Last night was one of the best times that I've had with my students thus far. A few weeks ago one of my 11th grade students, Peter Reda, came up to me and said, "WE HAVE TO GO CAMPING!" I said, "Ok, let's do it." It took us a few weekends to get it together and go do it, but we eventually got our stuff together. We went into the center of Cairo to buy some pancake mix and marshmallows the other night, because what would camping be without marshmallows?!?
Anyways, so we were talking about what time we would go out when two of my rowdy 10th graders, Wagdy and Malak. Malak is a short, stocky, really well built 19 year old who loves to mess with me and tell me he's going to beat me. Wagdy is 18 and is really loud, loves to try to push my buttons, and is always trying to show me how strong he is. Unfortunately, he isn't a bit like Malak and is pretty scrawny. I have to say that they are really annoying in class, but I love these guys. They're my type of guys, but not too much in class ;). I decided to invite them to come with us. They were naturally interested and so I told them to go grab some blankets and mattresses. It turned up that we had a group of nine guys, Malak, Wagdy, Wael, Maged, Peter, Daniel (the French SM- GREAT GUY!), Medhat (Egyptian staff member- also a good guy) and myself.
To summarize the night, instead of writing huge paragraphs, we:
-Built a fire and roasted marshmallows
-Lit our farts on fire; and now you understand the title. Daniel was the only one who really got a round of applause.
-Made Bedouin Tea with our steel ladle
-Wrestled a lot; I think that was especially good because I can't beat my students with a yardstick like I would like to, but I can wrestle with them in the free time. It was my first time really wrestling around with these guys and I feel a different bond with them now. I can tell that they have more respect for me, since I beat each of them, except Peter because we don't wrestle around. There's a different type of relationship, he's 17 but he's probably the most mature Egyptian in the school.
-Got completely jumped! Wael, Wadgy, Malak, and Maged decided that since they couldn't beat me individually they'd all take me on. I wish I could say that I took them on, but there wasn't a chance! Wael and Malak easily subdued my arms while Maged and Wagdy sat on me and tickled me until I honestly had tears coming out of my eyes. I'd forgotten how you could actually cry if somebody tickled you relentlessly. Needless to say, I remember now!
-Had some good talks about spirituality. The topics of freedom of choice and why does God change so much in the way He deals with people from the Old Testament to the New Testament. It was good stuff, they're guys who have the courage to admit they doubt the character of God that has been portrayed to them and it was great to think things out with them.
We went to bed, I didn't sleep too well, but it was DEFINITELY worth it! We woke up and made some pancakes and headed to church. This will stick out as one of the "good times" from my experience in Egypt. My students make my experience here. I hate the stuff they do at times, but I love these kids. I laugh at myself as I write this because I'm getting really sick of the culture here, at times, but I know that it will be really tough to leave Egypt.
Takin' It Easy at Karnak
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Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Christmas Break Part 11: The Return to Cairo
The morning that we headed out of the White Desert also happened to be the morning that we decided to go back to Cairo. We were originally planning to stay another night in the desert at Beharaya Oasis, but Monte got 300 LE stolen from him when we were at the Anwar Hotel and we were kind of ready to head back to the school anyways. So we made the decision to take the trip back to Cairo.
When we arrived back in Dakhala from the desert our guides took us to a place by the side of the street that was supposedly the stop for the bus headed to Cairo. They helped us with our bags and Monte gave them 50 for all of us for a tip. We were about to go when one of them put out his hand and said, "Baksheesh." I'll be honest that whenever somebody asks me for baksheesh, I rarely want to give them anything because they always give you this puppy dog face and want more- no matter what amount you give us. They'd charged us 50 LE extra to go to a free hot spring that was on the route back to Dakhala so we figured they'd be doing just fine in the area of tips. We told them on the way that we wouldn't bargain on the price and whatever was left over from the expenses (nothing) we'd give them in tips. I was already personally planning to give them 20 LE, but I changed my mind and put my money back in my pocket.
I'd say that is one of the most frustrating things about being here is that a lot of people are just trying to exploit me. They fight dirty, too- pity parties, guilt trips, anger, and other creative methods of manipulation. I understand their situation, but it gets tiresome dealing with them and still trying to show respect for them as human being because they stoop REALLY LOW. I guess desperation can have that kind of effect on people...
Anyways, we were waiting a big guy that walked with a bit of a swagger told us to come with him to his bus. I was really skeptical at first that he was going to take us to Cairo, so I double checked which direction the bus was headed on my compass. He was actually headed towards Cairo and I felt a bit of trust towards him. We asked him how much, he told us 35. I double checked and then Daniel asked him again, just to make sure. We didn't want a repeat of the day before.
We boarded the bus and it was CROWDED! Every seat was taken once we sat down and almost everybody was carrying some type of luggage. I don't know why, but it seemed like 90% of the bus was hostile. When I'd look around and make eye contact with somebody, I'd smile and get a glare in return. I'm not sure if my distrust of the bus owner was shining through to the other people or my own feelings of frustration were more visible than I realized, or maybe it was because the book I was reading had an American soldier on it. These are all attempts at a guess, but I won't deny that I was getting pretty annoyed. Usually when you smile and say, "Hi", the Egyptians return a smile and a hello. Not this time.
I decided I'd just smile if I made a contact and show respect in what way I could, but I'd resign myself to just talking with Kevin. We had some good conversations, but everytime we'd laugh or get excited in our talk these guys would look over and glare at us. I started to just get flat out angry because it happens at times on the metro, but never on a scale like it was with this. These guys knew nothing about me, what was their problem?
The swaggering bus owner came through a few hours later to collect money. He put out his hand and said authoritatively, "Give 35 pounds." I got out a 50, he rolled his eyes at me and said, "Give small money" I told him that was the best I could do and he begrudgingly sifted through his wad of bills and handed me change. He waddled off to his seat under the weight of his rotund belly and I was just thinking, "What is wrong with these people?"
The bus ride went on and we stopped at Beharaya Oasis. I walked around and bought some dates and Beharaya grown olives. I got a great price for the olives -20 LE for a 3 kilo jar!! I was pretty happy about my purchase, but I ended up leaving them on board the bus when we arrived in Cairo.
We got back on board the bus and once again more glares. The trip continued and eventually though one of the guys looked at me, I smiled and he smiled back. I thought, "hmmm... maybe this guy isn't so bad after all." It turned out that by the time we got to Cairo they were all really helpful with making sure we found our way back to the school (even though we knew it, but we figured we'd just take the good intentioned help).
I learned a lesson from that bus ride. I'm still not sure why those people were so hostile towards me in the beginning, but I feel good that I walked away from that ride victorious. It proved to me yet again that you can't control other people, but you can control yourself. I had better control of myself than they did and they eventually came over to my "conditions" for our short temporary relationship. It worked because I showed the most respect to them. They weren't giving me any respect, but I gave them respect anyways. I prayed a decent amount on that ride and I know I didn't do that by my own because usually I would've just said, "forget them. I'll glare back, too." This time was different and I'm glad it was different. I'll remember that bus ride as the beginning of a journey to alter my mentality of dealing with people.
When we arrived back in Dakhala from the desert our guides took us to a place by the side of the street that was supposedly the stop for the bus headed to Cairo. They helped us with our bags and Monte gave them 50 for all of us for a tip. We were about to go when one of them put out his hand and said, "Baksheesh." I'll be honest that whenever somebody asks me for baksheesh, I rarely want to give them anything because they always give you this puppy dog face and want more- no matter what amount you give us. They'd charged us 50 LE extra to go to a free hot spring that was on the route back to Dakhala so we figured they'd be doing just fine in the area of tips. We told them on the way that we wouldn't bargain on the price and whatever was left over from the expenses (nothing) we'd give them in tips. I was already personally planning to give them 20 LE, but I changed my mind and put my money back in my pocket.
I'd say that is one of the most frustrating things about being here is that a lot of people are just trying to exploit me. They fight dirty, too- pity parties, guilt trips, anger, and other creative methods of manipulation. I understand their situation, but it gets tiresome dealing with them and still trying to show respect for them as human being because they stoop REALLY LOW. I guess desperation can have that kind of effect on people...
Anyways, we were waiting a big guy that walked with a bit of a swagger told us to come with him to his bus. I was really skeptical at first that he was going to take us to Cairo, so I double checked which direction the bus was headed on my compass. He was actually headed towards Cairo and I felt a bit of trust towards him. We asked him how much, he told us 35. I double checked and then Daniel asked him again, just to make sure. We didn't want a repeat of the day before.
