Egypt Adventure - 09: Coptic Christian Day, tabla concert, speakers

(Written: 10-6-08)
Some recent activity:

We spent a day with a group of college age Coptic Christians who were such a joy to engage with in both discussion and laughter. Copts are a branch of Eastern Orthodoxy and thus are very similar to Greek orthodox, Armenian orthodox, etc. I really appreciate the simplicity and practicality of their beliefs/traditions and the clarity of conviction they hold because of them.

My tabla teacher, Hany, invited the students in the class to come to a concert he was performing in and several of us went. What an amazing evening! So fun! The music was fantastic and a famous singer from Jordan joined them for a bit lending her captivating vocal undulations to the mix. The concert was later in the evening (because of Ramadan) and the midan (square) where it was held was packed. On one side there was a café with outdoor seating and every once in a while the aroma of strawberry, apricot, or apple sheesha (hookah) would drift by.

All throughout our time here we have been privileged to hear excellent speakers from various career/life backgrounds speak with us on their area of specialty. These are all off the record but suffice it to say that they are enlightening, thought provoking, and fascinating discussions on: religion, the economy, social/political dynamics in Egypt and the region at large, education, etc. I wish I could continue these conversations with so many of you!

Egypt Adventure - 08: a day in the life…

(Written: 9-23-08)

Based on recent inquiries I have decided to provided a short blog regarding “A day in the life”…

7:15 – wake up

7:30 – breakfast

8:15 – devotions

9:00 – Arabic class

10:30 – snack (popcorn that I sometimes add Neutella and Peanut butter to :o)

11:00 – Either: Islamic Thought and Practice or a Guest speaker (depending on the day/week schedule)

1:00 – lunch

At this point in the day I may be done but if it’s Sunday I have another class from 2-4 and if it’s Monday I have Tabla class from 2-4.

Tuesdays I’m at my service project at the Prison from 8:30-3pm.

The evenings are filled with various activities but that’s a skeleton outline.

At the start of each week we get a “Week at a Glance” schedule with all the week’s specifics and variations.

I live in a flat on the 5th floor of a building with an elevator that most often doesn’t work, with 7 other girls. I share a room with 2 other girls, Cassi and Sarah.

Life is life and it is filled with many conversations, frustrations, and laughter.

Egypt Adventure - 07: alexandria.

(Written: 9-21-08)

Alexandria. What a breath of fresh air - Literally and figuratively! It’s a beautiful city especially when compared to the crowded, dirty, and pollution filled atmosphere of Cairo. I am generally not a city lover (at least for long term living) and so living in a city as populated and “developing” as Cairo at times takes its toll. Alex is simply laid out, constantly has a pleasant breeze from the Mediterranean, is much less crowded, and more family friendly.

About a week ago myself and a few others met a young Egyptian woman (evangelical Christian) while going to the Prison on our service project. As it turns out she, Nancy, lives in Alexandria and told us to contact her once we arrived and she would show us around.

Friday morning we arrived by train in Alex, 2hrs from Cairo, and 4 of us met up with Nancy and her brother Mokhles who graciously took us all over the city. It was so nice to see the city with people who know and love it – what a gift! After walking around for several hours we were invited back to their house where we met their mother and father and were treated royally. I loved being able to enter inside the culture a bit more as we entered the home and we able to engage in conversations, meal sharing, and laughter. The three MESP students that had been along for the journey were traveling back to Cairo that night while I had planned to stay an extra day and meet up with the larger group. However, Nancy graciously offered for me to stay the night with them and I happily agreed.

I felt completely welcomed, taken care of, and provided for. That night while Nancy was packing (the next day she was embarking for Denmark to study!) I went out with Nahed, her mother, to pick up some last minute things for the trip. Between my Arabic and more so her English(!) we laughed and had an enjoyable time bustling around a marketplace.

Once we got back and Nancy had finished packing we were able to talk and share about life and God stuff. What a Blessing!

The next morning her father, Magdy, took me to the library since we didn’t have the chance to visit the day before. What a treat! Even though it’s not the original it truly is a work of art and I loved being surrounded by so many books! Mr. Magdy took very good care of me. After I finished with the library he met me and took me to the train station where I was to meet up with one of the groups heading back to Cairo. We arrived slightly early though and so wandered through a marketplace where I bought some “shiip-shiip” (house shoes).

