You say you want a revolution. Well...

This post was originally written on Sunday, January 30th but do to internet complications couldn’t be posted at the time. I am alive and have safely arrived to Paris where I’m staying for the night until my flight to Philly tomorrow. I will post again soon about more recent updates on my last few days but as for now I am completely exhausted and need some time to really process all of what I experienced in the last week...



What started as a measly facebook group inspired by Tunisia has become a dedicated movement to make a change in Egypt. First, let me start out by saying that I am safe and that I have only failed to post for the last 3 days because the wonderful government here shut down the entire internet. With that said I must now explain the chaos that has been my last few days.

My Plan:

-Train to Beni Suef on Thursday to visit a professor and find more subjects for my research

-Train Friday morning for Alexandria to meet up with a UD group that is spending Winter Session in Egypt and Morocco (one of my good friends is on the trip and we’ve been trying to find a time to meet up)

-Tour around Alexandria with a friend Friday and Saturday

-Train back to Cairo on Saturday




My Reality:

-Made it to Beni Suef successfully! Had a wonderful time meeting his family and friends and got a handful of good interviews in. He even took me to the Maydom Pyramid where we got a private tour inside (it had actually closed five minutes before we got there, but in true Egyptian fashion he argued with them and they finally agreed to let us in). It was amazing, and again I am very happy I am not claustrophobic. After an amazing Thursday, it was looking like a good weekend ahead of me.. but wait.

-Caught a 7:30am train to Alexandria on Friday because according to the last time I had talked to my friend, they UD group was leaving for Sharm el-Sheikh in the afternoon. Since she was unsure of the hotel, the plan was to just call her and my Egyptian friend who planned to show me around to figure out where to meet up. One small glitch in the radar: with all of the protests and mayhem going on, the government decided to SHUT OFF CELL PHONES. Panic. Apparently they shut off service at 7am. Just my luck. I stayed calm and decided to go to plan B and go to an internet café and get in touch with them that way. Through the mob of people I found a taxi, and we escaped the huge protests and people swarming the streets and he started talking about how much the Egyptian people hate their government. I asked him to turn on his meter (always trying to avoid the argument of how much to pay) but through his broken English he explained that it wasn’t working, just like the mobile phones AND THE INTERNET. Welp. There goes plan B. Apparently there had been plans to have huge protests right after the Friday prayer (the Muslim equivalent of Sunday mass) so the government decided to shut down all modes of communication to prevent further mobilization of people. The nice taxi driver convinced me to stay and find a hotel to avoid going back to the train station and Cairo. Long story short, I made it safely to a hotel after being rerouted numerous times because of the giant protests.
-Realizing that the Internet and phones weren’t coming back on anytime soon, I decided to cut my losses and take a train back to Cairo. I was really bummed that I didn’t get to see anything in Alex (at least my hotel room had a view of the Mediterranean) but I just wanted to get back to my apartment safely. Well, plan C (D, E, F? I’ve lost track) failed as well, because the trains were also stopped. So, I took a taxi about 40 minutes past protesters, tanks, and numerous buildings on fire to the bus station. Three hours later I was on a bus to Cairo (which was apparently the last one they let go so I’m counting my blessings for that one) BUT the busses weren’t allowed to go in to the actual city. We got dropped off in New Cairo and I made friends with a really nice guy who insisted I share a taxi with him and his grandmother to stay safe and get back as soon as possible. At this point cell phones started working again and I was constantly getting calls to make sure that I was okay. The things I saw on my 45 min taxi home will never leave my memory. Men running with knives, sticks, and guns. Buildings on fire. Roads closed. Tanks lining the streets. No policemen. People protecting themselves. Chaos. Mayhem. Fear. Excitement and terror juxtaposed. It started to really hit me as we neared the areas which I finally recognized. Driving over the Nile I saw that the massive office building that I had conducted an interview in with the National Council for Women only a few days before was now complete charred, gutted by fire. I could go on describing the sights, but words will never be able to capture the scenes and feelings produced by the taxi ride I will never forget.