We boarded the bus and it was CROWDED! Every seat was taken once we sat down and almost everybody was carrying some type of luggage. I don't know why, but it seemed like 90% of the bus was hostile. When I'd look around and make eye contact with somebody, I'd smile and get a glare in return. I'm not sure if my distrust of the bus owner was shining through to the other people or my own feelings of frustration were more visible than I realized, or maybe it was because the book I was reading had an American soldier on it. These are all attempts at a guess, but I won't deny that I was getting pretty annoyed. Usually when you smile and say, "Hi", the Egyptians return a smile and a hello. Not this time.
I decided I'd just smile if I made a contact and show respect in what way I could, but I'd resign myself to just talking with Kevin. We had some good conversations, but everytime we'd laugh or get excited in our talk these guys would look over and glare at us. I started to just get flat out angry because it happens at times on the metro, but never on a scale like it was with this. These guys knew nothing about me, what was their problem?
The swaggering bus owner came through a few hours later to collect money. He put out his hand and said authoritatively, "Give 35 pounds." I got out a 50, he rolled his eyes at me and said, "Give small money" I told him that was the best I could do and he begrudgingly sifted through his wad of bills and handed me change. He waddled off to his seat under the weight of his rotund belly and I was just thinking, "What is wrong with these people?"
The bus ride went on and we stopped at Beharaya Oasis. I walked around and bought some dates and Beharaya grown olives. I got a great price for the olives -20 LE for a 3 kilo jar!! I was pretty happy about my purchase, but I ended up leaving them on board the bus when we arrived in Cairo.
We got back on board the bus and once again more glares. The trip continued and eventually though one of the guys looked at me, I smiled and he smiled back. I thought, "hmmm... maybe this guy isn't so bad after all." It turned out that by the time we got to Cairo they were all really helpful with making sure we found our way back to the school (even though we knew it, but we figured we'd just take the good intentioned help).
I learned a lesson from that bus ride. I'm still not sure why those people were so hostile towards me in the beginning, but I feel good that I walked away from that ride victorious. It proved to me yet again that you can't control other people, but you can control yourself. I had better control of myself than they did and they eventually came over to my "conditions" for our short temporary relationship. It worked because I showed the most respect to them. They weren't giving me any respect, but I gave them respect anyways. I prayed a decent amount on that ride and I know I didn't do that by my own because usually I would've just said, "forget them. I'll glare back, too." This time was different and I'm glad it was different. I'll remember that bus ride as the beginning of a journey to alter my mentality of dealing with people.
Christmas Break Part 10: Farafra and the White Desert
Once we arrived in Farafra and waved goodbye to our dishonest mini-bus driver it was nearly dark. We'd decided in advance that we wanted to do a trip into the desert after a night in Farafra, but once we realized how utterly small it was we decided to see if we could get out on a night safari into the White Desert.
We started out with trying to go through the Sunrise Hotel aka "Sunrise Dump". The guy told us it would be 1500 LE for all of us and we said, "No, 100 LE each". He laughed at us and said, "There is no way you will be able to go to the desert for less than 900, but he would give us a special price of 850" I took it as a challenge and suggested we leave and then come back. We eventually found a guy that would do it for 700, but take us out the following morning. We didn't want a day tour, but we used it as leverage with the other guy.
After a series of bargainings and telling him that we would go to the other guy, but "we really liked him" (that's the way they talk here, "well because you seem like a really nice guy I'll give you an outrageous price for something cheap!") and wanted him to make money. This is really great after a series of "phone calls" where he was holding down the receiver!!! We had a tour out to the desert for 600 LE- I'm once again quite proud of the negotiations we pulled off as a team. Daniel and I have learned to work really well to pressure sellers in a bargain as a team and it has saved us a lot of money! I still think he got a good deal out of us, but we got the trip we wanted and for 250 LE cheaper.
We headed out into the desert with the two best Egyptians we met the whole trip (besides Zowek). They weren't obnoxious about trying to sell us stupid stuff and they were just laid back. They weren't dying to entertain us and they were both just "down-to-earth" guys.
The White Desert was the best way to end the trip! The stars were ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. You hardly ever see more than two or three stars in the sky at the school, but in the desert you could see SO MANY! I haven't seen the sky that lit up in a long time and it was a really good experience. It's funny how you don't realize how cool somthing is until you don't have it anymore. Oh life lessons.......
I had a good talk that night with one of our guides about the character of God. He was a Muslim and had a practical view on God. He said he really loved everything about the Koran, but somethings confused him. He said that a loving God is the only God that made sense to him and I talked with him about my views on God. We were both from VERY DIFFERENT backgrounds, but we somehow had a similar view on God. It was good to talk with him.
The following morning we went to a place called "mushroom" rock. A huge rock that looks like a, guess... Mushroom! Who would have guessed. After that we went to a hot spring in the desert and then boarded a bus headed to Cairo. The trip could not have ended any better! I saw a lot of cool things during my break, but the White Desert stands out as my favorite experience.
We started out with trying to go through the Sunrise Hotel aka "Sunrise Dump". The guy told us it would be 1500 LE for all of us and we said, "No, 100 LE each". He laughed at us and said, "There is no way you will be able to go to the desert for less than 900, but he would give us a special price of 850" I took it as a challenge and suggested we leave and then come back. We eventually found a guy that would do it for 700, but take us out the following morning. We didn't want a day tour, but we used it as leverage with the other guy.
After a series of bargainings and telling him that we would go to the other guy, but "we really liked him" (that's the way they talk here, "well because you seem like a really nice guy I'll give you an outrageous price for something cheap!") and wanted him to make money. This is really great after a series of "phone calls" where he was holding down the receiver!!! We had a tour out to the desert for 600 LE- I'm once again quite proud of the negotiations we pulled off as a team. Daniel and I have learned to work really well to pressure sellers in a bargain as a team and it has saved us a lot of money! I still think he got a good deal out of us, but we got the trip we wanted and for 250 LE cheaper.
We headed out into the desert with the two best Egyptians we met the whole trip (besides Zowek). They weren't obnoxious about trying to sell us stupid stuff and they were just laid back. They weren't dying to entertain us and they were both just "down-to-earth" guys.
The White Desert was the best way to end the trip! The stars were ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. You hardly ever see more than two or three stars in the sky at the school, but in the desert you could see SO MANY! I haven't seen the sky that lit up in a long time and it was a really good experience. It's funny how you don't realize how cool somthing is until you don't have it anymore. Oh life lessons.......
I had a good talk that night with one of our guides about the character of God. He was a Muslim and had a practical view on God. He said he really loved everything about the Koran, but somethings confused him. He said that a loving God is the only God that made sense to him and I talked with him about my views on God. We were both from VERY DIFFERENT backgrounds, but we somehow had a similar view on God. It was good to talk with him.
The following morning we went to a place called "mushroom" rock. A huge rock that looks like a, guess... Mushroom! Who would have guessed. After that we went to a hot spring in the desert and then boarded a bus headed to Cairo. The trip could not have ended any better! I saw a lot of cool things during my break, but the White Desert stands out as my favorite experience.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Christmas Break Part 9: The Trip to Farafra
The trip to Farafra was probably one of the more intense experiences that we had on our trip. We had asked one of the guys waiting at the bus stop what the price to Farafra was and he told us it was 17 LE. So we got on board and headed towards Farafra.
Three quarters of the way there the driver started getting money from all of the passengers and we passed up our 17 each. He said back to us "Arabic, arabic... give me more money.. more Arabic I didn't understand, Arabic I can understand - you need to give me 25 LE each." Daniel replied back, "No."
Let me give you a background on Daniel. This is his 2nd year SM'ing in Egypt and he is a really independent, strong willed, justice inspired, and sometimes really stubborn guy. He values fairness in all situations and doesn't have much tolerance for the crap that a lot of the Egyptians try to pull on us.
Back to the story. The drivers assistant or co-pilot as I like to call them started yelling at us and telling us to give him more money. I told him, "No, 17 enough, all pay 17." He turned around and started talking to the driver, then suddenly the guy slams on the brakes and stops the car. He gets out of the car, comes to us and starts demanding more money. We argued back and forth with him for a little bit and at first the Egyptians were either silent or on our side, but somehow the co-pilot convinced them we were cheating the driver.
The arguing continued until eventually the guy said our bags on the roof is what cost us the extra 8 LE, but there were also many other packages on the top. I laughed at him really obnoxiously because the guy was being so ridiculously dishonest. Even the guys that had "sided" with him started laughing because they knew he was being dishonest.
After this, though, things got pretty serious. Some passengers started yelling and swearing at us in Arabic. Daniel wasn't willing to budge because he didn't want to pay more, but I realized the "chemistry" of the mini-bus was changing. There were only two Egyptians left on the bus who weren't yelling at us and the prospect of getting thrown out of a bus in the middle of the desert wasn't appealing. I gave in for Daniel and paid his extra 8 LE because I didn't want to get thrown out of the mini-bus.
