand outside. You can't call it hot yet, but I had to throw off my comforter last night because of how warm it got in my room. Later on, I joined Marise and Phil for Korean which was followed by juice with Ross. Further inquiring as to the mysterious pile of rubble and the hole inside of the building across the street where the butcher used to be, we were told cryptically that "they" didn't want the store anymore and that that's how the system works. God knows what that means. Seems like a drastic way to shut down a butcher shop.
I also found out that I'll be able to work on my thesis research this summer which probably be done at least in some part back in the States, maybe also in Europe. It'd be nice to find a job concurrently with the research for a month or two, but with this economy, that's probably impossible.
News:
Egypt sees its first female mayor
Resignation of Palestian PMs signal progress toward reconciliation
British parliamentarian joins aid convoy bound for Gaza
Pullitzer-prize winning author to travel to Gaza on International Women's Day (tomorrow)
Friday, March 6, 2009
Inert Elevators and Desert Foxes
Google's weather description of Cairo today does not read "sun" or "haze" as usual, but rather "sand". Yes, sand. Though I'm not quite sure that's accurate for today, the change in the weather that began yesterday was an agonizing reminder that it will only continue to get hotter from here and the sand forecast means the onset of the khamaseen (also called khamsin). Apparently, right now it's in the 80s out there in the world beyond my apartment.
In light of this, purchasing tickets to Tunisia for spring break yesterday was all that much more of a joy. Lonely Planet tells me that mid-March through mid-May is the perfect time to go and we (Ross, Phil and I) are going in mid-April. Mid-perfection, in other words.
After some trip-planning and koshary, I left with Phil to Ma'adi to watch The Secret Life of Bees at a friend's. It was nice to watch a happy film that wasn't a mindless comedy, we were briefly transported out of Egypt and into the American South (which, ironically, is almost more foreign to me than the Middle East as I've never been anywhere down there but Virginia and Florida). Immediately afterward, though, Phil and I were reminded where we were. We hopped in an elevator hoping to make our way speedily to the metro stop and head back downtown. No dice. As we descended from the 13th floor, we stopped on the 9th where two Egyptian men, the shorter one in a worn-looking suit and the taller, lankier one in a tan galabayya. Strangely, the illuminated G (for ground floor) became unlit and the man in the suit pushed it again. The doors closed and we lurched to a halt. "Oh good," said I. "Oh good," laughed the man in the suit before he began trying to call out on his cell phone, realizing that the interphone in the elevator was dead. None of us were getting service in the elevator car, though. By this time, I saw that suit man was carrying in his hand and handgun in a holster. Strangely, I was entirely unaffected. Par for the course, right? There I am trapped in an elevator with a jovial armed man, his sidekick, and my friend Phil in Egypt. What else would I be doing on a Thursday night? Suit man handed his weapon to his pal and proceded to pull open the doors of the elevator car only to be met with an even more solid set of doors to the corridor. He pounded, Phil pounded. Nothing. After a few more times of the doors closing again and suit man opening them, we heard noise outside. Suit man managed to yell for someone called Sherif who apparently scurried off to some control panel somewhere and turn off the electricity to the elevator. Great. Now I'm in the pitch black with a jovial armed man, his sidekick, and my friend Phil in Egypt. I took a drink of water, pressed a button on my phone that lit up the car with a feeble blue light, and kept waiting. Soon the electricity was on. The dear little G button was again illuminated, but the car had its own ideas. We ascended to the 21st floor where Phil and I bade our new friends farewell and took the stairs all the way down. We walked to the metro only to find that the last train in the direction of El Marg had stopped. Ma3lish. We went to a grocery store, got a cab, and headed back downtown theorizing about what would've happened if we'd gotten stuck for hours or days and wondering who suit man was and why he was armed.
Earlier in the evening, Phil, Camilla (the friend in Ma'adi we'd gone to visit), were purusing our university's illustrious news publication, The AUC Caravan. The content of some of the pieces in it is often good, even if the writing or framing of problems on campus are a bit off. One article, though, conveyed sheer absurdity. If you're down for a laugh, the article, entitled "Desert fox raids AUC campus" is full of gems. The title itself, alluding to German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's operations in North Africa during the Second World War, is a ridiculous hyperbole. "I did not see the fox, but if I saw it, I think that I would not come to college again," was the compelling testimony of one student while a construction worker was quoted as saying, "Even if there were lions on campus, we will keep working." Brilliant! Then why isn't the campus finished? The comments on the article are just as comical as the piece itself.
It's nice to have a bit of levity to make living here just a bit better, but it's all too easy to forget that there are people, presumably in greater Cairo, still locked up without charge. Human Rights Watch came out with another article on the situation of Diaa Eddin Gad and other activists on the 4th. He has been held since 6 February. I guess all I can do for now is blog and send letters.
