Wednesday April 16th
I leave for Athens on Friday morning. I haven't really started thinking about it, but I am kind of excited. Going to the birthplace of Liberalism and all that jazz. I am not excited about the prices but it should be fun. We will also be going to Istanbul, the world's 4th largest city. This is going to be nuts. After we get back from spring break we have another long weekend where we are going to Israel. After that, the only place I still want to go is Dubai (well for outside of Egypt). I will go to Dubai, even if nobody else will go for me. I mean its the world's tallest structure, there is no way I could miss out on that. The tests went okay today, and since it was international day (read excuse to have day off, as diversity clubs set up booths on greek campus) all my afternoon classes were canceled. So I went home and took a 5 hour nap. It was amazing. Now its just arabic homework tonight.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Day 87
Tuesday April 15th
I have two more midterms tomorrow. This sucks. I am also exhausted from the last midterms, but I have continued with my running in the morning. However, I am not feeling the best and its getting hot even in the morning. Its kind of ridiculous. The other good thing today, is that I picked up my track-suit that I got for boxing. This thing is sweet and it will be a nice keep-sake from my days in boxing. Lots of studying going on today.
I have two more midterms tomorrow. This sucks. I am also exhausted from the last midterms, but I have continued with my running in the morning. However, I am not feeling the best and its getting hot even in the morning. Its kind of ridiculous. The other good thing today, is that I picked up my track-suit that I got for boxing. This thing is sweet and it will be a nice keep-sake from my days in boxing. Lots of studying going on today.
Day 86
Monday April 14
As for the tests, the Art and Architecture test was not a joke. Infact it was a bruiser. I don't know how I did. There was information asked about that I had not studied, nor did I know I was supposed to study. I heard later that 7 people dropped the class after the test. I don't have the option to drop the class nor would I if I could. I just don't quit if it's tough. I could have studied more on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday or the whole previous week. I didn't think it would be that tough, but it was, and next time I will just have to adapt and overcome. I mean that's life.
As for the test in Ivan the terrible, it was a joke I think. There wasn't any surprises and I just wrote down everything that I had studied. Whether that is enough for him is another question though.
The third big thing of the day was that I registered for classes. This went amazingly well. The only downside is that I didn't get into a 2nd philo with Danny as I had wanted. I did get into another good philo though. But next year will be unbelievable. Not only am I only taking four classes and no arabic, but I have a four day weekend. 3 of the classes were on tuesday and thursday and the fourth is a two hour seminar on wednesday. I will have so much more time to do everything else that matters at Notre Dame. I am quite excited about this.
I am most excited about my Wednesday seminar class. Its called Environmental Justice, and there are no tests in it. However, it makes you take actually work on an environmental issue and make some change in the world. Its a project based class. Since this is what I wanted to do for my extracurricular activities, this will fit in perfectly. Basically for my classes, I am taking as many Peace Studies classes as possible in order to try to find something that really strikes my interest and gives me a different option to the Marines. I will also take the Community Organizing seminar for the winter break to see if that path is what I want to do. In summary, next year is going to be unbelievable.
As for the tests, the Art and Architecture test was not a joke. Infact it was a bruiser. I don't know how I did. There was information asked about that I had not studied, nor did I know I was supposed to study. I heard later that 7 people dropped the class after the test. I don't have the option to drop the class nor would I if I could. I just don't quit if it's tough. I could have studied more on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday or the whole previous week. I didn't think it would be that tough, but it was, and next time I will just have to adapt and overcome. I mean that's life.
As for the test in Ivan the terrible, it was a joke I think. There wasn't any surprises and I just wrote down everything that I had studied. Whether that is enough for him is another question though.
The third big thing of the day was that I registered for classes. This went amazingly well. The only downside is that I didn't get into a 2nd philo with Danny as I had wanted. I did get into another good philo though. But next year will be unbelievable. Not only am I only taking four classes and no arabic, but I have a four day weekend. 3 of the classes were on tuesday and thursday and the fourth is a two hour seminar on wednesday. I will have so much more time to do everything else that matters at Notre Dame. I am quite excited about this.
I am most excited about my Wednesday seminar class. Its called Environmental Justice, and there are no tests in it. However, it makes you take actually work on an environmental issue and make some change in the world. Its a project based class. Since this is what I wanted to do for my extracurricular activities, this will fit in perfectly. Basically for my classes, I am taking as many Peace Studies classes as possible in order to try to find something that really strikes my interest and gives me a different option to the Marines. I will also take the Community Organizing seminar for the winter break to see if that path is what I want to do. In summary, next year is going to be unbelievable.
Day 85
Sunday April 13
I spent the entire day studying for the two midterms I have tomorrow. The Art one is going to be open note, but it still looks like it might be hard. The other one is Ivan the Terrible and it looks like it will be a joke. We shall see.
I spent the entire day studying for the two midterms I have tomorrow. The Art one is going to be open note, but it still looks like it might be hard. The other one is Ivan the Terrible and it looks like it will be a joke. We shall see.
Day 84
Saturday April 12th
Today we went on a Field trip for Islamic Art and Architecture to Islamic Cairo. John and I had already been to all these places but since we were going with a teacher who knew more information then our guide-book we decided to go again. Plus, after another hour of sitting we were able to go up into the towers and gates that surrounded Islamic Cairo. These thing must have been quite formidable when they were actually in use. I also thought they would be an awesome place to go paint balling. We also saw Al-Hakim and Al-Aqmar Mosque. We had been here before, but now that I hadn't studied them and knew the history and features of them I found them much cooler. We also got to go into this Mausoleum of some dude, who we didn't know, but is normally closed off to tourists. It was based off the Dome of the Rock and had a huge dome and Pishtar leading into it. Apparently the Dome in Florence was based off this. I don't know if I believe this fact, but its what they claimed. After the field-trip I was exhausted so I slept awhile and then did some homework. FUN.
