My roommate Moss Ali and I are searching for a new apartment right now. Egyptians do things late into the night so we are still at it although the evening is far behind us. We've looked at maybe 20 today, maybe about 10 more tonight. Will be in touch again within a couple days, hopefully by using the internet at my next, 'new' apartment. Will chat soon.
August 30, 2008
August 29, 2008
The Pyramid Inch
I learned this crazy thing yesterday about why America uses customary measurements such as the Inch, rather than the metric system. As you are aware
the French invented the metric system on units of 10, because that
actually makes sense. Yet no one really knows why the British had
inches, pounds, miles etc., which we later inherited. In short, it is because of the Great Pyramid of Egypt.
It turns out that Thomas Newton was deeply into Biblical Numerology and that he concluded the 'Sacred Cubit,' give by God to the Hebrews to build Noah's Arc, the Arc of the Covenant, Solomon' s Temple etc, to have been almost exactly 25 inches. Then in 1864 this Scottish mathematician name Charles Piazzi Smyth concluded that the Great Pyramid was constructed in proportions of 1/25, known as the 'Pyramid Inch. Thus if the British inch was used to measure the pyramid, all sorts of amazing information could be derived. He wrote a huge book that shows the pyramid to be the center of the earths land mass, or perfectly triangulated between Port Said and Alexandria on Egypt's coastline, and reflects the distance to the sun etc,... but only when measured by the inch. For example as the length of a year is 365.25636 days, which is approximately the length of one side of the pyramid in inches. Thus it was assumed that the Egyptians knew the length of the year very accurately, even though they used a 365 day calendar, which was off by one day every four years.
The drawing below even uses these measurements to determine the years of the 'The Great Flood, Gods Covenant with Abraham, The birth and death of Jesus, and later, the end of the world. Of course the calculations for the end of the world, such as 1884 and 1997, just haven't really worked out.
It gets better as Smyth had mathematically proven that
'the lost tribes of Israel," traveled all the way to England then
settled and later became the Welsh, Scottish etc. The only remaining
proof being the settlement is of course the British inch.
What happened later was that when America was faced with using the metric system around 1900, various Conservative parties, such as the Ohio Auxillary Club, used Smyth's book on the floor of Congress to show that the inch was derived from God - by way of the Egyptian Pyramids! Therefore America should not use the "French Metric System,' especially as it was considered 'Communistic, Socialistic, and Inter-nationalistic!"
As a consequence, by the determination of 1 winning vote, the United States did not adopt the metric system.
Now realize that the value of the British inch is calculated as 1/500,000,000 of the Earth's polar diameter and the Pyramid Inch now appears to have no significant scientific support. At least the British later converted to the Metric System...
But this whole story clearly illustrates the manner of the relationship between the world and Egypt. It illustrates that Egypt is always interpreted in a manner fitting to the popular ideologies of viewer. If you think about what Egypt might mean to you, as one who is from elsewhere and only familiar with Egypt via popular expression, then Egypt may perhaps only read as 'Ancient History,' or it might be absorbed into the European colonialist legacy. Within todays widespread misconstructions of 'terrorism' and Islam, Egypt may be seen as a place of danger, or a foreign entity that is impenetrable to the western mind. Others who are more familiar with the political history of the land might see it as Secular Democracy in the Middle East, while Islamic Scholars might conceive it as the heart of Quaranic Scholarship. Ultimately, the question returns. What is this place? And for whom? Clearly Egypt has a major influence on the world, as the little example above reveals that 220 Million Americans function everyday within a system of metrics instituted by the sheer existence of the pyramid, while likewise making purchases with dollar bills featuring a pyramid on the back. If you live in Memphis Tennessee or Cairo Illinois, you might even find a another layer in which the simple existence of Egypt as shaped the environment in which you live - thus ultimately defining you as an individual.
Pehaps now you can see why, after a solid week, I continue to struggle with this question. Quite likely it will return within future blogs. As for now, I only have one thing to say:
The new showerhead is already broken.
It turns out that Thomas Newton was deeply into Biblical Numerology and that he concluded the 'Sacred Cubit,' give by God to the Hebrews to build Noah's Arc, the Arc of the Covenant, Solomon' s Temple etc, to have been almost exactly 25 inches. Then in 1864 this Scottish mathematician name Charles Piazzi Smyth concluded that the Great Pyramid was constructed in proportions of 1/25, known as the 'Pyramid Inch. Thus if the British inch was used to measure the pyramid, all sorts of amazing information could be derived. He wrote a huge book that shows the pyramid to be the center of the earths land mass, or perfectly triangulated between Port Said and Alexandria on Egypt's coastline, and reflects the distance to the sun etc,... but only when measured by the inch. For example as the length of a year is 365.25636 days, which is approximately the length of one side of the pyramid in inches. Thus it was assumed that the Egyptians knew the length of the year very accurately, even though they used a 365 day calendar, which was off by one day every four years.
The drawing below even uses these measurements to determine the years of the 'The Great Flood, Gods Covenant with Abraham, The birth and death of Jesus, and later, the end of the world. Of course the calculations for the end of the world, such as 1884 and 1997, just haven't really worked out.
What happened later was that when America was faced with using the metric system around 1900, various Conservative parties, such as the Ohio Auxillary Club, used Smyth's book on the floor of Congress to show that the inch was derived from God - by way of the Egyptian Pyramids! Therefore America should not use the "French Metric System,' especially as it was considered 'Communistic, Socialistic, and Inter-nationalistic!"