This morning, my landlord's brother came over to talk to my Ross who in turn woke me up saying something about signing a document. It's the question of taxes again. Now they're asking us to outright lie in writing, claiming that we pay 1400 Egyptian pounds less than we do. We politely declined pointing out that being dishonest with government agencies isn't the sort of thing that puts foreigners in good standing with their host governments. Perhaps Dr Rizk should just lower our rent to that level. Then everyone would be happy (and honest). I just hope they don't forge our names on a legal document. Oh the joys of renting in Cairo.
News:
Rapists sentenced to death by hanging in northern governorate of Kafr al-Sheikh
Russian diplomats cause row on EgyptAir flight from Cairo to Sanaa
Ancient statues uncovered, the latest in a string of significant archaelogical findings this year
In light of this, purchasing tickets to Tunisia for spring break yesterday was all that much more of a joy. Lonely Planet tells me that mid-March through mid-May is the perfect time to go and we (Ross, Phil and I) are going in mid-April. Mid-perfection, in other words.
After some trip-planning and koshary, I left with Phil to Ma'adi to watch The Secret Life of Bees at a friend's. It was nice to watch a happy film that wasn't a mindless comedy, we were briefly transported out of Egypt and into the American South (which, ironically, is almost more foreign to me than the Middle East as I've never been anywhere down there but Virginia and Florida). Immediately afterward, though, Phil and I were reminded where we were. We hopped in an elevator hoping to make our way speedily to the metro stop and head back downtown. No dice. As we descended from the 13th floor, we stopped on the 9th where two Egyptian men, the shorter one in a worn-looking suit and the taller, lankier one in a tan galabayya. Strangely, the illuminated G (for ground floor) became unlit and the man in the suit pushed it again. The doors closed and we lurched to a halt. "Oh good," said I. "Oh good," laughed the man in the suit before he began trying to call out on his cell phone, realizing that the interphone in the elevator was dead. None of us were getting service in the elevator car, though. By this time, I saw that suit man was carrying in his hand and handgun in a holster. Strangely, I was entirely unaffected. Par for the course, right? There I am trapped in an elevator with a jovial armed man, his sidekick, and my friend Phil in Egypt. What else would I be doing on a Thursday night? Suit man handed his weapon to his pal and proceded to pull open the doors of the elevator car only to be met with an even more solid set of doors to the corridor. He pounded, Phil pounded. Nothing. After a few more times of the doors closing again and suit man opening them, we heard noise outside. Suit man managed to yell for someone called Sherif who apparently scurried off to some control panel somewhere and turn off the electricity to the elevator. Great. Now I'm in the pitch black with a jovial armed man, his sidekick, and my friend Phil in Egypt. I took a drink of water, pressed a button on my phone that lit up the car with a feeble blue light, and kept waiting. Soon the electricity was on. The dear little G button was again illuminated, but the car had its own ideas. We ascended to the 21st floor where Phil and I bade our new friends farewell and took the stairs all the way down. We walked to the metro only to find that the last train in the direction of El Marg had stopped. Ma3lish. We went to a grocery store, got a cab, and headed back downtown theorizing about what would've happened if we'd gotten stuck for hours or days and wondering who suit man was and why he was armed.
Earlier in the evening, Phil, Camilla (the friend in Ma'adi we'd gone to visit), were purusing our university's illustrious news publication, The AUC Caravan. The content of some of the pieces in it is often good, even if the writing or framing of problems on campus are a bit off. One article, though, conveyed sheer absurdity. If you're down for a laugh, the article, entitled "Desert fox raids AUC campus" is full of gems. The title itself, alluding to German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's operations in North Africa during the Second World War, is a ridiculous hyperbole. "I did not see the fox, but if I saw it, I think that I would not come to college again," was the compelling testimony of one student while a construction worker was quoted as saying, "Even if there were lions on campus, we will keep working." Brilliant! Then why isn't the campus finished? The comments on the article are just as comical as the piece itself.
It's nice to have a bit of levity to make living here just a bit better, but it's all too easy to forget that there are people, presumably in greater Cairo, still locked up without charge. Human Rights Watch came out with another article on the situation of Diaa Eddin Gad and other activists on the 4th. He has been held since 6 February. I guess all I can do for now is blog and send letters.
This morning, my landlord's brother came over to talk to my Ross who in turn woke me up saying something about signing a document. It's the question of taxes again. Now they're asking us to outright lie in writing, claiming that we pay 1400 Egyptian pounds less than we do. We politely declined pointing out that being dishonest with government agencies isn't the sort of thing that puts foreigners in good standing with their host governments. Perhaps Dr Rizk should just lower our rent to that level. Then everyone would be happy (and honest). I just hope they don't forge our names on a legal document. Oh the joys of renting in Cairo.
News:
Rapists sentenced to death by hanging in northern governorate of Kafr al-Sheikh
Russian diplomats cause row on EgyptAir flight from Cairo to Sanaa
Ancient statues uncovered, the latest in a string of significant archaelogical findings this year
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