Yep, no nose. Just like they said.

On Friday, our AMIDEAST program left early to head out to the infamous Great Pyramids. We were joined by our Egyptian “Language Buddies” who quickly became good friends during that blazing hot morning. 

Maha, my language buddy

First, we walked around the general vicinity of the pyramids then went into a smaller tomb where I found some hieroglyphics.

All of the limestone covering has since fallen off so now it is basically one big  Lego construction of huge boulders. Just mildly impressive.... :-P

You can see where the original limestone has fallen away and where it remains intact at the top.

We then went into the solar boat museum which was constructed on the exact site that a large boat had been found. The boat was intended for the Pharaoh to use in his journey to the next life.

The revived original boat from thousands of years ago. Not a single metal piece in the entire structure, just wood and rope.

Beautiful Margaret 

Next, we were able to go inside the second pyramid into a burial chamber. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed so you’ll just have to take my word for how incredible it was. We entered the chamber by way of a small tunnel that we climbed through while bent over in half. Inside was a white room with an empty coffin-like marble box. More hieroglyphics and other carvings could be found in the room as well as where Giovanni Belzoni had written his name on the wall after discovering it in 1818. It was incredible to think that I was standing in the same room that had once held ancient Egyptians, dead mummies, and Italian explorers.

HERE is a link to a DailyMail article about the reopening of the tomb. The pictures in the article are of the no-camera-allowed places that we went in to. It also has all the facts about the different pyramids if you are interested. 

After crawling out of the pyramid we ventured up to the observation area where you could see all three pyramids within one frame with the city of Cairo as a back drop. Stunning.

Next on the agenda was the camel ride which was much more intimidating than I had originally expected. Remembering to lean backward when the camel leaned forward and vice versa and holding on tight were all harder than expected. I can’t imagine how people used to ride these animals for miles and miles for days upon days. However, our camel driver was eight years old and I watched him jump on a camel with ease and start leading the camel at a jog back to the starting point. I guess it’s just a learned trait which I obviously failed at on that day.

In the middle of this picture is our program manager, Matthew. He was also a natural at riding the camel, and, since he is usually the one taking new students to Giza, he said it was his 53rd time to visit the pyramids. 

Our eight year old camel drivers

Our last stop was the Sphinx. I've heard about and seen pictures of that nose-less sphinx my whole life but as we approached in on camelback I couldn't help but think, “Well, they were right, no nose.” I don’t think the magnitude of standing in front of the pyramids and sphinx will set in for quite some time.

After a long and HOT half day we headed back to Dokki for juice and koshri with the language buddies before heading home where I proceeded to take a six hour nap and then sleep for eleven hours that night. 

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After writing this post I can't help but puzzle at the fact that I just went to a place that I have been studying about ever since I learned the definition of the word, "history." I never dreamed I would get to visit and yet I did two days ago. It was amazing seeing it in person and getting to feel the hot sun and have the dusty sand whip against my skin, but everything I saw I had seen in pictures hundreds of times before. There was no great revelation or applause when I saw IT, and the day quietly passed just like any other Friday for the rest of the world. In fact, I will guiltily admit that I think posting pictures and saying I had been there was more gratifying that actually seeing it. I think I am beginning to understand a concept that we have been working on in our community based learning class; that doing and seeing new things and having new experiences is only half the journey. The real learning experience comes from reflecting on what you have just witnessed and pondering over what you are able to take away from that experience and how you can apply that to your personal self awareness and how you view the world. For me, it wasn't seeing a bunch of rocks that had been piled on top of each other or carved into shapes that was the prominent concept to take away from this experience. Rather, it was the concept of standing on the same piece of earth where thousands of slaves had dragged huge boulders across the desert, or seeing the same thing that pharaohs had overseen and wondering what their thoughts might have been, or crawling down the same (or similar) tunnel that Giovanni Belzon had first crawled down not knowing what was ahead. I think that this reflection is what makes the difference between a tourist and a student; one goes to see things and one goes to understand things. 

