Eurotrip!!

The American Embassy in Cairo sent out an email last week “warn[ing] U.S. citizens to defer travel to Egypt and U.S. citizens living in Egypt to depart at this time because of the continuing political and social unrest.” 

Jordan was definitely the right call. 

But in the meantime… I got my summer-after-graduation-Eurotrip that I have always dreamed of. Started in Greece then Munich (the airport is sickkkkk), Nice, La Trayas, Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Bilbao, San Sebastian and… Barcelona. And now I have been in Israel for about two weeks and I’m flying out to Jordan September 1.

I’m going to skip Greece and Munich (it really shouldn’t even be on the list. I’m just trying to make my fb geomap look more impressive.

So… La Trayas. I spent the last days of July out in this small town in the south of France just outside of Cannes with the family of one of my mom’s college roommates, Odette. After reading that my stay in Cairo was to be cut short, and that I was looking for a destination in Europe, Odette emailed my mom telling her I was welcome to join her and her family at their summer home. At first I was hesitant - I was concerned with tainting my carefully cultivated rugged backpacker persona thathas persisted since NOLS and Outward Bound in the summers after eighth and ninth grade. Pshhh, the south of France? Fine, but only if I can sleep on the floor. No pillow. And I am only bringing a small backpack with enough room for Becca Ward’s extra stuff.

But… it would have been rude to decline. I mean, she did say it would be her pleasure… And my mom had mentioned that when she visited one summer there were fresh croissants every morning for breakfast. Needless to say, I emailed Odette to let her know I would love to take her up on the offer. I mean do you see that freaking view?? How could I refuse?

So I arrived in Nice, France where I was met by Denis, a taxi driver whom Odette and her family have befriended over the years and was kindly sent to pick me up and drive me to their house. It was the first time that I wasn’t able to linguistically exploit the cab driver with some sort of conversation about the recent protests in Egypt as the French-English divide proved to be quite strong. I felt very American, as I thought to myself – how annoying that he doesn’t speak English. The drive through these small cities on the southern coast of France was spectacular. Climbing steep, narrow streets up through the hills with an ocean view. Got me second guessing Arabic as my language of study. JKKKK

Nearing the top of the hill, we finally reached Odette’s family’shouse. I should note: I had met Odette a few times over the years and knew her as my mom’s close friend and college roommate, but had few details to fill in the picture. So it turns out that Odette’s parents had built the house about 40+ years ago and had been coming every summer since. Her mother stays for the entire summer and Odette and her sisters come for varying lengths of time to be with their mother and enjoy the tranquility that this town offers. Family comes in and out over the summer, though croissants, fresh fruit and a cup of coffee for breakfast and a sit down home cooked dinner seem to be staples. And the nightly movie seemed to be a rotation of Pride & Prejudice and The Parent Trap. A wonderful 4 days.

From there I took a 12-hour train to Madrid where I met up with my parents and brother, Nadav. We traveled arpund Madrid, Granada, Cordoba, Seville and a bunch of other smaller towns and cities that my parents kept talking about how cute life would be there. I guess it's a certain stage of life. After my parents Nadav and I a few days on kur own before we met up with my grandparents in Barcelona. We decided to travel up to Northwest Spain to Bilboa or “Basque country.” Don’t call it Spain. They get pissed. 

We finally made our way to Barcelona where we met up with my grandparents. Barcelona was nice, no doubt, but what really made that leg of the trip was just being with my grandparents. Full days of walking, doing literally everything Gaudi and late night tapa dinners over a bottle of sangria... and my grandparents set the tone. Closing in on eighty and still livin large. How cool is that? 

After a long three and a half weeks of travel, I finally got back to Jerusalem for a second round of mangals (bbq) and ma'ayans (natural springs). I have been spending a lot of time with friends from maale gilboa who are at a point in their lives where they recently gotten out of the army and are soon going off traveling in Southeast Asia for the next 4-6 mounts which works out really well for me since they have time on their hands. Every time I am back in Jerusalem they take me in so quickly, inviting me to everything and anything that they might be doing. I really lucked out with these guys. Such a quality group. I find that I want to thank them for hanging out with means being such good people, but I'm not really sure how that would come off. Right? It could come off as a little much. One day maybe...

