Night 4

After a day of classes, I realized that taking the metro/microbus was a lot easier of way home than taking a taxi to who knows where. I got home and spent a lot of time doing "wageb". Mama helped me a lot with it. Then little Lisa came over to with her own "wageb", this time she was learning the letter "A". Basma, my sister, was helping her and when Lisa learned the word "Ant", she ran around screaming Ant. Then Lisa's parents came over. Our families then had a time where they shared all the embarassing things that I have done over the week (it seems some things in families are cross-cultural). After that came the event that I have titled "The Clash of Hospitality". As dinner was about to be served the other family was invited to dinner. As is custom, they deny. The only thing though is that my family would not take no for an answer. As the other family continued to say no, baba blocked the doorway as my sister was yelling and shoving the wife down to sit (never in an angry way). It was quite the spectacle to watch and my family eventually won, though the other family got away with cleaning some of the dishes afterward (which was then protested). After that I had to study more for my arabic quiz so I went in the other room to study. I ended up crashing out early as my sleeping patterns have been crazy this week.

Homestay Day/Night 3

Tuesday is our usual service project day and so I got to sleep in until about 9:00am. Something about Egyptian families is that when they are home they are in their pajamas until they leave the house. So I stayed in my pajamas until 4:00pm when I finally had to go to my service project. My day was filled with watching Tv, then being beckoned over to the computer to watch wrestling since I had expressed that I used to watch it (though we ended up watching some knock off with Hulk Hogan in it), then I watched the first Lord of the Rings movie. When it was time to go, I took a different way to get to my service project. I took a microbus (which is much tamer than a microbus in Nepal) to the Metro. My service project was great and we had a a great discussion at the end which allowed for our students to speak the English that they know. It was a lot of fun and they definitely enjoyed Kyra and my stories about our interactions with our family. Getting back was so much easier. Though I seemed to have lost all sense of direction being here, it was easy to hop off the Metro, get on the micro bus and walk home (I head left from "Crazy Hair" barbershop and turn left at the tires). I decided that instead of getting in a taxi and ending up who knows where, it is easier to ride the metro and take the microbus. The night was filled with power outages and time where I gave my gifts I brought from home (a can of California almonds and a book of San Francisco). They had me write notes in the book then my sister translated it to the family right front of me. It was a funny experience, they especially found it funny that I had written "Sorry you have to translate" on my sister's note and that I only wrote to the mom and Basma's fiance that I would be praying for them (though I totally will be praying for all of them). Afterward was dinner at 11:00pm where I ate a lot then was given two "gawaffa" (guava)to eat and then bed. Needless to say I went to bed stuffed full.

Homestay Night 2

Early in the morning I awoke in the bed that my family had given me, I felt bad but because I did not know how to get to the Taxi stop, I went with my brother Emad to the place. He was telling me where to go in Arabic, and I thought to myself "It'll be easy, it's just a taxi ride there", little had I comprehended that the Taxi ride back would have to drop me back off in the same exact spot for me to know where I am.
I went through the days classes, had Dobka class, showered at my flat then it was off to my home. I was super nervous now because I realized over the timespan of the day that I really had no idea where I was going. I told the driver "Talbia Haram! (my neighborhood) and he took me there. After stopping for gas, to talk to a friend and put air in his tires, my taxi driver pulled on the side of the street and said "Talbia Haram" and pointed to a street perpendicular to the street we were on. Realizing I had not come from this way before I felt that if I just asked the right people, I would get there, no worries! Knowing the words of my street, I would only ask store owners who may know the area. I kept getting pointed in the direction of going a lot farther. 45 minutes into it, I realized that when MESP warned us that Egyptians like to help even if they have no idea either was definitely coming into play. Finally I found someone who told me it was on the other side of the street, then people started pointing me in the opposite direction but with more specific pointing and Arabic. Around another 30 minutes I decided that it was time to ask for a mobile, I borrowed one, called my sister who talked to the guy and was told to wait there. 3 minutes later Baba comes out. I was literally right next to the street that connects with my home. I was relieved to come home (who was not worried because they just figured I had come late in a taxi). I played with little Lisa, a daughter of mama's best friend. It is great because she speaks basically my level of Arabic (actually, she's definitely much better). Then the usual routine of watching tv, doing "wageb" (homework) and then eating dinner around 10:00pm (bread, refried beans, hard boiled eggs, cucumbers and cheese). I got to use the internet (which I am using now) which was great also. My brothers Romany, Emad and I stayed up watching a Miami Vice the movie (Awfully boring, I wished I even didn't understand English for that movie).

