Last week, Mohamed Alaa, the 12-year-old grandson of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, passed away. While the death of a child is undoubtedly tragic, I have to see that I have never seen anything like the mandatory nation-wide mourning that ensued. Popular radio station Nile FM banished its stacks of pop tracks and played only Islamic tracts or somber music for about 24 hours. On Thursday night I showed up at Harry's Pub with a group of friends, only to be told that all karaoke had been suspended "out of respect" for the Mubarak family. It seemed excessive to me, but apparently it's a national tradition here for life to literally be put on hold.
This month I've been enjoying the EU Film Club, which has been screening movies from different countries at European cultural centers around the city since the beginning of May. They screen a different movie from a different country each night, with that host country providing some (free, occasionally alcoholic) refreshments before the (free) film, which is why I believe they are so popular. So far I have seen movies from Ireland (Once -- I love that movie!) and Austria, with plans to see Italy's entry today and Greece's later this week.
Anyway, as I guess you can tell, there aren't a lot of particularly exciting things happening around here. I mean, life continues as usual: work is going well, I feel like I am making good progress with my Arabic classes (my tutor says my reading is improving, which I believe is thanks to those children's books I bought), and friends are also good. As for the apartment, well...the Internet we finally arranged for never quite worked the way it was supposed to, and after three months of fighting with Mobinil, our provider, we are finally calling it a day and returning the modem. I am able to access other apartments' networks just fine, and though the connection isn't stellar it's better than no Internet at all. I can't believe what a struggle it has been to find reliable and consistent Internet in such a major city -- seriously, this is Cairo, not the middle of nowhere. Actually...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
obama is coming to egypt!
Obama has said he would deliver a speech from a Muslim capital in his first 100 days in office. It's a little after that by now, but I am extremely excited about his planned June 4 speech in Egypt. No confirmation on whether it will be in Cairo, but really -- where else would it be?
Anyway, I'm excited because I think having such a major speech in Egypt sends a positive message. Egypt is a moderate country in the Middle East (for whatever that's worth) and plays an important role in the region as a moderator (i.e. between Israel and the Palestinians). So I say well chosen, and not just because I live here. Now, how to get tickets?
UPDATE May 12: More thoughts on what Obama should speak on when he comes to Cairo.
Anyway, I'm excited because I think having such a major speech in Egypt sends a positive message. Egypt is a moderate country in the Middle East (for whatever that's worth) and plays an important role in the region as a moderator (i.e. between Israel and the Palestinians). So I say well chosen, and not just because I live here. Now, how to get tickets?
UPDATE May 12: More thoughts on what Obama should speak on when he comes to Cairo.
Monday, May 4, 2009
the problems with pigs
This weekend I went to an Egyptian hospital for the first time. Don't worry, nothing happened to me, but my friend H got sick so I went to visit him with some friends. As someone who has been fortunate enough to grow up with first-rate doctors and medical care, getting sick while abroad was definitely something I worried about. I got traveler's health insurance from STA travel before I left, but my line of thinking went something along the lines of...I hope I never EVER have to use this, because health care in the developing world is scary.
Turns out, not so much. Al-Salam Hospital in Mohandiseen is a very nice facility; obviously it's no Columbia-Presbyterian (where I spent some time both pre- and post-back surgery back in 2005) or anything, but it's clean and the rooms are pretty spacious. I have legitimate health care courtesy of my job (EgyCare, and it comes with a photo ID card and everything!), and although I still hope to never need to use it, the idea of being sick in Egypt is no longer as horrifying as it once was. I think a lot of people used to doctors and medicine in the US (or the West in general) worry about the standard of care in other countries, but I think that in such a major city like Cairo, there isn't really anything to worry about.
And on the topic of falling ill, swine flu panic has come to Egypt. The government is responding by deciding to slaughter all the pigs in Egypt -- about 350,000 of them. This is problematic for several reasons. The first is that it is now pretty well acknowledged that swine flu is spread by people, not actual swine, so killing them won't really accomplish anything. Of course, it's not like anyone here has actually caught swine flu (nor will they, because the percentage of the population who have enough money to travel somewhere they might catch it, like Mexico, is so miniscule), so it's not like there's even anything to spread. But no, the real problem is that the group most likely to be raising pigs is Egypt's Coptic Christian minority (about 8-10 percent of Egypt's total population of 80 million, depending on which statistics you're using), an already marginalized group who are the targets of a lot of hatred and discrimination.
