Friday I woke up late, and did work, but felt like a zombie and was THRILLED to go to sleep early. Back to class on Saturday, and it was nice to see everyone, and it seemed like I had never left Egypt. It was a generally normal day, but I couldn’t help but notice the genuinely horrific smell on my walk to school. I realized, that it was the aftermath of the most recent holiday, Eid al-Adha.
Eid al-Adha is a holiday in which Muslims traditionally sacrifice a sheep. The background of this is that G-d told Abraham to kill his son, Ishmael, to prove he was a believer. Abraham obeyed, but no matter how many times he put the knife to Ishmael’s throat it would not cut it. G-d told Abraham that he had proved himself, and that he should sacrifice a sheep instead. In current times, if you have the means, you are to sacrifice a sheep, keep a third of it for your family, give a third to your friends, and give a third to the poor. While I was away for the celebration, I did get a glimpse of some early sacrifices preparing for the big festival right on my street.
Flash-forward almost a week later, and the lamb’s blood (is it Passover yet?) and remains of its fur and innards are still embedded into the sidewalk. It doesn’t really rain here, and it seems that any efforts to clean it up were unsuccessful. The smell was unbearable.
Additionally, it seems that this last home stretch is difficult for all of us in Egypt, and for a lot of my other friends abroad. We are SO close to being done, but there is definitely still a decent chunk of time. I made the decision, after much deliberation, to change my ticket home from Jan 5th out of Tel Aviv, to December 21st out of Istanbul. I am so thrilled that I will have more than five days at home before my next semester of school, and an adequate period to re-adjust to America. I was initially extremely excited to travel, but my plans were not solidified, and honestly providing me more anxiety than necessary. Those places will always be there, and I think Istanbul will be a wonderful end to a trying semester.
On another note, my insomnia has returned with a vengeance. Several nights in the past week I have laid awake and listened to the muezzin call the Fajr prayer, the first prayer of the day between first light of dawn and sunrise usually around 5:30. Needless to say, I have been somewhat of a zombie lately, and hopefully I get back on track soon!
On Monday evening, I went to 3seer Mecca, a juice bar, with some of the Egyptian girls and we met up with a group of the guys (both Egyptian and American). It was great, but due to my exhaustion I wasn’t an active participant in the conversation. As the topic of conversation shifted to soccer, I became more of an observer, noticing that while the Egyptian guys seemed comfortable with the girls, they would never utter a curse in front of them. They all comfortably shook my hand, but would never dare to do so with an Egyptian girl (as touching her in any way would scar her reputation). Even with these seemingly progressive interactions and meet-ups at the juice bar, there are still so many boundaries between men and women in Egypt.
Tuesday was relatively uneventful, with the exception of my history class. We are learning about the end of the monarchy in Egypt, and to our surprise our teacher spoke very frankly about Egyptian government. He cited 1951 as the year when the last “real elections” took place, after which, all elections have been seemingly fixed. This is pertinent now, as there are Parliamentary elections this Sunday. Additionally, we spoke about 1948, and the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Little did my teacher know, that he was explaining the differences between Zionism and Judaism to three Jewish students (yes there are only three of us in my class, and yes we are all Jews). It was great to hear him go on for about ten minutes about how Zionism is a movement, and Judaism is a religion, and that educated people in the Middle East distinguish between the two, and how anti-Semitism is frowned upon in most educated circles.
Wednesday came and went. We had make up classes, because we had an extra day off in October. I visited Ahmed, the hairdresser, who was surprised that I actually had the language skills to speak to him, given I had last seen him in September when I was going through major culture shock. However it is great to be able to see my own improvements and the amount of the language I have acquired in such a short time. My ECA class went to a movie, which was exciting because I could understand it! However the movie itself, labeled as a comedy but actually rather dark, was bizarre. It was about a man who you are led to believe has Alzheimer’s, when actually it is all a rouse put on by his two sons and they are leading him to believe he has the disease so they can control his money. He finds out about the rouse, and spends the second half of the movie getting back at them. I was exhausted from my insomnia, and went to bed super early and slept for twelve hours.
Today was Thanksgiving, my first not with family, and I woke up very late. I spent the entire day alternating doing work and doing absolutely nothing. The program is having a Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow evening, but tonight there was nothing planned. I went to Chili’s with four other girls to have a taste of America, and we had such a nice time! I’m sad to not be in America for Thanksgiving, and it was definitely hard to be motivated to do my work today but we really tried to make the best of it together!
I came home and skyped with my family, and my mom passed the computer around to various family members. It was great to see everyone, but sad to be missing out on the event. I think that everyone abroad right now is having a similar Thanksgiving experience.
Me eating my fool sandwich in front of the Sofitel on the Corniche
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Welcome Back to Egypt?
Two tube lines were down on my way to the airport, and all I could think was that traveling is never simple, even in western civilization. Otherwise, my flight went very well! It was five hours, and I landed at 8:45 PM Cairo time (seven hours ahead of EST). I promptly went to the bus station, and got on the next bus to Alexandria.
I felt refreshed after my time away, and actually excited to be back in Egypt. All of the people at the airport were surprised I was speaking Arabic, and I was happy that I still felt very comfortable in the language, even after ten days away!
I got on the bus at a little before 10PM, and took a Tylonel PM, figuring the journey would be long, but I could sleep through it. My BlackBerry had very little life left, so I turned it off, and prepared for a long nap.