Today we went on a Field trip for Islamic Art and Architecture to Islamic Cairo. John and I had already been to all these places but since we were going with a teacher who knew more information then our guide-book we decided to go again. Plus, after another hour of sitting we were able to go up into the towers and gates that surrounded Islamic Cairo. These thing must have been quite formidable when they were actually in use. I also thought they would be an awesome place to go paint balling. We also saw Al-Hakim and Al-Aqmar Mosque. We had been here before, but now that I hadn't studied them and knew the history and features of them I found them much cooler. We also got to go into this Mausoleum of some dude, who we didn't know, but is normally closed off to tourists. It was based off the Dome of the Rock and had a huge dome and Pishtar leading into it. Apparently the Dome in Florence was based off this. I don't know if I believe this fact, but its what they claimed. After the field-trip I was exhausted so I slept awhile and then did some homework. FUN.
Day 83
Friday April 11th,
After waking up at like 11:30 because I was kind of exhausted from the last night, I spent most the day doing Arabic and doing some chores around here. I finally finished Book one of Al-Kitaab. Technically we finished Book One at the end of last semester at Notre Dame but I never really learned the material. Now I have a much better grasp of the situation. I have noticed that my reading and writing have improved the most since I have been here, and my speaking and listening have gotten slightly better. Both of these are still quite difficult to me, and spontaneous talking is also tough. I think its because my pronunciation still isn't good. However, when I am given legitimate reading articles I am able to understand most of it. Book 2 has tons more vocabulary, which I like because I believe that vocabulary is the foundation of a language. It also feels good to just be out of that darn book one. After 41/2 semesters I am finally through with it. I will through with Book 2 by the end of the summer. I am very excited about this. Maybe I might even get into book 3. We shall see this summer.
After waking up at like 11:30 because I was kind of exhausted from the last night, I spent most the day doing Arabic and doing some chores around here. I finally finished Book one of Al-Kitaab. Technically we finished Book One at the end of last semester at Notre Dame but I never really learned the material. Now I have a much better grasp of the situation. I have noticed that my reading and writing have improved the most since I have been here, and my speaking and listening have gotten slightly better. Both of these are still quite difficult to me, and spontaneous talking is also tough. I think its because my pronunciation still isn't good. However, when I am given legitimate reading articles I am able to understand most of it. Book 2 has tons more vocabulary, which I like because I believe that vocabulary is the foundation of a language. It also feels good to just be out of that darn book one. After 41/2 semesters I am finally through with it. I will through with Book 2 by the end of the summer. I am very excited about this. Maybe I might even get into book 3. We shall see this summer.
Day 82
Thursday April 10th
It was nice to be back in Cairo. Granted it was nosier and more crowded but I liked knowing my surroundings and being in a place that has kind of become my third home. We showed up at around 11 so I was able to grab lunch with my roommate. I felt kind of like a returning hero, even though I wasn't a winner. Thursday is my easy day, so I was able to head back to the dorms get cleaned up and head off to colloquial class. That night I tried to catch up with the news of the world that I had missed.
It was nice to be back in Cairo. Granted it was nosier and more crowded but I liked knowing my surroundings and being in a place that has kind of become my third home. We showed up at around 11 so I was able to grab lunch with my roommate. I felt kind of like a returning hero, even though I wasn't a winner. Thursday is my easy day, so I was able to head back to the dorms get cleaned up and head off to colloquial class. That night I tried to catch up with the news of the world that I had missed.
Day 81
Wednesday April 9th,
The day finally came for my boxing match. We got there at around 10 to watch our teammate box. My fight wasn't for another 4 hours. This time I came prepared and after watching his fight studied my Arabic and read my book on the Marines for a few hours. Finally the time came for me to get ready.
After wrapping up and putting on my gloves, I returned to the waiting process. Since we were American, people would always come up to us and try and talk to us. Some of my opponents friends came up to me and asked me how long I had been boxing. I figured I needed to intimate him to make sure the same thing didn't happen with me as it did with Taylor. So I told his friends I had been boxing for 10 years. They were duly impressed.
When the time for the fight came, the strategy worked. The guy who was about my height but clearly bigger woudn't come at me. Granted the lights and the actual atmosphere means I kind of lost track of what was going on and didn't fight so well because I couldn't think as well. But since the guy didn't come after me, I was able to throw punches, connect a few times and last through the first round. My coach asked me if I wanted to continue and I said yes. However, I think that my opponents coach recognized that I sucked and told him to just go at me, because as soon as the second round started he just came at me with a fury. I simple turned and tried to get away, so my coach called it as he didn't want to see me get hurt. I was thankful. But I lasted the first round, so I was pleased.
Plus, I had gotten a first round bye and this guy had already fought and defeated somebody in a knock-out. He would go on to defeat the next guy, so I felt pretty good about myself.
After the match Taylor and I went and walked around Mansura. It was kind of a shitty city. We walked along the river and if I though Spokane let its river-front property go to waste, you should have seen this place. It was just run down lot after unused land after trash heap. It was awful. Buts it not like you could go in the river if you wanted to, it was so polluted that nothing could live in that water.
