I'm sorry for not posting for such a long time. I'll try to update more often!
Classes have started- I'm taking Islamic Art and Architecture, politics of the Middle East, Egyptian colloquial Arabic (aameya) and a class about Islam. I'm really enjoying all of my classes, especially my Islamic Art and Architecture- the class examines the origins and evolution of Islamic architecture. It will be nice to be able to visit mosques and actually know what I'm looking at.
Housing: I'm living in an apartment in Zamalek, with 4 other girls who go to Mount Holyoke. We live on the 11th floor with a view of the Nile. On clear days we can see the Pyramids at Giza. Our neighbors are an Egyptian family, a young French man, and a houseful of Germans.
Miscellaneous: My flatmates and I do the majority of our grocery shopping at a souq (market) on Sharia Sheikh Rahan, in the Saida Zeineb area of Cairo. Most of the vendors know us- the chicken man will smile and wave, the vegetable women will shout salutations to us, and the egg man keeps old coins for me. After living in Cairo for almost 6 months, I've become a pretty creative cook. Tonight we made eggplant stuffed with rice, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Last week I made a sweet potato pie- the sweet potato man thought I was crazy to want so many sweet potatoes. Below is the conversation we had in Arabic.
Me: I would like five sweet potatoes, ya hagg. (Hagg is a term of respect for a man who has completed a pilgrimage to Mecca, or for an older man).
Him: Five potatoes?
Me: Yes.
Him: Five sweet potatoes, really?
Me: Yes, exactly.
Him: But you are so small and the potatoes are so big.
Me: The potatoes look delicious.
Him: You see that man? (points to a large turbaned worker) He eats two potatoes.
Me: Yes, but I'm going to make a pie.
Him: How many children do you have- five?
Me: Yes.
Politics: There have been tensions in Egypt since the start of Israel's war in Gaza. Many Egyptians feel that their government is abandoning Palestinians and not doing enough to advance the peace process. The military has been out in full force, especially on Fridays. Some Cairo mosques call for revolt against the Mubarak administration, so the military quashes all agitation.
There was recently a case in the news, of a graduate student at the American University in Cairo, who was arrested by the security forces and detained for several days, for organizing a protest about Gaza. Despite this, ordinary Egyptians are much more outspoken about criticizing the president and his government. This is a really interesting time to be living in Egypt.
More later!
Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Classes and Life
This is the first time that I am writing about my daily life in Cairo- I guess it's because I am still trying to process it all. Everything is so very different from my life in the U.S. I will never get used to seeing typical scenes in Cairo: old women begging, mobs of children, and the overwhelming poverty that affects most of the population. Cairo is truly a city of contradictions: most of the students at AUC are very wealthy and many of them wear designer labels, and then there are women in niqabs that only show their eyes. I'm sure that I'll go through reverse culture shock when I return home in May.
I am taking three classes this semester: Egyptian Politics, Modern Standard Arabic (FusHa), and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (Aameya). Every day I have 4 hours of Arabic classes, so by the end of the day my languages are somewhat muddled. Last week I got on the bus to return to Zamalak, and saw that there was only one seat left, next to a professor. I asked her to make some space for me, but accidentally said it in French. She replied in French, and we spoke for the rest of the trip. She is Egyptian but grew up in a household where her family only spoke French. She told me about how Egypt was during her childhood, before the 1952 Revolution.
Every Saturday I meet with two girls who I am mentoring. I teach them English and French, and they help me with my Arabic. It's really nice to practice speaking and to learn different vocabulary than I do in class.
I really like the food in Egypt. Here are some of my favorites: Koshary is a mix of noodles, lentils, chick peas, and spicy tomato sauce. It sounds awful, but it's actually delicious and costs less than a dollar for a good meal. Tamiya (known elsewhere as falafel) is also street food, and is fried bean patties, in a pita. During our first day in Cairo, Julia and I found this great bakery downtown that also had ice cream. In the evenings hundreds of people push into this small store to buy it. It's almost like gelato, but comes in Egyptian flavors like pistachio, mango and coconut. A couple of weeks ago, friends and I discovered that the Italian embassy has a cultural center with a restaurant. There's a nice courtyard, where you can't hear the Cairo traffic, and it serves excellent food.