Looking back on it there is a part of me that feels I shouldn't have paid them the extra based on principle, but then the other part of me knows I made the right choice because the area we were in wasn't the most "Western-Friendly". There were 12 guys yelling at us and the fact that we were four in the middle of nowhere didn't seem like a good time to start a fight over a total of 32 LE ($6). I was really tempted to leave a ton of trash in his bus, but I decided against it because I don't want to be a revenge driven person. It seemed so fair at the time, but I'm glad I didn't.
Once we gave him the money he started up the car again and we continued to head towards Farafra.
Three quarters of the way there the driver started getting money from all of the passengers and we passed up our 17 each. He said back to us "Arabic, arabic... give me more money.. more Arabic I didn't understand, Arabic I can understand - you need to give me 25 LE each." Daniel replied back, "No."
Let me give you a background on Daniel. This is his 2nd year SM'ing in Egypt and he is a really independent, strong willed, justice inspired, and sometimes really stubborn guy. He values fairness in all situations and doesn't have much tolerance for the crap that a lot of the Egyptians try to pull on us.
Back to the story. The drivers assistant or co-pilot as I like to call them started yelling at us and telling us to give him more money. I told him, "No, 17 enough, all pay 17." He turned around and started talking to the driver, then suddenly the guy slams on the brakes and stops the car. He gets out of the car, comes to us and starts demanding more money. We argued back and forth with him for a little bit and at first the Egyptians were either silent or on our side, but somehow the co-pilot convinced them we were cheating the driver.
The arguing continued until eventually the guy said our bags on the roof is what cost us the extra 8 LE, but there were also many other packages on the top. I laughed at him really obnoxiously because the guy was being so ridiculously dishonest. Even the guys that had "sided" with him started laughing because they knew he was being dishonest.
After this, though, things got pretty serious. Some passengers started yelling and swearing at us in Arabic. Daniel wasn't willing to budge because he didn't want to pay more, but I realized the "chemistry" of the mini-bus was changing. There were only two Egyptians left on the bus who weren't yelling at us and the prospect of getting thrown out of a bus in the middle of the desert wasn't appealing. I gave in for Daniel and paid his extra 8 LE because I didn't want to get thrown out of the mini-bus.
Looking back on it there is a part of me that feels I shouldn't have paid them the extra based on principle, but then the other part of me knows I made the right choice because the area we were in wasn't the most "Western-Friendly". There were 12 guys yelling at us and the fact that we were four in the middle of nowhere didn't seem like a good time to start a fight over a total of 32 LE ($6). I was really tempted to leave a ton of trash in his bus, but I decided against it because I don't want to be a revenge driven person. It seemed so fair at the time, but I'm glad I didn't.
Once we gave him the money he started up the car again and we continued to head towards Farafra.
Christmas Break Part 8: Dakhala
We went to three different oases during our time out in the desert, but only stayed at two: Dakhala (1 day), Farafra (1 day) and Baheraya we basically just drove through it with a one hour stop. We were originally planning on spending a day in Al Kharga but we decided against it because we didn't want to deal with a corrupt police escort on our arrival and so we just skipped right through it.
Dakhala was an interesting place. It was a REALLY quiet town and I must confess that it was really nice, especially since I was sick. Dakhala was were we spent our New Year's Eve, this is where I shivered the night away and it actually wasn't too bad- definitely not a traditional New Year's, but not bad.
The hotel we stayed in was the classic run-down "nightmare hotel" you see in movies. It was a really funny actually, the guy was offering us 15 LE to stay the night there, so we decided to check it out first because that is REALLY CHEAP! We were going through looking around and there were cracks in the wall, a hole in the window, and the floor was really dirty. I asked why the shower didn't work, he went and did some crazy stuff and then this tiny trickle came out of the showerhead. He said, "See! The water is working so good!" I wasn't too worried about the shower and just wanted to lay down because I was feeling pretty sick.
We agreed to stay for 12.5 LE each and it wasn't too bad until the Egyptians next door started smoking only God knows what. They were definitely smoking more than just their cigarrettes! That's all I'm going to say. The stay in the Anwar "Hotel" was an experience that will definitely be memorable. I wouldn't be bothered in the least bit to do it again, but lets just say I won't be seeking out the opportunity diligently ;)
The following morning we woke up and went to explore the ruins of the "Abandoned Old City". It was really intriguing. The old brick homes looked really arcaic in that they fit the decription of a African village you'd find in a remote area. That's my best description. While we were exploring we met a kid that actually lived there with his family. It was really shocking to see them living in this complete ghost town. The kids little brother came out of one of the ruins of a house and he completely caught me off guard! The little boy had really blonde hair and green eyes, that's a REALLY RARE thing in Egypt. The kid was really cute and I figured they were probably struggling to make it and they didn't even ask me for money so I left some money with their mother.
It was a reminder of how blessed I am to have grown up in the United States. We have so much opportunity and the options to pursue whatever career we want. Here in Egypt they are trapped by the stupidity of their education system and their "unspoken, but understood" class system.
We left the ruins, waved goodbye to the family and headed towards the mini bus station. We met a guy from Norway who was going to bike all the way from Egypt to S. Africa. He seemed like a really adventurous old guy. Anyways, we got on board a crammed mini-bus and headed out into the desert towards Farafra.
Dakhala was an interesting place. It was a REALLY quiet town and I must confess that it was really nice, especially since I was sick. Dakhala was were we spent our New Year's Eve, this is where I shivered the night away and it actually wasn't too bad- definitely not a traditional New Year's, but not bad.
The hotel we stayed in was the classic run-down "nightmare hotel" you see in movies. It was a really funny actually, the guy was offering us 15 LE to stay the night there, so we decided to check it out first because that is REALLY CHEAP! We were going through looking around and there were cracks in the wall, a hole in the window, and the floor was really dirty. I asked why the shower didn't work, he went and did some crazy stuff and then this tiny trickle came out of the showerhead. He said, "See! The water is working so good!" I wasn't too worried about the shower and just wanted to lay down because I was feeling pretty sick.
We agreed to stay for 12.5 LE each and it wasn't too bad until the Egyptians next door started smoking only God knows what. They were definitely smoking more than just their cigarrettes! That's all I'm going to say. The stay in the Anwar "Hotel" was an experience that will definitely be memorable. I wouldn't be bothered in the least bit to do it again, but lets just say I won't be seeking out the opportunity diligently ;)
The following morning we woke up and went to explore the ruins of the "Abandoned Old City". It was really intriguing. The old brick homes looked really arcaic in that they fit the decription of a African village you'd find in a remote area. That's my best description. While we were exploring we met a kid that actually lived there with his family. It was really shocking to see them living in this complete ghost town. The kids little brother came out of one of the ruins of a house and he completely caught me off guard! The little boy had really blonde hair and green eyes, that's a REALLY RARE thing in Egypt. The kid was really cute and I figured they were probably struggling to make it and they didn't even ask me for money so I left some money with their mother.
It was a reminder of how blessed I am to have grown up in the United States. We have so much opportunity and the options to pursue whatever career we want. Here in Egypt they are trapped by the stupidity of their education system and their "unspoken, but understood" class system.
We left the ruins, waved goodbye to the family and headed towards the mini bus station. We met a guy from Norway who was going to bike all the way from Egypt to S. Africa. He seemed like a really adventurous old guy. Anyways, we got on board a crammed mini-bus and headed out into the desert towards Farafra.
Christmas Break Part 7: Assyut and into the Desert
We left Sohog on a train, once again, but this time things were different. One of the students went to buy the tickets for us and he'd assumed that we'd want to go first class and so he'd bought us 1st class train tickets. First class was a whole different ball game compared to riding in 2nd class. The first class train cars are slightly heated (believe it or not, it does get cold here- it surprised me too!) and that was a nice perk. The seats were bigger and for the most part a lot more comfortable. So the ride to Assyut to was great.
Assyut, however, was not so great. As soon as we arrived, our "bodyguard" handed us off to a group of "Assyut Policeman" aka "Corrupt Obscenities". To summarize our experience, they asked us where we were staying and we told them we were about to choose. They told us the "Salaam" was the best place to stay, we weren't interested and so we went to each place to find a room. Each time we'd go in we would ask if there was an open room and they'd say for how many. They'd be about to lead us towards a room and then our nice "guards" would yell "Arabic, Arabic, No the Amrikans not stay here Arabic, Arabic, Arabic..." After they'd do this, the hotel manager would say "No, complete" or "La, Arabic, arabic, Arabic (we're full). This happened at EVERY hotel until we arrived at the "Salaam" and it turned out that they weren't full- craziness! Who would've guessed!?!
