The Library of Alexandria

Palace #1

Today has been one of the longest days of the trip so far. We saw a lot of things and traveled to three different cities. I am exhausted but ready for whatever tomorrow holds. AKA- the cruise! Anyway, about today…

Palaces

In the morning, we visited two old palaces in the Royal Gardens of Alexandria. One, like the Cairo Marriott, had been converted into a hotel. They were very pretty. I especially liked the second one because of its proximity to the sea. As recent as two years ago, this palace was being used as a summer home for President Mubarak. We tried to forget about that unfortunate bit of news while we took pictures by the Mediterranean Sea.

Palace #2

By the sea!

The Library of Alexandria

Words can’t describe the beauty of the Library of Alexandria. Holy cow. If we had that at Drake I would definitely spend more time in the library. It’s huge! There isn’t much to say about it other than that. Also, it has the world’s most advanced printer. It can print a 500 page book in under four minutes. When it is done printing, it comes out ready to be sold with binding and a cover. Crazy.

The technology is so advanced. The architecture is breathtaking. The size is unbelievable. It can hold up to 2000 readers at a time in the reading room area. Get your butt to Alexandria to see the library- no joke!

Lunch

Back by popular demand, SEAFOOD. We went to the exact same place as yesterday for lunch. We had pretty much the same thing but we added grilled calamari and a shrimp pasta dish. It was just as good as the day before. I made the mistake of sitting at a table with three determined men. We decided to eat everything that was put on our table. We did it but it took some serious work! I was in charge of eating all of the shrimp. I ate two large plates pretty much by myself. This was in addition to eating quite a bit of bread and fish. Although it probably wasn’t the greatest idea, I loved every second of it. DELICIOUS!

Travel

After dinner, we began our three hour drive back to Cairo. I slept for some of it but mostly talked with friends. Towards the end, the back of the bus began singing a bunch of random songs. That was fun but I think we might have irritated the front of the bus- oops!!

The Cairo Airport is so simple. We were all able to go through security and check into our flight in what seemed like 20 minutes. Unfortunately, our plane was delayed about 45 minutes because of a sandstorm in Aswan. Luckily the airport has free WiFi so many of us wisely decided to use the time to creep on Facebook. That was a good life decision.

A final note about Alexandria…

I have reached a conclusion about Cairo and Alexandria. First, Alexandria is far more beautiful than Cairo. Second, I would much rather be in Cairo than in Alexandria. The people in Alexandria are not nearly as nice as in Cairo. I can’t count the number of times we have been stared at, videotaped, and hollered at. I do not understand why this is happening. What does someone get out of videotaping a bunch of American students? Honestly, I don’t think I want to know the answer but it is really awkward. Professor Hamad says that people in Alexandria aren’t as use to tourists but it still is odd. I can understand the staring but not the picture taking. Even at the restaurant, men would give certain girls winks, a thumbs up, and a “nice.” I thought that dying my hair would help eliminate that from occurring but it hasn’t. In fact, I have gotten it worse than my tall, thin, blond roommate. Not fair.

Also... 

For those of you curious about my thoughts and experiences with the election, I promise I will blog about it soon! I am very busy in Egypt!!

Alexandria

Saturday- May 26, 2012

Today we traveled to Alexandria.

Catacombs

The first place we visited was a catacomb. The catacomb we saw is the largest found in Egypt. Seriously, it was huge. It is big enough for 650 people When the tomb was first built by the Egyptians it was made for 3 people. It was expanded by the Romans to this large size. I can’t even explain how big it is. It has three floors. We weren’t able to enter the 3^rd floor because it is still covered in water due to how far underground it is. The amount of Harry Potter references while underground was awesome. No joke, it looked like the Chamber of Secrets. It even had snakes around the entrance to the burial chamber of the royal family that owned the tomb.  I tried speaking Parseltongue but nothing happened. Darn it.

The Fort

Next, we got out first view of the Mediterranean Sea. We visited a fort that overlooks the sea and is built on the exact spot where the old Lighthouse of Alexandria use to be. The lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake in the 7^th century. The fort was built in the 14^th century.

Citadel of Qaitbay

I made the mistake of wearing a skirt. The back of the fort has an amazing view of the Mediteranean but it is also very windy. I was definitely struggling with staying covered. I think I succeeded, though!

Skirts are a bad idea!

Lunch

After seeing the fort it was time for lunch. We went to the best seafood place in Alexandria. It was amazing! Without a doubt, it is the best seafood I have ever had in my life. We had shrimp, calamari, and the catch of the day. I have no idea what type of fish it was but it was fantastic. My favorite part was the shrimp. They were huge! I didn’t know shrimp could even be that big! I was in love. I ate so much.

When we were done eating we sat outside and chilled outside the restaurant. A lot of students had Turkish Coffee (definitely not my favorite- there are so many coffee grains!). I stuck to tea. Many of us enjoyed shisha while having our drinks. It was so relaxing. The restaurant was off the beaten path for most tourists. For the first time, I felt as if we were all experiencing the true Egyptian culture.

