Off to Luxor

Now that Corey and I have hit the highlights of Cairo (pyramids, Islamic Cairo, Khan el-Khalili), we're off to the southern part of the country--Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel. I've never been to Aswan or Abu Simbel, so those will be especially nice to see.

I told Corey that I was going to have him learn as much Arabic as possible while he's here, and he's done a really good job so far. Today I made a math quiz for him (I tested him both verbally and on paper). So he's got the numerals down from 0-10 so far...before too long he'll be up to 100, I'm sure. He's also got some of the other essentials down like, "I don't want anything" and "Praise be to God."

Since I'm not using my computer over the next month, all of my posts will most likely be short, and I doubt I'll be able to upload pictures until I get back to the university...sorry!

Anyway, have a happy Tuesday!

Christmas Eve

Well, it's about time for bed here. One Christmas tradition that I have carried out this evening is hanging stockings...except mine are hanging in my hotel bathroom because they're drying after I hand-washed them this evening. Maybe they'll be filled with goodies in the morning?!

Anyway, have a very merry Christmas!

And Corey, I can't wait to see you in about 2 days!

Happy Thursday, everyone!

2009's a Wrap...Almost

Since I don't know about my internet capabilities over the next month and since 2009 is quickly coming to an end, I figured now would be a good time to upload a "Year in Review" video. The pictures kind of go in chronological order...

Have a good Tuesday!

Four Neck Braces, Please

It's been a few days since I've updated the blog because I've been galavanting all over tarnation. As most of my friends head back to the U.S. and other places, we've had a lot of last minute things to do and see. And, of course, we don't have our own cars in Egypt, so we rely on others to get us from Point A to Point B, usually via taxi.

The taxi cab drivers are generally very skilled at weaving in and out of traffic, communicating with each other by a unique horn and light combination, and knowing where places are. But sometimes they tend to drive really fast. And sometimes they tend to not see the speed bumps. The thing is, the speed bumps in Egypt aren't really bumps; they're more like mini-mountains. If you're going 100 kph over one of these unmarked death bumps, then you have a really good chance at going airborne, coming down with a big ol' crash. Fun, fun times.

So after mangling our necks, we went to see the movie Avatar. It's an entertaining movie, but I wish that Cameron's underlying messages weren't so overtly obvious (very strongly antiwar, pro-environmentalism, mixed with some new-age type stuff). He incorporated phrases like, "Fight terror with terror," and others that made it all too obvious what he was trying to convey. Overall, though, I'd recommend it for its entertainment value, which, I suppose, is what movies should be about.

I'll be packing my room in the next two days. I'll be living in downtown Cairo for a few days while I wait for Corey to get here. While it's sad that the semester is ending, I'm exciting to do a whole country tour over the next few weeks and then head off to Turkey for two weeks.

Have a good Monday!

Expectations Meet Reality

Things one would expect to happen at the end of the Fall 2009 semester:

1. Lots of studying for finals
2. Flies/mosquitoes die
3. Anticipation for going home for Christmas

Things that are actually happening at the end of the Fall 2009 semester:

1. This has been the easiest finals week of my life. That's not saying that the whole semester has been easy, but I haven't really needed to study much for my tests, which is nice. As a result, I played basketball two days ago, tennis yesterday, and soccer is on the agenda for today! It's pretty nice. But it's especially weird that I can be outside in shorts and a t-shirt...in the middle of December (that's only to play sports, otherwise I usually have to wear pants and a long-sleeve shirt).
2. Mosquitoes and flies here are sooooo annoying. I thought they would die since the weather has gotten colder, but they haven't. And it seems like the flies here are more persistent and annoying than the ones in Ohio. Almost every night I wake up to mosquito bites and something buzzing near my ear. Good thing I'm on the east side of the Nile and not on the west side (allusion to West Nile Virus for those of you who didn't catch on!)...I have, however, gotten gained a new skill--killing flies. The trick is to kill them when they're in the sun. I think their eyesight might not be so good then.
3. While I'm definitely sad that I'm not going home for Christmas, it was my decision to stay here during Christmas break when I first applied to study here. So, as many of you know, Corey is coming to visit me from December 27 - January 9. Then on January 10, I'm going to be going to Turkey for 2 weeks. I'll be visiting places like Istanbul, Ephesus, Troy, and Cappadocia. Here's a link to a map of all the places I'll be visiting, starting in Istanbul and moving counter-clockwise around the western half of the country. When I get back, it'll be just about time to start school again.

Christmas is coming...

Happy Thursday!

Calls to Prayer & Beckons to Subway

I guess the sign hanging above the drywall-covered entrance to the future location of Subway was semi-accurate in saying, "Coming Soon." I really didn't expect to see Subway open until sometime next semester, but yesterday was the surprise grand opening! I never thought I would be this excited about an American store opening up. It's almost as exciting as when Wadsworth got a Wal-Mart several years ago. So for the last 3 meals, I've had BBQ chicken sandwiches. I'm pretty sure any BBQ food is the food I miss the most. It's been a good 3 days...even though it is finals week.

On a wholly different note, did you read a few weeks ago about how the Swiss voted to ban the building of minarets on mosques? If not, then here is a link to the article.

Today I read an interesting article on Bloomberg about how Christians in Islamic countries face many restrictions on building churches, amongst other things. You can read the whole article here. Here are a few excerpts from the article:

While Muslim leaders criticized the Nov. 29 vote in Switzerland that banned construction of minarets, they don’t support Christians who want to build churches in some Islamic countries. Restrictions in Egypt have exacerbated sectarian violence and discrimination, say Copts, a 2,000 year old denomination that comprises about 10 percent of the population...

...“The decision of the Swiss people stood to be interpreted as xenophobic, prejudiced, discriminative and against the universal human-rights values,” said the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which represents 57 Muslim-majority nations.

