At long last, it's time for millions of term papers and finals. I have at least two more blog entries I want to write about life here, so I'll see if I can find time next week, which is (drum roll) my final week of classes at AUC! The following week is "finals week," but I have no finals then, so I'll see some more sights in Cairo and maybe travel with friends within Egypt.
In celebration of the end of classes, I'll ramble a little about life at the American University in Cairo, which should flow nicely into the discussion of the Israel-Palestine conflict that I've been putting off all semester. That'll be the topic for next time.
Though there are hundreds of exchange students from all over the world (mostly American), the majority of AUC students are Egyptian. Most of these students have moved from wildly expensive American-style secondary schools to the most respected (and wildly expensive by Egyptian standards) American-style university in the country. Packs of private drivers wait outside the gates in imported cars to pick up their charges after class. It's like watching Gucci, D&G, Prada, and Luis Vuitton parades pass through campus everyday. We middle class, scholarship-receiving, Old-Navy-flip-flop-wearing Americans are incredibly out of place among the outrageously wealthy upper crust of Egypt. The American students are widely stereotyped as being "cheap," which is true under the circumstances.
I've found it incredibly hard to make friends at AUC. These students live very different lives than we do. And, because AUC does see so many exchange students, we are nothing new or interesting. I probably should have made more of an effort to become friends with my classmates, but I wasn't really inspired to. I feel like I'm back in high school... and not my beloved SMS, but that stereotypical high school where everyone is clique-ish and shallow, where carrying books or wearing a backpack is "uncool," where people talk disrespectfully to professors, and where people stand around gossiping all day and clog all the hallways.
Like USIU in Nairobi, students at AUC can be very spoiled. I've seen cheating and blatant plagiarism treated like they're nothing. Punishments are just something you have to wiggle your way out of. People talk obnoxiously loud and watch movies (without headphones) in the library. It's a very different academic environment.
Earlier in the semester, a graduate student and pro-Palestinian blogger named Philip Rizk disappeared mysteriously on his way back to Egypt after organizing a Palestinian protest in Gaza. Campus rallies demanding his freedom brought together about 50 students. Later (totally unrelated), when the AUC administration proposed changing the university class schedule and lengthening class periods, hundreds of students came out in protest. I have trouble identifying with students whose priorities are so different from mine. Things like this have made me miss AU terribly. Despite my qualms with AU, it's a pretty good fit for me.
Anyway, I wanted to end with Philip Rizk so I can pick back up here in a few days. I'd previously planned to avoid talking about the Palestinian conflict because a) I'm neutral on the subject and b) I hate making people angry by talking about it, but I have to bring it up. It's a massive presence in my life here, and it would be ridiculous for me to pretend it isn't.
Saturday, May 2
The much anticipated "food" blog
As I don't have much news to share, I'm going to give in to all you fellow food-lovers and discuss Egyptian eating. :) All spellings are approximated because transliteration isn't standardized, so you might have trouble looking up recipes.
Unfortunately, I don't like Egyptian food much. "WHAT?" Yes. Shocking, but true. It isn't like the diverse, flavorful "Middle Eastern" cuisine we eat at restaurants in the States. The flavors get old rather fast, and eating cheap can be veeeery boring. Additionally, the first few weeks here, my body was in an absolute panic because I couldn't find a way to consume vegetables. I've managed to balance my diet by now, but I can't wait to get back to my veggie-heavy cooking habits in the US. By the way, for those who are unaware, my dorm has no kitchen, microwave, toaster, zilch. Thus my friends and I have to buy our food or eat PB&J sandwiches. It's been annoyingly expensive and generally frustrating.
(I don't take too many pictures of food here, so about half of these aren't mine. FYI.)
Anyway! Some staples. 'Eesh baladi ("life of the country"): Coarse pita-ish bread baked daily and sold on the streets. Not the best bread, but cheap as you could possible ask.
Fuul: Stewed broad beans with a lot of salt and various toppings, depending on what variety you get. Eaten with 'eesh baladi or in sandwiches, often for breakfast. Cheap protein.
Shakshouka: One of many mish-moshed stews of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onion, spices, and a lot of salt, eaten with bread. This one contains egg, obviously. One of my favorites.
Molokhiya: Soup made from pureed molokhiya, the only other name for which seems to be "Jew's mallow." Slimey? Yes. Delicious? Not too bad.
