I need to keep this short becuase I'm supposed to meet some Swedish guy in Zamalek in 45 minutes to go to the old Islamic quarter, where the tourist market Khan al-Kalili is, and a bunch of mosques. He wanted to go to a coffee shop, but I thought that might be a little awkward, and I so far haven't found anyone else to go to Islamic Cairo with me.
In short, I went to see Happy Feet with a bunch of Nigerians, I started teaching English to Sudanese refugees, I hung out with an Eritrean guy and others at the African Diplomat Club (largely for African diplomats, unsurpisingly), and I met some American guys and went out with their friends. I learned to smoke sheesha, I went to KFC by myself at midnight, I watched lots of truly outrageous Egyptian music videos, I got sick and my roommate made me miso soup, and I found myself walking down the street carrying heavy chains with Sudanese people, and I lived mostly off of tea and sweets for two days. I took a microbus alone, I went to a huge western-style mall, I walked 45 minutes across the bridges to downtown to buy postcards, and I started taking Egyptian Arabic. I have new teachers, new classmates, a new roommate, a new flat, a new routine, and a new (unpaid) job. I wish I could explain this in more detail, and perhaps I will later.
Assorted thoughts on daily life in Cairo and Chicago
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sketchy and Non- : Weekend Adventuring
I'm having trouble writing. On the one hand, a lot has happened--I decided on a new flat, I went to Alexandria, I went out with friends, I saw new things and had a lot of interesting conversations, but on the other hand, things are starting to feel fairly normal and not necessarily worth writing about. I take note of less things that I see, because they are starting to seem normal. Today I walked to school and thought about other things almost the whole way (usually I'm thinking, "wow, look at that! I hope that guy doesn't try to talk to me. Why are there so many cars? Why are men here so obnoxious? I'm about to get run over. etc."). But I am still taking notes. I feel a little bit like I am just writing things down that give you "local color"--i.e.-things that are different here and at home--but what I really notice most is the similarities, and what really matters to me is not that exciting to write about--I'm making friends, I sat in a cafe and had a nice time and relaxed, etc.
So, on Thursday I did something not too exciting. I invited myself along with my newly chosen future roommate, Mariam, and her current roommate, Nicole. We went to the AUC bookstore (English books! Oh, the temptation!) and I bought Anna Karenina. Nicole will be going to AUC, so we helped her with some registration. We wandered around downtown, bought apricots from a corner store. There are a lot of shops with big boxes of seeds, and then barrels and bags and and big glass fish-bowls of dates and nuts and other stuff like that. It was kindof frustrating, becuase we didn't have much of an aim in walking, but we finally went back to Beano's (my favorite of the American-style coffee shops) and had a snack and tea. I was overly self-concious that perhaps they did not want me along, but it was a nice time anyway. It was funny to tell Miriam, who's from London, that I live in Hyde Park--in Chicago. I considered going over the weekend to the Western Desert with Kevin and other people from ILI, but I decided not to. I wanted to go to church on Friday, and I didn't want to pay. I also was a bit wary of being out in the desert with a bunch of college kids who just wanted to get drunk. I had a laugh in the kitchen with my roommates... oh the French. We learned of the teachers' lunch conversation at the French school... oooh la la. When I was getting ready for bed, my friend Marissa texted me to come out with her and some other people from school, but I just went to sleep.
On Friday, I went to church in Maadi again. Afterwards, I had lunch with Marie and a friend of hers. It was nice to talk to them, and nice to see Kezzia and my first roommates (the ones that let me crash on their couch for a week) at church. Then, as we were walking towards the Metro, Kezzia was coming. She and I had plans for dinner, but she had unexpected extra time, so I walked with her in Maadi to a bookstore. They are supposed to call me when they find Siddhartha, but I haven't gotten anything yet. Anyway, Kezzia and I went to her flat, which isn't far from mine, and talked a lot and made crepes. We ate them with strawberries, bananas, honey, and pistachios. It was delicious. She's working at a refugee center at a big church in Zamalek. It is one of the largest refugee centers in the city. Right now she's a secretary, but she'll be doing other stuff soon. It took her a long time to get started there, so she took classes at ILI, where I am, until last month. So she's really nice, I had a good time talking with her. It was nice to get her perspective on ILI too. We talked about gossip, and how difficult it is to draw the line in saying negative things about other people. Ideally, I think, I would only notice the good in people. If I notice negative things, then I feel the compulsion sometimes to see if I am alone in noticing this, and that's why I want to gossip. But at the same time, maybe it is not ideal to take a completely trusting and positive view of people, becuase, as we know, you can't trust everyone. I would like to think, though, that if I were like that (like Alyosha!) then I could also be wise, as well as innocent and trusting and seeing only the good in people. And then I would only have good for other people to see as well.
Anyway, digression! On to Egyptian things! On Saturday, I hung out with my roommate Christine. I got to know her a lot better, and I like her a lot. She's a very happy person. She showed me around Zamalek, which is the posh neighborhood on the Island. I went to a very nice bookstore and bought another book, about Zipporah, the wife of Moses. It was pretty cool to read about the slaves in ancient Egypt while seeing modern Egypt. I've already finished it, it was a pretty short and a bit silly of a book, but interesting. We went out again a bit later, back to the Culture Wheel, where I had seen the crazy concert, to watch a free Iranian film. It was in a little room, on a projector from a computer. The sound was terrible, and the picture would get stuck sometimes. It took place entirely in a woman's car. I didn't figure out until after we had left that it was a home movie, a documentary of sorts, although everything in the movie should have made that obvious. I just thought it was a bad artsy film. It was interesting afterwards to talk to Christine and her boyfriend about rights to privacy that were raised by the way it was filmed. It was obvious that the people in her car-her son, friends, strangers--didn't know they were being filmed, and they talked about very personal things. It was centered around women's rights, divorce, and women's power in relationship in Iran. If you want to see it, its called Ten. Try to ignore the loud traffic background noise (Christine said she tuned it out, but she's been living in Cairo for awhile.)
The next day, I curled up on the couch watching BBC World with my big blanket and a cup of tea. We were waiting for Hany, Christine's boyfriend, to pick us up to go to Alexandria! She had asked me to come, so I was happy to be invited. I was worried about being a third wheel, but it worked out very well. Couples in Egypt aren't very couple-y in public anyway. We took the train, which is suprisingly comfy, even in 2nd class. It was really cool to see the Delta. The bright green fields are such a change from Cairo! We passed groves of orange trees, little towns with dirt streets, shaggy donkeys loaded with impossibly big spheres of green plants, farmers in the fields, old men on horses and little kids on bikes, half-flooded fields, holstein cows, half-finished buildings, and straw huts. We rolled into Alex around 1:30, and walked down to the Cornishe (the road along the sea). At first I thought the city felt like Spain--the architecture is a bit more European, and the air is so clean and the sun is so bright. It was nice to walk along the water, and that's mostly all we did. There's not a lot of beach, as it's mostly concrete blocks piled up (much like the Point in Hyde Park). There's a part where you can climb down from beside the road and walk down there where all the fishermen are. They don't seem to be catching much, but someone is, becuase the seafood restaurant was amazing. Hany and I went and picked (ok, Hany picked) our fish from a display of whole fish, and then they came to us, cooked, but still whole, in addition to a huge spread of appetizers (mezze, its called--a lot of tahina, baba ganoush, salads, eggplant stuff, etc.), and seafood soup--with crab legs and shells sticking out of it. It was a feast. And the guy at the table behind us had the most amazing combover I've ever seen, he looked like he was on Star Trek--just two strands painted on his head from his ears up to form a widow's peak. We had a talk about FGM--not really good dinnertable conversation, but it was interesting to hear an Egyptian male's perspective. Christine and I have both heard several sources claiming that it is about 90% of Egyptian women in some form or another, but the men she's asked have all claimed its more like 20%, and only in backward rural areas (the south, where people are crazy). She and I talk a lot about women and Islam. We are trying to check out the Koran for what it says about the rights of women. Remember the English woman whose flat I looked at who converted to Islam? She had told me that she liked in Islam that women are respected. She talked about how people in a Muslim country would be ashamed to hurt a woman. But at the same time, I can see a lot of contradictions to this point. For example, even though I am a foriegner, I am still a woman, and yet the comments I get on the street don't show much respect. This isn't even getting into issues of domestic violence, FGM, the emphasis on virginity (and the double standard there), and even Islamic modesty. I know that some of these exist in Western society (especially the double standard), but to say that Islam solves these problems is, to me, not true.