Unfortunately, this was not what transpired. By 11:00 PM we were still in Cairo. The bus broke down in the middle of the city (what is with me and broken busses?), and the driver didn’t seem to be doing anything to fix it. I stayed calm for the first hour, trying not to fall asleep standing on the side of the road. A woman and her brother, as well as a businessman who was fluent in English, befriended me, and we worked together to decide what should be done. We missed all of the other buses to Alexandria, the trains stop running at midnight, and a taxi is too dangerous. We ended up waiting on the side of the road until 1:00AM, when the new bus came.
I finally called my mom from my Egyptian phone to let her know I was on a bus. I started to cry. I was exhausted, and they Tylonel PM in my system wasn’t helping, and I realized that for the first time in Egypt I had actually been frightened. Rationally, I knew nothing would happen to me. But being a twenty-year-old girl standing on the side of the street in Cairo after midnight is not the safest thing, and i could no longer ignore the lump in my throat that was present throughout the entire wait.
I pretended I was asleep, but the other passengers gave me some water and told me to have my own row to myself. I passed out on top of all of my stuff, as I hadn’t allowed the driver to put my suitcase under the bus, and woke up in Alexandria at 4:00 AM. The woman and her brother wouldn’t let me take a cab alone, and they dropped me off at my dorm. Once in my room, I was pretty wired, so I unpacked and did some laundry before passing out until 1 PM the next day.
Did I expect smooth sailing on the trip from Cairo to Alex? No. I have also learned, by now, to be prepared for anything. However that bus experience was worse than expected, and worse than the way to the airport because it was at night. Despite the experience, I am going make sure I get the most out of the next three weeks.
I felt refreshed after my time away, and actually excited to be back in Egypt. All of the people at the airport were surprised I was speaking Arabic, and I was happy that I still felt very comfortable in the language, even after ten days away!
I got on the bus at a little before 10PM, and took a Tylonel PM, figuring the journey would be long, but I could sleep through it. My BlackBerry had very little life left, so I turned it off, and prepared for a long nap.
Unfortunately, this was not what transpired. By 11:00 PM we were still in Cairo. The bus broke down in the middle of the city (what is with me and broken busses?), and the driver didn’t seem to be doing anything to fix it. I stayed calm for the first hour, trying not to fall asleep standing on the side of the road. A woman and her brother, as well as a businessman who was fluent in English, befriended me, and we worked together to decide what should be done. We missed all of the other buses to Alexandria, the trains stop running at midnight, and a taxi is too dangerous. We ended up waiting on the side of the road until 1:00AM, when the new bus came.
I finally called my mom from my Egyptian phone to let her know I was on a bus. I started to cry. I was exhausted, and they Tylonel PM in my system wasn’t helping, and I realized that for the first time in Egypt I had actually been frightened. Rationally, I knew nothing would happen to me. But being a twenty-year-old girl standing on the side of the street in Cairo after midnight is not the safest thing, and i could no longer ignore the lump in my throat that was present throughout the entire wait.
I pretended I was asleep, but the other passengers gave me some water and told me to have my own row to myself. I passed out on top of all of my stuff, as I hadn’t allowed the driver to put my suitcase under the bus, and woke up in Alexandria at 4:00 AM. The woman and her brother wouldn’t let me take a cab alone, and they dropped me off at my dorm. Once in my room, I was pretty wired, so I unpacked and did some laundry before passing out until 1 PM the next day.
Did I expect smooth sailing on the trip from Cairo to Alex? No. I have also learned, by now, to be prepared for anything. However that bus experience was worse than expected, and worse than the way to the airport because it was at night. Despite the experience, I am going make sure I get the most out of the next three weeks.
Londontown -Part Two
Tuesday was another packed day. My friend Sam from my program in Egypt happened to be in London also, so we spent the day together, as Ange and Jess had class. Sam and I met up at the Tate Modern. After that we walked across the Millenium Bridge, past St. Paul’s, and through Hyde Park and Knightsbridge. The day was beautiful, the streets were charming and we were both thoroughly enjoying our time in civilization.
We had a super long lunch at a beautiful restaurant and then continued walking around and found ourselves traveling through Notting Hill, and all over the Kensington area. Eventually we ended up in another part of town around the Old Street tube stop for excellent Thai food.
The fun of just walking around a great city like London is undervalued. I think I was particularly happy because the city is decently clean (VERY clean in contrast to Cairo), and it was a wonderful change to not have people blatantly staring at me.
Wednesday, my last day in London, was a fabulous! Andrea and I got up early and went to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Upon arrival we were given iPod touches that had an interactive tour of the cathedral. It really made all the difference, as we learned SO much about the cathedral (the first cathedral on that spot of land was in the seventh century, and Christopher Wren’s cathedral that stands now is the fourth) and thoroughly enjoyed our time there! It is so incredibly beautiful and rich in history. The iPod even showed us a clip of Charles and Diana’s wedding in the cathedral in 1981, which was poignant given the long awaited engagement of Kate and Prince William (yes yes I got caught up on my British gossip while in London.)
After St. Paul’s, I met our family friend Morgan at a hotel that overlooks Hyde Park for lunch. I enjoyed seeing her, and we even called my dad to say hi! The view was spectacular, and I could see beyond the park all the way to the London Eye!