So my summer reflection: these random moments when routine is broken or there is no plan can be frustrating, unsettling and even maddening. But, with a little luck, they might open up a new door or two. There have been so many people this summer who I had thought I wouldn't see for months or even the whole year who suddenly became defining parts of my summer. Important conversations that I would otherwise never have had. Places I would have otherwise never visited. Obviously I can only say this since it seems that everything has worked out, الحمد الله. But still, it is important to embrace the next step instead of dwelling on the last (I know, deep. Take a minute with that gem). So many awesome things in life. 

Off to Amman on Sunday. 

The Holy Land and... Some More Changes

Evacuations are not as bad as they might seem. Not sure how many of you have had the chance, but I would strongly recommend traveling to a soon to be unstable country, purchase some Frontier MEDEX insurance and just wait. Insurance has always been one of those things that I know I need to have, but it kills me that I pay for it and never use it. I finally got my chance. Take that insurance company. They paid for my flight to a "safe haven" - Jerusalem -  and then one more flight - either home or elsewhere. I chose Greece. No biggie. I just spent the past week in Athens and Crete with Solomon Braun, Anna Rubin and Andrea Ucar. Boom. (Whattup BOOM playlist!! You know who you are... Add songs please!)

Solomon at his finest

Paid vacations are awesome

First class slippers or Toms?

The past week in Greece has been beautiful and relaxing and I highly recommend a visit, but I want to focus more on my time in Jerusalem. I mentioned in my last post that I was staying with my aunt and uncle in Jerusalem, seeing friends, playing basketball... all that continued. It was great. Except for my elbow... I really have been feeling so old.
I love Jerusalem. I don't know why exactly and sometimes I feel like I have to pretend to downplay my affinity for the city. I just don't feel like I have any great reasons. Granted, my experiences in Jerusalem have always been uniquely different from any other place in which I have spent time. I am not working. I am not in school. I am on vacation, living in a house stocked with food. I go and come and do as I please. Who wouldn't enjoy that? That being said, I really do love it and I think it transcends being my ultimate vacation. Walking (gavigiating?) the streets, bumping into old friends and Shabbat dinners with family that are comprised solely of salatim... every day really just feels like such a pleasure. And now that the shuk has a bunch of chill bars where you can grab a beer (or a coffee in my case)... what else could I be looking for? Even my thirst for Arabic is quenched.

Every time I am here I try to get together with some friends from Seeds of Peace. It just so happens that most of the people with whom I stayed in touch are Arab-Israeli and from a city up near Kfar Saba called Taybeh. I have made the trip up a few times to see them, but now most of them are at Hebrew University so my life has gotten much easier. I rarely leave Jerusalem when I am in Israel.

This time around I got the chance to go around the Old City with a good friend of mine, Saeed, and his friend (forgot his name... but a very nice guy). Though I have been studying Arabic for a while, this was the first time I really felt comfortable busting it out with him. It felt so good. Comfortably transitioning between Hebrew, English and Arabic, I felt this tremendous sense of accomplishment. Though my interest in Arabic in recent years has been more in the realm of Islamic law, it really began with my Seeds of Peace experience and wanting to connect and listen.... to the other.  A cliche I have grown found of in many application essays. But in all seriousness, hanging out with Saeed and *friend* that night and a couple of other experiences these past few weeks really has encouraged me to think about what type of work I could see myself doing in the region. I might give SoS Kerry a call. Or apparently Ambassador Kurtzer? Rumors about him helping lead the upcoming round of peace talks... How cool would that be??
What else? Oh, right. A few days ago CASA informed us that given the current security conditions in Egypt, CASA was being suspended for the year in Egypt. They presented us with three options. First, defer the fellowship until next year and automatically be readmitted for the 2014-2015 year. Not even on the table for me. Second, return to Cairo for the year through a program that they will call CASIC. Basically all that CASA has to offer except for the name (I know, CASA has a real ring to it) and that the funding would no longer be through the DOE, but rather AUC. Though tempting, two huge downsides. A) All fellows would have to live in the Zamalek dorms. As riveting as that was my last week in Cairo, I couldn't do that long term. B) You should turn on the news. A lot of very scary and violent rhetoric is being thrown around by both sides, yet when talking to many Egyptian friends (and even teachers!) it doesn't seem to phase them. "It is necessary," they say, or "We are tired of all the noise. It is enough already" (one of my teachers actually said that to me). Meanwhile check this to get a sense of what is going on. Mind you, it's pretty gruesome. As great as Cairo was last month and inshallah will be in the near future, I think it is the wrong choice.