Shisha!

Hotel

We stopped for ice cream for desert during our long drive home through the heavy traffic. Eventually, we got checked into our beautiful rooms that overlook the Mediterranean. I discovered there was free WiFi in the lobby so I spent the rest of the evening online. I was able to finally update my blog and skype my parents.

Just another great day in Egypt!

Eat more pigeons!

Friday- 5/25

There is nothing better than waking up in the Cairo Marriott. Downtown Cairo in the morning The view from the balcony is incredible. Even better, however, is the anticipation for their amazing breakfast buffet.

Mosques, Churches, and Synagogues

Once again, today we went to Old Cairo to look at the beautiful mosques, churches, and synagogues. As usual, I was immediately troubled by the double standard between men and women at the mosque but I tried not to let it bother me. I went along with it. I wore a scarf on my head and everything. In mosques, women cover up and pray in a different location because they are put on a pedestal in the religion. They are regarded as beautiful and for that reason they must be separated and covered during prayer so that they do not distract the men. 

At the mosque

I felt much more comfortable when we visited the churches. We visited the church that is built over the location where it is believed the holy family stayed for three and a half years. This happened when Mary fled to Egypt with baby Jesus to escape Herod. Although we were not able to enter the area where they actually stayed (it is used only by high ranking religious officials), we were able to see the steps that lead down to it. The steps were covered with pieces of paper containing prayers. It was very cool.

Pigeons!

After visiting Old Cairo, we went to Haytham’s house for a traditional Egyptian meal, pigeons. Haytham is a graduate student at Drake. He is from Cairo and is one of our supervisors. He also is Professor Hamad’s brother-in-law. It was very generous of his family to allow us to see an Egyptian home. It was beautiful. Also, his parents were awesome. I especially enjoyed listening to his hilarious dad.

Haytham's house!

The food was incredible. There was so much of it! Guess what? I really did eat a pigeon. In fact, I ate all of it and I enjoyed every bite! It was stuffed with amazing rice! It was all so good. I was beyond impressed.

A Female Activist

Haytham invited one of his friends, a female activist, to come speak with the group. She was in Tahrir Square during the 18 days and is still there today. The past few days she has worked tirelessly on the election campaign of one of the revolutionist candidates. She informed us before starting that she hadn’t slept for 48 hours. She wore a shirt with three pictures of young men that died during the revolution. She wears the shirt to protest the potential election of Mubarak-era prime minister Shafiq. Shafiq was Prime Minister during the Battle of the Camel when many young Egyptians were killed. She stated that a vote for Shafiq is a vote for a killer. At the time she spoke, her candidate was in 3^rd place (he ended up keeping this position, too). She feared that the men and women of the revolution will have died in vain if an individual from the old regime were to win.

She definitely shed some light on why Shafiq is doing so well with his campaign. She discussed how during the revolution, the Egyptian people were a united group. Everyone helped everyone. However, as soon as Mubarak stepped down, the group split. There were Islamists, revolutionaries, Nasser revolutionaries, Sadat revolutionaries, the Muslim brotherhood, and many others. Even the pure revolutionaries had two separate candidates.

Her talk was extremely emotional. She watched many men and women die beside her during the 18 days. She was shot at with tear gas and rubber bullets in Tahrir Square. The most incredible part of her talk, however, was when she described what it felt like when she voted for the first time. She took many pictures of the ballot. She described how her hand was shaking and how she was crying as she marked the box. When she was done, she took a picture holding her ballot in her shirt with a victory symbol. The entire drive home, she couldn’t stop crying. It was powerful to hear such an emotional and honest account of the revolution and the election process.

The Opera

That evening we had tickets for the Cairo Opera House. We saw Egypt’s number one pianist, Omar Khairat. He was accompanied by the Cairo Orchestra. Before the show, a few of us were selected to go backstage to meet him. I was one of those people. He was very nice and spoke English. He shook all of our hands, took a picture with us, and signed a few CDs. I was able to get my CD signed!

The show was great. We had perfect seats on the second floor in the center. This orchestra was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It was full of clapping, dancing, screaming, and fun. The audience clapped along with almost every song that was played. They also danced and whistled during a few. As soon as a song started and the people recognized it, they began cheering. A few songs which were about Egypt received even more cheering and dancing. It was a very fun experience. The music was incredible and I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entire show.

Before the orchestra

We got to sleep in!

We got to sleep in for the first time this morning! It was awesome. I went to breakfast at 10am and ate everything in sight. Perhaps I’m biased but Marriott really knows how to do breakfast. This buffet in particular was incredibly. It put my hotel’s buffet to shame! (I work at a Marriott in Cedar Rapids)

The view from our room's balcony

We were suppose to go to Cairo University today but Professor Hamad found out that all government institutions are closed today so that employees and students can vote. So instead, we visited the mosques in Old Cairo.