A lot of people are saying that the decision to kill the pigs is not because the government is worried about the spread of swine flu, but because they want to make things even more difficult for the Copts. It's almost like the government is saying, this flu is a sign from god that eating pigs is wrong, and having them in our country is wrong, so we will get rid of them all. Farmers rely on the sale of those pigs for a big portion of their income, which now they won't get. Obviously there was already only a small market for pork products here (Muslims don't eat pork, same as Jews), and with the swine flu panic no one is really eating it at all now. There is already something of a Christian-Muslim divide in this country, and I would hate to see this make the whole situation worse.
Turns out, not so much. Al-Salam Hospital in Mohandiseen is a very nice facility; obviously it's no Columbia-Presbyterian (where I spent some time both pre- and post-back surgery back in 2005) or anything, but it's clean and the rooms are pretty spacious. I have legitimate health care courtesy of my job (EgyCare, and it comes with a photo ID card and everything!), and although I still hope to never need to use it, the idea of being sick in Egypt is no longer as horrifying as it once was. I think a lot of people used to doctors and medicine in the US (or the West in general) worry about the standard of care in other countries, but I think that in such a major city like Cairo, there isn't really anything to worry about.
And on the topic of falling ill, swine flu panic has come to Egypt. The government is responding by deciding to slaughter all the pigs in Egypt -- about 350,000 of them. This is problematic for several reasons. The first is that it is now pretty well acknowledged that swine flu is spread by people, not actual swine, so killing them won't really accomplish anything. Of course, it's not like anyone here has actually caught swine flu (nor will they, because the percentage of the population who have enough money to travel somewhere they might catch it, like Mexico, is so miniscule), so it's not like there's even anything to spread. But no, the real problem is that the group most likely to be raising pigs is Egypt's Coptic Christian minority (about 8-10 percent of Egypt's total population of 80 million, depending on which statistics you're using), an already marginalized group who are the targets of a lot of hatred and discrimination.
A lot of people are saying that the decision to kill the pigs is not because the government is worried about the spread of swine flu, but because they want to make things even more difficult for the Copts. It's almost like the government is saying, this flu is a sign from god that eating pigs is wrong, and having them in our country is wrong, so we will get rid of them all. Farmers rely on the sale of those pigs for a big portion of their income, which now they won't get. Obviously there was already only a small market for pork products here (Muslims don't eat pork, same as Jews), and with the swine flu panic no one is really eating it at all now. There is already something of a Christian-Muslim divide in this country, and I would hate to see this make the whole situation worse.
Monday, April 27, 2009
a modern muslim country?
Really interesting article about the "other side" of Dubai. Yes, I know a lot of this has been said and/or written about before, but one part in particular stood out to me. The writer is interviewing a young Emirati and asks about Dubai's ongoing downward slide, and the Emirati says (emphasis mine):
"The Middle East will be far more dangerous if Dubai fails. Our export isn't oil, it's hope. Poor Egyptians or Libyans or Iranians grow up saying – I want to go to Dubai. We're very important to the region. We are showing how to be a modern Muslim country. We don't have any fundamentalists here. Europeans shouldn't gloat at our demise. You should be very worried.... Do you know what will happen if this model fails? Dubai will go down the Iranian path, the Islamist path."
Just...interesting. I haven't been to the UAE (yet), though I often hear it described as being overwhelmingly fake. It would be weird, I think, to transition from Cairo, with its 4,000 year old pyramids, to Dubai, a city that sprang up from almost nothing in the last 30-odd years. I get that there are incentives, but it lacks the culture that makes the Middle East so appealing to me. Still, it's interesting to hear the country, now in a magnificent state of decline, described as the great hope for the Middle East. For everyone's sake, I hope that Egypt, and the rest of the region, can do better.