As a consequence, by the determination of 1 winning vote, the United States did not adopt the metric system.
Now realize that the value of the British inch is calculated as 1/500,000,000 of the Earth's polar diameter and the Pyramid Inch now appears to have no significant scientific support. At least the British later converted to the Metric System...
But this whole story clearly illustrates the manner of the relationship between the world and Egypt. It illustrates that Egypt is always interpreted in a manner fitting to the popular ideologies of viewer. If you think about what Egypt might mean to you, as one who is from elsewhere and only familiar with Egypt via popular expression, then Egypt may perhaps only read as 'Ancient History,' or it might be absorbed into the European colonialist legacy. Within todays widespread misconstructions of 'terrorism' and Islam, Egypt may be seen as a place of danger, or a foreign entity that is impenetrable to the western mind. Others who are more familiar with the political history of the land might see it as Secular Democracy in the Middle East, while Islamic Scholars might conceive it as the heart of Quaranic Scholarship. Ultimately, the question returns. What is this place? And for whom? Clearly Egypt has a major influence on the world, as the little example above reveals that 220 Million Americans function everyday within a system of metrics instituted by the sheer existence of the pyramid, while likewise making purchases with dollar bills featuring a pyramid on the back. If you live in Memphis Tennessee or Cairo Illinois, you might even find a another layer in which the simple existence of Egypt as shaped the environment in which you live - thus ultimately defining you as an individual.
Pehaps now you can see why, after a solid week, I continue to struggle with this question. Quite likely it will return within future blogs. As for now, I only have one thing to say:
The new showerhead is already broken.
August 27, 2008
Now Smile!
The showerhead broke in our bathroom. Not for any particular reason, but simply because everything in our apartment seems to break daily. Now in the U.S., how do you solve this problem? Well, its not really even a problem because this solution is so simple. You go to the local hardware store, or Home Depot, or if is really late then maybe the 24 hour big box retailer, and simply purchase another shower head for about 10 dollars. Then after a brief trip home, screw it on and you're finished! Of course, like everything else in Egypt, things are never that simple.
First we had to contact the Boawab to see if he can fix the problem The Boawab is the Egyptian equivelent of a 'doorman,' but with a few more important duties than holding the door. He is also similar to a property manager in that he oversees the building and its inhabitants. But unlike the the doorman or property manager in the US, the boawab pretty much lives in lobby and is responsible for the moral reputation of the buildings inhabitants, not just the property. Consequently, the boawab is the guy you see when you need to fix something in the apartment, when you need to get the mail, perhaps when you need to get something from the corner store (he will get it for you), and most of all, he is the guy that will raise a scene and not allow you to bring a young lady to your appartment at 10 o'clock at night. Like I said, property and morallity.
So we go to the boawob, and he said that he can fix the shower for 70 pounds - after we get the showerhead. Obviously we don't require his assistance for installation, we just need the showerhead. When asked how to acquire such a device, all he could do is shrug his shoulders and suggest we look in a different neighborhood. So my roomate, Showali, and I set off searching for showerhead. At the same time I needed some passport photos to process my residence visa. So we thought we would try to do both.
You might be wondering now, then how does one find things in Cairo then, if you can't just go to the hardware store? Its quite simple really, you wander the city, asking random people on the street where to locate something. People who have lived the same neighborhood for their entire lives (or maybe for generations or centuries) will probably know who sells what product in their neighborhood, and where to find it. All you have to do is ask the right combination of people. Because if you ask the wrong person, theoretically they will send you a greater distance to some other place where they know the item can be found, given that the person does not know the immediate area very well.
We first sought passport photos, as I only had a couple hours to make this happen, and fortunately, we were able to find a place in about 40 minutes. Now in the US, passport photos are usually done at drugstores such as CVS or Walgreens, but here, you must go to a photo studio, similar to Olan Mills. So I'm standing within the Egyptian equivalent of glamour shots when the women running the business told me to go upstairs for my photo. I walk into the upstairs studio and find myself surrounded by an array of theatrical props such as styrofoam 'brick' walls, sofas, and pedestools. She comes in with her camera, and asks that I sit on the little plastic stool in the center of the room. I sit and she snaps the photo.
But then she asked that I turn to a 45 degree angle.
Place my hands on my knees.
Look into the camera.
And smile.
I protested, saying that I only want a passport photo, and I even pulled out my passport, saying in arabic, "no, no, no, I need this! this here! no!" But she wouldn't budge.
She actually walked over, and grabbed my shoulders twisting them at an angle while saying in broken english "Now Sit!"
Not knowing what else to do, but really needing the first picture she had taken, I did as told.
"Smile!"
I sorta kinda made an effort.
"No, I say smile!" she demanded.
Ultimately I gave something closer to a grimace, and with frustrated huff, she took the photo.
I jumped from my seat and raced out of the room.
Downstairs, Showali asked, "what was all that noise about, I keep hearing her yell for you to 'smile,' what were you doing?" All I could do is shrug my shoulders, widen my eyes, and shake my head.
The woman then sat down at the computer, and I waited for my pictures. I told her that I need 6 of the passport images (always good to have extra) and she nodded her head. But then I looked at the printer, and what came out? Certainly not my passport photos.
It was a 5 x 7 of my glamour shot.