Mosques

We saw a few mosques today and they were beautiful. Islam seems as if it is an entirely different world than Christianity when visiting them but I know that is not true. It is strange to think that although the practices and forms of worship are so different, there are many similarities between the religions. 

Sadat’s Burial Place

After we saw the mosques, we visiting the site where former President Sadat is buried. Sadat became president in 1971 after President Nasser. Sadat is technically the 3^rd president of Egypt. The first president, however, lasted only a few months. The first republic of Egypt only had four presidents and only three are important- Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak. Nasser, for the most part, was very well liked by the Egyptian people. Sadat, however, was not as well liked (think of him as President Bush in the United States). Early in his presidency, Sadat visited the United States and became obsessed with the American way of life. He tried to create this same culture in Egypt. This created a few very rich people and many poor people. He imprisoned a large number of Islamists under the use of emergency law because they were contrary to the culture he was trying to create.

Sadat was assassinated on October 6^th by a group of young army officers. Many people had begun to see his as an unjust ruler and a sell out to the United States. After this, Mubarak became president. 

Sadat's burial place

Back to Cairo

On Wednesday, morning came far too soon. We woke up with the sun. As soon as the sun came out, Professor Hamad woke us all up and we began the process of packing up our campsite and getting breakfast ready. After a quick breakfast of hard boiled eggs, pita, chocolate croissants, and fruit, we got back in our jeeps for the ride home. The drive back to town in the jeeps was two hours long and consisted of sleeping and enjoying Egyptian dubstep. When we got back to town, we switched back to the bus for the drive back to Cairo. Smelly, sweaty, and covered in sand, we got in the bus for the five hour drive back to Cairo. That drive was ridiculous. Thankfully, most of us slept.

The Beautiful Cairo Marriott

In our smelly and dirty state, we arrived at our next hotel, the Cairo Marriott. Ironically, this hotel is the nicest in Cairo. When we arrived, we all just wanted to shower the dirt and sand away. This hotel, however, required an introduction so our showers had to wait. A hotel employee took us on a tour of the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen. I felt so out of place walking around this amazing hotel. We all looked like tired, dirt covered Americans. Not a pretty site. The hotel is an old palace that was converted to a Marriott. I cannot put into words the quality of this hotel. We stay at this hotel for three days before heading to Alexandria. It is definitely not a coincidence that we just happened to switch to such a nice hotel during the two days of presidential elections. The security at this place is insane.

My room is gorgeous. We have a balcony with an amazing view of the Nile and downtown Cairo- phenomenal. When I was finally able to shower, it felt AMAZING. I just stood under the water in this fancy hotel, thinking about what an incredible experience I am having. Unfortunately, I was covered in more sand than I thought. What I thought was a tan was just a layer of sand and dirt. Oh well- albinos don’t tan easily.

The beautiful hotel!

Internet

I just need to write a quick note about the internet. The reason this blog has not updated regularly is because there is no internet in the desert and there is no (free) internet at the Marriott. Professor Hamad also does not think there will be internet at our next hotels. I purchased an internet usb drive but I haven’t been able to get it to work on my computer yet. Therefore, in order to blog I have to borrow a friends computer. I will try to blog as much as I can but just realize that I am still writing up a blog on my computer daily and I will post them when I can.

Egyptian Pizza

After we were all cleaned up, we went to downtown Cairo for some Egyptian pizza. It was delicious and very different than American pizza. It has bread on the bottom and the top. Also, they do not use sauce. Instead, they use tomatoes. It was very good.

My Professor is Famous

While we ate, we watched our professor, Professor Hamad, being interviewed on television. He discussed the upcoming election and what it means for Egypt. He even gave a shout out to Drake University and our group! When he arrived at the restaurant after the interview, he brought along a friend who was also interviewed on the show. This man is highly involved with the revolution. He was a high ranking individual in the organization of the protest at Tahrir Square for 18 days. His story was powerful and inspirational. I closely listened to every word this man said- truly incredible.

The speaker told us about what happened in Tahrir Square during that time. He gave a firsthand account of the protest, discussing the inspiration he felt from the young people. He watched men and women covered in blood leave the frontlines simply to wash their faces and then head back to their places. They were shot at with rubber bullets, real bullets, tear gas and more. One thing he said struck me, this is not a youth revolution. Instead, it is the people of Egypt’s revolution. It is simply a youth led revolution. Young people, he explained are extraordinary. This is also what we thinks is the most important outcome of the revolution, the political awareness of young people. They will not be able to be lied to or manipulated anymore. He spoke of his kids. One night after reading a bedtime story, his son started chanting “The people demand another story.” Just to make sure his father got the joke, he whispered “this is a protest by the way.” If you look on YouTube, you can find videos of schoolchildren playing “protest”. Young people now question everything. 

Tahrir Square

Since it was the first day of the election, we all wanted to see Tahrir Square. When we drove through it, however, it seemed very dead. There were very few people and there weren’t many demonstrations going on. One man, however, was burning the poster of presidential candidate Shafiq. Shafiq is Mubarak’s old prime minister.