-I MADE IT BACK. Once I arrived to my floor, my landlord came out and kissed me and hugged me and was nearly in tears that I made it back safe. They brought me food since it was forbidden to walk outside from 4pm until 8am the next day. Once I made calls to a bunch of people letting them know I had gotten back safely, I attempted to get some sleep through all of the screaming in the streets.


Not how I had pictured my weekend to go, but it was certainly adventurous. I’ll be sure to relay more stories when I get back, but this is about all I can handle to write. It has been an exhausting few days and I’m still in shock of what this government is capable in doing. Shutting down all lines of communication during a crisis like this is not a way to govern a country, but it certainly is a way to scare people into further protests and violence. Mubarak needs to go.




…We all want to change the world.

Protests

Alrighty.. so I ignorantly stated minutes ago that I wasn't sure of what happened with the protests today.  As it turns out, three people were killed (and events are still continuing).  One policeman in Cairo was killed after being hit by a rock.  Two others were killed in Suez after tear gas was used.  Please read up on what's going on, but know that I'm safe and in my apartment.  I was advised by a few of my new Egpytian friends (who are in their twenties and were therefore aware of possible protests via facebook long before news agencies caught on) to stay clear of downtown today.  All I saw tonight on my way back from the carnival were HUNDREDS of policemen in full SWAT gear, with sheilds and all, but no protestors.  As much as I want to see all of the action... mom and dad, don't worry... I'm staying in my room for the night and leaving the capital city in the morning.   I still don't think this will amount to what protesting did in Tunisia, and to be honest I don't know if that's the best situation for Egypt anyway. 

But please google "cairo protests" or something of the sort and check it out. 

Update and travel

Apologies for the lack of updates as of late.  It seems that as the days become fewer the list of things to accomplish grow exponentially- but that's how most journeys seem to go. 

Today was a national police holiday and many protests were planned in crowded areas of the city.  I was pretty worried, or at least aware of the possible chaos that could insue in the wake of the Tunisian revolution, but nothing seemed to come of it.  At least not that I was aware of.  Instead I spent the day touring the beautiful Citadel to Ibn Tulun (a beautiful mountaintop estate full of mosques and artifacts that would leave any Islamic history buff drooling). The whole family was able to go out with me today because of the holiday and we made a special point to celebrate the end of the girls' exams with an event of their choice: a fun house.  They had been talking about it all week and I can't quite say that I knew what a "fun house" entailed but I was certain that it must be, for lack of a better word, fun.  As it turns out, a fun house is just their english translation for a carnival!  It was fantastic.  Ferris wheel, spinning teacups, tilt-a-whirls, and any other ride you could imagine.  Anyone who loves carnival rides, I dare you to try one outside of the US... let's just say most of these would FAIL any sort of safety regulation.  All the more fun. 

So, I'm not exactly sure what went on with the millions of Egyptians wanting to voice their anger for their corrupt government... but I certainly had an eventful day.  It's safe to say I was enjoying another type of chaos, but far away from making any history.  I'll read up on the news of the event and try to report back if anything actually came of all the hype. 

Sorry to cut this short, but I will be waking up very early to go to Beni Suef, a small city south of Cairo for a few days with a professor.  Not sure if  I'll have internet or not, and I may go straight to Alexandria from there.  Worst case senario I'll post on Sunday. 

Until then stay warm and GO PACK GO.
Liza

PS- for any other International Relations nerds, I went to a lecture the other night at the American University of Cairo to hear the founder of Human Rights Watch.  So interesting. 

Sebou'

Shaking babies and banging metal right next to their heads.  Sounds like an easy way to lose custody and a fast ticket to family court.  Think again.  In fact, these are two of the main components of one of Egypt's most traditional ceremonies. 

Last night I was invited to a party to celebrate Sawsan’s cousin’s new baby known as Sebou’. This traditional ceremony has roots in Pharonic times and is celebrated by both Muslims and Christians in Egypt exactly seven days after the baby is born. Instead of the American tradition of a baby shower before the actual birth (which is often seen as presumptuous to assume the baby will be born and healthy) this is how the Egyptians welcome a new baby to their crazy world.