Members include Saudi Arabia, where non-Muslims are arrested for worshipping privately; Maldives, the Indian Ocean atoll where citizenship is reserved for Muslims; Libya, which limits churches to one per denomination in cities; and Iran, where conversion from Islam is punished by death, according to a 2009 U.S. State Department report on religious freedom.

After thinking about these two articles, I've decided that I disagree with the Swiss decision; mosques should be allowed to build minarets. If you read the NY Times articles, you'll notice that it says that none of the minarets are actually used to conduct the call to prayer (which happens 5 times a day, starting very early in the morning). This is like telling a church that they can't put a cross on a steeple. It just doesn't make sense.

Actually using the minaret as a means of calling people to prayer is a different story (in a democratic society). A common argument goes something like this, "Well, churches are able to ring church bells, so why shouldn't mosques be able to perform the call to prayer?" But I think this argument holds little water. I think it would be difficult to argue that the ringing of church bells has any theological or religious significance. Most church bells are used as a means of marking time; they have no religious connotations. The same can't be said of an Islamic call to prayer.

If churches wanted to have a preacher recite the Lord's Prayer over a loudspeaker for the surrounding people to hear several times every day, then this would be a problem politically. The same is true for minarets calling people to prayer in democratic societies. Therefore, while I think that the Swiss made a mistake in banning minarets, I hold that the minarets should not be used to call people to prayer.

Here is an example of what the call to prayer is like in Cairo:

Accessories of Infliction

As I have written before, sometimes it feels like I'm at a fashion show when I'm on campus. Not only do the students here mostly dress in designer clothes (how else will you be able to sit in the Gucci corner?), but it also appears that there are certain "accessories" that take the everyday fashionable to the level of fashion-guru: what I have termed Accessories of Infliction. Let me walk you through the Winter 2009 collection...

(Note-I looked up "meaningless fashion adjectives," so if something doesn't make sense, just go with the flow.)

The first piece in the Winter 2009 collection consists of two forearm crutches. These fashion-forward accessories are educated and challenging, but for the bold wearer, they scream to onlookers, "Yeah, that's right, I went to the Egypt/Algeria soccer game and survived." With these in hand, the most elite fashion vixens will be silenced.

Are you BOLD enough?

For an even more rugged, driven look, try a classic eye patch. Nothing says desert Bedouin-chic like a sophisticated patch on the eye. While patterned eye-patches will be the highlight of the Spring collection, for now, stick with the simple solid colors. These versatile Accessories of Infliction are easy to mix and match with any outfit and can be worn by either male or female.

Fought a camel? I did.

The next piece is reminiscent of days gone by--the traditionally sized crutch. Instead of using two (how can one carry one's Gucci bag with two crutches?), put a flavorful twist on an old style by using one crutch. The witty, sweeping length of the crutch works wonders with a pair of skinny jeans or a tasteful pair of tights. Be prepared for the oohs and ahhs of everyone within a crutch-length!

Traditional...now directional.

While outside of the realms of Accessories of Infliction, this next piece is included because of its timelessness in the fashion world. Ugg boots. The hairier, the more pompoms, the more tassels, the more ANYTHING on them, the better! Don't worry if it's 60 degrees outside and completely impractical; you are being evangelical in your on-trend fashion statement.

Sometimes more is better

This concludes the Winter collection for 2009. For those who are able to pull off these fashions on campus, I applaud you, but I'm not going to break a leg to hop on this fashion-bandwagon.

Yea! It's Friday. Have a good one!!!

Examination of Islam

As promised in my last post, I'll share with you my paper on the divine attributes of God as reflected in the doctrine of salvation on both the Islamic and Christian conception.

Here is the full version of the paper. If you'd just like the Reader's Digest version, then continue to read...

I see the Islamic conception of God (the Islamic term for God is, "Allah") as being morally deficient for two reasons.

The first reason is that Allah is not all-loving. As the creator and as the standard of all moral values, God--The Ultimate Good, must be all-loving. But this is not what Islam teaches. Allah loves those who believe and do good deeds, but he does not love unbelievers. God does not love ungrateful sinners (2:277) or those who do evil (3:57) or the aggressors (2:190) or the unbelievers (2:276)...his love is conditional. What a contrast to the God of the Bible! God is described as holding back the Last Day so that there is “more time for everyone to repent” (2^nd Peter 3:9). Throughout Jesus’ time on earth, he consistently spent time with the outcasts and the sinners, saying that he came to the sick, not to the healthy (Mark 2:17). Thus it appears that the Islamic conception of God falls short of being Perfectly Good, which has pretty dire theological consequences.

The second reason is that Allah’s justice and holiness are compromised on Islamic theology. As an illustration, suppose a man caught speeding on the highway is taken to court. The judge could say, “Yes, you were caught speeding, but I’m going to let you off the hook because you’re a pretty good guy—you give to charity, you care for your family, and you volunteer at the mosque.” Indeed the judge would be showing mercy, but his justice would be compromised because he simply turns a blind eye to the wrongdoing of the man. The same is true with the Islamic conception of God—God simply overlooks the transgressions of those whose good deeds outweigh their bad. By not exacting punishment for the transgression of those who earn salvation in heaven, God cannot be absolutely just and his holiness is compromised. But if God is not absolutely holy and wholly just, then he theologically cannot be the Ultimate being. Christianity has a solution for this war between mercy and justice by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross.

So that's what I talk about for 7 fun-filled pages...hopefully I get a good grade on it.

In other news, today I went to one of the most popular places for tourists of Cairo--The Citadel. It was built in the late 1170s (during the Ayyubid dynasty), as a fortress and contained both the palace and barracks for soldiers. Today, there are 3 mosques there, the most famous of which is the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which I've posted below.