On the train ride back I had many things to process and think about in regards to differing social and church cultures (as displayed by the Asal family as compared to my culture).

I feel incredibly blessed by the serendipitous events of the weekend and humbled by the Asal Family’s hospitality and care. It’s good to remember how much I have to learn as well as how much I have to share…

Peace.

Egypt Adventure – 06: football game, miscellaneous life.

(Written: 9-18-08)
Anyway, moving along. We got back to Agouza late Saturday night from Dahab which means the next day, Sunday, was the start of a new week (not gonna lie, it was a challenge to not have any actual down time to get caught up on stuff for the week).


That night we went to the “Football”(Soccer) stadium in Cairo and watched two Cairo teams (Ahlay and Zamalek) duke it out for the African League Trophy (I’m pretty sure that’s how it worked anyway :o) Basically they’re the two best teams in Africa and happened to be playing each other in Cairo and let me tell you, loyalties run deep here :o) We arrived three hours early (it was a 10pm game so the players could break fast and get ready for the game) and even then the fans were going crazy! It was pretty intense – 60,000 Egyptian men, fireworks (smuggled in?), banners, chants, etc…The energy is incomparable and hard to describe…

Monday I had my second Tabla class – so fun! Especially since we were all way beyond tired and slap-happy :o) Never-the-less we seemed to make some progress and had a lot of fun while doing it…

Tomorrow we’re headed up to Alexandria! I plan to spend Friday “touring” and Saturday on the Mediterranean getting caught up on reading.

One of the more challenging aspects of the semester is balancing school with the larger experience. There are so many lectures we’re hearing, experiences, learning Arabic, etc and then on top of that to think about reading and writing papers is definitely not linked up in my mind. I’m really trying to find that balance right now, knowing I won’t do it perfectly and need to weigh pros and cons of choices (ie spending the weekend in Alex)…All the ideas and questions we are being exposed to can certainly cause tension as I try to filter out my opinions, truth, clarity, etc…this will be a constant struggle this semester but well worth it as insight and clarity does come…

Some miscellaneous life tidbits:

All our apartments are equipped with bidets which is…a new experience :o) we also can’t flush toilet paper down the toilet (hence the bidet and the trashcan next to the toilet - this is my roommate Cassi’s “greatest hardship” ;o)

Our washing machines are all manual where you have to fill in the water, line dry, and all that (but it’s not manual in the sense of hand washing – it could always be worse right?? ;o)…

Double parking is illegal in Cairo but everyone does it since there’s not enough parking. So the rule of the game is to double park but to leave your car in neutral so people can push it out of the way when need be.

A couple of weeks ago I went out for desert with one of the program interns and some of her Egyptian friends and the guys that ended up coming lit up their cigarettes right at the table. It’s SO common to have people smoking in Cairo but coming from generally smoking free and health conscious California it’s the strangest thing to be sitting at a table in a Restaurant and have people light up.

I can’t continue this blog without making note again of how grateful I am to the Lord for the love he lavishes on me especially when it comes through people! I know it’s quite a fiasco to be in touch with me due to sketchy internet connections and such but, wow. My heart is so full, I am so blessed – thank you for making the effort :o)

Everything is beginning to blur so I think I’ll leave off here and try to stay on top of this a little more frequently so as not to bombard you!

Maa’ Salaama!

Egypt Adventure – 05: sinai and dahab.

(Written: 9-16-08)
It blows my mind how much has happened since I last blogged! Life right now is constantly over-stimulating, which is a challenge. That said, the opportunities I have are truly AmaZing! This blog will hit some of the main points of the last couple weeks or so. (Note: Weekends here for us consist of Friday and Saturday with Sunday acting as out Monday. The country usually only gets Friday off)…

Ok, last Friday I saw the sun rise over Mt. Sinai and saw it set from the Sea of Aquaba (sp?…aka the Red Sea, aka the Sea of Reeds :o)!

Here’s how it went - Last Thursday night we boarded a bus and drove 7 hours through the night to Mt. Sinai where we de-boarded and climbed the mountain in time for sunrise!

Some of you may know I LOVE stars – what a feast for my soul! I have never seen so many stars – Breathtaking! My heart was so Full! I had such a strong desire to praise the Lord and never have I felt at such a loss to do that – I sincerely wish I had memorized a dozen psalms to be able to recite…But even then – who am I when faced with the Majesty of God?? I am so small and so empty…that was abundantly clear… The silence of the night was beautiful. I started playing a game with the Lord of how many shooting stars I could see – I counted 16 although I have a suspicion that I missed a few more….