Later that night the last of our teammates got eliminated so we were going to head home the next morning. I was happy because I didn't want to be in this place until Friday.
The day finally came for my boxing match. We got there at around 10 to watch our teammate box. My fight wasn't for another 4 hours. This time I came prepared and after watching his fight studied my Arabic and read my book on the Marines for a few hours. Finally the time came for me to get ready.
After wrapping up and putting on my gloves, I returned to the waiting process. Since we were American, people would always come up to us and try and talk to us. Some of my opponents friends came up to me and asked me how long I had been boxing. I figured I needed to intimate him to make sure the same thing didn't happen with me as it did with Taylor. So I told his friends I had been boxing for 10 years. They were duly impressed.
When the time for the fight came, the strategy worked. The guy who was about my height but clearly bigger woudn't come at me. Granted the lights and the actual atmosphere means I kind of lost track of what was going on and didn't fight so well because I couldn't think as well. But since the guy didn't come after me, I was able to throw punches, connect a few times and last through the first round. My coach asked me if I wanted to continue and I said yes. However, I think that my opponents coach recognized that I sucked and told him to just go at me, because as soon as the second round started he just came at me with a fury. I simple turned and tried to get away, so my coach called it as he didn't want to see me get hurt. I was thankful. But I lasted the first round, so I was pleased.
Plus, I had gotten a first round bye and this guy had already fought and defeated somebody in a knock-out. He would go on to defeat the next guy, so I felt pretty good about myself.
After the match Taylor and I went and walked around Mansura. It was kind of a shitty city. We walked along the river and if I though Spokane let its river-front property go to waste, you should have seen this place. It was just run down lot after unused land after trash heap. It was awful. Buts it not like you could go in the river if you wanted to, it was so polluted that nothing could live in that water.
Later that night the last of our teammates got eliminated so we were going to head home the next morning. I was happy because I didn't want to be in this place until Friday.
Day 80
Tuesday April 8th
The fighting starts today, but not for me. I don't start until tomorrow. The day started out at 9:00 AM when we woke up to go weight in. As soon became the norm in Mansura, we were stuck waiting for the coaches for a good 20 minutes in the lobby before they showed up. Taylor, the other American and I really didn't know where the match was held or really anything that was going on, but when the coaches and our other teammates came down we all loaded into two cabs and headed out. It turned out the competition was being held at Mansura University, which actually looks like a university. The campus has fields and trees and open spaces and there were girls practicing soccer to our right as we came in. The interesting thing is that they all had matching yellow hijabs as part of their uniform. In fact, in our entire time in Mansura I think we saw less than 5 women who weren't wearing the hijab. These were probably the copts that lived here.
Anyways, as we got into the gym I was relieved to see that their was actually a legitimate boxing ring. I was kind of expecting to just see a gladiator-type pit where everyone would stand above and cheer us on. I mean granted that would have been cool too, but I finally at ease knowing that this tournament had some legitimacy.
The key word in that sentence is some, because rather then going in and getting weighted at a scheduled time we instead got to watch the opening ceremonies. I mean, this is Boxing Nationals for Egypt, so an opening ceremony should be expected. We actually got their early enough to watch the rehearsal for the opening ceremony. This consisted of I am assuming chosen representatives from the team or maybe from the university who volunteered, who goose-step marched into the gym, mind you not following the beat or having any coordination and then marching around the interior of the gym. They were supposed to keep the same distance, but they didn't and some people took the goose-stepping much more serious then others, so it looked like amateur hour. Also they had people leading them around the entire time showing them where to step and where to go. Then they did the National Anthem and then the procession of teams. The Teams were announced over the loud speaker as they walked by where the judges would sit, and they had a girl in a hijab with a circular what looked like cardboard sign that had the name of the university on it. We didn't have one, either because we signed up too late or just didn't care. The Canadian university didn't have one either.
Granted, this was just the rehearsal. But after they finished with it, they just had the people go back outside, the judges and other dignitaries walked in, and they did the exact same thing. They looked just as bad and still had to have people showing them where to go, so it still looked awful and poorly done. Oh well.
Next came more waiting. After the ceremonies everybody rushed down to weigh in room and then just waited around. Whoever was in charge didn't have any system already planned so people were just waiting around. It became a mosh-pit almost as coaches squeezed in trying to get their teams as the next to weighed. Finally, after a couple of hours a legitmate system was organized with a line (a novelty in egypt) where they would call the university to stand in line, have some guy check to your heart with a stethoscope (I am assuming he was checking whether we had a heart or not, because he didn't seem like he knew how to check for an irregular heart-beat and he wasn't checking our pulse) then we weighed in. Since I didn't know my the weight classes before, I didn't bother trying to stay below any number. It turns out I weighed 77 kilos, which put me in the 75-81 kg class. If I had just not eaten dinner the night before I could have been in the lower weight class. Oh well, I didn't know and honestly didn't really care.
Following weighing in, we went back to our hotel. Our hotel was actually quite nice. It was called the Marshall and clean beds and bathrooms (with toilet paper), a tv, and a mini fridge. When we got back we ate lunch. This was my favorite part of the meal, since it was a university trip, everything was free. I think over the three days that I was there I spent maybe 15 pounds (by picking up batteries for one of the teammates and just buying snack food when we would wait at the boxing for like hours.)
Taylor would fight that night, so we waited around their until like 5 (we slept) and then headed off to the university. Taylor wouldn't box until 10 Primetime. We got there and had to weight forever. I didn't bring my books either because I thought his fight would be at 6 or 7.