I had no idea what was going on, but fortunately the passport photos did get printed. They turned out rather decently as well. As for the 5x7, I think she was dissatisfied with it, and so she gave it to me -framed- for no cost. I think that she wanted a photo of a nonegyptian to put on the wall of the studio, to advertise the excellence of the business. But as I looked more in pain than gloriously delighted, I guess she changed her mind.
As for the showerhead, yeah we found one. It only took about 4 hours. 4 hours of walking in between three seperate neighborhoods in the 97 degree heat (there you go grandpa kenny), dodging the crazy traffic, and in the end, finding that we don't have a screwdriver in our apartment to install the mounting bracket. As for the boawab, he doesn't have a screwdriver either.
First we had to contact the Boawab to see if he can fix the problem The Boawab is the Egyptian equivelent of a 'doorman,' but with a few more important duties than holding the door. He is also similar to a property manager in that he oversees the building and its inhabitants. But unlike the the doorman or property manager in the US, the boawab pretty much lives in lobby and is responsible for the moral reputation of the buildings inhabitants, not just the property. Consequently, the boawab is the guy you see when you need to fix something in the apartment, when you need to get the mail, perhaps when you need to get something from the corner store (he will get it for you), and most of all, he is the guy that will raise a scene and not allow you to bring a young lady to your appartment at 10 o'clock at night. Like I said, property and morallity.
So we go to the boawob, and he said that he can fix the shower for 70 pounds - after we get the showerhead. Obviously we don't require his assistance for installation, we just need the showerhead. When asked how to acquire such a device, all he could do is shrug his shoulders and suggest we look in a different neighborhood. So my roomate, Showali, and I set off searching for showerhead. At the same time I needed some passport photos to process my residence visa. So we thought we would try to do both.
You might be wondering now, then how does one find things in Cairo then, if you can't just go to the hardware store? Its quite simple really, you wander the city, asking random people on the street where to locate something. People who have lived the same neighborhood for their entire lives (or maybe for generations or centuries) will probably know who sells what product in their neighborhood, and where to find it. All you have to do is ask the right combination of people. Because if you ask the wrong person, theoretically they will send you a greater distance to some other place where they know the item can be found, given that the person does not know the immediate area very well.
We first sought passport photos, as I only had a couple hours to make this happen, and fortunately, we were able to find a place in about 40 minutes. Now in the US, passport photos are usually done at drugstores such as CVS or Walgreens, but here, you must go to a photo studio, similar to Olan Mills. So I'm standing within the Egyptian equivalent of glamour shots when the women running the business told me to go upstairs for my photo. I walk into the upstairs studio and find myself surrounded by an array of theatrical props such as styrofoam 'brick' walls, sofas, and pedestools. She comes in with her camera, and asks that I sit on the little plastic stool in the center of the room. I sit and she snaps the photo.
But then she asked that I turn to a 45 degree angle.
Place my hands on my knees.
Look into the camera.
And smile.
I protested, saying that I only want a passport photo, and I even pulled out my passport, saying in arabic, "no, no, no, I need this! this here! no!" But she wouldn't budge.
She actually walked over, and grabbed my shoulders twisting them at an angle while saying in broken english "Now Sit!"
Not knowing what else to do, but really needing the first picture she had taken, I did as told.
"Smile!"
I sorta kinda made an effort.
"No, I say smile!" she demanded.
Ultimately I gave something closer to a grimace, and with frustrated huff, she took the photo.
I jumped from my seat and raced out of the room.
Downstairs, Showali asked, "what was all that noise about, I keep hearing her yell for you to 'smile,' what were you doing?" All I could do is shrug my shoulders, widen my eyes, and shake my head.
The woman then sat down at the computer, and I waited for my pictures. I told her that I need 6 of the passport images (always good to have extra) and she nodded her head. But then I looked at the printer, and what came out? Certainly not my passport photos.
It was a 5 x 7 of my glamour shot.
I had no idea what was going on, but fortunately the passport photos did get printed. They turned out rather decently as well. As for the 5x7, I think she was dissatisfied with it, and so she gave it to me -framed- for no cost. I think that she wanted a photo of a nonegyptian to put on the wall of the studio, to advertise the excellence of the business. But as I looked more in pain than gloriously delighted, I guess she changed her mind.
As for the showerhead, yeah we found one. It only took about 4 hours. 4 hours of walking in between three seperate neighborhoods in the 97 degree heat (there you go grandpa kenny), dodging the crazy traffic, and in the end, finding that we don't have a screwdriver in our apartment to install the mounting bracket. As for the boawab, he doesn't have a screwdriver either.
August 24, 2008
The Nile
A breakthrough at Last (واخيرا ، اجد السعاده)
It is amazing what can be accomplished after learning a bit of the language. I still can't converse, or really form very interesting sentences, but now knowing the local dialect for "what is this, price, I want one," I can really get around. People always seem helpful, more than necessary sometimes, when they see that I'm trying to learn Egyptian Arabic, so I'm picking up about 3 words a day. Ironically, I just now had a moment when I went into a textile shop and said "One blue towel please." I was quite proud of myself- yet for the first time in a week, the shopkeeper looked up and said in English, "fine, what size do you want."