For a number of reasons (mainly because I wanted to!) I rode a CAMEL up most of the way! A decision I would never regret – it was truly amazing! My first glimpse of a real camel in the Middle East was walking through a pitch black night hoping not to fall when all of a sudden I look up and there emerging from the darkness 4 camels towering over me (generally not hard to do but still impressive!)!!! Thankfully I saw them in time to move out of the way! I loved riding it too! I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s not as nice or smooth as a Lexus but I took to it pretty quick, a talent I attribute to the Jemel-ian in me :o)

There comes a point on the Mt. where camels can no longer go and that is The Stairs of Penance. Aka the stairs from hell to get to heaven! Ok that’s a little dramatic but it was ironic going up the stairs of penance – my attitude certainly gave me reason to repent ;o)

I understand and appreciate the experience more in retrospect as I think about it and look at pictures. In the moment it’s incredibly hard to take it in. How do you process something like I am climbing Mt. Sinai?? and watching the sun rise as I look out over a breathtaking Sinai landscape in the morning light with people from all over the world around me singing praises to God … teach me how to fully appreciate that in the moment and I will marvel at your wisdom :o)


After climbing down we traveled a couple of hours to a place called Dahab. SO fun! Imagine something like the mountainous desert landscape of PalmSprings as far as the eye can see and behind you the Red Sea (Sea of Aquaba). Beyond that you can see Saudi Arabia! Basically it’s an understated diamond in the rough – a hippie resort town…Love it! It’s funny how much beach culture is the same…like I said, that first night I watched the sun set from my vantage point in the Sea looking back to the shore where there’s nothing except desert and mountains. Beautiful.

After that some of us walked the “boardwalk” and decided to have some desert at one of the cafes. Ok, these are no ordinary cafes – they were all open air and all right on the Sea. The seating consists of picturesque mounds of pillows rugs and low tables – I loved that aspect! For desert we had warm baklava with ice cream and some other desert consisting of cocoanut, almonds, ice cream, caramel, etc – all baked and warm – SOO good :o) (NOTE: as this may begin to indicate to those worried I might not be eating well – there’s no need to fear! Actually the other night for dinner I ate some Sheesh Kofta – the meat thing formed by squishing around a chop stick – anyway, SOOOOOOO good and it felt like a bit of home :o)

The next day in Dahab we all headed out along the coast in Jeeps (shockless jeeps I might add) and went snorkeling! CRAZY! I must admit since it was my first time that figuring out the whole breathing underwater thing definitely had my gag reflexes in full gear but I eventually got the hang of it and it was so much fun! So much life right below the surface that I never even consider.
To all my sibs: I wished you were there SOOO much! We would have had a blast! We will all come back :o)

Egypt Adventure – 04: from the balcony.

(Written: 9-4-08)
I was just standing out on our balcony (nothing glamorous just a 2ft by 20ft space) and it’s turning into a beautiful evening. We’re 5 floors up (really 6 because they count the “1st” floor as “0”) which means there’s a nice breeze right now. I can hear the call to prayer coming from somewhere off to my right and it’s an interesting time in Cairo (more imminently for me in Agouza) because this month is Ramadan. For us this generally means trying not to eat or drink in front of people (since most everyone here is Muslim) it also means that as I’m looking out on the street all is still as everyone is inside waiting to “break fast.” The stillness is not hollow but rather seems to be filled with the richness of the culture in the smallest manifestations and impressions: a solemn presence of prayer in this season, the smell of Shwerma riding on the breeze, the flow of fabric hanging on lines, and the stories each balcony I look down upon seems to impress upon me.

There are so many lessons in this place and I know than in my time here I may begin to peek at some but as for the rest, I am content to feel them on the breeze and develop a cohabitation with them unexplained but daily influencing my experiences.

In striving to seek the truth it seems to flee from me but to sit and wait upon the Lord brings clarity and understanding beyond any I could seek to develop.

Egypt Adventure – 03: garbage city, monastery in moquattam.