So that leaves me with the third option. I will be studying Arabic for the remainder of the year (starting in September) in... drumroll... Amman, Jordan (I was debating an exclamation mark there, but I realize that might be a little premature since I have no idea what life is really like in Amman). I hear it is a little sleepy, not a ton of night life, so my weekly routine of all nighters to which I have gotten accustomed in Cairo might be coming to an end. Short-lived, but definitely whetted my tongue for some more. Oh yeah.   #Reunions2014

The program will be run through Qasid, an Arabic institute in Amman that I have heard is wonderful and demanding. I have a couple of friends who have been there so I am hoping to get some pointers of how to capitalize on this new start. Beginning a new dialect will be somewhat frustrating, but will open up new doors and opportunities... (something like that). Also, I need to start looking for an apartment, but more importantly, I am going to need a new blog title... Suggestions are welcome. Gavigating the Streets of Amman is lame.

Last two things about Arabic more generally. I learned the word for kal va khomer this week which was freakin awesome ما بالك ب or ناهيك عن. Not a perfect translation, but it works and I loved learning it. Second, I am not sure if I should be embarrassed to share this or not, but I learned a new word in English through Arabic. To calumniate - يشنّع (yushanna3) means to make false statements about (someone) (I am willing to bet that Ben is sitting there, hands crossed, feet up, thinking - obviously I know that). I feel like learning English through Arabic marks a certain stage in my Arabic journey.

Off to Nice for a few days to crash with my mom's college roommate and then Spain for a couple weeks with my family. Summer is shaping up to be just alright. 

My Exodus/Umrah

CASA's spring break this year happens to fall out the week of Passover so, planning on jumping the border to Israel, I had been telling people that I was going to be doing a true Yetziat Mitzrayim, Exodus from Egypt in the spring. Turns out my opportunity arrived slightly earlier than anticipated.

There is a concept in Islam called the Hajj, which, as many might know, is the pilgrimage to Mecca and considered to be one of the five pillars of Islam. Though the Hajj has a prescribed time, 8th - 12th Dhu al-Hijrah (whaddup lunar calendar), one can still travel to Mecca and complete many of the Hajj traditions at any point during the year. This is called Umrah. So basically, I'm calling my early departure from Egypt to Jerusalem, my umrah. I had a lot of fun thinking of these past few days in those terms. I hope you did too. But I doubt it.

I was notified that I would be evacuated to Tel Aviv on Thursday Night. Friday morning, I was on a plane via Amman. When we first got on the bus to the airport, I was a little disappointed. I was being evacuated! I wanted something to happen that would require a lot of exclamation marks when retelling the story. Weaving in and out of protests hoping we wouldn't miss the last plane. Or helicopter... that would have worked nicely. Even as the situation in Egypt was deteriorating, living in Zamalek for the week left me feeling oddly removed from the political upheaval. So I was hoping that in leaving my bubble, I would get a glimpse of "real life." And I did, ish.

Definitely wasn't there last week

Only a few minutes into the drive we saw a fleet of tanks (never thought I would be able to say "fleet of tanks" in context) stationed on the side of the road blocking traffic to a bridge nearby. Twenty minutes later we saw a stream of people making there way to/from Friday prayers on their way to a pro-Morsi rally that was taking place at Cairo University. It was predominantly middle-aged bearded men. Not a single woman. I took some video of the march, but I decided it probably wasn't the best idea. So I stopped and rolled up the window. I took some more video, but I am trying to keep my parent's blood pressure down these days.

