"Say what you like about Egyptians but don't ever question their religion. We are talking about a people who refuse to represent the prophet Muhammad, even in their own art. To have a film degrading this holy figure is... uncomprehendable for them." -Our Egyptian Professor on the first day of class
We have made it to Egypt. I will start by reassuring everyone that I am completely safe. We are living on an island surrounded by the Nile, called Zamelak. It is very secluded and very wealthy, Doug calls it the 'Manhattan of Cairo'. We are living in the dormitories for the AUC (American univeristy of Cairo). They have strict rules including completely segregated rooms, bag checks, and armed guards just to name a few. To us these rules seem ridiculously harsh, but perhaps parents are reassured by the added security (I asked whether it was to keep rioters out or for controlling students, but our guide choose not to answer). We've had class everyday, ate at all the local restaurants, and played basketball in the yard (me and Conner are dominating despite our team being made up of a ginger and a Brit). We have promised not to leave the island, and for the most part have complied.
Not that we haven't seen the results from the riots. We get TV just like everyone else. And we've seen the effects. Perhaps later I will share my experiences and my reflections, but for now its just enough to say that this American who promoted this video has brought shame to the entire nation of the US and has made our trip, unfortunately, a little less pleasent. (I will share a picture of one of the buildings burned in the January riots, which were obviously far worse).
Lets move on to happier things. I've had fresh fruit for breakfast every day (mostly kiwi's and mangoes) and we don't have to worry about cockroaches, spiders, and other bugs since Conner (my roommate) found a gecko in his shorts the first day. In honor of Eddard Stark we have named him Ned, and he will protect us. Class has been really interesting, however after two classes of Arabic I am still unable to do more than order and say thank you. The Egyptians have been really nice on the island, a woman helped us get a cab to the museum yesterday and rode with us so we wouldn't get overcharged (the price? 1 US dollar for the whole cab ride). After playing basketball yesterday one of the staff brought out a soccer ball. "Talaata rikibt waahid" he said, by which he meant three on one, a well known soccer drill. My two friends raised the eyebrows at me, he was a larger man after all. But I have played with Jorge enough at this point not to judge by appearance and sure enough he had us chasing the ball in no time, despite his flip-flops.
The sites have not disappointed either. I could easily spend another day at the museum, seeing everything from the mummies, to statues, to giant statues, to walls full of hieroglyphs. The pyramids and the sphinx, while clichéd, were amazing. If it wasn't for our run-ins with the merchants and swindlers, I would never leave. Camel riding was perhaps my favorite part of the day. I felt like I was on Tatooine, surrounded by all the sand-dunes. (Plus my camel would make a wookie sound everytime I scratched his head). We wanted to rent camels for the day after that and just ride out into the desert. (I've been reading t.e. Lawrences seven pillars of wisdom so I totally would too.)
Well that's enough for now. We leave on a 6 day excursion tomorrow so I'll have more to share when we return. Hopefully the riots will be all done by then!
-JT
We have made it to Egypt. I will start by reassuring everyone that I am completely safe. We are living on an island surrounded by the Nile, called Zamelak. It is very secluded and very wealthy, Doug calls it the 'Manhattan of Cairo'. We are living in the dormitories for the AUC (American univeristy of Cairo). They have strict rules including completely segregated rooms, bag checks, and armed guards just to name a few. To us these rules seem ridiculously harsh, but perhaps parents are reassured by the added security (I asked whether it was to keep rioters out or for controlling students, but our guide choose not to answer). We've had class everyday, ate at all the local restaurants, and played basketball in the yard (me and Conner are dominating despite our team being made up of a ginger and a Brit). We have promised not to leave the island, and for the most part have complied.
Not that we haven't seen the results from the riots. We get TV just like everyone else. And we've seen the effects. Perhaps later I will share my experiences and my reflections, but for now its just enough to say that this American who promoted this video has brought shame to the entire nation of the US and has made our trip, unfortunately, a little less pleasent. (I will share a picture of one of the buildings burned in the January riots, which were obviously far worse).
Lets move on to happier things. I've had fresh fruit for breakfast every day (mostly kiwi's and mangoes) and we don't have to worry about cockroaches, spiders, and other bugs since Conner (my roommate) found a gecko in his shorts the first day. In honor of Eddard Stark we have named him Ned, and he will protect us. Class has been really interesting, however after two classes of Arabic I am still unable to do more than order and say thank you. The Egyptians have been really nice on the island, a woman helped us get a cab to the museum yesterday and rode with us so we wouldn't get overcharged (the price? 1 US dollar for the whole cab ride). After playing basketball yesterday one of the staff brought out a soccer ball. "Talaata rikibt waahid" he said, by which he meant three on one, a well known soccer drill. My two friends raised the eyebrows at me, he was a larger man after all. But I have played with Jorge enough at this point not to judge by appearance and sure enough he had us chasing the ball in no time, despite his flip-flops.
The sites have not disappointed either. I could easily spend another day at the museum, seeing everything from the mummies, to statues, to giant statues, to walls full of hieroglyphs. The pyramids and the sphinx, while clichéd, were amazing. If it wasn't for our run-ins with the merchants and swindlers, I would never leave. Camel riding was perhaps my favorite part of the day. I felt like I was on Tatooine, surrounded by all the sand-dunes. (Plus my camel would make a wookie sound everytime I scratched his head). We wanted to rent camels for the day after that and just ride out into the desert. (I've been reading t.e. Lawrences seven pillars of wisdom so I totally would too.)
Well that's enough for now. We leave on a 6 day excursion tomorrow so I'll have more to share when we return. Hopefully the riots will be all done by then!
sounds pretty awesome Jordan
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