On the way I also saw an old woman selling incense on the steps of a mosque. Now anyone who has been to my apartment knows that I like to collect a lot of different types of incense, and equipped with my new vocabulary I was excited to ask her "what is this?" "how much" etc... of course I don't remember any of the new words I learned, but I'm sure I'll pick up another 1 or 2 tomorrow. The important part of this experience however was that for the first time since my arrival here, I was able to interact with some of low social bearing. Living in Zamalek is convenient, but it really drains me to be on a paradise island, centrally located within a run down city and to primarily interact with the upper class. I went into a ritzy cafe near my house today to use their internet services and it was absolutely nauseating. Although a 4 dollar frappe-mocha-chai-latte concoction will easily cost 4 dollars in the US, the average cup of coffee on the street around Cairo is about 60 cents, so for someone to spend 4 dollars is unbelievable - especially when you consider the average family income in Cairo is between 75 and 100 dollars per month. As it is, many families can no longer even afford bread. Consequently, sitting in the cafe and being surrounded by a bunch of hot young, rich and disdainful Egyptian women smoking cigarettes nonstop and mistreating the service staff was sorta like being in high school, but somehow worse. Of course, the upside is that women are quite the rarity in this city, and it was nice actually see a woman who wasn't covered head to toe - just the thought makes me veer toward heat stroke. But then again, I think I would prefer to spend my days in Cairo being ignored by the average woman in hijab than by the rich one in high heels.
So all in all, while the cafe simply reinforced my dislike of Cairo, meeting the old poor woman on steps really made me feel better, it gave me a connection to this place, the sort of connection that I have always found in other developing countries. I afterward sent an email to St. Andrews, an organization located somewhere in Cairo that provides legal and social services to refugees. I had spoken to them previously about developing a hip hop music program with some of the refugee youth, but I have honestly been so frustrated with this city that I hadn't done anything to further develop that project since arrival. I'm really looking forward to it now, to once again have a sense of place and purpose, to again be around true Africans (Egyptians really don't consider themselves or this place as Africa even though its on the continent, they prefer to be labeled as part of Mid East - and rightly so, considering this place has very little in common with Africa).
Hopefully the next few days will be as satisfying as this evening. While I believe that it will all work out in the long run, it feels good for improvements to arrive in the short term too. In the meanwhile, I'll just keep plugging away at the local Arabic as that appears to be the key.
On the way I also saw an old woman selling incense on the steps of a mosque. Now anyone who has been to my apartment knows that I like to collect a lot of different types of incense, and equipped with my new vocabulary I was excited to ask her "what is this?" "how much" etc... of course I don't remember any of the new words I learned, but I'm sure I'll pick up another 1 or 2 tomorrow. The important part of this experience however was that for the first time since my arrival here, I was able to interact with some of low social bearing. Living in Zamalek is convenient, but it really drains me to be on a paradise island, centrally located within a run down city and to primarily interact with the upper class. I went into a ritzy cafe near my house today to use their internet services and it was absolutely nauseating. Although a 4 dollar frappe-mocha-chai-latte concoction will easily cost 4 dollars in the US, the average cup of coffee on the street around Cairo is about 60 cents, so for someone to spend 4 dollars is unbelievable - especially when you consider the average family income in Cairo is between 75 and 100 dollars per month. As it is, many families can no longer even afford bread. Consequently, sitting in the cafe and being surrounded by a bunch of hot young, rich and disdainful Egyptian women smoking cigarettes nonstop and mistreating the service staff was sorta like being in high school, but somehow worse. Of course, the upside is that women are quite the rarity in this city, and it was nice actually see a woman who wasn't covered head to toe - just the thought makes me veer toward heat stroke. But then again, I think I would prefer to spend my days in Cairo being ignored by the average woman in hijab than by the rich one in high heels.
So all in all, while the cafe simply reinforced my dislike of Cairo, meeting the old poor woman on steps really made me feel better, it gave me a connection to this place, the sort of connection that I have always found in other developing countries. I afterward sent an email to St. Andrews, an organization located somewhere in Cairo that provides legal and social services to refugees. I had spoken to them previously about developing a hip hop music program with some of the refugee youth, but I have honestly been so frustrated with this city that I hadn't done anything to further develop that project since arrival. I'm really looking forward to it now, to once again have a sense of place and purpose, to again be around true Africans (Egyptians really don't consider themselves or this place as Africa even though its on the continent, they prefer to be labeled as part of Mid East - and rightly so, considering this place has very little in common with Africa).
Hopefully the next few days will be as satisfying as this evening. While I believe that it will all work out in the long run, it feels good for improvements to arrive in the short term too. In the meanwhile, I'll just keep plugging away at the local Arabic as that appears to be the key.
Post-Colonial Footprints
Today I had my orientation at American University of Cairo (AUC). I still have some forms to submit, so it was no surprise that I wasn't in the registration list upon arrival. Nonetheless, I really feel more positive about my time here now that I spent a little time at the campus and with some future students. While 80% of the school population consists of wealthy Egyptians, the majority of foreign students in attendance are only there for a study abroad semester. The president of the school mentioned some interesting statistics in his welcome speech regarding study abroad students that I thought were worth sharing. Apparently the number of U.S. college students undergoing a study abroad program has favorably risen 120% in the last 10 years, encompassing 250,000 students, yet out of 15 million college students in America, this consists of only 2% of the student population. Of that 2%, over half attend schools in Europe, with Italy, France, the U.K., Ireland, and Spain in the lead. The remaining 40% attend schools mostly within Australia, Costa Rica, and China. Of the top 20 nations attracting study abroad students, not a single one is in the Middle East, a jarring concern given the monumental significance that the Middle East holds within our world.