Taylors fight was hilarious. As we had a lot of time to watch other people, we knew we were in over our heads. Taylor just barely made his weight class, and its not because he is in perfect shape. If he really trained he could be in at least one weight class lower maybe even more. We had also been training for only 2 hours a week (one which one was conditioning) for the past few months. These people had been training for years. They were really good. Taylor and I realized that if were simply to make it out of there without getting hurt we would be happy.
I had noticed the guy who Taylor was boxing before we knew he was Taylor's opponent. He was the guy that wears the knee socks, who you know is either a tool, making fun of tools, or actually a badass. Not only that he was fast and probably just made the weight class, but not because he was fat. This man was 91 kilos of pure muscle. Needless to say, Taylor got worked. This guy didn't bother messing around he just went straight at Taylor. Poor Taylor stood his ground but got crushed. The ref called it after 45 seconds in order to save Taylor from getting knocked out.
But the key thing was, Taylor didn't get injured, which is all that matters. We went back and ate dinner and laughed about how badly Taylor got destroyed by aptly named Xerses. We were counting on our height to save us, but this didn't happen here.
The fighting starts today, but not for me. I don't start until tomorrow. The day started out at 9:00 AM when we woke up to go weight in. As soon became the norm in Mansura, we were stuck waiting for the coaches for a good 20 minutes in the lobby before they showed up. Taylor, the other American and I really didn't know where the match was held or really anything that was going on, but when the coaches and our other teammates came down we all loaded into two cabs and headed out. It turned out the competition was being held at Mansura University, which actually looks like a university. The campus has fields and trees and open spaces and there were girls practicing soccer to our right as we came in. The interesting thing is that they all had matching yellow hijabs as part of their uniform. In fact, in our entire time in Mansura I think we saw less than 5 women who weren't wearing the hijab. These were probably the copts that lived here.
Anyways, as we got into the gym I was relieved to see that their was actually a legitimate boxing ring. I was kind of expecting to just see a gladiator-type pit where everyone would stand above and cheer us on. I mean granted that would have been cool too, but I finally at ease knowing that this tournament had some legitimacy.
The key word in that sentence is some, because rather then going in and getting weighted at a scheduled time we instead got to watch the opening ceremonies. I mean, this is Boxing Nationals for Egypt, so an opening ceremony should be expected. We actually got their early enough to watch the rehearsal for the opening ceremony. This consisted of I am assuming chosen representatives from the team or maybe from the university who volunteered, who goose-step marched into the gym, mind you not following the beat or having any coordination and then marching around the interior of the gym. They were supposed to keep the same distance, but they didn't and some people took the goose-stepping much more serious then others, so it looked like amateur hour. Also they had people leading them around the entire time showing them where to step and where to go. Then they did the National Anthem and then the procession of teams. The Teams were announced over the loud speaker as they walked by where the judges would sit, and they had a girl in a hijab with a circular what looked like cardboard sign that had the name of the university on it. We didn't have one, either because we signed up too late or just didn't care. The Canadian university didn't have one either.
Granted, this was just the rehearsal. But after they finished with it, they just had the people go back outside, the judges and other dignitaries walked in, and they did the exact same thing. They looked just as bad and still had to have people showing them where to go, so it still looked awful and poorly done. Oh well.
Next came more waiting. After the ceremonies everybody rushed down to weigh in room and then just waited around. Whoever was in charge didn't have any system already planned so people were just waiting around. It became a mosh-pit almost as coaches squeezed in trying to get their teams as the next to weighed. Finally, after a couple of hours a legitmate system was organized with a line (a novelty in egypt) where they would call the university to stand in line, have some guy check to your heart with a stethoscope (I am assuming he was checking whether we had a heart or not, because he didn't seem like he knew how to check for an irregular heart-beat and he wasn't checking our pulse) then we weighed in. Since I didn't know my the weight classes before, I didn't bother trying to stay below any number. It turns out I weighed 77 kilos, which put me in the 75-81 kg class. If I had just not eaten dinner the night before I could have been in the lower weight class. Oh well, I didn't know and honestly didn't really care.
Following weighing in, we went back to our hotel. Our hotel was actually quite nice. It was called the Marshall and clean beds and bathrooms (with toilet paper), a tv, and a mini fridge. When we got back we ate lunch. This was my favorite part of the meal, since it was a university trip, everything was free. I think over the three days that I was there I spent maybe 15 pounds (by picking up batteries for one of the teammates and just buying snack food when we would wait at the boxing for like hours.)
Taylor would fight that night, so we waited around their until like 5 (we slept) and then headed off to the university. Taylor wouldn't box until 10 Primetime. We got there and had to weight forever. I didn't bring my books either because I thought his fight would be at 6 or 7.
Taylors fight was hilarious. As we had a lot of time to watch other people, we knew we were in over our heads. Taylor just barely made his weight class, and its not because he is in perfect shape. If he really trained he could be in at least one weight class lower maybe even more. We had also been training for only 2 hours a week (one which one was conditioning) for the past few months. These people had been training for years. They were really good. Taylor and I realized that if were simply to make it out of there without getting hurt we would be happy.
I had noticed the guy who Taylor was boxing before we knew he was Taylor's opponent. He was the guy that wears the knee socks, who you know is either a tool, making fun of tools, or actually a badass. Not only that he was fast and probably just made the weight class, but not because he was fat. This man was 91 kilos of pure muscle. Needless to say, Taylor got worked. This guy didn't bother messing around he just went straight at Taylor. Poor Taylor stood his ground but got crushed. The ref called it after 45 seconds in order to save Taylor from getting knocked out.
