The hottest tickets in town, at the hottest ticket in town.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
inshah allah
"If God wills..." If I could sum up the events of the past week in one phrase, this would be it. "Inshah allah" is said constantly in Cairo, at the end of pretty much every sentence in the future tense. It is considered almost rude to ever take anything for granted, as only God can see what is coming in the future. The tough part is when you ask a Cairene a yes or no question and the answer is "inshah allah"; then there is some interpretation involved, and I have definitely not mastered it yet. Here are some of the top "Inshah allah" phrases I have heard in the past week:
"Your DSL line will be installed within the next 2-6 weeks, inshah allah."
"The technician will come to fix your air-conditioner, toilet, light fixtures, and water filter, inshah allah."
"The AUC busses will be leaving the new campus at 2:15 and 4:15, inshah allah."
"I will collect your homework tomorrow, inshah allah"
"See you tomorrow, inshah allah!"
"The add/drop office will be open tomorrow, inshah allah."
"The deadline to add and drop classes will be extended, inshah allah."
"The new campus dorms will be open in November, inshah allah."
For many of the Americans studying abroad at AUC, the liberal use of this phrase makes them feel very uneasy and uncertain about everything, as it seems that at least half the time things 'promised' don't work out as planned.
The Egyptians I know don't seem bothered by it in the least, as they have faith that in the end everything will work out as God wills, and there isn't much we can do to change things. Everything meant to happen will happen eventually, and for now we should all just learn to relax.
"Your DSL line will be installed within the next 2-6 weeks, inshah allah."
"The technician will come to fix your air-conditioner, toilet, light fixtures, and water filter, inshah allah."
"The AUC busses will be leaving the new campus at 2:15 and 4:15, inshah allah."
"I will collect your homework tomorrow, inshah allah"
"See you tomorrow, inshah allah!"
"The add/drop office will be open tomorrow, inshah allah."
"The deadline to add and drop classes will be extended, inshah allah."
"The new campus dorms will be open in November, inshah allah."
For many of the Americans studying abroad at AUC, the liberal use of this phrase makes them feel very uneasy and uncertain about everything, as it seems that at least half the time things 'promised' don't work out as planned.
The Egyptians I know don't seem bothered by it in the least, as they have faith that in the end everything will work out as God wills, and there isn't much we can do to change things. Everything meant to happen will happen eventually, and for now we should all just learn to relax.
Monday, September 8, 2008
First Days of Classes
The honeymoon’s over, and classes have started.
My fasting was going very well until suddenly it wasn’t. A few days ago I got pretty sick and spent a day and a half in bed and miserable. Apparently my American immune system isn’t quite strong enough to handle the Ramadan fast, and so I have decided to take a break from fasting until I feel completely better. Plus, I have to be able to concentrate now on classes.
My first day of school at the new campus of the American University in Cairo was just as hectic as I expected it to be. Over the past couple of years, AUC has been in the process of building a completely new and much larger campus in order to accommodate more students and improve the quality of the facilities. The multi-million dollar project was largely financed by American aid, and the rumor going around is that the US pressured AUC to open the new campus this semester, despite the fact that much of the campus is not quite finished. The new campus is located in the middle of the desert outside of Cairo, and it takes somewhere between 45 minutes and 2 hours to get to it from Zamalek (where I live, part of central Cairo). There is nothing near the new campus, and the only way to get there is by AUC bus. What a nightmare.
Despite the awful location and transportation situation, the new campus is really very beautiful. I’ll have pictures posted soon, but for now I’ll just describe it as very ancient-Egyptian-palace-like. Finding my classes was quite challenging, but I managed somehow to make it to all of them although I can’t say the same for all of my teachers.
The worst thing is that nobody seems to know what’s going on. Ever. Where to catch buses, what times they arrive and depart, the names of the buildings, the locations of classrooms. All of these things were complete mysteries on the first day of school, and there was no one to turn to for help. Everyone, faculty and students alike, was clueless.
After I made it through my classes yesterday, I tried to obtain an AUC student ID only to discover that the ID center had just closed, at 2:30 in the afternoon. Then, when I tried to re-enter the campus the next morning, I almost was not allowed in because I didn’t have a student ID card. When it was time to leave the new campus to return to civilization, the parking lot was filled with hundreds of wandering students, and no buses to take them home. It was complete chaos, but eventually buses started arriving and after an hour they started departing with loads of sweaty and frustrated students. Basically, there are just a lot of things that need to be figured out on the part of the AUC administration.
One thing is for sure: I am becoming a very, very patient person.
I’m taking five classes this semester, and they all seem very interesting and worthwhile judging from the first day of class. The classes I am currently taking at AUC are: Intermediate Arabic, Arabic of the News Media, Government and Politics of Egypt, Comparative Politics of the Middle East, and Classical Arabic Literature in Translation. A very full course load, and a lot of work. I’m most concerned about my two Arabic classes, which seem to be a bit over my head, but I think if I study hard enough I can handle them. For now, I’m just looking forward to a time when things start running more smoothly at AUC.
