Ayman Nour released!

Ayman Nour, the El Ghad ("Tomorrow") party leader, has been released from prison!  He was imprisoned after the 2005 Egyptian presidential  election, where he garnered 12 % of the vote against current president Hosni Mubarek.  2005 marked the first multiparty election in Mubarek's 28 year authoritarian rule.  The election, managed by the Mubarek's  governing party, was criticized by international observers for a lack of transparency.

Today, after four years in prison, Ayman Nour was suddenly released.  Nour's early release is seen as political gesture intended to mitigate popular perceptions regarding events in Gaza and the recent wave of arrests of  bloggers and Islamists.  An editor of a prominent Cairo newspaper stated today that the release could be explained as part of Egyptian government's desire to improve ties to the new American administration .

Ayman Nour resides in the quarter of Zamalek (where I live in Cairo), and after people heard news of his release, many flooded to his home.  Nour gave an interview, in which he told reporters and supporters that he remains undaunted and he that he seeks to rebuild his party and continue democratization efforts in Egypt.

Back to the ivory tower

Second semester has finally started at the American University in Cairo.  I'm really excited with my courses.  Here they are:

-Second semester Egyptian Colloquial Arabic. 

-Government and Politics of Egypt

-International Relations of the Middle East

-Modern Movements of Islam

-Special Topics in International Relations

It's funny to be back at AUC.   I've resolved to not be perturbed by anything that bothered me last semester, like the hour to 1.5 hour commute each way, or the layers of bureaucracy that complicate the simplest tasks.  Instead, I'm completely placid about everything and rolling with the punches.  

In other news, my new apartment in Zamalek is quite nice.  It's so different from the old apartment on Sharia Sheik Raihan, downtown.  We live in a tall tower near the AUC dorms.  Our balcony overlooks the Nile and the neighborhood of Imbaba is just across the river.  Imbaba is where Napoleon fought the "Battle of the Pyriamids" (the Giza

Pyramids can be seen from our balcony on a clear day).  Four other people from Mount Holyoke are living here.  It's funny to be in an enclave of MHC, it feels like we're all on the same page.  Last night someone Google Earthed the MHC campus, and several of us stood grinning stupidly at the screen while reminiscing.  

That's all I have time for- I'm dashing off to class.

Masalaama,

Julia

January Break

Hullo All,

It's been a while since I've updated this blog, and also a long time since I've had access to reliable internet.  My parents and brother, Peter, have come and gone from Egypt.  They stayed  for about two weeks.  The first stretch of their visit was spent in Cairo.  We visited the Pyramids at Giza (something I hadn't done in the previous 5 months here), saw more ancient artifacts at the Egyptian Museum than I could have thought possible), went to many significant mosques, and explored the streets of Islamic Cairo.  Here are some photos:

Above: Family minus my dad at the Pyramids.

Above: a man selling pistols on Shari'a Tallat Harb, in Cairo.  I don't think that this is legal in Egypt, but I bet the NRA would love to see this.

My dad, looking nervous with a camel belonging to the Tourist Police.   He refused to step any closer to the animal.

 After, we heading down to Upper Egypt, where we saw the ancient monuments in Luxor.  My favorite places were the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Nobles and the Karnak Temple.  We arrived in Luxor by train from Cairo.  The inaptly named "fast" train, scheduled to take nine hours, took over 15 hours.  My brother and Claire were running high fevers and slept and sniffled intermittently throughout the journey.  I sat next to a wonderful woman from Luxor named Nour.  She spoke no English, and was very forgiving of my many Arabic mistakes as we conversed throughout the train ride.  

Above: Peter and a very sick Claire on the train to Luxor.

We finally arrived in Luxor, where we stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Mara House.  It's run by an amazing Irish woman named Mara.  We spent the following days on feluccas (sail boats) on the Nile.  The weather was much warmer than in Cairo, averaging about 80 F.  

It was great spending the holidays with my family, I had missed them and enjoyed showing them around Egypt.  Here are some of the things I noticed about my family, myself and Egypt:

-Claire and I have acquired the ability to be comfortable and sleep almost anywhere.

-The respect I was accorded by people on the streets increased markedly when I was with my family.

-My dad can truly repair anything.  The apartment I'm subletting for the month has a wealth of problems, and my dad has fixed most of them.

-Although my Arabic is far from eloquent, people are so used to expats and tourists who don't have any knowledge of their language and culture, they are tickled and excited that I am able to speak a little with them in colloquial about their country.  

-I can be happy in almost any situation, in a sha'bi (popular) neighborhood or in ritzy Zamalek.  Although I initially overwhelmed the neighborhood near my apartment on Shari'a Sheikh Reihan downtown, I've come to treasure my daily interactions with the people here.  On most days, the only English I'll speak is with Claire, and other than that I must speak a lot more Arabic, as most people here don't speak English at all.  There are two sisters at the local market who love to chat at great length as they sell me vegetables.  Another woman always proudly shows me her chubby baby, "Abu Trika", named after the star of al-Ahly's soccer team.  I also really enjoy talking with the children of my bowab (doorman) who live in the buildings ground floor; these interactions are genuine, funny and really educational.  

Happy trails,

Julia

Assorted photos

At the Giza Zoo with "Simba"

Shop in the "Date Market" in Cairo.

