Potty Language

I find Arabic vocabulary hard, since with few cognates in English, it means a lot of memorization. I’ve tried everything—flash cards, copying lists, chanting aloud. My latest attempt has been to plaster the apartment with post-its. My roommate has asked me to remove the ones in the bathroom though; the letters could spell Allah, and the bathroom is an un-pure place.

American Girl (or Easy Westerner with Loose Morals)

After chatting with my roommate’s boyfriend about how difficult I’m finding learning Arabic, she told me to, “Lay off.” It was a weird confrontation about how horrified she was that I would try to take the love of her life. It caught me off-guard—I’d never found him remotely attractive or thought about him in that way. It’s one of the things that really irks me about Egyptian culture. Egyptian girls here may wear a headscarf, but they also wear LOADS of makeup, high-heals and skinny jeans, and flirt like the most seasoned airhead Valley girl from LA. What you see less of is serious and casual conversation, which I think is why when I talk to a guy for more than a minute I'm accused of being an over-sexed foreigner. There’s something terribly intimate I guess in actually connecting conversationally.

Only in the Arab World

I work for Student Action for Refugees (STAR), an organization that teaches refugees English. Last week was class registration and placement testing. Because the AUC campus has tight security, everyone must show ID cards and go through a metal detector to enter the campus. Last night, a large group of women in nikaabs (face veils) arrived. Because there was no way the guards could check the picture on their UNHCR cards against their faces due to the lack of women security officers, a guard signaled for the veiled women and then me to follow him to a windowless room to check IDs. The women silently filed in, and he closed and locked the door behind us, instructing them to take their veils off for me. The veils came off. Grins emerged, and I said “Samu Aleikum!” The woman in blue nearest to me started giggling, and then we were all laughing. (I think at my accent).

Africa Cup

Egypt won the Africa Cup (for soccer) last night. Driving from Downtown to Zamalek after the victory took almost two hours. We were trapped behind a parade of chanting families—similar to Boston’s First Night. People sported red, white, and black face-paint (Egypt’s flag colors), set off fire crackers in the street, and ignited aerosol cans to create fire sprayers (dangerous, me thinks). I’ve never seen Cairo so proud. One Egyptian friend told me the only way to see a bigger display of Egyptian nationalism would be if something were to happen to the President…

Visa Renewal

Applying to extend my residence visa ranks as a bad day in Egypt. From standing in lines, to standing in wrong lines, visiting three offices, and elbowing to retain my place in line, I got the impression that far more people and documents enter than can ever hope to leave. People say if each person entering the building was fined one pound, we could pay off Egypt's national debt within the year.

Image from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/mugamma.htm:

City of the Dead

Originally built to house the bodies of higher up people, the tombs were so big and luxurious that squatters moved in. Cairo has finally recognized the squatters as a community, so schools are being built. The community is also home to a few drug lords, so the police refuse to come to this district.

When we walked around, kids had taken over the wide streets for their soccer games. The neighborhood is beautiful—less crowded than the city, and everyone lives in huge cavernous stone crypts. Most crypts are built around a central courtyard that’s open air with palm trees and flowers. Some of the architecture reminded me of Spanish hacienda style barns with eucalyptus trees bursting through the roof.

Marine Ball Cont.

Speaking to some of the highest ranking embassy and military officials in Egypt right now, I was slightly horrified by attitudes.

I shared horror stories with one military high up about the difficulty in getting internet in our apartment. "One month! Can you believe it!" I said.

The conversation turned nasty, when the military leader said "and you wonder why Egypt is still developing!"

I had a great time, and it was refreshing getting to let my hair down in front of other Americans--drinking and dancing without being immoral--the drinking shocked me. The evening transformed from cocktail party to shit show in a few hours.

I also met a wonderful couple who has graciously invited me to their home for Thanksgiving. Now I miss my family :(

I enjoyed reminiscing about home with another Bostonian, and I look forward to my new contacts at the commissary. But many of the people I met were friends almost exclusively with each other. Some families had lived in Cairo for years and knew little Arabic beyond the numbers. (Not to mention that the majority of the embassy and military personnel don't have a functioning knowledge of Arabic.)

To sum up: The most welcome of breaks from Cairo's conservatism and reminders of home, but I'm relieved I don't spend all my time in the ex-pat Ma'adi suberb or Marine parties.