I am still trying to determine how to catalog all this in my head but I hope that through the reflection we have been taught about that I will come to figure out how to use this opportunity to see the world in a different light for the better. 

Masa al-kheer!

Masa al-kheer (good evening)!

 Today, I had a few people ask me how my trip was going and I didn’t really know how to answer them. I could give you the superficial I’m-fine-how-are-you answer and just say, “Everything’s going great! Thanks for asking!” but that wouldn’t really be fair. Don’t get me wrong, this has thus far been an amazing experience and opportunity and I wouldn’t trade it. However, coming into such surroundings with stark differences between my culture and here, it is a much deeper feeling than just excitement.

Fantastic. Hectic. HOT. Informative. Confusing. Frustrating. Beautiful. Thought provoking. Comforting. Surprising. Chaotic. Noisy. Alarming. Relief. Terrifying. Enlightening. 

All completely valid words to describe the last week. I’m not going to try and pretend that I can talk about everything in one blog post (or probably not even in a hundred) but here are a few notes:

In my short two week preparation for arriving here I thought about many things. I thought about being in a new country with new foods and customs. I thought about being prepared to hit the books and really study hard. I thought about living in an Islamic country and how I need to alter some habits in order to be respectful of the culture I am visiting. The one thing I did forget to think about and prepare for was coming to a big city. Metros filled beyond capacity, the never ceasing chorus of honking horns, the sheer amount of beggars, the crowds of people to navigate through, the vastness of the city and the time it takes to get from point A to point B were all things that I wasn’t adequately prepared for. It’s been a culture shock for sure but also exciting to experience.

Crossing the road is a bit like playing Frogger. In a land of no crosswalks, very few traffic lights, and sidewalks that are only existent for about 100 feet at a time, getting from one side of the street to another can be a bit challenging.

I’m starting to break out of my English bubble and use Arabic more and more. More vocab is coming back to me and I’m learning many new ones each day. It helps to have an hour and a half class on Masri (the Egyptian dialect) five days a week.

Our 16th floor balcony has become a sort of oasis in this chaos. The honking horn chorus isn’t as loud up there and there is a gentle cross breeze and a beautiful view. I have had some wonderful discussions on that balcony already and some refreshing naps there as well.

 Everyone knows Egypt is hot and everyone knows I much prefer hot weather to cold weather. But it is HOT here. This is the kind of climate where one goes out and about in the morning, returns home around lunch in order to cool down, take a cool shower, and recoup. Then one returns out and about into the city after the hottest part of the day has past. I don’t think that this is the schedule most Egyptians are on, but it seems to be the preferred method among the some girls in our house, myself included. I also am drinking so much water here it is ridiculous. A 1.5 liter bottle of water costs about 50 cents and I go through about two of those everyday.

 Because the holy day in Islam falls on Friday, our work weeks are Sunday through Thursday. The result of this is that I have no idea what day it is 99% of the time. I only know how many more days we have until the weekend. :P

 Matthew, our program director, is teaching some of our Community Based Learning classes which looks at current social issues in Egypt. Each class or discussion has been more intriguing and enlightening than the previous. We are studying the current NGO draft law looking to pass soon, how NGOs are reacting to it, individualism (USA) vs. collectivism (Egypt), monochronic vs. polychronic mentality, looking at a culture deeper than the surface and trying to figure out why things are different instead of just accepting them. Fascinating. As Americans, we have many stereotypes about many different cultures. Many of the ones of the Middle East can be intimidating and confusing.

