Trip to Sinai Peninsula

So I have not written a blog for almost two weeks now and I am kind of dissappointed because I have probably forgotten a lot of things. From what I can recall, these last two weeks have been the best here and I am A LOT more confident with using the language. I really enjoy being able to hold conversations with people now about important subjects as politics or life in Egypt.

This past week I was really not able to get on the internet too much because I took a trip to Sinai for 5 days which was absolutley magnificent. As we were traveling it was really cool to look on the map and realize that I was crossing under the Suez Canal or so close to Gaza, all these places that you here of in history or in the newspaper everyday. The trip from Alexandria through Sinai was very long totaling about 13 hours driving across the desert.

Although the Sinai is a homeland to many historic tribes and sites including the Bedouins and St. Catherine(first monestary in the world), present day Sinai is no different than Cancun during college spring break. About thirty years ago, the Sinai peninsula was basically all desert inhabited by the locals until the Egyptians started investing heavily especially in the coastal area and visitors from Europe and Israel began flocking the area for summer vacations.Today the summers in Sharm el Sheikh consist of late nights drinking,dancing in nightclubs, snorkeling, and

just feeling like you are in paradise

On the first two days of the trip to Sinai we stopped in a small town called Dahab which felt a little more Egyptian than the second city we visited called Sharm El Sheikh

. The first night before reaching Dahab the group of us climbed to the top of Mount Sinai which is believed to be the same mountain where Prophet Musa /Moses first spoke with God and received a message that is popularly known as the Ten Commandments. Although it was a really amazing experience, it was also one of the most frightening because we had to climb up the mountain all night without much light except for our cell phones in order to avoid the blazing heat of the dessert during the day. This challenge with the combination of my fear of heights practically caused me to have a few breakdowns while we were going up (and down) . But, once we reached the top and watched the sun rise and prayed at the same spot where Prophet Musa once stood it was definitely worth it. On the way down I also wanted to go inside St. Catherine's Monastery but unfortunately it was closed which was a really big loss because Prophet Mohammad's (pbuh) hand prints are actually signed on a document inside the Monastery which protected the church from being destroyed under Muslim rule

Once we reached Dahab we rested for a while and than went snorkeling in the Red Sea. The Red Sea is extremely beautiful; the water is crystal clear and the sand is white which makes it a great vacation spot. Snorkeling was awesome, I got to see coral , a sting ray, and all sorts of fish. Our hotel was also gorgeous, reminded me some what of Greece because all the buildings were white against the background of the bright blue sea. The second day in Dahab we went on what Egyptians called a "Safari", which in reality was just a ride to canyon that we climbed into. It was similar to the Grand Canyon and was really fun because we had to climb through a lot of tiny little caves and over some big rocks. At one point I fell and really thought I twisted my ankle but thankfully I was okay

Later that same day we left for Sharm El Sheik which is a city at the southern most tip of the Sinai. It was really cool because across the Red Sea from Sharm you could see Saudi Arabia and some parts of Jordan. Sharm was the most relaxing (definitely after climbing a mountain and canyon) portion of the trip. Most of the time in Sharm was spent just walking along the boardwalk and swimming where I probably saw the most ethnicities in one place at a time in my entire life. Sharm was just filled with Israelis, Europeans, Egyptians, and Russians which was pretty interesting. A group of us also went out in the city one night and just ended up at Fridays because a lot of the places were very expensive but we still had a good time

On the last day, we spent the entire day on a yacht in the Mediterranean Sea where we snorkeled ,at lunch, and swam

Although I definitely enjoyed my trip a lot , I definitely felt like I was far away from Egypt and the culture. One of the most disappointing things that I witnessed in Sinai was that the hotel staff and tourist business seemed to treat foreigners better than their own people. There was definitely some corruption in Sinai, I mean if it is a city like Las Vegas or Cancun during spring break I guess it is expected to see really trashy people. Some of what I saw in Sharm was really disrespectful to Egyptian or Islamic culture, especially those tourists who say they have been to Egypt when they really have only traveled to Sinai which is so different from the real Egypt. I especially didn't like how the Egyptians seem to be so tolerant of this and so willing to treat fellow Egyptians as second class citizens all for the money