Already within one week, I am finding my time here within the general region of Middle East / North Africa as being overshadowed by the weight of history, all the while, with one foot moving toward the future. Each day I walk down my street, 26th of July Street, and I follow in the footsteps of Napoleon's army, who conquered this city on that very day. Walking into AUC, I step across French boulevards and into the campus's Oriental Hall, an elaborate building constructed in 1919 using western technology and Islamic motifs. Yet Oriental Hall, like its colonialist namesake, is simply an infant within the urban chaos of Egypt. Next to my apartment is a mosque that is probably older than all the castles in Europe, and yet here, it is simply one amongst the many. As for the pyramids, I haven't gone over to that part of town, yet the weight of their stories certainly requires little description.
One of the greatest joys I have derived from my studies of Architecture and Planning is ability to walk down the street and to not only see the cityscape, but to read it. To make mental notes regarding the construction and historicism of the buildings, to observe the variations of concrete in the sidewalk, or to study the undulating widths of the streets. These characteristics, when combined with others, does more than a subjective idea of 'where I am,' but further tells me what this place has been and provides an objective understanding of what it is. With enough attention to detail, and a little outside knowledge of the local history, I can usually determine when parts of the city where constructed, who lived there, how much money they had, perhaps why they left or what mechanisms have enforced historic change. But in Cairo... I'm lost. The city is to thick with time, its physicality is massive, and its humanity is sprawling. I'm only now becoming oriented in its physical geography, while all the cultural and socio-economic, or historical minutiae remain beyond perception. While other places in the world taught me something about humanity, it seems that Cairo holds a new lesson. Of course I can't predict what that will be, but I suspect that it will have less to do with people, and more to do with the weight of time, the monstrosity of the past, and horizon of the future.
Already within one week, I am finding my time here within the general region of Middle East / North Africa as being overshadowed by the weight of history, all the while, with one foot moving toward the future. Each day I walk down my street, 26th of July Street, and I follow in the footsteps of Napoleon's army, who conquered this city on that very day. Walking into AUC, I step across French boulevards and into the campus's Oriental Hall, an elaborate building constructed in 1919 using western technology and Islamic motifs. Yet Oriental Hall, like its colonialist namesake, is simply an infant within the urban chaos of Egypt. Next to my apartment is a mosque that is probably older than all the castles in Europe, and yet here, it is simply one amongst the many. As for the pyramids, I haven't gone over to that part of town, yet the weight of their stories certainly requires little description.
One of the greatest joys I have derived from my studies of Architecture and Planning is ability to walk down the street and to not only see the cityscape, but to read it. To make mental notes regarding the construction and historicism of the buildings, to observe the variations of concrete in the sidewalk, or to study the undulating widths of the streets. These characteristics, when combined with others, does more than a subjective idea of 'where I am,' but further tells me what this place has been and provides an objective understanding of what it is. With enough attention to detail, and a little outside knowledge of the local history, I can usually determine when parts of the city where constructed, who lived there, how much money they had, perhaps why they left or what mechanisms have enforced historic change. But in Cairo... I'm lost. The city is to thick with time, its physicality is massive, and its humanity is sprawling. I'm only now becoming oriented in its physical geography, while all the cultural and socio-economic, or historical minutiae remain beyond perception. While other places in the world taught me something about humanity, it seems that Cairo holds a new lesson. Of course I can't predict what that will be, but I suspect that it will have less to do with people, and more to do with the weight of time, the monstrosity of the past, and horizon of the future.
August 22, 2008
(Do you speak english?) هل تتكلم الانجليزيه؟
I am managing to make progress, but at a snails pace. I am greatly
hindered by the language barrier, more than within any previous
journeys through foreign lands. In the past, I could still manage to
function when no one spoke english, such as within Northern Thailand,
but here it is different. When I walk into a cafe or restaurant, no
matter how much I point or gesture, people simply tend to stare at me
like they are waiting for me to speak their language. Of course if I'm
living here, it is respectful that I learn the language, but that is
really asking quite a bit - Egyptian Arabic isn't the easiest. No
matter how much I study, I just can't get it to stick in my mind as it
doesn't have the same consistency as spanish or japanese. In someways,
it seems more similar to English than any other language I've studied
because there are so many exceptions to the rules. As a newbie, it
seems more likely that there are no rules. Good thing that I never had
to learn English as a second language, arabic is frustrating enough.
On the positive side, I can at least read the language, and the written
text is the same dialect that I know how to speak. Also, my roommates
are helpful whenever possible.
Really the only way to make progress is to just dive in, but for the first time ever, I'm really wading more than diving. I decided to stay in my current apartment until December - it isn't terrible, but is exactly like living in Camp Washington again and for only a small increase in rent I could stay in a much nicer place. I'm now starting to eat a little better, and I found a western style grocery store called Metro a couple blocks from my place.
I also have a pohone number now, 016 844 9768. To call from the US, you will probably need to dial 011 20 2 before the number, but I'm not exactly certain on the process. Basically, 011 is to make an international call, 20 is Egypt code, and 2 is Cairo area code. If you have difficulty, try googling 'call cairo from US' and look for some advice.
