On the Bright Side

I recently affirmed that I won't be able to return to Princeton for Reunions, a huge celebratory weekend when all alumni classes hold a reunion on campus at the same time. While the multiples of 5 are still the "biggest" reunions, every class holds a well-attended reunion every year--it's one of the best things about being a Princeton alumnus. (Note to inquiring minds: Rotary asks its scholars not to go home during the scholarship period; plus, the plane ticket alone would take a substantial chunk of the money I'm planning to use for the remainder of my stay. Mish momken, not possible, as we say in Arabic.)

Last week, I was consoling myself about my imminent absence by the fact that I had gained roughly in the neighborhood of 10 pounds due to my inability to cook for myself and the nullibicity of the concepts of "diet" "light" "low-fat," etc. in Egypt. In fact, the motto here is more like: If the dish is already sweet, add 1 tablespoon sugar; if it's not sweet, add a cup. (For a while I was thrilled to discover something called "Frapaccino Light" at a cafe and got one every day...until I realized that it's opposite was "Frapaccino Strong" and I was just getting a low-caffeine version of the beverage.)

However, I was quite pleased to note today that I have probably lost about 5 of those pounds. Unfortunately that is because I have had some nasty combination of food poisoning and the flu for the past 5 days and today is the first day I've been able to retain nourishment. Every cloud has a silver lining though, right?

Teetotaling at the Hyatt

...and tipsy fish in the Nile?

This article offers a glimpse into some of the Islamic-Western tensions at play in many of Egypt's political decisions and social fabric. To really understand the significance of this decision, you need to know that most Cairenes who can afford to do so socialize--at least some of the time--in hotel bars and restaurants. So it isn't just Western tourists who are affected--it's also the (mostly upper-class and Westernized) Cairenes who have a culture of going out and socializing in ways similar to those in the United States.

Particularly important is the way conservative (some might say "Fundamentalist" Islam is spread by wealthy Saudi Arabians whose money gives them undue influence in other countries--it works the same way in Southeast Asia (where fundamentalist Islam is growing the fastest) because Saudis fund schools there where there might otherwise be none, and use them as ways to convert/expose the public to their radical (though rapidly becoming mainstream) version of Islam.

The (succinct) article is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7415495.stm

Otherwise, I'm taking spring final exams and preparing to move out of the dorm and into my new apartment!

Egypt moments

Tonight, we decided to be good students and do homework...so we decided to order in food, because going out to dinner takes a lot of time (and we can't cook because our dorms don't have kitchens). Jillian called McDonald's.

Jillian: I'd like a chicken sandwich
McD: I'm sorry, chicken sandwich finished
Jillian: You don't have chicken sandwiches?
McD: No not tonight, only double chicken sandwich.
Jillian: Isn't a double chicken sandwich just two chicken sandwiches together?
McD: Yes.
Jillian: So can you just make it with one chicken instead of two?
McD: I'm sorry, this is not possible.
Jillian: But I just want a chicken sandwich.
McD: Chicken sandwich not available.
Jillian: Ok, I'll have the double chicken sandwich.
McD: You are welcome to McDonalds.

My friend Alex wanted to see a movie recommended to him by a friend. He called the cinema to find out what times the movie was playing. They told him it was playing that night at 9:00 and 10:30, but when he arrived at the cinema to purchase tickets, they told him that it hadn't been showing for a week!

We were headed to the British club for an ex-pat meet and greet. We knew that the British club was about 5 minutes away in Mohandiseen, but we didn't know its exact location. We asked a taxi driver whether he knew the location of the British club; he said yes, so we got in. After 20 minutes of driving around, he turned around to inform us that the British Club is not, in fact, in Mohandiseen, and that he was very sorry but he did not know where it was.

Tonight I was having shisha at a cafe with Alex, and I needed new coals, so I said "Excuse me" in Arabic to a man inside the cafe. He told me that he did not deal with Americans and that we were not welcome here. Alex asked him why, and he said "Because they are devils!" I am pretty sure, though, that he was wearing Nike shoes and a polo shirt. We weren't really sure how to respond since we had been sitting ther efor a while and would have needed to pay before walking off, so we just asked someone else and it wasn't an issue. Still, though, that is the most blatant anti-Americanism I've run into yet. (NB: That is atypical...most Egyptians, while usually game for a good round of Bush-bashing, are very friendly to Americans.)

In America, people find a way to trace most problems to the usual scapegoats like the Catholic church. Here, it is "The Jew" and "The Bush." A man who we met during our first two weeks told us over the course of our dinner conversation that "Israel and the Jews orchestrated 9/11. They want to reflect on the Muslims badness. I tell you, not a single Jewish person died in 9/11. They knew! They planned it!" I tried to tell him that you can't throw a penny in the financial district without hitting a Jewish person, but he was unconvinced.

We noted with excitement on the bus home from school that a Starbucks is opening in our neighborhood soon (although probably not soon enough for us to enjoy it--much to the benefit of our pocketbooks and waistlines.) One of our Egyptian friends on the bus exclaimed "No! You should never go to Starbucks!" Puzzled, we asked why. "It is owned by the Jews! It is from Israel!" I don't think she found Jillian's explanation that it originated in Seattle persuasive!

Funny things like this happen all the time. The perfume salesman doesn't carry my brand "but might if I come back next week." The cell phone store doesn't sell pink phones but "will try to get one if I come back tomorrow." They mean it, too! In a lot of places if they don't have what you're looking for, all you need to do is ask and then wait a day. And you can get everything, I mean everything delivered.