Salad: Often fresh veggie mixtures, tahina (sesame paste, pictured top left), or baba ganuug (mashed roasted eggplant, pictured top right), eaten with bread. Pretty standard for appetizers, and generally pretty cheap.
Ta'amiya: Cairene falafel... mashed broad beans mixed with herbs and deep fried. Here pictured in sandwich form for take away purposes. A good, cheap, vegetarian street food, but it has gotten very tiring as well.
Koushari: Egypt's staple street food full of carbs. Rice, several kinds of pasta, fava beans, lentils, those freeze dried onion things, garlic, and spicy tomato sauce. One of my favorites, but the quality of koushari varies widely between vendors... so other times not one of my favorites. This particular koushari is the best :)
Shawarma: Spit-grilled spiced meat mixed with tomatoes and peppers, often served in sandwich form with tahina. Comes in chicken or "meat," which can be any combination of beef, lamb, or camel. Yes, I've eaten the camel form before... I'm pretty sure, anyway.
Kofta, while we're on the meat subject: Grilled kebabs of spices mixed with "meat" (see above definition). Not a favorite, mostly due to the quality of the meat...
Mahshi: Vegetables (zucchini, okra, peppers, tomatoes, vine leaves, eggplant, or cabbage) stuffed with spiced rice, covered in tomato sauce. Possibly THE favorite, and one which I will be learning to cook in the US.
Feteer: Pizza-shaped two-crusted crepe-type things. The bread is kinda chewy, though. Inside can be meat, veggies, cheese, or sweet stuff (often honey, though our favorite feteer place in Zamalek has a killer chocolate-banana-peanut butter feteer). Pretty darn good.
Tagine: Moroccan style slow cooked stews with meat or veggies in tomato sauce. Always a favorite.
Casserole-y things: Various dishes layered with rice, sauces, veggies, pasta, and/or meat, and baked. I honestly don't know what this one was called, but it was yummy.
Stuffed pigeon: Stuff with spiced rice. Major Egyptian specialty, and pretty good. Pigeon's a little gamey and always tastes a little like dirt to me. That might be a mental thing.
Juuuuuuuice!: If you're at a juice shop, it's always fresh squeezed and amazing (and cheap). Comes in orange, lemon/lime, banana, strawberry, mango, guava, carrot, pomegranate, watermelon, and sometimes more. Also, sugarcane juice in abundance.
Sweets: Egyptians looooove their sweets. These include delicious European style cakes.
Also Egyptian style goodies, including baklava (ba'lawa in Cairo), kunaafa, bosbosa, and many other yummy things that involve honey, filo, and pistachios.
There's also a variety of doughy things deep fried and soaked in honey. Their name escapes me. Can anyone help?
Also, om 'ali ("mother of Ali"), which I have recently discovered to be heavenly. It's sweet milk baked with some sort of bread concoction on the bottom, topped with coconut, raisins, and nuts.
And... that's a pretty good overview. Some good, some bad, some indifferent. I'll probably miss Egyptian food when I leave, but I'm a little tired of it at the moment. Really, I just want a kitchen. :P
Unfortunately, I don't like Egyptian food much. "WHAT?" Yes. Shocking, but true. It isn't like the diverse, flavorful "Middle Eastern" cuisine we eat at restaurants in the States. The flavors get old rather fast, and eating cheap can be veeeery boring. Additionally, the first few weeks here, my body was in an absolute panic because I couldn't find a way to consume vegetables. I've managed to balance my diet by now, but I can't wait to get back to my veggie-heavy cooking habits in the US. By the way, for those who are unaware, my dorm has no kitchen, microwave, toaster, zilch. Thus my friends and I have to buy our food or eat PB&J sandwiches. It's been annoyingly expensive and generally frustrating.
(I don't take too many pictures of food here, so about half of these aren't mine. FYI.)
Anyway! Some staples. 'Eesh baladi ("life of the country"): Coarse pita-ish bread baked daily and sold on the streets. Not the best bread, but cheap as you could possible ask.
Fuul: Stewed broad beans with a lot of salt and various toppings, depending on what variety you get. Eaten with 'eesh baladi or in sandwiches, often for breakfast. Cheap protein.
