A Week in Cairo

These past three weeks have been very busy. A week long trip to Cairo from October 3rd-10th and five days traveling around Southern Jordan, interrupted by a week of classes and a case study haven't allowed me much time to sit down and update. Here's a summary of my week in Cairo. An entry on Southern Jordan will come soon.

The first week of October consisted of dinners and boat rides on the Nile, putting our life in our hands as we dodged traffic in congested streets, and bargaining with taxi drivers and shop keepers in the local market for lower prices as we explored the Arab world's largest city. Cairo dwarfs Amman in size-with a population of roughly 22,000,000 inhabitants compared to Amman's 1-1.5 million. Our first day was spent exploring downtown Cairo and getting to know the city. Naturally, we spent our second day at the pyramids at Giza-standard tourist activity. With our tour guide, we saw the Great Pyramid as well as several others surrounding it, and spent some time viewing the Sphinx. After hearing so much about the pyramids, and seeing so many pictures of them on both TV and the internet, it was a bit surreal to be there at first. What shocked me about the pyramids site was how close the city came to actual structures. From pictures it appears as if the pyramids are located far away from the city in a distant desert. In fact, development comes very close to the base of the pyramids. Regardless, seeing and climbing the pyramids in person for the first time was great experience. That night, we went to a concert at the "Culture Wheel." This is one example of the night life that Cairo has to offer that can sometimes be hard-if not impossible to find in Amman. Located under an overpass alongside the Nile, the Culture Wheel is a concert venue for many young Egyptians. The night we were there, a popular local band was playing that mixes traditional Arab music with modern rock and pop. The stage and surrounding area were packed with young Egyptians dancing and having a good time. I enjoyed being at this event and observing the social life of some Egyptians my age.






The following day we had a lecture at the Arab League in downtown Cairo. This lecture was very interesting, and so far my favorite lecture of the semester. Our class was lectured by Mr. Hisham Yusef, one of the leading members of the league, and a well-known political figure in the Middle East. He discussed many things, from modernization in the Middle East, to the Arab perspective on many political issues such as Iraq, Afghanistan, American foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Hearing the Arab point of view-which we don't hear much, if any of back in the United States was very eye-opening. I believe going forward we can learn something from the Arab people regarding the several issues listed above, and use that to our (and their) benefit as we continue to be involved in the region. After our lecture at the Arab League, we were given "drop-off" assignments to go explore and learn about different areas of Cairo. My group was assigned to learn about Al-Ahram newspaper, the largest and most circulated newspaper in Egypt. We got in a taxi and went to their main headquarters, where we were given the opportunity to interview one of the chief editors for the paper. Hearing what he had to say about media in the Middle East was also very eye-opening. He also touched on politics briefly before we left, discussing some of the issues covered at the Arab League that morning.






One downside to being in Cairo is the food is not always the most sanitary. Unfortunately, I became a victim of bad hotel food on Monday, our fourth day in Egypt. I spent Monday in bed sleeping, and missed out on a visit to the Citadel, Sultan Hassan Mosque, and a group trip to Khan al-Kahili market, Cairo's largest market. Luckily, by Tuesday I had recovered enough to go out again. On Tuesday we visited Cultnat, a cultural center on the outskirts of Cairo that is designed to teach foreigners about Egyptian history and culture. It is a digital collection of pictures and information dating back to ancient Egypt, and follows Egyptian history up to the present day. That night we took a falooka (small sail boat) ride on the Nile and ate dinner out on the river. This was also a bit surreal-eating dinner on the Nile, but it was enjoyable and relaxing. Dinner was also good.






Wednesday was a free day, and I spent it with some friends at the Khan al-Kahili market. This is a huge market with many small shops that sell nearly anything you could possibly want. Bargaining is also a way of life here. We would spent a lot of time bargaining prices with shopkeepers, trying to get an item we wanted for the lowest price possible. I bought a few things at the market for reduced prices. The most exciting item I bought was an arghele ("sheesha" in Egyptian Arabic). I purchased it for just 150 Egyptian pounds, about 25 US dollars. Now I have an authentic arghele from the Middle East, and I'm looking forward to using that back home.

