My Final Post

Dear "Ben's Egyptian Adventure!" blog-readers,

Can you believe that this is my last post? In just a few hours I will be leaving the place that I have called home for the last nine months of my life. It is quite sad to say good-bye to this phase of my life.

There are several things I need to mention in this post. First of all, I want to say thank you to all of you who have been so faithful in following my journey to the Middle East. Over the span of 9 months, as of today, there have been 4,774 visitors to my site from 22 countries and from 6 continents (thank you Google Analytics)! I am so grateful for all of your support and your interest in what I've been experiencing over here; it's been very encouraging and has kept me motivate to regularly update you with pictures and videos and my random thoughts. I hope that I have entertained you. And maybe you learned something. And maybe your perception of the Middle East has changed slightly--I know mine has.

Yesterday I ate with some friends at the Cairo Hard Rock Cafe. On one of the walls, in huge lettering I noticed the phrase "Love All. Serve All." as we were discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I thought it was an excellent phrase, and I hope that those who go into the restaurant think about it. At the same time, I remembered hearing an astronaut describe his view from the space shuttle of our planet. He noted that in outer space you cannot see borders among all the countries of the world. We are all here together. This one of the most important things I've learned while I've been here.

For those of you who are able, if your in college or still in high school, I have to say that studying abroad was absolutely, unequivocally, one of the best decisions I've made in my life. And definitely the best decision that I've made while in college. If you're beyond "study abroad age," I highly recommend taking a vacation to the Middle East. And if you do decide to come here, please feel free to ask me for more pictures or advice or Arabic survival phrases!

Now that I have tasted what it is like to travel and live in another country, don't be surprised if in the future there is another "Ben's ________ Adventure!" blog that you can read...I'm pretty sure travel is contagious. For now, it's time to get back to Purdue to finish my degree. And where do I go from there? Your guess is as good as mine.

Sincerely,

Ben

Awesome Video #3

I'M DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This video features me wearing one of those neck brace things and a headscarf...while attempting to snap my fingers. It turned out pretty good.

Have a good Thursday!

Awesome Video #2

This one features Lucy...

School progress: 1 more day, 2 more exams!

I'd have to say that the video that I'm going to upload tomorrow is the best one. And I also went around campus taking pictures of things because I realized that I had never done that before. Those should be up tomorrow as well. I'm on a roll!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Awesome Video #1

Video featuring Rachel...part of a series of short, fun videos...more to come very, very soon!

2 more days of school. 3 more finals. And then I'm done! Then we're going to make a quick trip to the Red Sea and hang out in Cairo for a little bit before I leave on Monday night (Cairo time). I shall be in the U.S. Tuesday afternoon (Ohio time). But I'll be putting up several more blog posts between now and then, so stay tuned!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Armed Forces Day

Guess what? Today is Armed Forces Day in the U.S. You probably didn't know that, and I definitely wouldn't have known it either if it weren't for the little note that is written on my daily planner. I guess not many of us will really do anything to commemorate Armed Forces day; maybe some will fly that "star spangled banner" (hint to Mom and Dad) today. But I thought it would be a good idea to mention something about a sense of national pride and unity in both the U.S. and in Egypt.

I think that the sense of "being an Egyptian" surpasses what seems to deeply divide this country, namely the differences in religion. Practically every day on my way to school I see someone's car or motorcycle broken down on the side of the road. If that person needs a ride, I doubt they would have to stand there for more than 5 minutes before someone comes along and takes them to wherever they need to go. Or another example is if you get on the metro and it's packed full of people and there's no seats left, the Egyptians will move from their seats without hesitation if an elderly person or a woman with a child gets on.

While I think there is a strong national unity among Egyptians, I've also encountered many Egyptians who have expressed their desire to leave Egypt and go to America. Usually this makes me proud of being an American, but sometimes it is also very sad. For example, once when I was on a felluca (boat) ride in Aswan, the felluca driver was telling me about how much he wanted to go to America to work...doing anything from working in a restaurant to being a cab driver. He kept asking me about how to get a visa, and since I've never looked into getting a U.S. visa, I really couldn't tell him. In the end he took my phone number just in case I was able to help him make his way to America. This is one of the times that you really feel good to be an American--people want to go there (LEGALLY) so that they can fulfill their dreams.

Then there have been other Egyptians who have wanted to go to America to work or to study but they are afraid. Last semester I was at a restaurant with Henry and after we were done ordering, the guy who took our order asked us where we are from. After we told him, we asked if he would like to go to America. He said yes, but also then said that it wasn't possible because Americans think that Arabs are terrorists. Or even when I was talking to a Muslim friend on campus, she said that she would like to go to business school in the U.S. but wasn't sure where she should go because she didn't want to be a social outcast for being Muslim. It's times like these that I've felt sad that the Arab people perceive all Americans in this way. But I can't lay all the blame on the Arab, it's also Americans' fault for being largely unaware or misinformed of the Middle Eastern world and culture (one of the main reasons why I've been here for a year), thereby propagating more inaccurate information.