On my way back to Ange and Jess’s I stopped and picked up half price tickets to Les Mis! Jess had seen the show the last time she was in London, but Ange had never seen it. I was in the show once, and have seen it twice, but I felt that it was a great opportunity to see it again, and I felt like I was revisiting an old friend. The story is so beautiful, and the cast was pretty good! I cried my way through the second act (from “Bring Him Home” onward, if anyone is familiar with the show), and was thrilled that Ange enjoyed it just as much as I did!!!
I had such a wonderful time in London, a part of me wishes I could stay, but the other part is ready to finish my program in Egypt (a little more than three weeks are left). My trip to Europe left me feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the last few hurdles of my semester!
We had a super long lunch at a beautiful restaurant and then continued walking around and found ourselves traveling through Notting Hill, and all over the Kensington area. Eventually we ended up in another part of town around the Old Street tube stop for excellent Thai food.
The fun of just walking around a great city like London is undervalued. I think I was particularly happy because the city is decently clean (VERY clean in contrast to Cairo), and it was a wonderful change to not have people blatantly staring at me.
Wednesday, my last day in London, was a fabulous! Andrea and I got up early and went to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Upon arrival we were given iPod touches that had an interactive tour of the cathedral. It really made all the difference, as we learned SO much about the cathedral (the first cathedral on that spot of land was in the seventh century, and Christopher Wren’s cathedral that stands now is the fourth) and thoroughly enjoyed our time there! It is so incredibly beautiful and rich in history. The iPod even showed us a clip of Charles and Diana’s wedding in the cathedral in 1981, which was poignant given the long awaited engagement of Kate and Prince William (yes yes I got caught up on my British gossip while in London.)
After St. Paul’s, I met our family friend Morgan at a hotel that overlooks Hyde Park for lunch. I enjoyed seeing her, and we even called my dad to say hi! The view was spectacular, and I could see beyond the park all the way to the London Eye!
On my way back to Ange and Jess’s I stopped and picked up half price tickets to Les Mis! Jess had seen the show the last time she was in London, but Ange had never seen it. I was in the show once, and have seen it twice, but I felt that it was a great opportunity to see it again, and I felt like I was revisiting an old friend. The story is so beautiful, and the cast was pretty good! I cried my way through the second act (from “Bring Him Home” onward, if anyone is familiar with the show), and was thrilled that Ange enjoyed it just as much as I did!!!
I had such a wonderful time in London, a part of me wishes I could stay, but the other part is ready to finish my program in Egypt (a little more than three weeks are left). My trip to Europe left me feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the last few hurdles of my semester!
Londontown -Part One
I arrived in London at 9PM GMT on Saturday, and took the Tube over to Jess and Andrea’s dorm in Waterloo. Being with my friends, in an English speaking country, in one of my favorite cities in the world was definitely the remedy to my Middle Eastern misery.
On Saturday night we went out to a club and had a great time (I love that the legal age is eighteen, it makes life so much easier). The tubes close at 12:30, so we ended up walking back through some of London’s most famous areas, and it was a wonderful welcome to the city. We crossed the Waterloo Bridge and saw Parliament and Big Ben all lit up, as well as the London Eye, and in the other direction St. Paul’s and the Tate Modern.
I have been to London before, on my own and with my family, so I didn’t feel the need to do major site seeing. Sunday morning we woke up late, and Jess and I took the tube to Portobello Market and walked around all afternoon. It is such an adorable area with so much character, we ended up spending hours there. Even the rain couldn’t wreck my mood, as I was having so much fun going into different shops and eating amazing cupcakes at Hummingbird.
When we returned, I went running along the Thames. It was absolutely surreal, as I have been running through the ruins of what used to be the glorious city of Alexandria. I got to run by all of the monuments mentioned before, and felt totally at ease, with nobody staring at me or trying to grab me. Since I enjoyed it so much, I made sure to run again over the next few days!
The rest of the evening was low key, we went out to dinner, and I spent time with them and their suitemates who were great. They live in a suite of six people, and they all have their own rooms and bathrooms, but share a kitchen and common space. It was great to meet new people, and see what a very different abroad experience is like!
Monday morning I woke up to beautiful weather. I was meeting my other sorority sisters, Nina and Julie, as well as their roommate, Mia, for lunch on the other side of the city, and I decided to walk. Throughout my walk (more of a leisurely mosey) I decided that London is so magical for several reasons: 1) there are very few tall buildings, which gives the city a quaint feeling, making it less intimidating than New York 2) the architecture is absolutely beautiful, and so much older than anything in the States, I felt like a Jane Austen character was going to roll up in a coach as I was walking around the city 3) the city is very spread out, and each neighborhood has its own traits, yes this is a characteristic of every major city, but I feel like it is so much more prevalent in this city 4) everyone has such cool accents, and 5) it is a truly international city, there are people from every place in the world, and this is represented by the languages you hear spoken and the excellent ethnic food available on every corner, and because of this characteristic, is easy to feel connected to the city. I didn’t feel like a foreigner or a tourist, I blended in easily, and not because I speak English, but because I could speak any language and be any ethnicity and not get a second glance in London.
Lunch was great! Again, it was so nice to see more friendly faces and hear about all of their abroad experiences. After lunch I met Jess at the National Gallery, which was absolutely beautiful. They have such a comprehensive and diverse collection of art, ranging from Medieval Art all the way through to twentieth century art, and some very contemporary pieces as well. I personally enjoyed the Post-Impressionist section of the museum, and made up for missing the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. We walked back to their dorm, and we made dinner in their kitchen. After dinner I did laundry, which was really exciting. I haven’t used a dryer in months, and right before I left the washer on my floor in the dorm broke. It couldn’t process the detergent for some reason, and just moved the clothes around in water, leaving them discolored and still not clean. After several tries with various machines, I took all my clothes into a shower stall and washed them with a bar of soap…definitely not fun. So needless to say, a real washer/dryer was a fabulous change.