On Thursday we attended a lecture about Islam, in which a professor spoke to us about Islam and the true meaning behind many words in phrases, as well as the religion itself. It was an interesting lecture, and it sparked some debate between the group. Later that afternoon we visited Cairo University, where we had the opportunity to meet and speak with some university students about life at the university and their future plans. Many of these students were part of clubs and other organizations on campus with goals that focused on developing cultural understanding and the establishment of world peace through collective action. They were very enthusiastic to have us visiting the university, and thinking that we were attending Cairo University as study abroad students, they enthusiastically tried to persuade us to join their clubs.





Before leaving on Friday many of us stopped at the Egyptian Museum, where many artifacts from ancient Egypt, such as the treasure from King Tut's tomb and the royal mummies are held. Viewing the royal mummies was fascinating. Many of the bodies were well preserved, with teeth, hair, and fingernails still visible and looking fresh. It was amazing to see the bodies of former kings and queens of ancient Egypt, especially the better known ones such as Nefertiti and Amenhotep. Later that day we reflected on the past week, and flew back to Amman that night.

Cairo is a very different city from Amman. First, as I mentioned earlier, it dwarfs Amman in size. Some members of our group called Cairo a "real city," because of its high rises and many things to do. It is the center of the Arab world, where movies are made and conferences are held. It is a city with visible French and British influences, as well as traditional Arab culture. Cairo does have a night life that is hard to find in Amman. There are many bars and clubs that Westerners as well as young Egyptians frequent, as well as thousands of cafes throughout the city where you can find a mixture of ages smoking arghele, sipping on Turkish coffee or tea, and playing a game of Backgammon. Much like Amman, Cairo is a city of contrasts, where East meets West. Unfortunately, there are some less positive aspects to Cairo. The city is not very clean at all. Piles of garbage literally line the streets, and air quality is very poor. Many buildings that were once white are now a smoky brown or black from the pollution in the air. There is also a lot of overcrowding and congestion in Cairo. Streets were often packed with cars to the point where traffic would be at a stand still for hours. To get from one part of the city to another was often a long journey. Personally, I am happy that I am studying in Amman instead of Cairo. However, despite the negative aspects of the city there are many positive aspects to look at. Cairo is a city rich in history. It is the cultural and social center of the Arab world with a lot to do and see. I had many great experiences in Cairo-from dinners on the Nile, to visiting the pyramids, and having eye-opening lectures at the Arab League. I'm happy we visited this city, but it also helped me develop a new appreciation for Amman. Nevertheless, Cairo is a great city, and I would recommend to anyone visiting the Middle East that they spend some time there.

Weekend with the Bedouins

The arrival of Eid and the end of Ramadan cut my weekend with the Bedouins short last night, as our group was piled into a late night bus that took us back to Amman, arriving at about 12:30 am. Despite this, I had another great experience here in Jordan. I spent my weekend with a Bedouin family in the village of Naifa on the Baghdad Road, which, not surprisingly, goes to Baghdad. The mountains of Syria were also visible in the distance, as I was located about five miles or so from the Syrian border. We were required to keep a journal documenting our experiences and observations this weekend. Here is my journal from the past three days.

Badia Journal
September 27-29, 2008

Day 1: September 27th
Today I arrived at my Bedouin home stay around noon. Upon arrival I was introduced to the different members of the family. I will be spending my weekend with Ahmed, his brother Mohammed, and Mohammed’s family. After introductions, Mohammed had me quiz one of his three sons, Abdelrahman in his English skills. I also quizzed his older son Sami, who they repeatedly told me was lazy, in his English as well. Then I met Mohammed’s third and youngest son, Basam.