Shakshouka: One of many mish-moshed stews of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onion, spices, and a lot of salt, eaten with bread. This one contains egg, obviously. One of my favorites.
Molokhiya: Soup made from pureed molokhiya, the only other name for which seems to be "Jew's mallow." Slimey? Yes. Delicious? Not too bad.
Salad: Often fresh veggie mixtures, tahina (sesame paste, pictured top left), or baba ganuug (mashed roasted eggplant, pictured top right), eaten with bread. Pretty standard for appetizers, and generally pretty cheap.
Ta'amiya: Cairene falafel... mashed broad beans mixed with herbs and deep fried. Here pictured in sandwich form for take away purposes. A good, cheap, vegetarian street food, but it has gotten very tiring as well.
Koushari: Egypt's staple street food full of carbs. Rice, several kinds of pasta, fava beans, lentils, those freeze dried onion things, garlic, and spicy tomato sauce. One of my favorites, but the quality of koushari varies widely between vendors... so other times not one of my favorites. This particular koushari is the best :)
Shawarma: Spit-grilled spiced meat mixed with tomatoes and peppers, often served in sandwich form with tahina. Comes in chicken or "meat," which can be any combination of beef, lamb, or camel. Yes, I've eaten the camel form before... I'm pretty sure, anyway.
Kofta, while we're on the meat subject: Grilled kebabs of spices mixed with "meat" (see above definition). Not a favorite, mostly due to the quality of the meat...
Mahshi: Vegetables (zucchini, okra, peppers, tomatoes, vine leaves, eggplant, or cabbage) stuffed with spiced rice, covered in tomato sauce. Possibly THE favorite, and one which I will be learning to cook in the US.
Feteer: Pizza-shaped two-crusted crepe-type things. The bread is kinda chewy, though. Inside can be meat, veggies, cheese, or sweet stuff (often honey, though our favorite feteer place in Zamalek has a killer chocolate-banana-peanut butter feteer). Pretty darn good.
Tagine: Moroccan style slow cooked stews with meat or veggies in tomato sauce. Always a favorite.
Casserole-y things: Various dishes layered with rice, sauces, veggies, pasta, and/or meat, and baked. I honestly don't know what this one was called, but it was yummy.
Stuffed pigeon: Stuff with spiced rice. Major Egyptian specialty, and pretty good. Pigeon's a little gamey and always tastes a little like dirt to me. That might be a mental thing.
Juuuuuuuice!: If you're at a juice shop, it's always fresh squeezed and amazing (and cheap). Comes in orange, lemon/lime, banana, strawberry, mango, guava, carrot, pomegranate, watermelon, and sometimes more. Also, sugarcane juice in abundance.
Sweets: Egyptians looooove their sweets. These include delicious European style cakes.
Also Egyptian style goodies, including baklava (ba'lawa in Cairo), kunaafa, bosbosa, and many other yummy things that involve honey, filo, and pistachios.
There's also a variety of doughy things deep fried and soaked in honey. Their name escapes me. Can anyone help?
Also, om 'ali ("mother of Ali"), which I have recently discovered to be heavenly. It's sweet milk baked with some sort of bread concoction on the bottom, topped with coconut, raisins, and nuts.
And... that's a pretty good overview. Some good, some bad, some indifferent. I'll probably miss Egyptian food when I leave, but I'm a little tired of it at the moment. Really, I just want a kitchen. :P
Thursday, April 23
Relatively safe return from Euroland
After a highly eventful holiday in Greece, I'm back in Egypt. Greece was beautiful and clean and liberal, and exactly the change I needed. Nice people, outrageously good food, snow-capped mountains, rainbows, people in shorts and tank tops, turquoise water, fresh air, soft beaches, pornographic magazines sold openly on street corners, amazing rocks, delicious wine, a manageable level of harassment on the street, and twelve beautiful sunsets. The trip ended on a very bad note, however, as Heather's purse was stolen about four hours before her flight home. Thus our last day in Athens was spent rushing between police stations and the embassy. I left without Heather on Wednesday, and she arrived safely late that night, alhamdulillah.