After chatting it up with the entire extended family (and explaining to them who the heck I was) and of course after Turkish coffee, a round of tea, a few traditional desserts specific to the occasion, and the initial ogling over baby Malik and stuffing money in his blanket… it was time for the festivities to start.

To set the scene, the baby is given its own little shrine consisting of an ornate bassinet suffocated by about 20 yards of white lace and taffeta next to a giant candle/statue about 3 feet tall. This traditional object used to be very different but is now obviously manufactured somewhere in China and looked like a giant candlestick covered in blue pompoms with a plastic baby doll and flashing Christmas lights. As soon as my eyes met this little shrine, I knew I was in for a good time.

The ceremony itself is pretty short, maybe only 15 minutes in total. First baby Malik is placed on the ground in his little decorated container while his grandmother bangs a brass mortar and pestle to make music and his mother steps over him seven times. In the meanwhile everyone is singing, chanting, and the older women make all sorts of loud screams and noises (to supposedly train the baby to be aware of sounds). In between the mother stepping over the baby, the grandmother repeatedly shouts things to the baby such as, “listen to your mother” and “listen to your father” and shakes him (sort of gently).. The whole time everyone else follows around with lit candles, including the little kids, and I have NO idea how no one/nothing caught on fire. Let’s just say the proximity of faces to candles, hair to candles and furniture to candles that occurred in that apartment would never be allowed by American parents.

But back to the main event. For the next part, the new and proud mother carries around baby Malik out the door and into the hallways while the women follow (still with candles) shouting, singing, and throwing salt and lentils to ward off the evil eye. This procession is to make the baby aware of its surroundings and so it knows how to find its home.

And that’s about all there is to it. However, I just want to point out one more thing: it was loud. I mean, LOUD. Screaming, singing, music blaring from the speakers, banging brass, laughing, shouting, you name it.. and baby Malik didn’t even flinch. Amazing. He seemed completely un-phased. He was definitely living up to the meaning of his name, king.

It was an amazing experience to see such a traditional ceremony in such a completely different culture. And if the party wasn’t enough, they insisted on giving me a goodie bag of popcorn, candies, nuts, and a candleholder.

A wonderful night with a wonderful family.

new taxi method

Taxis are one of the easiest ways to get around Cairo (unless you’re trying to cross the Nile by any of the major bridges during rush hour, which I unfortunately learned the hard way yesterday). Although, I have to say I’ve spent much time on the metro as well- it is extremely convenient, fast, and cheap with its cost equivalent to less than 20 cents. The best part about the metro is that the middle two cars are reserved for women. Women are allowed to ride in any cars, but these two are women only to uphold the many Islamic ideals that insist on separating the sexes as well as helping prevent the rampant sexual harassment here. As an avid peoplewatcher I love public transportation and seeing the wide spectrum of Islamic dress and headscarves from a mother engulfed completely by her black niqab to young girls each donning a colorful and unique hijab paired with a tight-fitting and trendy outfit is always of interest to my research observations.

BUT- back to taxis… Since they are also an extremely cheap way of getting around (you can easily get all the way from one end of the city to another for less than $5) and offer door to door service, I have often resorted to this mode of transportation. Side note- I was told that I my apartment was located near a metro station, which turned out to mean a good 25 minute walk, often making taxis a more logical answer. Taxis operate here pretty much as they do in most major cities around the world, and for the sake of foreigners now mostly use meters (previously prices were all negotiated during the ride or beforehand, and many Egyptians still prefer to use their impressive bargaining skills through this method) BUT, there is one big difference. It’s as if the taxis pulled a switcheroo and now they get to decide if they want to take you or not. Protocol is something like this:
Stick hand out (low and to the side) to hail the cab, approach the window and shout out your desired destination. The driver will then do one of two things: accept and allow you to get in or drive away. YEP, if they don’t feel like taking you they just drive away or tell you to find someone else. WHAT?! Sometimes it takes two or three attempts to clinch a driver. I’m still not sure what criteria they base their decision to drive you on, but there same process exists regardless if I’m by myself or with Egyptians. I’m glad someone explained this to me before it happened the first time or I would have been pretty offended…