Right. In Alex, I saw a girl from school, Angelica. She's German, I had looked at her flat first, but didn't like it. It was cool to see someone I knew, in a totally different city. Apparantly a couple small groups of ILI students went to Alex over the weekend. I felt pretty cool for having other friends, and one of them Egyptian, at that. Oh, about Hany. At first I was wary, as I am of all Egyptian men. But he is really nice, and not at all sketchy. He's a Copt, and makes wittier jokes in English than I can. I think maybe he went to school outside Egypt? I like him a lot. He and I tease Christine becuase she is always telling us scary stories "Don't touch the posts with wires coming out. I got electrocuted once, and people have died that way. Don't swim in the sea near Alex, people have died. People have died in the waves outside the Blue Hole in Dahab. " He also does a good ridiculous French accent. And he's got light eyes, and lightish skin, so he is often mistaken for a tourist, especially with Christine. But then he speaks Arabic, and they back off. Sometimes people say "hakuna matata!" to Christine, or go "Sineeya! (Chinese!)" First, that's Swahili, which is not even Asian, and she's Vietnamese. Or rather, Vietnamese-American. Its pretty funny.
Today, after class (in which I had trouble staying awake, even after 8 hours of sleep), Marissa and I went downtown, and we ran her errands, and met with a totally sketchy tour guide about a trip she wants to take to Luxor and Aswan. But then he said he doesn't deal with Chinese, Russians, Jews, or Israelis. So, that made her mad, and me uncomfortable, and we left as politely as possible. He says that they are too demanding and want everything for cheaper than is possible. I thought he was horrible. He was like a shady used-car salesmen, with stained teeth and cigarette smoke coming out of his nostrils. He would overly justify certain costs, and emphasize sale points that Marissa clearly didn't care about. He would convert everything to US dollars, even though she told him she understood Egyptian Pounds. He didn't have any documentation of prices, but quoted them to her from memory. I was thoroughly sketched out, and happy to get out of there. At least I had a cup of tea, which woke me up a little. She made friends with the guy who owned the shop (a perfume shop) when he called her in on her first day here. Apparantly they also know Marie, the woman I talked about earlier who has been here for 16 years, and that's how they had the connection to Mr. Sketchy Anti-Semite. We bought cheap foul and ta'amiya at a lunch counter, and taxied home, where I have been monopolizing her computer ever since!
So, on Thursday I did something not too exciting. I invited myself along with my newly chosen future roommate, Mariam, and her current roommate, Nicole. We went to the AUC bookstore (English books! Oh, the temptation!) and I bought Anna Karenina. Nicole will be going to AUC, so we helped her with some registration. We wandered around downtown, bought apricots from a corner store. There are a lot of shops with big boxes of seeds, and then barrels and bags and and big glass fish-bowls of dates and nuts and other stuff like that. It was kindof frustrating, becuase we didn't have much of an aim in walking, but we finally went back to Beano's (my favorite of the American-style coffee shops) and had a snack and tea. I was overly self-concious that perhaps they did not want me along, but it was a nice time anyway. It was funny to tell Miriam, who's from London, that I live in Hyde Park--in Chicago. I considered going over the weekend to the Western Desert with Kevin and other people from ILI, but I decided not to. I wanted to go to church on Friday, and I didn't want to pay. I also was a bit wary of being out in the desert with a bunch of college kids who just wanted to get drunk. I had a laugh in the kitchen with my roommates... oh the French. We learned of the teachers' lunch conversation at the French school... oooh la la. When I was getting ready for bed, my friend Marissa texted me to come out with her and some other people from school, but I just went to sleep.
On Friday, I went to church in Maadi again. Afterwards, I had lunch with Marie and a friend of hers. It was nice to talk to them, and nice to see Kezzia and my first roommates (the ones that let me crash on their couch for a week) at church. Then, as we were walking towards the Metro, Kezzia was coming. She and I had plans for dinner, but she had unexpected extra time, so I walked with her in Maadi to a bookstore. They are supposed to call me when they find Siddhartha, but I haven't gotten anything yet. Anyway, Kezzia and I went to her flat, which isn't far from mine, and talked a lot and made crepes. We ate them with strawberries, bananas, honey, and pistachios. It was delicious. She's working at a refugee center at a big church in Zamalek. It is one of the largest refugee centers in the city. Right now she's a secretary, but she'll be doing other stuff soon. It took her a long time to get started there, so she took classes at ILI, where I am, until last month. So she's really nice, I had a good time talking with her. It was nice to get her perspective on ILI too. We talked about gossip, and how difficult it is to draw the line in saying negative things about other people. Ideally, I think, I would only notice the good in people. If I notice negative things, then I feel the compulsion sometimes to see if I am alone in noticing this, and that's why I want to gossip. But at the same time, maybe it is not ideal to take a completely trusting and positive view of people, becuase, as we know, you can't trust everyone. I would like to think, though, that if I were like that (like Alyosha!) then I could also be wise, as well as innocent and trusting and seeing only the good in people. And then I would only have good for other people to see as well.
Anyway, digression! On to Egyptian things! On Saturday, I hung out with my roommate Christine. I got to know her a lot better, and I like her a lot. She's a very happy person. She showed me around Zamalek, which is the posh neighborhood on the Island. I went to a very nice bookstore and bought another book, about Zipporah, the wife of Moses. It was pretty cool to read about the slaves in ancient Egypt while seeing modern Egypt. I've already finished it, it was a pretty short and a bit silly of a book, but interesting. We went out again a bit later, back to the Culture Wheel, where I had seen the crazy concert, to watch a free Iranian film. It was in a little room, on a projector from a computer. The sound was terrible, and the picture would get stuck sometimes. It took place entirely in a woman's car. I didn't figure out until after we had left that it was a home movie, a documentary of sorts, although everything in the movie should have made that obvious. I just thought it was a bad artsy film. It was interesting afterwards to talk to Christine and her boyfriend about rights to privacy that were raised by the way it was filmed. It was obvious that the people in her car-her son, friends, strangers--didn't know they were being filmed, and they talked about very personal things. It was centered around women's rights, divorce, and women's power in relationship in Iran. If you want to see it, its called Ten. Try to ignore the loud traffic background noise (Christine said she tuned it out, but she's been living in Cairo for awhile.)
The next day, I curled up on the couch watching BBC World with my big blanket and a cup of tea. We were waiting for Hany, Christine's boyfriend, to pick us up to go to Alexandria! She had asked me to come, so I was happy to be invited. I was worried about being a third wheel, but it worked out very well. Couples in Egypt aren't very couple-y in public anyway. We took the train, which is suprisingly comfy, even in 2nd class. It was really cool to see the Delta. The bright green fields are such a change from Cairo! We passed groves of orange trees, little towns with dirt streets, shaggy donkeys loaded with impossibly big spheres of green plants, farmers in the fields, old men on horses and little kids on bikes, half-flooded fields, holstein cows, half-finished buildings, and straw huts. We rolled into Alex around 1:30, and walked down to the Cornishe (the road along the sea). At first I thought the city felt like Spain--the architecture is a bit more European, and the air is so clean and the sun is so bright. It was nice to walk along the water, and that's mostly all we did. There's not a lot of beach, as it's mostly concrete blocks piled up (much like the Point in Hyde Park). There's a part where you can climb down from beside the road and walk down there where all the fishermen are. They don't seem to be catching much, but someone is, becuase the seafood restaurant was amazing. Hany and I went and picked (ok, Hany picked) our fish from a display of whole fish, and then they came to us, cooked, but still whole, in addition to a huge spread of appetizers (mezze, its called--a lot of tahina, baba ganoush, salads, eggplant stuff, etc.), and seafood soup--with crab legs and shells sticking out of it. It was a feast. And the guy at the table behind us had the most amazing combover I've ever seen, he looked like he was on Star Trek--just two strands painted on his head from his ears up to form a widow's peak. We had a talk about FGM--not really good dinnertable conversation, but it was interesting to hear an Egyptian male's perspective. Christine and I have both heard several sources claiming that it is about 90% of Egyptian women in some form or another, but the men she's asked have all claimed its more like 20%, and only in backward rural areas (the south, where people are crazy). She and I talk a lot about women and Islam. We are trying to check out the Koran for what it says about the rights of women. Remember the English woman whose flat I looked at who converted to Islam? She had told me that she liked in Islam that women are respected. She talked about how people in a Muslim country would be ashamed to hurt a woman. But at the same time, I can see a lot of contradictions to this point. For example, even though I am a foriegner, I am still a woman, and yet the comments I get on the street don't show much respect. This isn't even getting into issues of domestic violence, FGM, the emphasis on virginity (and the double standard there), and even Islamic modesty. I know that some of these exist in Western society (especially the double standard), but to say that Islam solves these problems is, to me, not true.
