Renewing my visa

is what I tried to do this morning. It’s only 9:30 am and I’ve already been to the visa place, the doctor’s office and a coffee shop. Well, I’m still at the coffee shop. Today is going to be a looong day.

The place where you get or renew visas is called Mugamma. It’s in Tahrir and is a HUGE building. I don’t even know what all takes place there, as the visa section I saw only covered one floor. The building is monster-huge, and run totally by women! This is a rare occurrence in Cairo. It seems that men mostly run the companies, restaurants and little shops around the city. For example, in the grocery store I frequented last year – and still visit today – there was maybe one woman on staff. Today, however, there are 3 women on staff – and they get to be cashiers! Cool, they’re handling the money! At Mugamma, women run the show. A bunch of power-hungry women who can control how, when and for how much you get your visa. My Australian roommate Natalie is renewing her 6-month temporary residency and will have her passport back in 2 hours from now. I am renewing my 1-month tourist visa and have to come back 4 days from now to pick it up. All they have to do is stamp a piece of paper! It’s extremely arbitrary. I think it might have to do with how big you smile at them. I’m definitely not a morning person, so maybe my smile wasn’t charming enough, who knows. 

I’ve narrowed down my schedule now that I’ve been in Cairo for 3+ weeks, going on a month. It’s weird, time really flies. I knew coming in that 2 months wouldn’t be long enough, and that is definitely the case. It’s hard to really delve into things in such a short period of time, but with college and all, I only have so much time in one summer. At times I regret not coming to Cairo earlier in the summer, but then I think about how I really needed a break at home in Evanston. Northwestern really tires you out. I’m currently planning on graduating (”completing”) a quarter early in my senior year. That means that I’ll have fall and winter quarters, but will be home free come spring quarter. I’d be done in March. Wouldn’t that be great? Well I’d be done with silly homework assignments but would still have to complete my senior honors thesis and…well…RUN the Global Engagement Summit in April 2009. How will I do it all? Luckily I have already quit my school job (working at the gym) and will have extra time from that. I’m enjoying my summer in Cairo, but there is definitely something exciting about moving into my own apartment (with two roommates), decorating my room the way I want it, organizing my life and having a fresh start at the beginning of the school year. I’m really looking forward to co-directing the Global Engagement Summit with my friend Rajni, but it will definitely be a ton, ton, ton of work. Good thing our staff of 50 or so is awwweeessome. 

I’m feeling a little out of sorts today. Maybe it’s because I’m thinking about the upcoming year. I don’t know. I guess it’s that Cairo this summer isn’t really what I expected. I had planned to work directly with refugee communities, connect with old friends and build on our friendship, take Arabic, do thesis research etc. etc. I’m not really working directly with refugee communities – which is unfortunate because I really thrive on personal, human interaction. Most of my work is done in an office behind a computer. I have been working with my Egyptian co-worker Mai (who has become a really close friend of mine over the past couple of weeks) primarily on the website development for the organization. We have written up a website proposal and talked with quite a few web developers. It looks like we will be working with Ultimate Designs, a local web developer group. They made a demo site and it looks pretty neat. This website will be an accessible portal for relevant stakeholders. As the Egyptian Refugee Multicultural Council, Tadamon acts as a networking organization and brings different actors together. The people that use the website will include NGOs, community-based organizations, individual refugees and the like. Hopefully it will be a “one-stop shop” for current news, events, organizations and resources in the greater Cairo area for both Egyptians and refugees. 