homophobia

If you think gays don’t have rights in the US, I dare you to venture to the Middle East. A twelve hour flight later and you’ll think you somehow went back in time, but in fact it is 2011 and people still actually think like this. Not only is homosexuality feared, denied, and hated by most Middle Eastern countries, but it is often illegal. Although under law in Egypt your sexual life is deemed a personal issue, the government finagled its way into essentially banning homosexuality and cross-dressers in 2000. Yes, in Egypt you can be arrested and charged for being gay for crimes such as “violation of honor by threat” and “immoral and indecent behavior”. Yet after reading the above and walking down the street in Cairo, one may be confused. Images of men walking arm in arm and kissing each other on the cheek is a sight synonymous with Cairo society. So what exactly is going on here? Is it a silent protest in order to express freedom of sexual orientation? Au contraire. In fact, the close proximity of men to each other often with linked arms is simply cultural norm and has nothing to do with being gay. Alas, Egypt is an Islamic nation and as the eloquent Ahmadinejad said about his Iran, “We don’t have homosexuals”. It seems as Egypt is singing a similar tune.

Censorship in much of the non-Western world is much more extreme than at home. I have been able to witness this myself through different experiences abroad in China, Turkey, and Indonesia including excessive bleeping of swearwords, blurring out of inappropriate images to make nearly every program PG, and blocking websites. But nothing compared to what I witnessed here. Watching MTV Arabia the other day (actually in English) I quickly noticed that the words “gay” “homosexual” and anything related were bleeped out. Unbelievable. Censorship to a whole new level.

more random observations

Nail polish- In the US a lot of women opt not to paint their fingernails but, at least among college girls, I rarely see women without their toenails painted. When I was in Indonesia I noticed that none of the women had their nails painted. This same observation in Egypt led me to believe that there must be some connection to nail polish and Islam. I asked a couple women about it last night and they explained to me that Muslim women are allowed to wear nail polish but that they have to remove it before they pray. (Same goes for makeup, although most religious women only wear makeup in their homes.) Since they pray five times a day, every day, it is kind of silly to paint your nails because you’ll only have it on for a few hours. Interesting. Semi-related note, they are not allowed to pluck/wax their eyebrows… be this religious or Egyptian culture, I’m not sure.

Garbage man- every day a man rings my doorbell to collect the garbage to take it outside. The funny thing is that there is a place to put trash about 10 steps outside my door. Yet, he still comes. Every day. Best part is, my doorbell sounds like birds chirping.

Update on stoplights- I found a stoplight that was working and we actually stopped when it turned red. Gasp. Without me saying anything the man who was driving the car explained that he only stopped because there was a camera on top of the light. The fact that he felt he had to justify stopping at a light is pretty telling of how the traffic works around here. It was also brought to my attention that lane lines are additionally arbitrary. The general rule seems to be: no matter how many lanes there are supposed to be, squeeze in at least two more. Side mirrors are often removed because they serve no purpose and just take up room that could be used to create yet another lane of cars.

Getting lost- I’ve learned that I’m not the only person who can’t find my way around. Phew! Because Cairo is such a big and confusing city people constantly ask other drivers, pedestrians, and traffic cops which way to go. And since cars drive with only about a foot separating them, it’s extremely easy to ask the person driving next to you. You don’t even have to shout! How convenient. But there is one problem… apparently the people in Cairo would rather guess which way you’re supposed to go than admit they don’t know. So ask around. A lot.

Niqab

I won't be offended if you're too lazy to read this whole post (don't tell me though), but if nothing else make sure to read point #4.

Through the crowded streets of Cairo, many women can be seen wearing the niqab- the infamous face veil. To be honest, I did not anticipate how widespread this look would be. For comparison, I don’t recall personally encountering any women wearing niqab in Indonesia (I’ll definitely have to consult my notes for that one) but I certainly never saw the entire ensemble that goes with it.