We all took naps and then went out to a club nearby in a big group, as one of the other suitemates had a visitor as well. We walked back from the club (across the suspension bridge), and again saw the skyline which never ceases to amaze and excite me!
On Saturday night we went out to a club and had a great time (I love that the legal age is eighteen, it makes life so much easier). The tubes close at 12:30, so we ended up walking back through some of London’s most famous areas, and it was a wonderful welcome to the city. We crossed the Waterloo Bridge and saw Parliament and Big Ben all lit up, as well as the London Eye, and in the other direction St. Paul’s and the Tate Modern.
I have been to London before, on my own and with my family, so I didn’t feel the need to do major site seeing. Sunday morning we woke up late, and Jess and I took the tube to Portobello Market and walked around all afternoon. It is such an adorable area with so much character, we ended up spending hours there. Even the rain couldn’t wreck my mood, as I was having so much fun going into different shops and eating amazing cupcakes at Hummingbird.
When we returned, I went running along the Thames. It was absolutely surreal, as I have been running through the ruins of what used to be the glorious city of Alexandria. I got to run by all of the monuments mentioned before, and felt totally at ease, with nobody staring at me or trying to grab me. Since I enjoyed it so much, I made sure to run again over the next few days!
The rest of the evening was low key, we went out to dinner, and I spent time with them and their suitemates who were great. They live in a suite of six people, and they all have their own rooms and bathrooms, but share a kitchen and common space. It was great to meet new people, and see what a very different abroad experience is like!
Monday morning I woke up to beautiful weather. I was meeting my other sorority sisters, Nina and Julie, as well as their roommate, Mia, for lunch on the other side of the city, and I decided to walk. Throughout my walk (more of a leisurely mosey) I decided that London is so magical for several reasons: 1) there are very few tall buildings, which gives the city a quaint feeling, making it less intimidating than New York 2) the architecture is absolutely beautiful, and so much older than anything in the States, I felt like a Jane Austen character was going to roll up in a coach as I was walking around the city 3) the city is very spread out, and each neighborhood has its own traits, yes this is a characteristic of every major city, but I feel like it is so much more prevalent in this city 4) everyone has such cool accents, and 5) it is a truly international city, there are people from every place in the world, and this is represented by the languages you hear spoken and the excellent ethnic food available on every corner, and because of this characteristic, is easy to feel connected to the city. I didn’t feel like a foreigner or a tourist, I blended in easily, and not because I speak English, but because I could speak any language and be any ethnicity and not get a second glance in London.
Lunch was great! Again, it was so nice to see more friendly faces and hear about all of their abroad experiences. After lunch I met Jess at the National Gallery, which was absolutely beautiful. They have such a comprehensive and diverse collection of art, ranging from Medieval Art all the way through to twentieth century art, and some very contemporary pieces as well. I personally enjoyed the Post-Impressionist section of the museum, and made up for missing the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. We walked back to their dorm, and we made dinner in their kitchen. After dinner I did laundry, which was really exciting. I haven’t used a dryer in months, and right before I left the washer on my floor in the dorm broke. It couldn’t process the detergent for some reason, and just moved the clothes around in water, leaving them discolored and still not clean. After several tries with various machines, I took all my clothes into a shower stall and washed them with a bar of soap…definitely not fun. So needless to say, a real washer/dryer was a fabulous change.
We all took naps and then went out to a club nearby in a big group, as one of the other suitemates had a visitor as well. We walked back from the club (across the suspension bridge), and again saw the skyline which never ceases to amaze and excite me!
Amsterdam!
Because of patchy Internet while traveling i didn't get the opportunity to post about the rest of my trip, and will be posting them all now!
I left Leuven early on Thursday to meet up with some of my sorority sisters (Lora, Sami, Brittany and Stef as well as Lucy who is in Tri Delta and Louisa who goes to Johns Hopkins) in Amsterdam. They are all studying in Paris for the semester, but were spending the weekend in Amsterdam, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to see another new place!
I arrived in Amsterdam around 1PM on Thursday, and was greeted with the worst weather possible. It was freezing, pouring rain and windy. I was warned that people in Amsterdam suggest everything in the city is walking distance. We knew the hotel wasn’t far, but we wanted to take a cab because of the weather, and were turned down by several cab drivers all of who told us to walk. This would NEVER happen anywhere else I have ever traveled, as it seems counter productive to the livelihood of the cab drivers!
We walked around for a while and went into a coffee shop, and saw firsthand why Amsterdam has such a crazy reputation. There are “no smoking” signs everywhere, but they say “TOBACCO PROHIBITED, MARIJUANA ENCOURAGED” or something to that effect. Needless to say, this is VERY different from Egypt. If an Egyptian is caught with drugs, their punishment can be as severe as to get their hand cut off.
Because of the weather, we eventually decided to go to one of Amsterdam’s many museums. We spent the afternoon and early evening in the Heineken Experience, which was a really well done exhibit. We learned how beer is made, and got three free beers with admission! They also had a really cool room with reclining chairs in front of televisions showing a loop of Heineken commercials from the 1960s until today.