I wish I were taking Arabic lessons – colloquial lessons. It’s important to me to be able to communicate with people, wherever I am. Arabic is an extraordinarily difficult language to learn, and I much prefer to learn “on the ground” than in a classroom, simply because it is easier and more fun to practice in the local setting, like getting in a taxi and having a short conversation with the taxi driver. They are really surprised – and delighted – to hear you speaking Arabic. No matter your level, they will always say that your Arabic is “kowayyiz awi” (”very good”) even if it’s not (which is the case for me!). I do try though, and have remembered a bit from last year. Not as much as I’d like, of course. I was always much better at fusha (written Arabic) than ammiya (spoken Arabic). I still have a month left, so I am determined to get a tutor, maybe twice a week. It’ll make me feel better. Like I’ve taken the necessary steps toward that prior goal. It’s honestly just difficult to do so much. Even if I’m not meeting all my “goals” for the summer, I still feel so busy. I just try to remind myself that some people come to Cairo ONLY for Arabic, nothing else. They do it 5 times a week and have free time to do as they please. I’ve realized that it’s not that ridiculous that I haven’t started Arabic tutoring yet, as I’m trying to intern/work on 2 projects (website and income-generating activity), do organization site visits and meetings, volunteer when possible, connect with old friends, meet new people, explore the city, read, work on GES, think about my thesis, take time to rest from this hectic city, blah blah blah blah blah. Maybe everyone’s that busy, and I’m just a complainer. I hate making excuses, I’m just so frustrated at times. One thing that is really stressing me out is that I haven’t officially said “no” to the Fulbright Scholarship program. I had signed up – which is by no means contractual – and really did consider it. I just don’t think I want to spend a year right after college living abroad and researching. I was planning on coming back to Cairo – or definitely somewhere in the Middle East – but really want to have a stronger handle on Arabic. If I decided to return to Egypt, I would probably study what I had been research last fall and what I planned on writing my thesis on this coming year – the creation of art by refugees as a way to cope psychosocially and financially. For some reason, now, when I think of the idea it’s like beating a dead horse. I don’t know why. I love art. I love the experiences and the friendships and the research that came out of last fall at American University in Cairo. I don’t know what has changed – maybe I’m just in a different place, mentally, now. Things have definitely changed over the past 7 months. i have no idea what I’ll write my Anthropology thesis on now. Maybe still this topic – if my interest is revived. It is definitely a new topic to study – not much has been written about it, at least in Cairo. I’ve also become recently interested the Iraqi plight in Cairo. Refugees from Iraq have been streaming in for the past 2 years. Their case is particularly interesting because, generally, they don’t consider themselves “refugees.” It is said that they have too much pride to label themselves as such. This mindset is especially dangerous because without admitting that one is a refugee and seeking – and then accepting – assistance, one will not better their current situation. And for many, the situation is bad. Adults are unable to get jobs and thus eat away their life savings, kids have difficulty getting into schools, and the list goes on. Another interesting aspect of the Iraqi refugee issue is that some African refugees see the Iraqis as getting “special treatment.” There has been some problem with discrimination – and active resentment – towards Iraqis because they are getting resettled to a third country and some Africans are not, many of whom have been here for 5+ years. Honestly, it’s because many Iraqis are in much more dire – and dangerous – situations than others. This has led many refugees already in Cairo – who cannot find a means to an end in Cairo – to try to go to Israel. Some make it (like my Sudanese friend Adam – who’d been in Cairo since 1981!!!!!!!!), some don’t and get killed during the journey or when they get to the border. For other reasons, 1000+ Eritrean refugees were deported earlier this year, for no designated reason other than that they were here illegally (but so are thousands of others…why these particular ones?). More on this later…

Anyway, beyond not “feeling” the Fulbright right now, I just really want time to lead a steady life in America. I want to get a “normal” job – not internship or volunteer position – and get a salary (the job, of course, has to be better than working at the university gym!). I want to stay in one place – uninterrupted for more than 6 months (I have basically traveled every summer since junior year in high school – I feel so grateful for those experiences, but I really need a break. Traveling and living abroad can really exhaust you.) I guess to make myself feel better I just need to notify the Fellowship Office. They will probably offer a lot of advice on other things that I can do – such as an intensive Arabic language course. Plus, I can do Fulbright 10+ years out of college, so I’m in no rush. This is something no one should rush into. And I’d only do it if it felt right, and it doesn’t feel right right now. You can’t complete good research if the idea and trip is forced. You have to want to explore, want to succeed. I know that I would do a fine job, but I’m not yearning for the Fulbright right now. Maybe that will change in the years to come. Or maybe something else will surface. Thinking about the future is stressful though. Eek!

