Ma'a Sallema ya Baladi

So, after waiting about 45 minutes for a table, some friends and I finally sat down to eat at this great, tiny Sudanese restaurant downtown. It’s really authentic, the owners used to run a similar restaurant in south Sudan.

I had the same difficulty finding a seat at this fantastic Iraqi restaurant in Nasr City (Cairo) run by a friendly Sunni family from Falluja who used to be proud restaurant owners in their hometown, too.

Both these restaurants were jam-packed with patrons breaking the Ramadan fast, enjoying classic Sudanese kisra and Iraqi kibbeh with their families. These weren’t Egyptians, but Sudanese and Iraqis who have fled conflict at home to make a new life in Cairo.

Currently, some 2,000,000 Sudanese and 150,000 Iraqis call Cairo home. Think about that. That’s at least 2,150,000 people, roughly the state of Utah, crammed in to an already bursting city of 18,000,000 Egyptians. It’s easy to look at those huge numbers and move on, I still do it, it is just beyond comprehension.

I can’t help, however, and recall a great quote from the legendary Matt Morton. I’m sure we were discussing some noble cause when Matt said, “you know, Dave, behind every number there’s a face.” When I think about it that way, it brings those numbers down to the human level, rather than an insurmountable, unsolvable issue left to the “other” side of the world. 2,150,000 refugees, in Cairo alone, each living his or her life, paying the rent, hanging out with friends, listening to Bob Marley or whoever, watching TV, buying potatoes – doing about the same stuff we do every day.

I have the privilege of counting a few of these people as my friends here in Cairo, whom I largely met through my work with Student Action for Refugees (STAR). STAR is a student-led organization that provides support to the refugee community in Cairo by providing refugees with free education and opportunities for economic development. The biggest part of STAR is the English language program, imparting a real skill and educational outlet for Cairo’s refugee population.

It’s a tough life for refugees in Cairo, they face daily discrimination, a lack of opportunity, the constant threat of random arrest, deportation – the list goes on. With all this, most still manage to keep a positive attitude. As put by a Darfuri friend, “Yes, life is hard, but you know, ups and downs.” The courage and patience it takes to endure in the face of such circumstances is astounding.

Anyways, food for thought. Two million plus people, each one keepin’ on in Cairo.

As always, a big thanks to the Gilman Scholarship, I’m telling you, getting a big check to study abroad in exchange for a short essay is a good day. Check out their website at www.iie.org/gilman or head down to the ever-helpful Center for International Education.

Ice Cream and Israeli Tanks

Well, American tanks really, but who’s counting. That’s right! Smack dab in the middle of Cairo lies this vintage M60 A1 Patton tank, courtesy of the Chrysler corporation.

What precipitated this ice-cream eating, tank-exploring adventure? A visit to the 1973 October War Panorama, of course! Built with the help of North Korean artists, this particular panorama describes the epic Egyptian victory over their arch-nemesis, Israel.

To give a little background, it was Friday in Cairo, shops were closed, people were praying, and traffic was light. Thus, a few friends and I decided to hit Egypt’s equivalent of the Smithsonian, the October War Panorama. To sum up the Egyptian-Israeli conflict in as few sentences as possible, Egypt is angry with Israel (although less angry now than before), Israel is defensive and at times, pompous, and the US has sent or is currently sending guns to both sides. Israel pulled a major military hat trick in 1967 that allotted all sorts of new (formerly Egyptian) real estate. In 1973, Egypt struck back with a surprise attack across the Red Sea, capturing some territory and eventually bringing the Israelis to the negotiating table. Ever since, Israel has been a great way for Egypt to deflect internal criticism, with most Egyptians lulled into believing that the invisible Israeli hand is behind everything. My favorite quote came from a taxi driver after several days of (highly unusual) rain in Cairo, “How about this rain? I’m pretty sure the Israelis are testing some sort of new weapon.” You get the idea. Florida’s middle-schoolers go on field trip to Sea World, Egyptian middle-schoolers go to the Panorama.