And since you all have cold weather, snow, and other Christmas-type stuff and I don't (I'm jealous!), I thought I should try to make you jealous with the brilliant idea I got yesterday--buy some fresh strawberries and chocolate spread....delicious! So take that, blog-readers!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Christmas is in the Air

It's not nearly as obvious as it is in the U.S. that it's Christmastime, but this afternoon we got a little taste of Christmas. We went to Lucy's aunt's house (which was festively decorated) for a Christmas/birthday/good-bye/everything celebration. There was a lot of good Egyptian-style food (yes please for more grape leaves!). Here's a couple of pictures:

My name is Henry, and I love Christmas!

Lucy, Lucy's cousin, and Rachel

Johan and Rachel.

Johan's thinking, "I sure do love getting my picture taken...especially when I get to wear this awesome Santa Claus hat!"

Afterwards, Rachel and I went to meet with a real estate agent in Maadi, one of the boroughs in Cairo. Johan, Rachel, and I plan to live in an apartment next semester. We think we found a good one, so we're going to try to hammer out a deal with the seller over the next few days...hopefully.

Since getting back from Israel, I've been busy with school-work. I finished my paper about the divine attributes of God, and I'm pretty pleased with it. My next post I will be a summary of it as well as a link to the whole copy, for those who are interested. I've got a test tomorrow, which is strange because then the next week is finals week...which is hard to believe.

Before I peace out, I found this awesome Christmas song today, and I thought I should share it with you!

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Back from Israel

Well, the most important part of this post is the pictures, so if you're looking for those, you can find them here. There should be a caption on the bottom of each picture. This panoramic is taken from the Mount of Olives, looking toward the Old City of Jerusalem.

After our little fiasco that I wrote about several posts ago, our trip to Israel went smoothly. I think living in Egypt for over 3 months really prepared me for Jerusalem. If you can bargain with cab drivers in Egypt, then you'll have no problems in Israel, which is calm by comparison. Even the small, crowded streets of Jerusalem didn't seem in the least bit overwhelming because the streets in Cairo are louder, more crowded, and the vendors are more aggressive in Egypt.

One thing that was strange to me about Israel was how secular it is in comparison to the Arab Republic of Egypt. It's not that it was any different (at least I don't think so) from the way people dress and behave in the U.S., but I guess it was just weird having been away for so long from girls who wear short, tattered jean skirts and Ugg boots. By the way, Ugg boot season is upon us...I might have to do a post about that in the future because they exist here, too.

Overall, Israel was nice. It was fun going around to all the places where well-known events from the Bible took place. I especially enjoyed my time in Capernaum and upper Galilee, like going into the synagogue where Jesus spent a lot of time. I also enjoyed wandering the streets of Jerusalem, trying to picture life from long ago, which wasn't too hard with all the crowds, the narrow cobblestone streets, and all the vendors.

Oh, and since we weren't in Egypt, I got to have ham for the first time in such a long time! I had 2 ham sandwiches and a nice pepperoni pizza...they were both glorious.

That's all I can write for now...I've got a big ol' paper that I have to whip out today. Thanksgiving break ends on Sunday for us, so I have a few more days of freedom!

Happy Wednesday!

The Sea, the Sea, the Sea of Galilee

This is an excerpt from my notes from yesterday:

As I write this, I am sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, less than a mile away from the ancient town of Capernaum.

It's a peaceful Sabbath day morning, and after finished the book of Matthew, I try to imagine what life was like on these shores 2000 years ago. It's difficult to do though, even after seeing the supposed place where Jesus fed 5000 men and the synagogue where he taught. Maybe it's the trash littered across the beach or the hum of the occasional motorboat gliding across the silver water.

Even though it's hard for me to imagine life in the Bible times, it's very easy to feel a sort of spiritual assuredness. After reading about the life of Jesus since I was young and knowing so many of the different stories, it's quite personally satifsying to at least attempt to get a better understanding of the places where Jesus lived and taught. Reading through the Bible in the past, I rarely gave thought to the names of places--they all seemed so foreign and some of them are very difficult to pronounce. But after being in Galilee and mountain biking through some of these hills, I have much more appreciation for little things, like reading about how the crowds followed Jesus from one side of the lake to the other.

Yesterday and today were spent in Jerusalem, but I'll update you on those adventures in my next blog post! And pictures will be added when I get back to Cairo!!

Happy Sunday!

From the Sea of Galilee

Well, I only have a little bit of time to type since I only bought a 30 minute internet card, so what you get is the unedited, poorly thought out, fast typing about what has been going on the last 2 days.

Yesterday we arrived in Israel after a really long bus ride from Cairo. Other than the fact the the bus broke down and it took 2 hours to get out of Cairo, the trip itself wasn't too bad. Once we got to Taba, at the Israeli boarder, we went through passport stuff and took a taxi to the city of Eilat. There we at breakfast at a cafe and then went down to the little airport to see if we could find a cheap flight to the northern part of the country. ALL WE WANTED TO DO WAS CHECK THE PRICES FOR TICKETS. The security people said that they needed to ask us some questions...no biggie. They separated Henry and I so that they could check our facts. In the end, it was a 2 hour interrogation that was completely unfounded and unnecessary. They searched through all of our stuff and even did a strip-search.

Needless to say, I was quite upset. Because all we wanted was to know how much it cost. We will be going to the U.S. Embassy to file a complaint.

After that we left for Haifa in the northern part of Israel. It's a port town and was quite strange because it was so quiet there--nothing at all like Cairo. It's strange to actually look forward to reading signs in Arabic...most of the stuff is written in Hebrew, and there is very little English.

After Haifa we went to Nazareth to see the supposed place where the angel appeared to Mary...and Joseph's carpentry shop.

(More details on all of this when I get back to Cairo)

We are now in Galilee...going to bike around the lake tomorrow to take everything in.

We also just learned that AUC will be having an extended break due to swine flu...which is really annoying, but we're going to just do some more traveling. I'm not sure where yet. We'll think about it and then I'll let ya'll know.