(Written: 9-2-08)
The other day we visited the American University in Cairo (AUC) and it was fascinating to observe the young educated elite of Egypt and to glimpse an inkling of the future. Almost everyone I saw on the campus seemed western (most of the girls looked like they could be on the streets of California – minus shorts/miniskirts). The idea of blossoming progressivism was certainly evident there as it is in many elements of Egyptian society. It is challenging to recognize the cohabitation of the double standards, which pervade Egyptian society.


Yesterday was probably my favorite day so far! We went to an area of Cairo called Garbage City, which is where many of the Coptic Christians live. Here they have created an economy off of garbage: collecting it, recycling it, salvaging items, etc…We began by visiting an Orphanage there where I spent about 45 minutes cuddling babies! What a gift for my heart. As soon as we walked in there were little hands reaching up to us eager for any touch and affection. Ah! When I encounter such an open “love need” in children it’s as if I cease to be “Kaeli” and become rather a door from which I feel the Lord’s love, compassion, and heart gush through me and onto these precious little faces. They become my whole focus and reason for being, all I desire is for them to know that they are loved.


The experience of being in a city almost entirely composed of Christians was really amazing as well! The spirit in the air was different and I found myself energized and joyful throughout the day (probably aided by my experience with the babies). We walked through the narrow garbage filled streets and up to the Moqattam, a Coptic Monastery.


The Monastery is set in the hills and a man has been commissioned to carve religious scenes and depictions into the mountain. To date, he has completed 66 and is working on another. One in particular I found incredibly moving. It is a carving high on the mountain of Jesus in the clouds; arching above him in both Arabic and English are the words, “WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS WITH GREAT POWER AND GLORY… Mk 13:26” There’s something so powerful about this proclamation carved into a mountain in a Muslim country. I can’t even express the power and beauty of it in words.

Our guide around the Moqattam was Adel – so kind! He began speaking with me in Arabic (the blessing and curse of my physical appearance :o) so with the help of Dr. Holt (my program’s director) we explained that I’m American-Armenian (he continued to insist I look Egyptian). Despite the language barrier, we built camaraderie and had several mini-conversations. First he explained there are 3 things that cross language: “One, Amen. Two, Hallelujah…Ok? One? Amen. Two? Hallelujah. And Three?? Coco-Cola!!” As we walked he taught me the word for monkey “girds” (or something like that!) and I shared a little about our families. It was so encouraging to feel engaged with the culture through him and to feel connected home in a way by his warmth and Middle Eastern affection. Anyway, there is a lot that could be said about all this but I’ll leave it at that for the sake of length…


Entering Agouza I walked down streets I used to feel were cramped, dirty, and impoverished but coming back from Garbage City I feel as though I live in luxury. It’s amazing what the smallest tweak in perspective can do.


Today (Tuesday) was my first day going to my “service project” one of the main features of our time here in Cairo. My project is organized through a church and we (there’s 5 of us from MESP) go to a low security prison and spend time with some of the English speaking Christian prisoners. All of the men we meet with are serving a 20 year sentence for being associated with drugs in some way. Daniel, the man I spent the time talking with has already served 18 years and his wisdom, faith, and simplicity of religion is inspiring.


The whole day was full of fascinating observances of the Egyptian security infrastructure as well as the life of these Christians in prison (they can be open about their faith and even meet several times a week!). We did not go through any aspect of the process to get in or get out of the prison without the organizers we were with paying off guards to smooth the way – the system is open, shameless, and expected – A really fascinating play of authority to watch. Overall, it was an awi (very) positive experience and I had a lot to digest as we left. Afterwards, I found myself feeling unsettled but through journaling and talking it out I realized the source stemmed from me rather than any outward circumstance I had encountered. The reason I felt uncomfortable/disconcerted was because the subconscious barriers I’d like to have in place cannot exist in the face of how connected we all are in the human experience. Guards, Prisoners, Foreigner, Local, Searcher, the one being Searched, Male, Female, etc. I bumped up against some things in me which aren’t too pretty but coming to recognition of the source and seeing these things in the light was such a necessary reminder. A reminder of how much subconscious baggage I carry with me, which puts up complete blocks to communication since I am inclined to react to it from places of fear.


There are times when I feel I glimpse the work God is doing in me and my heart’s prayer is, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief…” He is faithful…


PS – in the monastery we sang the Doxology, which was music to my spirit as I have come to Love it ever since going to Gordon. It takes me back to great memories of times at Gordon and of absorbing the presence of God in Catacombs (a weekly worship service there)…