Soon after a family friend, Abu Amir paid a visit to the family. After some introduction and going through the standard questions, such as “Are you married?”- They took me on a small journey through the village. We looked at a few nearby farms, and Ahmed explained to me that the road we were on was an oil pipline or “tap line” as they called it-I had trouble fully understanding what they were explaining to me. This line is used to deliver oil from Iraq to Jerusalem and other surrounding countries such as Lebanon and Syria. Beside this road was what appeared to be some type of oil pump that was constructed by the British many years ago. After our journey through the farms, we stopped by a traditional Bedouin tent. I enjoyed this because I had an old fashioned, authentic Bedouin experience. Ahmed and his family live in a small home with no livestock, and while it does not come close to having all the comforts of city life, they do have more than traditional Bedouins. The Bedouin family in this tent did not speak any English, so with some help from Ahmed, Mohammed, and Abu Amir I told them about myself in Arabic. Then, an older Bedouin man, Ibu Mohammed, decided to dance for us. Whether or not he was seriously dancing was hard to tell, since I could not make out most of what was being said, but I was under the impression he was joking around. In any case, I got his show on video, and it was very entertaining for us.

Later that night, I joined in an Iftar meal with the men of the family and Abu Amir. Our meal included a Jordanian dish, Maqlooba, which is chicken over rice, with salad, soup, and yogurt. In traditional Bedouin style, we ate to together on the floor, and with a spoon as our only utensil we all ate from the big dish of Maqlooba together. The rest of the night included several hours of watching TV and teaching the family some English vocabulary while they taught me Arabic. That night I slept outside with Ahmed. It’s the closest I’ve come to camping in several years.

I made several observations on my first day that differ from experiences I’ve had with my family in Amman. For one thing, Bedouins love pictures. They made sure I had my camera with me everywhere we went, and they would have me take pictures of anything and everything from the portrait of Saddam Hussein that hangs proudly on their wall, to pictures of themselves posing on rocks or in front of old Bedouin homes. Most of the time, they just requested that I take individual pictures of them and their family; so many pictures do not even include me. Another observation I made was the role of women in a Bedouin home, or at least my Bedouin home. I was never introduced to Mohammed’s wife or sister, who also lives there with her baby daughter. The women spent most of their time in the kitchen or in a separate part of the house, never coming out to where the men were socializing unless it was to serve or clean up food. When it came time for Iftar, the men ate together while the women and children ate separately in the other half of the home. Even though I live with a Muslim family in Amman, they are not traditional and my host father often helps my host mother, and he often does more chores around the house than she does. Experiencing this in a Bedouin lifestyle was a very different experience for me and interesting to observe.




Day 2-September 28th
Today did not see much activity and involved a lot of sitting around. After being awakened by the dogs, roosters, sheep, and hundreds of other various livestock that inhabit the village around us, I got dressed and went inside to study Arabic. Ahmed came in frequently and spent a lot of with me, quizzing me in Arabic and asking me about various English words and grammar. He desires to steadily improve his English because it is his dream to someday travel to the United States. Both in Amman and in the Badia, nearly every local resident has expressed their love for the USA or their strong desire to go their. Unfortunately, it is difficult for Arabs to obtain visas to the United States these days, so I am often asked, as I was this weekend, why it is so hard. This desire to travel to America has led some residents I’ve met to request that I speak to them in English so they can improve on their language skills. This is also the reason why Ahmed and Mohammed had me quiz their family in English so many times throughout the past couple days.
For an hour in the afternoon I went for a walk through the village with Ahmed. Ahmed showed me some more farms and pointed out some other Bedouin tents and villages in the distance before we headed back to the house.

Some observations I made at tonight’s Iftar contradicted those that I made yesterday. Tonight we were joined by Mahmoud, a brother of Ahmed and Mohammed who serves in the Jordanian military. Like Ahmed, Mahmoud dreams of one day traveling to America. Tonight we were also joined by one of Mohammed’s daughters, Jamela, and one of his sons. What I observed yesterday led me to believe that women and children ate separately from the men, but tonight challenged those observations. After Iftar, we were joined by joined Mohammed’s wife, their sister, and two other women from the village. I had developed the impression that men and women did not socialize in the same part of the house, but perhaps this is not always the case.