The niqab is comprised of a black headscarf that only has one slit for each eye and is worn with a traditional black abaya and usually black gloves and shoes/socks. Something like this: (sorry I’m not able to upload one of my own photos yet!)






So, back to the niqab in Egypt… Many people are against the niqab for a few reasons and there have been a few issues regarding it:

1. It never mentions the niqab in al-Qur’an. In fact, there is nothing that overtly states covering the face in any part is obligatory. It is most widely believed that Muslim women must cover everything but the face, hands, and feet. The women who wear the niqab are seen as going beyond and above what is required and therefore puts them on the fast-track to paradise where they are certain to secure a top spot. As one man explained to me, “Women who wear the hijab are good, but women who wear the niqab are very, very good.” This makes for a weird dynamic between women who “only” wear the hijab and those opting for the more conservative and pious option.

2. There have been many bans on niqab in various countries. Sawsan told me about an instance within the last year where some girls were not allowed to enter the international house at the American University of Cairo because they were wearing niqab.. naturally a lot of controversy and debate surfaced over that one. (why does everything negative in the media seem to have America's name on it?)

3. Women are not allowed to take ID and passport pictures in Egypt while wearing the niqab. Additionally, sometimes women are required to remove their face-veil when going through security to make sure they are actually them. Which leads me to my next point…

4. Men have been known to wear the niqab. Huh? Swish that around. Yes, there have been instances where MEN, notably very bad men, have reportedly worn the niqab to pretend they are women in order to… fill in the blank. Needless to say, ever since this thought was put in my mind I look at women in niqab differently. Or should I say, I look at their hands and listen to their voice to make sure they actually are women. CREEPY.

Hope that was interesting. I’m actually going to meet with a woman who wears the niqab tomorrow so perhaps I will have some more anecdotal information soon.


On a less educational note, I went to the Egyptian Museum yesterday. It (much like Cairo itself) was cluttered, confusing, dusty, and amazing. Seeing the gold sarcophagus and mask of King Tut and the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut made my sixth grade history book come to life. Truly remarkable treasures in there, but being inches from a mummy is kind of spooky.


Hope everyone is enjoying the snow! Try and make snow pyramids haha.

I am enjoying my 70 degree weather, even with all the dust.

Physical Proof of Piety

Walking around the streets of Cairo it is hard to ignore a strange mark prevalent on the forehead of many Egyptian men. As far as I know, Egyptian men aren’t overly clumsy nor do their wives like to repeatedly smack them on the forehead… so the questions remain: where does this mark come from and why?



What looks like a rug burn, bruise or even a callous is in fact what many foreigners have come to call a “prayer bruise” allegedly resulting from years of prostrations. For those of you who have never seen a Muslim pray or are unaware of the steps that are required, it is comprised of a series of bowing, standing, kneeling, and two prostrations during which the bare forehead is required to touch the ground, which is usually a prayer rug. It is understandable to think that after years of performing salat five times a day some sort of callous or bruise could result (although of my understanding of physics I doubt it could result in the bruises of such sizes that I have frequently observed). Additionally, from what I’ve read and been told this is a phenomenon specific to Egypt. (Any friends who have traveled to other Muslim nations and have noticed otherwise, please let me know!) So if all Muslims are praying the same amount as mandated by al-Qur’an, why don’t ALL Muslims have this?


Well…apparently this mark of outward piousness is mostly seen among the lower classes of society in Egypt and is commonly self-inflicted as a mark of status. The ways to produce the “prayer bruise” are varied, ranging from deliberate banging of the forehead on the ground to some matter involving a hot iron (I’ll let your imagination run wild with that one). Those who do not have this bruise mockingly refer to it as zebiba, meaning prune or raisin, as a distaste for the enhancement of such a thing in order to seem more religious.


Ouch.