Despite my many concerns about returning to Cairo, I'm surprisingly happy to be back here. I liked that I could tell the young girls sitting next to me on the plane what we were flying over. I liked that I could tip the woman handing out paper towels in the airport bathroom, knowing that it was the culturally appropriate thing to do. I liked that I knew how much to pay for a taxi home and could put my foot down about it in the face of dozens of touts. I liked that I could direct my taxi driver to the hostel in Arabic. I like spending time with my friends here again. It felt like coming home, despite my qualms with the city. So that's good.
I could probably write about Greece for days, but no one wants to read that. I'm just going to post some scribbled notes from my notebook, accompanied by appropriate excerpts from my 650 pictures. Hah. Ready, set, go!
4/10 : Cairo to Athens
"first time seeing Cairo and its smog from the air... hard to believe I breathe that."
"Greeks are not thin people - despite qualms with American obesity, I feel this is an excellent sign."
"Athens smells like cedar and citrus blossoms."
"light breeze and church bells at dusk..."
4/11 : Athens
"walked up Ermoy shopping district to Parliament - ugh, I really hate tourist scams, especially ones involving pigeons and cameras."
"drizzly. kinda nice after Cairo."
"Temple of Olympian Zeus in fields of clover..."
"sandwiches with crusty bread... mmm, Europe"
"there's old stuff on display in the subway system..."
4/12 : Athens
"race to the Acropolis to beat the tour groups = fairly unsuccessful"
"these statues are much cooler in person. is it possible to fall in love with one?"
"changing of the duck-walking guards (!) at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier"
"gelato, where have you been all my life?"
"I'm starting to think I have a thing for climbing mountains to see the sun on the horizon."
"dinner and a 'bottle' (=pitcher) of wine in view of the Acropolis..."
4/13 : Athens to Corinth to Nafplio (Peloponnese)
"train to Corinth: on our left, the Mediterranean, and on our right, mountains covered in cedar, cyprus, and olive trees..."
"the rocks!"
"after cursing our way to the top of old town Nafplio, we found our hostel and its American football-loving owner, complete with kittens and view of Venetian citadel from our window."
"climb to the citadel = flashback to Mt. Sinai... we're going to be so sore."
"fields of wildflowers in the castle!"
"this village reminds me of Lamu..."
"exhaustion hits like a ton of bricks."
4/14 : Nafplio to Sparta to Mystras
"very early, cold morning, with sunrise out our window; smell of fresh pastries and citrus trees in Nafplio's empty streets."
"driving up steep switchbacks into mountains wrapped in low clouds; lush valleys with small villages and blooming fruit orchards"
"Sparta = disappointingly ugly and disappointingly rainy (and the Olive Oil Museum is closed on Tuesdays!) :( "
"Mystras and Byzantine castle complex on hillside - gorgeous, rainy, cold. but rainbows!"
"both cameras dead at entrance to ruins. worst possible timing."
4/15 : Mystras (Peloponnese) to Kissamos (Crete)
"Mystras is even more beautiful in the sunshine"
"shoes still damp, but life still good"
"oh hell, we've discovered Greek coffee..."
"sleepy ferry ride and lovely clouds on the way into Crete."
"Crete sampler platter, calamari, and Alpha. definitely good choices."
"free fruit and ouzo after dinner. apparently shouldn't have ordered beer."
4/16: Kissamos to Hania
"morning beach stroll and noon bus to Venetian Hania (recommended by new friend Eva in Athens)"
"rooms for rent in Old Town - narrow streets and good smells"
"LAUNDRY DAY!"
"terrible Tom Cruise / Nicole Kidman movie to put us to sleep. he can NOT fake an Irish accent."
4/17 : Hania to Iraklio
"last bus ride - Mediterranean on the left, snowy mountains on the right."
"42 euro ferry to Santorini is our only option. d'oh AND woohoo - Easter on Santorini?!"
"Nutella and banana crepe (a la Duncan) for lunch"
"where the hell do we catch the bus to Knossos?!!"
"apparently everything closes for Easter... mediocre dinner at a tourist trap cafe :( "
"people pouring into the streets after evening services, lighting candles and singing"
4/18 : Iraklio (Crete) to Santorini (Cyclades)
"free entrance to Iraklio museum for holiday... worth a 20 min stop to see the Minoan frescoes"
"fast ferry is fast..."
"got off at wrong bus stop and walked 2 miles to Perissa... embarrassing"
"to the beach! finally, swimming!!"