Later on the evening we headed over a friend’s house where another SIT student was staying. We spent a couple hours there talking, drinking tea, and smoking arghele.






Day 3-September 29th
This morning Abu Amir took me to the local girl’s school where I had the opportunity to observe an English class. Much of what this class was studying included grammar terms and phrases that I had never heard of or had completely forgotten about. Listening to the teacher discuss grammar rules such a present participle and modals made me relieved to not be teaching the class, although I would have done so in a heartbeat. What did surprise me, however, was how basic their level of English still is. After class, the teacher told me that these girls were in an upper level class and they had already been studying English for ten years. I don’t know much, if anything at all about the education system here, but I would imagine that after ten years of studying English these students would be proficient, or at least close to a level of proficiency in the language. Instead I found them to be still studying basic grammar and structure. I feel as though I have studied as much Arabic in 18 months as they have English in ten years.

After my school visit, Abu Amir took me the local hospital where he works as a security guard. I spoke to several doctors at the hospital, and had to answer many questions clarifying why I was there, who I’m with, and what I’m doing in the Badia-Bedouins tend to be wary of spies. Like most doctors in Jordan, they were proficient in English and well-trained to do their jobs. Several of the doctors did not live in the Bedouin villages but commuted from larger cities such as Amman or Mufraq. It is my understanding that they make such long commutes because doctors in Jordan are required to work for at least one year in the Badia. I was impressed with the doctors at this hospital, and if something were to happen to me here I would trust myself in their hands.







The next three days will be spent in Amman celebrating Eid-the feast that takes place at the end of Ramadan. Fasting has ended, and restaurants will be open during the day now. Eating, smoking, and drinking in public are no longer prohibited. After the Eid holiday everyone will resume a normal working schedule, and life will return to the way it was prior to the beginning of the month. I'm glad I had the chance to experience Ramadan in the Middle East. I witnessed and participated in traditions and practices, observed how an entire country changes their lifestyle for one month, and ate food that I would not have eaten otherwise. However, I'm looking forward to life returning to normal here. The lifting of all the social and legal traditions that come with Ramadan has been somewhat liberating.

On Friday I'll be traveling to Egypt for a week to experience life in another major Arab city. We will travel back to Amman for a week and then spend the following week traveling through Southern Jordan, seeing the Dead Sea, Wadi Rum, Petra, and Aqaba.

Salaam

Live from Amman-Update 9/14-9/26

The past twelve days have been very eventful and full of new experiences. Last Tuesday night I had the opportunity to participate in post-Iftar prayer at one of the nicer mosques in the city. This has been one of the most incredible experiences I've had in Amman so far. With some help and guidance from Ahmed, the Muslim student who accompanied us, we took part in the the rituals that any other practicing Muslim would before prayer. This included washing certain areas of our body, such as our arms, legs, face, and hair before heading up to the main room. This is done so you can be pure, and clean when praying. Afterward we sat in the main chambers of the mosque while Ahmed explained the prayer rituals and the purpose behind everything we were about to do. He read us some passages from the Quran and explained some of the basic religious ideology of Islam. Then we joined a room full of other men (the women usually pray downstairs, or behind them if they are in the room) and took part in the prayer, going through the motions several times before the service ended. After the service we were joined by several men who came to pray that night. They were very excited and enthusiastic about us being there to experience their religion and their country. All of us sat together for about an hour after the service and talked religion and politics and the true meaning of Islam. We were also joined by the Imam who expressed much pleasure in seeing us at his mosque. After some conversation he asked us to come back and join him for some tea and conversation.