Right. In Alex, I saw a girl from school, Angelica. She's German, I had looked at her flat first, but didn't like it. It was cool to see someone I knew, in a totally different city. Apparantly a couple small groups of ILI students went to Alex over the weekend. I felt pretty cool for having other friends, and one of them Egyptian, at that. Oh, about Hany. At first I was wary, as I am of all Egyptian men. But he is really nice, and not at all sketchy. He's a Copt, and makes wittier jokes in English than I can. I think maybe he went to school outside Egypt? I like him a lot. He and I tease Christine becuase she is always telling us scary stories "Don't touch the posts with wires coming out. I got electrocuted once, and people have died that way. Don't swim in the sea near Alex, people have died. People have died in the waves outside the Blue Hole in Dahab. " He also does a good ridiculous French accent. And he's got light eyes, and lightish skin, so he is often mistaken for a tourist, especially with Christine. But then he speaks Arabic, and they back off. Sometimes people say "hakuna matata!" to Christine, or go "Sineeya! (Chinese!)" First, that's Swahili, which is not even Asian, and she's Vietnamese. Or rather, Vietnamese-American. Its pretty funny.
Today, after class (in which I had trouble staying awake, even after 8 hours of sleep), Marissa and I went downtown, and we ran her errands, and met with a totally sketchy tour guide about a trip she wants to take to Luxor and Aswan. But then he said he doesn't deal with Chinese, Russians, Jews, or Israelis. So, that made her mad, and me uncomfortable, and we left as politely as possible. He says that they are too demanding and want everything for cheaper than is possible. I thought he was horrible. He was like a shady used-car salesmen, with stained teeth and cigarette smoke coming out of his nostrils. He would overly justify certain costs, and emphasize sale points that Marissa clearly didn't care about. He would convert everything to US dollars, even though she told him she understood Egyptian Pounds. He didn't have any documentation of prices, but quoted them to her from memory. I was thoroughly sketched out, and happy to get out of there. At least I had a cup of tea, which woke me up a little. She made friends with the guy who owned the shop (a perfume shop) when he called her in on her first day here. Apparantly they also know Marie, the woman I talked about earlier who has been here for 16 years, and that's how they had the connection to Mr. Sketchy Anti-Semite. We bought cheap foul and ta'amiya at a lunch counter, and taxied home, where I have been monopolizing her computer ever since!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Lenny Kravitz and the Teeny-Tiny Tush
Yesterday afternoon I went to check out a flat that a friend from school told me about. It was pretty far away, in Faysal, which is a neighborhood about halfway between here and the pyramids. (Life here is seeming more and more normal by the day, but its still fun for me when "the pyramids" is a normal point of reference). Two British women live there. The neighborhood has hardly any foriegners, and its very colorful and vibrant. I really liked it, but the flat was too expensive, too far from school, the empty room was dark, and both the roommates smoked. We hung out for awhile though, drank tea, and talked about modern Egypt.
We talked first about Mubarak. They say that he is keeping the people in poverty so that Egypt will continue to recieve foriegn aid, which he uses to line his pockets and keep his family in power. They also said that he wanted Egypt to join the EU, which I had never heard. There is apparantly some 3-year plan, but it seems impossible for Egypt to meet EU standards in such a short time. Also it seems bizarre (Egypt is by no means European) and also at odds with this idea that it helps Mubarak to keep the country poor. I also did not know that the EU has standards extending to all areas of life--minimum wage, price levels, quality of produce, automobile quality, etc.
According to them, the country runs on "baksheesh"--tips. They both work in tourism, and so they're used to dispensing payoffs and small bribes to do anything. Some wierd people apparantly want to spend the night meditating inside the pyramids, and you can pay the guards a lot and they'll let you. Apparantly with enough money, anything is possible. I have no idea why you'd want to do that. Also they say that all the guidebooks, even the "insider opinion" types, are heavily influence by payoffs. One of them wrote honest reviews for something like Lonely Planet and they were edited in the States and came back completely changed. They say that the "recommended" restaurants and shops, even in publications like "Cairo Guide" (published by American University in Cairo-- AUC--Press, and seemingly a trustworthy guide for foriegners living in Cairo) are just businesses that paid for a good recommendation. The older of the two offered to take me shopping, to avoid ripoffs. They told me about certain ripoffs that I had heard of, but not known any alternatives other than what was listed in my guidebook and Cairo Guide. So, I will probably take her up on that if I go shopping for something like gold jewelry or perfume (both of which are apparantly a big deal here and a good buy IF you can do it right, and don't get it diluted or something). She told me that shopkeepers will often pay off people who bring tourist customers in to their shops to buy something, and that even my "so-called Egyptian friends" would probably take these tips. This offended me slightly, since she claims she doesn't take tips on "principle." Well. I wasn't sure what to make of all this, but she seems to know what she's talking about. She's lived here for 16 years, and converted to Islam. We talked about that too, but I pretty much kept my mouth shut. There are all sorts of foriegners here. Her sort is the type I call "I am more Egyptian than you, but I'll help you out, and maybe in a few years you will know as much as I do."
She and I shared a taxi back to near my house (I definately give her credit for not overpaying taxis) and then I walked down a street that seems like a giant shopping mall to meet the guy who had my journal. I must admit, I had kindof hoped to become friends with this guy, but he wasn't having any of it. He handed it over, I thanked him, he said "you're welcome," and turned to leave. He was very polite, but, well, I guess I can't be friends with everyone.
I went home and got my phone, and waited for a friend from school to call. I had made plans with a couple people at lunch to go to some "modern Egyptian music" concert at the "culture wheel" concert center. We had no idea what it would be like. Once these friends of mine finally got their act together, I walked across the bridge to Zamalek (a super-posh, foriegners neighborhood in the island in the middle of the Nile). I couldn't find the stairs so I walked on the curb on the off-ramp, which was a bit scary. The concert center turns out to be almost under the bridge. It reminded me of some of the small theatres at school. At first the singer was kindof like a Norah Jones in Arabic, which I really liked. I thought about buying a CD. Then, she starts bringing on stage like everyone she's ever met---her sister, her brother, about 6 friends, and finally, on the last song, her little brother (dressed in an oversized argyle sweater and tight jeans and huge curly hair). The music was good, but I enjoyed it especially becuase everyone on stage seemed to be having a really good time and very passionate about what they did. They also had amazing singing voices. There was one guy who kindof looked like Lenny Kravitz who was my favorite. I was there with a bunch of ILI people, it turned out, but near the end all of them left except me and the guy who had invited me, Kevin. But they all missed out, becuase shortly thereafter, Lenny Kravitz and the skinny, 15-year-old looking drummer get up and start beatboxing to "In the Summertime when the Living is Easy." And it was so amazing, I couldn't believe it. Lenny is has the most astonishing voice. All throughout the concert, we kept laughing, because stuff would happen that we never would have been ready for. For example, the bald-headed cool-looking brother starts crooning, in English, a really cheesy love song. And then the sister sings a love song to God. And then some Arab harp accompanies the electric guitar. It was a lot of fun, and afterwards we got a free CD! I don't know if it has the more amazing stuff on it, becuase there were so many random people onstage, but I hope so.
Afterwards, me and Kevin went to Cilantros, a very American coffee-shop, but only for 10 mintues, becuase he got a call from a friend who had left early who had, for the second time that night, locked herself out of her apartment. But by the time we got to her place, the doorman had taken the lock off for her and let her in. So we sat in her (incredibly nice) apartment and watched English Al-Jezeera and talked about how much bad stuff is in the world and what a good news program Al-jezeera is. They really are amazing. Their world-wide coverage is truly impressive, as is the lack of discernable bias. Both Kevin and this girl live in high-rises in Zamalek. The view from her room is very impressive. I'd like to go there and take pictures. She lives alone in a 3 bedroom flat, and Kevin has a roommate (a girl), but lived alone for a month. I was blown away by how much they pay (it is like 10 times what I pay). But it is also really nice--which I realized when I got back and noticed that my hips might be bruised becuase my bed is so hard. And they have heat. In my flat, I sleep in long underwear, socks, wool socks, scrubs, 2 long sleeve shirts and a sweatshirt. Cairo is suprisingly cold. But, a good time was had by all, and I got to see yet another side of life in Egypt, this time for the young American with money.