My fasting was going very well until suddenly it wasn’t. A few days ago I got pretty sick and spent a day and a half in bed and miserable. Apparently my American immune system isn’t quite strong enough to handle the Ramadan fast, and so I have decided to take a break from fasting until I feel completely better. Plus, I have to be able to concentrate now on classes.
My first day of school at the new campus of the American University in Cairo was just as hectic as I expected it to be. Over the past couple of years, AUC has been in the process of building a completely new and much larger campus in order to accommodate more students and improve the quality of the facilities. The multi-million dollar project was largely financed by American aid, and the rumor going around is that the US pressured AUC to open the new campus this semester, despite the fact that much of the campus is not quite finished. The new campus is located in the middle of the desert outside of Cairo, and it takes somewhere between 45 minutes and 2 hours to get to it from Zamalek (where I live, part of central Cairo). There is nothing near the new campus, and the only way to get there is by AUC bus. What a nightmare.
Despite the awful location and transportation situation, the new campus is really very beautiful. I’ll have pictures posted soon, but for now I’ll just describe it as very ancient-Egyptian-palace-like. Finding my classes was quite challenging, but I managed somehow to make it to all of them although I can’t say the same for all of my teachers.
The worst thing is that nobody seems to know what’s going on. Ever. Where to catch buses, what times they arrive and depart, the names of the buildings, the locations of classrooms. All of these things were complete mysteries on the first day of school, and there was no one to turn to for help. Everyone, faculty and students alike, was clueless.
After I made it through my classes yesterday, I tried to obtain an AUC student ID only to discover that the ID center had just closed, at 2:30 in the afternoon. Then, when I tried to re-enter the campus the next morning, I almost was not allowed in because I didn’t have a student ID card. When it was time to leave the new campus to return to civilization, the parking lot was filled with hundreds of wandering students, and no buses to take them home. It was complete chaos, but eventually buses started arriving and after an hour they started departing with loads of sweaty and frustrated students. Basically, there are just a lot of things that need to be figured out on the part of the AUC administration.
One thing is for sure: I am becoming a very, very patient person.
I’m taking five classes this semester, and they all seem very interesting and worthwhile judging from the first day of class. The classes I am currently taking at AUC are: Intermediate Arabic, Arabic of the News Media, Government and Politics of Egypt, Comparative Politics of the Middle East, and Classical Arabic Literature in Translation. A very full course load, and a lot of work. I’m most concerned about my two Arabic classes, which seem to be a bit over my head, but I think if I study hard enough I can handle them. For now, I’m just looking forward to a time when things start running more smoothly at AUC.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Me so hungry.
So it has been almost two weeks since I returned to Cairo and we're almost all settled into our cozy Zamalek apartment. It is now the third day of Ramadan, and the third day of fasting for Maddie, Katie, and me. The three of us have decided to participate as much as possible in this most holy time in the Muslim community, in order to better understand its meaning and experience more fully the local religious culture.
Here is some background on the month of Ramadan:
Ramadan is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and it is believed to be the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to the Angel Gabriel, who later revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad. During this month, many Muslims practice fasting, which means they do not eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset.
Since I arrived in Egypt I have learned that there is much more to it. In Egypt the month of Ramadan is a time of unity among the very diverse population that creates an atmosphere of compassion and sharing. During the hours of fasting, those who are used to the everyday comforts of food and drink experience what it feels like for those who do not share the same luxuries. They feel the physical effects of hunger and thirst that so many others experience all the time. During fasting, the gap between the rich and the poor is bridged as everyone goes hungry. And at sunset, around 6:20 pm, the wealthy and underprivileged alike share in a grand feast, in which everyone eats and drinks together. Tables are set up on the streets, where charitable organizations provide full meals for anyone and everyone to share in iftar (or the breaking of the fast).
It is also common during fasting in Ramadan to actively try to better oneself by abstaining from swearing, arguing, smoking, and any other normal practice that detracts from the ideal peace that is the nature and goal of Islam.
At first the thought of fully fasting during Ramadan seemed very daunting and I definitely felt that I did not have what it takes to be able to fast without ‘cheating’. I was expecting the worst, as I have never before experienced real hunger day after day. But, although it is still early in the month, I now see the beauty of Ramadan and the pay-offs of participating in the fast. Never before have I lived in a country in which such a diverse group of people have been so willing to empathize with one another. After spending over a month in Cairo during “normal time”, it is incredible to see the differences in the daily life of the city during Ramadan. It is like the entire city has changed completely in many different ways, but there are two examples in particular that stand out:
First of all, normally, Cairo is LOUD. The traffic in the streets is beyond any of the worst I have seen in the US. Drivers beep constantly, for any reason or no reason, and everyone drives like they are on a race track. Traffic laws are never obeyed and crossing the streets on foot is terrifying. But, on the first day of Ramadan, I accompanied my friend Ma’andi to the airport to pick up Maddie, and I was shocked. I have never seen the streets of Cairo so quiet and the traffic running so smoothly.