I think what it is is that I’m not used to things happening more slowly – and with more steps along the way (i.e. going to 5 different windows at Mugamma instead of 1) – in Cairo. There’s definitely a different concept of time here than in America. In America, you better be on time to a meeting. Here, if you’re late to a meeting, no worries (usually. In some cases it’s different of course). I mean, I guess I’m frustrated because the things that I have to do don’t necessarily need to take a long time, they just do, which makes me dread the process, which makes me unmotivated. It’s a stupid little circle that I need to get out of. I have so many “to-do” lists here and it’s driving me insane! I need to start crossing this stuff off!!! The one thing that I’ve been very good at though, which is quite ironic since it’s difficult for me to get going in the US, is going to the gym. It’s ridiculouslyyyyy overpriced here, but it’s something I think is important to spend money on. I went on medication this past year that made me BALLOON. I gained like 15-20 lbs, which hasn’t been pleasant…at all. From new stretch marks, to lower self-esteem, to getting the “fat” talk…it’s just awful. But, I’ve taken things into my own hands and am getting back on track with exercising and am eating extra healthy (even though I already did – regardless of what you think, parents!). The gym is actually fun. The doorman is super nice and always talks to me. He and his young son work the door and the giving out of locker keys. There are 2 floors of the usual equipment and TVs that play American movies and shows in Arabic. There are trainers “on call” to help you with personal training and with figuring out how the heck to use this certain (confusing!) machine. I’m pretty independent and like to figure things out for myself, so it’s at times frustrating when I’m testing out the machine (incorrectly, but in the process of figuring out how to use it) and they walk over and stare, ask if you need help, me saying “no that’s okay, but thank you, I’m fine. Am I doing it wrong?” and them saying “no no it’s okay” and then staring at me telling me with their eyes that they NEED to help me figure it out. It’s a little bit pushy for my taste, but that’s just me. I know they mean no harm at all. I guess working out and being in “my zone” is a personal thing and I need the time to myself, undisturbed. The uniform for the trainers/staff is red shirts that say FDA (Fitness and Dance Academy) on them. The women have matching red hijabs (head scarf) to go with it. [It's interesting, actually, to see the different clothing and fashion in Cairo. Many Muslim women, especially younger women, who wear the hijab treat it as an extra accessory with which to make an outfit. I by no means am trying to downplay the religious importance of wearing the hijab, I just think it's fascinating to see a color scheme held throughout the outfit. Green hijab, green shirt and green shoes, for example. Something else that is interesting fashion-wise is how some Muslim women will wear fashionable, "hip" tanktops but to remain culturally appropriate, will wear a tight, long sleeve shirt underneath, so their skin is not showing. It's quite creative, and gives a chic look.] Anyway, I usually go to the gym at night, so that I don’t get gawked at too much (having it be darker out helps a lot! Haha). In the US I wear shorts when working out. Here, though, I always where yoga pants. I rolled them up to my knees one day and felt too “exposed.” But then again, I feel “exposed” when I walk around in a regular t-shirt. I really do prefer to wear long sleeves. I still get hissed at though. Although I have a couple of come-backs in Arabic for the really nasty remarks. It will help when Nathaniel is here (he gets here in 3 days, yay!) and can walk around with me. Walking around with a man makes verbal harassment much more rare. He will put them in their place, I’m sure ha ha. 

Okay, now it’s time to write blog posts about the past couple of weeks…

I left on vacation in the Sinai before I had a chance to write about last week. I did a ton, so I’ll share it through pictures…

I finished my second full week at Tadamon

View from the balcony at Tadamon

The Tadamon office - where we have meetings and where I sometimes work

Hung out a lot with my friend Susannah

Sus and I eating zucchini, rice and okra

I went to a jazz concert at the Sawwy Cultural Center in my neighborhood with my co-worker Mai

The band was called "Il Awwal Dor" which means "The First Floor" (where they used to practice/recorded their first album). It was a 6-member band and there was a sweet light show!

I attended a ‘Team Building’ workshop with my friends Mai and Amado, held at Townhouse Gallery. It was led by a German woman and translated into Arabic by one of Townhouse’s staff members.

Teams presenting their posters

I painted and re-connected with old friends at the SAWA (”Together” in Arabic) workshop at Townhouse Gallery. [Townhouse is one of my favorite places in all of Cairo. Here you are able to meet people from all around the world who have come together because of art - both the creation and appreciation of it. These SAWA workshops are free every Saturday 11am-5pm and anyone can attend.]

Painting!