We had dinner at an amazing restaurant, I honestly don’t know the name of it, but it was wonderful to have western food and spend an evening with so many familiar faces!
The next morning we got up early to go to the Anne Frank house. It was an amazing and moving experience. We all agreed that it provided an amazing amount of insight into her family, and it was easy to see that they were all very close, especially from the video interview of her father. The museum worked to preserve the story of the Frank family, as well as educate all of its patrons on the general history of the Holocaust. I was happy to have shared that experience with my friends, many of whom happen to be Jewish as well.
After Anne Frank we had pancakes, one of the many things Amsterdam is famous for, and then set off on a bike tour of the city. We were really lucky that the weather held up, and we took a three hour tour, stopping at all the main sights. The Vandelpark was one of my favorite places, as it reminded me a lot of New York City’s Central Park. Amsterdam is such a beautiful city, which is rich in history. One of my favorite parts of the tour was when the guide explained that all of the houses along the canals are build to be slanted inward. All of the houses have hooks on their roofs, where people’s stock would hang in the sixteenth century, so as to avoid getting wet if the canals flooded. The houses are tipped forward so the stock wouldn’t damage the façade of the house but hitting against it.
We spent the better part of the afternoon walking around after the bike tour, and then partook in rijstaafl for dinner, which is a seven course Indonesian meal. There are an abundance of Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam, as it was a Dutch colony. I have never eaten Indonesian food before, and we all agreed it was a wonderful gastronomic experience. The food came all at once and we feasted for a while, enjoying savory sauces and different types of rice and vegetables. I would definitely do it again! We were exhausted after our long day and decided to turn in early.
The next morning, we slept in, and went to breakfast at a place called Bagels and Beans. We were so thrilled to have bagels! They were more like fancy bread in the shape of a bagel, but beggars can’t be choosers. Afterward we went over to the museum square and took pictures in front of the “I Amsterdam” sign. Then we waited in line for the National Gallery. The museum itself was amazing, with a lot of Rembrandts and Vermeers. It is no my favorite period of art, but the building itself was architecturally beautiful, on the inside and the outside, and the collection was extensive and impressive. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough time for the Van Gogh, but I have seen a lot of exhibits (at YCBA and the Met), and enjoyed the last few hours walking around Amsterdam with my friends before hopping on an InterCity train from Amsterdam to Belgium, and then the Eurostar from Brussels to London.
I definitely want to go back to Amsterdam, preferably in the summer, as there are beaches nearby and it is a beautiful city to walk around. It is a ton of fun, but also rich in history and culture.
I left Leuven early on Thursday to meet up with some of my sorority sisters (Lora, Sami, Brittany and Stef as well as Lucy who is in Tri Delta and Louisa who goes to Johns Hopkins) in Amsterdam. They are all studying in Paris for the semester, but were spending the weekend in Amsterdam, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to see another new place!
I arrived in Amsterdam around 1PM on Thursday, and was greeted with the worst weather possible. It was freezing, pouring rain and windy. I was warned that people in Amsterdam suggest everything in the city is walking distance. We knew the hotel wasn’t far, but we wanted to take a cab because of the weather, and were turned down by several cab drivers all of who told us to walk. This would NEVER happen anywhere else I have ever traveled, as it seems counter productive to the livelihood of the cab drivers!
We walked around for a while and went into a coffee shop, and saw firsthand why Amsterdam has such a crazy reputation. There are “no smoking” signs everywhere, but they say “TOBACCO PROHIBITED, MARIJUANA ENCOURAGED” or something to that effect. Needless to say, this is VERY different from Egypt. If an Egyptian is caught with drugs, their punishment can be as severe as to get their hand cut off.
Because of the weather, we eventually decided to go to one of Amsterdam’s many museums. We spent the afternoon and early evening in the Heineken Experience, which was a really well done exhibit. We learned how beer is made, and got three free beers with admission! They also had a really cool room with reclining chairs in front of televisions showing a loop of Heineken commercials from the 1960s until today.
We had dinner at an amazing restaurant, I honestly don’t know the name of it, but it was wonderful to have western food and spend an evening with so many familiar faces!
The next morning we got up early to go to the Anne Frank house. It was an amazing and moving experience. We all agreed that it provided an amazing amount of insight into her family, and it was easy to see that they were all very close, especially from the video interview of her father. The museum worked to preserve the story of the Frank family, as well as educate all of its patrons on the general history of the Holocaust. I was happy to have shared that experience with my friends, many of whom happen to be Jewish as well.
After Anne Frank we had pancakes, one of the many things Amsterdam is famous for, and then set off on a bike tour of the city. We were really lucky that the weather held up, and we took a three hour tour, stopping at all the main sights. The Vandelpark was one of my favorite places, as it reminded me a lot of New York City’s Central Park. Amsterdam is such a beautiful city, which is rich in history. One of my favorite parts of the tour was when the guide explained that all of the houses along the canals are build to be slanted inward. All of the houses have hooks on their roofs, where people’s stock would hang in the sixteenth century, so as to avoid getting wet if the canals flooded. The houses are tipped forward so the stock wouldn’t damage the façade of the house but hitting against it.