This morning I was feeling very good about living here, until I got my first hiss. The guys here tend to hiss at me (or foriegn girls in general). It makes me angry. I also got the comment yesterday, "nice teeny-tiny tush." I swear I did not make that up. So, Egypt is great if you like ignoring comments like that all the time, dodging buses and carts and cars and trucks and minibuses constantly, walking in the street (inches from traffic) since the sidewalks are not user-friendly and involve a lot of high curbs and are often blocked by cars and trucks, dodging water thrown on cars being washed, avoiding piles of trash, weaving in and out of carts and fruit stands, and ignoring stares and whispers. So, I like it, but not always. Walking around can get annoying. Fortunately, there are no parking or traffic rules, so there is often a convenient space between cars double-parked along the street, and you don't have to wait for any kind of signal to cross streets (just whenever you feel brave enough).
We talked first about Mubarak. They say that he is keeping the people in poverty so that Egypt will continue to recieve foriegn aid, which he uses to line his pockets and keep his family in power. They also said that he wanted Egypt to join the EU, which I had never heard. There is apparantly some 3-year plan, but it seems impossible for Egypt to meet EU standards in such a short time. Also it seems bizarre (Egypt is by no means European) and also at odds with this idea that it helps Mubarak to keep the country poor. I also did not know that the EU has standards extending to all areas of life--minimum wage, price levels, quality of produce, automobile quality, etc.
According to them, the country runs on "baksheesh"--tips. They both work in tourism, and so they're used to dispensing payoffs and small bribes to do anything. Some wierd people apparantly want to spend the night meditating inside the pyramids, and you can pay the guards a lot and they'll let you. Apparantly with enough money, anything is possible. I have no idea why you'd want to do that. Also they say that all the guidebooks, even the "insider opinion" types, are heavily influence by payoffs. One of them wrote honest reviews for something like Lonely Planet and they were edited in the States and came back completely changed. They say that the "recommended" restaurants and shops, even in publications like "Cairo Guide" (published by American University in Cairo-- AUC--Press, and seemingly a trustworthy guide for foriegners living in Cairo) are just businesses that paid for a good recommendation. The older of the two offered to take me shopping, to avoid ripoffs. They told me about certain ripoffs that I had heard of, but not known any alternatives other than what was listed in my guidebook and Cairo Guide. So, I will probably take her up on that if I go shopping for something like gold jewelry or perfume (both of which are apparantly a big deal here and a good buy IF you can do it right, and don't get it diluted or something). She told me that shopkeepers will often pay off people who bring tourist customers in to their shops to buy something, and that even my "so-called Egyptian friends" would probably take these tips. This offended me slightly, since she claims she doesn't take tips on "principle." Well. I wasn't sure what to make of all this, but she seems to know what she's talking about. She's lived here for 16 years, and converted to Islam. We talked about that too, but I pretty much kept my mouth shut. There are all sorts of foriegners here. Her sort is the type I call "I am more Egyptian than you, but I'll help you out, and maybe in a few years you will know as much as I do."
She and I shared a taxi back to near my house (I definately give her credit for not overpaying taxis) and then I walked down a street that seems like a giant shopping mall to meet the guy who had my journal. I must admit, I had kindof hoped to become friends with this guy, but he wasn't having any of it. He handed it over, I thanked him, he said "you're welcome," and turned to leave. He was very polite, but, well, I guess I can't be friends with everyone.
I went home and got my phone, and waited for a friend from school to call. I had made plans with a couple people at lunch to go to some "modern Egyptian music" concert at the "culture wheel" concert center. We had no idea what it would be like. Once these friends of mine finally got their act together, I walked across the bridge to Zamalek (a super-posh, foriegners neighborhood in the island in the middle of the Nile). I couldn't find the stairs so I walked on the curb on the off-ramp, which was a bit scary. The concert center turns out to be almost under the bridge. It reminded me of some of the small theatres at school. At first the singer was kindof like a Norah Jones in Arabic, which I really liked. I thought about buying a CD. Then, she starts bringing on stage like everyone she's ever met---her sister, her brother, about 6 friends, and finally, on the last song, her little brother (dressed in an oversized argyle sweater and tight jeans and huge curly hair). The music was good, but I enjoyed it especially becuase everyone on stage seemed to be having a really good time and very passionate about what they did. They also had amazing singing voices. There was one guy who kindof looked like Lenny Kravitz who was my favorite. I was there with a bunch of ILI people, it turned out, but near the end all of them left except me and the guy who had invited me, Kevin. But they all missed out, becuase shortly thereafter, Lenny Kravitz and the skinny, 15-year-old looking drummer get up and start beatboxing to "In the Summertime when the Living is Easy." And it was so amazing, I couldn't believe it. Lenny is has the most astonishing voice. All throughout the concert, we kept laughing, because stuff would happen that we never would have been ready for. For example, the bald-headed cool-looking brother starts crooning, in English, a really cheesy love song. And then the sister sings a love song to God. And then some Arab harp accompanies the electric guitar. It was a lot of fun, and afterwards we got a free CD! I don't know if it has the more amazing stuff on it, becuase there were so many random people onstage, but I hope so.
Afterwards, me and Kevin went to Cilantros, a very American coffee-shop, but only for 10 mintues, becuase he got a call from a friend who had left early who had, for the second time that night, locked herself out of her apartment. But by the time we got to her place, the doorman had taken the lock off for her and let her in. So we sat in her (incredibly nice) apartment and watched English Al-Jezeera and talked about how much bad stuff is in the world and what a good news program Al-jezeera is. They really are amazing. Their world-wide coverage is truly impressive, as is the lack of discernable bias. Both Kevin and this girl live in high-rises in Zamalek. The view from her room is very impressive. I'd like to go there and take pictures. She lives alone in a 3 bedroom flat, and Kevin has a roommate (a girl), but lived alone for a month. I was blown away by how much they pay (it is like 10 times what I pay). But it is also really nice--which I realized when I got back and noticed that my hips might be bruised becuase my bed is so hard. And they have heat. In my flat, I sleep in long underwear, socks, wool socks, scrubs, 2 long sleeve shirts and a sweatshirt. Cairo is suprisingly cold. But, a good time was had by all, and I got to see yet another side of life in Egypt, this time for the young American with money.
This morning I was feeling very good about living here, until I got my first hiss. The guys here tend to hiss at me (or foriegn girls in general). It makes me angry. I also got the comment yesterday, "nice teeny-tiny tush." I swear I did not make that up. So, Egypt is great if you like ignoring comments like that all the time, dodging buses and carts and cars and trucks and minibuses constantly, walking in the street (inches from traffic) since the sidewalks are not user-friendly and involve a lot of high curbs and are often blocked by cars and trucks, dodging water thrown on cars being washed, avoiding piles of trash, weaving in and out of carts and fruit stands, and ignoring stares and whispers. So, I like it, but not always. Walking around can get annoying. Fortunately, there are no parking or traffic rules, so there is often a convenient space between cars double-parked along the street, and you don't have to wait for any kind of signal to cross streets (just whenever you feel brave enough).
Monday, January 15, 2007
A New Flat!
On Saturday, I was sitting around Melissa and Marie and Liz's flat, reading Brothers K, when Melissa came to talk to me about finding a new place. We had talked a lot since I had stayed there the first night, at first it seemed I could stay semi-indefinately, and then like I needed to leave after 2 nights, and then that I should feel free to stay, but that it would be nice if I moved asap. She suggested that I ask the 2 teachers with the Agouza flat (who had wanted someone long-term) if I could stay with them until the beginning of February, when I would find another flat. I thought this was a good idea. Through some text-messaging, they agreed, and I moved, immediately. I thanked the girls, told them that the flowers I had bought a few days ago and taken home on the Metro were for them--what a way to get stared at! Not only was I too tall and blonde, but I was carrying huge flowers!) I took a taxi over to Agouza, which is right on the river near Mohandiseen. The flat is about a 25 minute walk from school. Its nice, I have a little room with a lot of cabinets, and a little tiny monk-ish bed. It was nice to unpack my stuff, and to have a desk. Most flats here are furnished in a very ornate style, its kindof fussy, but I like it. There are a lot of mirrors, a lot of gilt, a lot of curly carving. They call it Louis Farouk, after the last king of Egypt before the revolution. It's all very well-worn, but it adds a level of luxury to life. Living in a K&G apartment has definately been good training for the zen required in dealing with stuff falling apart and only sometimes working in most Cairo flats. And in overlooking the constant dirt in the corners that doesn't go away, no matter how much you clean it.