The Richard Simmons of Egypt

I have been asking Sawsan a lot about the role of the hijab in public life particularly regarding sports. She told me it was no problem at all and that women come work out at their club who normally wear the hijab or even the niqab (face veil) but since it is segregated by gender there is no problem for them to unveil and wear tight clothes in the presence of other women. She decided it would be a good idea for me to accompany them on their weekly trip to their club. What an experience...



Before I go into details about the evening, let me first explain the concept of these "sporting clubs". They have become extremely popular among Egyptians and are giant complexes that seem to combine a country club (sadly no golf course), multiple playgrounds, impressive soccer stadiums and tracks, hundreds of lounging areas, snackbars and shops, and a gym. Put all of these things together in what looks like a beautiful gated university, and there you have it: the nadie.


The club that they belong to is located outside of Cairo, in the city New Cairo. We went right after our huge lunch/dinner (still haven't figured out these meal times) and immediately found a spot to sit near the pool to enjoy our tea. Her husband went to go pray at the mosque at the club and her daughter went to go buy us snacks. I've never seen people eat as much as Egyptians. I find it so funny that they go to the club every week so that Sawsan and her girls can take an aerobics class to help them lose weight but then we indulged in chips and sweets after eating tons of fish and rice for dinner. After eating and lounging for an hour or so, it was time for the aerobics class. We left her husband to sit outside and read his qur'an while we went inside. I think he was happy to enjoy some peace and quiet for once, plus it was almost prayer time again.


Sawsan insisted I join their class. I protested saying that I didn't have any clothes, but don't worry she apparently raided Richard Simmons' wardrobe and had a lovely outfit for me consisting of NEON blue spandex pants and a giant matching t-shirt. Nothing says "go get 'em" more than an ensemble like that. Once I stopped laughing at myself, I was able to observe the transformation of the women from quiet and reserved veiled Muslim women as they entered the locker room to extroverted giggly ladies in their spandex, free to dress how they want without the presence of men.


Our aerobics class was histerical. Picture a room of about ten plump, uncoordinated Muslim women ages 11-50 all following a spunky Egyptian teacher clad head to toe orange attempting to Egyptian Jazzercize, if you will. And then throw me in the mix. AND THEN, the song Low by Flow Ridacame on (...Apple Bottom Jeans, boots with the fur, the whole club was looking at her...) I nearly lost it.


Aside from the comedic aspect, the class was a ton of fun and the women were so kind and helpful with my research.


Once we went back outside we ordered a giant box of delicious Egyptian donoughts covered in honey called zalabia. Of course.


Definitely a gym experience unlike any other.

The Great Pyramids...(with a small aside)

I have come to the recent realization that I am made for traveling. I don’t just mean my desire to see every country possible and learn as much as I can about all the cultures I am able to encounter, but I mean that biologically, genetically, physically, psychologically... I am made for traveling. There are many times I’ve found myself thinking that “I’m glad I’m not allergic to this” or “I’m so happy I’m not afraid of that”, which has made me realize what it takes (often beyond one’s control) to be able to go on such adventures. Here’s what I’ve come up with: I’m not claustrophobic, I don’t have any food allergies, I’ll try nearly any food deemed culturally novel (especially if I don’t actually know what it is), I can walk for miles without getting tired (thank you golf), I love meeting new people, I strangely enjoy being put in awkward situations, I love spontaneity (although I do appreciate order), I have a desire to learn as many languages as possible (which my friends can attest to), I don’t like naps, I believe that people are inherently good (trusting locals is often the most rewarding experience), and I have family who allows me to do such crazy things. I’m not making this note to ostracize anyone who has faced any of these obstacles, I am simply reflecting on how grateful I am for having these traits. In arabic they would say alhumdulillah- roughly meaning “praise be to God”, a phrase that is used (possibly) more than Insha’Allah.

 Thanks for bearing with me through that sappy self-reflection and my obnoxious overuse of parentheses.

 For more news on what you’re probably reading this blog for:


I WENT TO THE PYRAMIDS TODAY!


They were awesome.