We spent the better part of the afternoon walking around after the bike tour, and then partook in rijstaafl for dinner, which is a seven course Indonesian meal. There are an abundance of Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam, as it was a Dutch colony. I have never eaten Indonesian food before, and we all agreed it was a wonderful gastronomic experience. The food came all at once and we feasted for a while, enjoying savory sauces and different types of rice and vegetables. I would definitely do it again! We were exhausted after our long day and decided to turn in early.
The next morning, we slept in, and went to breakfast at a place called Bagels and Beans. We were so thrilled to have bagels! They were more like fancy bread in the shape of a bagel, but beggars can’t be choosers. Afterward we went over to the museum square and took pictures in front of the “I Amsterdam” sign. Then we waited in line for the National Gallery. The museum itself was amazing, with a lot of Rembrandts and Vermeers. It is no my favorite period of art, but the building itself was architecturally beautiful, on the inside and the outside, and the collection was extensive and impressive. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough time for the Van Gogh, but I have seen a lot of exhibits (at YCBA and the Met), and enjoyed the last few hours walking around Amsterdam with my friends before hopping on an InterCity train from Amsterdam to Belgium, and then the Eurostar from Brussels to London.
I definitely want to go back to Amsterdam, preferably in the summer, as there are beaches nearby and it is a beautiful city to walk around. It is a ton of fun, but also rich in history and culture.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Belgium: Famous for Chocolate, Beer, Waffles and Mussels
I got of the train in Brussels at around 10:30AM and quickly put my luggage in a locker for the day. First stop was the Magritte Museum, the building is just as fantastic as the art inside. The Magritte exhibit was amazing, following Magritte through his life, and different stages of art. I also saw an exhibit on Orientalism from Delacroix to Kandinsky, which was even more incredible, although somewhat ironic as over eighty percent of the paintings were of Egypt.
Next we walked around and saw the Grote Mart or the Grand Place in Brussels It is an absolutely beautiful main square with old buildings, and the whole place is a bustling market on Saturdays. We then went to Delerium, a bar with every Belgian beer. I am not a big beer person, but the bartender gave me a lighter beer with a honey aftertaste, and I really liked it! Additionally, as we walked we stopped at the many chocolate shops around the city. They are everywhere, and are all extremely delicious. We got one piece at every place, and my favorite was a dark chocolate with a praline filling from Leonidas.
We explored the city, with Sarah as my guide, and I got to experience the tempermental Belgian weather, as it rained five or six times in the span of a few hours, and after every time the sun would come out. I absolutely LOVED Brussels, as it looks like a story book, most of the people speak English and there are helpful signs everywhere.
After grabbing some amazing Thai food for dinner, we headed to Leuven, where Sarah lives. Leuven is a really cool place, with tons of bars, restaurants and shops, and over seventy percent of the population is under thirty years old! It is a really friendly place as well. In Brussels, most people speak Dutch and French and a little English. In Leuven everyone spoke perfect English as well as Dutch. Sarah has friends from a whole slew of countries, and it was really great to meet them and go out with them. I was also surprised by the price of alcohol, as a beer was about 3 Euros and a cocktail 6 Euros, where as in New York drinks can be as expensive as $20 each!
I cannot express how much I enjoyed Belgium. From the two cities I saw I feel that it is a beautiful country, with culture and character, but still is easy to navigate and maneuver. I don’t think there is a ton to do as a tourist, you would only need two days in Brussels to see everything, but it would be a fantastic place to live. I would definitely recommend a semester abroad in Leuven for anyone who is still deciding!
Next we walked around and saw the Grote Mart or the Grand Place in Brussels It is an absolutely beautiful main square with old buildings, and the whole place is a bustling market on Saturdays. We then went to Delerium, a bar with every Belgian beer. I am not a big beer person, but the bartender gave me a lighter beer with a honey aftertaste, and I really liked it! Additionally, as we walked we stopped at the many chocolate shops around the city. They are everywhere, and are all extremely delicious. We got one piece at every place, and my favorite was a dark chocolate with a praline filling from Leonidas.
We explored the city, with Sarah as my guide, and I got to experience the tempermental Belgian weather, as it rained five or six times in the span of a few hours, and after every time the sun would come out. I absolutely LOVED Brussels, as it looks like a story book, most of the people speak English and there are helpful signs everywhere.
After grabbing some amazing Thai food for dinner, we headed to Leuven, where Sarah lives. Leuven is a really cool place, with tons of bars, restaurants and shops, and over seventy percent of the population is under thirty years old! It is a really friendly place as well. In Brussels, most people speak Dutch and French and a little English. In Leuven everyone spoke perfect English as well as Dutch. Sarah has friends from a whole slew of countries, and it was really great to meet them and go out with them. I was also surprised by the price of alcohol, as a beer was about 3 Euros and a cocktail 6 Euros, where as in New York drinks can be as expensive as $20 each!
