Y3llla boi boi

Well, four and a half months later its back to New York. It really has not felt like I have been in Cairo all that long, but a whole semester has passed and its already late December. I think part of it is the fact that the weather does not seem to change much, it feels like I have been stuck in late September forever. In some weird way it makes it seem like I’m in limbo, I was expecting the cold to come and the seasons/ weeks to progress but they didn’t and before I knew it, it was almost Christmas.
However, it is what it is and sadly I am leaving AUC, Cairo and Egypt behind and welcoming back New York tomorrow. With so much transpiring in Egypt and throughout the Middle East this past fall it feels like so much more has happened than a simple semester at college. As an international relations major I could not have asked for more  during my time in Cairo. Beyond my academic experience Cairo has offered me so much and I have been able to take in so much more than I had imagined. Not only has my experience made me become more adaptable and flexible in new environments but it has definitely increased my understanding of Arab culture as well as Middle Eastern politics in general. I know this all may sound cliché ( saying that is cliché) but being in Cairo and meeting all the people I have shared this experience with has definitely been a profound and unforgettable experience.
Not only have I been able to study a subject which I am extremely interested in, but being in Cairo gave me a great chance to travel and experience a country which has so much to offer, not only visually but also culturally. I also could have not gotten luckier with the suite-mates which I was randomly assigned to live with. Besides me, the three other boys I lived with where from California, New Zealand(the Kiwi) and France. Throughout the semester we have done almost everything with each other and have definitely established connections that will hopefully last for a long time. It is very sad to leave Egypt but even more sad to leave all the great people I have met and have come to know well; they are all truly exceptional and kind-hearted people. However, I am excited to go back to New York and bring what I have learned and experienced here in Egypt with me. There is no better way to describe my emotions today as some of mixed feelings.

Constitution

As my time in Cairo is winding down to its last week, the political turmoil which is engulfing the country seems to be increasing day by day. With everything that has happened this semester in Cairo and Egypt I realized that no matter how angry people are or how bad the politics and economy gets, people still must go about their daily lives and they do this with a sense of optimism which is very encouraging and inspirational to watch. It seems no matter how repressive and pessimistic the future might look, the Egyptian people always  move on with an ever endearing passion.
This aspect of turmoil which is part of Egyptians everyday lives has been quite evident during my final exam week here in Cairo because there is nothing like trying to study and take final exams when a country of 90 million people is going to vote on their constitution. Because the national referendum is supposed to held tomorrow (December 15th) the Egyptian government has declared it a national holiday and therefore the AUC campus will be closed and all finals exams will need to be rescheduled, only a couple of days before they were supposed to happen. This caused some frustration with students and teachers alike, but when a country is experiencing such disorder as what is happening now in Egypt such procedure becomes expected and normalized. This past week has been very busy with all of the final exams and papers, but as of Sunday I am done with everything. That leaves me five days to relax and travel around Cairo before I fly back to New York on the 21st and say goodbye to Egypt.

Extreme sports abroad

Throughout the semester, I have traveled around Ecuador sightseeing and learning about the culture. One thing I did not expect to do on this trip was some extreme sports. I was able to travel to a city called Baños. It is a place where travelers go and have some extreme fun. Baños is 5 hours east from Guayaquil and is located in the center of the country. It is also known as the adventure capital of Ecuador. In Baños, I was able to canopy (zip line), whitewater raft, and canyoning (repelling from waterfalls). Participating in these activities was the most thrilling moments in my life. It is nothing like being in a roller coaster ride for a few seconds. I was very impressed at my abilities and my willingness to actually participate in these activities. It was a lot of fun and hope to do that and other sports once more next semester.

While in Baños, I was able to meet a lot of people from all over the world.  I meet an awesome couple from Iceland who were backpacking all of South America. It was really cool meeting them because they had lots of stories to share with us about their travels and Iceland of course. After meeting them and many other amazing travelers from all over the world, I was inspired. I was inspired to continue traveling. It has inspired me to finish school, save up money, and travel travel travel. I am in awe with people who are young and have already traveled to different parts of the world. They have really taught me great values in life. I think that if you have the time and the willingness to travel and learn about cultures, it will only make you a better person. You become more open minded and just an overall amazing person. I know that I have to take advantage of this time period in my life, and I will!