But the key thing was, Taylor didn't get injured, which is all that matters. We went back and ate dinner and laughed about how badly Taylor got destroyed by aptly named Xerses. We were counting on our height to save us, but this didn't happen here.
Day 79
Monday April 7th,
Today, we headed out for the Egyptian National Tournament held in Mansura. I will be representing the American University of Cairo at this event and its only me and another American and other Egyptians. One of the Egyptians grew up in American and so he is able to translate everything the Captain says into English for us. This is welcome news.
The actual fighting starts tomorrow. Today we left at seven and took an East Delta bus to Mansura. Mansura looks a lot like Cairo. It's crowded, the buildings are all made in the same Concrete superstructure, brick walled style that lacks any sort of anesthetic quality. Also there was trash just about everywhere. The only difference is that the air was breathable.
I noticed this architectural quality about the part of Cairo we were driving through too. The buildings just look like absolute trash from the outside. Most of them look like they were made quickly and with little regard for the safety or comfort even of the residents. They all feature the trash pile for a front-yard and a healthy coat of dirt. I wonder how the living conditions are on the inside. The only apartment building I have been in was Garden City one, maintained by AUC, so it is actually quite nice.
What these apartments really made me think of was the House we walked into in Cincinnati this past fall break. For some reason I say those horrible conditions as being inside every apartment, simply because if the outside looks like it, why shouldn't the inside. But then again, it might be different in this country because A. no-one can afford the fast-food, and therefore there will not be any containers and trash that fast food entails to fill up the room. Seems kind of funny, but these people may be too poor for garbage, as they simply can afford the food that comes in all the packaging. B. Since the women always stay at home, while the man is out working all day, the women probably keeps the house clean. That is one problem that is huge in America and non-existent in America, broken homes. It is rare, if not impossible for the dad to be gone forcing the mom to work and leaving the kids home alone or with no place to go. I guess benefit of Islam that is at least one thing that Egypt has going for them.
Today, we headed out for the Egyptian National Tournament held in Mansura. I will be representing the American University of Cairo at this event and its only me and another American and other Egyptians. One of the Egyptians grew up in American and so he is able to translate everything the Captain says into English for us. This is welcome news.
The actual fighting starts tomorrow. Today we left at seven and took an East Delta bus to Mansura. Mansura looks a lot like Cairo. It's crowded, the buildings are all made in the same Concrete superstructure, brick walled style that lacks any sort of anesthetic quality. Also there was trash just about everywhere. The only difference is that the air was breathable.
I noticed this architectural quality about the part of Cairo we were driving through too. The buildings just look like absolute trash from the outside. Most of them look like they were made quickly and with little regard for the safety or comfort even of the residents. They all feature the trash pile for a front-yard and a healthy coat of dirt. I wonder how the living conditions are on the inside. The only apartment building I have been in was Garden City one, maintained by AUC, so it is actually quite nice.
What these apartments really made me think of was the House we walked into in Cincinnati this past fall break. For some reason I say those horrible conditions as being inside every apartment, simply because if the outside looks like it, why shouldn't the inside. But then again, it might be different in this country because A. no-one can afford the fast-food, and therefore there will not be any containers and trash that fast food entails to fill up the room. Seems kind of funny, but these people may be too poor for garbage, as they simply can afford the food that comes in all the packaging. B. Since the women always stay at home, while the man is out working all day, the women probably keeps the house clean. That is one problem that is huge in America and non-existent in America, broken homes. It is rare, if not impossible for the dad to be gone forcing the mom to work and leaving the kids home alone or with no place to go. I guess benefit of Islam that is at least one thing that Egypt has going for them.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Day 78
Sunday, April 6th
Today is Laurel's Birthday. Hooray for turning the best age ever!!!
The large protest as suspected did not materialize. The large amounts of police never allowed for a group to congregate in Midan Tahrir. Apparently people were supposed to meet elsewhere and then all these different groups were supposed to join up at Midan. This never happened, because I guess the people got too scared by all the police. I did notice several differences walking around downtown though. First of all, there was a massive dust storm. Although unrelated, this produced a brown haze that covered the city and made everything difficult to see and kind of erie. It would have been perfect for a protest if it had actually happened. However, since it didn't, it just reminded me of how dirty this city is. The second thing, was that downtown was quieter then normal, especially around school. Granted I am not normally down then on Sunday, but there were very few cars and very few students as most classes were canceled or kids decided to stay home. Third, the US Embassy was a fortress. They had the block around it blocked off with traffic barricades and cars. There was no way to walk by the security this time. I almost wanted to try it, just because i was carrying my passport. You know, because I didn't know if I would have to make a break for the embassy.
In other news, I go to the boxing championships tomorrow in Mansura, so I won't have any posts until I get back. This should be a crazy trip and I have no idea what to expect. I guess that's the best kind of adventure.
Today is Laurel's Birthday. Hooray for turning the best age ever!!!