The hotel ended up costing us 160 LE to stay there ( the most expensive place that we stayed in the whole trip) and it was a dump. The beds were pieces of junk, the water wouldn't run more than a trickle, and the place was dirty. Needless to say, we got robbed.
They tried to hold our Passports from us at the front desk, but I got them back that night and yes I am very proud of that fact. Let's just say it wasn't easy and it took some rage.
After our nights sleep we woke up and schemed as to how to ditch our "thief protectors." We decided the best way would be to leave late and make it so it would be difficult for them to have the time to board on the bus to Al-Kharga with us. It worked, too!
We left the hotel in a hurry and then started running towards the bus station. A cop followed us, but couldn't board the bus with us because it was full once we got in. It couldn't of worked out any more perfectly, he demanded to know where we were going and why we were doing this. I told him he was a thief in Arabic and he acted like he couldn't understand me. He said there'd be a policeman waiting for us in Al-Kharga. Once he said this, we decided to skip Al-Kharga altogether and go straight to the desert oases of Dakhala.
The bus pulled away and we were on our way to the Great Sand Sea.
Assyut, however, was not so great. As soon as we arrived, our "bodyguard" handed us off to a group of "Assyut Policeman" aka "Corrupt Obscenities". To summarize our experience, they asked us where we were staying and we told them we were about to choose. They told us the "Salaam" was the best place to stay, we weren't interested and so we went to each place to find a room. Each time we'd go in we would ask if there was an open room and they'd say for how many. They'd be about to lead us towards a room and then our nice "guards" would yell "Arabic, Arabic, No the Amrikans not stay here Arabic, Arabic, Arabic..." After they'd do this, the hotel manager would say "No, complete" or "La, Arabic, arabic, Arabic (we're full). This happened at EVERY hotel until we arrived at the "Salaam" and it turned out that they weren't full- craziness! Who would've guessed!?!
The hotel ended up costing us 160 LE to stay there ( the most expensive place that we stayed in the whole trip) and it was a dump. The beds were pieces of junk, the water wouldn't run more than a trickle, and the place was dirty. Needless to say, we got robbed.
They tried to hold our Passports from us at the front desk, but I got them back that night and yes I am very proud of that fact. Let's just say it wasn't easy and it took some rage.
After our nights sleep we woke up and schemed as to how to ditch our "thief protectors." We decided the best way would be to leave late and make it so it would be difficult for them to have the time to board on the bus to Al-Kharga with us. It worked, too!
We left the hotel in a hurry and then started running towards the bus station. A cop followed us, but couldn't board the bus with us because it was full once we got in. It couldn't of worked out any more perfectly, he demanded to know where we were going and why we were doing this. I told him he was a thief in Arabic and he acted like he couldn't understand me. He said there'd be a policeman waiting for us in Al-Kharga. Once he said this, we decided to skip Al-Kharga altogether and go straight to the desert oases of Dakhala.
The bus pulled away and we were on our way to the Great Sand Sea.
Christmas Break Part 6: Zowek
Do you ever see pictures of the Egyptian guys wearing their traditional clothes and working on the farms? Well if you have that was exactly what Zowek was like.
During our time in Zowek we stayed in the abode of Magdy Dief. He was a great host. He took us everywhere and was kind of like a travel agent, I guess. He'd make sure we'd get to students houses on time and then leave in a timely manner to get to the next students house- a really organized guy, pretty contrary to his performance in school...
Back to Zowek, though. The village is what I would describe as "rustic." I don't know how to describe the buildings very well. They're brick and usually painted white on the outside. The alleyways are narrow and they're generally two-level houses. Many of the students fathers go and work in Kuwait, so they live in pretty comfortable houses, but I think it goes pretty hard on many of the students.
The people of Zowek are what I would like to think of as the "true Egyptians." Many of the Cairo, Luxor, and other big city Egyptians have fallen away from the traditional Egyptian culture because they have been so "Westernzied" by tourists and media broadcasting. The villages, however, have stayed to the hospitality and frienliness that Egypt is well known for. It was refreshing to go to Zowek and know that the people there weren't trying to sell me something and take advantage of me. It reminded me to keep a proper perspective in making opinions on Egypt.
Whenever we'd walk through the village, people were kind and would usually say hi or would at least smile. It was nice! I got the chance to wrestle with one of the "Zowekese" men as they like to call themselves. The Zowekese men are really proud of the fact that they're so strong and so they like to make it known.
We were eating at one of my students house, Romany Assad, and his uncle said something about how meat was so good for you and that you don't need to wash your hands. Somehow the talk of health came up and he said his way was better and he'd prove it by wrestling me. He was a really fun guy, so I figured "why not?!" I was told that the way you win is by knocking the other guy to the ground. I did exactly that by using "The Bar Cigar" but he kept wrestling after I got him to the ground and got on top of me when I thought it was over. He was a heavyset guy and pretty strong and there was no way I could get him off once I realized we were still going. Needless to say, he pinned me. It was a great experience, even though I lost. I can say that I've wrestled one of the legendarily "Strong Upper Egyptians."
The meals at houses were another whole story all of themselves! In summary, they bring out a LOT OF FOOD and have you eat until you explode. On our last day there, we had a pretty intense eating time. We had breakfast at 11 am, Lunch at 1:00, 2nd Lunch at 3:00 and Dinner at 5:00. This might not sound too bad, but you are expected to eat a lot at each house or you're being offensive to the cook. I gave up by puking between 2nd Lunch and Dinner. It made me have a 1st hand understanding of the ancient Roman feasts where they would feast and puke all day- it was disgusting. My stomach had to have stretched so much in Zowek, it makes me sick, but grateful.
We ended up spending two days at Zowek, which were mostly spent eating and recovering from eating. The idea of eating meat makes me sick, but I had a great time getting to better understand the culture and lifestyle that my students come from. A truly enriching experience!
During our time in Zowek we stayed in the abode of Magdy Dief. He was a great host. He took us everywhere and was kind of like a travel agent, I guess. He'd make sure we'd get to students houses on time and then leave in a timely manner to get to the next students house- a really organized guy, pretty contrary to his performance in school...
Back to Zowek, though. The village is what I would describe as "rustic." I don't know how to describe the buildings very well. They're brick and usually painted white on the outside. The alleyways are narrow and they're generally two-level houses. Many of the students fathers go and work in Kuwait, so they live in pretty comfortable houses, but I think it goes pretty hard on many of the students.
The people of Zowek are what I would like to think of as the "true Egyptians." Many of the Cairo, Luxor, and other big city Egyptians have fallen away from the traditional Egyptian culture because they have been so "Westernzied" by tourists and media broadcasting. The villages, however, have stayed to the hospitality and frienliness that Egypt is well known for. It was refreshing to go to Zowek and know that the people there weren't trying to sell me something and take advantage of me. It reminded me to keep a proper perspective in making opinions on Egypt.
Whenever we'd walk through the village, people were kind and would usually say hi or would at least smile. It was nice! I got the chance to wrestle with one of the "Zowekese" men as they like to call themselves. The Zowekese men are really proud of the fact that they're so strong and so they like to make it known.
We were eating at one of my students house, Romany Assad, and his uncle said something about how meat was so good for you and that you don't need to wash your hands. Somehow the talk of health came up and he said his way was better and he'd prove it by wrestling me. He was a really fun guy, so I figured "why not?!" I was told that the way you win is by knocking the other guy to the ground. I did exactly that by using "The Bar Cigar" but he kept wrestling after I got him to the ground and got on top of me when I thought it was over. He was a heavyset guy and pretty strong and there was no way I could get him off once I realized we were still going. Needless to say, he pinned me. It was a great experience, even though I lost. I can say that I've wrestled one of the legendarily "Strong Upper Egyptians."
The meals at houses were another whole story all of themselves! In summary, they bring out a LOT OF FOOD and have you eat until you explode. On our last day there, we had a pretty intense eating time. We had breakfast at 11 am, Lunch at 1:00, 2nd Lunch at 3:00 and Dinner at 5:00. This might not sound too bad, but you are expected to eat a lot at each house or you're being offensive to the cook. I gave up by puking between 2nd Lunch and Dinner. It made me have a 1st hand understanding of the ancient Roman feasts where they would feast and puke all day- it was disgusting. My stomach had to have stretched so much in Zowek, it makes me sick, but grateful.
We ended up spending two days at Zowek, which were mostly spent eating and recovering from eating. The idea of eating meat makes me sick, but I had a great time getting to better understand the culture and lifestyle that my students come from. A truly enriching experience!
Christmas Break Part 5: Train Ride to Sohog
We ended up taking a train, instead of a bus, out of Luxor to get to the city of Sohog- the nearby "big city" next to the village of Zowek. Zowek is the village where almost 80% of the Egyptian students are from and Monte and I had decided we'd take a visit to their homes during our travels- but back to the train ride.