Yesterday some friends and I went to a soccer game. It was the best Cairo club against a Nigerian club, playing for a berth in the African Cup. Our group consisted of four American girls and a boy and four Egyptian boys. There were about 30,000 male fans, and about 50 women in the stadium. After two years at Mount Holyoke, where the odds are usually the other way around, this experience was somewhat disconcerting! Our presence caused quite a stir, and we were even interviewed for Cairo TV. During the game, we held up signs that our Egyptian friends had brought and the entire section (at least 1000 men) turned around to look at us. Then they all took out cameras and began taking pictures and videos of us. After the game (Cairo won) the riot police began to move forward from the front of the stadium, forcing the fans towards the exit.
Today I went to mail my absentee ballot and I have never been so aware of how great it is to be American. The fact that we're able to have elections free of violence and coercion and little voter fraud is amazing. It was not until the 2005 Egyptian elections that they had multi-candidate ballots. The runner-up, Ayman Nour, is now in prison. Oh Egypt...
More in the next post!
I am taking three classes this semester: Egyptian Politics, Modern Standard Arabic (FusHa), and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (Aameya). Every day I have 4 hours of Arabic classes, so by the end of the day my languages are somewhat muddled. Last week I got on the bus to return to Zamalak, and saw that there was only one seat left, next to a professor. I asked her to make some space for me, but accidentally said it in French. She replied in French, and we spoke for the rest of the trip. She is Egyptian but grew up in a household where her family only spoke French. She told me about how Egypt was during her childhood, before the 1952 Revolution.
Every Saturday I meet with two girls who I am mentoring. I teach them English and French, and they help me with my Arabic. It's really nice to practice speaking and to learn different vocabulary than I do in class.
I really like the food in Egypt. Here are some of my favorites: Koshary is a mix of noodles, lentils, chick peas, and spicy tomato sauce. It sounds awful, but it's actually delicious and costs less than a dollar for a good meal. Tamiya (known elsewhere as falafel) is also street food, and is fried bean patties, in a pita. During our first day in Cairo, Julia and I found this great bakery downtown that also had ice cream. In the evenings hundreds of people push into this small store to buy it. It's almost like gelato, but comes in Egyptian flavors like pistachio, mango and coconut. A couple of weeks ago, friends and I discovered that the Italian embassy has a cultural center with a restaurant. There's a nice courtyard, where you can't hear the Cairo traffic, and it serves excellent food.
Yesterday some friends and I went to a soccer game. It was the best Cairo club against a Nigerian club, playing for a berth in the African Cup. Our group consisted of four American girls and a boy and four Egyptian boys. There were about 30,000 male fans, and about 50 women in the stadium. After two years at Mount Holyoke, where the odds are usually the other way around, this experience was somewhat disconcerting! Our presence caused quite a stir, and we were even interviewed for Cairo TV. During the game, we held up signs that our Egyptian friends had brought and the entire section (at least 1000 men) turned around to look at us. Then they all took out cameras and began taking pictures and videos of us. After the game (Cairo won) the riot police began to move forward from the front of the stadium, forcing the fans towards the exit.
Today I went to mail my absentee ballot and I have never been so aware of how great it is to be American. The fact that we're able to have elections free of violence and coercion and little voter fraud is amazing. It was not until the 2005 Egyptian elections that they had multi-candidate ballots. The runner-up, Ayman Nour, is now in prison. Oh Egypt...
More in the next post!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Vacation: Petra, Jordan
From Dahab we were dropped off at the port and bought our tickets for the ferry. We waited in line to get our exit visa, but the line did not resemble anything I had ever seen. There were separate lines for women and men, and the men waited patiently while the women shoved and shouted at each other. My three friends and I were caught up in this ruckus, so we linked arms so that no one could push us out of the way. To dissuade the women from being too aggressive, I made pleasantries with them in Arabic. They called me a "nice, pretty girl" and then stepped off a little.
When our ferry arrived in Aqaba 6 hours later (it was supposed to only take 1 hour!) it was the middle of the night. Even in our half-awake state, we all noticed how different it was from Egypt. The roads were clean and free of traffic, and the cars that we saw were all new. In Cairo most of the cars are older than I am. We drove 2 hours to our hostel near Petra, where we got a good night of sleep.