A random collection of thoughts

Safwan- This summer I was fortunate enough to get to know a group of students from the Middle East as part of the MEPI program through the state department. When I found out that Safwan, a 21 year old film major (he is actually the youngest director in Egypt as he wrote, directed, and produced the first action short movie in Egypt when he was 19), lives in Cairo I was sure to get to know him with the hopes of seeing him again during my travels. Now that I have a phone here it was so easy to meet up, although I still don't know my way around this massive city too well so he picked me up this afternoon. He took me to an Egyptian restaurant that is on a huge boat on the Nile. It was beautiful, the food was delicious, and it was so nice to see a familiar face. He showed me around the rest of the evening and has just further confirmed how generous and nice Egyptians are. Thank you UD and the MEPI program for choosing such amazing people. (For the record he misses all the professors and students that he met in Delaware, but most of all he misses Cucina di Napoli's chicken alfredo!)

Too much food- On the subject of loads of food, I think I've already gained ten pounds. The food here is delicious and there is WAY too much of it. Or perhaps it's just that it's too frequent. I'll wake up and eat the breakfast that Sawsan insists on bringing me, then I'll grab a bite to eat, only to be greeted again by Sawsan shoving more food in my face. And then after dinner there's always tea and dessert and fruit and juice and more dessert. And THEN, as soon as I'm certain we are done eating for the day, it's dinner time. Huh?! As I read before I came, and as I'm now experiencing, meal times are very different here. I think there may actually be four meals. I eat something when I wake up (maybe that's where I go wrong?) and then breakfast is around 10-11am, lunch anywhere from 2-5:30 and dinner after 10pm. In one of my Egypt culture books I found that it is common for families to be working on their dinners until 1 or 2 in the morning. This often includes children. segue...

Staying up late- Since you may be eating past midnight, people stay up LATE. I've yet to figure out if everyone takes a siesta as they do in many countries, but there must be some sort of trick to this. It is currently almost 1am on a Thursday night and the street below me is still jammed with people hanging out, driving, playing in the streets, selling things, and drinking tea. Sawsan and her family (including a seven-year-old) arrived at my apartment tonight (to bring me food, of course) after 10pm. I can't imagine this happening in the US.

Traffic lights- Every so often there are traffic lights that seem to be stuck on flashing yellow that is sometimes seen in the States in the wee hours of the night. However in Cairo, this is apparently a permanent fixture. In every direction. I asked Safwan if he had ever seen the lights turn red or green. His response? "Oh, I don't know. We don't look at them." Still trying to figure out how that works.

That's about all the random commentary I have for now. 

GO BLUE HENS!!  I'll be cheering from here. 

al-Qahria (Cairo)

New Years day I woke up singing "Africa" by Toto and it has been stuck in my head since. Perhaps this due to the wonderful rendition by my favorite UD a capella group or perhaps due to the song's epic nature, but most likely I've been singing it to myself for the past week because I'm IN Africa. Well, at least North Africa. Many people have been giving me crap as to the fact that Egypt isn't really "Africa". So it doesn't have Peace Corps volunteers in every village and tribal factions as well as malaria are virtually non-existant... As far as I'm concerned it's on the continent of Africa and as far as a deep history of rich culture, this is it. So in my true long-winded fashion this means yes, mom and dad, I have safely arrived in Egypt. And I'm still singing, to myself at least.



My flight was far from great (my movies wouldn't play, my seat wouldn't recline, the girl sitting next to me wouldn't stop staring at me as if I had seven heads, the baby in front of me had glass breaking capabilities with his screams, AND they ran out of ginger ale) but I landed on time to Cairo so I really have no reason to complain. After total mayhem in customs due to the fact the airport staff redirected us to stand in about eight different lines, I made it out to find where Sawsan (the women who found me my the apartment) was waiting for me. I was greeted with true Arab hospitality and her entire family took me to my apartment, with nothing short of a two hour scenic tour along the way. My apartment is lovely. It's located on the first floor of a little old neighborhood where I'm pretty sure I'm the only non-Egyptian. I have a living room (complete with a TV that has one channel in arabic), kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. What a steal. Once we arrived, Sawsan and her two daughters insisted on making a huge dinner for us. I have no idea what I ate (partially because I was so out of it from two days of travel and partially because we don't have much Egyptian food in the US) but it was delicious. Her family is the sweetest thing and they are exactly the Egyptian version of Yus' family who I met in Indonesia. Sawasan is adorable- so motherly and refuses to leave my side or let me be in any state other than completely stuffed with her amazing cooking. Her husband is hilarious and her two daughters (14 and 11) are beautiful intelligent girls that are so loving and helpful. Even after just an evening with them, I can tell they are going to make this month everything I want and need it to be. Alhumdulillah!