When we went and bought our tickets we purchased them with the three French girls that we'd met- Asmaa, Adeline, and Boudour. I won't deny the fact that these three girls were very intriguing to Monte and me because not only were they interesting because they were French, but they were also QUITE attractive- naturally Monte and I were interested in talking with them more.
We arranged a plan that I would go to the next car and give them an offer to enroll in our "Foreign-Exchange Travel Program". Let me elaborate on our program. To put it less dramatically, it was I'd go and trade seats with Adeline because her and Monte were having an easy time talking to each other.
So I proceeded with our plan and went over to their train car. I asked them if they were interested in swapping, they were and I sat down and started talking with Asmaa.
I won't deny that my conversation with her was one of the most refreshing conversations I've had in A LONG TIME! We were both really open with each other because I think we both had an accepted understanding that chance were we probably wouldn't see each other again- zero risks in the conversation. It was a great time, we talked about some personal things and the two hours that we had to talk literally flew by.
When I felt the train slowing down at Sohog, I will be honest, that I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay on the train and continue with them to Cairo, but I responsibly got off. I said goodbye to her and it was a heartfelt goodbye when I said, "It was really great talking to you." There are some conversations that you say "Oh ya, good talking to you..." but there isn't the feeling. Here there was.
I don't know if I will ever see Asmaa again, maybe our paths will cross if I can go to Syria for my Spring Break, I guess time will tell, but I can say that it was a pleasure to have known here- if only for a day.
I got off the train, waved goodbye and was greeted by one of my students, Magdy Dief. We loaded up into a car, followed by five guards with machineguns, and headed into Zowek.
When we went and bought our tickets we purchased them with the three French girls that we'd met- Asmaa, Adeline, and Boudour. I won't deny the fact that these three girls were very intriguing to Monte and me because not only were they interesting because they were French, but they were also QUITE attractive- naturally Monte and I were interested in talking with them more.
We arranged a plan that I would go to the next car and give them an offer to enroll in our "Foreign-Exchange Travel Program". Let me elaborate on our program. To put it less dramatically, it was I'd go and trade seats with Adeline because her and Monte were having an easy time talking to each other.
So I proceeded with our plan and went over to their train car. I asked them if they were interested in swapping, they were and I sat down and started talking with Asmaa.
I won't deny that my conversation with her was one of the most refreshing conversations I've had in A LONG TIME! We were both really open with each other because I think we both had an accepted understanding that chance were we probably wouldn't see each other again- zero risks in the conversation. It was a great time, we talked about some personal things and the two hours that we had to talk literally flew by.
When I felt the train slowing down at Sohog, I will be honest, that I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay on the train and continue with them to Cairo, but I responsibly got off. I said goodbye to her and it was a heartfelt goodbye when I said, "It was really great talking to you." There are some conversations that you say "Oh ya, good talking to you..." but there isn't the feeling. Here there was.
I don't know if I will ever see Asmaa again, maybe our paths will cross if I can go to Syria for my Spring Break, I guess time will tell, but I can say that it was a pleasure to have known here- if only for a day.
I got off the train, waved goodbye and was greeted by one of my students, Magdy Dief. We loaded up into a car, followed by five guards with machineguns, and headed into Zowek.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Christmas Break Part 3: Felucca Trip
We had arranged a sweet deal from our hotel trip to take a felucca trip for one night down the Nile River towards Luxor. At first we were really hesitant, but Ricardo (the Spanish guy we met on the train) was really passionate about it and we bought into it because he was so excited about it. I think that's the way it is with charisma... Anyways, so we jumped on board our felucca, after our visit to The Ruins of Abu, and we were heartily welcomed by our captain for the trip, Ayub.
The ride for the daytime was really peaceful. The sun was shining down on us as we tacked back and forth on the river. I sat and read my book for awhile, but couldn't keep my interest for long because the other people on the boat started talking. They had British accents of sorts and so I decided to get to know them instead of being a bookworm. That was BY FAR one of the best decisions of my trip.
It turned out that there was a couple formerly from New Zealand but currently living in London, Kerry and Kathy, a couple from London, Daniel and Anna, and a guy from Peru who immigrated to the UK. At first I figured they were a tour party together, but it turned out none of us knew each other before the felucca ride. Each one of them was a really interesting and brought something special to the "chemistry of the felucca."
Kerry was a recruiter for a company in London so naturally you can tell from his career that he was a pretty charismatic guy and talkative guy; he was a fun guy to talk to. Kathy was a contract manager and was somebody I would describe as a caring, comfortable person.
Daniel was a graphics designer and a really funny guy. He was really fun to talk to because he was really intelligent, but kind of seemed like he was still a kid at heart. Naturally, I REALLY liked him. Anna was a bit of a gentle spirit and was also a lot of fun to talk to.
Homberto was someone that was hard to read because his English wasn't very good, but he was definitely REALLY interesting. He had immigrated to the UK when he was in his 30's and had been a janitor at one of the factories for the past 19 years. He talked about loving work because it was something really enjoyable. Remarkably, he didn't start traveling until he was 52- after he'd broken up with his girlfriend and strongly recommended India. His spirit of adventure is something I had a strong admiration for and I'd like to have it when I'm his age, 59.
We celebrated Christmas Eve by attempting to sing a Christmas Carol or two and we ate a simple, but delicious meal. It wasn't what Christmas Eve usually is, but it was definitely a memorable one. We all talked well into the night and enjoyed each other's company. There weren't any temples to be seen or great pictures to be taken, but there were definitely amazing people to be met. It will go down as a good Christmas Eve in my book.
The ride for the daytime was really peaceful. The sun was shining down on us as we tacked back and forth on the river. I sat and read my book for awhile, but couldn't keep my interest for long because the other people on the boat started talking. They had British accents of sorts and so I decided to get to know them instead of being a bookworm. That was BY FAR one of the best decisions of my trip.
It turned out that there was a couple formerly from New Zealand but currently living in London, Kerry and Kathy, a couple from London, Daniel and Anna, and a guy from Peru who immigrated to the UK. At first I figured they were a tour party together, but it turned out none of us knew each other before the felucca ride. Each one of them was a really interesting and brought something special to the "chemistry of the felucca."
Kerry was a recruiter for a company in London so naturally you can tell from his career that he was a pretty charismatic guy and talkative guy; he was a fun guy to talk to. Kathy was a contract manager and was somebody I would describe as a caring, comfortable person.
Daniel was a graphics designer and a really funny guy. He was really fun to talk to because he was really intelligent, but kind of seemed like he was still a kid at heart. Naturally, I REALLY liked him. Anna was a bit of a gentle spirit and was also a lot of fun to talk to.
Homberto was someone that was hard to read because his English wasn't very good, but he was definitely REALLY interesting. He had immigrated to the UK when he was in his 30's and had been a janitor at one of the factories for the past 19 years. He talked about loving work because it was something really enjoyable. Remarkably, he didn't start traveling until he was 52- after he'd broken up with his girlfriend and strongly recommended India. His spirit of adventure is something I had a strong admiration for and I'd like to have it when I'm his age, 59.
We celebrated Christmas Eve by attempting to sing a Christmas Carol or two and we ate a simple, but delicious meal. It wasn't what Christmas Eve usually is, but it was definitely a memorable one. We all talked well into the night and enjoyed each other's company. There weren't any temples to be seen or great pictures to be taken, but there were definitely amazing people to be met. It will go down as a good Christmas Eve in my book.
Christmas Break Part 4: Luxor
I will start off by saying that Luxor was probably one of the most amazing places to see, but one of the worst places to be. The locals that I came in contact weren't very good people. The hassling that we had to deal with was ridiculous. Everywhere I walked there was some "Harami" (thief) trying to rip you off. They throw out sales pitches like, "any T-shirt you like in my store 10 pounds" you go in and you pick one that you like and they say, "Oh that one... It's 30 pounds." WHAT!?!?! Does that make sense to you, ANY shirt for 10 pounds and then they change 30! Anyways, on and on it would go from "Felucca Captains" trying to sell an amazing ride on the Nile, to young teenage boys trying to sell you hashish because as we all know EVERY American is a stoner and wants to buy hashish! That brings up a really funny story, though.
We got off of our mini-bus coming from Edfu and there was a guy waiting for us to convince us to go to his hotel. We politely said no and kept moving. He kept following us dropping his price lower and offerring nice perks like free breakfast, cheap laundry, hot water, etc. until finally he got really desperate. I kept chatting with him as we walked and he said, "Ok, all of you stop, please listen to me! I will give you a free night in my best room AND a free JOINT each!" At first I figured I'd heard him wrong and then he said, "My best hashish!" All of us just started laughing, I mean honestly, who says that?! We just kept walking, ESPECIALLY after that because anyone who is messing around with hashish is messing with their life in Egypt. The penalty is supposedly hard time in prison and definitely not something to be tampered with. The reality is that it is probably whatever it would cost you to pay off the appropriate policeman, but I'm really not sure.
