Reflection

It is hard for me to put my reflection on my time in Egypt into words. The months of May and June are a blur of tours, classes, adventures and more. I can say that I feel that this experience has changed me as a person. Before going on this trip I was a very organized, somewhat controlling individual and the mellowness that I have acquired during my stay in Egypt has truly changed a part of me. Not only have I changed in this way but I have learned and grown so much. I’ve acquired more knowledge in the past two months than I ever could sitting in a classroom in Boston. The immersion factor of this Dialogue was an integral part to my learning process. I am completely grateful and appreciative for the opportunity to take part in this experience.

First, the activities and site visits throughout the trip were all enjoyable and informative. The guides that were included all were well read on their individual topics and really brought something to the overall tour – including Michael Mousa, Iman, Linda, and Prof. Sullivan. I was able to learn about Egyptian history through different perspectives and I must say that although the days did get draining there was never a temple I did not appreciate. The pyramids were amazing, I returned to the desert twice after the group visit and I cannot believe that I can say I’ve climbed into a pyramid (Dahshur). I did not like the U.S. Embassy but I feel that was a general consensus whereas the Arab League was very informative and interesting. The Whirling Dervishes’ show was definitely a treat and I thought it was incredible to watch, I would recommend going back. I enjoyed all of our excursions to different cities – Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria, Marsa Matrouh, Siwa – even being stuck in the desert with a crew like ours made everything okay. The stay in Alexandria seemed a little rushed because it was only a day tour but still very interesting and enjoyable for most of the people that went. I really did like Luxor and Aswan but by the end of that excursion I was happy to not hear any more cat calls or be grabbed in public, which really turned me off. Back in Egypt though, the city broke my poor spirits and I got back to normal.

My Arabic class was one of my favorite parts of this Dialogue. Although the days did drag on with the four our class periods - some of that being my fault with my late nights out with friends – I cannot believe all the information I retained in the short time period we had to work with. I owe that to Syonara. She was really a great teacher, who made learning this tough language a fun experience. Not only was Arabic language discussed in class, but Arab culture in general and women’s roles in that culture. Syonara introduced videos and songs into the classroom for better understanding as well as visits to restaurants, her own home, and chatting with people around the AUC. Although at some points I felt out of my comfort zone, Syonara was always there to assist with any questions or concerns that I had. The classroom was a very open place. Just from the great experience I had in Syonara’s class, I know that I want to continue studying more Arabic and advancing on the learning that she has set up for me. I wouldn’t have been able to survive half the my time in Egypt, around Khan el Khalili, ordering food at Fel Fel Beih, or many other things without Syonara’s guidance.
The second part of the overall class work was the Service Learning element of this Dialogue. Overall I feel that I really did try to make a difference with the NGO but I don’t think that I did. I worked in the knitting factory where I was in charge of photographing all of the products that we needed to put on the website. Aside from some slight interactions with the workers at the workshop, I felt that we were just over in the corner doing our own thing and I didn’t really see who was actually benefiting from this work. I personally don’t think that the website is going to be maintained by anyone at the AUC and therefore isn’t really going to have an impact on the business of the knitting workshop. As far as my group is concerned, my part of the group that dealt with pictures and cataloging worked very well together and we were able to get everything done once we were back to the hotel that day. The second part of our group was the interviewing side, which seemed to be a little unorganized and did not turn in their information on time. I can’t comment much on the evaluation of this group because I wasn’t really around them but I can definitely say that all of my team members really did work well. The second part of my individual service was volunteering at St. Andrews. I found this volunteer work to be a very inspiring experience. The first week there I met two very different and interesting people – Dmbek and Albino – both of which are refugees from South Sudan. Albino sat and talked with Joyce and I about life and his philosophy on it for well over an hour. The intelligence and understanding that radiated from this man was surprising and humbling. I, personally, with my lack of knowledge on refugees had an idea in my head that this people would not be very smart and Albino surely proved me wrong. Dmbek was another interesting person who wanted to talk about America and specifically American music; I think he might have even known more than I did. I know that technically my job at St. Andrews was to tutor English, but I felt that most of my time spent there was just like chatting with an old friend about life. I really liked my days at St. Andrews and I found it an enlightening experience which I would recommend as a service option on future dialogues.