Similar to issues with Native Americans in the US, when the Egyptian government gained back the occupied lands of the Sinai from Israel and started investing in the Sinai they pushed the local Bedouins off their land without any sort of compensation. Today there still remains about 600,000 Bedouins from 12 tribes in the Sinai but there is barely any jobs or running water for these groups. The relationship between the Bedouins and Egypt is not very good and as a result many of the tribes are turning towards smuggling weapons and goods between Israel and Sinai to make a living. Also, some are making statements against the Egyptian government by immersing their anger in Islamic militancy which has resulted in a few deaths and terrorist attacks at sites in the Sinai. I read in the newspaper that the Egyptian government doesn't really view Sinai as part of Egypt. I guess since tourism makes up around 12% of the GDP desperate times call for desperate measures

I guess I just think this whole conflict is really interesting because I related it back to the independent research on Western occupation in the Middle East I did this past semester with Professor Nadine Naber. I read a lot of books and articles of how the current war in Iraq felt like an occupation by groups of Iraqis and other Arabs who had been occupied by Western powers before. This group included Egyptians because they only recently gained their independence from the British. The entire semester I read a lot about how the history of occupation in the Middle East by the West causes Arabs today to feel like this war is actually an occupation by the West again and how Americans are ignorant to consider this history. In other words, whether or not it is a war against terrorism or to spread democracy, because the East has been occupied before the Arabs view it solely as an occupation of their lands

In the Sinai, it was intriguing to see the other side of this view, where it is almost as if Egypt has given permission to Europeans and other groups who vacation in the Sinai to have a good time drinking and dancing at the cost of their indigenous tribes- the Bedouins. After all my work during the school year, it seems like some Arabs might be quick to defend their lands against Western imperialism and occupation but open the door for an industry that brings in the money at the cost of their own people. Whats the difference between a direct and aggressive occupation or one where the host country allows a form of occupation to occur? Essentially nothing; and that is really want is happening. Egyptian bureaucracy has extended a warm welcome for travelers to take advantage of the indigenous tribes. Maybe for once Americans are not the only peoples that are a little hypocritical

Anyways, despite those thoughts I admittedly can't complain about my own experience to Sinai because it was amazing. Just that I wouldn't like to spend my entire two months of Egypt there. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think

The Family of my Roommate

Last night I went to my Egyptian roommates (Enas) brother's graduation party from the Egyptian Maritime Academy. I was kind of nervous to meet her family because I figured it might be awkward if they did not understand my Arabic or vise versa. It was a little awkward when we first arrived because Enas left me and other American girls alone with her cousin as we waited for a taxi. His name was Raaid and he is from upper Egypt so the dialect he spoke in really differed from what I have been used to. I wanted to laugh out loud for the first twenty minutes or so that I was alone with him because it was probably the most awkward encounter I have had with an Egyptian man here so far. Eventually he loosened up and we ended up talking more throughout the evening.

Enas's family was so amazing and I am so glad I got to meet them. All of her family was at the ceremony except for her youngest brother and stepmother who are still back in Kuwait. It was a whole lot of fun and I found it really funny because even though I kept asking her younger brother and sister to speak in Arabic they insisted at speaking in English because they wanted to correct their language. After the ceremony we all went out to eat and were out until about 1 am. I just wanted to write about it because for some unknown reason it was probably one of the best nights I have had out in Egypt so far and it wasn't even with Americans. I am really thankful for my roommate because she is really helpful with my language and making me feel welcome. I am hoping to an Egyptian wedding at the beginning of July and see all of Enas's family there.

Week 3 in Misr

The night before I left for Egypt I spent some time with my cousin in Washington DC during the pre-departure orientation. As we waited at a bus station to take us to Georgetown, a middle aged Asian woman approached us in broken English asking about the difference between the meaning of a consultant and a client. After we spent some time attempting to explain the meaning she moved closer and closer to us. She must have sensed our discomfort because she eventually walked away although she was not completely satisfied with the lesson. At the time I looked at my cousin and chuckled, not fully grasping what it was like to be in the woman's shoes.