Shortly after moving in, I took a walk around the neighborhood, to get my bearings and buy stuff. I made friends with the old guy who owns the electronics/junk/random dusty stuff shop across the street. His name is Farouk and he has travelled all over Europe and his English is pretty good. He gave me some nails, to hang up my map, and taught me some Arabic words. Now I go to him first for directions to anywhere. I was supposed to find a laundromat or something to wash my blankets, as they "smell used" in the words of one of my roommates, Christine, who gave them to me. So I looked a long time, but they don't seem to have laundromats, per se, here, but a few drycleaners, and these little storefronts where there are men with ironing boards and maybe a few washing machines back there in the darkness? So I keep meaning to take my blankets to one of them, but I couldn't be without them for a night, or I'd freeze. So I figure, they can't be that dirty. (I know, I'm gross.) I also was greatly intimidated by grocery shopping. Across from my flat are 2 little groceries, and on the corner a bigger one, but no one has peanut butter, and the refrigerators don't seem very cold. I am too sketched out to buy meat there, although I did buy dairy products. Also, prices aren't often marked, and you are expected to tell the guys working there what you want, and they get it for you, and keep all your stuff in a little pile, even though I am perfectly capable of grabbing and holding it myself and don't know the words for what I want in Arabic anyway. At first it was unnerving--hey, give me back my yogurt!--but I'm getting used to it. Then, I hear, I could bargain with them for prices, but I haven't. Stuff is so cheap, anyway. I only raise a fuss if I can tell I'm being ripped off a lot.
My flat is near the Nile, on the west side of the river. Along the Nile is the Cornishe, which is a big road with a sidewalk so you can walk kindof along the river, and there are a lot of big restaurant barges and felucca docks and stuff along there. There's a lot of neon. On the other side, near my house, is the British Consulate. The streets near the Cornishe are wider and cleaner, but the further back I wandered (my flat is about 2 blocks back) they get more and more mazelike. I walked in the evening, looking for bread, but apparantly the bread-dudes go home after dark. I did buy some roasted sweet potatoes for dinner, they were delicious. It was a bit scary, becuase it was dark, and I was lost. There were cats everywhere (there's always cats everywhere) and piles of trash, and lots of sidewalk cafes, and tiny shops. It felt very different very quickly. But I finally found my way back. The shopping quest continues every day, as I get used to what I can buy where, and for how much.
My roommates, like I said, are teachers. Christine is Vietnamese-American, she's spent her last 3 years living and travelling all around the world. She came here to learn belly-dancing, but dropped that, picked up playing some instrument (I forgot the name, she says versions of it exist all over the 'Orient' and that this is Egypt's version) and took a teaching job so she could stay here. Amelie is French, she teaches at a French school for Egyptian kids. I don't know much about her except she buys roses and goes horseback riding with Christine out in the desert past the pyramids sometimes and is good at it. They both work a lot, so I haven't seen them much.
My new routine is pretty cushy. I sleep wayyy in since school doesn't start until 11:30. I walk to school, which means I go through my neighborhood and to a major road. I have to cross near what seems to be a highway off-ramp, which is terrifying. Its a fun adrenaline rush every morning. I usually get behind someone else, and follow them. Then down another major road, where I sometimes stop to buy bread from the dudes that sell it on big carts. This road has all the normal traffic, plus a lot of donkey-pulled carts with bread, potted plants, fruit, etc. Sometimes there are also dudes on bikes with big wooden baskets full of bread balanced on their heads. I'm in awe of them, but too embarrased to take a picture. I'm only just now feeling like I have a right to be here, and not to hide my blond hair, and to see some of the same people every day. So to pull out a camera would be hard. I need to go with a friend, I think I might feel more freedom then. The other day I was buying bread (its flat bread, you get about 7 circles for 2 pounds, which is... oh, 30-40 cents). He gave me my change, but I was distracted talking to this foriegner guy who I had passed earlier on the street and came back to ask me where I was from. I was pretty intrigued by this guy, and had just told him that I was sorry I couldn't go to lunch with him and his cousin becuase I had to get to class, when I realized the bread guy had shortchanged me. So I had to go back and make a scene. Everyone was watching me try to convince the guy to give me 5 more pounds back, a bystander came over and helped. It was satisfying, I feel more established.
In the afternoons after class, I come here to the computer lab to check email and write. I learned yesterday that they kick us out at 4:20. I don't have a computer in my flat, and neither do my flatmates, so this is my only chance, unless I go to a friend's house. I've been checking out other flats in the afternoon, since I have to move out of the one I'm in at the end of the month. I went to one with some girls I'd talked to at school, and its pretty nice. Its kindof expensive and a little musty, but its close to school and has a heater and comfy beds. Its a little shaky as to if we will find a 3rd person, but its really nice to live with other students. Its very friendly. Another one I looked at was very nice and big, and it was decorated with little postcards and pictures and wall hangings, which I really like, and the girl was very nice (another teacher) but she and I have almost opposite schedules, and it is even further from school than I already am.
I went yesterday to look at one downtown. It was a long, trafficy taxi ride, and then the taxi driver couldn't find the street, so we circled around a lot. When we finally found it and I got out, I got halfway up the stairs, reached into my bag to find my notebook where I had written the floor number, and couldn't find it! I had left my notebook in the taxi. Just the day before I had been telling Christine how vital the notebook is to me. It has journal entries, Arabic words I am learning, directions, phone numbers, info about all the flats I've been looking at, shopping lists and lists of things to do, and everything. The girl with the downtown flat was very nice, but it seemed that there wasn't much hope. But I remembered that I had written my name, address in the States, and email in the front, and my phone number on the last page I had written on (just the day before, for reference). So I prayed, but generally, if you lose something in a taxi, you can kiss it goodbye. I liked the flat, and it was very cheap, bu she said that the roommates were always quiet, and rarely had people over. It would be ok for me if I decided I really needed money. Its only 450 pounds a month, which is... like $80. And she had painted it in funky colors, which is nice. But I saw an ashtray (Amelie smokes, and while it isn't a big deal, it made sitting on the sofa less appetizing. I've heard two perspectives--there's so much pollution in Cairo so its best to keep it out of the house, and there's so much pollution/smoke in Cairo so what does a little more matter?), and there was almost no furniture in the common area, and the bathroom and kitchen were kinda depressing. Plus, it would be a hassle, and about an extra 8-10 pounds a day, to get back and forth to school. So I probably won't take it.
I left the flat, praying that God would return my notebook to me, but recognizing that if it didn't happen, I would have to be ok with that. I called a friend of a friend from Chicago (Busayo, Ronke's friend), who is apparantly the daughter of someone in the Nigerian embassy. She was really nice, and hopefully we can hang out after she is done with her exams. I had heard of a bakery with good cheap croissants, so I found it, and bought 3. Next door is Beano's, like a Starbucks. I had a nice evening with a tea latte, a tasty crostini sandwhich, and a Vogue magazine. It was overpriced, but totally worth it. It was escapist of me, I admit. The waiters spoke English, it felt like America, almost. But I had a good time. And, I hadn't been there 20 minutes when my cell rang! It was an American guy, who was in the taxi I had just left and had my notebook! Apparantly the driver had asked him if he read English and he had found my number and called me! I was ecstatic, but really, not all that surprised. I feel that I have been supernaturally looked out for. I thanked the guy a lot, and the taxi driver, and the guy, Eric, is going to meet me this evening to give it back to me. I just hope he hasn't read my whole journal...
So I took another taxi home (looking very carefully after my belongings), read Brothers K (its so exciting!) did my Arabic homework (and more, I was very motivated) and went to bed. Today, after class, I went with Marissa from my class and bought kofta on the street. It was tasty, and i even managed to get it for 3 pounds instead of the 4 he quoted me. Anyway, I'm going to look at 2 more flats (all of a sudden I have tons of options, and keep hearing of more) and meet Eric and get my notebook back. Praise God!
Shortly after moving in, I took a walk around the neighborhood, to get my bearings and buy stuff. I made friends with the old guy who owns the electronics/junk/random dusty stuff shop across the street. His name is Farouk and he has travelled all over Europe and his English is pretty good. He gave me some nails, to hang up my map, and taught me some Arabic words. Now I go to him first for directions to anywhere. I was supposed to find a laundromat or something to wash my blankets, as they "smell used" in the words of one of my roommates, Christine, who gave them to me. So I looked a long time, but they don't seem to have laundromats, per se, here, but a few drycleaners, and these little storefronts where there are men with ironing boards and maybe a few washing machines back there in the darkness? So I keep meaning to take my blankets to one of them, but I couldn't be without them for a night, or I'd freeze. So I figure, they can't be that dirty. (I know, I'm gross.) I also was greatly intimidated by grocery shopping. Across from my flat are 2 little groceries, and on the corner a bigger one, but no one has peanut butter, and the refrigerators don't seem very cold. I am too sketched out to buy meat there, although I did buy dairy products. Also, prices aren't often marked, and you are expected to tell the guys working there what you want, and they get it for you, and keep all your stuff in a little pile, even though I am perfectly capable of grabbing and holding it myself and don't know the words for what I want in Arabic anyway. At first it was unnerving--hey, give me back my yogurt!--but I'm getting used to it. Then, I hear, I could bargain with them for prices, but I haven't. Stuff is so cheap, anyway. I only raise a fuss if I can tell I'm being ripped off a lot.