My Sudanese friend, Amado, teaching oil painting techniques

More Townhouse pictures - I painted the snake and the abstract design, My friend sitting for a self portrait, A dancer painting a ballerina

Attended a ‘Strategic Planning’ meeting with the Sudanese Women’s Union, one of Tadamon’s partner CBOs (Community Based Organization)

Mai, my co-worker, and Sudanese women meeting to discuss their organization's mission

Visited my old friend Fatma, an Eritrean woman, and her daughter at their home. I went there to look at her jewelry and crafts (she runs an informal – but successful – women’s handicraft co-op). I will be working with her to start an IGA (Income Generating Activity) as part of Tadamon’s ‘Living Together’ campaign, an initiative to promote diversity and peaceful coexistence in Cairo (especially between Egyptians and African refugees). At her house we had traditional Eritrean coffee. It is literally the best coffee in the world. An elderly Eritrean neighbor came over to help make it. It is a lengthy process – grinding the coffee beans, boiling the water (in a terracotta jar) over a mini open stove with coals, mixing in ginger, burning incense, mixing the ingredients together and adding sugar, and serving it in small little glasses (smaller than a shot glass). Not to mention you must do this at least 3 times. We had 5 cups though…and let’s just say I was totally wired for the rest of the day!

Fatma's jewelry and crafts

Sometimes I forget I’m in Cairo…

Sometimes I forget that I’m living in Cairo. Well, maybe “forget” is the wrong word. It’s more like I’m so preoccupied with or focused on something else, whether it’s planning the website for Tadamon or watching ‘Changing Lanes’ (as I did just now). Cairo is amazing, but it definitely wears down on you. Most of that has to do with the heat – it sucks the life out of you if you’re in it too long (and if you don’t drink enough water…I definitely need to get better at that!). The pollution is also difficult to stand at times (Cairo steals the #1 spot for worst air pollution in the whole world – not a fancy feat if I say so myself). Many mornings the buildings are encompassed by this foggy, almost mist-like haze. One might think it is indeed morning fog rolling out…but no. This is pollution!! Not the prettiest thing in the world, but it is a very distinct aspect of Cairo and one must accept it when they live here. It makes me appreciate the pleas for carpooling in America (even if the request is not met by many). I was in a huuuge traffic jam this afternoon on my way home from a meeting. I was in a taxi on the bridge (over the NILE! As in the river that MOSES floated down and next to which the PYRAMIDS were built! Crazy, huh?) and the traffic was at a dead stop, exhaust pipes pumping out black fumes. It really makes you think, when you can actually see the fumes (and they really are quite visible), how much stuff really is going into the ozone – it’s kind of scary. Anyway, I ended up getting home just fine, but stopped at the bookstore Diwan to buy myself some reading material. So far I’ve read ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy (which I highly, highly recommend. It has become a new favorite book. It has secured it’s place right up there with my other favorites: ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ by Khaled Hosseini and ‘The Red Tent’ by Anita Diamant – both of which everyone should read!!). I have started the book ‘Zaatar Days, Henna Nights’ by Maliha Masood (it’s a book about a Pakistani-American woman who travels the Middle East), and have purchased ‘The Things They Carried’ (I don’t know why I haven’t read this yet, but now’s my chance) and ‘White Oleander.’ All the books are quite different, but I’m looking forward to this wide array. Reading has become my break – or escape – from work and from the business of this city. Reading also makes me forget I’m in Cairo. It’s quite amazing how books can transport you to another place and time. It really is remarkable.

Cairo traffic jam

View of the Nile - different than in the movies, eh?

This Wednesday is a holiday, so no work, and people are obviously skipping out of work on Thursday as well, because why go Thursday (the equivalent of Friday in the U.S. – the workweek here is Sunday – Thursday). My friend Susannah and I (and her friends from work – she works at AMERA) are going to this little beach get-away called Basata out on the Sinai. It’s right on the Red Sea. This little resort is pretty much without electricity, has little huts right on the beach, and is secluded, away from the busy tourist areas on the Sinai (Dahab, for example). We will get to sleep right on the beach under the stars. I’m really looking forward to the trip. All of it besides the 10 hour bus ride there…and back…

While I’m on the Sinai I really will forget I’m in Cairo, because I won’t be in Cairo! Still in Egypt though, although claim of the Sinai was contested for a very long time back in the old days. Egypt won. Thank you Egypt for granting me a visit to this glorious chunk of mostly-desert land. The coasts are phenomenal though, and that’s where people head (in addition to Alexandria) for rest and relaxation.