I'll end just by mentioning another quote from the article. While interviewing another Emirati, this one a political dissident who was blacklisted and had his passport revoked after speaking with Human Rights Watch, the man says something very telling in regards to both Islamism and freedom of the press in the Middle East:
"People who are told to shut up all the time can just explode."
"The Middle East will be far more dangerous if Dubai fails. Our export isn't oil, it's hope. Poor Egyptians or Libyans or Iranians grow up saying – I want to go to Dubai. We're very important to the region. We are showing how to be a modern Muslim country. We don't have any fundamentalists here. Europeans shouldn't gloat at our demise. You should be very worried.... Do you know what will happen if this model fails? Dubai will go down the Iranian path, the Islamist path."
Just...interesting. I haven't been to the UAE (yet), though I often hear it described as being overwhelmingly fake. It would be weird, I think, to transition from Cairo, with its 4,000 year old pyramids, to Dubai, a city that sprang up from almost nothing in the last 30-odd years. I get that there are incentives, but it lacks the culture that makes the Middle East so appealing to me. Still, it's interesting to hear the country, now in a magnificent state of decline, described as the great hope for the Middle East. For everyone's sake, I hope that Egypt, and the rest of the region, can do better.
I'll end just by mentioning another quote from the article. While interviewing another Emirati, this one a political dissident who was blacklisted and had his passport revoked after speaking with Human Rights Watch, the man says something very telling in regards to both Islamism and freedom of the press in the Middle East:
"People who are told to shut up all the time can just explode."
Sunday, April 26, 2009
sketchy bowling
I love bowling. I'm not very good at it, but I love the inherent tackiness and sketchiness of a bowling alley, everything from the questionable rental shoes to the pitchers of cheap beer. But the thing is, I often forget how much I like bowling until someone brings it up, and then I realize I really want to go. So I haven't been bowling in a really long time -- definitely not since I came to Cairo, and before then I can't even remember the last I went in Chicago.
But a friend told me about a bowling alley in Giza called Nile Bowling, and after going this weekend with four friends I am delighted to say that it was spectacularly sketchy. First, no bowling shoes necessary: you bowl in whatever footwear you have on, which in my case was a pair of flip-flops. Second was that in our lane, the bowling pins seemed to have some slight wobbling issues. Sometimes they just fell down of their own volition, even if a bowling ball was nowhere in sight, or the ball would roll into the gutter halfway down the lane and then the machine would give you credit for two pins down anyway (this actually happened to me on several occasions). Other times when you would go to bowl, the machine would just decline to acknowledge that roll, automatically reset, and randomly give the bowler extra frames. Ultimately, I bowled a 56, which might be a lifetime high for me without bumpers.
The whole point of this, though, is that after having been here so long, I expect things in Egypt to run inefficiently. That's part of the charm of Cairo, in my opinion. If we had gotten to the bowling alley and everything had worked properly, I think I actually would have been disappointed. Yes, people, it's come to that: my expectations are so low that I don't even need something to function to make me happy, I just need it to exist.
But a friend told me about a bowling alley in Giza called Nile Bowling, and after going this weekend with four friends I am delighted to say that it was spectacularly sketchy. First, no bowling shoes necessary: you bowl in whatever footwear you have on, which in my case was a pair of flip-flops. Second was that in our lane, the bowling pins seemed to have some slight wobbling issues. Sometimes they just fell down of their own volition, even if a bowling ball was nowhere in sight, or the ball would roll into the gutter halfway down the lane and then the machine would give you credit for two pins down anyway (this actually happened to me on several occasions). Other times when you would go to bowl, the machine would just decline to acknowledge that roll, automatically reset, and randomly give the bowler extra frames. Ultimately, I bowled a 56, which might be a lifetime high for me without bumpers.