I promise there were at least 20 more

We reached the airport safely and quickly said our goodbyes, not knowing when CASA would be reunited. Five days? Two months? Ever??? I was (am?) optimistic. I boarded a flight to Amman and from there to Tel Aviv. I did meet an interesting Israeli woman at the airport in Amman who I ended up talking to for a while. She was a vegan anarchist from Tel Aviv preaching the merits of veganism and anarchism. Shocker. She was very nice, but I couldn't stop thinking about how many different worlds I had traveled through recently. My dad captured it well in a recent email: "Princeton graduation in the afternoon. Flight to Cairo through Germany several hours later. A month settling in to your life in Cairo. Disrupted by massive protests, regime change.  Evacuation. Jordan. Israel." And a vegan anarchist. 

I was just informed that CASA has been cancelled through the summer. Though disappointing, let's be real, not surprising. They hope to restart September 1st. Though optimistic, that is a long ways away. Time will tell.

In the meanwhile, I am in Jerusalem with friends and family. Shabbat in Jerusalem, Dead Sea on Sunday, Yam L'Yam next week and basketball with friends every evening. Back to speaking Hebrew which has come flowing back to me after only a few awkward encounters in which I slip into Arabic. I am actually meeting up with a friend from Seeds of Peace later this week who will take me around the Muslim Quarter and give me a sense of Ramadan in Jerusalem. Should be cool. 

Dead Sea is awesome

Fish and Chips at the Shuk

The insurance company should contact me in the next day or two about the next step. I am pretty sure I get either a flight home or to another country. The plan is to go travel a bit in Europe until I meet up with my parents and brother August 1 in Spain. Solomon Braun and I are in negotiations about traveling together. Amsterdam? Berlin? I am taking suggestions. SERIOUSLY. All things considered, things could be worse.

In truth, life is good. 

The Day After

After hours of waiting for the army to announce it's plan, we now know what Egypt's future holds. So it's all over. The people have won. The army and the Egyptian people are one. 4lyfe.

That is the impression you might get from walking around Zamalek last night. Minutes after General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi announced the suspension of the Egyptian constitution and called for early elections, Zamalek erupted. I was out getting a bite to eat when General Sisi got up to speak. People out on the streets stormed through the doors and hovered around the TV to hear the decision. I was getting excited.

Sisi Laying Down the Law

The second he announced the suspension of the constitution, people erupted. Hugs, kisses, hi-fives. A woman standing next to me, wearing a hijab, started crying. I was tempted to throw in a little fist pump to fit in with the crowd around me, but I held back.

After reveling in their excitement for a few minutes, I left the restaurant only to be met by a parade of people walking down the main street in Zamalek. Not gonna lie, I saw a guy with a pistol. He was shooting off rounds into the sky, celebrating Egypt's... victory. Needless to stay, I quickly made my way back to the dorm where I could enjoy my celebrations in front of the TV. Where I belong.

I've been asking my Egyptian friends about the role of the army in the past days, the series of arrests that has placed over 300 Brotherhood members in prison and just... Democracy, in general. I pretty much get the same answer from everyone. The people wanted the army to step in. The army is the people. In truth, I get it. It really did feel like the army's role over the past few days was very much as a tool of the people. To ensure safety and prevent bloodshed. But arresting the entire Brotherhood leadership... where does that fit in? Preventing bloodshed maybe? Ehh, not buying it. That balance between army as protector and army as political enforcer is kind of scary.

Unfortunately, many of my conversations have been cut short because... In light of the recent events and fear of retaliations from Morsi supporters over the next few days, CASA has been asked to evacuate. Temporarily Inshallah, but still. They say they will reevaluate in 5 days.

So where to?

Tel Aviv. Things could be worse.

You choose

A Long Wait

At this point, all I can do is wait. The army's 48 hour ultimatum has come to a close. Apparently, at the invitation of the army, religious and political leaders are in talks right now and should have some sort of statement concerning a map for Egypt's future. They should be announcing it soon. Or so they said an hour and a half ago.

The Freedom and Justice Party (the official party of the Muslim Brotherhood) refused to take part in the talks. Morsi has not addressed the public since last night. In all honesty, it is probably better for him. He really dug himself quite a hole.