A couch in Tahrir Square

My Desert Experience II

The Spider

When we woke up at the desert rose hotel, everything seemed fine. I slept really well and I was looking forward to an amazing day sleeping under the stars in the White Desert. I took a quick shower which I was sure to cherish because I knew it would be my last one for awhile. When I got out of the shower, I was greeted by forceful warnings of my roommates to move away from the wall with the bathroom door as quickly as I could. I immediately did as I was told, fearful of what I would see when I turned around. When I looked at the wall, I saw the largest spider I've ever seen in my life. Absolutely terrifying. I got ready as quickly as I could. It did not move until I was finished packing up my   bag for the desert. At least it was a considerate spider! As soon as it started moving, I bolted out the door as fast as I possibly could. 

The White Desert

The Journey to the Campsite

After a small breakfast of crepes, we loaded up the jeeps, started chugging water to stay hydrated, and began on our journey. The drive to our campsite was only two hours but it took a lot longer than that because we stopped at numerous locations. We saw a lot of the Black Desert which was very cool.  It really is black! At one point, we learned, the entire desert was under water. If you look closely, you can find seashells and fish fossils. The desert is black because it is covered with black volcanic rock. If you look around, you can see old volcanos! I think they were the first volcanoes I've ever seen- I could be wrong though. In the black desert, we climbed a desert mound! At the top we could see almost all of the Black Desert. It was an incredible sight! 

That reminds me, I am considering publishing a book about a new workout program- the Egyptian workout! It involves walking around the country in the sand and the heat. That is followed by climbing the sides of pyramids and doing squats to enter them. You must squat down and climb a long ladder in a passage way to enter the heart of the pyramid. When you arrive, you get a quick break in a hot crowded room to look at the walls and learn a little bout history. Just as you're about to catch your breath again, you repeat the entire process by exiting! The next day, you travel to the desert and climb a bunch of desert mounds in the Black Desert and the White Desert! The view is gorgeous, which is exactly what your body will look like after doing these routines for awhile. It is great for your butt and your legs! My body is starting to get so tired! 

Feeling so accomplished!

After climbing the mound, we went to a spring to cool off and have lunch. Some people got in the spring and played with a volleyball. I just sat on the ledge and put my legs in the water. It was at this time that I noticed my camera wasn't working. I guess it got sand in the lens because it would not open and it is definitely broken. Luckily, I just brought my point and shoot to the desert. So I still have my nice camera but I didn't have one in the desert. Oh well, that's what Facebook is for. After lunch, we went to Crystal Mountain, a desert mound made of cool looking clear rocks.

The Campsite

When we arrived at the campsite, a number of tents were already set up (we used these only for changing clothes really, most of us slept out under the stars). This left us free to do whatever we wanted. I spent the evening exploring the area, smoking shisha, talking with students about what we've learned, and eating. The food was delicious!! We had a mix of a bunch of different things. The best part of the meal, however, was a goat that was cooked in the sand- AMAZING! 

The desert at night  was absolutely beautiful. I have never seen a sky look so beautiful. Even when I've gone camping in the states, I've never before seen a night sky with so many stars. It was incredible being able to wake up, look at the stars, and fall back asleep looking at the night sky. We were so lucky that we went towards the beginning of the new month so there was barely any view of the moon, making it even darker so that we were able to see as many stars as we possibly could.

My Desert Experience I

Today was a long day. I am exhausted and not feeling the greatest. The new types of food are making my stomach upset and the sun is making me worn down. Why the sudden change? Because today we traveled to the desert. It is time for our camping extravaganza.

We left Cairo at about 8am. The majority of us slept for the 5 hour drive to Bahariya oasis. Unfortunately, that probably wasn’t the greatest idea. Many of us were dehydrated when we arrived at the hotel- this led to some interesting experiences for the rest of the evening.

The Sand Rose Hotel

After checking into our awesome hotel, we headed to lunch. Once again, we had chicken, pita, and rice. This time, however, there were a few other options. We had potatoes which were very good. I ate a lot of those, leaving the rest of the meal relatively untouched. Still, I felt full and I was thankful for the change. One thing of note, there are a lot of flies in Egypt. Seriously, there are A LOT! Another thing of note, I really don’t like flies. There are more flies here than on the farms of my relatives- that is saying a lot. For the majority of my lunch, I was in a constant state of swatting away flies. I am positive I looked like a mad woman but everyone else did, too.

More Mummies!

After dinner, we went on a tour of the area. First, we went to the Museum of Golden Mummies. These mummies were different than the mummies we saw in Cairo on Friday because they are from a different time period. The golden mummies are more recent than the others. These mummies were created during the Greek and Roman era of Egypt. During this time, mummies began being wrapped in more linen and began being covered masks made entirely out of gold (at least for the royal family). Most importantly, these mummies had their hearts removed whereas Egyptian mummies did not. Seeing the bodies was eerie- especially because there was a six month old and a six year old mummified in the museum. Once again, pictures were not allowed- sorry!