My flat is near the Nile, on the west side of the river. Along the Nile is the Cornishe, which is a big road with a sidewalk so you can walk kindof along the river, and there are a lot of big restaurant barges and felucca docks and stuff along there. There's a lot of neon. On the other side, near my house, is the British Consulate. The streets near the Cornishe are wider and cleaner, but the further back I wandered (my flat is about 2 blocks back) they get more and more mazelike. I walked in the evening, looking for bread, but apparantly the bread-dudes go home after dark. I did buy some roasted sweet potatoes for dinner, they were delicious. It was a bit scary, becuase it was dark, and I was lost. There were cats everywhere (there's always cats everywhere) and piles of trash, and lots of sidewalk cafes, and tiny shops. It felt very different very quickly. But I finally found my way back. The shopping quest continues every day, as I get used to what I can buy where, and for how much.
My roommates, like I said, are teachers. Christine is Vietnamese-American, she's spent her last 3 years living and travelling all around the world. She came here to learn belly-dancing, but dropped that, picked up playing some instrument (I forgot the name, she says versions of it exist all over the 'Orient' and that this is Egypt's version) and took a teaching job so she could stay here. Amelie is French, she teaches at a French school for Egyptian kids. I don't know much about her except she buys roses and goes horseback riding with Christine out in the desert past the pyramids sometimes and is good at it. They both work a lot, so I haven't seen them much.
My new routine is pretty cushy. I sleep wayyy in since school doesn't start until 11:30. I walk to school, which means I go through my neighborhood and to a major road. I have to cross near what seems to be a highway off-ramp, which is terrifying. Its a fun adrenaline rush every morning. I usually get behind someone else, and follow them. Then down another major road, where I sometimes stop to buy bread from the dudes that sell it on big carts. This road has all the normal traffic, plus a lot of donkey-pulled carts with bread, potted plants, fruit, etc. Sometimes there are also dudes on bikes with big wooden baskets full of bread balanced on their heads. I'm in awe of them, but too embarrased to take a picture. I'm only just now feeling like I have a right to be here, and not to hide my blond hair, and to see some of the same people every day. So to pull out a camera would be hard. I need to go with a friend, I think I might feel more freedom then. The other day I was buying bread (its flat bread, you get about 7 circles for 2 pounds, which is... oh, 30-40 cents). He gave me my change, but I was distracted talking to this foriegner guy who I had passed earlier on the street and came back to ask me where I was from. I was pretty intrigued by this guy, and had just told him that I was sorry I couldn't go to lunch with him and his cousin becuase I had to get to class, when I realized the bread guy had shortchanged me. So I had to go back and make a scene. Everyone was watching me try to convince the guy to give me 5 more pounds back, a bystander came over and helped. It was satisfying, I feel more established.
In the afternoons after class, I come here to the computer lab to check email and write. I learned yesterday that they kick us out at 4:20. I don't have a computer in my flat, and neither do my flatmates, so this is my only chance, unless I go to a friend's house. I've been checking out other flats in the afternoon, since I have to move out of the one I'm in at the end of the month. I went to one with some girls I'd talked to at school, and its pretty nice. Its kindof expensive and a little musty, but its close to school and has a heater and comfy beds. Its a little shaky as to if we will find a 3rd person, but its really nice to live with other students. Its very friendly. Another one I looked at was very nice and big, and it was decorated with little postcards and pictures and wall hangings, which I really like, and the girl was very nice (another teacher) but she and I have almost opposite schedules, and it is even further from school than I already am.
I went yesterday to look at one downtown. It was a long, trafficy taxi ride, and then the taxi driver couldn't find the street, so we circled around a lot. When we finally found it and I got out, I got halfway up the stairs, reached into my bag to find my notebook where I had written the floor number, and couldn't find it! I had left my notebook in the taxi. Just the day before I had been telling Christine how vital the notebook is to me. It has journal entries, Arabic words I am learning, directions, phone numbers, info about all the flats I've been looking at, shopping lists and lists of things to do, and everything. The girl with the downtown flat was very nice, but it seemed that there wasn't much hope. But I remembered that I had written my name, address in the States, and email in the front, and my phone number on the last page I had written on (just the day before, for reference). So I prayed, but generally, if you lose something in a taxi, you can kiss it goodbye. I liked the flat, and it was very cheap, bu she said that the roommates were always quiet, and rarely had people over. It would be ok for me if I decided I really needed money. Its only 450 pounds a month, which is... like $80. And she had painted it in funky colors, which is nice. But I saw an ashtray (Amelie smokes, and while it isn't a big deal, it made sitting on the sofa less appetizing. I've heard two perspectives--there's so much pollution in Cairo so its best to keep it out of the house, and there's so much pollution/smoke in Cairo so what does a little more matter?), and there was almost no furniture in the common area, and the bathroom and kitchen were kinda depressing. Plus, it would be a hassle, and about an extra 8-10 pounds a day, to get back and forth to school. So I probably won't take it.
I left the flat, praying that God would return my notebook to me, but recognizing that if it didn't happen, I would have to be ok with that. I called a friend of a friend from Chicago (Busayo, Ronke's friend), who is apparantly the daughter of someone in the Nigerian embassy. She was really nice, and hopefully we can hang out after she is done with her exams. I had heard of a bakery with good cheap croissants, so I found it, and bought 3. Next door is Beano's, like a Starbucks. I had a nice evening with a tea latte, a tasty crostini sandwhich, and a Vogue magazine. It was overpriced, but totally worth it. It was escapist of me, I admit. The waiters spoke English, it felt like America, almost. But I had a good time. And, I hadn't been there 20 minutes when my cell rang! It was an American guy, who was in the taxi I had just left and had my notebook! Apparantly the driver had asked him if he read English and he had found my number and called me! I was ecstatic, but really, not all that surprised. I feel that I have been supernaturally looked out for. I thanked the guy a lot, and the taxi driver, and the guy, Eric, is going to meet me this evening to give it back to me. I just hope he hasn't read my whole journal...
So I took another taxi home (looking very carefully after my belongings), read Brothers K (its so exciting!) did my Arabic homework (and more, I was very motivated) and went to bed. Today, after class, I went with Marissa from my class and bought kofta on the street. It was tasty, and i even managed to get it for 3 pounds instead of the 4 he quoted me. Anyway, I'm going to look at 2 more flats (all of a sudden I have tons of options, and keep hearing of more) and meet Eric and get my notebook back. Praise God!
Friday: Day of Foriegners
FRIDAY--CHURCH AND OPERA:
We don't have class Friday, Sat, and Sunday. But church is on Friday, and I went with Melissa, Marie, and another of their friends to an international church in Maadi. Maadi is a suburb with a TON of foriegners. We saw them everywhere! It was bizzare. It was also covered in smog/humidity (although how it was humid, I can't figure out), I could barely see. And where we were, not very dense, and quite green. I hear you can live in Maadi and barely know you are in Egypt. The American consulate is there. The church was the same mix of bizzare-American-transplant and comforting-familiarity. I liked it quite a bit. It is kindof in a tent outside, but with a full sound system and everything. I signed up for a small group that meets in Mohandisseen, the neighborhood where my school is.
I unwittingly sat next to Kezzia, a British girl that Melissa had been telling me about, she went to ILI awhile ago and might have been looking for a flatmate (but she's not anymore). So I met her somewhat by chance too, and she's very nice. I called her and we are going to the opera (the one I heard about from the Opera singer in the taxi) tonight. So, that should be fun.
All in all, my first few days and nights here were sometimes terrifying, but things are looking better. I tend to write emails when I'm feeling good, but there has been some times when I feel very alone here. Its a huge city, and being stared at for looking so foriegn and not knowing the language is quite isolating. But, I am starting to get connected. I still am staying with Melissa and friends. I asked Marissa (from my Arabic class) if I could crash with her for awhile, and she said she'd ask her roommates, but I haven't heard back. I am also considering asking Kezzia, since her flatmate is away for the next week or two. Housing is still shaky, but in terms of friends, there are lots of possibilities--at school, church, random connections from friends back home, friends of Sally's, my current hosts, etc. Plus AUC starts in a couple weeks, so even more English-speakers will be back then. I'd love to be friends with someone in Arabic, but its not good enough to get past the very basics, so that will have to wait. Right now the power in the flat is only working in certain places, so I am sitting in the dark. Hopefully we can get that fixed tonight. Apparantly, even in nice places, slightly sketchy power is the norm. I've heard that in Cairo, "if its not broken yet, just wait a few days."