 

Dahab

While I am  writing this blog post anti-Morse protests are being held outside his presidential palace as well as in Tahrir which involve tens of thousands of demonstrators. As of now the Egyptian people will hold a national referendum on the constitution on December fifteenth. However, many secularists, liberals and leftists oppose the constitution saying it allows religious authorities too much influence over the Egyptian state and that it denies some human rights. There now seems to be a major power play going on between The Brotherhood, their supporters and the government of Morsi on the one side, while on the other side secular, anti-Islamist groups, the whole judiciary and many more syndicates say the Islamist are trying to ram through a flawed constitution that will allow them to push Egyptian society in the direction of religious conservatism. Meanwhile Morsi is still holding onto his authoritarian like control after making a broad power sweeping decree last week. Because things continue to change daily it will be interesting to see what happens leading up to the December 15th referendum.
On a completely unrelated note I traveled through the Sinai peninsula on an overnight bus last weekend to a small resort town on the Red Sea called Dahab. Formally a Bedouin village, Dahab is considered one of the world’s best diving destinations. Besides doing a lot of snorkeling, eating great seaside dinners and some relaxing swimming in the salty Red Sea, we also climbed to the top of nearby Mt. Sinai. According to Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition, the biblical Mount Sinai was the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments. At the mouth of an inaccessible gorge at the foot of modern Mount Sinai lies St. Catherine’s monastery. The monastery is Greek Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to a UNESCO report this monastery has been called the oldest working Christian monastery in the world.
In order to climb to the top of the mountain we took a minibus which left at midnight and drove two hours to the foot of the mountain. From there we climbed for four hours towards the top in complete darkness, stopping every now and then to rest at little Bedouin huts which served coffee and refreshing tea. Before coming to the top of the mountain, which has an elevation of 7,497 ft, we stopped in the last Bedouin hut where everyone huddled for warmth in huge blankets waiting for dawn. At around 5:30 AM we all finished the journey to the peak and sat there for about an hour and a half watching the sunrise. Below are various pictures of the whole trek as well as a link for the translated version of the Egyptian Constitution if anyone if interested.

http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/egypt-s-draft-constitution-translated

Macho Macho Man

As said by many, Latin America is known for its very machismo idiosyncrasy. Hearing this several times by many people, I never really gave it a thought till I got here. Every day without a doubt, I am whistled at, hissed at, honked by drivers on the road, and receive cat calls in every corner that I turn. There is not a day that goes by in which this happens, not only to me, but to all of the women that walk by men, especially on construction sight. It does not matter what clothes you wear, how bad your hair looks; you could literally roll out of bed and walk outside and there will a number of men that will hiss, whistle, and honk at you. The men will go out of their way and stop what they are doing to try to get the women’s attention.
As stated in the dictionary machismo- is an exaggerated sense of power or the right to dominate. Many men in Ecuador believe that the women are the one to cater to their every need because they are the ones out at work and making the money. Living with a host family and talking to Ecuadorian women about this matter, really allowed me to see how machismo is really like among men.
Every day around lunch time, my host mom is at home alone and hard at work in the kitchen preparing an amazing two course meal for her son, daughter-in-law, herself, and me. I am one of the first to get home from school and I help her with preparing the table. Sometimes my host brother comes in right when the food is served and we are eating. First thing, he begins to complain about how hungry he is and how he wants to be served right away. My host mom or daughter-in-law has to stop eating to serve him. And, when he is done eating, he gets up from the table and walks away without giving thanks for the food and without pulling in his chair or taking his plate to the sink. He does not cook, clean, or pick up after himself because he believes that is the women’s job.
They’re many times in which I ask my host my why are men that way and her response is that’s how it is and that’s how it’s been for centuries.
The women in the Ecuadorian culture are seen to serve the man and children in their family. So, once they’re married their needs become second. For instance, I met this really nice girl in Cuenca, who was a mother of three handsome little boys at a young age. She was 17 years old when she got pregnant and was forced to marry her current husband and father of the 3 boys. As we spoke, she was intrigued about me being from the states and studying abroad. As she said that, I notice a sad reflection in her face. She is a woman with many goals and dreams, and one of her dreams is to go back to school and get a degree. I ask her why doesn’t she just go and sign-up for school, her responses is that her husband will not allow her. Her husband is a very jealous man who is not comfortable with her being around other men at all. And, this is only one of the many cases of the women in Ecuador.
They’re so many things that could be said about how women here are being treated, but there is very little to say about how women are fighting against machismo. I know that there will be a day when the women will not give in to machismo and will fight to diminish that type of behavior. It will only make it a better and safe place for women not just in Ecuador, but all over the world.