Basata, here I come!

It’s time to put Cairo aside for a couple days. I’ve been here 10 days now and feel solid, having adjusted and dealt with my first battle with food poisoning (warning: do not eat fuul – beans/pita – from a street vendor after 2pm. It’s been sitting out all day). Let’s just say my stomach was totally pissed off at me, and gave me a hard time over the weekend. Mish kowayyiz (’Not good’) in Arabic. I’ll be back to Cairo soon enough. I’ll end with a little list – that I imagine I’ll add to over the next month or so.

Things that remind me that I’m in Cairo:

The heat wave that hits me every time I step outside of my air-conditioned room

The bowwab’s (doorman’s) smile and chuckle when I ask him – once again – to unlock the elevator for me

The honking of the taxis literally every second someone in front of them puts on their brakes (even if it’s just a milisecond…no joke)

The eery howl of mating cats

The sound of a tiny mouse crawling around in my air conditioning unit (it must be hiding from the zillions of (mating) cats)

My funkily uneven bed/mattress (for those of you wondering where I reside, here are some room pictures – I’ll post living room ones later)

It looks comfy...but isn't!

It's all the space I need

The call to prayer echoing from mosques all around Cairo

The buzz of the delivery vespas skirting around Cairo (you can get anything – and I mean anything – delivered to you at any time and any place in Cairo. For example, I got my “cure all” food poisoning meds in the middle of the night, right at my door, for only a couple of bucks…sweet, right?!)

My own shock at seeing foreigners wearing tank tops or shorts, even though I come from the same “Western” culture that they do and could very well dress the same way (I always wear 3/4 or full sleeve shirts and long pants here because it’s more respectful and because it makes me feel more comfortable socially).

Hanging my clothes to air dry

Trying to read signs in Arabic (I can pronounce anything, but do not necessarily understand the word I’m pronouncing!)

Showing up to work a little later than expected and having it been fine (”Ma feesh keela” – “It’s okay/no problem”) – it’s what some people call “Egypt Time;” there’s room for delays

The crowded metro (subway) cars during rush hour

Looking at any – and all! – of the furniture in my apartment. It’s considered very “Egyptian,” or typical of the apartments here decoration wise (gold-platted, random pictures on the wall, odd items).

Cold showers that are ENJOYABLE

Drinking warm water and being okay with it

Late night phone calls or doorbells ringing at 5am and it being socially appropriate (not appropriate for or conducive to my sleeping schedule, though!)

LE 5 (Egyptian Pounds, less than 1 USD) taxi rides to the center of Cairo

Nearly getting hit by a car almost every single day – jay-walking (Egyptians would probably laugh if I mentioned the idea of jaywalking – it’s how everyone does it here!) which is a MUST to get anywhere in Cairo

Bargaining, alllwaaays bargaining!

Arabic greetings and goodbyes – Salaam Aleykum (Peace be upon you), Izzayik (how are you), Alhamdullilah (thanks be to God (Allah)), Masalaama (goodbye)

More to come soon…

Kittens in Cairo!

FEROCIOUS FERAL FELINES!!!!!

Okay, so, I think I saw one of the cutest and funniest things ever today. When I did my weekly chore – i.e. cleaning the kitchen (man was it dirty) – I had to dump the garbage in the outside garbage pit by the back door. Surprise, surprise, two little kittens got there first. Scrawny little scavengers. They were so tiny I could’ve squashed them if I hadn’t seen them…and of course, if they had even allowed me to actually get close to them. The first thing they did when I opened the door was not get startled and skirt away like “normal” cats, but actually HISS at me…as if I was intruding on their fine dining experience!!! Almost a sort of “HOW DARE YOU.” I was like “Hmm, well alright then. Sorry!” But thinking about those hungry little fellows hit a soft spot in me and I fetched an old piece of pizza from the fridge that had been out for too long earlier today. A delicious morsel for a kitty if I don’t say so myself. I opened the door once more, flung the piece of pizza out and let them have at it. For the first time, though, the poor little things fled, frightened out of their fur! They thought that it was some large beast coming after them (it was, after all, bigger than either of them). When they finally got around to sniffing it and deciding that it was indeed not a monster, but a bunch of cheesy goodness, they started gnawing at it. And I mean gnawing. Like what you think lions would do to a wildebeest (P.S. For how much I like African safari animals, I honestly had no idea that that’s how you spelled wildebeest. Weird.) Anyway, maybe it’s because I don’t have cats and am not used to their “eating patterns,” but I thought they would nibble at it like normal house cats. NO. These ravenous feral fellows took at it like it was going to sprout legs and run away.