"black volcanic sand tickles feet"
"Greek coffee over the Chelsea-Arsenal match in Stothos' bar"
"Easter at the village church at midnight = thousands of firecrackers + candles + service + stars"
4/19 : Santorini
"woke up to the smell of roasting lamb... Happy Easter!"
"they're not out of firecrackers yet. thank God for that."
"Greek music drifting on breeze, plus empty beach due to wind and haze :) cold swims still worth it."
"bus to Fira - more sketchy Greek boys hunting foreign women at the bus station. ugh..."
"sunset at Oia = amazing. sketchy boys still eyeing us. we are way too smart for this crap."
"nice dinner on caldera rim - lamb, octopus pasta, fava Santorini, island white wine, and Vinsanto for dessert. must learn to cook Greek food..."
4/20 : Santorini
"day trip around islands with new friends from hostel = worth 20 euro"
"volcano still steaming. hmmm."
"volcanic hot springs not hot this time of year, but still swimmable for six of us brave enough to dive off the boat. every else just took pictures. of us. lovely."
"onward to Thirassia and steep path up from harbor - Becky, Laurel, and Heather on donkeys, Rachel on cameras"
"God, I'm such a rock nerd"
"dinner with Canadian, Australian, British friends at the hostel, then taxi to port and overnight ferry - glad to finally escape the noise of motorcycles and ATVs"
4/21 : Athens
"arrived at 5 AM, just as Metro opened; set off for hostel"
"wandering, book shops, coffee, ice cream, coffee, coffee, coffee."
"man got Heather's wallet - women gave us description of him, so we chased him down and got it back. yep. we're kind of badass."
"fruit for dinner and one last sunset from Acropolis hill"
"Heather's purse left behind, now gone... #*&%(!"
4/22 : Athens to Cairo
"no luck at Acropolis police station - off to embassy..."
"people here really don't like immigrants. apparently they're solely responsible for the city's high crime rates?"
"last of our money for new passport. eek. at least Heather can get home."
"goodbyes and thank yous to friends at the hostel and Athens... wish things weren't ending on this note."
Despite my many concerns about returning to Cairo, I'm surprisingly happy to be back here. I liked that I could tell the young girls sitting next to me on the plane what we were flying over. I liked that I could tip the woman handing out paper towels in the airport bathroom, knowing that it was the culturally appropriate thing to do. I liked that I knew how much to pay for a taxi home and could put my foot down about it in the face of dozens of touts. I liked that I could direct my taxi driver to the hostel in Arabic. I like spending time with my friends here again. It felt like coming home, despite my qualms with the city. So that's good.
I could probably write about Greece for days, but no one wants to read that. I'm just going to post some scribbled notes from my notebook, accompanied by appropriate excerpts from my 650 pictures. Hah. Ready, set, go!
4/10 : Cairo to Athens
"first time seeing Cairo and its smog from the air... hard to believe I breathe that."
"Greeks are not thin people - despite qualms with American obesity, I feel this is an excellent sign."
"Athens smells like cedar and citrus blossoms."
"light breeze and church bells at dusk..."
4/11 : Athens
"walked up Ermoy shopping district to Parliament - ugh, I really hate tourist scams, especially ones involving pigeons and cameras."
"drizzly. kinda nice after Cairo."
"Temple of Olympian Zeus in fields of clover..."
"sandwiches with crusty bread... mmm, Europe"
"there's old stuff on display in the subway system..."
4/12 : Athens
"race to the Acropolis to beat the tour groups = fairly unsuccessful"
"these statues are much cooler in person. is it possible to fall in love with one?"
"changing of the duck-walking guards (!) at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier"
"gelato, where have you been all my life?"
"I'm starting to think I have a thing for climbing mountains to see the sun on the horizon."
"dinner and a 'bottle' (=pitcher) of wine in view of the Acropolis..."4/13 : Athens to Corinth to Nafplio (Peloponnese)
"train to Corinth: on our left, the Mediterranean, and on our right, mountains covered in cedar, cyprus, and olive trees..."
"the rocks!""after cursing our way to the top of old town Nafplio, we found our hostel and its American football-loving owner, complete with kittens and view of Venetian citadel from our window."
"climb to the citadel = flashback to Mt. Sinai... we're going to be so sore."
"fields of wildflowers in the castle!"