This past week in Egypt has been the toughest for me as I have been forced to approach many Egyptians in the street for the same reasons the Asian woman approached me in DC. At my orientation in Washington, I learned that Americans studying abroad usually follow a circle of stages with the first being fascination followed by frustration. My emotions have been on a roller coaster this week as I have approached many people in broken Arabic. Some people laugh, some say "velcome, velcome, America," some walk away, and some even ask to get married (no joke). Despite these reactions, I will say the Egyptians have been a lot more helpful than most Americans are to foreigners. I can't speak for all, but had I known what that Asian women was going through three weeks ago I would have been a lot more helpful.

When I blogged at the end of the Cairo trip, I thought I was going to be starting the week refreshed and on a high note. Unfortunately, this week really did not start off so great. For some reason I went through some sort of withdrawal at the beginning of this week and felt incredibly lonely. Its not the lack of people physically near me, its just a loneliness at the core. It kind of reminded me of my first welcome week at the University of Michigan. I was meeting people by the dozens but still felt super lonely because it was impossible to connect with anyone (except my roomie Chiray :)) on a deep level just amongst parties or freshman university events. Mostly, I think I was getting upset with myself because I would sometimes talk in English with the Americans and when I would attempt to talk in Arabic with the Egyptians I was usually misunderstood. Thus, I just felt like talking to no one. Yet because I felt lonely I ended up going out with my American friends for the first three nights of the week. My decision was counteractive to my learning because I just spent hours talking in English.

Tuesday afternoon was basically when I reached my breaking point and I was happy that I confided in my program director. I think she left me with some good advice seeing that she is American and has been living abroad for many years. I also decided that eating a lot of junk food here and not exercising is probably not the most beneficial thing for my mental health either. Also, in America I am used to a lot of alone time to reflect; I especially like going for runs by myself. These issues, along with making decisions about going out with Americans or spending time with the Egyptian girls although I might not understand a lot of what they say, added up all at once.

Thus, on Wednesday morning before class I decided to go on a walk by myself. I was a little scared because I have not done too much alone here, but rest assured it was safe. I can't complain much about taking my morning walk along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea because it is stunning. This is probably my favorite part of why I am in Alexandria over Cairo. It was a really good choice to go on a walk because it helped clear my head and I decided that I was just going to try my best with the language, start spending more time with Egyptians, and not put too much pressure on myself. The most important thing that I concluded was that I am only in Egypt for two months so I just need to use my time with Egyptians here as best as I can.

Since than, the rest of the week went much better. On Wednesday night I went to this really nice dessert place with my Language Partner and we had a pretty interesting conversation about Muslims in America. We also talked a little about what the Egyptian public thought of President Hosni Mubarak which got quite intense. Most American girls here are intimidated of their language partners because having long meetings with them can get quite awkward after you run out of things to say in Arabic. However, I really like my language partner because she is actually an English teacher so she is really good at teaching me Arabic.

The weekend here was the best of the two I have spent in Alexandria so far because the Egyptian girls finished their final exams so they actually have time to get out of the house now. On Thursday my friend Ola took me to the market and afterwards I went the beach with a bunch of the Egyptian girls from my floor. The beach scene here is definitely contrasting with America's beaches because most girls are just swimming in their clothes, some even in their Abayas.

As for the rest of the weekend, I went to my first Egyptian concert which was really really cool. I also got a chance to just walk around the Corniche (like a boardwalk) with tons of restaurants and cute places to hang out late at night which I have not done too much since living here. Besides this, I went to a really classy mall called San Stefano with the Egyptian girls on my floor.

Unfortunately, some of my favorite Egyptians are returning back home for the summer this week which stinks. However, I am looking forward to spending more time with my roommate when she finishes her exams this coming Wednesday. Tomorrow I am actually going to meet her family at her brother's graduation so I am really pumped too see what a real Egyptian party is like.

My goal for my blog this week is to start writing more often because I am forgetting a lot of what I feel by the end of the week. Also, pics as promised as soon as I get a cord to upload! Thanks for reading.

Cairo

So this past weekend (Thursday-Saturday here) everyone with the Flagship program visited the capital of Egypt, Cairo and it was absolutely amazing. I was really impressed with the entire trip and how organized it was and really enjoyed myself.

Traveling with us to Cairo were also some Egyptian guests including one of my professors and his kids, language partners, and room mates. My professors two sons were absolutely adorable. One was named Ahmed and he was around 5 years old and basically spent the entire weekend with us. I think all the American students got a kick out of it because he was helping me with a lot of my homework. It was also funny because I could not understand a lot of what he said because he talked so fast in Arabic but he was so cute!