Organized chaos covered in dust.


Walking all over downtown today with Sawsan, this is finally what I came up with do describe Cairo. The city is huge and everything sort of looks the same after a while (huge old buildings cluttered with laundry and small shops), it seems like you'd get lost but everything just flows together. Traffic is crazy; the rules are that there are no rules, yet everyone is calm. To cross a street you just walk out into the road and hope that cars stop. At least this is how it seems to me. I thought we were going to get hit about 50 times today but Sawsan never even flinched. And everyone is so friendly- they all smile and laugh at everything!


One important lesson learned today: Time means nothing in Cairo. When someone says they're going to meet you at 10am, they really mean noon. A fifteen minute walk really means 45. Definitely taking a mental note of that.


From a research standpoint I think there will be a large contrast to Indonesia. Most women seem to be much more conservative and traditional than the women I saw in Jakarta. I've already seen many women in their long black abayas as well as wearing the niqab (face veil) but I don't want to jump to conclusions yet since I haven't even conducted any interviews, so look out for a later blog on that. Or just read my thesis...


On that note, I'm off to do some more background research. Since I'm somehow picking up a wireless signal in my apartment (we'll see how long that lasts) I should be updating fairly frequently, Insha'Allah (a phrase meaning God willing, that is inserted at least 50 times into every conversation).

Stay warm in the US!  More to come soon.  I am supposedly going to the Pyramids on Friday so be sure to check back for that. 

Liza

Round Two

With leaving for Egypt tonight, it is due time that I start my blog back up again.  I was extremely humbled to hear how many people kept tabs on my travels to Indonesia (although it adds a bit of pressure seeing as I was pretty sure the only people who would be frequenting this site were my family and crazy housemates!) and I hope that I can serve to inform and entertain once again.  So welcome back to all who read before, and hopefully I won't disappoint any newcomers!


A few weeks ago I had lunch in Delaware with Mr. Plastino and the five students in my class of Plastino Scholars.  Surrounded by these amazing, generous, and talented people completely inspired me all over again to make this month even more life-changing than Indonesia (Egypt has a tough act to follow).  With the risk of sounding overly sappy I have to say that this scholarship has been the most amazing opportunity I could have ever imagined and I feel fortunate to have such supportive friends, family, and professors to push me both personally and academically.  With that said I am ready to move to the land of the great pyramids and the longest (and probably most polluted) river in the world in search of an amazing experience full of delicious food, generous people, and of course... women who are kind enough to allow me to interview them for my thesis.  


My month is still relatively unplanned and besides flying out of Cairo on February 1st, I can only imagine where my journey will take me.  However traveling alone lends itself to complete flexibility.  Through the help of a UD professor I have gotten in touch with a few contacts already in Cairo (it seems like everybody knows somebody in Egypt!) and last week they already signed a lease for my own apartment near the west bank of the Nile.  I cannot wait to meet these amazing people who, without even meeting me, have already helped me so much.  Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come in the following month.  At least I know some arabic to get me by!


I'll try to update every few days or so, but I honestly have no idea what my internet access will be like, so bear with me.  For my parents sake, I will post as soon as I can!  I can't promise any new renditions of Celine Dion this time around, but I'm sure I'll find myself in a good amount of crazy situations that will give you a laugh.  Goal number one: don't get spit on by a camel. 


ma salama!
Liza