I know that was scattered, but those are the latest facts, and my time is running out.

Happy Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving

ps--ate Thanksgiving dinner at a gas station in Galilee

Off to the Holy Land

Shalom!

I thought I should put up a quick post about my finalized travel plans--I'M HEADED TO THE HOLY LAND! ...in about an hour...

I don't think I'll be able to post pictures until I get back on the 1st of December, but I should be able to put up some updates along the way!

Happy Tuesday!

We're Not Responsible for That

In keeping with traditional Caravan (our school newspaper) style, this week’s edition of the paper is once again themed. This time it is the sex, drugs, and alcohol edition. While there are several things that really bother me about this edition, there is one that I want to point out specifically.

One article called, “At AUC, some girls choose feminine companionship,” is about several girls on campus and their lesbian relationships. This topic obviously is something that is rarely discussed in Egypt, or even in America. The thing that really bothers me is when the article says, “Many Egyptians say Western influence on their culture is the reason for homosexuality in their societies.” In another article, the author states, “I always thought of homosexuality as a western phenomenon…”

Talk about passing the blame! While homosexuality is certainly more visible in the U.S. than it is in the Middle East, this is no reason to say that the West is the reason homosexuality is practiced in Middle Eastern countries. I don’t think you could say to a police officer, “But officer, the reason I was speeding is because I saw someone else speeding.” No, you’re going to get the ticket because you are responsible for your actions, independently of what anyone else does. Egyptians cannot blame homosexuality on the West; they must be responsible for their own actions.

Another story is about AUC students studying abroad at UCLA. The article says, “many AUC students end up partying and engaging in behavior at UCLA that they could never indulge in at home.”

When you study abroad, you want to try to get a feel for the culture; you want to live like the people live. But this doesn’t mean that you throw all of the morals that have guided you for life out of the window. Those who “engage in the unimaginable” while abroad cannot blame the culture for their actions. They themselves are responsible.

It’s as simple as that!

Happy Sunday!

عيد الشكر = "Thanksgiving" plans

أنا إسمي بنجامين. أنا طالب في الجامعة بورديو في ولاة إنديانا. يعيش والدي و والدتي في ولاية أوهايو في مدينة طفولتي. في هذا الفصل الدراسي أدرس في مصر بالجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة. أنا مشغول كل يوم مع العمل بسبب فصل العربية. أحب اللغة العربية ولكن عندي واجب كثير و أعمل من الصباح إلى المساء. هذا الشتا‍‍ء سأسافر مع زميلي إلى مدن كثيرة في مصر. الجو في الشتاء أحسن. لا أحب الطقس في الصيف بسبب درجة الحرارة العالية. بعد هذه السنة سأذهب إلى إنديانا لأني سأحصل بكالوريوسي بعد ثلاثة فصول دراسي

I thought I should show off what I've learned after being in Egypt for almost 3 months now. Considering I started from nothing, I'm pretty pleased with the progress I've made so far...but there is a lot more to learn! They say it takes 7 years of study before someone becomes fluent in Arabic.

Tonight is the qualifying game between Algeria and Egypt for playing in the 2010 World Cup. The game is in Sudan. It is basically a HUGE deal. They've set up chairs around our auditorium so that people can stay on campus to watch it since many students wouldn't be able to commute home in time to see the game. Many students are carrying Egyptian flags and have the flag painted on their faces. It's definitely a day to wear red, black, and white.

Because of the game, security measures, once again, are up. I had to swipe my ID three times and tell a security guard my room number just to get to my room. I suppose it's a good thing because, as I said, soccer is a really, really big deal and people tend to get "passionate," as the US Embassy has warned us on multiple occasions (example-spraying an aerosol can in front of a lighter to make a make-shift flame thrower...fun times!).

One other thing--on Tuesday night I will be traveling to Israel for Thanksgiving break! I'm so excited about this. More details and certainly more pictures to come!

Have a good Wednesday!

30 Seconds in Islamic Cairo

Because I love Islamic Cairo so much, I thought I should put up a video so you could get a better picture of it. When I took this video I was standing on one of the minarets on the Bab Zuwayla (see pictures from my previous post). On a clear day you can see all the way to the pyramids. As you can see, it's quite different from the mid-western United States, but I love it!

Have a good Monday!

A Walk Down Darb al-Ahmar

What's better, the pyramids or the Islamic architecture from the 900s to the 1500s? That is a very hard question, but I'm starting to think it might be the Islamic architecture, especially from the Bahri Mamluk dynasty. Today I took a walk down Darb al-Ahmar in the heart of Islamic Cairo, which I've highlighted in green on the map below. The red dots mark all of the mosques and madrasas (Islamic schools) that I've been in so far.

The street leads from the Citadel, which is a fortress built on the Muqattam hills. Right below the Citadel is the Mosque of Sultan Hasan (1356), which is the largest mosque in Cairo. It was built to house 400 students, but the project became so expensive that when Sultan Hasan died, the work stopped. You can see exactly where the craftsmen stopped working because the stone carvings aren't completed.

This mosque one of the "must-see" structures in Cairo. When President Obama came to address the Islamic world earlier this year, he stopped by this mosque...which explains why all of the rugs in the mosque are plush and new.

The Darb al-Ahmar isn't a street that tourists go on, so you get to actually see what real Egyptian life is like. You get the wonderful, sweet smell of freshly baked bread. You get the overwhelming smell of dust and car fumes in the lungs. You see chickens 3 seconds away from getting their heads chopped off. You have kids wave at you and little boys come up to you to hold your hand. You have the locals sitting outside their stores drinking their tea, wondering who's in their turf. And you have some of the most wonderful architecture in the city.