Kezzia and I did in fact go to the Opera. There is a very fancy new-looking arts complex in Gazira, which is this garden-like island in the middle of the Nile. Its where Sally's fancy club is, as well as a lot of clubs, and a posh neighborhood. The opera was admittedly a bit bizarre. It was based on a Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt's most famous author, winner of the Nobel Prize) novel, Miramar, and performed in colloquial Egyptian Arabic. It was more like a play, sung, than an all-out opera (not that I've ever seen a real one, but this seemed more subdued). I saw my taxi friend, she wasn't a major character but she was a good one. Very tragic, it was really depressing actually. We had a good time, though, especially as we couldn't find our way out of the Opera house complex when it was over, and wandered in a circle a lot. Kezzia lost her keys, and when we got them again (she had left them at security upon entering) the guy said, "you are very beautiful girls." Egypt is pretty bad for one's vanity, you get used to all these compliments, and to being stared at like some sort of celebrity. Some guy followed us as we walked down a street more or less void of other pedestrians, bothering us and trying to get money. He kept calling me, "lady! white!" but even though it was a bit funny it was also a bit scary.
So Kezzia took a taxi home and I took the Metro. I saw 3 blond people waiting for the Metro. I was a bit nervous not to take the women's car (there was one guy with them) but I was more curious to find out who they were so I waited with them and talked with them. Turns out they were Mennonites, volunteering in Cairo, and also getting off at my stop. The ride was pretty harrowing, there was no space at all, we were like sardines. And all the guys around us kept asking us questions. I ignored them, rather rudely, but one girl didn't and they wouldn't leave us alone. They wanted our mobile numbers, they told us we were beautiful. When we got off the train we had to push and shove to get to the door and finally got pushed out. "Its like being birthed!" said the Mennonite guy. They were friendly, but not really. They seemed too busy to want to be my friend, so I let them go. I took a taxi home and continued my obsession, which is reading Brothers Karamozov. I find a Russian novel to be extremely applicable to my life in Egypt, for some reason.
We don't have class Friday, Sat, and Sunday. But church is on Friday, and I went with Melissa, Marie, and another of their friends to an international church in Maadi. Maadi is a suburb with a TON of foriegners. We saw them everywhere! It was bizzare. It was also covered in smog/humidity (although how it was humid, I can't figure out), I could barely see. And where we were, not very dense, and quite green. I hear you can live in Maadi and barely know you are in Egypt. The American consulate is there. The church was the same mix of bizzare-American-transplant and comforting-familiarity. I liked it quite a bit. It is kindof in a tent outside, but with a full sound system and everything. I signed up for a small group that meets in Mohandisseen, the neighborhood where my school is.
I unwittingly sat next to Kezzia, a British girl that Melissa had been telling me about, she went to ILI awhile ago and might have been looking for a flatmate (but she's not anymore). So I met her somewhat by chance too, and she's very nice. I called her and we are going to the opera (the one I heard about from the Opera singer in the taxi) tonight. So, that should be fun.
All in all, my first few days and nights here were sometimes terrifying, but things are looking better. I tend to write emails when I'm feeling good, but there has been some times when I feel very alone here. Its a huge city, and being stared at for looking so foriegn and not knowing the language is quite isolating. But, I am starting to get connected. I still am staying with Melissa and friends. I asked Marissa (from my Arabic class) if I could crash with her for awhile, and she said she'd ask her roommates, but I haven't heard back. I am also considering asking Kezzia, since her flatmate is away for the next week or two. Housing is still shaky, but in terms of friends, there are lots of possibilities--at school, church, random connections from friends back home, friends of Sally's, my current hosts, etc. Plus AUC starts in a couple weeks, so even more English-speakers will be back then. I'd love to be friends with someone in Arabic, but its not good enough to get past the very basics, so that will have to wait. Right now the power in the flat is only working in certain places, so I am sitting in the dark. Hopefully we can get that fixed tonight. Apparantly, even in nice places, slightly sketchy power is the norm. I've heard that in Cairo, "if its not broken yet, just wait a few days."
Kezzia and I did in fact go to the Opera. There is a very fancy new-looking arts complex in Gazira, which is this garden-like island in the middle of the Nile. Its where Sally's fancy club is, as well as a lot of clubs, and a posh neighborhood. The opera was admittedly a bit bizarre. It was based on a Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt's most famous author, winner of the Nobel Prize) novel, Miramar, and performed in colloquial Egyptian Arabic. It was more like a play, sung, than an all-out opera (not that I've ever seen a real one, but this seemed more subdued). I saw my taxi friend, she wasn't a major character but she was a good one. Very tragic, it was really depressing actually. We had a good time, though, especially as we couldn't find our way out of the Opera house complex when it was over, and wandered in a circle a lot. Kezzia lost her keys, and when we got them again (she had left them at security upon entering) the guy said, "you are very beautiful girls." Egypt is pretty bad for one's vanity, you get used to all these compliments, and to being stared at like some sort of celebrity. Some guy followed us as we walked down a street more or less void of other pedestrians, bothering us and trying to get money. He kept calling me, "lady! white!" but even though it was a bit funny it was also a bit scary.
So Kezzia took a taxi home and I took the Metro. I saw 3 blond people waiting for the Metro. I was a bit nervous not to take the women's car (there was one guy with them) but I was more curious to find out who they were so I waited with them and talked with them. Turns out they were Mennonites, volunteering in Cairo, and also getting off at my stop. The ride was pretty harrowing, there was no space at all, we were like sardines. And all the guys around us kept asking us questions. I ignored them, rather rudely, but one girl didn't and they wouldn't leave us alone. They wanted our mobile numbers, they told us we were beautiful. When we got off the train we had to push and shove to get to the door and finally got pushed out. "Its like being birthed!" said the Mennonite guy. They were friendly, but not really. They seemed too busy to want to be my friend, so I let them go. I took a taxi home and continued my obsession, which is reading Brothers Karamozov. I find a Russian novel to be extremely applicable to my life in Egypt, for some reason.
Out with My Egyptian Friend
Thursday (first day the 5:30 call to prayer doesn't wake me up) was more class, and more wondering about apartments. I'm still with Melissa and Liz and Marie. I especially get along with Marie, we had a couple really good talks. They're very encouraging since they've done the "woman alone in Cairo" thing before. They're good for cultural advice, more so than some poeple at school who don't really care how thier lifestyle looks to their Egyptian neighbors.
Also, I went out with my friend Sally,who is Egyptian, who I had met when I was here before and corresponded with on email for awhile. She's recently engaged to Mahmoud. She is studying French lit at AinShams University, and he works for GE out in Heliopolis. Her English is pretty good, her French is great, and his English is really good. So, she picked me up where I was waiting for her outside AUC (she drives, in Cairo, which is impressive in and of itself, although she isn't a very good driver and has no sense of direction--not that I'd do any better) and we dropped her best friend and two random girls that "we dont' like at all" off somewhere else downtown. She wears a headscarf now that she is engaged (because her hair is now only for her husband to see, not other men) but she hates it and its always falling down. But it was her choice, she says.
We went to the "sporting club" that her family belongs to--there are a lot of these in Cairo, where there is usually a pool, and sports fields, and places to relax. I think hers--Nedi Ahli ("the club of the century") is one of the nicest. We sat on this very nice terrace and talked about boys, our families, my experience coming here, etc. She says she wants to travel, to live in the States, where there is more "liberte" and life isn't so "complicated." Hm. Anyway, she's way cool. Then her fiancee came. As I got to talk to him, and since he spoke good English and works with a lot of foriegners, it was nice to be able to be friends with and trust an Egyptian male, as so far I have been avoiding them.
The 3 of us went to her grandma's house, in an old part of downtown. Her parents grew up across the street from each other. I watched her and Mahmoud flirt, learned a ton of colloquial Arabic, was fed so much Egyptian food I almost burst, talked and tried to understand what was going on in Arabic, and had a good time. Then it was 9:30 and her mom and 5-year-old cousin came, and we went across the street to the Other grandmother's, where there was the weekly "family meeting." Which means they all come to grandma's once a week and eat a lot and the men smoke a lot and everyone talks. These are quite little, dark apartments,the 2nd grandma's living room had light-up framed pictures of Mecca and Medina. We also bought the 5-year-old, Mahmoud (called, hilariously, DooDoo) a light-up Spiderman at the shopfront around the corner. He was adorable,and loved Sally. There were a ton of relatives, and grandma #2, called Cookie, forced me to eat even more sweets. Which I managed.