I spent two and half hours at the mosque on Tuesday and left fascinated. I could not stop thinking about my experience for a few days, and I will definitely be going back to join the Imam for some tea-most likely after Ramadan ends. What struck me was the openness and hospitality of the other men in the mosque that night. Islam is a remarkable religion, one that is largely misunderstood in the US. Unfortunately, the true nature of Islam is overshadowed by daily news updates on groups who promote a radical, and often wrong interpretation of this religion. The men we sat with Tuesday stressed the fact that Islam means "peace." Several times they mentioned that while the their fellow Muslims are their brothers in Islam, we are their brothers in humanity. They explained to us how all they want is peace, and they see no reason for all the conflict in the world and especially the Middle East, and would like to see it resolved just as anyone else would. Before leaving the mosque, the Imam mentioned to us that with current position of Arabs and Muslims in the world, all they can do is talk, to let the rest of the world know what they really stand for and who they really are.

Last Wednesday afternoon my group made a trip to the US Embassy. We spent some time there meeting with Foreign Service Officers to learn more about life in the Foreign Service. It was interesting to hear about their different careers both inside and outside of the State Department. Many of the officers had served at posts in many countries. As diplomats abroad, they act as the face of American wherever they are posted and report back to policy makers in Washington about the what is happening on the ground in their particular country. As someone who has been interested in pursuing a career in the Foreign Service after college, our visit to the embassy was very helpful to me.

On Friday I went out with a couple friends. We planned to go visit some Roman ruins that my friend's professor claimed to have excavated several year earlier in an obscure part of the city. With no clear idea of where we were going we flagged a taxi and told him where we wanted to go. About 20 minutes later we found ourselves at a water treatment plant. After telling our cab driver-who spoke almost no English-that we were in the wrong place he decided to take us to some ruins that he knew of. After an hour of driving through parts of Amman we had never seen before, we ended up on the outskirts of the city at the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. It appeared to be a holy site, and it turns out that this cave is mentioned in the Quran, in a passage about seven men and dog (the exact number isn't known) who slept for over 900 years and then miraculously woke up by an act of God. This story attempts to show the the unlimited powers of God. Some pictures are below.







Last weekend I met with my "language partner" for the first time. A language partner is someone we are set up with to practice Arabic and help them practice their English. My language partner is a college student named Bashar who is very active in many organizations. He is also Lebanese and in addition to speaking in the Jordanian Amia, he will be teaching me some of the Lebanese dialect as well. I am very excited to be working with Bashar and getting to know many of his friends. I recently attended an Iftar as his house with 20 members of one of the many organizations he belongs to. After Iftar at his home we had arghele at a cafe at one of the many malls in Amman. There I got the opportunity to speak with some of the members, and I was invited to attend a cultural event being hosted by their organization in October. I told them about my program and the expressed interest in having us there. Next week, I will mention this event to my class, and try to assemble a small group to attend. In addition to Iftar at Bashar's, I also had dinner with a Christian family of another student and attended Iftar at another home earlier in the week. I joined this family and a few friends after their Iftar for another mosque visit. Again, the people we encountered in this mosque, just like the one we went to the week before, were very open and welcoming. They took the time to explain Islam to us, and allowed us to spend some time after prayer with the Imam, similar to what we did the previous week. Even though I had already been exposed to everything we were being shown and discussing, it was still fascinating experience. We were invited by this Imam to come back to the mosque, and we most likely will.

Another experience I had here for the first time last weekend was a water shortage. Jordan is one of the top five countries in the world experiencing water shortages. Last weekend we had to use the water very sparingly to be sure we did not use up what little supply we had left. Unlike back in the U.S., water here is delivered by water trucks on a regular basis. Last weekend, to be safe my host father ordered some additional water and we watched as the water truck filled large tanks below to be distributed to the different containers on the roof for each apartment. He also took me up to the roof and showed me our apartment's water tanks and explained to me how water is handled here. I will post a separate entry later about water in Jordan, specifically in my apartment building and neighborhood. I am very lucky to be living in a section of Amman where water is not a huge problem. What happened last weekend is very rare for this neighborhood. I know other students who are only allowed to shower a few days a week. Some homes even run out of water completely before their next delivery. It has been speculated by some that the next major war in the Middle East will be over water, as it is the region's scarcest resource.