The whole point of this, though, is that after having been here so long, I expect things in Egypt to run inefficiently. That's part of the charm of Cairo, in my opinion. If we had gotten to the bowling alley and everything had worked properly, I think I actually would have been disappointed. Yes, people, it's come to that: my expectations are so low that I don't even need something to function to make me happy, I just need it to exist.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
sandboarding is my new favorite sport
Well this is definitely a week late, but last weekend I was in Siwa, an oasis in the Western Desert. Siwa is almost completely isolated, and is the farthest away from everything of all the oases -- it is almost at the border with Libya -- and is about a 10-hour drive from Cairo. Because of its isolation, Siwa is known for having a culture different from the rest of Egypt. The people speak Siwi (a Berber language) in addition to Arabic, the women wear these really ornate outfits (though they are also exceptionally covered up), and Siwan crafts (like woven baskets) are very well-known. So yes, I was very excited to be going after hearing about it for so long.
We left Thursday night late and arrived on Friday morning, ready to explore the town. On Friday we did the tourist-y things in Siwa town, including some springs (Cleopatra's Baths, where apparently Cleopatra used to go bathe), the Temple of the Oracle of Amun, which used to be very sought after, and the fortress of Shali in the old part of Siwa, which has a great view of the whole oasis. (It's a huge oasis, with something like 30,000 people.) Friday night we slept in a hotel in Siwa, and then on Saturday we woke up and headed into the desert after lunch.
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday we were out in the desert. We went to more springs (hot, cold, salty), went dune riding in jeep 4X4s, which was awesome: the drivers speed around the desert up and down the dunes so it feels kind of like a roller coaster. So much fun! We also went sandboarding, which is like on a modified snowboard but used on a sand dune. Photos below! The camping was nice: two big tents, one for food and one for sleeping, and then a fire with a table for chilling at night. The food was really good -- Siwan food is more North African than Middle Eastern I think, i.e. cous cous and tagines instead of shwarma and falafel -- although one night definitely included a whole baby goat that had been cooked in this pit under the sand, and which I definitely did not eat. Seemed to be a popular local delicacy though.
I think my favorite part is that the desert around Siwa is very much like the kind of desert you expect to see in movies: just dune after dune stretching out as far as the eye can see. It's really beautiful, and really desolate. In the Black and White Deserts, there were rocks and formations and all kinds of things that sort of broke up the monotony, but out there was just...nothing. And it was amazing. We also took lots of evening walks and did some stargazing -- one of the best skies I've ever seen.
Temple of the Oracle in Siwa town. This oracle is the reason people in the ancient world used to seek out this oasis.
A view of the oasis from the Temple -- look at all the palm trees!
A2 and I on a donkey cart in Siwa
Siwan handicrafts
Fortress of Shali at sunset
Cold springs in the desert by the oasis
Ah, the peacefulness of the desert...
Part of the desert used to be an ocean, and those rocks are actually pieces of coral
Look at me sandboarding!
A1 and I attempting to roll down one of dunesWednesday, April 15, 2009
freedom of the press
The Medill Alums listserv has been updating on this fairly recently, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents. Roxana Saberi, a Medill alum, is an Iranian-American journalist (born in America, has dual citizenship) who has spent the last six years working in Iran and was arrested recently. I'm pretty sure it was initially for working as a journalist without the proper credentials, but the charges have since been upgraded to spying for America. Espionage, as you might imagine, is a pretty serious charge, so people have been following the case pretty closely.
It's cases like this that make me grateful to have grown up in a country with a free press. And it really makes me appreciate journalists who go out on a limb, reporters who put themselves at risk because they believe the public has a right to know what's going on in their country and with their government.
I often wonder about the state of the press in the rest of the Middle East, especially here in Egypt. Egypt doesn't have the best track record when it comes to press freedoms, and many bloggers in particular have gotten into trouble for speaking out against the government. There have been arrests, or journalists have been "disappeared," and there's certainly some amount of censorship. Obviously it's not as bad as in Iran, but I have to wonder if things are bound to get worse here -- after all, they're certainly not getting any better.
Anyway, you can read the full article here.
It's cases like this that make me grateful to have grown up in a country with a free press. And it really makes me appreciate journalists who go out on a limb, reporters who put themselves at risk because they believe the public has a right to know what's going on in their country and with their government.