I will soon also send an email and post on the blog an update on ways to contact me. However, until I have a stable internet connection, it will be difficult to make those arrangements. We had internet when I arrived, but I could not log on because my roommates did not know the password. So yesterday I reset the connection and reconfigured the modem for a new password etc, but now the house will not receive internet service at all! I swear, everything I touch in this house seems to fall apart - the sink was stopped, the towel rack fell off the wall in the bathroom, the internet is now down, I fried my new computer speakers on the 220 current, and the only working air conditioner in the house is the one in my bedroom. And that is only within the last 48 hours!
I'll try to write more about Cairo and Egypt itself in the near future. At the moment I'm too busy focusing on navigation. I don't want to give the impression that things are bad, just complicated. I'm surprised that a country that attracts so many western tourists can be so difficult. Although it is more 'developed' than India in terms of all the usual economic indicators such as GNP, physical infrastructure, transportation etc, I am finding that India was actually a much easier place. Generally its a matter of language, and I also suspect, that the tourist infrastructure in India was much more reflective of my own demographic. I suspect that the tourism industry here has created a very suppliant landscape to foreigners, yet it caters to an upscale crowd and is therefore generally inconsistent with my own interests. I avoid tour buses, McDonalds, and fancy hotels like the plague, and I suspect that in Egypt, those are the elements that define the Cairien experience among most westerners.
Not that I want to be a tourists, but usually there is an overlap between the tourists sector and the local, where a person can point a food on a table and the owner/proprietor/cook will understand. Places like that are usually a great place to start... so I guess will simply need to move on to phase two.
Really the only way to make progress is to just dive in, but for the first time ever, I'm really wading more than diving. I decided to stay in my current apartment until December - it isn't terrible, but is exactly like living in Camp Washington again and for only a small increase in rent I could stay in a much nicer place. I'm now starting to eat a little better, and I found a western style grocery store called Metro a couple blocks from my place.
I also have a pohone number now, 016 844 9768. To call from the US, you will probably need to dial 011 20 2 before the number, but I'm not exactly certain on the process. Basically, 011 is to make an international call, 20 is Egypt code, and 2 is Cairo area code. If you have difficulty, try googling 'call cairo from US' and look for some advice.
I will soon also send an email and post on the blog an update on ways to contact me. However, until I have a stable internet connection, it will be difficult to make those arrangements. We had internet when I arrived, but I could not log on because my roommates did not know the password. So yesterday I reset the connection and reconfigured the modem for a new password etc, but now the house will not receive internet service at all! I swear, everything I touch in this house seems to fall apart - the sink was stopped, the towel rack fell off the wall in the bathroom, the internet is now down, I fried my new computer speakers on the 220 current, and the only working air conditioner in the house is the one in my bedroom. And that is only within the last 48 hours!
I'll try to write more about Cairo and Egypt itself in the near future. At the moment I'm too busy focusing on navigation. I don't want to give the impression that things are bad, just complicated. I'm surprised that a country that attracts so many western tourists can be so difficult. Although it is more 'developed' than India in terms of all the usual economic indicators such as GNP, physical infrastructure, transportation etc, I am finding that India was actually a much easier place. Generally its a matter of language, and I also suspect, that the tourist infrastructure in India was much more reflective of my own demographic. I suspect that the tourism industry here has created a very suppliant landscape to foreigners, yet it caters to an upscale crowd and is therefore generally inconsistent with my own interests. I avoid tour buses, McDonalds, and fancy hotels like the plague, and I suspect that in Egypt, those are the elements that define the Cairien experience among most westerners.
Not that I want to be a tourists, but usually there is an overlap between the tourists sector and the local, where a person can point a food on a table and the owner/proprietor/cook will understand. Places like that are usually a great place to start... so I guess will simply need to move on to phase two.
August 21, 2008
Walking the Line (of the inside/outside cultural continuum)
So what is this place? No really. I am really struggling to wrap my head around it. Not only does it remain undefinable, but so does my relationship to it. I speak arabic, but not the same arabic as everyone else. I enjoy walking through dirty streets more than clean ones, yet I sigh with relief when I return to my appartment. I spend my day mostly writing in english, reading in arabic, and speaking in spanish. On my street you can drink strong tea out of dirty glass or a cappacino from an italian mug. I struggle every moment to understand this landscape and most of all, to define my place within it. This city is truly like no other.
Last evening I wandered the city for several hours. I walked 1 hour in toward a general destination (the AUC campus), and after taking the wrong bridge and becoming seriously disoriented, it required another 2 1/2 hours to walk back. I went to a party last night with a bunch of Spanish journalists, and not wanting to stick around any longer with my roommate, I left at 3 am to walk back home... and once again used up another hour for a distance that should require 15 minutes. Unfortunately, as I didn't do my 'homework' before coming to Cairo as I always have within previous ventures, I haven't been able to 'hit the ground running,' with the usual propensity. Of course I have plenty of time to learn about this place, but up until today, it has been purely an initiation by fire. Today was in fact the first time I gave really looked at a map, learned where my apartment is actually located, and began to internalize the geography of this crazy urban labyrinth.
On a more exciting note, I met today with an American documentary film maker who had worked with an agency known as FilmAid within another refugee camp called Kakuma. Apparently he had found out about my work within Dadaab through this very blog, and has often intended to contact me. It turns out that we will both be studying together at AUC within the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies department. We met for lunch at a local 'hole in the wall' place, and as his arabic is only a little better than mine, we were served dishes of pickles, a small salad, lentils, tehini, bread, and a mystery meat that we suspected to be tripe. I will admit, with great shame, that I did not eat the tripe.