Now that the logistical aspects of this reflection are finished, I want to touch on one of things I experienced the most on my stay in the Arab world, and that is contrast. I found contrasts daily while living in Egypt including rich and poor, men and women, rural and urban, and definitely the differences between Egypt and America. First we can talk about the social classes in Egypt and the dissimilarities I observed with them. What I found most puzzling during my stay was the complete lack of a middle class. We were able to see the poor and rich alike but with no sign of something in between. Within the rich and poor realms, of course we can find varying degrees and you can normally grasp which degree a person falls under by the way they dress. I must say though that things are not always what they seem. Take Syonara for instance, when she is out and in class I would perceive her has a lower class woman because of how she dresses and talks about money. But when were able to visit her at her home most of us where confused to find a home not resembling any ounce of poverty which we could only attribute to some Egyptians blurred view on themselves in their society. At least that is what we gathered from this specific case, of course there are many impoverished people like those of Establ Antar who know they’re poor but the contrast is found when there are people driving around in expensive cars and designer clothes through the city. I really noticed this contrast when one night we were taken with our Egyptian friends to a place in Muquttam that overlooks Cairo. Now Muquttam is where we normally visit for our service work so I felt the difference of going up there to help with the knitting workshop compared to driving up there in a BMW to just look at the city. I can hardly explain how this made me feel because it really was just weird for me.

Of course the one contrast that I can really speak to from personal experience is the differences noted between Egypt and America. And now I know that the list may seem endless in this category, but I just want to touch on two aspects that really startled me during our stay. When we were in Luxor on our way to dinner, there were some children that approached us asking for money which wasn't too out of the ordinary. I gave a girl a sugar packet that I had in my pocket because I was out of money and surprisingly she seemed to enjoy it a lot. After this event it really started me thinking on how I was raised as a child in America. Of course the cardinal rule of childhood in America is to not talk to strangers, however in Egypt we find young children trying to sell items most of the day to tourists who are complete strangers. They also come up to these strangers and ask for things, food, money, baksheesh. The sheer idea that I would have been allowed to walk the streets near the Luxor Temple alone at night when I was that age really boggles my mind. It is definitely just a cultural difference that really struck me weird when it occurred. And then I noticed on another instance when a group of us was going to El Fishawy one night and we left around 2 or 3 AM only to find babies out in the street playing. It really just is different.

The second aspect of the Egyptian, American divide I wanted to touch on was hospitality. I found an overwhelming sense of hospitality mostly everywhere I ventured when in Egypt. You are always getting offered things and you always feel bad refusing because Egyptians tend to seem upset when you do not accept their acts of kindness. I saw this one day in Coptic Cairo while walking with Grace who was recognized with Prof. Sullivan by a street vendor who proceeded to shower grace with cheap jewelry that she did not want but eventually took because it is extremely difficult to turn down these acts of graciousness. Abduh and Hayaam, as well as Syonara all showed more generosity and kindness then I would have ever expected. This is something you don’t experience in American with people that are strangers. I think this also ties in to what I discussed before and how children are embedded with the don’t talk to strangers mentally, and therefore Americans tend to not trust people as easily and not be as open as we found some Egyptians to be. Even the students we met at the Fulbright Commission were quick to invite us out and hang out with us every chance possible. They seemed to be genuinely happy to trek all of us around their city so that we could experience it with them which I found very uplifting. I know that if they were to come and visit here I would want to reciprocate their kind actions, but I feel that a lot of the people here would not do the same.