Luxor was really, lets say, GRAND. There were some amazing things to see. Here's what we did on our way to Luxor and in Luxor:
- First, we went to Karnak Temple. If I was going to describe Karnak in one word it would "HUGE"!!!!!! We spent all day at the one temple because there was so much to see. The famous ancient pharoahs each made there mark on Karnak by building a temple, collonade of statues, an obelisk, or a series of architectural masterpieces. I got to climb to one of the top of one of the pylons via scaffolding and it was a great view over the whole place. Karnak has a different feel from above.
- Next, while we were at Karnak, we met three French girls who were students in Syria to learn Arabic. At first they seemed pretty standoffish, but we ran into them later and went to get tickets together at the train station. We ended up going to coffee together with the Egyptian guy who bought the tickets for us and then riding with them on the train, but that's another whole story on its own.
-Next, went to Valley of the Kings. We saw a lot in one day. We went to the tombs of Thutmosis III, Amenhotep II, Ramses V/VI, and Seti II. Once we were done seeing these tombs, we hiked over to the other side and went to the Temple of Hatshepsut. The Temple of Hatshepsut was really remarkable and had a really tranquil magnificence to it.
-Next, in the same day as the Valley of the Kings, we went to the Temple of Seti I and Medinat Habu. The Temple of Seti I was a pretty memorable experience for me since one of the "guide/guards" took me to the top of it and I walked around. I got some pretty fun pictures on the top with me dangling my feet over the edge of the 80 or 90 feet high entrance. It was an experience I won't forget. Maybe it was just the adventure of climbing to the top of a 3000 year old monument, or the view, but whatever the case it was memorable all of the same and is probably an experience that I won't be able to repeat.
-Finally, we had some really intense bartering experiences. For instane, I met this British woman that was a shop owner and who was probably in her mid 40's. The wierd thing was that her husband was the 18 or 19 year old who owned the shirt shop. I didn't buy it at first and I still kind of don't, but once she was around the shirt guy was really aggressive with me.
I was sick of trying to negotiate a price for the shirt and eventually decided to leave. The kid got in my way and blocked the door. I said, "I'm going now," and he said, "No, stay." I said, "No, really, I'm done." Then his friend got in my way, too and I was just like "Oh wow, the two young guys are going to try and prove there manliness to their petophile girlfriend." I pushed my way by and the kid grabbed my arm on the way out and said, "Oh, you think you're a strong American" I said, "No, no Egyptians are definitely too strong." Then I tried to walk away but the kid grasped hold. I looked at him and had a brief moment of pity as he was trying to display his masculinity to his "wife" and then threw his arm off and kept walking.
I don't know why, but out of all my showdowns with shop owners this one was the wierdest. The kid was really aggressive! I'm pretty sure he wanted to fight me and there was just something really odd about him. I can't place it, but I'm guessing there was some seriously twisted junk going on with his "wife".
In conclusion, Luxor was another great experience and I really enjoyed it, even with the psycho shop owners and crazy tourist thiefs.
We got off of our mini-bus coming from Edfu and there was a guy waiting for us to convince us to go to his hotel. We politely said no and kept moving. He kept following us dropping his price lower and offerring nice perks like free breakfast, cheap laundry, hot water, etc. until finally he got really desperate. I kept chatting with him as we walked and he said, "Ok, all of you stop, please listen to me! I will give you a free night in my best room AND a free JOINT each!" At first I figured I'd heard him wrong and then he said, "My best hashish!" All of us just started laughing, I mean honestly, who says that?! We just kept walking, ESPECIALLY after that because anyone who is messing around with hashish is messing with their life in Egypt. The penalty is supposedly hard time in prison and definitely not something to be tampered with. The reality is that it is probably whatever it would cost you to pay off the appropriate policeman, but I'm really not sure.
Luxor was really, lets say, GRAND. There were some amazing things to see. Here's what we did on our way to Luxor and in Luxor:
- First, we went to Karnak Temple. If I was going to describe Karnak in one word it would "HUGE"!!!!!! We spent all day at the one temple because there was so much to see. The famous ancient pharoahs each made there mark on Karnak by building a temple, collonade of statues, an obelisk, or a series of architectural masterpieces. I got to climb to one of the top of one of the pylons via scaffolding and it was a great view over the whole place. Karnak has a different feel from above.
- Next, while we were at Karnak, we met three French girls who were students in Syria to learn Arabic. At first they seemed pretty standoffish, but we ran into them later and went to get tickets together at the train station. We ended up going to coffee together with the Egyptian guy who bought the tickets for us and then riding with them on the train, but that's another whole story on its own.
-Next, went to Valley of the Kings. We saw a lot in one day. We went to the tombs of Thutmosis III, Amenhotep II, Ramses V/VI, and Seti II. Once we were done seeing these tombs, we hiked over to the other side and went to the Temple of Hatshepsut. The Temple of Hatshepsut was really remarkable and had a really tranquil magnificence to it.
-Next, in the same day as the Valley of the Kings, we went to the Temple of Seti I and Medinat Habu. The Temple of Seti I was a pretty memorable experience for me since one of the "guide/guards" took me to the top of it and I walked around. I got some pretty fun pictures on the top with me dangling my feet over the edge of the 80 or 90 feet high entrance. It was an experience I won't forget. Maybe it was just the adventure of climbing to the top of a 3000 year old monument, or the view, but whatever the case it was memorable all of the same and is probably an experience that I won't be able to repeat.
-Finally, we had some really intense bartering experiences. For instane, I met this British woman that was a shop owner and who was probably in her mid 40's. The wierd thing was that her husband was the 18 or 19 year old who owned the shirt shop. I didn't buy it at first and I still kind of don't, but once she was around the shirt guy was really aggressive with me.
I was sick of trying to negotiate a price for the shirt and eventually decided to leave. The kid got in my way and blocked the door. I said, "I'm going now," and he said, "No, stay." I said, "No, really, I'm done." Then his friend got in my way, too and I was just like "Oh wow, the two young guys are going to try and prove there manliness to their petophile girlfriend." I pushed my way by and the kid grabbed my arm on the way out and said, "Oh, you think you're a strong American" I said, "No, no Egyptians are definitely too strong." Then I tried to walk away but the kid grasped hold. I looked at him and had a brief moment of pity as he was trying to display his masculinity to his "wife" and then threw his arm off and kept walking.
I don't know why, but out of all my showdowns with shop owners this one was the wierdest. The kid was really aggressive! I'm pretty sure he wanted to fight me and there was just something really odd about him. I can't place it, but I'm guessing there was some seriously twisted junk going on with his "wife".
In conclusion, Luxor was another great experience and I really enjoyed it, even with the psycho shop owners and crazy tourist thiefs.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Christmas Break Part 2: Aswan
We arrived at Aswan around 7:00am and groggily stepped off of our train. This time however, we were four and not three. It turned out that the guy who'd used my travel guide, Ricardo, was a pretty cool guy and he decided he wanted to come with us. We shuffled out of the train station and we were immediately swarmed on by the flocks of taxi drivers yelling, "Give you good price, 20 LE", it should usually only cost 2 or 3. I replied, "No thanks," and we wandered into the city of Aswan.
Aswan is a pretty cool place. There is a variety of things to see and do. It sets right on the Nile and is a really gorgeous place, well in the touristy area at least. Most of all, there are a variety of inexpensive accommodating hostel type places to stay and that made our hunt for a launching pad nice.
We eventually ended up staying at a place called the Nubian Oases. The manager was really pushy with the tours and we eventually agreed with him for a price of 200 LE to go and see a series of things. The motel was interesting though. It was a motel of what I would describe as "having character". There were posters and pictures of Bob Marley all over the place and for the most part it had a Jamaican feel to it. It's humorous to me how they've got a bit of an infatuation with Bob Marley in Upper Egypt. I think it is mainly a way to appeal to the group of travelers who are interested in coming to Egypt and hitting up the hashish venue. I really have no idea if I'm right or not, but that is my educated guess.
Here's the stuff that we did in Aswan:
- We went on a felucca (20 foot sail boat) ride on the first day we were there. Our felucca "captain", Jamaica, was an interesting guy. He was crazy about talking about how much he loved to smoke and get high. He was so crazy about it that, while we were touring through the Tombs of the Nobles on the West Bank, he went and got high. He was really late to take us to our next stop. Obnoxious, but an interesting character all the same
-We went down to Abu Simbel. That was amazing! The immense size of the statues is invoking of awe and the backdrop of Lake Nasser behind it was unbeatable. Although, there were A LOT of people there...
