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!
Takin' It Easy at Karnak
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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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