Honestly, I have found my second home. The experience in Egypt is something I thought I couldn’t put in to words, as you see I did, but I don’t even feel like this reflection actually grasps all the emotions inside me. I’m happy to be home but sadden at the thought of not walking around Zamalek or hopping in the vans to see Abduh’s smiling face or just being in Egypt. I miss it all and I will continue to miss it until I am able to return to this great country that I really have fell in love with. Egypt has me smitten. And lastly, I want to thank Prof. Sullivan and Cynthia for making this all possible for me, I thank you a million times over, and hope you know that what you’re doing is a great thing. I will miss you Egypt, until we meet again.

Home Again, Home Again

It feels good to finally be home. I must admit it is bittersweet, but I needed to see my family and friends. After the exhausting plane ride and five hour drive home from boston I am ready to pass out! Good bye Egypt! You will be missed!

Abu Dhabi and Dubai

[SORRY FOR THE PICTURELESS ENTRY, MY CAMERA BROKE AFTER OUR DESERT TREK]

We all arrived in Abu Dhabi after the pretty short flight in an amazing airport where we were swept over to a VIP lounge for a little discussion and light refreshment. The women from the Arab Women's Organization took care of our passports and luggage and we were put in vans and shuttle over to the Intercontinental Abu Dhabi Hotel.

AMAZING!
This hotel, let me tell you, was absolutely breathtaking. I haven't seen one like it in all of my life. The crystal chandeliers, the marble everything, and especially the amazing rooms! Diana and I were in heaven, and were all too quick to take a nice shower, cuddle up in our bathrobes and relax. After a couple hours we were greeted with an assortment of room service food which Diana and I of course chowed down only to attend another dinner at 9 PM.

Downstairs in one of the ballrooms we became acquainted with all of the Arab students that were invited to the conference. They were all asked to dress in their traditional clothing so it was really cool to see. There were 14 countries represented by the Arab students, mostly one male and female from each of those countries. After dinner and tons of pictures taken, Diana and I passed out in bed for the long day ahead of us in the morning.

In the morning we were divided into different groups to discuss women's issues, my group ended up being Health which I didn't really know much about but I figured, I'm a woman and I'm healthy so that was good enough for me. The moderators of my group were Grace and Maess (haha that rhymes) and we were able to tackle most of the issues, or atleast the ones we could get comparable facts for. We really didn't leave any subject unturned, we include STD's, HIV/AIDS, and even abortion. There were only about four members of our group that really contributed, Maess being the only Arab that did but we were able to finish up our presentation and Maess and Grace did a great job.

In between working on the presentation we attended a couple different events. The first day a lot of the girls went to the all girl's spa where we relaxed by the jacuzzi and pool. After the presentations we went to the Emirates Palace Hotel where we were able to see a Picasso exhibition, which I didn't expect. Then after the exhibition a group of us went to the Abu Dhabi mall for only a little while because were were unimpressed.

The next morning we went to the Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi which I didn't really enjoy. I feel like when you're discussing which three world records your mosque holds, it becomes more about luxury and less about the religion and prayer. I found the mosque way to distracting for my taste, whereas I prefer something like Ibn Tulun in Eygpt.

After the mosque was a quick tour of Abu Dhabi University which was somewhat unamusing as well. Maybe it was just the mood I was in. Lastly we visited the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. There we found out that the UK had issued some terrorist warnings concerning Dubai and that we wouldn't be going there on a day trip. A lot of us were bummed but I think it was in our best interests.

Wednesday morning we woke up early to visit the General Women's Union where we saw a slideshow presentation, different workshops, and a beautiful bride. We were also able to dress up in traditional clothing which was so much fun! All of the girls were able to get henna tattoos and we were given gifts at the end of the visit. The rest of the day I was a bum in the hotel room, took a nice bath and relaxed before traveling.