Some interesting notes about the meal however. Apparently the custom is that one glass is placed upon the table for water, so that all people share from the same glass. Also, food is placed on multiple dishes and when dining you continually pick and share from these dishes, there is no plate of your own. Forks are available. Tea and coffee are not served at the place where food is eaten, requiring the individual to walk somewhere else. Cafes also seem to be more popular for smoking Sheesha pipes than drinking tea/coffee.
So in a general sense, all is well. I'm slowly getting to know about this crazy place, my roommates are awesome, I'm beginning to make new friends, and my spanish is improving mas rapido. On the negative side my arabic seems to get worse rather than better, I'm not sure what to do about my apartment, and I'm still struggling to do some really basic things like a)find and eat food b) interact with Egyptians and c) purchase simple goods that I did not bring with me (such as a towel). I'm not sure what to do about my apartment because while it is in a good location, is fairly clean, is quiet, and has good company it is also a rather funky place and I can actually afford to live somewhere nicer. At the party last night, I went to an apartment down the street with a great rooftop balcony, wide spacious rooms, and great ventilation which would all be attainable on my budget. Mine, in contrast, is dark and closed up with no circulation (and right next to the highway), very hot, and sparsely furnished with a hodgepodge of thrift store furniture. I'm thinking the best idea is to stick around here for a few months, and then perhaps relocate in December/January. Afterall, it is at least a good way to save some cash and stabilize my existing friendships.
The strange thing is that while I want to live in a nicer place, I am constantly battling an inside/outside cultural dynamic. Today, my American friend, David and I went walking through a part of the city which could be considered "real Cairo," where the buildings are crumbling, the people live in absolute poverty, and along the way tradesman work their craft sharpening knives or repairing shoes. The women are covered head to toe, and the children run amok within the streets. It was the greatest 30 minutes I have experienced since arriving here. It reminded me of all the reasons I have to be here, and it showed me just how good I already have it at my apartment and within my neighborhood. Yet an interesting phenomena always occurs within these situations. When walking the streets of my little neighborhood, Zamalek, the outside chaos of Cairo becomes intimidating, while an immersion into the chaos presents the refinement of Zamalek as contrived and imprisoning. So how do I reconcile these differences? At this time it is beyond me; however I do suspect that with time, patience, and the fortitude to engage fear whenever it may arise, I will better navigate these compounding transgressions of the cultural divide within the near future.
Last evening I wandered the city for several hours. I walked 1 hour in toward a general destination (the AUC campus), and after taking the wrong bridge and becoming seriously disoriented, it required another 2 1/2 hours to walk back. I went to a party last night with a bunch of Spanish journalists, and not wanting to stick around any longer with my roommate, I left at 3 am to walk back home... and once again used up another hour for a distance that should require 15 minutes. Unfortunately, as I didn't do my 'homework' before coming to Cairo as I always have within previous ventures, I haven't been able to 'hit the ground running,' with the usual propensity. Of course I have plenty of time to learn about this place, but up until today, it has been purely an initiation by fire. Today was in fact the first time I gave really looked at a map, learned where my apartment is actually located, and began to internalize the geography of this crazy urban labyrinth.
On a more exciting note, I met today with an American documentary film maker who had worked with an agency known as FilmAid within another refugee camp called Kakuma. Apparently he had found out about my work within Dadaab through this very blog, and has often intended to contact me. It turns out that we will both be studying together at AUC within the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies department. We met for lunch at a local 'hole in the wall' place, and as his arabic is only a little better than mine, we were served dishes of pickles, a small salad, lentils, tehini, bread, and a mystery meat that we suspected to be tripe. I will admit, with great shame, that I did not eat the tripe.
Some interesting notes about the meal however. Apparently the custom is that one glass is placed upon the table for water, so that all people share from the same glass. Also, food is placed on multiple dishes and when dining you continually pick and share from these dishes, there is no plate of your own. Forks are available. Tea and coffee are not served at the place where food is eaten, requiring the individual to walk somewhere else. Cafes also seem to be more popular for smoking Sheesha pipes than drinking tea/coffee.
So in a general sense, all is well. I'm slowly getting to know about this crazy place, my roommates are awesome, I'm beginning to make new friends, and my spanish is improving mas rapido. On the negative side my arabic seems to get worse rather than better, I'm not sure what to do about my apartment, and I'm still struggling to do some really basic things like a)find and eat food b) interact with Egyptians and c) purchase simple goods that I did not bring with me (such as a towel). I'm not sure what to do about my apartment because while it is in a good location, is fairly clean, is quiet, and has good company it is also a rather funky place and I can actually afford to live somewhere nicer. At the party last night, I went to an apartment down the street with a great rooftop balcony, wide spacious rooms, and great ventilation which would all be attainable on my budget. Mine, in contrast, is dark and closed up with no circulation (and right next to the highway), very hot, and sparsely furnished with a hodgepodge of thrift store furniture. I'm thinking the best idea is to stick around here for a few months, and then perhaps relocate in December/January. Afterall, it is at least a good way to save some cash and stabilize my existing friendships.