-Next we went to the Aswan Dam. I will be honest with you that I was pretty disappointed by it. I'd seen so many pictures of the Hoover Dam before, but the Aswan Dam doesn't even compare. It is really wide and has a gradual slope all the way down. I wasn't too impressed, but I'm sure I would've been if I'd known more about engineering.
-After that we went to the Temple of Isis. This was probably one of my favorites the whole trip because it is on an island and you've got to take a ferry ride to get there. There are a lot less people there and you've got the time to "get the feel" of the place. The architecture was interesting because it is still really Egyptian, but has the Hellenistic influence all over the place and the two in combination make for a really great monument.
-Next we went to the Unfinished Obelisk. I'll be honest and say that this was by far the lamest thing we went to, but the day turned out great at the end because a guard was willing to let me hold his AK-47 and take some pictures for 10 LE. All I can say was that it was worth every penny :)!!
-Next we went to the Nubian Museum. That was pretty fun. I got the opportunity to take some pictures with some artifacts that will definitely not be allowed in the future, i.e. hugging a sarcophugus, holding a statue head, etc. The museum guards were really relaxed and were joking around with us, so it was a fun experience!
-Finally, the last thing we did was we went to Elephantine Island and explored the reconstructed ruins of Abu. It was a really fun experience not because there was "amazing" things to see, but we only saw four other people the whole time and so it kind of felt more like our own little exploration adventure.
As you can tell, we did a lot in Aswan. It was a great time!
Aswan is a pretty cool place. There is a variety of things to see and do. It sets right on the Nile and is a really gorgeous place, well in the touristy area at least. Most of all, there are a variety of inexpensive accommodating hostel type places to stay and that made our hunt for a launching pad nice.
We eventually ended up staying at a place called the Nubian Oases. The manager was really pushy with the tours and we eventually agreed with him for a price of 200 LE to go and see a series of things. The motel was interesting though. It was a motel of what I would describe as "having character". There were posters and pictures of Bob Marley all over the place and for the most part it had a Jamaican feel to it. It's humorous to me how they've got a bit of an infatuation with Bob Marley in Upper Egypt. I think it is mainly a way to appeal to the group of travelers who are interested in coming to Egypt and hitting up the hashish venue. I really have no idea if I'm right or not, but that is my educated guess.
Here's the stuff that we did in Aswan:
- We went on a felucca (20 foot sail boat) ride on the first day we were there. Our felucca "captain", Jamaica, was an interesting guy. He was crazy about talking about how much he loved to smoke and get high. He was so crazy about it that, while we were touring through the Tombs of the Nobles on the West Bank, he went and got high. He was really late to take us to our next stop. Obnoxious, but an interesting character all the same
-We went down to Abu Simbel. That was amazing! The immense size of the statues is invoking of awe and the backdrop of Lake Nasser behind it was unbeatable. Although, there were A LOT of people there...
-Next we went to the Aswan Dam. I will be honest with you that I was pretty disappointed by it. I'd seen so many pictures of the Hoover Dam before, but the Aswan Dam doesn't even compare. It is really wide and has a gradual slope all the way down. I wasn't too impressed, but I'm sure I would've been if I'd known more about engineering.
-After that we went to the Temple of Isis. This was probably one of my favorites the whole trip because it is on an island and you've got to take a ferry ride to get there. There are a lot less people there and you've got the time to "get the feel" of the place. The architecture was interesting because it is still really Egyptian, but has the Hellenistic influence all over the place and the two in combination make for a really great monument.
-Next we went to the Unfinished Obelisk. I'll be honest and say that this was by far the lamest thing we went to, but the day turned out great at the end because a guard was willing to let me hold his AK-47 and take some pictures for 10 LE. All I can say was that it was worth every penny :)!!
-Next we went to the Nubian Museum. That was pretty fun. I got the opportunity to take some pictures with some artifacts that will definitely not be allowed in the future, i.e. hugging a sarcophugus, holding a statue head, etc. The museum guards were really relaxed and were joking around with us, so it was a fun experience!
-Finally, the last thing we did was we went to Elephantine Island and explored the reconstructed ruins of Abu. It was a really fun experience not because there was "amazing" things to see, but we only saw four other people the whole time and so it kind of felt more like our own little exploration adventure.
As you can tell, we did a lot in Aswan. It was a great time!
Christmas Break Part 1: The Train Ride to Aswan
Our adventure started off with a one-way ticket to Aswan. It wasn't a process that I would describe as particularly easy either. I had to make three different trips to the train station to buy tickets for our group. Many of the ticket agents immediately say that the train is "full" in an effort to get you to give them more money and then magically new seats appear when you do. It took me until the third time to realize that I could probably pay off the head policeman at the station for cheaper to help me get my ticket and surprisingly it worked pretty well. I actually ended up not having to bribe him at all because the ticket agent possessed a rare character trait- honesty.
But back to our adventure, I'd purchased three 2nd class tickets on board the night train and we arrived 45 minutes early to be sure we wouldn't mess up because surprisingly the train system is what I would argue to be one of the only things in Egypt that operates around a regular time schedule. In fact, it usually arrives early! So we stood there on the platform joking around and excited to be going to see some bricks and sand. Exciting, right!? Actually, the stuff historical monuments were amazing, but I'll talk about that later.
In no time at all, the train arrived at the station and we began to board the train. At first I was skeptical about what 2nd class would entail, but it was surprisingly really cozy. I can say in all fairness that I would rather travel on the Egyptian 2nd class train than the US Amtrak trains. The seats were comfortable and you could rotate them around in a circle to face the people behind you. A quality ride for sure!
So we sat back, started to relax, and then decided that we would start our peanut butter and jelly factory. I said, "Hey Monte, did you bring the spoon?", "No." Oh... Hmmm..." I decided I'd run off of the train and go buy one from one of the vendors or the world would be lost due to the fact that no PB&J would be made.
I hurriedly walked over to one of the guys and asked how much for a spoon. He replied, "10 pounds." I was blown away! That is one thing I've learned, 90% of Egyptians that I've encountered outside of the school will rip you off in a heartbeat because when they see an American they see $$$$$$$$$$. I said, "No, 2." He said, "5." I said no way, "2 pounds." Then I looked behind me and the train was already in motion! I said, "Ok, Five!!" I grabbed the spoon and started running for the train as it was pulling away. The vendor was chasing me, "give me five pounds!" I hurriedly reached inside my wallet and handed him what I thought was a 5.
I later realized that I'd given him a 10 pound note for a tiny metal spoon! I will have you know that it is in my pile of souvenirs in my closet right now. I learned an important lesson from that spoon, never, ever, never, ever panic. Even when the train is pulling away. I was so worried about getting on the train that I didn't even stop to think about what bill I was handing him. I'm lucky to have learned the lesson with the equivalent of $2, but still the lesson remains.
Nothing else of importance happened on the ride except some guy named Ricardo came up and asked me if he could use our travel guide. I said, "sure", handed it off to him, and sat back to do some reading for the remainder of our trip to Aswan. Our trip had begun.
But back to our adventure, I'd purchased three 2nd class tickets on board the night train and we arrived 45 minutes early to be sure we wouldn't mess up because surprisingly the train system is what I would argue to be one of the only things in Egypt that operates around a regular time schedule. In fact, it usually arrives early! So we stood there on the platform joking around and excited to be going to see some bricks and sand. Exciting, right!? Actually, the stuff historical monuments were amazing, but I'll talk about that later.
In no time at all, the train arrived at the station and we began to board the train. At first I was skeptical about what 2nd class would entail, but it was surprisingly really cozy. I can say in all fairness that I would rather travel on the Egyptian 2nd class train than the US Amtrak trains. The seats were comfortable and you could rotate them around in a circle to face the people behind you. A quality ride for sure!
So we sat back, started to relax, and then decided that we would start our peanut butter and jelly factory. I said, "Hey Monte, did you bring the spoon?", "No." Oh... Hmmm..." I decided I'd run off of the train and go buy one from one of the vendors or the world would be lost due to the fact that no PB&J would be made.
I hurriedly walked over to one of the guys and asked how much for a spoon. He replied, "10 pounds." I was blown away! That is one thing I've learned, 90% of Egyptians that I've encountered outside of the school will rip you off in a heartbeat because when they see an American they see $$$$$$$$$$. I said, "No, 2." He said, "5." I said no way, "2 pounds." Then I looked behind me and the train was already in motion! I said, "Ok, Five!!" I grabbed the spoon and started running for the train as it was pulling away. The vendor was chasing me, "give me five pounds!" I hurriedly reached inside my wallet and handed him what I thought was a 5.
