(Written: 8-30-08)
I’ve been here for three full days, which may not seem like much but feels like forever! First off, the heat is unbelievable. My hopes of a dry heat have been totally unrealized and it seems that when I’m not in my air-conditioned apartment (praise God for that!) or in the villa (where we take classes) it seems there is not a part of me that is not radiating heat! I praise God for the amazing ability to adjust…
Before coming, I don’t think I realized how much Egypt is still a developing country. I’m not entirely sure what I expected but the pains that come when a country is in transition are apparent. Cairo has a population at any given time of 17-20 million people 40% of which live on less than two dollars a day (that figure would be considered modest). I live in a nicer area but in general there is a completely different standard of living and rhythm of life to get used to which at first was a little unnerving but is becoming more and more comfortable with each passing day. It is simultaneously a simple land and people with traditional modes of living and a burgeoning city with all the chaos of unregulated modernity (i.e. picture 3 lane road: 5 cars/minibuses across, bikers, motorcyclists [some carrying mother, father, and three children], etc all converging on the streets at once)…
At this point I feel that Egypt, at least Cairo, would probably be a hard place to visit unless you know some language or are doing a strictly touristy agenda. Much of the outer culture (ie heat, traffic, rights, smells, attitudes, etc) can be a little abrasive at first but the people really are amazing once you know them a bit and I am certainly not an expert in this area! I love the culture and thanks to my background there are some comforting links home.
Every day challenges a new comfort level! I’m sure this won’t stop throughout my whole semester especially since I just signed up to take a “Tabla” class (traditional Egyptian drumming)! I’m really excited (here’s a Shout-Out to you Mom for that!) and also nervous since my rhythmic skills are not something I generally view as being in existence…but how could I pass up the opportunity?? Clearly I could not! Especially since it’s taught by a premier Egyptian artist (or so I hear ;o)…It’s not a cake-walk but for better or worse here I am so bring it on!
Yesterday we met a woman, Eman (Emy) who helped to veil us since we were going to a mosque. She is Somalian but was born in Egypt and what a joy! SO full of life and laughter! She insisted that I was Egyptian and proceeded to refer to me simply as “Egyptian” for the rest of the day (when I did tell her my name she laughed and said, “Kali?? It’s like Kali(Curly) Hair!!!”)
Last night we rode a “fluka”(?) along the Nile! (It’s weird to even type that!) After that we went to the tourist center “Khan Khalili” and as a group sat at a café and did Sheesha/hookah/water pipe in order to “get it out of our system” since from here on out it’s off limits. What a fun experience! The atmosphere is unbeatable: a Mosque behind me and to the left, bazaar streets in every direction, thousands of people, vendors calling out “I don’t know what you need, but I have what you want!”, etc…like I said, hard to beat :o) At the café I also ordered hibiscus juice which was DELICIOUS. Walking around was a particularly good experience for me since it is generally assumed that I am Egyptian so they hassle me less and I just pass by saying, “La, Shokran” (“No, Thanks”)…The guys I was walking with were repeatedly told (in reference to me), “You are a lucky man.” We all got a good laugh over comments like those! I should always live in Egypt with such comments! ;o)
Because I am mostly assumed to be Egyptian I am harassed a lot less than some of the other (more American looking) girls. It makes me glad that some of you ladies reading this that are dear to my heart are not here right now because I would hate for you to have to be exposed to that minority of culture. Once I am more on top of my Arabic I’ll bring you and that will be better they bother you less when you’re with a “local” ;oP Even so I behave along strict gender norms which is a strange but necessary concept to get used to.
Today’s main event was a scavenger hunt around our neighborhood! I will admit I was not thrilled when they told us about it and I definitely felt uncomfortable heading into the experience (we were in pairs of 2) but the whole event turned out to be a very positive experience. I was paired with Jason Towes (a guy I know from Gordon) and together we set out on an adventure which included but was not limited to: buying a fruit or veggie from an open air stall that you’ve never seen before and asking it’s name in Arabic, taking a taxi, crossing the street (sounds like no big deal but let me tell you it WAS!), finding an Internet Café and asking how much it cost, asking for directions, etc. I learned a lot and gained a lot of confidence in getting around – no small thing!
I really am grateful for all the staff. They’ve been extremely helpful especially since I have started this trip out sick. I also feel that they are doing an excellent job at acclimating us to the culture/putting us in situations to build our confidence while providing space for us to process all the adjustments we’re running into.
As with any adjustment there are still things that making me uncomfortable and the ways of life to adjust to seem never-ending but God is so gracious, truly…
MaSalemah (goodbye) and I’ll post again “soon” Insha’ Allah (God willing)…