I often wonder about the state of the press in the rest of the Middle East, especially here in Egypt. Egypt doesn't have the best track record when it comes to press freedoms, and many bloggers in particular have gotten into trouble for speaking out against the government. There have been arrests, or journalists have been "disappeared," and there's certainly some amount of censorship. Obviously it's not as bad as in Iran, but I have to wonder if things are bound to get worse here -- after all, they're certainly not getting any better.
Anyway, you can read the full article here.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
there is so much matzah in my kitchen
I realized I had never posted about being in Israel for Passover, so I thought I would write a quick update. I took the buses there on Tuesday (crossed the border without getting my passport stamped on either side again, which means I am 3-for-3 on passport stamp-age, knock on wood), and arrived in Tel Aviv in time for a late dinner with Sara. On Wednesday I relaxed on the beach for a bit, then got driven to Elkana to see the rest of the family (Dov, Bruria and extended counsins) for the seder. Seder was very enjoyable -- good food, not too long, plus I was able to follow along fine in Hebrew. Sara then picked me up late Thursday night, and I spent Friday shopping in Tel Aviv -- Nachalat Binyamin and Shenkin St. mostly. Though I have spent far more time in Jerusalem, I do have a few favorite stores in Tel Aviv, including HaOzen HaShlishi (The Third Ear), an excellent record shop where I picked up a ton of music, including the new Idan Raichel (woo!). I returned to Cairo by plane on Saturday night, in time to go to work on Sunday.
But I think the best part about going to Israel for Passover was just the holiday atmosphere. All the restaurants that remained open and kosher for Passover -- I still got to have an iced Aroma, and there were pizza places doing that kosher for Passover pizza which was not so bad -- plus everyone wishing you a Chag Sameach. I mean, it's like that a lot in Florida too -- there's never a problem finding good food and everyone else at the hotel we go to is Jewish also. Still, there's something uniquely awesome about being in Israel for Passover, and I was happy to experience it this year. How was I to know that last year when I said "next year in Jerusalem" it would end up being true?
Anyway, since then I have had a good week back in Egypt. Many friends have sampled the matzah I brought back from Israel, though I am definitely looking forward to the holiday ending tomorrow night (I celebrated in Israel this year, so seven days it is!). This upcoming weekend is also a long one, in honor of Coptic Easter, so I pretty much got two vacations in a row. I will be traveling to Siwa, an oasis in the Western Desert. Check back next week for some awesome photos and more updates!
But I think the best part about going to Israel for Passover was just the holiday atmosphere. All the restaurants that remained open and kosher for Passover -- I still got to have an iced Aroma, and there were pizza places doing that kosher for Passover pizza which was not so bad -- plus everyone wishing you a Chag Sameach. I mean, it's like that a lot in Florida too -- there's never a problem finding good food and everyone else at the hotel we go to is Jewish also. Still, there's something uniquely awesome about being in Israel for Passover, and I was happy to experience it this year. How was I to know that last year when I said "next year in Jerusalem" it would end up being true?
Anyway, since then I have had a good week back in Egypt. Many friends have sampled the matzah I brought back from Israel, though I am definitely looking forward to the holiday ending tomorrow night (I celebrated in Israel this year, so seven days it is!). This upcoming weekend is also a long one, in honor of Coptic Easter, so I pretty much got two vacations in a row. I will be traveling to Siwa, an oasis in the Western Desert. Check back next week for some awesome photos and more updates!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
exodus
I will be departing Cairo in about 5 hours to go to Israel. I will update later from there, but to get you in the Passover spirit, here is a video from The Prince of Egypt. Enjoy!
Personally, I am excited for my own little Exodus from Egypt to Israel for Passover (though to be fair, I don't feel like I am fleeing or anything since I like it here). But it will make many of the passages in the Haggadah so much more applicable this year!
And as another fun bonus, at my Arabic less today, my tutor taught me how to say "split the Red Sea," so when I am on the bus with an intense look of concentration I can explain what I am trying to do. For the curious, it is: Fil Pascua dee, ana eayza ae'sem bahr al-ahmar zay Mussa. (Literally: This Passover, I want to split/divide the Red Sea like Moses.) Impress your friends!
