First month in Cairo!

Cairo! Dahab! I’ve been in Egypt for nearly a month now. Some low points and moments of puzzlement to be sure: (what am I doing here again??). But also some real high points. I find the diversity of people living or traveling in Egypt fascinating. Just this past week I spent time with a linguistics professor at AUC who grew up in the bustling Saudi Arabian oil business and was traveling to Sri Lanka this weekend to compete in an international tennis competition; I met a recent college graduate from Dutch University who has been traveling the world for the last year, and plans to continue traveling for the foreseeable future, and I caught up with National Geographic’s point-man in Egypt. And me? Well I’m just a lowly intern—although I am starting to teach English to Sudanese refugees next week through a program called Youth Lead. I haven’t posted in a while, so this will be a bit of a catch-up post. Below are some thoughts on my first month (did I mention I like lists?)

1. I’m reconsidering my career path. You know, the one where I work for a year or two in D.C after this year, head back to grad school for a masters or PhD in Middle East studies and become a renowned diplomat who (just might) bring peace to the Middle East. Think my doubts were first sparked by the leading headline in AUC’s student newspaper last week. “Student body agrees. Israel has no right to exist.” And I thought AUC was the elite 2%, moderate fringe of Egyptian society??

2. We truly live in an interconnected, global age where technology reigns supreme. Some examples: A friend of mine from Nigeria, after watching an episode of the (god-awful) ABC family show Greek asked me if college life was really like this in the States. (To which I replied, sadly but truthfully, that not everyone in college was really 23 or 24 and gorgeous). In a cab ride last week I rocked out to ‘Stairway to Heaven’ (the greatest song ever) with my Egyptian driver, who then offered me a Marlboro cigarette and some Egyptian candy. In Dahab this past weekend, (more on this trip in my next post), Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson tunes filled the local shops and restaurants and made me yearn for my long-lost collegiate years. In a club in Dahab, I played pool with a young Bedouin who let me win the first game, and then took my money in our second game. I was pleasantly surprised by the hustle—the Bedouin Tom Cruise? Guess the “Color of Money” is still green in Egypt. And then on the bus ride back from Dahab I watched Anaconda III, starring David Haselhoff and a giant snake that eats everything and everyone. All that was missing was Pamela Anderson and maybe a single foreigner on the bus who seemed pleased with the choice of movie!

The point I’m trying to make, I guess, is that the effects of globalization make for an interesting divide in the Egypt I’ve encountered over my first month. On the one hand, they mask differences between people and help establish a common ground. I remember feeling a real surge of excitement singing ‘Stairway to Heaven’ with my cab driver, and seeing him smile and laugh. I don’t think we’ll stay in touch, (no planned coffee date yet), but for those 5 minutes, we overcame a cultural and language barrier, and shared something that was produced more than three decades ago. I think that’s pretty cool.

On the other hand, I think these superficial similarities carry some negative connotations. It may not be the most ample example—but seeing pre-stocked frozen chicken cutlets filled with hotdog meat and cheese in my freezer made me wonder what perceptions Egyptians have of American eating-habits. All Americans love cheeseburgers and hotdogs, I guess the rationale goes. So why not mesh together Americans favorite ingredients in one delicious chicken cutlet? Or consider this political example. In the marketplace last week, Egyptian storeowners beckoned my black friend into their store by calling out to him “Brother Obama! Brother Obama, we love you!” I don’t think there was any racist undertone there—I just think that like the tasty chicken/hot-dog/cheese cutlets, this was another cultural simplification: “He’s American and black. Clearly he’s a supporter of Barack Obama—perhaps even a brother of sorts.”

I just find these generalities and oversimplifications fascinating. I’m not sure what to make of them yet—just trying to take it all in. I’m sure they’re inevitable—‘tis human nature to rush to judgments. But I think the onset of new technologies has made these generalities all the more present in our lives.
Anyway! I’m off to Alexandria on an intern trip in 10 minutes, then to the pyramids on Saturday! (Tough life!). I’ll write more soon.