Secondly, nobody was smoking. This might not seem to be such a big deal, but in a city where even movie theaters provide ten minute intermissions during 1 ½ hour shows to allow a vast exodus of smokers to get their nicotine fix, I was amazed.
My typical day during Ramadan (as of now, before classes have started):
2:00pm
I wake up, shower, wash up, eat nothing, drink nothing.
3:00-6:20pm
Hang out in my apartment, shop, or venture to an internet hotspot
6:20 pm
Iftar. Time to break the fast. Drink water and coffee, eat dinner, and listen to the echoing of calls to prayer from all the surrounding mosques.
10:00pm
Meet up with about 20 friends. A mixture of Egyptian AIESECers, my roommates, and international trainees, we all go from café to café to smoke shisha, drink loads of coffee, tea, and juice, and share snacks.
2:00am
We all share in Souhour (the last meal before the next day of fasting) in which we go to local street cafes and stuff our faces with foul (beans), Egyptian bread, and side dishes.
4:00am
We begin fasting again, and go to bed with very full stomachs so that we are able to handle another day without food or drink.
This has been my experience of Ramadan so far. Not at all as painful as I suspected.
Here is some background on the month of Ramadan:
Ramadan is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and it is believed to be the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to the Angel Gabriel, who later revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad. During this month, many Muslims practice fasting, which means they do not eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset.
Since I arrived in Egypt I have learned that there is much more to it. In Egypt the month of Ramadan is a time of unity among the very diverse population that creates an atmosphere of compassion and sharing. During the hours of fasting, those who are used to the everyday comforts of food and drink experience what it feels like for those who do not share the same luxuries. They feel the physical effects of hunger and thirst that so many others experience all the time. During fasting, the gap between the rich and the poor is bridged as everyone goes hungry. And at sunset, around 6:20 pm, the wealthy and underprivileged alike share in a grand feast, in which everyone eats and drinks together. Tables are set up on the streets, where charitable organizations provide full meals for anyone and everyone to share in iftar (or the breaking of the fast).
It is also common during fasting in Ramadan to actively try to better oneself by abstaining from swearing, arguing, smoking, and any other normal practice that detracts from the ideal peace that is the nature and goal of Islam.
At first the thought of fully fasting during Ramadan seemed very daunting and I definitely felt that I did not have what it takes to be able to fast without ‘cheating’. I was expecting the worst, as I have never before experienced real hunger day after day. But, although it is still early in the month, I now see the beauty of Ramadan and the pay-offs of participating in the fast. Never before have I lived in a country in which such a diverse group of people have been so willing to empathize with one another. After spending over a month in Cairo during “normal time”, it is incredible to see the differences in the daily life of the city during Ramadan. It is like the entire city has changed completely in many different ways, but there are two examples in particular that stand out:
First of all, normally, Cairo is LOUD. The traffic in the streets is beyond any of the worst I have seen in the US. Drivers beep constantly, for any reason or no reason, and everyone drives like they are on a race track. Traffic laws are never obeyed and crossing the streets on foot is terrifying. But, on the first day of Ramadan, I accompanied my friend Ma’andi to the airport to pick up Maddie, and I was shocked. I have never seen the streets of Cairo so quiet and the traffic running so smoothly.
Secondly, nobody was smoking. This might not seem to be such a big deal, but in a city where even movie theaters provide ten minute intermissions during 1 ½ hour shows to allow a vast exodus of smokers to get their nicotine fix, I was amazed.
My typical day during Ramadan (as of now, before classes have started):
2:00pm
I wake up, shower, wash up, eat nothing, drink nothing.
3:00-6:20pm
Hang out in my apartment, shop, or venture to an internet hotspot
6:20 pm
Iftar. Time to break the fast. Drink water and coffee, eat dinner, and listen to the echoing of calls to prayer from all the surrounding mosques.
10:00pm
Meet up with about 20 friends. A mixture of Egyptian AIESECers, my roommates, and international trainees, we all go from café to café to smoke shisha, drink loads of coffee, tea, and juice, and share snacks.
2:00am
We all share in Souhour (the last meal before the next day of fasting) in which we go to local street cafes and stuff our faces with foul (beans), Egyptian bread, and side dishes.
4:00am
We begin fasting again, and go to bed with very full stomachs so that we are able to handle another day without food or drink.
This has been my experience of Ramadan so far. Not at all as painful as I suspected.
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