After this, we went to two tombs which really stand out in my mind due to their sheer beauty. We were able to enter the Tomb of Bannantiu and the Tomb of Zed Amun Iuf Ankh of the 26^th dynasty. You wouldn’t believe how bright and vibrant the colors on the walls of these underground burial chambers are. Thousands of years later, I still am impressed by the artwork and the paint. I can only imagine what it looked like when it was first.

The Desert

After visiting the tombs, we got our first look at the desert! We traveled around in our amazingly fun jeeps, stopping at various points to take pictures and enjoy the sand. First, let me talk about these jeeps- they are so much fun! It is like riding a roller coaster. They are bumpy, fast, and exciting. Our drivers are incredibly fun. They joke around while they drive, making the experience even better. One thing I have learned is that in Egypt, certain honk rhythms mean different things. It is like Morse Code. I’m definitely considering bringing this back to the States! While driving around, we listened to a unique mix of music that included tradition Egyptian music, The Backstreet Boys, Rihanna, Celine Dion, Egyptian dubstep and more. It was great.

After visiting a few places, we stopped at a large desert mound to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous. I love it here. The desert is hot and tiring but totally worth it.

The Great Pyramids!

It’s starting to feel real. While driving, the constant chorus of car horns is beginning to fade into the background. The sight of trash covered roads and sand, a telling sign about the financial situation of many Egyptians, is becoming less of a surprise. The Arabic campaign posters for the thirteen presidential candidates are no longer a constant reminder of how far away from home I am. It is simply a sign of my current reality. As I look out the window of my hotel and the bus, the magnificent sight of Egypt’s numerous pyramids no longer arise feelings of shock and awe, rather feelings of appreciation and wonder. It is sinking in. I really am in the location I learned so much about throughout middle school and have heard so much about recently in the news. I really am living out of one of my lifelong dreams.
I really am in Egypt.

The Great Pyramid

 Today we saw The Great Pyramids! Yay! I have looking forward to this day for so long and it definitely did not disappoint. They are incredible. I can’t imagine how humans were able to make them without the use of machinery. The blocks are all huge- weighing in the tons. We were able to enter the largest pyramid and it was amazing. I really wish we could take pictures of the inside but we can’t. Just take my word for it- it was really cool. We also saw the Sphinx! I tried to take a picture kissing it but it didn’t really work out. Shucks. I guess I will just have to go again! Of course, I rode another camel. J

Walk like an Egyptian!!

Kite the pyramid!

Lunch

For lunch, we had Chicken Tikka. Honestly, that is just a fancy name for chicken. As usual, we had chicken, rice, pita, and fries. It seems as if these are the staple foods here in Egypt. Don’t get me wrong, I love these foods and everything is cooked to perfection but I am starting to get tired of eating close to the same thing every day. Carbs upon carbs upon carbs. When I get home, I’m not eating pita for at least two months. I’ve had enough pita to last that long and more.

After our lunch, we had the day to ourselves. Although I should have spent the afternoon blogging and catching up on some much needed sleep, I decided I had more important things to do. Namely, I needed to tan, play water polo, and go to the sauna. Although I still stand by that decision, I’m not sure if everyone reading this blog (which is extremely behind) are. Oops- sorry! #egyptproblems?

The Mall

At about 8pm we met in the lobby of the hotel to travel to the MALL! We went to the Mall of Arabia (A Mall of America impersonator- I think so!). The mall was very… interesting. It was a lot nicer than I was expecting. It was very large and had some very nice stores. These stores were not as cheap as most places we have been on the trip. They still are fairly cheap- don’t get me wrong. I got a nice Ralph Lauren-esque polo except it has a camel as the logo for only $20. Not bad, but more than other places we have been. The mall was beautiful. I was lucky enough to be able to see more of it than most other students because I desperately had to go to the bathroom while we were waiting for our food. Oddly, that meant a slight bit of a hike. We had to go outside and into another section of the mall. Outside was gorgeous! They have a large dancing fountain in the middle of the circle, it was dancing while we went through. It was very cool. Another thing I found intriguing was how late the mall stays open. Cairo truly is the city that never sleeps, the mall stays open until midnight- much later than it does in the states.

When we first arrived at the mall, we had to go through metal detectors. Not surprisingly, the security seemed very disinterested in what we actually had in our bags, instead focusing on deciding which security guards would follow us around for the entirety of our time in the mall. At first I did not notice this, I only heard a bunch of loud Arabic being spoken. It was not until we were sitting in the food court, eating Egyptian fast food that I noticed all of the security surrounding us. In fact, Judge Samir pointed it out to me. We had three security guards to our left, two behind us, and three on the right. Everywhere we go in Egypt, it seems as if security is overcompensating for our safety. Due to the decrease in tourism, they see tourists as signs of hope needing protection in order for more tourists to come.