I cannot express how much I enjoyed Belgium. From the two cities I saw I feel that it is a beautiful country, with culture and character, but still is easy to navigate and maneuver. I don’t think there is a ton to do as a tourist, you would only need two days in Brussels to see everything, but it would be a fantastic place to live. I would definitely recommend a semester abroad in Leuven for anyone who is still deciding!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The R7lah (Journey) to the West
My journey from Alexandria to the Cairo Airport was nothing if not eventful. I purchased a ticket for a bus directly to the airport, and was advised to account for a decent amount of traffic, so I bought at 9:30 AM ticket for my 5:30 PM plane. Little did I know when I reached the bus that it would be the beginning of quite a journey. It was smooth sailing for about the first forty minutes, and all of a sudden the driver pulled over. Thinking he had to pray or smoke, I really didn’t mind. However after half an hour went by I knew something was amiss, and inquired about the problem. I saw that the gas tank was LOWER than zero (uh oh), and additionally I heard that there were issues with the battery of the car. I did my best to keep calm, and started planning for worst-case scenario possible (missing the plane). Initially, the women were sitting in the over heated bus while the men stood outside in the fresh air, I got impatient and decided that committing a cultural faux pas was better than heat stroke, and climbed out of the bus. Then I saw, that people were slowly starting to collect their luggage from under the bus. Oh dear. What in the WORLD could this mean? Originally the driver had said another car was going to come and we would get some gas from him until we made it to the nearest gas station, but apparently that plan got nixed and instead a whole new bus was coming…from Alexandria…now an hour away with the increase in traffic. After waiting about an hour longer (telling myself this would probably be the WORST place to have a panic attack), and being constantly told the bus was coming in “ten minutes”, I decided to take action. I would NOT miss my flight to western civilization because I was standing on the side of the road. So I stuck my hand out and flagged down a microbus (called mashro3 in Alexandria.)
I know Mom, you are holding your breath and really angry with me, and I am SURE everyone is assuming I just wasn’t thinking. But I was. This was, in my humble opinion, the best thing to do at the time, given the circumstances.
For those who don’t know, microbuses are a phenomenon I have only seen in Egypt and Morocco (and I know they are all over the Middle East.) They are basically large vans that have an unofficial route and you just flag them down, as you would a taxi, and they tell you the direction they are headed. In Alexandria, they are really the best way to get around, and are totally safe. However, the side of the road between Alex and Cairo may not be the safest place to pick one up…but I figured a) they stopped for me, so they are clearly okay with me, a foreign woman, on their bus and b) there was another woman on the bus. My plan was, take the bus to wherever it would end up in Cairo, and then jump in a cab.
The microbus was 100% the best cultural and linguistic experience I have had in Egypt. I definitely got skeptical looks from people as they first entered the bus and saw me, but the others would explain the story about how they picked me up off the side of the road, and how I needed to get to the airport. I talked about America, and my time in Egypt, and they told me about their lives and their service in the army. At one point a man in his seventies who worked as a technician in Vienna for a year in the 1980’s sat next to me, I knew he had lived abroad cause the other men in the bus kept their distance by giving me my own row. I felt extremely comfortable and safe with them, and they were very respectful of me, asking about my life but not prying in any way. The driver kept pulling up to tour busses and asking if they were headed to the airport, in attempt to find me a direct ride, and eventually we found one…it was a new bus, but the same one I had been on originally!
So patience has never been my strong suit, and in this circumstance it may have done me good to just wait a little longer on the side of the road. But in Egypt, you really never know. If someone says ten minutes, it could be three hours! We made it to the airport at 3:30PM…it was definitely a journey.
I honestly experienced some culture shock at the airport. Everything was so clean, and nobody bothered me as I just walked around the shops and food areas. If anything, the plane was even more of a culture shock. The flight was five hours, and I got to watch movies…in English! The flight went smoothly, and when I got out of the plane at Heathrow I couldn’t contain my excitement… I think I was the most enthusiastic person the customs officer had seen all day.
I took the Heathrow Express to central London and then the tube to where I stayed, and met my friend from high school, Emily Macleod, who is studying abroad in London. Seeing Emily for the first time in two years was great, and we had fun catching up.
I unfortunately came to London in a span of time when almost everyone was traveling. The girls I was staying with left early Wednesday morning, and my other friends weren’t getting back until late Wednesday night. I decided to use this opportunity to take the Eurostar to Brussels! My friend Sarah is studying in Leuven and met me in Brussels (a twenty minute train ride away). I will write all about my time in Belgium in my next post!
I know Mom, you are holding your breath and really angry with me, and I am SURE everyone is assuming I just wasn’t thinking. But I was. This was, in my humble opinion, the best thing to do at the time, given the circumstances.
For those who don’t know, microbuses are a phenomenon I have only seen in Egypt and Morocco (and I know they are all over the Middle East.) They are basically large vans that have an unofficial route and you just flag them down, as you would a taxi, and they tell you the direction they are headed. In Alexandria, they are really the best way to get around, and are totally safe. However, the side of the road between Alex and Cairo may not be the safest place to pick one up…but I figured a) they stopped for me, so they are clearly okay with me, a foreign woman, on their bus and b) there was another woman on the bus. My plan was, take the bus to wherever it would end up in Cairo, and then jump in a cab.
The microbus was 100% the best cultural and linguistic experience I have had in Egypt. I definitely got skeptical looks from people as they first entered the bus and saw me, but the others would explain the story about how they picked me up off the side of the road, and how I needed to get to the airport. I talked about America, and my time in Egypt, and they told me about their lives and their service in the army. At one point a man in his seventies who worked as a technician in Vienna for a year in the 1980’s sat next to me, I knew he had lived abroad cause the other men in the bus kept their distance by giving me my own row. I felt extremely comfortable and safe with them, and they were very respectful of me, asking about my life but not prying in any way. The driver kept pulling up to tour busses and asking if they were headed to the airport, in attempt to find me a direct ride, and eventually we found one…it was a new bus, but the same one I had been on originally!