Homestay Night 1

Sunday night started at 6 o'clock with all the MESP students waiting around the Villa (where our classes, lunch, pretty much everything is held). The program of the night was that we would have a reception as parents came to pick up the students that they were housing. It felt like an orphanage as slowly by slowly (time to Egyptians is a relative thing) families trickled in and picked up one of the kids. When 3 guys walked in, I just had a feeling they were there to pick me up. All the girls are staying alone this week, but all the guys had to be paired albeit 2, and I was one of the two. I had asked to be alone because I knew that if I was with someone I would be too comfortable leaning on them to do the socializing. Anyway, the three walked over to me, and well.. none of them really spoke English and my Arabic is a long shot. As we were sitting around trying to communicate we managed to get some info out, their names, my name, where they were from and where I was from. I was actually just staying with one of the guys, my brother "Emad", while the other two just came for the ride. What was also cool was that Emad and his family (my family now I guess) were coptic while his two friends were muslim.
After a half hour drive I arrived to the apartment, a pretty small place but filled with charm. They even put up an American flag which we all got a laugh out of. I then met baba and mama and the only daughter (my sister Basma). Basma can speak English pretty well so it is so funny when I would have NO idea what was being said and then she would translate a little bit. We then spent the night watching movies, butchered conversations, they loved helping out with my Arabic homework (definitely the big hit). Edward, Basma's boyfriend/fiance came over too and I met him. He definitely laid out on the table those usual American dinner table conversations you don't have like politics ("Do you like Obama?" Me: "Yeah" Edward: "Good, I don't like Bush") or religion ("You Christian? Me" "Yup" Edward: (very happy) "Good!").
After hang out time near 11 I was thinking bed time but nope, it's the perfect time for dinner! My brother Romany came and joined and he is definitely a character, loud boisterous and fun. It was great. We had a DELICIOUS green basil sauce with bread, cucumbers, rice. I felt that hospitality as my plate got filled three times (without me even finishing it), it was so great. They also gave me some slushie thing and it was so good! After another MBC Action Channel movie (Bruce Willis in some African rainforest?, I sucked it up and went to bed. Here in Egypt, the night life is very active at all times of the night/morning, so we were told to try and stay up so it wasn't awkward if they wanted to stay up more. It's a guessing game to find the perect time! My host brother Emad supposedly hadn't slept for two days straight! It was really hard to wake him up the next morning for him to take me to the Taxi stop.

Adventures still to come:
- figuring out how to get back home
- showering in the bathroom/using the bathroom in general
- figuring out how not to gain 100 pounds this week

Christian Differences

This past week has been filled with classes. It is so interesting that this has become the norm, this is life now.

Yesterday, Friday, us MESPers met up with a Coptic Orthodox church and went to their retreat center called Anaphora where we spent time together talking about each other's faith background.

It was so interesting that people who both would label themselves as Christians are very different. The Coptic Orthodox church is a church that has been traced all the way back to St. Mark and has inhibited Egyptian since that time.

