Melodrama, Taxis, and Politics

As I emerged from my room yesterday, I was surprised to find the wife or our simsar (the apartment broker)’s wife asleep on our living room couch. Zaynab is like a character out of a muselsel or Egyptian soap opera... I’d cast her as the crazy aunt from the reef (countryside). She’s constantly screaming, hugging someone, or pausing to pray. Zaynab has been very involved in solving our apartment problems and always arrives with a miscellaneous entourage of helpers in toe. Whether they be plumbers, carpenters, or landline installers, they always seem to answer to her. This weekend our water is mysteriously cut off once again though no one else in our apartment building seems to have any plumbing trouble. While plumbers are able to turn the water back on temporarily, we’re still hoping for a more permanent fix (though permanent fixes don’t seem to be all that common around here…).

A few days ago I went to an Egyptian movie called “Sarakh al-nimla” or The Scream of the Ant, a story of a man who helps encourage his neighbors to protest against rising prices and corruption in the local and national government. Though it was an interesting language experience, the melodrama was pretty unbearable. Picture an entire cast of characters just like Zaynab. Plus movie going in the Middle East tends to have much higher levels of “audience participation” than I’m used to including chatting on cell phones, crying babies, and lots of movement around the theater. The popcorn was good though!

Each week CASA brings a lecturer to talk to us on Thursday afternoons. The first lecturer was a taxi driver who was full of interesting stories including a tale of a woman who gave birth inside his cab! While he didn’t have the best advice on how to avoid getting ripped off, it was interesting to hear his thoughts on the Revolution, Egyptian traffic laws (or lack there of) etc.

This week we heard from a female activist from the Kefaya movement who had been heavily involved in the Revolution. Although she discussed her goals for the new government and constitution and the need to combat corruption, she didn’t really specify how these goals could be achieved or what the appropriate path for Egyptian democracy and political reform might be. As new political offshoots seem to be formed almost daily and each Friday different groups continue to gather in Tahrir Square, it seems that electing leaders who will adequately represent all the competing interest groups in Egypt will be a formidable task.

Other Happenings:

-          Trying Sudanese food for the first time which was delicious! (a little bit like Ethiopian)

-           Consuming a “Boreo” (Egyptian Oreo) milkshake (YUM)

-          Actually grocery shopping/ market hopping for the first time following the arrival of our new fridge (it’s actually 9 feet tall!)

-          Bought my plane ticket to Spain for my summer break!

-          Still working on getting internet in our apartment…..we’ve finally bought a plan and actually have a landline now though so hopefully I can Skype with you all soon!

Lonely Pyramids and Plumbing Problems

Even though I can see the pyramids from my balcony, this past weekend I decided to get a closer look and took advantage of a free tour offered by AUC's Arab Language Institute. I knew the Egyptian tourism industry had been hit hard by the revolution, but seeing the pyramids completely empty was really bizarre. When I visited in 2009, we had to wait in line for an hour to see the Sphynx and were constantly maneuvering around Russian, British, Spanish, and Japanese tourists as we tried to capture the perfect pyramid picture. This time, there were a total of two tour buses and a smattering of mini vans. Lines were non-existent and the men offering camel rides and plastic pyramid paraphernalia were practically begging for business, promising that they really would offer the "Egyptian price."

This weekend also brought a new series of apartment difficulties--- most notably that our water was cut off for about 8 hours. Though I had to wait a while to wash off the pyramid dust, the landlord was very responsive and the plumber (after scuttling around the roof for a while with pliers) seems to have resolved the issue. I also discovered that if all else fails, I could have a great career as a washerwoman.... it only took me 45 minutes to wash 2.5 weeks of laundry by hand in the tub!

On Sunday we had a pot luck "hefla" with some Egyptian students which was a big success and included macaroni and cheese, koshri, brownies, and kunafa. We also had a cross-cultural sing along and while oldies like "Build me up Buttercup" weren't really a hit, everyone really seemed to get into "Umbrella" and "Party in the USA" which devolved into "hefla fi al walayat al-mutahida."

Other highlights of the week:

- Attending a Spanish film festival with Arabic subtitles (quite the polyglot experience)

 - Learning that many apartment buildings in Egypt are intentionally unfinished/under construction in order to avoid paying property taxes

- Visiting an Egyptian equivalent of Staples to buy school supplies including a notebook with a very culturally insensitive picture of Aladin and the words "Fairy Tails" across the front

- Trying to find a PC way to represent the EU in a mock debate on Arab immigration to Europe in Egyptian dialect

- Eating Yemeni food for the first time








 

Lizards, Laundry Woes, and Luxury

After a great deal of chaotic searching and confusing negotiations we finally moved into our apartment in Dokki a few days ago. Our sitting room looks like something out of a Disney castle with (slightly dilapidated) throne-like chairs and a ceiling covered with intricate pink and gold designs and a large hole that was probably once home to a chandelier. We're on the tenth floor and from our balcony (if the smog lifts) you can see the pyramids in the distance!

We finally learned how to get hot water in our shower but our faucets are pretty temperamental and alternate between spurting violently and producing no water at all. White lizards seem to enjoy playing in our bathtub or scurrying across the ceiling from time to time, so I've become an expert in lizard removal which involves directing the lizard into a cup and bringing him out to the balcony. Operating the washing machine (if it can be called that) was a frustrating adventure that resulted in an inadvertently  tie-dyed sweater and ringing out an entire load of laundry since the "ghsaala" seems unable to drain. I think I may try washing things by hand next time!

Our apartment doesn't have a land line so we're waiting for one to be installed in order to have wireless internet but meanwhile I'm using small amounts of USB internet and the Tahrir campus has wireless and a computer lab. The landlord says it should be installed this week (in sha' allah) but we'll have to see!

 We visited the new AUC campus as part of our orientation yesterday and it was really bizarre--- it's like a resort in the middle of the desert complete with an Olympic sized pool, salad bars, and bagel shops. I can't believe that some Americans consider the new AUC campus to be a Middle East "study abroad experience." Talk about a bubble.  It took about an hour to get there and 2 hours to get back because of traffic and the bus is pretty expensive so we probably won't be going to the new campus too often, though it would be nice to use all of the beautiful gym facilities and pool every once and a while.

Other happenings over the past few days include:

- parallel parking in a cab next to a donkey pulling a watermelon cart  outside of our apartment

- watching a bed frame be built from scratch after our "simsar" (broker) promised a third bed in the apartment

- driving by a protest in Tahrir square while moving into our apartment

- witnessing a Metro workers' strike at the ticket counter 

- starting both Amiyya and Fusha classes at the AUC Tahrir campus (they seem great so far!)

I'm off to investigate the gym at the Tahrir campus

As soon as I get more consistent internet I'll start posting more often...