Toward the end of the walk is Bab Zuwayla (1091), which is part of the original city walls of Cairo. Of course the gate is cool because it's so old, but it was even cooler because I got to climb one of the twin minarets! Below is a picture of me doing the call to prayer (no, I'm not about to sneeze) from the top of the minaret. Those things are really high and the staircases are extremely small. It was definitely well worth it.

I've included a link to some of the other pictures I've taken from Islamic Cairo. See those pictures here.

Man, a lot has happened, so I'm going to use bullet points so this post doesn't get too long:

• Went to see 2012 yesterday evening. Movie review--too many "close call" situations that just get annoying after awhile.
• Went to Chili's. It was soooooooooo good. I miss barbecue sauce so much.
• There is a huge soccer game tomorrow against Algeria. I've been warned by many people, including the U.S. Embassy in Cairo that we should stay away from the stadium area. It most likely will be very violent. Which is very unfortunate since soccer IS A GAME!

That's all! Have a good weekend! Happy Friday!

Get Messy, Make Mistakes

If you've ever played SceneIt? or any other you-need-to-know-about-pop-culture game with me, then you know that I'm a lousy teammate. I just haven't seen that many movies or had enough interest in the lives of celebrities to pay that much attention. I have a hard enough time remembering "real" people's names! Anyway, there is one television show (or maybe it's a movie; I don't know) that popped into my head this week--The Magic School Bus. Random, I know. Let me explain.

Again, if you know me, then you know that I'm maybe, slightly, possibly a tiny bit of a perfectionist. And I really don't like to make mistakes. I especially don't like to make mistakes in front of other people.

As our substitute Arabic teacher reminded us today, the best way to learn Arabic is to just give it a shot and make mistakes. Kind of like Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus said, "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" And I've found that this is very true. Maybe you read my last post about my horrendous translation? If only you could hear me when I try to make a coherent sentence in class. It must be quite humorous.

Outside of class, if you try to do something simple like hailing a taxi and then talk to him in Arabic, and he laughs at you, you have to realize that this is part of the learning process. And I'm finally starting to realize this.

And so, I guess all of the mistakes eventually pay off in the end--I got an "A" surrounded by a combination of lines, seahorses, and various other squiggles on my Arabic mid-term, which made me quite happy!

This situation reminds me of a WONDERFUL song I've heard...

I feel like I've already written about my love for Hannah Montanta, and it fits the theme of this blog post, here is the music our youngsters:

Swine Flu Strikes Again?

While I haven't gotten an official e-mail saying that we're going to have an extended Eid al-Adha (which is the Islamic holiday when many people conduct hajj [pilgrimage] to Mecca), it sounds like it is quite probable.

Today in Arabic class my teacher said that the government is saying that schools will be closed until December 6th. I can't imagine AUC not conforming to this mandate. This means that our "Thanksgiving break" will extend from November 26th - December 6th.

This is part of an e-mail that I received:

To ensure that all class requirements are fulfilled – in the event that the university is required to suspend classes – the university’s deans and department chairs are formulating contingency plans. As information becomes available it will be emailed to the AUC community, as well as posted on the flu information page on the university website.

I read that as, "Keep checking your e-mail because soon you're going to have to come in on the weekends so we can make up for all the classes we've missed this semester." I'll keep you posted on what actually happens. I kind of want classes to be cancelled so that I can travel, but at the same time, I'd really like to learn all of the material that I'm expected to learn this semester. I'm ambivalent.

One short, funny thing that happened in Arabic class today:

Partners: Ben & Alison

Task: Translate what Alison says in Arabic into English.

What Alison says: The grandsons live with their grandfather.

How Ben translates it: Their mother died in an accident in the army.

I guess I wasn't paying attention, but I laughed really hard since my translation was completely unrelated (yes, we have learned the words for "died", "accident", and "army"...it's really an uplifting vocabulary list). We have our first Arabic test tomorrow, so that should definitely be a fun time.

Anyway, have a happy Sunday!

The Openness of Religion

I would really be really sticking my head in the sand (which is entirely possible) if I were to not write about the openness of religion in Egypt, or even the Middle East in general.

In addition to the small things like taxi cab drivers keeping their Qur'an on the dashboard or the many Coptic Christians who have a small cross tattooed onto their wrist, I've been able to talk to many people (Muslims and otherwise) about religion. One example that really surprised me occurred when I was making the 5 minute walk to one of my classes:

One of my Muslim classmates saw me heading toward class and came up to me to ask me if I had read, "The True Message of Jesus Christ," which I had picked up from al-Azhar mosque a few weeks ago. I haven't gotten through all of it yet and told her so. She then told me about how she used to date a Christian guy, and so she read the whole New Testament. While this created strain in the family, she remarked that she was moved to tears reading about Christ crucified. After reading it, she was left confused about what to believe, so she prayed to God--whether the God of the Bible or the Qur'an--to show her the right way to go, which, in the end for her, was the Qur'an.

By this time we were at our class and I had little time to respond, but I told her that we should talk more later, which I hope we do. What really struck me about the conversation was that she essentially told me her entire, as Christians call it, testimony. The only thing is, I don't even know her that well at all. I can't imagine being back in America and having the same conversation with someone who I hardly know.

Last night at a party I was able to talk to another Muslim who I do not know very well about reasons for the existence of God, angels, jinn (not to be confused with gin), the niqab, and the openness of religion in Egypt. It's been quite a remarkable experience.

Along the same lines, I'm going to be writing a paper for one of my classes about the divine attributes of God, as reflected in the doctrine of salvation, according to the Qur'an. I think I'll probably do a comparison to the Christian conception of God, but we'll see about that. Either way, I'm really looking forward to writing it. Hopefully I'll be able to share a copy of it with you at the end of the month.

Happy Friday!

Stereotypes

The student newspaper came out today, and as per some unwritten rule, there was an article about stereotypes. Except this time it wasn't about rich AUC students who are ungrateful for being able to attend this university or about the so-called "Gucci corner." This time it was about Judaism.