I will be posting a short video clip soon, just so that you might enjoy it as much as I did. The little kitties fought over the pizza – hisses and paw swatting – it was hysterical. The internet is too slow to upload it just now.

MEOWWWWW

Yum, pizza! P.S. Look at the McDonald's McArabia Chicken

“Welcome to Egypt!”

That’s what people say when they see you’re a foreigner or tourist – coming out of the airport, walking around town, shopping at the market. The welcome is usually announced loudly and gleefully. It’s very funny – you almost have to smile and say “well, thanks!.” I’m sure it will get old after the first few days though!

This will be a lengthy first post, as I have not had time to write these past three days. Read as much or as little as you like. It has been a mind-boggling whirlwind of chaotic occurrences. From overnight plane rides to a rainy visit to Amsterdam’s Red Light District to the heat of Cairo and the loss of my luggage to familiarizing myself with colloquial Arabic and to the start of my work at Tadamon. WOW!

View of Cairo from Zamalek ramp, in taxi

I’m currently in Pottery Café, a small, modern café across the street from the old American University in Cairo (AUC) campus. It is surreal walking these streets again – I can’t believe I used to go to school there (I brought my old student ID with me this trip, hoping I can use it to sneak into their library for research, muah ha ha). I know my way around better than I thought I would and was able to navigate my way around the twisted streets of the neighborhood where I will work this summer, Garden City, to Mohammed Mahmoud Street where AUC and the café are. For lunch, I considered going for koshari – a traditional Egyptian noodle, rice, tomato, lentil, onion dish, extremely filling and cheap! – at a little hole-in-the wall restaurant down the street, but air conditioning, internet and a salad sounded more appealing at the time! I definitely needed to get out of the heat (100 degreesssssss) and away from the wide-eyed stares, hissing and snickering from men on the side of the street. Most of it is harmless, but some of it can get quite nasty (“tss tss,” “honey,” “sweetie,” vs. “fuck me” – all in Arabic). I was able to build up a wall against such harassment last fall (maybe being in Uganda prior to Cairo and going through similar experiences helped), but this time around I find myself with little to no patience for the sort of crap. Some people deal with it by ignoring it, others wear their ipod, some shoot back equally nasty retorts (which is actually not a good idea, as swearing and making a scene in this culture – unless physically harassed – essentially makes you worthy of being hissed at/harassed…essentially, you have stooped to a level so low with your retort that any prior gestures of harassment – major or minor – are justified. I guess I can understand the logic, but AHH! I’m so confrontational that it’s really hard for me to keep my mouth shut! I do though). I’m confident I will find a way to deal with it – probably just drowning it out with other thoughts and looking down at the ground and not making eye contact with men (what I’ve been doing lately, and what is encouraged for foreign women. Making eye contact can be a big no-no, as it is many times considered suggestive). Yesterday, one of my friends told me that when she can’t stand the verbal hurls, she slyly scratches her head with her middle finger, slightly flipping the aggressors off. Most usually do not even notice, but it makes her feel justified – what a secret rebellion! She said that even if they did see her, they couldn’t do anything about it because they could never prove it actually occurred. Man oh man, I found it pretty hilarious. Anyway, I by no means mean to paint all Egyptian men as verbally aggressive and profane, because the majority are not. It’s just that all eyes on me when I’m sweaty, alone and with little patience is more than frustrating!