I later realized that I'd given him a 10 pound note for a tiny metal spoon! I will have you know that it is in my pile of souvenirs in my closet right now. I learned an important lesson from that spoon, never, ever, never, ever panic. Even when the train is pulling away. I was so worried about getting on the train that I didn't even stop to think about what bill I was handing him. I'm lucky to have learned the lesson with the equivalent of $2, but still the lesson remains.
Nothing else of importance happened on the ride except some guy named Ricardo came up and asked me if he could use our travel guide. I said, "sure", handed it off to him, and sat back to do some reading for the remainder of our trip to Aswan. Our trip had begun.
New Year's Eve
I have to face the facts right now that compared to most anybody who is reading this blog, my bringing in the New Year of '09 was dismal. I was huddled in a sleeping bag, fully clothed, underneath three large blankets and shivering. I came down with a fever during our bus ride to Dakhla Oases and had been chattering away/burning up for the past five hours.
I remember sitting there thinking, "Hmmm... It could always be worse. I could be wet and in the middle of nowhere right now. I guess this isn't so bad." Once I got done feeling sorry for myself that I wasn't with my traveling buddies at our hotel New Year's party out at the desert I decided to do some reflecting on my last year.
Up until I'd been in Egypt for a month I was emotionally disconnected and was for the most part what I would describe as the most insecure I've been in the course of my life. I don't know why, but my year at Walla Walla was hard on me. Perhaps, it was the fact that I'd gone from being the "Big Fish" at my high school to a seeming nobody or maybe it was that I'd left my complete support system behind- my family, teachers, coaches, teammates, swim team that was my world, and a lot of the people who knew me best.
It was hard being at school and not having something to pour myself into that gave so much back emotionally, physically, and nearly spiritually. I didn't have the clarity of mind to realize that my academics would of partially provided me with a sense of achievement and so I just, in less than elequont terms, "half-assed" it all the way through a rigorous set of academics.
I also approached any relationship with the same mentality. I floated from relationship to relationship without any real plan for responsibility. I was just trying to find a quick answer to emotional deprivation and so I ended up hurting other people while continuing to spiral downward. I will be honest that at times I still crave these "quick-fix" relationships because they've been my way of coping for five years and they're highly addicting.
Another thing that sticks out in my mind as being really monumental is the fact that I had a habit of taking things really personally. If somebody didn't say hi to me then I would consider it as a personal attack on myself becuase I must've been doing something wrong to them. I would then usually go into this ridiculous quest to get them to like me or I'd be hurt when they didn't show me attention when I'd see them becuase there was something "wrong" with me.
So far this experience has been tough and it has been full of hardwork, but I have to say that the lessons I'm still learning have made it a small price to pay.
For what seems like the first time in a long time, I'm motivated to go and work hard because I enjoy it. Working hard isn't a something that "Oh, I HAVE to do that" but it is more of a "Hey, I'm going to get a lot of satisfaction out of doing a good job on this, let's do it!" I feel truly motivated because I see why I want to work and I'm enjoying it. I don't want to go out and "kick butt" at something to make other people think I'm such a great person, but because I want to do for myself. I'm finally beginning to understand internal motivation because I've had enough of the old way- being happy is impossible when I do things that way.
Relationships aren't as much as a concern for me anymore. A lot of the reason behind that is that it is territory I will not tread on in a foreign country. There is no way I would date an Egyptian girl becuase it would be absolute suicide to my development. I'm tired of shallow relationships and I know that a cross-cultural, long distance relationship WOULD NOT WORK! A part of me says, "never say never Eric," but I don't even care at this point. Freedom from my traditional habits is what my heart truly longs for and nothing will distract me from that goal. One day I want to be married and when that day comes I want that girl to get my 100% because that's what she will deserve.
Finally, I feel liberated from taking things so personally. I still think I'm that I'm overly sensitive to other people's criticism, but I'm developing for today and that is all that matters to me. I can't be an effective teacher if I'm taking my students personally. It seems funny to me how my patience and understanding of dealing with other people has changed. I think daily speaking with 14-23 years olds has made me realize there are some students that it will be impossible for me to please. The saying, "You can't win 'em all" comes to mind, but I honestly don't care if I do or not. It's not my job for my students to like me and be my pals, but my job is to give them my all by teaching them the best I can. If they don't like me, so be it, I cannot control that. If they do like me, so be it, somehow they found a way to enjoy my obscure personality.
As I sat there underneath my blankets I began to take pleasure in my given condition. The thought that I was going to be absent from my norm for the Holidays didn't seem so irritating. I began to realize that I'd come a long way in a short four months. Many of the things that used to be so monumental are now trivial in my book.
I know that I'm still a "crude product" but the fact that I'm not refined doesn't bother me. I'm "OK" with me today and I'm moving forward. I'm seeking refinement for today and that is all I can do. I wish you a Happy New Year as you move forward as well!
I remember sitting there thinking, "Hmmm... It could always be worse. I could be wet and in the middle of nowhere right now. I guess this isn't so bad." Once I got done feeling sorry for myself that I wasn't with my traveling buddies at our hotel New Year's party out at the desert I decided to do some reflecting on my last year.
Up until I'd been in Egypt for a month I was emotionally disconnected and was for the most part what I would describe as the most insecure I've been in the course of my life. I don't know why, but my year at Walla Walla was hard on me. Perhaps, it was the fact that I'd gone from being the "Big Fish" at my high school to a seeming nobody or maybe it was that I'd left my complete support system behind- my family, teachers, coaches, teammates, swim team that was my world, and a lot of the people who knew me best.
It was hard being at school and not having something to pour myself into that gave so much back emotionally, physically, and nearly spiritually. I didn't have the clarity of mind to realize that my academics would of partially provided me with a sense of achievement and so I just, in less than elequont terms, "half-assed" it all the way through a rigorous set of academics.
I also approached any relationship with the same mentality. I floated from relationship to relationship without any real plan for responsibility. I was just trying to find a quick answer to emotional deprivation and so I ended up hurting other people while continuing to spiral downward. I will be honest that at times I still crave these "quick-fix" relationships because they've been my way of coping for five years and they're highly addicting.
Another thing that sticks out in my mind as being really monumental is the fact that I had a habit of taking things really personally. If somebody didn't say hi to me then I would consider it as a personal attack on myself becuase I must've been doing something wrong to them. I would then usually go into this ridiculous quest to get them to like me or I'd be hurt when they didn't show me attention when I'd see them becuase there was something "wrong" with me.
So far this experience has been tough and it has been full of hardwork, but I have to say that the lessons I'm still learning have made it a small price to pay.
For what seems like the first time in a long time, I'm motivated to go and work hard because I enjoy it. Working hard isn't a something that "Oh, I HAVE to do that" but it is more of a "Hey, I'm going to get a lot of satisfaction out of doing a good job on this, let's do it!" I feel truly motivated because I see why I want to work and I'm enjoying it. I don't want to go out and "kick butt" at something to make other people think I'm such a great person, but because I want to do for myself. I'm finally beginning to understand internal motivation because I've had enough of the old way- being happy is impossible when I do things that way.
Relationships aren't as much as a concern for me anymore. A lot of the reason behind that is that it is territory I will not tread on in a foreign country. There is no way I would date an Egyptian girl becuase it would be absolute suicide to my development. I'm tired of shallow relationships and I know that a cross-cultural, long distance relationship WOULD NOT WORK! A part of me says, "never say never Eric," but I don't even care at this point. Freedom from my traditional habits is what my heart truly longs for and nothing will distract me from that goal. One day I want to be married and when that day comes I want that girl to get my 100% because that's what she will deserve.
Finally, I feel liberated from taking things so personally. I still think I'm that I'm overly sensitive to other people's criticism, but I'm developing for today and that is all that matters to me. I can't be an effective teacher if I'm taking my students personally. It seems funny to me how my patience and understanding of dealing with other people has changed. I think daily speaking with 14-23 years olds has made me realize there are some students that it will be impossible for me to please. The saying, "You can't win 'em all" comes to mind, but I honestly don't care if I do or not. It's not my job for my students to like me and be my pals, but my job is to give them my all by teaching them the best I can. If they don't like me, so be it, I cannot control that. If they do like me, so be it, somehow they found a way to enjoy my obscure personality.
As I sat there underneath my blankets I began to take pleasure in my given condition. The thought that I was going to be absent from my norm for the Holidays didn't seem so irritating. I began to realize that I'd come a long way in a short four months. Many of the things that used to be so monumental are now trivial in my book.
I know that I'm still a "crude product" but the fact that I'm not refined doesn't bother me. I'm "OK" with me today and I'm moving forward. I'm seeking refinement for today and that is all I can do. I wish you a Happy New Year as you move forward as well!
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