The strange thing is that while I want to live in a nicer place, I am constantly battling an inside/outside cultural dynamic. Today, my American friend, David and I went walking through a part of the city which could be considered "real Cairo," where the buildings are crumbling, the people live in absolute poverty, and along the way tradesman work their craft sharpening knives or repairing shoes. The women are covered head to toe, and the children run amok within the streets. It was the greatest 30 minutes I have experienced since arriving here. It reminded me of all the reasons I have to be here, and it showed me just how good I already have it at my apartment and within my neighborhood. Yet an interesting phenomena always occurs within these situations. When walking the streets of my little neighborhood, Zamalek, the outside chaos of Cairo becomes intimidating, while an immersion into the chaos presents the refinement of Zamalek as contrived and imprisoning. So how do I reconcile these differences? At this time it is beyond me; however I do suspect that with time, patience, and the fortitude to engage fear whenever it may arise, I will better navigate these compounding transgressions of the cultural divide within the near future.
August 20, 2008
Arrival in cairo
While flying into Egypt, and seeing the sprawling metropolis extennd across the sahara in alll directions, i could only think ´¨that of all the places in the world, why did i choose to come here´´
(i´m using an arabic keyboard right now, so i don´t have a question mark at my disposal, and please forgive the countles s errors)
But everything quickly improved immediately upon landing. There was a person waiting for me at the gate with my name on sign, and he took care of everything for m e from that point on.. I t was quite amazing really, all I did was hand him my passport and he took care of my visa, hasseled with customs, and collected my luggage. I didn´t need to stand in any lines or anything. I t was great.
He then drove me to my apartment in zamalek, which was okay... I could not tell from th aerial view that a gian t overpass is right at my front door. And whuile tbe apartment could be spectacular, in its current condition, I would say its only okay. The best part was when my roommate Shawali opened t he door and proceeded to speak to me only in spanish for the next 30 minutes. I was told that he speaks a little english, and he was told that I speak a little spanish, yet he obviouly assumedthat ´a little ´means more than ¨my red shoes are in the bathroom¨.¨
However, it turns out that he does speak a littl english, and his brother Moss, who also lives here, is fluent in about 5 or 6 languages. So somehow all of our conversations are a mix of english, arabic, and spanish. I imagine that upon leaving here, I will have gained some considerable linguistic profiency from these guys.
Not much else to say from the moment. We went to a cafe last night, and walked around a bit. Cairo is really dirty, crossing the street is nearly suicidal, and it is really difficult to classify a city that contains glass skyscrapers and donkey carts on the same street. I will write more to you in a bit, hopefully after settin g up the internet on m y own computer.
(i´m using an arabic keyboard right now, so i don´t have a question mark at my disposal, and please forgive the countles s errors)
But everything quickly improved immediately upon landing. There was a person waiting for me at the gate with my name on sign, and he took care of everything for m e from that point on.. I t was quite amazing really, all I did was hand him my passport and he took care of my visa, hasseled with customs, and collected my luggage. I didn´t need to stand in any lines or anything. I t was great.
He then drove me to my apartment in zamalek, which was okay... I could not tell from th aerial view that a gian t overpass is right at my front door. And whuile tbe apartment could be spectacular, in its current condition, I would say its only okay. The best part was when my roommate Shawali opened t he door and proceeded to speak to me only in spanish for the next 30 minutes. I was told that he speaks a little english, and he was told that I speak a little spanish, yet he obviouly assumedthat ´a little ´means more than ¨my red shoes are in the bathroom¨.¨
However, it turns out that he does speak a littl english, and his brother Moss, who also lives here, is fluent in about 5 or 6 languages. So somehow all of our conversations are a mix of english, arabic, and spanish. I imagine that upon leaving here, I will have gained some considerable linguistic profiency from these guys.
Not much else to say from the moment. We went to a cafe last night, and walked around a bit. Cairo is really dirty, crossing the street is nearly suicidal, and it is really difficult to classify a city that contains glass skyscrapers and donkey carts on the same street. I will write more to you in a bit, hopefully after settin g up the internet on m y own computer.
August 18, 2008
Off to Cairo!
I've just finished packing, at 5:14 am, and in about 4 hours I will be going to the airport to depart for Cairo, Egypt! I actually managed to cram everything into 2 bags and my carry on, plus an additional guitar case (with guitar). Not only does this include clothes, but also a set of speakers, two pairs of shoes, books, my dadaab thesis research material, an arabic/english dictionary, a couple books on egyptian arabic, plus the usual toothpaste etc. Unfortunately my stuff will look crazy suspicious going through security as its also crammed full of an array of wires, all used to connect my music gear. The most impressive part of the packed goods however is the big empty space in my carry on bag.
So off to Egypt right? More or less. I leave this afternoon, and will arrive on Tues, Aug 19th at 2:15 pm. That will be about 24 hours of transit if you include the lay overs in Chicago and Frankfurt Germany.
There isn't much else to say for the moment. I will be sending out contact information in a few days so we can all stay in touch. I'm sure that I will miss everyone at home dearly, but overall, this is too hip of an experience to pass up, so I'm quite excited and looking forward to tomorrow. So next time you hear from me, I'll be in Egypt!
So off to Egypt right? More or less. I leave this afternoon, and will arrive on Tues, Aug 19th at 2:15 pm. That will be about 24 hours of transit if you include the lay overs in Chicago and Frankfurt Germany.
There isn't much else to say for the moment. I will be sending out contact information in a few days so we can all stay in touch. I'm sure that I will miss everyone at home dearly, but overall, this is too hip of an experience to pass up, so I'm quite excited and looking forward to tomorrow. So next time you hear from me, I'll be in Egypt!
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