I'm for some new experiences this weekend as I travel about an hour and a half north of Amman into the desert to live with a Bedouin family for the next four days. Today I went into downtown Amman to buy the traditional robe and headdress to wear for the weekend while I live the life of a Bedouin. I will be taking full advantage of any opportunities that come my way this weekend and experience all that I can. On Tuesday I will be back in Amman to celebrate Eid-the end of Ramadan, which I understand involves a lot of eating and family time. Then I'm off to Cairo at the end of next week. I'll update again after my Bedouin adventure.

Ma Salaama

This Past Week: 9/7-9/14, and Weekend in Aqaba

This past week has been an eventful one for me. I continue to celebrate Ramadan-the feasting part, not yet the fasting part with my family. Last weekend a friend of my biological father got me in touch with his friend Mohammed in Amman. I was invited to attend Iftar at Mohammed's house last Monday and I had a great time. He picked me up Monday and took me to meet his family in their brand new large and gorgeous home across the street from the royal palaces in a wealthy section of Amman. After meeting his family and several friends they had over that night, I enjoyed a great Iftar meal with Mohammed's daughter and some of her friends. After the meal we had some delicious dessert and Turkish and coffee, and then I headed up to their balcony where I enjoyed some arghele and tea with Mohammed, his wife, and a family friend for about an hour. We agreed to stay in touch at the end of the night, as Mohammed would like to introduce me to a friend of his and mentioned the possibility of traveling to one of the Palestinian refugee camps in East Amman. They also opened up their home to me and mentioned I am welcome to come over anytime. I'll be sure to give them a call soon.

On Tuesday night I enjoyed Iftar with my classmates at the villa where our classes are held. The food was prepared by several of the students and their homestay families. In addition to our teachers and academic advisors attending, some students from a local cultural group also attended. This gave us all the chance to get to know each other a little better, and meet some new people.

I spent this past weekend with five other group members in Aqaba, a resort town, and Jordan's only port city located four hours south of Amman on the Red Sea. We stayed in a hostel in a quiet area just off the main highway, about 10 kilometers south of the main city. We were just about four miles from the Saudi Arabian border, and across the street was a public beach on the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. The mountains of Israel and the Israeli city of Elat were very close, just on the opposite side of the bay. Egypt's Sinai Peninsula was also visible in the distance. We spent Thursday night at the hostel, smoking arghele and enjoying fruit cocktails by the pool. We spent Friday at the beach, snorkeling in the Red Sea and checking out all the coral and sea life below the water. Unfortunately, I was ruthlessly attacked by a sea urchin, and I am now enjoying the roughly ten or so sea urchin spikes embedded in the bottom of my right foot (they dissolve after a few days). That night we went into the city of Aqaba and enjoyed a great dinner at a restaurant in downtown, followed by drinks and more arghele at another restaurant by the water. Here are a few pictures from this weekend.












Today we visited the University of Jordan for a lecture on economic development in Jordan. As the flagship institution of Jordan's 23 universities, it is also the largest. The large campus atmosphere reminded me of UConn a little bit. I forgot how much I enjoy campus life, and being back in that environment was somewhat refreshing for me. After the lecture I walked around campus for a little while, checking out the library and observing the campus life in Amman before taking a taxi back to our classroom villa in Abdoun.

This week I will also be visiting the American Embassy to meet with some foreign service officers and talk about life as an FSO, since this is the career path I intend to pursue when I graduate. I will also be visiting a mosque on Tuesday night to witness the prayer that takes place after Iftar. I also may decide to get up early and fast with my family on Tuesday. This, followed by a mosque visit will make Tuesday a complete Ramadan experience for me.

Things are really starting to pick up now. In two weeks I will be living with Bedouins for a few days followed by a week in Cairo and another week traveling around Jordan. This has been a great experience so far, and it has only been getting better. I'll try to update after my mosque visit later in the week if I have time, so check back then.

Salaam