Morsi gave a 45 min speech last night in which he used the word "shar'iah," (الشرعية) legitimacy, 56 times. I know you all thought it was like Islamic law Shari'ah (الشريعة) and got really excited. Me too. But alas, he meant the legitimacy of his presidency (note the placement of the apostrophe), demanding that the opposition respect his legitimacy as the first democratically elected president of Egypt and work within the confines of the Egyptian constitution. Compelling, right?

But that's not new. He has been saying the same thing since day 1. It really felt like he was unaware of the millions of people out there chanting "Down with Morsi!"(I actually have no idea if it was millions. That's what Egyptians are telling me, so I will play along). There was nothing that signaled a willingness to compromise or reconsider the positions he staked out almost a month ago. I wanna give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but it's hard to see what he was expecting from that speech.

Still didn't take this picture

But what was more disturbing, was the violent rhetoric he used. At one point he said that if the cost of defending the legitimacy of his presidency was blood, then he was willing to pay that price. That his blood is a cheap price to pay for the sake of Egypt. What do you respond to that? His supporters are picking up on that rhetoric and saying they are willing to defend Morsi's legitimacy at any cost. Oy.

Morsi getting pisssssed

Egyptian's were mocking his speech. They say he and the Brotherhood are done. The army is going to show them who is boss. Yet in spite of this optimism, there is still an uneasy feeling in the air. "What's next?" I ask. "We'll see...," they say. One guy even suggested that Gamal Mubarak, Husni Mubarak's son was gonna emerge a hero and run for president. He said the people of Egypt would back him. I doubt it, but to me it points more to how lost people are. Confused.

A lot of people saying "rabbina yustur" May God protect us. No one is quite sure what the next move is.

So I wait.

Safely and indoors. Duh.

And... I might be on Al-Jazeera tonight. Stay tuned. 

June 30

So... you might have heard, but today is kind of a big day in Egypt. The Tamarod (Rebellion) Campaign was initiated at the end of April as a campaign to collect 15 million signatures by June 30 calling for Morsi to step down and for Egypt to hold early elections (probably October or so). They have collected over 22 million. Today is June 30. I would take a look at some footage from today's protests in Tahrir Square. Reminiscent of reunions. They even have tents.

Tahrir Square from about 4PM (I wasn't there... not my pic)

I don't really have much analysis of the ongoing events, but I figured I would give you a sense of some of the different perspectives I have heard from Egyptians and the general buzz around Cairo.

But first, I should mention that I am safe and sound tucked away in the Zamalek AUC campus. In anticipation of today's protests throughout Egypt, CASA requested that both Adam and I relocate to another part of the city for the weekend. On Friday afternoon when we could hear now infamous chorus of "الشعب يريد اسقاط النظام" (The people want to bring down the regime) from our bathroom, we decided it was the right call. It has been a quiet, indoor weekend.

Basically I feel like I can break down the Egyptians I have spoken to into three camps: Pro-Brotherhood, Anti-Brotherhood and those who are torn between disliking the brotherhood and fear of another revolution.

Pro-Brotherhood: Truthfully, it doesn't seem like there are that many these days. Granted I am in Cairo, which is kind of like saying there aren't many Republicans when all you've seen is NY. Though mind you I am well-versed in Texan culture as well after my extensive road trip (#Texas4eva) But even so, I am hearing more and more from people that the number of protestors outside of Cairo and other major cities is way up from the protests that brought down Mubarak two and a half years ago. Even the pro-Morsi protests seem empty.

The one Brotherhood guy who I know (met him on a microbus and then proceeded to have an hour and a half conversation with him about Egypt, June 30, American intervention. He also was convinced Romney was Jewish... Let's just say he wasn't a fan.) points to the democratic process and argues that Morsi was elected democratically, "isn't that what they want??" It seems like a fair point. What would we say to protests calling for President Obama to resign immediately? Wait a couple years and cast your vote. That is the democratic process. You can't have a revolution every time a president's approval rating drops.

Anti-Brotherhood: These guys are pissed. Morsi and the Brotherhood have wronged Egypt and its citizens. They argue that the country has never been worse. Promises of reform and a democratic process have been replaced with the Brotherhood-ization of Egypt and excluding any non-Bros from the political process.