A few general comments….

Food

I have to say that I am sure my friends are getting tired of sitting around me when I eat. I am usually in a constant repetition of yum, delicious, what is this, and I don’t know what this is but it is really good. Interestingly, the food here is not as different from American food as I thought it would be. I don’t know what I was expecting, it all seems very silly now, but I have been shocked to discover that we eat the same basic things (for the most part) just cooked in a different way. We have been eating a lot of beef and chicken.

Water Polo

So far, we have played water polo twice: the day we arrived and yesterday. Let me tell you, water polo is not for the faint of heart. It is a tough game with brutal violence and intense wrestling. It is my goal to beat Professor Hamad in the game at least once while here. He is extremely competitive and a definite trash talker. In other words, he is exactly like me and I will get him one of these days. The level of competitiveness reached in this game is beyond extraordinary. At several times, I feared for my life and the lives of those around me. Many students and I have received numerous injuries from the game. Just yesterday I got an elbow to the face last night and it does not feel the greatest. In fact, I still have a red mark on my face from it and it still hurts like crazy. Oh well, I will not let that keep me from my ambitious goal!

The Heat

I’ve had a few people message me on Facebook and ask me about the weather in Egypt. I am happy to say that it feels fantastic here. There is no denying that it is very hot in Egypt. Shocking, I know. Although it is hot, however, it is not very humid. I find myself able to easily stand the 90 degree weather simply because this. I have not once been miserably hot or extremely dehydrated. 

Traffic

Let’s talk a little bit about the traffic here. If you think traffic is bad in the big cities in the United States, you have no idea what you should be thankful for. Traffic here is absolutely insane. It is as if traffic laws do not exist. There is no such thing as lanes. You just drive down the street until someone is in your way, then you honk your horn and the car moves… maybe. I was talking to a native here that said accidents happen all the time but it doesn’t really matter because nobody has insurance. People rarely even stop. They just keep on going and get their car fixed only if they can afford it. One time while driving we saw an ambulance driving down the road with its sirens on but no car was moving for it! Another Egyptian told me that it use to be a little bit better when there was a stable police force but now it’s just a free for all. I would not want to drive here. As we drive through town, people make their own rules. Oftentimes, we see entirely too many people crammed into tiny cars. Sometimes we even see people sleeping on mattresses either inside the car or tied to the roof of their car.

Pyramids!

We left the hotel bright and early on Saturday to see the first pyramids built in Egypt. I bet many people reading this will be surprised to learn that there are more pyramids than just the three pyramids in Giza. Egypt has 138 pyramids! Of course, not all of them are in the best of shape but they are definitely pyramids. The first pyramid ever built was for King Djosner and it was known as a step pyramid due to the 6 steps that comprise its structure. This was where I rode my first camel with my friend Hannah!!! It was so exciting!!

Riding a camel!!!

One of the pyramids we saw was a mistake. After it was finished, the king noticed that it was not in the correct shape. As Ian so promptly informed me, “This is why math is important.” Honestly, if math is only important for building pyramids to bury dead pharaohs and their treasure then I think I chose the right career path. Not so sure what the demand is like for something like that. Long story short, I hate math and I think I would thoroughly happy with a “bent” pyramid if it meant avoiding math. Just saying, I think the pyramid looked beautiful! The king, however, did not. He was unhappy and demanded another pyramid to be built.   

Our opinions of the pyramid!

We even got to enter two of the pyramids! They were awesome to see but definitely hard work to get in. To enter, you have to climb through a seemingly endless passageway that is only three feet high to a sauna like small room filled with people. The ancient Egyptians built the entrances to the pyramids 1 meter high so that all people entering the tomb had to kneel to show respect to the deceased king. Once inside the pyramids, the view is incredible. The first one we entered had walls that were covered in hieroglyphics!

As soon as we were done with the pyramids, we rushed to get lunch and then back to the hotel. We had traditional Egyptian sandwiches. They were quite interesting. We received three pitas. The first one was filled with refried beans. The second one was filled with the falafel thingy. The third one, however, was filled with FRIES! So odd. I decided to eat the fries by hand rather than in the pita. I drew the line there.

Pita sandwiches

The President of the Nour Party

That evening we had two speakers but I will focus on the one that was by far the most interesting. Let me preface this by saying that my professor has connections. Somehow he got the president of the Nour Party, a new political party in Egypt, to come speak with us. The Nour party is the second largest political party in Egypt behind the Muslim Brotherhood. It is an Islamic party that formed quickly after Mubarak’s fall. He discussed the revolution, the upcoming election, and the creation of the party.