From the short time that I have been here, I've run across several situations where people's conception of things has seemed quite patently false. Since I haven't much encountered the Jewish stereotype, I'm not going to address that; I would like to briefly talk about the American stereotypes that I have encountered.

In Arabic class, we have been working through a book that follows the story of a college-aged girl named Maha. If you've taken Arabic, you most likely have learned about her. She's pretty much a big deal. Maha is Egyptian, but she is studying in New York City. Practically from the beginning, we learn that Maha is lonely. In one chapter we learn the word for "alone" and then "lonely" and then "loneliness." But how could she be lonely in such a big, lively city?

Today we had to come up with sentences explaining why Maha is lonely, like "Maha is lonely because her father and mother are always busy." After we had listed about six reasons, our teacher explained to us the "real" (or most probable) reason why she's lonely--her parents won't allow her to associate with Americans because Americans are "free-spirits."

While the Middle East is definitely more conservative than America, I find it strange that EVERY American is automatically a person who does whatever he or she wants to do. Not all Americans live lives like the wonderful Hollywood movies. It reminds me of several other Egyptians who I met soon after I got here who were simply astounded that I don't drink alcohol. Surely all Americans drink alcohol and spend the weekends in the bars, right?

One other American stereotype that I want to address occurred when I was talking to a server at a restaurant. He was so happy to find out that we were Americans. It was easy to see that he was pleased to talk to us (many Egyptians like to talk to Americans to practice their English). I asked him if he ever wanted to come to America, assuming that he would say yes. But he said no. The reason he gave was because he thought that Americans don't like Muslims. I tried my best to reassure him otherwise.

I hope that in the time that I am here, I am able to dispel some of these stereotypes, if even for just a few people.

Another stereotype (I'm not sure if that's the right term) is that swine flu has something to do with pigs. The university is continually hanging up flyers and handing out wet-wipes (yes, please) to "Kill the Flu Before it Kills You!!!" And then there's always a picture of a pig with a red slash through it. Maybe they do it because it makes a nice picture to an otherwise microscopic concept, but I'm rather disappointed in the university for propagating this misconception.

(Edit-I was reminded that swine flu does have something to do with pigs, which I realize. I wasn't clear in my writing. I realize that swine flu originates in pigs, but I don't think it should be the focal point of the issue. I think it should be shifted to prevention rather than origination. Several months ago Egypt slaughtered 300,000 pigs, which destroyed the lives of 70,000 families since the flu was so closely linked to pigs. To avoid a similar situation, I think it's best to try to avoid associating the flu with pigs, and I was hoping the university would realize that.)

McDonald's Madness

Sometimes if you want something to get done, you just have to be aggressive. Especially if you want to get your meal in a relatively short amount of time. It is best to explain the situation via diagram, so I have sketched two pictures for you.

This first picture is that of a counter at McDonald's in Your-hometown, USA. It is also a picture of efficiency at its finest: wait in line, place order, pay for food, grab food, leave to eat food. This is the wonder of McDonald's.

This second picture is of the McDonald's at our campus. It is also a picture of inefficiency, which works like this: weasel to register with three friends, move in front of any American who's not being assertive, pause in front of register, continue to pause, call fourth friend, order food, wait, continue to wait, get food, continue to hang out in mass of people.

If you're American, you can't just sit there like a potted plant--ya gotta get into the game! Use whatever Arabic you know, move people out of the way, flail your arms...just do something!

On the other hand, there have been several things that have happened this week that have made me think about home.

1) It rained. In the desert! It was amazing!!! In several spurts throughout the day, it rained for maybe a minute or two. But it was basically a big deal.

2) I got to use MATLAB for the first time since this summer (nerdy comment, I know). Oh, how I miss spending 6 hours on a single homework problem...

3) I had pancakes at McDonald's today. They tasted like freedom...and Bisquick. They were SOOOO GOOD!

Also, it's official--I've lived in Egypt for 2 months now. It's hard to believe!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Run for Breast Cancer

This weekend was the run around the pyramids to raise money for breast cancer research. The morning of the event, Henry, Johan, and I were going to take a cab to the Heliopolis Sporting Club where we would catch an event-sponsored bus to take us to the pyramids.

Sometimes your cab drivers know where they are going. Other times they just make their best guess. Sometimes the people riding in the cab pay attention to where they are being dropped off. Other times the people riding in the cab get dropped off at unexpected locations, thinking they're in the right place.

As you can see in the picture below, we didn't quite make it to the Heliopolis Sporting Club. Close, but not quite. And it took us awhile to figure out that we weren't in the right place. So we had to pay for a cab to the pyramids, which isn't really that big of a deal, but we just had to pay another $9 to get there.

The race itself was packed with people, and for those of us who ran it, it lasted about 10 minutes. But it was definitely worth it.

Next up, Run for Lung Cancer...I wish.

Take a look at this video about the "Black Cloud" that has settled on Cairo. The pollution has been considerably worse the last week or so. Today on our way back to New Cairo (where we are able to see blue sky, الحمد للة--Alhamdulillah, "Praise be to God"), I decided to cover my nose and mouth with my shirt. That little brown spot isn't dirt that was filtered in the 45 minute cab ride, but was dirt that was plastered on my forehead that I had wiped off. Either way, there's a lot of particles in the air, and I'm pretty sure that's the reason why I've had a chronic cough for the last 3 weeks...

Happy Sunday!

Mamluk Architecture & Egyptian Museum

Today I got to see the most beautiful building I've seen in Egypt so far. In fact, I'd say it's the most beautiful interior of a building I've ever seen.