On the trip, I also discovered that my professor is also an active writer for one of the most famous newspapers in Egypt known as Al-Ahramath. Apparently, his dad was a mogul in the newspaper industry here and we got to talk a lot about the business. I found it really interesting because there are a lot of Egyptian newspapers available online here for free but the industry is not really facing the same crisis as in the United States. My professor told me that although some people prefer to read the paper online for free, it is an important part of the culture to read and discuss the paper in print. I thought it was the same thing in the US, but I guess what I have observed here is a lot of people just sitting in cafes or shops in the morning reading the paper. I am really interested to learn more about how the successful preservation of print journalism in the Middle East differs from America.

Right when we arrived on Thursday night we had dinner on a Nile cruise ship which was so amazing and the food was really good. That same night we also took a trip on a small boat all across the Nile. It was so beautiful because the skyline of Cairo was glowing against the water.

Cairo was definitely a lot nicer and developed than I expected. Its no New York City, but there is tons to do, great nightlife, and REALLY hot weather. It must have reached 90-95 F while we were there and those temperatures were just during the end of spring.

On Friday morning first we went to go see Saqqara, which is the first pyramid ever built.
After lunch in a really good Egyptian restaurant, we went to go see the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. The Pyramids were amazing, it was hard to believe that I was in front of one of the seven wonders of the world because it happened really fast. I was surprised that you could drive up really close to the Pyramids (of course touching is not allowed). It was kind of weird because I expected it to be a lot more official but its literally the city right across from the Pyramid. It was strange seeing a skyline full of tall office buildings and than behind them were Pyramids. Also, the Sphinx as I read in a travel guide is "like a celebrity, a lot smaller in person." The Sphinx was a lot smaller and less impressive than I imagined from photos and films.

While we were visiting all the sites it was really weird to feel like a tourist because I have not had that feeling since arriving in Alexandria. At all the sites there were tons and tons of Europeans and Asians and also I think all the tour buses and guides added to my feelings. I really disliked bring a tourist for the weekend because it kind of pulled away from my mentality that I am living in Egypt vs. vacationing in Egypt. We are not taking another trip with the group for about a month so hopefully I can feel at home for a while.

Around the pyramids and sites there were also tons of street vendors selling souvenirs. It was strange because for selling items in the streets a lot of them spoke perfect English. They were really annoying after a while though because they would not leave you alone until you bought something. However, I started feeling bad because a lot of young kids followed me and asked me to buy things. It was kind of silly, but when we were leaving the pyramids one little boy almost followed me onto the bus and as the door was closing kept begging me to buy some model pyramids for 10 Egyptian pounds (=less than 2 dollars). I seriously just started crying and ended up paying even double because I got emotional and my Egyptian friends kept laughing at me.

On Friday night, a group of my friends from Michigan State who are in the program took me out with one of their friends from the same school who has an internship with the Arab league for the summer. She was really sweet and took us to a cafe at the Marriott. It was fun but relatively very expensive and upper class. However, I was really glad I went because the group of us got to talk to her a lot about Egyptian politics from an American perspective and have shisha:)

The next and last morning before our return we visited the citadel of Saladin, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, a church, and synagogue. The Mosque was stunning and it was really cool to see the old Islamic architecture. I thought it was amazing that such a beautiful place was built under Muhammad Ali rule in Egypt and really cool because when there was no electricity they used to light the entire mosque using candles. Because of this, there were enormous chandeliers of candles all over the Mosque.

Although there are very Jews in Egypt today a few synagogues still remain. For some of the Egyptian students traveling with us it was there first time to ever see a synagogue so I was really interested to see how they would react to the idea. Although there are obviously some political divisions between the two groups, everyone was interested to see the temple. Noticeably, when we entered the synagogue there was a Muslim man coincidentally praying right outside the door.

After going inside the Church we headed back to Alexandria. The week so far here has been good although the temperature is slowly creeping up. Today I had to give a presentation on one of my favorite writers Naguib Mahfouz who was one of the first Arabs to win the Nobel Prize in literature. I learned that he is not as well liked as I expected in the Middle East because his writings were quite politically and religiously controversial. We also had a minor debate in class about the war in ME and whether or not Iran should be allowed to keep nuclear weapons. I guess I assumed everyone here would say yes, but it was intriguing to here the different perspectives.