The large protest as suspected did not materialize. The large amounts of police never allowed for a group to congregate in Midan Tahrir. Apparently people were supposed to meet elsewhere and then all these different groups were supposed to join up at Midan. This never happened, because I guess the people got too scared by all the police. I did notice several differences walking around downtown though. First of all, there was a massive dust storm. Although unrelated, this produced a brown haze that covered the city and made everything difficult to see and kind of erie. It would have been perfect for a protest if it had actually happened. However, since it didn't, it just reminded me of how dirty this city is. The second thing, was that downtown was quieter then normal, especially around school. Granted I am not normally down then on Sunday, but there were very few cars and very few students as most classes were canceled or kids decided to stay home. Third, the US Embassy was a fortress. They had the block around it blocked off with traffic barricades and cars. There was no way to walk by the security this time. I almost wanted to try it, just because i was carrying my passport. You know, because I didn't know if I would have to make a break for the embassy.
In other news, I go to the boxing championships tomorrow in Mansura, so I won't have any posts until I get back. This should be a crazy trip and I have no idea what to expect. I guess that's the best kind of adventure.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Day 77
Saturday April 5th,
Tomorrow may be a big day in Egypt's History. The protest is getting a lot of attention and a lot of people are supposedly going to show up. I really don't think much is going to happen, because apparently Egypt is notorious for a lot of talk and no action. Even if there was going to be a lot of people, I don't suspect it would last too long, as Mubarak has a knack for sniffing this stuff out. This means if I know something is going down, Mubarak definitely knows about it and will be ready to act against it. The only question then becomes do the leaders of the protest know how to react against the initial crackdown. This I believe becomes the determining factor as to the success of the protest, because I don't think either say is mobile, competent, and agile enough to adapt quickly to an unexpected condition. So if the protesters can some how find a way to not get shut down immediately they might have a chance at getting whatever goal they want. Since nobody seems to be talking about specific goals, or at least from what I have heard, it will be pretty hard to work out a solution to the problems. This seems just like organized chaos and I don't think that really accomplishes anything other than some pain and suffering. If both sides don't have any room to give, if it's too hard to understand the other's demands, then they are never going to be able to find the room for reconciliation.
I heard that even the taxi drivers were going on strike. This to me is complete hogwash. They get subsidized by over 5 billion dollars every year. The pay almost nothing at the pump. Which makes me hate oil even more. If the government wasn't spending so much money on oil, it could spend some money on other fields, like basic infrastructure, cleaning up the pollution, maybe some public works programs. If they could just switch to massive solar plants, they could start saving tons of money and start making money by selling energy to Europe. Where is the problem in this solution? It can't be so simple... but investing in solar and wind here seems like a panacea, just too many people in government seem to be too stuck in their ways. Too resistant to try something new. Too constrained by what people say is possible and not dream of things that never were and ask why not? Why is it so impossible to stop pollution, to get off oil, to live your life based on something more than a paycheck. Cash does not rule everything around me. There is something more important than the dollar sign. Once we realize that how much money we make and how much things cost is secondary to the upholding of human dignity, in all its forms, then we can start moving places. I am not saying economics and liberalism is whack. I do believe that Capitalism and the market economy are good ideas. However, I do not believe they adequately calculate the value of human life. So yes, CSF requires some expensive start up costs, and yes, it is untested, but it can do so much good in this world.
I hope to never be satisfied in this life, because once we say this is it this is good enough, we are giving up and failing. There is a reason that the pyramid on the back of the one-dollar bill is unfinished.
As for my personal day, it has been pretty low key today. I did some more research on my paper but didn't get around to writing it. I should be more time efficent, because I could be doing so much, but for some reason I just don't want to be. I enjoy taking my time, and this kind of scares of me. I mean granted there are times when you need to watch the time pass you by, but its morally hard to do that when their is so much disparity around you. It's like not moving when the somebody is calling for help, except this time that somebody is the world. I'll work on it.
Tomorrow may be a big day in Egypt's History. The protest is getting a lot of attention and a lot of people are supposedly going to show up. I really don't think much is going to happen, because apparently Egypt is notorious for a lot of talk and no action. Even if there was going to be a lot of people, I don't suspect it would last too long, as Mubarak has a knack for sniffing this stuff out. This means if I know something is going down, Mubarak definitely knows about it and will be ready to act against it. The only question then becomes do the leaders of the protest know how to react against the initial crackdown. This I believe becomes the determining factor as to the success of the protest, because I don't think either say is mobile, competent, and agile enough to adapt quickly to an unexpected condition. So if the protesters can some how find a way to not get shut down immediately they might have a chance at getting whatever goal they want. Since nobody seems to be talking about specific goals, or at least from what I have heard, it will be pretty hard to work out a solution to the problems. This seems just like organized chaos and I don't think that really accomplishes anything other than some pain and suffering. If both sides don't have any room to give, if it's too hard to understand the other's demands, then they are never going to be able to find the room for reconciliation.
I heard that even the taxi drivers were going on strike. This to me is complete hogwash. They get subsidized by over 5 billion dollars every year. The pay almost nothing at the pump. Which makes me hate oil even more. If the government wasn't spending so much money on oil, it could spend some money on other fields, like basic infrastructure, cleaning up the pollution, maybe some public works programs. If they could just switch to massive solar plants, they could start saving tons of money and start making money by selling energy to Europe. Where is the problem in this solution? It can't be so simple... but investing in solar and wind here seems like a panacea, just too many people in government seem to be too stuck in their ways. Too resistant to try something new. Too constrained by what people say is possible and not dream of things that never were and ask why not? Why is it so impossible to stop pollution, to get off oil, to live your life based on something more than a paycheck. Cash does not rule everything around me. There is something more important than the dollar sign. Once we realize that how much money we make and how much things cost is secondary to the upholding of human dignity, in all its forms, then we can start moving places. I am not saying economics and liberalism is whack. I do believe that Capitalism and the market economy are good ideas. However, I do not believe they adequately calculate the value of human life. So yes, CSF requires some expensive start up costs, and yes, it is untested, but it can do so much good in this world.