Personally, I am excited for my own little Exodus from Egypt to Israel for Passover (though to be fair, I don't feel like I am fleeing or anything since I like it here). But it will make many of the passages in the Haggadah so much more applicable this year!
And as another fun bonus, at my Arabic less today, my tutor taught me how to say "split the Red Sea," so when I am on the bus with an intense look of concentration I can explain what I am trying to do. For the curious, it is: Fil Pascua dee, ana eayza ae'sem bahr al-ahmar zay Mussa. (Literally: This Passover, I want to split/divide the Red Sea like Moses.) Impress your friends!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
what should i do with my extra hour?
The great Cairo Museum Exploration continued this weekend when I went to the Museum of Islamic Ceramics on Saturday. Like most of the other museums I have been to here (besides the Egyptian Museum), it was empty. A2 and I were the only people there, and while you might think it would be creepy, I find it pretty cool to have a museum full of priceless antiquities all to yourself. There was no ticket booth or anything, but when we walked in the attendant came over and asked if we were tourists. We said we live in Cairo (fingers were crossed for the Egyptian ticket price instead of the foreigner one!), and were asked for proof. I used my EgyCare health insurance card, and we were ultimately given foreign student price (it's usually good for a 50 percent discount, and is second cheapest after actually being Egyptian). Great success!
Anyway, the museum is housed in a former mosque, and the mihrab is still in front and there are cool arches and stuff, plus some really beautiful stained glass windows and great Arabic calligraphy on the walls. My inner Orientalist was pleased. The museum mostly has dishes, tiles, pots, jugs, etc. from all over the Middle East and surrounding area -- Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Persia, Andalusia (Spain in pre-Ottoman times was called Al-Andaluz, though Andalusia now refers to the southern region of Spain). Some went as far back as the 9th and 10th centuries. There were also some more modern ones that were modeled on those artifacts, and those were nice also. It's amazing how many are in such great condition, and really beautiful with vibrant colors and intricate details. I really like a lot of the Islamic pottery because I think they don't look ancient; a lot of those jugs were more than 500 years old, but they look you could just pick one up and pour yourself a glass of water right right here in 2009. Cool stuff.
Also, I recently realized that we're still not back on Daylight Savings Time, when the rest of the world appears to be. I know America already switched "sprang forward," like a month ago, and figured we in Egypt were just biding our time. But apparently not. I have heard they might not have it this year, something to do with when Ramadan falls. Can they do this? Can an entire country just opt out of Daylight Savings Time? And if so, isn't there some weird cosmic imbalance because I get an extra hour this year (from when we "fell back" in September) that I apparently don't have to give back? And if that's true, I feel like I should be grateful, and should come up with something really amazing and awe-inspiring to do with that extra hour. Thoughts?
Anyway, the museum is housed in a former mosque, and the mihrab is still in front and there are cool arches and stuff, plus some really beautiful stained glass windows and great Arabic calligraphy on the walls. My inner Orientalist was pleased. The museum mostly has dishes, tiles, pots, jugs, etc. from all over the Middle East and surrounding area -- Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Persia, Andalusia (Spain in pre-Ottoman times was called Al-Andaluz, though Andalusia now refers to the southern region of Spain). Some went as far back as the 9th and 10th centuries. There were also some more modern ones that were modeled on those artifacts, and those were nice also. It's amazing how many are in such great condition, and really beautiful with vibrant colors and intricate details. I really like a lot of the Islamic pottery because I think they don't look ancient; a lot of those jugs were more than 500 years old, but they look you could just pick one up and pour yourself a glass of water right right here in 2009. Cool stuff.
Also, I recently realized that we're still not back on Daylight Savings Time, when the rest of the world appears to be. I know America already switched "sprang forward," like a month ago, and figured we in Egypt were just biding our time. But apparently not. I have heard they might not have it this year, something to do with when Ramadan falls. Can they do this? Can an entire country just opt out of Daylight Savings Time? And if so, isn't there some weird cosmic imbalance because I get an extra hour this year (from when we "fell back" in September) that I apparently don't have to give back? And if that's true, I feel like I should be grateful, and should come up with something really amazing and awe-inspiring to do with that extra hour. Thoughts?
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