So patience has never been my strong suit, and in this circumstance it may have done me good to just wait a little longer on the side of the road. But in Egypt, you really never know. If someone says ten minutes, it could be three hours! We made it to the airport at 3:30PM…it was definitely a journey.
I honestly experienced some culture shock at the airport. Everything was so clean, and nobody bothered me as I just walked around the shops and food areas. If anything, the plane was even more of a culture shock. The flight was five hours, and I got to watch movies…in English! The flight went smoothly, and when I got out of the plane at Heathrow I couldn’t contain my excitement… I think I was the most enthusiastic person the customs officer had seen all day.
I took the Heathrow Express to central London and then the tube to where I stayed, and met my friend from high school, Emily Macleod, who is studying abroad in London. Seeing Emily for the first time in two years was great, and we had fun catching up.
I unfortunately came to London in a span of time when almost everyone was traveling. The girls I was staying with left early Wednesday morning, and my other friends weren’t getting back until late Wednesday night. I decided to use this opportunity to take the Eurostar to Brussels! My friend Sarah is studying in Leuven and met me in Brussels (a twenty minute train ride away). I will write all about my time in Belgium in my next post!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Smoke Break During a Movie? Only in Egypt!
So I definitely worked on smiling this week, and I think it had a positive effect on my psyche. The weather the past few days has been amazing, a high of about 85 degrees and getting down to around 65 degrees at night. The week went off without a hitch, one of the more embarrassing moments included having to perform a poem from memory in my ECA class. Tuesday was Molly’s birthday! We had so much fun, and went to China House to get dinner and a birthday drink, and met up with a lot of the group at an Ex-Pat bar called Spitfire. Apparently, the Egyptian beer company Stella was having some sort of promotion with a prize under the cap of the beer. Desperate to find the winning bottle, the bar was giving out free beers! (Where are we again?) This was a particularly unique and fun experience in Alex, and I have to say, a great start to the weekend!
Wednesday, Andi and I got up early and tried one of the old, famous cafes on the Corniche. It was called Atheneos, and it definitely left its glory days somewhere in the past, but it was great to get out of the dorm! Determined to stay out, Andi and I ran, and then went to City Center (aka Little America) with Molly. We walked around and got Starbucks and it almost felt totally normal, until someone pushed me out of line at H & M and I had to yell at them to get my place back…
Thursday I basically spent the entire day relaxing and doing work, and then we went to see “The Social Network” in an area called Smouha. The shopping center that housed the movie theater is called Green Plaza, and is actually really beautiful. Its totally outdoor and the weather is perfect, so we just walked around until it was time for the movie.
The movie itself was great! I think I liked it because I am so starved for any American culture and it was extremely witty and sarcastic. I really don’t think the Egyptians got a lot of the Pop-culture references, as the translation was really strange and nobody laughed at the funny parts. The weirdest part of the experience was the random smoke break. Justin Timberlake was talking, and all of a sudden the movie was cut off, and the word “Break” appeared on the screen in Arabic. All of them men filed out of the movie to smoke, and the filed back in about five minutes later as the movie resumed.
Friday was fabulous. My MSA teacher owns several private centers that teach fus-ha (MSA) to Egyptian students. Friday, six of us went over to his school to go to a class. The students are all in high school, and focus on grammar, while foreign students are encouraged to study grammar, listening, speaking and writing. The class was over fifty kids, and boys sit separately from the girls (cause otherwise they would talk too much). The students clearly revere my teacher, and were paying attention for almost the entire two hours. Everyone participated, collectively shouting out the answers to his questions, and laughing along with his jokes. After that we went to a café to do work.
The school week was pretty much uneventful. We had midterms, and a lot of stuff due before the big break. Tomorrow I am off to Europe!
Wednesday, Andi and I got up early and tried one of the old, famous cafes on the Corniche. It was called Atheneos, and it definitely left its glory days somewhere in the past, but it was great to get out of the dorm! Determined to stay out, Andi and I ran, and then went to City Center (aka Little America) with Molly. We walked around and got Starbucks and it almost felt totally normal, until someone pushed me out of line at H & M and I had to yell at them to get my place back…
Thursday I basically spent the entire day relaxing and doing work, and then we went to see “The Social Network” in an area called Smouha. The shopping center that housed the movie theater is called Green Plaza, and is actually really beautiful. Its totally outdoor and the weather is perfect, so we just walked around until it was time for the movie.
The movie itself was great! I think I liked it because I am so starved for any American culture and it was extremely witty and sarcastic. I really don’t think the Egyptians got a lot of the Pop-culture references, as the translation was really strange and nobody laughed at the funny parts. The weirdest part of the experience was the random smoke break. Justin Timberlake was talking, and all of a sudden the movie was cut off, and the word “Break” appeared on the screen in Arabic. All of them men filed out of the movie to smoke, and the filed back in about five minutes later as the movie resumed.
Friday was fabulous. My MSA teacher owns several private centers that teach fus-ha (MSA) to Egyptian students. Friday, six of us went over to his school to go to a class. The students are all in high school, and focus on grammar, while foreign students are encouraged to study grammar, listening, speaking and writing. The class was over fifty kids, and boys sit separately from the girls (cause otherwise they would talk too much). The students clearly revere my teacher, and were paying attention for almost the entire two hours. Everyone participated, collectively shouting out the answers to his questions, and laughing along with his jokes. After that we went to a café to do work.
The school week was pretty much uneventful. We had midterms, and a lot of stuff due before the big break. Tomorrow I am off to Europe!
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