The next day we explored the ancient city of Peta for nearly nine hours and it was the highlight of the trip. Built by the Nabateans in the 5th century BC and was deserted in the 5th century AD, the city was in the middle of the desert but was supplied with water. The Nabateans built a dam and there were terra cotta pipes that sent water to all parts of the city. It was amazing that in the 5th Century BC that they had figured out water pressure. The entryway is called As-Siq, meaning "the shaft" in Aramaic, because you walk between two very high cliffs. After almost a mile, the path opens upon the ancient city. At the time their society was very advanced, compared to Europeans. While the Nabataens were living in this amazing city, Atilla the Hun had taken control of France!
Petra was incredible, from the architecture to the rock formations. Returning to Cairo and starting classes will be mundane compared to my adventures in the Sinai! I can hardly wait to return.
On the way back to Cairo we went through Israel, and I never thought I would be so happy to be on Egyptian soil. Instead of sitting on a bus for 10 hours, we hired a car to drive us to Cairo that took half that time. The driver, who had been fasting all day, was slightly crabby. After asking several questions to no avail, I noticed green signs along the road. The driver told me that the 99 Names of Allah were written on these signs. I could tell from the prayer mark on his forehead that he was a very religious man. For the next 2 hours we would read the name together, as we passed each sign, and then the man would explain what it meant. He appreciated my interest as we talked about Islam and the history of Egypt. It was one of the most informative car rides I've ever had.
When our ferry arrived in Aqaba 6 hours later (it was supposed to only take 1 hour!) it was the middle of the night. Even in our half-awake state, we all noticed how different it was from Egypt. The roads were clean and free of traffic, and the cars that we saw were all new. In Cairo most of the cars are older than I am. We drove 2 hours to our hostel near Petra, where we got a good night of sleep.
The next day we explored the ancient city of Peta for nearly nine hours and it was the highlight of the trip. Built by the Nabateans in the 5th century BC and was deserted in the 5th century AD, the city was in the middle of the desert but was supplied with water. The Nabateans built a dam and there were terra cotta pipes that sent water to all parts of the city. It was amazing that in the 5th Century BC that they had figured out water pressure. The entryway is called As-Siq, meaning "the shaft" in Aramaic, because you walk between two very high cliffs. After almost a mile, the path opens upon the ancient city. At the time their society was very advanced, compared to Europeans. While the Nabataens were living in this amazing city, Atilla the Hun had taken control of France!
Petra was incredible, from the architecture to the rock formations. Returning to Cairo and starting classes will be mundane compared to my adventures in the Sinai! I can hardly wait to return.
On the way back to Cairo we went through Israel, and I never thought I would be so happy to be on Egyptian soil. Instead of sitting on a bus for 10 hours, we hired a car to drive us to Cairo that took half that time. The driver, who had been fasting all day, was slightly crabby. After asking several questions to no avail, I noticed green signs along the road. The driver told me that the 99 Names of Allah were written on these signs. I could tell from the prayer mark on his forehead that he was a very religious man. For the next 2 hours we would read the name together, as we passed each sign, and then the man would explain what it meant. He appreciated my interest as we talked about Islam and the history of Egypt. It was one of the most informative car rides I've ever had.
Friday, September 19, 2008
The Start of Ramadan
Ramadan is observed in the ninth month of the Islamic calander. This is when the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophen Muhammad. During this time Muslims fast during the day and pray more than usual. Ramadan began on Sepember 1st and the atmosphere of Cairo has changed somewhat. Most people fast during the day so the streets are more quiet than typical. At 6:15 is Iftar and you can hear the muezzins calling from the minarets of the mosques all over the city, meaning that the fast can be broken.
Stores close before Iftar, so that the owners can eat with their families. There are tables of food set up in the streets for the poor and for people who do not have time to return to their houses. Wealthy people sponsor these tables, and over the table is constructed a Ramadan Tent, made of bright, colorful fabric. An Egyptian tradition for Ramadan is to hang lanterns, called fanous in the street, shops and homes. Some are just small paper lanterns, but others can be huge creations of metal and colored glass.
Stores close before Iftar, so that the owners can eat with their families. There are tables of food set up in the streets for the poor and for people who do not have time to return to their houses. Wealthy people sponsor these tables, and over the table is constructed a Ramadan Tent, made of bright, colorful fabric. An Egyptian tradition for Ramadan is to hang lanterns, called fanous in the street, shops and homes. Some are just small paper lanterns, but others can be huge creations of metal and colored glass.
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