The yellow dotted lines on the road mean nothing here! Drivers do as they wish

I’m in Cairo with a grant I was awarded called the 100 Projects for Peace. Through the grants awarded, this organization enables university students to create or partner with an organization dedicated to peace-building. The grant money is used for airfare, accommodations and for organization funding. Today was my first day at work. Yes, I’m working on Sunday. Here in Egypt, the work week runs from Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday as the weekend. My co-workers are great and I’ll even get my own office…how fancy! I am working at Tadamon, the Egyptian Refugee Multicultural Council. Tadamon essentially translates to ‘Solidarity’ in Arabic. A non-profit organization, Tadamon seeks to promote the welfare of refugees and their mutual co-existence with Egyptian citizens. They do this through networking, cooperative events and activities, peace building initiatives and capacity building for organizations. The refugee situation in Cairo is a huge issue, mainly due to the massive amount of refugees and an impossible task of dealing with all of them regarding legal issues, asylum, employment etc. Most of the refugees come from Egypt’s neighboring country, Sudan. Others come from elsewhere in North Africa – Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia – and a new surge of Iraqis has occurred in the last two years. Many organizations have been created to assist refugees – everything from AMERA (Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance) to STAR (Student Action for Refugees). Tadamon is a networking organization with many local – and some international – non-profit and CBO partners. In addition to its community projects that bring together Egyptians and refugees in hopes of peace-building, Tadamon wishes to create a dynamic web portal that not only brings together relevant partners (organizations, staff, volunteers), but make known the services available for refugees and underprivileged Egyptians in Cairo. For the next two months, I will be working on the website development (i.e. finding a web developer and creating the creative and informational backbone of the website…I do not know html or code, so I clearly will take no part in the actual physical creation of the website) and communications development (pamphlets, brochures, presentations etc. with Tadamon’s mission). I will also be conducting site visits to the different partner organizations to assess the ways in which they might be able to collaborate on projects with Tadamon. I am interested in the arts, and lucky for me, so is Tadamon! They have put on events such as poetry readings, creative and interactive community discussions and forums, bazaar-like craft sales, and the sort. They often work closely with Townhouse Gallery, a contemporary art gallery that puts on a SAWA workshop every Saturday where any individual – regardless of language, religion, race – can come together to create art in an open environment. I attended several of these last year and had a total blast. I plan on going this Saturday and reconnecting with many of my Egyptian and Sudanese friends from last year.

View of Nile from Zamalek

I’m living in an apartment in Zamalek, an island in Cairo where the Nile splits. It is a 5-10 minute taxi ride from the center of Cairo (Tahrir Square). The taxi costs less than a dollar. Great deal, huh? Zamalek is a quiet, more “friendly” neighborhood. There are trees, parks and beautiful old colonial buildings. Not surprisingly, many ex-pats inhabit Zamalek – that is what it is most known for. While there are many recognizable, modern restaurants in downtown Cairo (McDonald’s etc.), Zamalek has everything from McDonald’s and Pizza Hut to fancy Chinese, Thai and Italian restaurants. The restaurants look like they were transplanted from America – that’s globalization for ya! Zamalek does not really have any schwarma/falafel joints or juice stands like downtown Cairo. They both have positives and negatives.

Looking out from my apartment balcony

I have two flatmates – Niambi from Georgia, USA and Sandra from the Netherlands. Niambi is a Fulbright scholar researching Egyptian hip-hop. Sandra attended school to learn Arabic. Both are pretty good at Arabic now, especially Sandra – she has many Egyptian friends that basically live in the apartment and with whom she is constantly chatting. That is really the best way to learn a language, talking with friends who speak the native language. You want so badly to understand what they are saying that you are forced to learn! Last night I spent a couple hours in the living room talking with her and two of her Egyptian guy friends. While my spoken Arabic is quite rusty, I could surprisingly understand almost all they were saying (except a few filler or slang words they used here and there). I was definitely excited. I’m planning on getting an Arabic tutor here. I brought my old Arabic books (fusha – written Arabic language) from school last year, but now I’m thinking I might just study amiyya (spoken Arabic). After all, I just want to be able to communicate with people. I don’t need to read and write just yet, although this is a goal of mine for the future. That’ll take YEARS though.