But that is from the AUC graduates and other similarly high-cultured people. They represent the minority of the opposition. It's the people who work in coffe shops, security guards, and cabdrivers who represent the bulk of those out on the streets. They can't make a living. Electricity cuts out almost every day. And recently, there is no gas. People wait in line for up to four hours just waiting to refuel. Taxi drivers tell me they want Mubarak back. I nod along in agreement, thinking to myself - yeah, ok buddy. Sure ya do. But people are truly angry.

 I met these guys today who are convinced that this is the end of the Muslim Brotherhood not only in Egypt, but in the entire Arab world. They have been outed, they say, as backwards and perverse, twisting and manipulating Islam. One guy likened them to the Italian mob.

Gas lines

The final group I find most interesting and, truthfully, compelling. They do not like the Broskis. In many ways they believe that they have not stood by their promises to the Egyptian people. But they fear a second revolution. They fear that the economy will spiral even further downwards. They fear further bloodshed. How much more can they take? Istiqrar, stability, is a common trope. No one wants to invest in building the country because no one knows what the next day holds. My roommate, Shadeed, is fed up. Khalas, he says, zihi't (I'm fed up). He is planning on moving to Qatar after Ramadan. Who can blame him? 

The weeks leading up to these protests have been really exciting for me. The pulse of the city has been defined by the preparations for the protests and the constant campaigning of "Inzil" - Go down (to the protests). I get to sit in on conversation about people's hopes and visions for the future of Egypt and sometimes share my own thoughts, trying sometimes to push and pry. But this is not my country. I am a visitor. I can enjoy all the excitement and fervor, but at the end of the day, I do not have the existential fear that simply being Egyptian entails these days. Watching the protests is exhilarating, sure, but what's next?

Allahu 'Alam. God knows best. 

Some footage of the protests from the weekend. Not mine.

This picture is just for funzies. A gem from a street just off of Tahrir.

I do not support this

3 Weeks Down...

I have taken a short hiatus from blogging since when I think about the fact that I am blogging, I second guess myself. Me? I don't blog. But that is silly, right? Just gotta do it. Or maybe I can just use the Yavneh-ite Byte forum? Ay, Julie?

So now that I am 3 weeks into CASA I can fill y'all in a little bit more about what my life has looked like over the past weeks.

I wake up everyday around 7:45-8ish. Class begins at 9 and it is about a twenty minute commute to my classes in Zamalek so I have some time in the morning to check my email and catch some headlines. With the buildup to the June 30th protests here in Egypt I have been trying to stay relatively informed in order to both to help fuel conversations with Egyptian friends and also to help me figure out how to spin the stories when talking to my parents. Jokes, jokes. More on June 30th to come.

AUC Zamalek Dorms

My typical school day is 9-1:20. Really not bad. Kind of reminds me of my schedule in first and second grade when living in Jerusalem. I have two hours of MSA (Fusḥa) in the morning and then two hours of Egyptian Colloquial in the afternoon. Which is really still morning since my days are so short. Classes on a whole are very solid. I am definitely learning and I still love learning the language, but I am somewhat underwhelmed by the program itself. At the end of the day, it is just another Arabic program. I am not quite sure what I expected, but even in terms of its intensity, it doesn't feel all that different than previous Arabic classes I've been in, with the exception of Arabic 402 this last semester. That was just absurd. I hear things pick up in the Fall Semester so I guess I am looking forward to that, mish kidda? (lit: is it not so? but used all the freakin time somewhat rhetorically for emphasis. It is also used when arguing with someone and you want them to acknowledge your point and concede that you are right.)

Since classes end early and the workload has not been terrible, I have been exploring different ways of getting back home in the afternoon. The two best options have been microbuses and walking. I am not sure if microbuses are a real thing, but here they are basically shitty vans that shuttle people around the city for half an Egyptian pound. That is 7 pennies. Absurd. Once in a while it gets pretty crowded so you end up hanging off the side a bit and holding on real tight. Good thing my elbow is rock solid. The warm, fresh Cairo breeze is always welcome though. Nope, it's disgusting. 