"this village reminds me of Lamu..."
"exhaustion hits like a ton of bricks."4/14 : Nafplio to Sparta to Mystras
"very early, cold morning, with sunrise out our window; smell of fresh pastries and citrus trees in Nafplio's empty streets."
"driving up steep switchbacks into mountains wrapped in low clouds; lush valleys with small villages and blooming fruit orchards"
"Sparta = disappointingly ugly and disappointingly rainy (and the Olive Oil Museum is closed on Tuesdays!) :( "
"Mystras and Byzantine castle complex on hillside - gorgeous, rainy, cold. but rainbows!"
"both cameras dead at entrance to ruins. worst possible timing."4/15 : Mystras (Peloponnese) to Kissamos (Crete)
"Mystras is even more beautiful in the sunshine"
"shoes still damp, but life still good""oh hell, we've discovered Greek coffee..."
"sleepy ferry ride and lovely clouds on the way into Crete."
"Crete sampler platter, calamari, and Alpha. definitely good choices."
"free fruit and ouzo after dinner. apparently shouldn't have ordered beer."
4/16: Kissamos to Hania
"morning beach stroll and noon bus to Venetian Hania (recommended by new friend Eva in Athens)"
"rooms for rent in Old Town - narrow streets and good smells"
"LAUNDRY DAY!""terrible Tom Cruise / Nicole Kidman movie to put us to sleep. he can NOT fake an Irish accent."
4/17 : Hania to Iraklio
"last bus ride - Mediterranean on the left, snowy mountains on the right."
"42 euro ferry to Santorini is our only option. d'oh AND woohoo - Easter on Santorini?!"
"Nutella and banana crepe (a la Duncan) for lunch"
"where the hell do we catch the bus to Knossos?!!"
"apparently everything closes for Easter... mediocre dinner at a tourist trap cafe :( ""people pouring into the streets after evening services, lighting candles and singing"
4/18 : Iraklio (Crete) to Santorini (Cyclades)
"free entrance to Iraklio museum for holiday... worth a 20 min stop to see the Minoan frescoes"
"fast ferry is fast...""got off at wrong bus stop and walked 2 miles to Perissa... embarrassing"
"to the beach! finally, swimming!!""black volcanic sand tickles feet"
"Greek coffee over the Chelsea-Arsenal match in Stothos' bar""Easter at the village church at midnight = thousands of firecrackers + candles + service + stars"
4/19 : Santorini
"woke up to the smell of roasting lamb... Happy Easter!"
"they're not out of firecrackers yet. thank God for that."
"Greek music drifting on breeze, plus empty beach due to wind and haze :) cold swims still worth it."
"bus to Fira - more sketchy Greek boys hunting foreign women at the bus station. ugh..."
"sunset at Oia = amazing. sketchy boys still eyeing us. we are way too smart for this crap."
"nice dinner on caldera rim - lamb, octopus pasta, fava Santorini, island white wine, and Vinsanto for dessert. must learn to cook Greek food..."
4/20 : Santorini
"day trip around islands with new friends from hostel = worth 20 euro"
"volcano still steaming. hmmm."
"volcanic hot springs not hot this time of year, but still swimmable for six of us brave enough to dive off the boat. every else just took pictures. of us. lovely."
"onward to Thirassia and steep path up from harbor - Becky, Laurel, and Heather on donkeys, Rachel on cameras"
"God, I'm such a rock nerd"
"dinner with Canadian, Australian, British friends at the hostel, then taxi to port and overnight ferry - glad to finally escape the noise of motorcycles and ATVs"
4/21 : Athens
"arrived at 5 AM, just as Metro opened; set off for hostel"
"wandering, book shops, coffee, ice cream, coffee, coffee, coffee."
"man got Heather's wallet - women gave us description of him, so we chased him down and got it back. yep. we're kind of badass."
"fruit for dinner and one last sunset from Acropolis hill"
"Heather's purse left behind, now gone... #*&%(!"4/22 : Athens to Cairo
"no luck at Acropolis police station - off to embassy..."
"people here really don't like immigrants. apparently they're solely responsible for the city's high crime rates?"
"last of our money for new passport. eek. at least Heather can get home."
"goodbyes and thank yous to friends at the hostel and Athens... wish things weren't ending on this note."
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