At night we said our goodbyes to all of the Arab students and hopped on the bus for Dubai. First we stopped at the Mall of the Emirates where we went to explore the giant ski slope, Ski Dubai. Then we just wandered back, some people got ice cream, then back on the bus. Next we stopped to see the 7 star hotel, Burj al-Arab but it costs money to go inside so people just took pictures. Lastly we saw the Burj Dubai, soon to be the tallest building in the world which was absolutely amazing, too bad I didn't have a camera!

Finally we ended up at the airport where we sprawled out and waited to be checked in. The flights were exhausting and I was just happy to get back to the Marriot today and relax.

Siwa

After hanging out on the beach and stopping to get lunch, the bus started on our journey to Siwa. I woke up to the bus being stopped and I looked out both windows only to see desert in all directions. The air smelled really gross, like a mix of burning tires and I don't know what else. Turns out our fan belt broke! GREAT! So turned out we would be stuck in the desert for a couple hours until we could get a new fan belt or until other vans could come for us.

We kept ourselves entertained and hydrated and eventually two vans came from Siwa and picked us up. After an hour long drive we finally arrived.

Once we were given our rooms, Molly and I put our stuff away and headed for the pool that was apparently fed by a natural spring. It was very refreshing after the long sweaty day. Once we got dried off we ate dinner and took a walk around the town. The walk ended up being pretty short because the town was very small. Walking around town we could all see a drastic difference in the lifestyle here. The town is much more conservative and we were able to see women completely veiled without even eye holes. Personally, I found this a bit creepy but who am I to judge. After the tour we stocked up on water and snacks and called it a night.

The next morning we had breakfast and left to climb the Mountain of Death, where you can find hundreds of tombs were people were once buried. There was a beautiful view from the top of the mountain and our tour guide was really great. After snapping tons of pictures we left to see Cleopatra's well which is just a huge pool of water in the middle of this street. I felt very uncomfortable taking my clothes off and jumping in the well in my bikini so I just watched instead. I got some awesome action shots of everyone.

After we stopped at the Temple of Umm Ubayda and the Temple of the Oracle. The Temple of Umm Ubayda wasn't much more than rocks because it had been destroyed but the Temple of the Oracle was really cool and it had another amazing view of Siwa. Alexander the Great visited the temple apparently which was also pretty cool.

Once back to the hotel, we did some relaxing before meeting up at 4pm to go on our DESERT TREK!! There were six 4X4 land cruisers waiting for us outside the hotel. We hopped in and didn't even know what to expect.

It was AWESOME! We went over sand dunes like the car was a rollercoaster. We stopped in several places to take pictures of the desert and then drove up to the Siwa Oasis which was absolutely amazing. I can't believe that there could be a pool of water in the desert like this. It boggles my mind! But it was definitely refreshing. We ate some sandwiches and continued on our journey over to the hot spring located in the desert. This was nuts too! I never would have expected to find a hot spring in the desert, and even though it was scorching hot it was very refreshing as well.

Lastly we stopped at a huge sand dune where we were going sand boarding! I must admit I was a little nervous to stick my feet onto this piece of wood and slide down the sand but it was great! Granted the walk back up the sand dune was torture, everything else was awesome. I took so many pictures and videos of everyone. Then we had some tea and enjoyed the sunset in the desert. Absolutely amazing experience!

Then my camera died :(

Everyone got back in their cars and headed to the hotel to dump all of the sand out of every part of their body.

I can't even describe how great this day was. It was perfect!

Marsa Matrouh

On our way to Marsa Matrouh, we first stopped at a war memorial at Al Alemain. We walked around a little museum until the gas filter on our bus could be fixed.

It was a small but interesting museum, I was just extremely tired and wanted to get back on the bus for some more nap time.


Next we headed to the cemetery of British soldiers lost in World War II at the battle of Al Alemain. It was extremely sad there. I found a boy who was 17 years old in the Navy who had passed away and I couldn't hold back the tears. It ended up being a lot more upsetting than I expected. However, because it was very tranquil I was able to reflect on my feelings.