Here's a little bit of history about the Mamluk dynasty, which is quite interesting:

The Egyptian army had become very weak because of the many wars with the Crusaders. So they had to reinforce the army. Either they had to buy soldiers, or they had to pay mercenaries. In general, the Muslim army didn't like to pay mercenaries because the enemy could pay him more and he would switch sides. So they bought soldiers. They started asking slave merchants to bring young men so that they could be soldiers. So the merchants started bringing young men from Southern Russia/Northern Turkey. This area had been ravaged by the Mongols, so the people were starving here--this is how they recruited the men.

The ones chosen for the army were put in military school for 7-8 years. They had to learn Arabic, become Muslims, and learn military drill. Once they finished, these slaves became "Mamluks"--educated, military slaves. The Egyptians were mostly illiterate, so the Mamluks became the educated class, and in 1250 they took over power in Egypt. They were tremendous builders, bringing craftsmen from all over the world to build during this period.

This building is called the Complex of Sultan Qalawun. It is amazing.

Stucco window carving in the courtyard.

What do you think this mosaic says?

(Answer at the bottom of this post.)

This is inside the mausoleum, which was the best part of the complex. The whole thing was brilliantly decorated. Unlike the Fatimids before them, the Mamluk dynasty used color!

Artsy shot of the entrance to the complex.

After the trip this morning, I met Rachel and Henry at the Egyptian museum, since Henry and I hadn't been there yet. It's huge and packed with everything Egyptian.

Tomorrow is a walk/run around the pyramids for breast cancer...and then homework! I should have an update from that sometime tomorrow, إن شاء الل (insha' Allah, meaning "God willing"). Happy Friday!

The answer is "Muhammad".

Creepy Passport Pictures

In order to get a student visa so that we can live in Egypt for an extended period, we had to go downtown to get our pictures taken. Instead of just getting 1 or 2 pictures each, we ended up getting a nice collection of about 20 pictures of each of us. Since we all had AWESOME pictures, we decided to do a photo swap. Here's some of the gang, with their profile (which is extremely accurate) listed under them.

NAME: Johan

PLACE OF BIRTH: Russia

WHAT I'M THINKING: I need a one-way ticket to Moscow.

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Cardigans

NAME: Henry

PLACE OF BIRTH: Mexico

WHAT I'M THINKING: I'm gonna get you.

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Hot Cheetos

NAME: Trude

PLACE OF BIRTH: Norway

WHAT I'M THINKING: I miss my dog sled.

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Polar bears

NAME: Ben

PLACE OF BIRTH: America

WHAT I'M THINKING: Do you know where your children are?

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: McDonald's

When I went to the passport office today, the man didn't ask me for a picture. So now I have 20 of these creepy pictures of me that I have no use for. Maybe I could pass them out at Halloween.

City of the Dead

Cairo is a city of contrasts.

New Cairo is a sparkling city in the making. On campus, our palm trees are automatically watered several times each day, our windows are dust-free, and we even have grass growing on the sand! We have it made...

Not too far from campus is an entirely different world. Today I got to see part of this world--The City of the Dead. Piles of trash, blood in the streets, swarms of flies...

We really have it made...

It is given the name "City of the Dead" because the "city" is a cemetery. I was in the area to see some of the burial architecture from the Fatimid dynasty. Cemeteries in Cairo aren't like what we have in the US. Instead of having a gravestone, each family has a house-like structure where their kin are buried. These structures have become the homes of many, many poor Egyptians.

It was quite humbling.

Below you can see several of the mausoleums that we visited.

In other news, it was 100 F today. Fun times since it's the middle of October. I was hoping it would be cooling down soon. I decided I needed a little bit of an autumn-fix, so I found these really nice October pictures I thought I'd share, here.

That's all for now! Happy Saturday!

Fun Weather Report

I've never seen anything like this before, and I thought it was funny...and therefore, blog-worthy:

In other news, this week's copy of The Caravan came out today. Of the 11 English articles, all but one of them had the words "swine flu", "H1N1", or "virus," making a total of 64 instances of those wonderfully over-used words in the whole newspaper.

There was even an article about designer face masks. You know those of us who are in the Gucci corner would not dare be seen with a grossly white face mask...that would be an unspeakable outrage!

Happy Sunday!

Fatimid Cairo

This weekend my Art and Architecture of the City of Cairo class went on a field trip to Fatimid Cairo.

The Fatimid rule began in the early 900s, and they fortified Cairo as their capital city. The Fatimid dynasty was a Shi'ite dynasty, which is subtly reflected in the architecture. Today each of the four mosques we visited are Sunni mosques (the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Egypt are Sunni), including Al-Azhar mosque.

This first picture is from a mosque that we walked past and didn't discuss because I believe it is from another time period (maybe Mamluk dynasty). It was the most intricate and beautiful carving of the trip.

This second picture is from Al-Azhar mosque, which is the center of Sunni Islamic scholarship. There weren't too many people in the mosque when we visited, but there was an imam instructing a group of about 20 men at the main mihrab. There was also a woman who was listening, but as dictated by Islamic practice, she was separated from the men by a sheet strung between two of the columns.

The third picture is the entrance to Al-Azhar mosque from the barber's gate, which is where all of the men used to be shaved before they entered the mosque. Again, the carving here was simply incredible.

On one of the walls the mosque had a bookshelf with free literature. I picked up a little book called, "The True Message of Jesus Christ" by Dr. Bilal Philips. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but so far I haven't been impressed by his arguments. I will probably respond to this book in a future blog post because I love the topic of comparative religion.

It seems like it's gotten a little bit cooler here--now it only gets into the mid-80s during the day, which is quite pleasant. I'm certainly going to miss the mid-western autumn, especially seeing the leaves change colors. For some reason I don't think palm trees really change colors...

Have a good Saturday!