The Panorama itself is a monument to old school nationalism and supremacy of the state. I mean, the panorama was designed by artists employed by Kim Jong Il, the guy in North Korea who’s busy stockpiling nukes and building statues of himself while his people starve. Upon entering the Panorama, one is face to face with statues of brave, Egyptian soldiers and captured Israeli hardware. While the M101 Howitzer and M48 Patton tanks were interesting, I found the concession stand to be the real draw, what with their $.20 ice cream bars and cardboard cutouts of Gamal Abdel Nassar and Anwar Sadat (former Egyptian presidents.) After purchasing a delicious chocolate and almond bar, I headed over to the massive, 46 ton piece of steel sitting on its concrete display stand.

Had you asked me a year ago what I’d be doing in twelve months I can assure you this wouldn’t have been my answer.

After taking the obligatory pictures in and around the tank, we headed into the Panorama, a huge, revolving scene comprised of intricate paintings and the careful addition of actual military hardware. My friends, about fifty Egyptians, and I spend about twenty minutes revolving around gripping battle scenes narrated by a deep-voiced, stirring commentator. “Egyptian forces stormed across the Bar Lev! Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar! The courageous soldiers forced a swift retreat of the cowardly Israelis!” Pretty much one sided. Sweet talking the curator in Egyptian colloquial got us a little extra time to photograph the Panorama and mill about. Getting the VIP treatment inside a panorama built by North Koreans, depicting the defeat of Israeli forces supplied by the US struck me as fairly bizarre, but we were happy to get the celebrity treatment. The curators didn’t seem to mind and were eager to show us the fine points of the exhibit and the section where only Mubarak, Egypt’s president, is allowed to sit. About fifteen minutes of photography later we headed out to the tarmac and toured the A4’s, AMX 13’s, M109’s, and other massive, captured weapons.

All in all, the Panorama trip was great. Picked up a few insights into Egypt’s nationalist past and got some great pictures sitting on tanks made in Detroit.

Thanks again to the Gilman scholarship for making all this possible – I’m telling you, go down to the CIE, pick a country, and go abroad. More shenanigans coming, shalo….ma’a sallema!

Lions and Tigers and Bribes, oh my!
“You want hold fox? You want hold baby chimpanzee? Baby lion?” Yes, yes, and yes! A resounding YESSSS!!! for The Cairo Zoo.
What can’t $10 buy!
To quote Dane Cook, “We’re going to Tarantino this one.” Four expatriates and I are standing in an off limits zoo area, three feet from a roaring, full-grown lioness that is clearly displeased with our presence.
The zookeeper subtly relates to us the price of the prized kitty cat, “$1,000 for you my friend.” Wow. There are not many places in the world where you can buy a baby lion, but my roommate, Pat, and I opted to skip the otherwise very tempting purchase.
It was a long day, so I will start from the beginning. The Friday began as most do in Cairo: closed shops, little traffic, and Friday prayers. While not the most conservative country in the Middle East, Cairo still shuts down on its Sabbath. Most of the population, including Christians, takes the time to pray – or at least relax.
A few friends and I decided that there was no better time to hit the zoo, infamous for its stuffed animal enclosures and deplorable conditions. Five of us met at the local café, had some seriously strong coffee, and headed down to the metro. The subway took us as far as Giza, where we then hopped into a Cairo taxi, which is basically an old, Russian taxi taped, bolted, and glued together.
After paying our eighty cent cab fare, we walked up to the pandemonium that is the entrance to The Cairo Zoo. Picture a quiet day in the park. Now throw that image out the window; think hordes of sweating people cramming the lone ticket window to purchase entrance tickets. Upon entering the zoo, however, one steps in to an alternate, distinctly non-Cairene (Cairo) universe. There are trees, animals, and open space, all rare commodities in the city. The zoo is a favorite weekend picnic spot for Cairo’s middle class, coming to hang out, eat falafel, and relax with friends. We, however, came to see the animals. And see the animals we did…
The first stop on the zoo tour was the fox cage, where we quickly befriended a zookeeper eager to give us the V.I.P. treatment. After scoping out a rare, African fox of some sort (and paying a bit) the zookeeper posed the question, “Do you want to see the baby lions?” After brief negotiations, we headed out with ‘Masree’ (lit. Egyptian) to check out these lions.
Cairo’s animal collection is surprisingly impressive – cheetahs, leopards, lions, rhinos, zebras, hippos, birds (mostly pigeons), monkeys, and, of course, Camels. After hurriedly passing these we arrived at the lion enclosure, which is basically a 19th century US enclosure, transported to Cairo. The conditions are pretty abysmal, but the animals are well-fed and appeared healthy, although clearly disliking their cages.
After a little negotiation with the lion-keeper we were ushered into a back area housing five lions, two of them being approximately three months old. The keeper had clearly been through the you-pay-me-money-and-I-let-you-hold-lion exercise before and was soon scooping up the cubs. While we didn’t buy the lions, we did have the chance to briefly hold them before returning them to their mother, who was quite perturbed.
Anyway, that was the highlight of the trip. The monkeys were great (when are they not?), and we took many a picture posing in front of the hungry, hungry hippos. Kudos to the Gilman scholarship for the check that made this encounter possible, I’m telling you guys, check it out – more Cairousities to come!

