Here is some of what I do every day:
Four days a week I walk to the bus and take an hour ride to "New Cairo", where the university's new campus is located in the desert. I have three classes: an intensive FusHa (Modern Standard) Arabic, Ammayah (Egyptian Colloquial) Arabic, and Islamic Art and Architecture of Cairo. The art class is really great- it entails a couple lectures per week, plus one field trip per weekend to various Islamic monuments and mosques. Strangely enough, the majority of the class is Egyptian, but many of them have only seen the most famous buildings, so we're all learning a lot about Cairo. When I get visitors here, I'll be a great tour guide!
In other news, I am playing rugby with the American University in Cairo's women's team. It's been great and has given me the opportunity to meet more Egyptians. Also, next week I will begin an internship with an NGO called Makan (which means "place") in Arabic. Makan is an organization that promotes and preserves traditional Egyptian music. I will be working as a grant writer and working with employees to improve their English skills.
On a typical day in Cairo, I might see or do the following:
- Dozens of Military Police and soldiers.
-Pet a stray dog who I've named "Mango".
-Get lost in the city. What usually transpires is that I'll ask a someone for directions. If I ask a man, a crowd will gather around and debate which way I should go before often giving me bad directions. I think that this is a symptom of culture, as it's viewed as rude to say "I don't know". On the other hand, if I happen to ask a woman, she'll either give me the correct directions or offer to drive me in her car.
(People are so kind here, and there is a small-town mentality that pervades people's interactions with each other. It's hard to walk down the street without saying hello to a familiar face or stop to chat. There's an elderly man who works as the night guard for a school close to my dorm who is especially nice. Every time I walk by, he stands up from his chair to say "As-salamu alaykum" or peace be with you, and makes general inquires about my health, family, etc.
-Some of my most frequently used Arabic is: "mumkin" (maybe), insh'Allah (God willing) and yAnni a filler word similar to "like" in English).
- The banks don't dispense any bills smaller than a 50 LE , and shop sellers won't accept anything larger than a 20 LE note (about 4 USD).
- The cars careen down the streets at high speeds, narrowly avoiding people by inches. By now, this has stopped phasing me.
-The security guards yell "man on the floor" whenever a plumber or janitor is on a dorm floor inhabited by women. What we're supposed to do is to run away and head for cover in the bathroom or in a dorm room. This hasn't happened yet!
-Some prices in Egypt:
*1.5 liter of water: 35 U.S. cents
*Tammaya (Falafel), kushari or fool which is an entire meal: 25 U.S. cents
*camel: a great camel is 300 U.S. dollars
*average, but nice scarf: 3 USD
*cheap cell: 40 USD
*nice polo: 8 USD
*knock-off sneakers: 5 USD
*burned C.D.- everything from Umm Kulthum to Amr Diab to Algerian jazz: 2 USD
-It's no longer out of the ordinary to hear friends talk about detention at countries' borders.
-Shopping can be done at midnight, because many stores and stands stay open late into the night.
-People listen to the music of the late Umm Kulthum, who is Egypt's equivalent to France's Edith Piaf.
-I can show up at a train or bus station two minutes before departure, buy a ticket without worrying about arriving on time. (Mostly because I already know beforehand that it's likely that I won't arrive to my destination on time.)
-the metro in Cairo is wonderful, takes me anywhere in the city or suburbs for about 15 US cents.
-Khan al-Khalili, the huge open-air market is amazing- just not the tourist section. Best line from a shop keeper: "For your eyes I would kill. How can I take your money?"
-Many taxi drivers are under the impression that Barack Obama is already President. I've been disabusing people of this idea since my arrival in August.
On a related note, I've already cast my absentee ballot. I'm happy that I haven't been disenfranchised! Go out and VOTE- six days until the elections!
Until next time,
Julia
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