I am hoping this weekend should be pretty fun. I am planning on going to a concert with some friends. Sadly, I forgot my cord to upload my pictures for my camera so I need to find another which should not be too hard. Will write soon again, Thanks!

I have been thinking about starting a blog now for a while and when I have finally sat down to write it seems really hard. I don't think its hard because I have nothing to write about, there are just an endless number of stories and because I have not really kept a record of them up to date its difficult to recall everything.

I guess I could start with my earliest memory of Egypt, which was the first night I arrived in Alexandria. After a 15 hour journey without sleep, the only thought on my mind was sleep. However, my plans were quickly changed as soon as I set foot inside of my dorm where I was suddenly swarmed without about 50 Egyptian female college students all loudly welcoming me and grabbing at me in a language foreign to me. I remember thinking that my roommate seemed really sweet but I did not understand what she was saying and honestly all I wanted to do was cry and ask myself why I agreed to move across the world for two months. That night I really thought I had a mistake by coming to Egypt because I did not understand anything anyone was saying. It was probably one of the most overwhelming experiences for me here so far.

Naturally, my comfort level here in Egypt has progressed quickly throughout the past two weeks. Obviously the biggest challenge for me has been the language and it takes an incredible amount of patience, confidence, and drive in order to even be able to hold a decent conversation with someone. The biggest frustration for me since I arrived has been that I only studied a type of Arabic known as Fusha in the US which is the Modern Standard Form used in news and media only across the Middle East. Every educated Arab understands Fusha in order to speak with Arabs of other countries. However, each Arabic speaking country has their own special dialect. Despite being aware of this fact before I left, I did not expect the Arabic I studied in the US to be so different from the colloquial dialect. Little did I know its almost like learning a completely different language and so far I have only mastered basic sentences. Thus, it can be a really discouraging experience at times because the Arabic I diligently studied for two years is not even applicable to rudimentary conversations in the street.

Despite my experiences with the language the transition into the Egyptian culture has been fairly easy. I definitely feel that some of my American peers are frustrated and suffering from this adjustment but I think it has been easier for me because in some ways since Egypt is like Pakistan. In my opinion, the conditions for foreigners and quality of life in Egypt is much better than Pakistan (no offense cousins, I still love to visit you). Because of this, I feel that I am used to the catcalling in the street, staring, or Muslim practices here that might seem strange or disturbing to my peers. Its weird because sometimes I feel almost to the point where it creeps me out how comfortable and close I feel to a foreign culture.

Of course, I have still had to adjust to dressing more conservatively than what I would traditionally wear in America, the food, and habits. One thing I read over and over again before traveling to Egypt was that the people spend a lot more time together and consider alone time sad. Now that I am here I am definitely a witness to the magnitude of time people spend together and care about each other. The girls in my dorm spend every moment they are awake together chatting, staying up all night, and having fun together. And they seem to be so involved in each others lives and care about each other so much. It never seems like they are in a bad mood (or maybe just because I don't understand everything they are saying) because everyday every person I pass in the building or on the street asks me how I am, how my stay is, or if I need anything. Even my roommate Enas is just so sweet, she never seems to get frustrated that I am very slow at communication or need help with my homework all the time. People always make time for each other here whether they have a loaded schedule or not. I think that Americans could learn a lot from this practice where we usually focus on ourselves first.

Of course, I don't think I would be as comfortable as I am without knowing that in every room next to me there is an American girl to confide in. There are three girls that I am really close. One is from U-M (Farhana) and the other to are from Michigan State (Fatima and Raven). I think we are going to get really close this summer and I am glad that they are here with me because we all seem to connect really well. However, at the same time, there is a downside to living with Americans because I have a habit of speaking English with them which is not good for my learning. I am hoping that in the next few days I am really going to break this bad habit.

Anyways, tomorrow the program is traveling to Cairo to see the Pyramids and I am so excited. After I return I am going to hopefully starting writing more specifically on my experiences with the Egyptian people and culture. Also I need to start hustling with my Arabic studies so I can begin speaking more. Hopefully pictures also. Thanks for reading :)