We sat around in small groups and discussed our backgrounds and then got into other heavier topics like gender roles in the church, cultural impact and other things. The greatest thing that I realized is how the Coptic Christians answered in a unified answer whereas we Americans differed greatly on our own views. It was very hard to be given the task to "represent American Christianity". I have never before felt like I actually needed to stick up for Protestantism. Also just our cultural difference, I felt like often it was a traditional vs. a more post-modern way of thinking.

No one afterward could stop talking about all that had happened, we MESPers learned a lot about each other in that time and about the Coptic church. Though there were times of frustration in our small circles, we learned a lot which was good.

Tonight we go bowling with all of our Egyptian friends! It should be fun!
---

Our home-stays are tomorrow and so I will not be posting this week until next weekend. I will try to keep a journal and update on the whole time. I am very excited but also kind of nervous to have to get used to really unfamiliar thing! They keep warning us that it will be awkward in the beginning. I know it is going to be great!

Luxury Weekend in Luxor

This past weekend we spent our time in Luxor. This is where many of the Pharaonic temples are, so I was definitely excited to journey on over here.



On Thursday night we took a night train to Luxor and arrived Friday morning around 7am. I went to back to sleep at our hotel and spent most of the morning/day lounging around our hotel pool, napping and walking around. The afternoon we went to Karnak temple and Luxor temple. Seeing it was AMAZING. The statues, the pillars, everything that was intricately designed had me in awe. I definitely had to take my share of touristy pictures (as you can see).






The next we went to the Valley of the Kings (where we couldn't take pictures) and the temple of Hatshepsut. In the Valley of the Kings I got to go into the tombs of Ramses III, Ramses II and Tutmoses. The were beautifully decorated with painted walls that have still lasted. It was awesome. That afternoon a bunch of us got our class readings down, played pool games and played the card game Mafia. One of my friends managed to find a sail boat that would take us to "Banana Island",for only ten pounds (less than $2) we took a sailboat to the other side of the Nile (not an island) and had bananas in some restaurant hut. It was fun but a little eerie as it was getting dark. The next day we took a 10 hour train ride (such a long time!!) and classes resumed again the next day.

What a crazy lifestyle I am living at the moment!

Home stays start this Sunday!! Ahh!!

Egyptian Friendship

MESP (the program I am with) really wants its' students to interact with the community and have relationships with people that live here. A few weeks ago we had a "cultural exchange" party in which we were paired up with a friend that we could hang out. My friend's name is Emad.

Last night we hung out for the first time since meeting and it was super fun. We ate this food called "fatta" and it was delicous. It had dried bread pieces in rice with some garlic in it along with beef on top. I was afraid I wouldn't like it but it was delicious! (though maybe a little fatty). After that we went out for ice cream (Egyptians love to eat I've been told) and got two scoops for the price of 65 cents in the US.

We had great conversations about life, differences in America and Egypt and the differences in Coptic Orthodox Christianity and Evangelical.

It was a great night and tonight we will be heading to Luxor via a night train. I am excited to see temples and see Upper Egypt. So much to do, so little time!

First day in the classroom

Last night was the first time teaching English and it was a lot of fun. Surprisingly enough, the class consists of 11 Coptic Christian woman all in their mid-20's. A lot of them want to learn English because of their work. Though Kyra and I were super nervous that we wouldn't be able to fill our 3 hour class period, it went by in relative ease. We did a lot of stuff through a book, then played a game where each person had a job and they had to ask questions to try and figure out what each person's job was. Hopefully we can do more of these interactive lessons.

Hey.. I kinda like this teaching thing. :]

Intellectual Stimulation

One thing I heard about this program when I signed up for it was that I was going to learn "a lot". Though I suspected that it would be hard, I was still up for the challenge. Something that I feel like I have accomplished this past school year was to challenge myself physically. That showed itself by taking a weight lifting class, backpacking through Moab, hiking the Grand Canyon and other various activities. I wanted to prove to myself that I can do it. Taking this semester on, my goal was to experience Egypt but also to challenge myself not with my body but with my mind.