With Emad Adbel Ghafour- president of El Nour party

I just have to say, I was not fooled by this man. He is such a politician! He told us all exactly what we wanted to hear. It was like hearing “blah, blah, blah, we love America, blah, blah, poverty is bad, blah, blah, young people are great.” It was an incredible and fascinating experience but mostly a critical lesson in the essence of being able to dissect political rhetoric. It demonstrated the inherent flaw in all political parties (yes, even the democrats). Ultimately, political parties work to gain power and maintain power in order to implement their ideas. This means they do anything to do so. The Nour party, despite being the second largest in the country, decided not to run a candidate this election term. When asked why, the president said a lot of empty words and somehow transitioned the answer into the tagline phrase “poverty is bad.” In reality, they aren’t running a candidate because they are aware that the first presidency is likely to be a failure so they have decided to wait four years and then sweep in to save the country.

Another thing, the party is greatly for the implementation of Sharia Law. However, one would not be aware of this based on the talk he gave. He greatly avoided the topic until it was brought up in a question. At that time, he went on a long rant about Islam being nothing like the stereotypes many Americans think of. He never once discussed what Sharia Law would mean for the country. Even more outrageous, he did not ONCE discuss the party’s political platform. Instead, he stuck to those key phrases, “America is good”, “poverty is bad”, and of course “students like you give me hope.” Blah, blah, blah…

Interestingly, we got one straight answer!!! YAY! When asked about the problem regarding the decrease in tourism and whether an economy can truly rely on a tourism industry for income he answered no. He believes Egypt needs to find another industry to base it’s economy on. What that is, however, he did not really say. He said “natural resources” which is kind of a no brainer. What those resources are was never mentioned. After these short sentences, he catered the answer to us. Talking about how it is a travesty that the pyramids are only visited by roughly 3 million people every year when the Eifel Tower is visited by about 12 million. Of course, he had to make us happy by explaining that these artifacts do not belong to Egypt. Instead, they belong to all the people of the world. Blah, blah, blah….

It was a great opportunity and I am glad we were able to meet such an influential figure in Egyptian politics but I was definitely not impressed by what he said…

Dinner

That night we had my favorite dish of the trip so far, Egyptian barbeque which means kebabs. The dish was served on what looked like a large box. The box had hot coals on the bottom then a metal lid with delicious goodness on top of it. We had lamb, chicken, and beef, Yummy. I really enjoyed what happened when we were done eating, however. A group of 5 of us went outside, separated from the rest of the group, and smoked hookah and watched the soccer game. It was so incredible to truly be involved in a part of Egyptian culture: hookah and soccer. We were with Judge Samir who is always so much fun. We sat together and discussed the numerous speakers we had heard that evening, critiquing some parts and praising others. Hearing Judge Samir’s thoughts on the new party was very interesting. He is extremely liberal and therefore very upset with some parts of the party’s platform. He was particularly upset regarding this party’s treatment of the popular issue of women’s rights. As he put it, “I would not want to be a woman if this party gained power.” I find this to be quite terrifying. I was planning on asking a question regarding the topic but did not because I was worried of offending the speakers. I regret that choice.

Let's talk about the revolution...

“The Role of the Ordinary Egyptian in the Revolution”

Friday I blogged about how the class discussed the revolution and the role of the ordinary Egyptian in it. Now I will talk about it with a little more detail. Our speaker, Maged, was selected because of his involvement with the revolution. Like many other Egyptians, prior to the revolution he was not political at all. Now, however, he is highly involved in politics. He was an incredible speaker, discussing his involvement with the revolution, how Facebook and the internet affected the revolution, and what he thinks we can expect in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

He explained how on January 25, 2010 they were chanting for “bread, freedom, and rights.” Prior to the revolution, as Maged explained, “suspicion was governing Egypt.” Mubarak’s presidency was full of corruption and injustice. There were lies upon lies upon lies. Sadat, towards the end of his presidency, began using emergency law, a type of law that is similar to Marshall Law in the sense that the rights of the people are suspending for “the greater good”. In the most basic sense, traditional forms of ruling and law are tossed aside as the government goes around regular courts. After Sadat’s assassination, Mubarak continued the use of emergency law for the 30 years of his presidency.

We have a district judge travelling with us, Judge Samir, and it is incredible to hear him now able to joke around with Professor Hamad about this occurring. At one point during the trip, Hamad jokingly told me I was on the “black list”, so I instinctively demanded to hear the reasons why. They both agreed, however, that this is Egypt and things aren’t that way. They joked that I will serve about 20 years without truly knowing why, then the government will make up some charges for why I was held and maybe make me serve a few more years. It was eerie to hear two men I respect very much joke about such a recent problem that affected Egypt. Perhaps they are joking because this is how they have learned to deal with the situation or if things are truly getting better that quickly. I am inclined to think it is more of the former.

Another thing that set off the revolution was the murder of Khaled Said, a young 28 year old man who was killed by two policemen. They attempted to arrest him but Said ran away. When the officers captured him, they beat him in a dark alley. He was dead within 30 minutes. This event was witnessed by many people, sparking anger among citizens. People got even more upset when it was discovered that this man was killed because he was a human rights activist. After this, the Facebook revolution took shape. A Facebook page was made by two young people that were upset by this event. The name? “We Are All Khaled Said”. As soon as I heard about this page, I went on Facebook myself and liked it. I encourage anyone who reads this to go on Facebook, like the page, and support the revolution.