Week in Bullet Points

I should be working on Arabic homework right now, but I want to put it off for a little bit. So in the meantime:

• I bought some peanut butter yesterday at "Best Buy." It is not an electronics store in Egypt but a nice little supermarket in El Rehab city. Peanut butter and sliced bread (which is also uncommon in Egypt) have never tasted so good.
• Yesterday there was a football game in Cairo. Football is a huge deal, so we got to cheer on Egypt as they were playing Costa Rica. As we were watching, I saw a girl who's in my Arabic class on TV. She has long, blonde hair, so she was very easy to spot. We might be going to a football game this weekend...it should be fun.
• This weekend I get to go to Fatimid Cairo, including Al-Azhar mosque, which is pretty much the Harvard of the Sunni Muslim world. I can't wait. I should have pictures up shortly after I return.
• My roommate, whose name is Mohab, finally moved in. He brought a full-sized refrigerator with him. He's cool, though. He invited me to his house during Thanksgiving break, so I'll probably take him up on the offer.
• There is a "Gucci corner" at AUC where all the people with expensive clothes hang out. I think I'll probably join them. And speaking of clothing, I'm really sad I didn't remember to pack my "I love math" t-shirt.

Ok, folks. That's all for now. I suppose I should really get some Arabic homework done! Have a happy Wednesday!

Petra

Since Petra was such a fascinating place to visit, I thought I should write a little bit more about it. Here is part of an article I found online regarding Petra:

Petra is the Greek word for "rock." In the heart of Mount Seir, halfway between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, there is a valley surrounded on all sides by very steep rocky cliffs, with a few narrow gorges leading inside. In this valley, the city of Petra was built. Its biblical name was Sela. The earliest inhabitants of this area were the Horites, or Hurrians. Later, Esau, the brother of Jacob, settled in the territory south of the Dead Sea, and his descendants, the Edomites, gradually replaced the Hurrians. The Edomites lived here when Israel came from Egypt during the Exodus, about 1445 BC.

About 400 BC, the Edomites were driven out by the Arabian Nabataeans. These people made Petra their capital and controlled the most important trade routes between the East and the West. Caravans passing through this territory had to pay taxes to the Nabataeans, who in this way became very wealthy enabling them to build beautiful palaces, temples, theatres, and tombs hewn out of solid rock in their capital city.

In later centuries, caravans followed other routes between the Orient and Europe. Traffic through Nabataean territory dried up, Petra became deserted and forgotten, and for centuries it was a legendary city. All the references in Scripture were considered by higher critics to be figments of the imagination. They claimed the non-existence of Petra as proof for the unreliability of Scripture.

...Because of the unstable Middle Eastern political situation, visits to Petra were made virtually impossible, and only in recent years has this ancient city become readily accessible to tourists. Obadiah describes the lofty places of Petra and the confidence of its inhabitants. However, Jeremiah predicted that the city would lose its power and become uninhabited (Obadiah 3-4; Jeremiah 49:16-18).

This city was prophesied to be destroyed because of the people's rituals and practices. Interestingly enough, I have a picture of one of the Nabataean gods, as seen below. In this arch you can see two rectangles, which are the god and his virgin mother beside him. There's not much to them except for their square eyes and nose. Throughout Petra there are many other places where these and similar carvings of gods can be found.

Besides the flurry of tourists and Bedouins selling their trinkets for 1 Jordanian dinar , Petra is now a quiet, desolate land, just as was prophesied.

I have more pictures from our trip to the Sinai peninsula here.

Swine flu break is over now, so it's back to school today! Happy Sunday!

From Jordan...

As swine flu break continues, I am enjoying my time on the Sinai peninsula. Rough life, eh? I have a lot of pictures to show, but for now I have two panoramics:

This first one is from Petra, on top of a mountain, near the monastery (see next picture). In the distance you can see Israel.

This is the monastery in Petra, which is probably the coolest part of the whole city. When I upload more pictures, you will be able to see how huge this monument is. For now, just trust me--it's huge!
I know in my last post I said that Luxor was the coolest place I've been so far, but now I have a new number one pick--Petra. Jordan in general is a wonderfully beautiful country. The Sinai region is much more mountainous than I had expected. Getting there by ferry from Egypt was the terribly difficult part. It was chaotic, to say the least. Fortunately, we made it through unscathed, even though it was quite stressful.

I'll be uploading more pictures later!

Upper Egypt Travels

I know it's been several days since I last updated the blog, but I have a good excuse--I was in southern Egypt, based at Luxor. This was without a doubt the coolest stuff I've seen since coming to Egypt a few weeks ago. If you ever plan a visit to Egypt, Luxor is an absolute must.

I've included the link to many pictures from the couple of days we were in Luxor at the end of this post, but here's two special panoramic pictures. Again, if you click on them, they'll get much larger.

This is Deir al-Medina, a village from around 1500 BC where the people who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings lived. It was incredible to see the bricks made of mortar mixed with straw from such a long time ago. On the upper left hand side of the picture you can see the place where the archeologists lived. On the right hand side of the picture, you can see the village's temple.

This is a picture of the temple of Queen Hatshepsut. It was probably one of the highlights of the trip. If only it wasn't 102 F, it would have been perfect.

Luxor is much smaller and quieter than Cairo and made for a pleasant stay. We ate a lot of traditional Egyptian food, including stuffed pigeon...which is actually really good. It tastes just like turkey, but there's hardly any meat on it. I also had really good fruit juices: watermelon, strawberry, and banana. Watermelon is probably the best one.

Other than the extreme heat and the overwhelmingly pesky carriage drivers, Luxor is great. You have to be careful because prices are HIGHLY inflated. One of my friends bought an "authentic" pharaoh statue (which we later determined was made out of plastic) for 10 LE when the original price was 200 LE (dropped the price from $36 to less than $2).

The next few days I'm going to be studying, but on Saturday, we're leaving for the Red Sea for almost a week. I'll keep ya updated! Have a good Wednesday!

Here's the link to the pictures from our Luxor trip.