From growing up in America I can easily see how these stereotypes have come about and why they are still so prevalent today. But I can also see that these are stereotypes and that you have to look past these if you are to ever really appreciate the beauty of the culture. Even in one week I have seen how things that confuse us as Americans make perfect logical sense when living here. For example, I am extremely grateful for the woman-only cars on the metro, wearing long sleeves and pants makes it a lot easier to escape damage from the sun, and it is very easy for Egyptians to get the wrong impression of us when all they see is what comes out of Hollywood. People go with the flow here which is very apparent with the traffic. Think of intersections working like sand falling through an hourglass. The hijab (the veil Muslim women wear) is very stylish as well as a religious symbol. I am constantly admiring the different patterns and the many ways they can wear them. It will be exciting to keep discovering these phenomenons in the upcoming weeks.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summers! Best wishes :)
Masalama (good-bye),
 Meg

Happiness

I'm in a land where feet are inevitably dirty, the windows are constantly open, and cold showers are craved over hot ones. I am happy.

Ahlan wa Sahlan! (Welcome)

Here’s the scoop on my first day and a half in Cairo:

I landed in Cairo at three in the afternoon and came out of baggage claim to see Rahma with a big smile and some lovely flowers for me. We chatted for a bit (about things that my jetlagged brain doesn’t even remember) while waiting for the car to take me to the apartment. After arriving I was given the grand tour and met the suitmates who had already arrived. We have a big six bedroom apartment (eleven girls total) on the 16th floor with a wrap around balcony with views of the pyramids, Cairo Tower, the Nile, and the Citadel. That’s just mildly exciting, especially for someone who whose passions include watching sunrises 

from different places on a regular basis.

After talking a bit with some suitmates I met up again with Rahma and friends and headed for a dinner of shawarma (the first thing I thought about was Tony Stark in the Avengers). We then went to a juice stand (which is basically the equivalent to fro-yo) and got mango juice that was so good it tasted like it could have come from Arua, Uganda. And that’s saying something. I can promise you that I will be at these juice stands quite often.

After returning home I talked some more with the suitmates. Each one of them has their very own unique story and I’m excited to get to know them. I went to bed that night around midnight and finally woke up at 2:30pm. Recital week + moving out and packing in under two days + 21 hour travel time + jetlag = 14 consecutive hours of sleep (apparently). After finally unpacking my suitcase, Rahma met me at my apartment to help me navigate through the streets and metro system to her house. I met her parents and ate an amazing lunch prepared by her mom. Their English is more limited than Rahma’s so it was a great chance to see just how little Arabic I actually know. But hey, I tried. They were lovely in speaking slow with me and teaching me the Egyptian words for things (since I only know the Jordanian words). It’s one thing to be sitting down and writing out sentences and having a dictionary to look up words when you want them and it’s another thing altogether to use them in a conversation with native speakers. Words that I have known and used on a regular basis in class for months would not even come to the front of my brain and I kept mixing up words that sound like each other. But I know that after eight weeks of this I will greatly improved and I’m excited to climb that mountain full speed ahead.

After being stuffed with delicious local foods and cake and watching part of Home Alone 2 with Arabic subtitles, Rahma and I headed back to my neighborhood to meet a friend at McDonalds. Yes, I know what you are thinking, “McDonalds???” I'm gradually learning that McDonalds has different contexts in different countries. I was told that McDonalds is the place where all the “cool” kids hang out in Morocco and here, well, it’s a nice sit down restaurant with food much higher quality than in the States.

This has been a very basic outline of my time that doesn’t even scratch the surface of all that I have been able to absorb so far. More of that to come. Tomorrow is orientation and the first time I will be meeting the program managers and the other students who don’t live in this apartment. Thank you everyone for your encouragement and prayers and good vibes that you are sending me! Keep in touch and I’ll post again soon.