Of course, there were many more reasons for the revolution, these just were the ones that stood out in my mind. I knew the majority of the basics before coming to Egypt but hearing about it from a person that actually experienced it made it seem real rather than just something in the news. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in Tahrir Square during that time. The best part of this trip, in my opinion, has been the discussions regarding the revolution. They are incredible. Everyone has so many stories to tell and so many opinions regarding the upcoming elections. Many people want stability, many people want change, and many people want Islamists in politics. It is a great mix.

The Burned Building

In my last post, I discussed our visit to the impressive Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. It is important to note that this museum is massive, containing thousands of artifacts. From the outside, the museum is breathtaking. This was especially true for our visit because it was our first real look at the ancient Egyptian culture. With that being said, it wasn’t the museum that stole our immediate attention. Instead, it was the large building right beside it. Showing the unmistakable signs of going through a fire, this building was the sight of many of our gazes. This building was highly important during Mubarak’s time in power. It was the headquarters of the former “National Democratic Party”, Mubarak’s political party. It is now completely destroyed, burnt during the revolution on January 25^th, 2011. Inside the museum, just above the statues of departed pharaohs and queens, multiple open windows give sight to this building. Nothing can compare to the feeling of viewing ancient history and history in the making at the same time. It was truly incredible. 

Presidential Elections

The presidential elections are quickly approaching. As I am writing this, I am currently on the bus with the group toward the desert for an incredible experience sleeping under the stars in the desert. Unfortunately, our group is one member short. Judge Samir, one of our supervisors, is unable to attend this year because as a judge, it is his job to oversee and count the votes at one of the polling station. As he explained, it must be done this way because there is a lack of established trust between people politically. So during the election he must sit in a room without food for 12 hours, singlehandedly overseeing and counting the voting of 5,000 voters.

I want to first give a quick overview of how the presidential election will occur here. There are two scenarios for the outcome of this week’s elections. To win the presidency, the candidate must receive a majority vote, meaning 50% plus one vote. It is unlikely that any of the thirteen candidates will receive that many votes. In that case, there will be a run off election in two weeks between the two candidates receiving the most votes.

There are two candidates running that were very much involved in the old regime. Most importantly, Mubarak’s former prime minister is in the running. Many, including my professor, are worried about the support this individual currently has. Hamad believes that government TV has brainwashed people into believing that this former high ranking Mubark official will bring stability to a country that is in great need of it. Hamad believes that these individuals, usually involved in the tourism industry, are simply selfish and not thinking about the “greater good”. (At this point, I want to note that whenever these words are mentioned, I get shivers down my spine. How can one individual or even a group of individuals truly decide what is for the “greater good”? It can’t be done. This argument terrifies me because of its use in numerous political campaigns throughout history that have led to nothing by pain and suffering).

Tourism

That evening we also went to a sweets shop after dinner. When our large group of 40 slowly invaded a building with seating for about 50, we noticed a man sitting toward the back of the shop. He was drinking a bottle of water, fiddling with a very nice looking camera, and looking up at his laptop screen periodically. Unfortunately, due to the layout of the building, our group sort of surrounded him, effectively blocking him from leaving. He looked up, puzzled, and made eye contact with me. My table happened to be the closest to his and I just happened to be looking in that way. He started to speak (in English!) to me. He asked why we were there and where we were from. I answered and he seemed intrigued. He asked many questions and then it was our turn to ask questions. It turns out he is a photojournalist from Alaska. He has been in Egypt for a few years now and is just a few days from receiving his residency in Egypt. He told us about his experience. He told us how he has been shot by rubber bullets and tear gas many times by the military since arriving. About the army he had two words, “Those fuckers.” He then discussed tourism and the changes he has seen in Egypt in the past few years. He explained that tourism has greatly decreased. It is now a rarity to see so many tourists at one time. He said it is even noticeable just by walking the streets of Cairo and visiting tourist sites. How so? The number of street vendors has decreased substantially. (It is hard to imagine there use to be even more and it use to be even worse!!!)

The decrease in tourism since the revolution is a great concern in Egypt. I have heard it from numerous Egyptians since our arrival. Our tour guide, for example, is greatly troubled by it. Granted, he relies on tourism for his income. However, he has made many good points about why this is such a concern. Egypt holds 2/3 of the world’s artifacts from the ancient world. Unsurprisingly, this means that tourism generates a large amount of money. In fact, it is one of the highest sources of income in the country. Since the revolution, however, this industry has greatly suffered. Our tour guide explained that after January 25^th, he sat on his couch for months with nothing to do. This is creating a trend of questioning the revolution. People are becoming even more poor now despite one of their concerns at the protest was “bread”. Perhaps this is why Shafiq, a presidential candidate who was Prime Minister under Mubarak and during the Battle of the Camel, is gaining such popularity.