My fans have been clamoring for an update, and I'll admit I've been remiss in keep the blog updated. The reason I haven't produced a new post lately is that I'm starting to feel that Cairo is too complicated to blog about. There is simply no way to adequately describe what it's like to live here; you have to experience it yourself to get the picture.
That said, if you want to keep in mind as you're reading the blog that this doesn't even begin to describe this place, then maybe I can keep you all updated.
So what's new in al-Qahira? Basically, lately I've been going to classes (Colloquial Arabic, Modern-Standard Arabic, Development, International Security, and Environmental Politics) and adjusting to how school works here. Classes here are much, much smaller than at Northwestern and attendance counts a lot because some of the Egyptian students have trouble with participation because of their limited English skills. Also, my non-arabic classes have become increasingly frustrating due to some of the worst lecturers I've ever had. I'm starting to realize just how good a school Northwestern is...
As for how the rest of my day goes, between classes I fight the hoards of perfumed, Gucci-clad AUC students who sit with legs stretched across the stairs on Greek Campus. After the first few days, I learned that the only way to get to classes in the social science building is to forcibly shove them aside or step on their bags and notebooks. This is just one of many examples of how living in Cairo forces you to dehumanize the people around you. Whether stereotyping the Egyptian AUC students as superficial, spoiled, and ignorant or shunning the filthy children who beg near the shuttle stop or ignoring the existence of men when you pass them on the street, what one does to get by in Cairo's social system can morph an empathetic and dynamic person into a deaf and blind shell.
More thoughts like these later. The hour of iftar (breakfast during Ramadan) approaches, and I must get some din.
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