I haven’t pulled out the camera much but here are a couple:

Descending into Cairo

Rahma meeting me at the airport (Photo credit: Rahma)

Nighttime view from the balcony

View from the balcony

Preparations

Well, I found out ten days ago that I was getting to study abroad this summer and I leave in five days.
These two weeks of preparing for this trip have been just a little full with the following things:

1. It's recital season! We have already had our three rehearsals and now we have one show tonight and two tomorrow. I am so blessed to be apart of the Rhythm and Shoes family and have thoroughly enjoyed this new experience.
2. I am also working on picking up as many shifts as I can at Mellow Mushroom (where I wait tables) in order to save up some spending money for the trip. 
3. I was anticipating studying French this summer instead of Arabic so I will admit that I haven't spoken or studied it in a good month. So I'm working on studying as much of Egyptian Colloquial as I can.
4. The necessary and seemingly never ending pile of paperwork for all the preparations. 
5. My lease on my apartment will be up while I am abroad so I'm also packing everything up and moving out.
6. Researching and mentally preparing to live in a new culture for two months.
7. Going through all the pre-departure materials and getting a packing list together. 

So, it's been just a tad bit busy over here. It is overwhelming but it is the exciting overwhelming, not the panic mode overwhelming. Although, I'm pretty sure that will kick in some time on Tuesday. :)

I'll be in touch.
Enjoy the weekend!

About it All

About...the Gilman

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is funded by the U.S. State Department in order to foster "mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries to promote friendly, sympathetic, and peaceful relations." It is awarded to college students who are eligible to receive the Pell Grant and enables hundreds of students to study abroad every year. Part of the requirements for receiving the Gilman is to complete the Follow Up Service Project. I have decided to talk to elementary school kids upon my return. This is a portion of my approved proposal:

I was eight years old when the September 11^th attacks occurred. I remember sitting on the couch watching my Mom’s eyes tear up and hearing the newscaster talk about the Middle East. I started associating the Middle East with terms like “terror,” “dangerous,” and “war.” It was not until high school that I started discovering that most of my preconceived notions about this area were incorrect. For my follow-on project I wish to take my experience in Cairo, Egypt and use it as a catalyst for promoting peace and for truthful education of the Middle East. Since many of these ideas are formed in our youth, I wish to mainly reach out to elementary students. 

I will be presenting on my experiences, introducing students into different aspects of the Cairo cultures, and facilitate discussions about about peace and international misconceptions.

I am immensely thankful to have received this award and excited to see what it has in store for me. 

About...The King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies

(From their website)

"The King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies is an interdisciplinary program in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East and the geo-cultural area in which Islamic civilization prospered, and continues to shape world history.

Faculty members associated with the Center are rooted in degree-granting departments in Fulbright College and the broader University of Arkansas. We specialize in history and politics, literature and popular culture, religious and secular practice and interpretation, human engagement with the environment and ecosystem in contemporary times and antiquity. We work in diverse media: poetry and fiction, public archives, film and music, television and oratory, curricular instruction and cartography, the detritus of the past and the cultural production, classical and colloquial, artistic and vulgar, of the present.

The Center offers an undergraduate co-major linked to regional language study and supports the best of our undergrads with scholarships. Many of our undergraduates go on to graduate study in area studies programs and related professional work in public and private spheres. At the graduate level the Center supports students working in key disciplines towards the MA and PhD. Our graduate students have received highly competitive fellowships to support research and foreign language study, and have presented their work at annual professional meetings and specialized academic conferences. Many are now teaching at academic institutions here and abroad, and are affiliated with research institutes or government agencies."

I am extremely grateful to them for their generous scholarship to support my travels. It would not have been possible without them. 

About...AMIDEAST Learn and Serve

The Learn and Serve program allows students to study Egyptian Colloquial Arabic in a classroom setting while also being placed in a volunteer placement in the community in order to practice language skills and interact with the community first hand. The volunteer placement is part of a course entitled Community Based Learning in the MENA (Middle East North Africa) Region. This is part of the course summary from the AMIDEAST website: 

The course enables students to examine social issues from multiple perspectives, read relevant texts, participate in projects related to the fields of education, human development, human and civil rights, journalism or social services, engage in direct service with partner agencies, and reflect academically on their experience. 

I will be working towards nine credit hours during my study abroad; three in Egyptian Colloquial Arabic and six in Community Based Learning. 