The apartment is pretty big, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, a huge living/dining room and a balcony overlooking our street. The apartment is actually right down the street from my apartment from last year. My old neighbors and bowab (doorman) are still there – I saw them in the lobby when I walked to the supermarket yesterday. My current roommates will be leaving by July 27th, so I will be moving to another apartment, also in Zamalek. My next apartment is SWEET. I visited it last night. It’s big, with modern furniture (Egyptian apartments usually have hysterically decorated walls and tacky gold-rimmed furniture – this was like my apartment last year. It honestly looked like discarded king’s furniture), an extremely comfy bed (my bed now is hard as a darn rock) and….A CAT! The young woman who owns the apartment found her as a kitten in the street with a broken leg (the garbage man had dumped the garbage bag on her, poor thing!). She rescued the kitten, helped it heal and got it the necessary shots. The cat definitely still has “feral” characteristics and personality – she’s quite touchy, ornery and will sometimes attack your feet or hiss for no reason! It’s pretty comical though. All I have to do is feed her, change her litter box and make sure she doesn’t jump off the balcony…yikes! I’m sure she and I will get along fine – her name is Aisha and she let me pet her for 5 seconds yesterday…before she attacked my hand!! Her owner swears she is schizophrenic. I agree entirely. I’m sure I’ll come out of this apartment experience with amazing cat stories. This apartment is actually 2 floors above my good friend Susannah’s. She also went to Northwestern and now works at AMERA, having received a grant. She’s an invaluable companion and friend in this crazy city and I’m really looking forward to hanging out with her. She has a really awesome Egyptian roommate and a fun crowd of foreigner and Egyptian friends.

Whizzing through Cairo in a taxi

These past three days have definitely been chaotic. Thank goodness my “lost” baggage was found and returned yesterday. PHEW. I really needed a change of clothes!! I’m definitely starting to settle in. Even though it’s ridiculously hot/humid outside, I’m adapting to the heat quite well, although AC is obviously always more comfortable. I usually wear long pants and long or quarter-length shirts to minimize the stares and cat calls. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I prefer not to dress half naked like many of the dumbo European tourists here (I have even seen partial butt cheeks!) Sometimes I think “Do you have ANY idea where you are?! The woman next to you is in a burka!” The sad thing is, many of them have no idea that their choice of dress might actually offend someone. Oh well – such is life!

Asiadam = Amsterdam ?!

Before I end this post, a quick note about Amsterdam. So, I had a 10 hour layover in Amsterdam in between my flights. I’ve only been to the Amsterdam airport once before – on my way to the Czech Republic when I was 10 years old – and all I could remember were the extraordinarily uncomfortable neon green plastic chairs. Although this was not the case when I arrived (the airport is well-organized, clean, and comfortable), I decided to escape into the city to explore for a couple hours. It was drizzling (Seattle style) but I hopped on a train and took the 15-minute ride into the city. Without a map, I just started walking. After a while it wasn’t difficult to find my way around. I wound in and out of the streets and little alleys. Everything is clumped closely together and the city is made up of tall skinny houses and apartments. It reminds me of parts of Boston or the Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago. There are bikes EVERYWHERE and the graffiti was mindblowingly awesome(!).

Graffiti was all over Amsterdam - some of it was really quite interesting

On bridge in Amsterdam

People usually either walk or ride a bike – most of the streets are narrow and one way. I can’t imagine driving there unless I knew the city really well. You could clearly tell who were tourists and who were not. Tourists typically had neon rain ponchos on, red umbrellas with ‘Amsterdam XXX’ on them or cameras hanging around their necks. Locals tended to be inside the bars or “coffee shops,” all of which smelled like weed. There was a hemp museum and a store selling sensi/cannabis seeds in little packets! They had an entire windowsill filled with humongous marijuana plants. It was really ridiculous! Of course it had a big fat “DO NOT TOUCH THE PLANTS” sign on it. I walked through much of the Red Light District, saw many unclad girls in the windows, zillions of “Live Sex Show” signs, erotic sex toys and pictures of sex positions I didn’t even think were possible (we’re talking acrobatic quality!!). There was even an Erotic Museum. This was my first time in Amsterdam, so I didn’t know what to expect of the Red Light District, but I knew I wanted to see it. I have heard that it has toned down a lot. It seemed pretty controlled, and not too crazy. I was there in the day, however, so who knows what kind of crazy stuff goes down at night. I only imagine the worst/best, depending on the audience!

Alright, well that’s all for now. The future blogs will cease to be as comprehensive as this, I just wanted to explain what I’m up to. For now, masalaama (goodbye, in Arabic).

Red Light District window irony: mannequin vs. hooker

I bet it's more scandalous than Baz Luhrmann's movie...