Sitting here in an internet cafe after a lecture tonight, I am realizing just how tough this semester is going to be. Besides learning Arabic, I feel like I am learning a whole other language as well. My days are filled with "big words" that often I don't know the meaning of. After just one week I was overwhelmed. I am optimistic though, just like where I had to slowly begin physical exercise to push myself, I must start slowly to expand my mind. I am just frustrated sometimes that I can't always contribute to the conversation because I have no prior context to the topic or words to articulate my thoughts.

One huge thing this semester is that we won't only be learning about Islam, but we will be learning about ourselves and our Christian identities. Why are we Christian? What cultural, social, political things have influenced our decisions? Our doctrine? What about muslims? What about their salvation when they are born into a tradition? One of our essays will be to write an essay about salvation and what we believe determines whether a person goes to heaven or hell. What a lofty topic.

Also another one of our classes is to learn about the Middle East. It is so humbling to realize I know nothing of world affairs and have to learn so much history. Politics can be just so hard to engage when I have never studied it before. Most people here have political studies or history majors so it can be rather intimidating to want to join in their conversations. I am realizing the political backgrounds of everything and why culture and social situations are structured the way they are. This will definitely be a challenging class.

Luckily I also have Arabic (which is just so fun though hard to get down) and learning about Islam which interests me greatly.

I am excited for what my thoughts will sound like at the end of this semester, what I have come away with, what my mind will push itself to do. Dr. Holt, our director, said that often people lose their faith this semester, but what they do leave with is Faith. I have seen the physical manifestations of God's power through physical healing, so I am unwavering in that. It is just so interesting to deconstruct other patterns I have adapted in this very different context and to start developing convictions of my own.

These are my feelings :] Classes are SO good.

Diving in Dahab and "Mt. Sinai"

This past weekend after just two weeks of classes it was time for our first break! Thursday after listening to an interesting lecture on Muslim/Christian relations from an Anglican priest named Paul Gordon Chandler (I'll definitely write about him and a few other lectures later). We boarded the bus around 3:30pm and got there about 12am. It was definitely a long journey (more so because one of the bus drivers of our two drove super slowly). The next morning we woke up and headed out to the boardwalk. Dahab is a beautiful place right next the Red Sea. It is lined up with restaurants alongside it and whenever you wanted to you could just go for a swim. A group of us went snorkeling for the two days that we were there. It was wonderful and so cool to see all the coral and fish. To fit in with the tourists around us, a group of us guys bought euro suits for pretty cheap and decided to sport them off. And what else would a group of college guys do but have a photo shoot (Maybe I won't put those pictures on this blog?). Dahab was great, I felt like it was a family vacation with my co-hort even though we've only been together for 2 1/2 weeks.


The second adventure of the weekend was to climb the (alleged) Mt. Sinai. We left Dahab Friday night and took a two hour bus ride over to Sinai where began our ascent at around 2:30am. It was a nice hike (nothing compared to the Grand Canyon!). Surprisingly to me there was also a ton of traffic, I have no idea why I thought we would be the only group going up. There were a lot of Egyptians, Germans, British people, and more tourists. We got to the top right before the sun peaked up and got to enjoy a Mt. Sinai sunrise. Though this Mt. Sinai is one of two locations that could be the real deal, looking over the mountain was astounding and I could easily see Biblical events happening there. The sunrise was majestic and such an astounding moment of peace.

ESL Orientation

Every Tuesday, groups of students go out and to various work sites around Cairo and today was the first day at my service site. I am teaching English with my fellow classmate Kyra. Originally I had signed up to different service projects. I had actually put teaching English as a second langauge as my third choice and not really wanting it. Something this semester that I have been forced into and thus learning a lot from is having to let go of expectancy for something to look a certain way. Our worksite was very easy to get to and when we arrived the director and staff were super friendly. We went over orientation with the head of the English teaching department along with two other women (mid 20’s) who were teaching classes. Kyra and I are teaching a “conversational” class aimed at students who once a week want to work on the conversational skills and just want to talk in English. After a few excercises on how to teach and what the class will look like, I got very excited about this. Having two teachers as parents, I probably have some teaching in my blood.