I hope to never be satisfied in this life, because once we say this is it this is good enough, we are giving up and failing. There is a reason that the pyramid on the back of the one-dollar bill is unfinished.
As for my personal day, it has been pretty low key today. I did some more research on my paper but didn't get around to writing it. I should be more time efficent, because I could be doing so much, but for some reason I just don't want to be. I enjoy taking my time, and this kind of scares of me. I mean granted there are times when you need to watch the time pass you by, but its morally hard to do that when their is so much disparity around you. It's like not moving when the somebody is calling for help, except this time that somebody is the world. I'll work on it.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Day 76
Friday, April 4th
Today I decided to go to the Harriers Hash. This is apparently a global running club that I found out through my contacts in the DDC. The Harriers go out to the desert and run around for awhile following trails that you have to find and after they get done they celebrate their success with drinks and rituals. It almost seemed like something out of a fraternity except most of the people were aging oil tycoons and ex-pat's. I didn't get a lot of what was going down, but it was fun running through the desert. I also got to meet a lot of English speaking people who lived about the world and got to find about what they do with their lives. It was a pretty rowdy group and many were willing to share with me their views of Egypt. Apparently not many people like living in this country as they can't handle the inefficiencies, the way people constantly try and rip you off, and the dirtiness of the city. I can't say I blame them, but I definitely don't hate it here like they do.
One of the more enjoyable things I got to do was walk by myself to the Metro Station. This is about a 45 minute walk and I got to soak in the beautiful sunny afternoon. Also with all this walking and running around Zamalek I finally feel as if I am starting to get a feel for my surrounding, which is actually quite tough in a city as big and crowded as this. I also got to ride the metro by myself which was a welcome rest from always having to be with people. Now it was just me figuring stuff out and I like that. A strange experience occurred on the bus when a bunch of kids got on the metro after me and showed me their nice phone and the videos on it. Some of them were of a guy dancing around with a bear and then the other was a porn video. These kids were like 8 and shouldn't know what that is in America, much less in a Muslim country.
I stayed after the run and got to get dinner with a bunch of the ex-pats. I ate next to a professor at the German University in Cairo and we talked about politics and Egyptian culture. He has lived her for 3 and 1/2 years and it was nice getting his perspective on things. I also got to ride back with another crazy ex-pat to Zamalek from Maadi. Maadi is so different from anyplace else in Cairo because it is European particularly American central, so you see a bunch of white people walking around in Short and it totally blows your mind. On the way back a officer confused me for being an Egyptian. Those two incidents made me feel like I was finally becoming a native here.
Today I decided to go to the Harriers Hash. This is apparently a global running club that I found out through my contacts in the DDC. The Harriers go out to the desert and run around for awhile following trails that you have to find and after they get done they celebrate their success with drinks and rituals. It almost seemed like something out of a fraternity except most of the people were aging oil tycoons and ex-pat's. I didn't get a lot of what was going down, but it was fun running through the desert. I also got to meet a lot of English speaking people who lived about the world and got to find about what they do with their lives. It was a pretty rowdy group and many were willing to share with me their views of Egypt. Apparently not many people like living in this country as they can't handle the inefficiencies, the way people constantly try and rip you off, and the dirtiness of the city. I can't say I blame them, but I definitely don't hate it here like they do.
One of the more enjoyable things I got to do was walk by myself to the Metro Station. This is about a 45 minute walk and I got to soak in the beautiful sunny afternoon. Also with all this walking and running around Zamalek I finally feel as if I am starting to get a feel for my surrounding, which is actually quite tough in a city as big and crowded as this. I also got to ride the metro by myself which was a welcome rest from always having to be with people. Now it was just me figuring stuff out and I like that. A strange experience occurred on the bus when a bunch of kids got on the metro after me and showed me their nice phone and the videos on it. Some of them were of a guy dancing around with a bear and then the other was a porn video. These kids were like 8 and shouldn't know what that is in America, much less in a Muslim country.
I stayed after the run and got to get dinner with a bunch of the ex-pats. I ate next to a professor at the German University in Cairo and we talked about politics and Egyptian culture. He has lived her for 3 and 1/2 years and it was nice getting his perspective on things. I also got to ride back with another crazy ex-pat to Zamalek from Maadi. Maadi is so different from anyplace else in Cairo because it is European particularly American central, so you see a bunch of white people walking around in Short and it totally blows your mind. On the way back a officer confused me for being an Egyptian. Those two incidents made me feel like I was finally becoming a native here.
Day 75
Thursday April 3rd
The news on everybody's lips these days is the protest that will happen in Midan Tahrir this coming Sunday. Apparently people are coming to protest just about everything, from the Muslim Brotherhood not getting the right to run for elections to the high costs of bread (it might increase to more than 1 cent a loaf) to Textile workers going on strike. Plus throw in just general unsatisfaction with their lives here and you have the formula for a grade A riot. Except for the fact that Mubarak control and will employ massive amounts of police to quell any protest and that because there are so many different reasons for protest and so many different people congregating in Midan Tahrir not many people think it will be that organized. So AUC will still have classes even though some teachers privately canceled. As I do not have class on Sunday I do have to worry about the Midan being closed, but it still could mean big problems for a lot of Cairo.