Everyone has these cute nicknames. Its like they pick one or two consonants from their name and add a sing-song vowel sound. DooDi, Cookie, Nini, etc. Even Amy is a common nickname--for Iman. Sally and her cousin played with thier cell phones, downloading songs. They listen to the absolute worst of American pop, along with lots of romantic Arabic hits. Mahmoud found an English-language radio station in the car for me, it was kindof comforting. Its funny to see girls in head-scarves sing along to songs like, "get your body on the floor," and Shakira and the like. I tried to tell them that not all American music is like that. I also told them what "doodoo" means in America, and Mahmoud (the fiancee, also nicknamed Doodoo) demanded that he not be called that anymore. Anyway, I had a great time, and they dropped me off at the Metro after making further plans--I might go to Alexandria with thier family, and lots of other around-Cairo plans.
On the Metro I didn't make it to the women's car, so it was a bit awkward with everyone staring at me, but I successfully ignored it and no one bothered me. Then in the taxi for the last jaunt of my voyage, I saw an Opera program in the bag of the woman next to me (the taxis put in as many people as possible going to similar destinations), and it turns out she is an opera singer, and she told me to go to the performance. So I was kindof star-struck, but I made plans to go on Sunday, if I could find someone to go with. And then I stayed up late, reading. Most of my anxiety is gone, meeting Sally and her family and friends was amazing, and I feel much more comfortable now.
Also, I went out with my friend Sally,who is Egyptian, who I had met when I was here before and corresponded with on email for awhile. She's recently engaged to Mahmoud. She is studying French lit at AinShams University, and he works for GE out in Heliopolis. Her English is pretty good, her French is great, and his English is really good. So, she picked me up where I was waiting for her outside AUC (she drives, in Cairo, which is impressive in and of itself, although she isn't a very good driver and has no sense of direction--not that I'd do any better) and we dropped her best friend and two random girls that "we dont' like at all" off somewhere else downtown. She wears a headscarf now that she is engaged (because her hair is now only for her husband to see, not other men) but she hates it and its always falling down. But it was her choice, she says.
We went to the "sporting club" that her family belongs to--there are a lot of these in Cairo, where there is usually a pool, and sports fields, and places to relax. I think hers--Nedi Ahli ("the club of the century") is one of the nicest. We sat on this very nice terrace and talked about boys, our families, my experience coming here, etc. She says she wants to travel, to live in the States, where there is more "liberte" and life isn't so "complicated." Hm. Anyway, she's way cool. Then her fiancee came. As I got to talk to him, and since he spoke good English and works with a lot of foriegners, it was nice to be able to be friends with and trust an Egyptian male, as so far I have been avoiding them.
The 3 of us went to her grandma's house, in an old part of downtown. Her parents grew up across the street from each other. I watched her and Mahmoud flirt, learned a ton of colloquial Arabic, was fed so much Egyptian food I almost burst, talked and tried to understand what was going on in Arabic, and had a good time. Then it was 9:30 and her mom and 5-year-old cousin came, and we went across the street to the Other grandmother's, where there was the weekly "family meeting." Which means they all come to grandma's once a week and eat a lot and the men smoke a lot and everyone talks. These are quite little, dark apartments,the 2nd grandma's living room had light-up framed pictures of Mecca and Medina. We also bought the 5-year-old, Mahmoud (called, hilariously, DooDoo) a light-up Spiderman at the shopfront around the corner. He was adorable,and loved Sally. There were a ton of relatives, and grandma #2, called Cookie, forced me to eat even more sweets. Which I managed.
Everyone has these cute nicknames. Its like they pick one or two consonants from their name and add a sing-song vowel sound. DooDi, Cookie, Nini, etc. Even Amy is a common nickname--for Iman. Sally and her cousin played with thier cell phones, downloading songs. They listen to the absolute worst of American pop, along with lots of romantic Arabic hits. Mahmoud found an English-language radio station in the car for me, it was kindof comforting. Its funny to see girls in head-scarves sing along to songs like, "get your body on the floor," and Shakira and the like. I tried to tell them that not all American music is like that. I also told them what "doodoo" means in America, and Mahmoud (the fiancee, also nicknamed Doodoo) demanded that he not be called that anymore. Anyway, I had a great time, and they dropped me off at the Metro after making further plans--I might go to Alexandria with thier family, and lots of other around-Cairo plans.
On the Metro I didn't make it to the women's car, so it was a bit awkward with everyone staring at me, but I successfully ignored it and no one bothered me. Then in the taxi for the last jaunt of my voyage, I saw an Opera program in the bag of the woman next to me (the taxis put in as many people as possible going to similar destinations), and it turns out she is an opera singer, and she told me to go to the performance. So I was kindof star-struck, but I made plans to go on Sunday, if I could find someone to go with. And then I stayed up late, reading. Most of my anxiety is gone, meeting Sally and her family and friends was amazing, and I feel much more comfortable now.
Life Gets A Little More Normal
SECOND DAY OUT:
The next day I was too late to go to class at ILI, but I worked on my housing situation. I looked at a flat in Dokki (and took my first microbus--a crazy experience--everyone packs in and it costs like 5 cents and people hang off the doors yelling its destination) with this German girl, but it was really dark and run-down-ish and kindof lonely and there was no shower curtain, so the next day I told her no. I went back to AUC (american university in cairo) to copy down ads of people looking for flatmates, and started calling them. I also bought Cairo maps and a Egyptian phrase-book, which has been very helpful.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
I started class on Wednesday, which was nice. There is an American girl in my class, a few years older than me (Marissa), an American old man who is here with his wife before they go to Sudan (David), and an old Irish man who makes me think of Sean Connery every time he talks (Mike), who seems to have a suspiciously sketchy relationship with Marissa. On my questions, he told me he "has a lot of girlfriends, but no wife." My teacher Heba is Egyptian, and funny. There is also Sayid, a Japenese guy who is very quiet, misses class a lot,and doesn't pay attention. We dont' know why he's here. My Arabic is really rusty, but it is improving fast. I was pleased to have homework--it was familiar, and took my mind off my worries. You know you're a UofC student when--in an unfamiliar situation, staying up late to work on homework calms you down like nothing else.
Also that day after class I went to Marissa's house, which is just around the corner from school, and checked email, read a British tabloid, and called around apartments. I went to see one in Agouza, which I really liked. It is much cheaper than the one in Dokki, and much nicer and cleaner and brighter. I really like it,and the French and American girls that live there (both teachers) but I am still waiting to hear back from them, since someone looked at it this morning and I think they want someone who can stay longer than a few months. Melissa also knows of someone who is looking for a flatmate, but I haven't heard back from here either.
The next day I was too late to go to class at ILI, but I worked on my housing situation. I looked at a flat in Dokki (and took my first microbus--a crazy experience--everyone packs in and it costs like 5 cents and people hang off the doors yelling its destination) with this German girl, but it was really dark and run-down-ish and kindof lonely and there was no shower curtain, so the next day I told her no. I went back to AUC (american university in cairo) to copy down ads of people looking for flatmates, and started calling them. I also bought Cairo maps and a Egyptian phrase-book, which has been very helpful.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
I started class on Wednesday, which was nice. There is an American girl in my class, a few years older than me (Marissa), an American old man who is here with his wife before they go to Sudan (David), and an old Irish man who makes me think of Sean Connery every time he talks (Mike), who seems to have a suspiciously sketchy relationship with Marissa. On my questions, he told me he "has a lot of girlfriends, but no wife." My teacher Heba is Egyptian, and funny. There is also Sayid, a Japenese guy who is very quiet, misses class a lot,and doesn't pay attention. We dont' know why he's here. My Arabic is really rusty, but it is improving fast. I was pleased to have homework--it was familiar, and took my mind off my worries. You know you're a UofC student when--in an unfamiliar situation, staying up late to work on homework calms you down like nothing else.
Also that day after class I went to Marissa's house, which is just around the corner from school, and checked email, read a British tabloid, and called around apartments. I went to see one in Agouza, which I really liked. It is much cheaper than the one in Dokki, and much nicer and cleaner and brighter. I really like it,and the French and American girls that live there (both teachers) but I am still waiting to hear back from them, since someone looked at it this morning and I think they want someone who can stay longer than a few months. Melissa also knows of someone who is looking for a flatmate, but I haven't heard back from here either.
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