KFC and Old Rocks

Sitting at a Kentucky Fried Chicken, a few hundred yards from the last remaining ancient wonder of the world really makes you think. Where am i? Why is there a KFC next to the last remaining wonder of the world? In any event, KFC’s chicken is delicious, the restaurant is takeefed (air conditioned), and it’s got a fantastic window view.
Okay, from the beginning. To give a bit of an introduction, my name’s Dave Dowd – I’m milking my Stetson undergraduate experience for one more year (that makes five, for those who are counting) to study in a land of immense history, stifling heat, and choking pollution. Welcome to Egypt! Thanks to a generous check from Uncle Sam and a little support from Charlie Crist, I’m able to pursue serious study of the Arabic language – but more on that later.
So, studying in Egypt for a year…it’s hot, crowded, the works, but I love it. Living in Cairo definitely has its drawbacks: the lack of western amenities (Mi Mexico) and rife pollution (leaded fuel, anyone?), but these drawbacks are greatly outweighed by the positive aspects of life in the city. Egyptians are incredibly friendly, the city is extremely safe, and everything is really cheap. Dirt cheap. Really dirt cheap. There is nothing like paying $110 a month for a sweet, downtown apartment that makes you appreciate how far the greenback goes over here. Too bad women can’t spend the night, but…$110!
Back to the Giza pyramids. Standing at over sixty stories, these ancient rocks (ancient!) are solid testament to Egypt’s fantastic history. Panning the Giza complex one finds three massive and three much smaller (the Pharaoh’s wives) pyramids that have survivied nearly 5,000 years of oppressive heat, mummy attacks, and films by Brendan Fraser.
Gazing upon these ancient structures one cannot help but notice the cloudy haze across the horizon – Cairo. Modern Egypt stops at the foot of the Sphinx, the city’s ever-expanding urban sprawl creeping towards the crown jewel of ancient history. Twenty million Egyptians, perhaps 1.5 million Sudanese, and, more recently, a quarter of a million Iraqis, call Cairo home, stretching this city’s aging services to the breaking point. Given all this, Cairo still retains its title as the heart and cultural center of the Arab world. I feel privileged to study here and invite and of y’all (for true DeLandites) to come out and visit.
Studying abroad is a fantastic experience, be it in France, Cambodia, Egypt, wherever. Stetson’s stellar Center for International Education is always happy to help sort out study abroad, advising students on country choice and when to best pursue etudes etrangieres. The Gilman Scholarship, a federal scholarship to the tune of $5K (US!), is a major incentive to study abroad. Writing a good essay, getting great recommendations, and committing to a follow-on service project might just squeeze a big award check out of Uncle Sam. As a recipient of the Gilman Scholarship, I receive the privilege (read: service requirement) of writing a weekly article to my academic peers. I look forward to enlightening the Stetson community about the Egyptian experience and for those who have read this far, thanks an more to come!