Back on the bus, we continued our journey to Marsa Matrouh, everyone had their fingers crossed for no more delays. We got to Beau Site without anymore troubles and the Mediterranean looked absolutely stunning. We spent most of the day on the beach and out in the ocean on a plastic raft thing and the relaxation definitely helped everyone. It was a much need vacation. After time at the beach, Sonja and I went exploring down the street and settled on a little cafe and just spent our time talking about everything. It was great.

A little bit later, a bigger group met up with us and we took them to the same place where we were just sitting to have some refreshments and shisha and hang out. Once everyone had their drinks and things, Sonja posed the question.. "if you could do one more thing in Egypt what would it be?" and then "what was the most culturally shocking experience here for you?" Some people made jokes, but most peoples answers were interesting and truthful. I decided that I would want to go to the Red Sea if I could and culturally shocking for me was the children here.

Later we talked more about everything, politics, people, most subjects weren't left untouched. It was really nice.
The next morning we got up early to head to the beach before breakfast then packed up everything to go to Siwa!

Syonara's House

Today was the day of our final in Arabic class, I got a 100 which was awesome! But after everyone had taken the final we left AUC to go to Syonara's house to begin preparing for her children's birthday party.

We started by helping Syonara make koshary for everyone which I found to be extremely easy to make. I might even make some once I get back home!! Her kitchen was very hot though and I was feeling a little drained and sick so I sporatically left to do some resting in the living room. During the preparation of the koshary we also blew up some balloons and sprawled them out on the floor for when the kids got home.

After a long time of waiting and cooking, the koshary was done! And we were able to dig in. Let me tell you this stuff was amazing! We had gone to Abo Tareq earlier in the week which is supposed to be a famous koshary place, and these people have NOTHING on Syonara!

I lounged around for a bit, still not feeling up to par until Syonara's sister and nephew Mustafa arrived. Next came Syonara's two children, accompanied by their neighbor and soon who were from Boston, go figure! Everyone put on their party hats, there wasn't enough for me :(

But we all just hung out and played with the kids, sung happy birthday, ate birthday cake, and opened presents.

It was so much fun being able to spend time with a family, because I know at this point I'm really starting to miss my own. But at around 5 we decided it was time to head back to Zamalek so Joyce, Alyssa, April, and I took a taxi back to the island and got our sleep on!

Service and Some Relaxation

Yesterday, we all ventured back to the three service places of the NGO in order to show them the website that Sai has amazingly created with her team as well as buy anything at the workshops. First stop was glassblowing where I found a beautiful set of aladdin lamps and a perfume bottle. The knitting place was next and we were all excited to give the pictures that I had gotten developed from the last time to our friend Fadwa. It took her awhile to get there so in the mean time I shopped around a found some great placemats and a bread basket. It seemed as if we were having some trouble with the manager who wasn't satisfied with the website but I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. Finally we stopped at the carpet place but I wasn't feeling well so I stayed in the van. From what I hear, the woman was upset about the font of the factory's name on the website. OMG, get over it!

By that time most of us were cranky and tired, and our idea to go to the beach with Lyna was shot down by Prof. Sullivan from the van door. But we got over it and headed back to Zamalek to relax and then go out with the crew around the town. They're great people.


This last week I also started my service work at St. Andrews. There I am working to help tutor English to refugees who are primarily Sudanese. What I thought would be tutoring has mostly just been conversations with different people. The two men that I met last week were very interesting, Albino and Dmbek. Albino spent a long time talking to Joyce and I about his philosophy of life. He made everything so simple and divide life into three things - past, present, and future. If you do something in your past, it will affect the other two and so the cycle continues. Albino described this circle that all of us are in and there is no way for us to escape it so whatever goes on in that circle will come back around to us. I found this fascinating. Dmbek was a character and he talked about his love for Tupac, so I got out my mp3 player and played some California love for him. So far the experience at St. Andrews has been awesome, I can't wait to go back.