A fleet of Egyptian microbuses

My alternative to busing has been walking which I have really enjoyed. It is about a 45-50 minute walk and is basically a straight shot down the Corniche, which is the road that runs along the Nile. Depending on what time I walk back, I also walk through an area where the call to prayer is blasted. I love it. I really wish we had something like that. (That is basically what I hear. I took my own recording, but I have no idea how to upload it. So I figured I'd mooch)

Most of the walk is pretty straightforward, but as we (Adam and I) worked to perfect our walking path we discovered a wonderful little shortcut that really makes me feel like I am in Egypt every time I use it. Since the revolution two years ago a lot of the streets downtown (especially near Tahrir Square) are blocked off with huge cement walls that are strategically located to deflect traffic near government buildings. I, too, suffer from these impasses since I am smack in the middle of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice and the People's Assembly - all beloved arms of the Egyptian government. I would add a picture, but I am not allowed to casually take pictures of government buildings. 

But back to the shortcut. I am also a five minute walk from the American Embassy! . FYI, it is closed Sunday and Monday. The embassy is probably the most well protected establishment in Egypt. No joke, there are typically 50 or so police officers around the embassy. To be fair, they are mostly sitting around, napping, smoking hitting their fellow comrades or napping (yes, I know I wrote that twice. Emphasis). The embassy is also about a five minute walk from Tahrir Square so there is a big wall blocking cars from passing through. But... There is a hole in the side of the wall that opens up to Corniche and significantly reduces my travel time. Not to mention that I introduced my Egyptian roommate to the shortcut. Whatever, not like I'm a pro or anything, no biggie.

My Hole

Outside of classes, my life consists of a lot of coffee and tea. I have been trying to go to ahwas fairly regularly as that is the heart of Egyptian culture. On the weekends I end up going out every night with some friends and just kinda hanging out, talking, playing backgammon, and listening to people's thoughts about the upcoming protests. It has been great having Shadeed (my Egyptian roommate) around since he is always super welcoming and invites us wherever he goes.  Mind you I end up staying out until 3 or 4 in the morning. Once even 6. Isn't that what college is supposed to be like? #PASYisrael #Golfcourse

At this point I am racking up the phone numbers and creating a solid little crew for myself. And it's almost exclusively in Arabic! Kinda cool having Egyptians calling me to hang out and even baking me a cake for my birthday! Legit have not really had extensive conversations with many of the CASA people so far. Though I am planning on remedying that.

I also had the chance to go to al-Azhar (a big mosque) and Khan Khalili (a huge open-air shuq, suq in Arabic) with Sammy Schatz who is here for a month or so studying Arabic. The suq is not really my scene -  noisy, dirty and a lot of crap to buy. But al-Azhar is great. You walk into the mosque and people are just sitting around in the shade reading the Quran, maybe some hadith and fiqh. Basically  throwback to my senior thesis. What could be better. We also paid one of the workers to let us up in the minaret which has a beautiful view of the city and really lets the different shades of brown to come through strongly. I am hoping to set up some sort of chevrutah with an imam or sheikh at al-Azhar in the fall to go through some fiqh manuals and just learn some of the basics.

I am hoping to write another post pretty soon about June 30 and throw out some thoughts and observations about the weeks leading up to this weekend and how it has affected me. Stay tuned.

The Weekend

I want to start out by thanking Sarah Meyer. This should have been in the first post, but Sarah is the originator of the blog's title. Her wit should not go unnoticed. Sarah, wallahi thank you. YOU DA BEST!

I feel like I really settled in this weekend. The Egyptian weekend is Friday and Saturday, so after our four hour orientation on Thursday (I had to leave for Cairo eight hours after graduation in order to arrive on time for this important orientation...) I was free to roam around, get acquainted with my neighborhood shwaya (means "a little" or "slowly." It is a must-know word) and hang out with my roommates.

On Friday I formally met my Egyptian roommate, Ahmed Shadid. He had been living with the CASA people who lived in my apartment before me and was highly recommended as he only speaks Arabic with us and can help out with random Egypt-specific things that might occasionally arise. He is living in the makeshift room I mentioned for free and I'm pretty sure he isn't working these days but he is hoping to move to Qatar for a while, find a job and make some money. I told him I know a guy there who is (was?) pretty well connected there and that I could put them in touch. Too far?