About...Cairo

Estimated population of metropolitan area: 19,439,541 (NYC:18,897,109)

It is the largest city on the African continent

Became the capital of Egypt in 1168 AD/CE (over three hundred years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue)

Is on about the same latitude as Austin, TX, Baton Rouge, LA, and Jacksonville, FL

Is on just about the same longitude as Arua, Uganda funny enough. Must be my lucking longitude :P

Cairo is seven hours ahead of Fayetteville, AR

About...Egypt

Smaller than Alaska but bigger than Texas

Boarders the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea

The Nile spills out into the Mediterranean Sea in the Nile Delta in northern Egypt (this area includes Cairo and Alexandria)

90% Muslim, 9% Coptic, and 1% other Christians

Currency: Egyptian Pound (approximately 7 pounds to the dollar)

Links:

Gilman
MEST Department

AMIDEAST Learn and Serve

Egypt CIA World Factbook

Cairo's Wikipedia

Egypt's Wikipedia

Let the Excitement Ensue

Well, the impossible happened. I’m going to Egypt this summer. I’m still in shock, it hasn’t really processed yet. This last week has been a bit of a whirlwind. Here is the whole story (minus the boring and unimportant details):

I absolutely love my job as a ballet teacher. It is extremely rewarding, never boring, and I’m pretty sure I learn more about teaching than I teach about ballet. However, keeping that position means my study abroad opportunities are limited to the non-school year. Keeping that in mind, I started applying for summer study programs back in November (namely the Critical Language Scholarship which I am still hoping for in the future). Nothing came of those early scholarships so I decided to fill out the application for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and also applied for funding from the Middle East Studies (MEST) Department at my home school, the University of Arkansas.

The program that I originally applied for was an Intensive Arabic study in Amman, Jordan. Well, the program filled before the deadline (of course I procrastinated until the last possible minute) so I needed to choose another program. Cue entrance of Rahma who will probably get a whole post at a future date. Anyways, she was a student from Cairo spending a full academic year studying at the UofA last year and we became good friends. After getting to know her and hearing her stories about home I started shifting my interest into some of the Egypt programs that AMIDEAST offered. The Intensive Arabic programs started before I would be done with my teaching year so I stumbled across a program called “Learn and Serve in Egypt.”  I will talk more about the program in another post.  

Fast forward through finals season.

I became informed that the MEST department has generously offered to pay for my travel expenses and then some. My heart did a somersault because this was the first indication that this crazy idea could possibly become a reality. This scholarship was extremely exciting but I needed the Gilman if this were to all work out. On April 25^th I received an email stating that I had been listed as an alternate for the award. More waiting. On May 9^th I received an email stating that the alternates had been chosen and that my application had not been chosen at this time. At this point I considered it a done deal. I started making other summer plans, signing up for 5Ks, filling out volunteer applications, enrolling in a summer French course, and booking non-refundable flights to California to visit friends. I was 100% positive that I would be in Fayetteville this summer.

On May 23^rd I get an email looking for travel bloggers. The email started, “Dear Gilman Scholarship Recipients,” which, needless to say, made me curious. I logged into my Gilman account and saw something along the lines of, “Congratulations on your selection for the Gilman Scholarship!” More curiosity. I emailed the Gilman office about it, crossed it off in my brain as a mistake, and forgot about it. The next day, the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, I get a call informing me that I did in fact receive the scholarship. Talk about a curveball. I thought this opportunity had surely passed over since I had already told my program that I wasn’t able to attend and turned down the MEST scholarship. Well, a few hours and multiple phone calls and emails later it turns out this is a real possibility. But, in order to make sure everything could be confirmed, I had to wait until the following Tuesday to know for sure. Well, I’m sure you know how this story ends. Tuesday night I started freaking out, talking to Rahma about concerns and excitements, and spreading the word among family and friends. As of right now, my flight is booked, my deposit is down, and this is a real deal.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and encouraged me throughout these past few days. I’m beyond excited for this opportunity. I’ll keep you updated!