Goats on the street: in preparation for Eid al Adha, which commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael.  Once Abraham showed his willingness to sacrifice Ishmael, God provided a ram to be sacrifice instead.  

"Allah" on the front window of a West Delta bus.

Catacombs in Alexandria.

Spice seller in Siwa Oasis.

Kids in Siwa

The Corniche in Alexandria

Catacombs in Alexandria.

An Alexandrian street.

A mundane update

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog.  Cairo is cooling down and there's nice breeze now.  In a nutshell: I'm enjoying Egypt, so you could stop reading if you were just concerned about my health and safety, stop reading here.  Read on for more details...

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

Dahab and Sinai

I have just returned from a trip to Dahab and Sinai.  It was a trip of a lifetime and a welcome break from the constant hustle and bustle of Cairo.  I went with several friends and we got there by public bus.  We left Cairo at midnight and arrived in the morning.  I heard somewhere that 97% of Egypt is desert or uninhabitable, and now I have an idea of what that looks like.  

Above: Rachel and Catherine with our pre-departure meal of tea and cookies.

Above: our taxi from the bus station to our hotel was a pick up truck.  We liked it a lot and paid less that $1.50 USD.

The first day we went snorkeling Blue Hole, which is apparently the world's most dangerous dive site.  Dahab's ambiance is laid back and during the winter tourist months, very popular with Europeans and divers.  Our car broke down on the way back, which attracted the attention of some Bedouin children who climbed onto the back, ostensibly to help push.  

The next day we left the hotel early to hike two canyons, Coloured Canyon and White Canyon.  We hiked for several hours before heading to an oasis, where we tucked in some lunch run by Bedouins.  We then walked to White Canyon and hiked from one side to the other.  As it is now Ramadan, our guide did not eat or drink the whole day, which is difficult to imagine, because it was well over 100 degrees F.  

Rachel and me on a mountain peak overlooking the city of Dahab.

Above: Coloured Canyon.

Above: A Bedouin woman herding goats near Coloured Canyon.

Her dog followed us for awhile.  I think he's Taffy's Egyptian cousin.

The truck broke down again, this time near the shade of a date tree.

Our lunch at the oasis in Sinai.

Later that evening we went on a camel trek into the foothills.  The boys who owned the camels were wonderful.  Here are a few pictures.  The little boy's name was "Friday" in Arabic.  His brother put a glass teacup on his forehead and Friday laid on the ground and had to rise to his feet without disturbing the glass on his forehead.  

Yesterday we went south into Sinai by bus and arrived at Mount Sinai and the Monastery of Saint Katherine at 2 am.  We began our hike up the mountain, scrambling up the steep camel path for several hours until we finally arrived at the summit just before 5 am.  Shortly thereafter, the sun began to rise.  The sunrise was one of the most spectacular sights I have ever witnessed.  We could finally see the foothills where we began our trek and appreciate the incredible topography.  

 

At first light, looking out from Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments.  

After seeing the sunrise, we climbed down to Saint Catherine's monastery.  Below: A bush that is supposedly a descendant of the Burning Bush.  We also saw what is believed to be a relic of St. Catherine.

Now I'm back to the Cairo and I'm already missing the blue skies and Red Sea, but excited about the prospect of classes starting and continuing to explore the city!

Ahlan (hello)!

Hey All,

I've arrived in Cairo.  I got here four days ago and have been busy orienting myself and discovering various parts of Cairo.  I love Cairo already; there are about 17 millions people in the city, so it's teeming with life at all hours of the day and night.  Outside the hostel where I stayed, rush hour never seemed to stop.  The first two days I spent downtown.  The hostel was crammed between two mosques, so we heard the call to prayer VERY frequently.  I moved into the dorms yesterday; they are very nice and I have a roommate from NJ.  The neighborhood is called Zamalek, it's very suburban compared with the rest of the city, but still bustling.

It's extremely warm here, but it hasn't deterred me from exploring Cairo.  There are lots of old black and white taxis around the city.  Egyptians seem to have a single-minded disregard for the traffic laws and pedestrians, and my taxi rides have been crazy.  I've been to the Citadel, an impressive fortress built by Salah al-Din, who built it to protect it from Richard III and the Crusaders.  I've also seen Khan al-Khalili, a huge market.  I went with friends to an area of the market that isn't frequented by tourists and sat in a cafe with locals who were drinking tea and smoking shisha.  We also went to Al Azhar mosque, which is home to the world's oldest

 surviving university.

Two guards at al Azhar mosque. 

 

Claire and me at the Citadel.  In the background is Cairo's infamous smog.

Last night at sunset, a lot of the study abroad kids went out  on the Nile on felucca (large sail boat).  The people here are nice and very friendly, always willing to give directions or help, but I've learned to avoid eye contact with men, as it's viewed as an invitation.  My Arabic is improving by leaps and bounds as only the most educated people speak English fluently.  I've also found Arabic indispensable to bargaining, which is a part of everyday life here.  Everyone bargains for taxi rides, water, food, etc.

A bunch of us went horseback riding at the Giza pyramids.  These other study abroads and I (far left) were the first to reach the camp where we rested before returning the stables.  We hurdled through the desert at a breakneck pace and my saddle came undone, sending my flying into the soft sand.  Two other people were bucked from their horses!

Today we went to the University campus for the first time and filled out forms for several hours.  Classes don't start for about a week, so more adventures to come!