Ahmed Shadid

He took us around on Friday to a couple of the local cafes, or ahwas, and he introduced us to some of his friends who live in the area. You have to understand that ahwas are a huge part of Egyptian social life and one can easily spend 2-3 hours chillin with a small cup of turkish coffee. We probably spent a total of five hours split between two ahwas! (I exclaim for you, Jeremy)  I'm not sure if it was just because we were two (two being myself and Adam, one of my roommates) random Americans with these groups of Egyptians, but there was a lot of silence. At first I felt a little uncomfortable with the flow of our conversations, thinking maybe we were unwanted, but looking at the other groups around us it seemed like the long silent pauses were common, almost embraced. On a Friday afternoon in 106 degree heat in downtown Cairo, the pace of life simply slows down. Kinda nice actually.

The Nile!

Later that evening we went to a birthday party for Shadid's friend. Even though the party itself was not really my style (think Tower, but smaller. Haha?), it was pretty cool. There were probably about 40 or so people in this guy's apartment dancing, talking, and eating (not the cool part yet) and I think 12 different nationalities were represented. Americans (whaddup), Egyptians, French, German, Sudanese (yes, both North and South), Central African Republic and more. Though English was dominant, I heard a number of others being used throughout the room. Out of all places in the world, I figured Cairo would be relatively homogeneous. I asked Shadid about the diversity of the crowd and he said it was very typical of the crowd in which he hung out. Though not your average Egyptian, still pretty cool to know that a party like that is happening in Cairo.

Sunday we had another day of orientation at the new AUC campus which is way out in the middle of nowhere. It is about an hour+ drive way out in the middle of New Cairo (see map) The old campus which is still somewhat functional is located downtown about 5 minutes from Tahrir Square so though a cool area to be in, not so much these days.

I start class tomorrow morning which I am genuinely excited about. Even over the past few days I have felt that my Egyptian dialect has kicked up so I'm hoping to get some new words and phrases to play around with. It's like a big puzzle and I keep getting new pieces to mess around with. Love it.

Arrival

The past few days, wallahi (I'll include one new Arabic phrase/word in every post), have been a bit crazy. After a weekend of reunions, the equivalent of a long weekend of graduations, I have finally arrived in Cairo - my home for the next 12 months. I am living in Mounira, a quiet area safely tucked away among scattered decrepit government building. Apparently that is a good thing since it means fewer blackouts, especially during the summer months. I also happen to be living about a 12 minute walk from Tahrir Square, but I will let those proficient in white text to figure that out. Hey friends!!
A brief synopsis of my living arrangements: 3/4 bedrooms (we have a makeshift room in the living room where a pretty cool Egyptian guy is living at the moment), 2 baths, a kitchen, a nice large living room with like 10 very regal-looking chairs. I have my own room with a queen size bed, a couple of chairs and a massive closet that will house my extensive wardrobe. If anyone is looking for some extra storage... The view from my room is kinda blah, but then again, the color scheme in Cairo ranges from fawn to sepia according to this brown/orange hue chart.

Living Room

Makeshift Room

A View from My Room

Truthfully on a whole it was a pretty slow first day. Started early with the CASA orientation in Zamalek, the small island in the middle of Cairo smack in the middle of the Nile. Due to certain security concerns as of two and a half years ago, the American University in Cairo campus that previously housed CASA is closed. So our classes are being held in the AUC dormitory in Zamalek where I lived exactly three years ago. Such fond memories. Out of the 29 students participating in the program this year, I knew five and had one degree of separation from about eight or nine more. I realized I am much better at Arabic geography than that other type. (Jewish)

After a delicious ful (fava beans) sandwich for lunch and a few mishaps in figuring out my phone situation (apparently Verizon will unlock your iPhone for free, who knew?) we headed out to Dokki (another neighborhood in Cairo where many CASA people live) where we dined at a Yemen(ite?) restaurant, apparently a must for all Americans coming to Cairo for the year. While the vegetarian cuisine was lacking, I had my first experience of the ongoing blackouts in Egypt when we first walked into the restaurant. Ahh, I was also mistaken for a Syrian today in the taxi ride over to the CASA facilities. Not sure how much that means to other people, but for me, it's why I'm here. It's gonna be a good year.