Not much happened today with me personally. I hung out with George and Kieran and his roommate back from Notre Dame, Sean, who is a real cool cat. They are going to the black and white desert this weekend. So that should be a lot of fun, for them.
The news on everybody's lips these days is the protest that will happen in Midan Tahrir this coming Sunday. Apparently people are coming to protest just about everything, from the Muslim Brotherhood not getting the right to run for elections to the high costs of bread (it might increase to more than 1 cent a loaf) to Textile workers going on strike. Plus throw in just general unsatisfaction with their lives here and you have the formula for a grade A riot. Except for the fact that Mubarak control and will employ massive amounts of police to quell any protest and that because there are so many different reasons for protest and so many different people congregating in Midan Tahrir not many people think it will be that organized. So AUC will still have classes even though some teachers privately canceled. As I do not have class on Sunday I do have to worry about the Midan being closed, but it still could mean big problems for a lot of Cairo.
Not much happened today with me personally. I hung out with George and Kieran and his roommate back from Notre Dame, Sean, who is a real cool cat. They are going to the black and white desert this weekend. So that should be a lot of fun, for them.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Day 74
Wednesday April 2nd
In my resurgent quest to get into top physical shape I have started running before classes with Kieran. This means waking up at 6:00. Running this early is actually quite refreshing as Cairo in the morning is quiet and calm. The downside of this activity is that now I have less time at night and I am more tired through the day. However there are still more than enough hours in the day to accomplish my homework. I just need to regain my time management skills of yonder years. AUC is like high school but I shouldn't let a high school mentality inhibit my arabic studies. So my next goal of self-improvement is to couple time management with physical prowess. No more of this pussyfooting, if I get serious about my studies and my exercise I can do both. Okay, well I need to get to bed. Sorry nothing to report about the state of Egypt. Yet... I hear there are storms a brewing in the future and I will get back with more details.
In my resurgent quest to get into top physical shape I have started running before classes with Kieran. This means waking up at 6:00. Running this early is actually quite refreshing as Cairo in the morning is quiet and calm. The downside of this activity is that now I have less time at night and I am more tired through the day. However there are still more than enough hours in the day to accomplish my homework. I just need to regain my time management skills of yonder years. AUC is like high school but I shouldn't let a high school mentality inhibit my arabic studies. So my next goal of self-improvement is to couple time management with physical prowess. No more of this pussyfooting, if I get serious about my studies and my exercise I can do both. Okay, well I need to get to bed. Sorry nothing to report about the state of Egypt. Yet... I hear there are storms a brewing in the future and I will get back with more details.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Day 72
Tuesday April 1st,
I spent the afternoon doing some research on the future of green energy in Egypt. Even though Egypt is one of the most applicable climates for wind and solar energy, the country is remaining tied to non-renewable sources like natural gas. Despite the high-demands in Egypt for more energy, the Egyptian government is moving very slowly to establish solar and wind. There are a number of reasons for this. The first is that Egypt is basically swimming in natural gas as it sits on a sea of gas that looks like it will last forever. This makes politicians leery of switching of something so different and untested as solar and wind. The second reason is that the government spends 3-5 billion dollars, as of 2004 (meaning the figure has only gone up) to blanket subsidize the price of gasoline. These means there is no incentive to change from or even conserve gasoline. This contributes to the global warming and pollution problem in Egypt, which is it gets worse could destroy the economy. The subsidies are belying the true cost of the gasoline and when the subsidies are removed wind is actually cheaper and solar probably the same or cheaper. Also with the government putting so much money into subsidies it can't do anything else as all its funds are going to oil. Very piss-poor-planning in my opinion. Father Mark would not be pleased.
As for English teaching, it went quite well today. John was back and so it was nice to have him as as a support and to lead half of class. However, I was still able to take a less secondary role and explain the debate. I really got into today and tried to give them as many patterns of expression to help them out. I think it was easier for me because of the smaller class. However, it's still hard when the people are at different levels. The class seems to be happy and hopefully they are gaining something from us. I really do hope that we are not wasting their time and money.
Okay, got to wake up early tomorrow to go running.
I spent the afternoon doing some research on the future of green energy in Egypt. Even though Egypt is one of the most applicable climates for wind and solar energy, the country is remaining tied to non-renewable sources like natural gas. Despite the high-demands in Egypt for more energy, the Egyptian government is moving very slowly to establish solar and wind. There are a number of reasons for this. The first is that Egypt is basically swimming in natural gas as it sits on a sea of gas that looks like it will last forever. This makes politicians leery of switching of something so different and untested as solar and wind. The second reason is that the government spends 3-5 billion dollars, as of 2004 (meaning the figure has only gone up) to blanket subsidize the price of gasoline. These means there is no incentive to change from or even conserve gasoline. This contributes to the global warming and pollution problem in Egypt, which is it gets worse could destroy the economy. The subsidies are belying the true cost of the gasoline and when the subsidies are removed wind is actually cheaper and solar probably the same or cheaper. Also with the government putting so much money into subsidies it can't do anything else as all its funds are going to oil. Very piss-poor-planning in my opinion. Father Mark would not be pleased.
As for English teaching, it went quite well today. John was back and so it was nice to have him as as a support and to lead half of class. However, I was still able to take a less secondary role and explain the debate. I really got into today and tried to give them as many patterns of expression to help them out. I think it was easier for me because of the smaller class. However, it's still hard when the people are at different levels. The class seems to be happy and hopefully they are gaining something from us. I really do hope that we are not wasting their time and money.
Okay, got to wake up early tomorrow to go running.
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