February 3rd
Today was the first day of class. I however was excluded from the festivities because I do not have class on Sunday. I was however on campus and it was crowded. I went to campus for lunch with some friends and to do some of reviewing of Arabic because my intensive class starts tomorrow, and the once tranquil and quiet campus had turned into as much of a zoo as the rest of the city. Moreover these people were all the regular Egyptians and I didn’t know any of them. It was actually quite depressing because the oasis that I once enjoyed was now gone. This loss forced me to go searching for more tranquil stops and to my delight I found a rooftop patio on the library that overlooked the city. There was however a little too much in the form of sun-shade’s, but it was empty and quiet and had a pretty sweet view of the surrounding buildings. Plus in the summer, when I will be sick of the sun, I think the shade will be a blessing.
The patio also provided me with the ability to look into an undeveloped lot next to the campus that normally is blocked to public view by a wall surrounding the lot. However, with my bird’s eye view I learned that the lot, although undeveloped, was not abandoned, as there were several squatters living in homes made of boxes and wood. Basically, it was a mini-shanty town, but it only occupied a corner of the lot. For some time I watched a mom and the child who lived there wash dishes in a wooden bucket. I soon realized that the real pain of living in that manner is not that you have such cramped conditions or that you don’t have any possessions. No, those are things which well nice, are luxuries. The real downside about living in these squalors is that you don’t have any running water or electricity or plumbing. In the summer when it gets really hot those homes most turn into ovens and they have nothing to keep down the stench or the insects for that matter. I don’t want to believe that this is how people live. For me, It’s a reminder that even though I might not be the smartest or the most gifted, I still have already won the lottery twice. I think realizing that puts in a good position. Forget accolades or G.PA.’s, or life-plans, I think realizing who you are and how you fit into the larger puzzle of humanity is much more important. I might not have my life planned out and I might not quite understand who I am, but realizing just how lucky I am is a good-step. It’s important to be aware of this, especially when a new environment can throw you for a loop as
On another note, I went to mass today. Ash Wednesday is the next Wednesday. I am going to be a gentlemen for lent, in that that entails. I really like Catholicism, even though I couldn’t understand what it was really about. (The Priest didn’t speak the best of English). I think I will rear my family with a religious emphasis, I think the word think. This also means I need to find a wife, one who values the importance of morals and also community. I will keep my eyes open. I also need to talk to my roommate about this whole Sermon on the Mount thing (the topic of today’s mass. Apparently it’s a big deal.
Finally I got to talk to a Pakistani about Butto’s death today. She really didn’t like Butto and saw her as corrupt, and thinks Musharraf had done a good job. Her family is from Northern Pakistan and she is a Punjabi, so its important to keep her perspective in mind, but I did enjoy hearing about the politics of
Hoorah.
No comments:
Post a Comment