Anyway, I hope that when I get back to America I notice the unity that I've noticed here. I hope we aren't too busy "social-networking" to actually spend time together, face-to-face. I hope that when we see someone who needs help, we take the 5 minutes to actually help them.

As American citizens we should be very, very happy for our citizenship. And we should be extremely grateful for those who have fought and given their lives for our freedom, as there are many people in the world who would give up so much just to have the freedoms and rights that we have as citizens of the United States of America.

Happy Saturday! Happy Armed Forces Day!

Nearing the End

How in the world is it that I have less than 2 weeks until I'm back in the U.S? It's very hard to believe that I've been in Egypt for so long (9 months). I really want to get back home, but in a way, I've been able to make Egypt my home, at least temporarily. So, for that reason, I'm also not looking forward to leaving.

Next week is finals week (even though I'll still have classes on Sunday and Monday), and then I'll have 4 days off to do whatever I want before I leave. I still need to see a couple more things in the greater Cairo area and buy souvenirs. Honestly the only thing I've bought for myself is an Arabic/English dictionary and a couple of kids' books written in Arabic. If you have any special requests for something you'd like, you'd better let me know soon so I can get it for you!

It has been really warm recently, reaching to 109 F a few days ago! This is one thing that I don't think I'll miss. However, I think I'll have to wear sweatshirts for awhile when I get back to Ohio...mid-50s just isn't going to cut it for me.

Last weekend we went to the Giza zoo, and I took some pictures, which follow.

Johan, Lucy, and Rachel enjoying the Giza zoo, despite the heat

Egyptian children gathered around the employee feeding the seals

At the elephant house

What's a trip to the zoo without some cotton candy?

Rachel in front of the crocodile

Lion cubs

Well, I think I've done a fairly effective job and procrastinating--2 hour nap, making pancakes, and updating the blog...I suppose I should do some homework!

Have a good Wednesday!

Video Summary of Year

I have picked out some of my favorite pictures from my year in the Middle East, from all over Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey. I hope you enjoy it!

Have a wonderful Friday!

NYT Article about AUC

Here's a link to an article written in today's New York Times about AUC.

I should have a real update up sometime tomorrow!

Have a good Thursday!

America : Iran :: AUC Administration : AUC Students

In case you never had to do these analogies in high school, the title would read, "America is to Iran just as the AUC Administration is to the AUC Students."

The parallels are just too striking for me not to write about this...

As I'm sure you've read, and as we have read plenty of times in my Arabic media class, Iran is just rolling right along with their nuclear and ballistic missile programs. On the other hand, our fearless leaders in Washington, especially Hilary Clinton, are warning Iran about the "biting sanctions" that are sure to follow...as she's been saying for months now. Congress is debating unilateral economic sanctions as the UN appears to be totally unable to hammer out anything. But are sanctions really going to do anything? This is a small excerpt from yesterday's Wall Street Journal:

In Congress, sanctions legislation also creaks along, but that too is simply going through the motions. Russia and China have already rejected key proposals to restrict Iran's access to international financial markets and choke off its importation of refined petroleum products, which domestically are in short supply. Any new U.S. legislation will be ignored and evaded, thus rendering it largely symbolic. Even so, President Obama has opposed the legislation, arguing that unilateral U.S. action could derail his Security Council efforts.

The further pursuit of sanctions is tantamount to doing nothing. Advocating such policies only benefits Iran by providing it cover for continued progress toward its nuclear objective. It creates the comforting illusion of "doing something." Just as "diplomacy" previously afforded Iran the time and legitimacy it needed, sanctions talk now does the same.

So essentially there are 2 scenarios: Iran gets what it wants, or someone strikes their nuclear facilities, slowing them down for awhile. Nuclear Iran will create lots of problems in the Middle East, but it appears that the US in incapable of doing anything (like other countries in the Middle East starting their own nuclear programs, a.k.a. Egypt, Saudi, Turkey...)

Now for the analogy part...

Last month AUC students decided to "demonstrate" their frustrations, under the leadership of the AUC student council president, by breaking down a gate on campus because this gate is closer to the parking lot (instead of having to walk an extra 2 minutes). Anyway, they broke it down because apparently diplomacy between the AUC student council and the administration had failed. The administration said that having an extra gate open would be too expensive and requires 27 more security personnel to be hired. The students, who collected signatures, want to have the gate open so that they don't have to walk as much.

After the demonstrations, the AUC administration threatened the student council president with community service and possible suspension. Yesterday I read in the student newspaper that all punishment has been lifted. The student council president and all his fellow demonstrators, who call the event "monumental" and "historical," are let completely off the hook because they were able to "write a petition" to the administration saying why they shouldn't be punished for their damage to the school.

I think the administration appears weak and spineless.

(P.S.--Writing petitions is one of the most popular things to do on campus. I actually saw a banner flowing in the breeze the other day announcing that students should write petitions. Johan has gotten into this activity and now AUC actually owes him money instead of him paying AUC!)

Anyway, I think Iran is going to get what it wants, just as AUC students get what they want.

That's my analysis, at least...

Happy Monday!

oh, and another p.s--I FOUND MY ERASER!!!!