If any teachers are reading this and have any great ideas on simple conversation exercises for adults with a medium vocabulary, let me know :] potticus@gmail.com

The Sweet Life

It is interesting being here during the holiday season of Ramadan. It started about August 11th and ends September 9th. It has definitely affected our first few days here. Since Ramadan is about fasting during the day, many of the local people are quite sluggish in the scorching desert heat of Cairo. There are also a lot of special store hours, most stores are closed from about 4:30pm to 8:30pm then stay open really late in the night. restaurants/cafes are closed until night time when they become super jam packed with people breaking fast together and getting as much food as they can. A huge plus to it being Ramadan is that there are sweets everywhere and they are so delicious! I would be worried about gaining weight, but luckily I feel like walking around in the Egyptian heat definitely constitutes as a work out. Though I can’t wait to drink water in public and eat at some local lunch spots, I’ll have to stock up on as much of those sweets as I possibly can.

I Made It to the Pyramids!

Being our first free weekend from starting classes on Wednesday, what else can you but go to the pyramids?? This was definitely something I was looking forward from the get go (hence the url of my blog). It was definitely cool to see these colossal structures and to walk around them. Though you are harassed by locals trying to sell you little trinkets, it is easy just to be assertive and say “la’” (no) or just say “no”. I managed to go with a fun group and we got a lot of great pictures of the Greater pyramid and the second one. We even went inside the second one for a cheap student discount. Though I sadly must say it was nothing spectacular, at least I can say I’ve been in one, right?


One of the most fun things to do there is definitely riding a camel. I payed a little less than one dollar to take a picture sitting on a camel, then about three dollars to ride behind the second period. The site of the desert with the pyramids was beautiful. Sadly I only have pictures from my camera and ran out of picture memory so I got none riding it, but I still have a picture sitting on one! So cool! Though it felt really really touristy (there were tons there), it was still a great thing to do on the weekend.

Unforeseen Challenges

In the beginning of orientation we were told about culture, how at first we may be in love with the place (Honeymoon stage) but then trickle into a frustration period, understanding period and then a long time down the road (longer than 4 months) we could begin to feel acclimated. So far actually I feel I have been dealing quite well with it. Sure some locals get annoying when they try to rip you off (universal everywhere), but I just take it light hearted, knowing this kind of stuff will never really end.

No, what I found to be really challenging thus far is actually a few of the guys I live with. A huge component to this semester is the politics of the Middle East. This is something that my mind is not really wired for so it. Most nights I come home and there are 3 guys always discussing politics. That is fine in itself, but it so hard sometimes to hear just what they are talking about it. It is hard to hear some of the generalizations two of the guys have on nations, on people groups, on women. I believe it is just narrow-mindedness and ignorance, but that can be so draining even if I am not taking any part of the debate.

Something that hurt me was the other night. My roommate was talking about me because I was flossing with a threading thing (because I have a bottom retainer) and also had folded some of his laundry to use our drying rack. When my roommate said something like, “Isn’t my roommate so interesting?” in a nice tone, the guy replies with, “yeah, it’s because he’s a gay Californian”. Though I think he was just making a generalization on the “liberal” state of California, I still found that to be so offensive. I was caught off guard, I couldn’t say a single thing even when my roommate asked me if I was just going to take that. What can I say to something that was so ugly? Something that I personally find hateful, whether he was trying to label some of my behaviors as that of a gay person or making gay people something derogatory.

This kind of attitude makes it hard for me to want to come home. Luckily there is another flat of guys that are awesome and seem very open and loving compared to this place. Hopefully things will change, opinions will deconstruct and a worldview will change. It’s only been about a week in.