Thursday, January 27, 2011
Continuing Protests and Blocked Websites.
So it turns out that I can use google and blogger here at the school, but so far not at my dorms and Cairo. Facebook and twitter seem to be cut off on campus. I will, update here but unfortunately I can't include any pictures in this blog since I don't have my memory card adapter.
The rumors that leaving the dorm past ten would get you arrested thankfully aren't true, but all of the weekend trips to historical sites and horse rides along the pyramids are postponed until further notice. So far there have not been any protests within close proximity to the Zamalek dorms meaning that dinner and other necessities are still accessible for the students there.
People are still protesting in Tahrir Square and other areas around Cairo including one of the professors here at AUC that gave us a lecture yesterday about recent history and the current situation. By defying the crackdown and coming out in the hundreds despite the threats of police brutality and arrest Egyptians are sending a clear message to Mubarak that they will not stop until there is change or they are dead. In the mere five days that I have been here I have gained a tremendous respect for the resilient and for the most part forceful but non-violent Egyptian people.
The government has tried to break up communications to end the demonstrations by cutting off phone service in specific areas and for many individuals and by blocking internet social media sites like twitter, facebook, youtube and for some reason google. In America, such action by the government is unthinkable, but in a police state whose despotic leadership holds security above the people's rights it is just another barrier to overcome. Egyptians have somehow found a way to communicate despite this, and are continuing to demostrate.
Although there undoubtedly are smaller protests happening in Egypt as I write this, I have heard that another large one is scheduled to take place tomorrow. It isn't my place to in any way take part in this protest, but my support is with the people.
The rest of Cairo seems to be going about with business as usual; not much can stop the daily grind here. People still need to earn a living. However an uneasy calm prevails at times. Last night in the dorms Egyptian students and international students alike gathered around the television in the commons area to watch footage of the protests on television. most of the Egyptian men were chain smoking and everyone, if they spoke at all, had only small broken conversations with each other.
I'm not sure what the next few days hold, but the fact that these protests are a lot larger than expected and have lasted longer than anyone would have guessed means that I am here to witness one of the most interesting moments in Egyptian history that I may ever be present on this earth for. All I can say is thank God.
.
The rumors that leaving the dorm past ten would get you arrested thankfully aren't true, but all of the weekend trips to historical sites and horse rides along the pyramids are postponed until further notice. So far there have not been any protests within close proximity to the Zamalek dorms meaning that dinner and other necessities are still accessible for the students there.
People are still protesting in Tahrir Square and other areas around Cairo including one of the professors here at AUC that gave us a lecture yesterday about recent history and the current situation. By defying the crackdown and coming out in the hundreds despite the threats of police brutality and arrest Egyptians are sending a clear message to Mubarak that they will not stop until there is change or they are dead. In the mere five days that I have been here I have gained a tremendous respect for the resilient and for the most part forceful but non-violent Egyptian people.
The government has tried to break up communications to end the demonstrations by cutting off phone service in specific areas and for many individuals and by blocking internet social media sites like twitter, facebook, youtube and for some reason google. In America, such action by the government is unthinkable, but in a police state whose despotic leadership holds security above the people's rights it is just another barrier to overcome. Egyptians have somehow found a way to communicate despite this, and are continuing to demostrate.
Although there undoubtedly are smaller protests happening in Egypt as I write this, I have heard that another large one is scheduled to take place tomorrow. It isn't my place to in any way take part in this protest, but my support is with the people.
The rest of Cairo seems to be going about with business as usual; not much can stop the daily grind here. People still need to earn a living. However an uneasy calm prevails at times. Last night in the dorms Egyptian students and international students alike gathered around the television in the commons area to watch footage of the protests on television. most of the Egyptian men were chain smoking and everyone, if they spoke at all, had only small broken conversations with each other.
I'm not sure what the next few days hold, but the fact that these protests are a lot larger than expected and have lasted longer than anyone would have guessed means that I am here to witness one of the most interesting moments in Egyptian history that I may ever be present on this earth for. All I can say is thank God.
.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Reality
There are some things that make life all too real. The protest of a nation's people is one of them. I will get to what happened today later in this post but I'm going to cover the lighter side of these past two days first.
Yesterday was a relatively calm but tedious day. On the way to the bus for the New Cairo campus I saw a tourist guard and a police officer trying to move a police car with a dead engine from the street. While the tourist guard was pushing the back of the car something fell from his belt to the ground with a loud clunk. It was his gun..... He scrambled to pick it back up but that didn't stop me and the my I was with from gawking and chuckling a bit. In my head I thanked god that it didn't somehow go off and thought "Wow, at least it wasn't one of those guns that was half the size of me."
During orientation (classes don't start until the 30th) I finally got my bus pass settled and tried to get my student visa when the power went off on campus. It came back on after an hour but I ended up just saying forget it and headed back to the buses for the dorms. On my way back though I was able to snap a photo of one of the paintings in a campus building.
It might actually be painted on an elevator door now that I look at it. One way or another it's absolutely gorgeous.
Back in Zamalek (The region of Cairo that my dorms are in) I got a sim card for local phone calls then wandered around for two hours with Andrea and Jen trying to find a place to eat called Baraka. Turns out that Baraka is basically a street stand but at that point we were too hungry to care about quality. The roach crawling up the wall didn't even dissuade us, especially Andrea who had frequented the food stands of Mexico City in the past. The Kofta sandwich I got wasn't bad and I didn't get a stomach ache from hell either, but I think that food stands aren't really my style. Sorry roaches.
Today I had intended to wake up early and take a tour of Old Cairo. When 6:50 a.m. came though I said forget it. Due to jet lag I had only slept for 4 hours on Sunday night and didn't get to sleep until 2 a.m. last night. I ended up in bed until 2 p.m. and woke up more refreshed than ever.
Shortly after I went to try out the McDonald's with Jamila and Racquel. I ended up getting this.
It.Was.Good.
And look! Packaging made in Egypt! (not China)
Afterwards I went back to my room then took a taxi to Tahrir Square. I stayed far back, right next to the taxi, but here are some pictures I was able to get of the protests that are still going on as I write this.
Today was a public holiday in honor of the police. Since the police are basically Mubarak's main force of public suppression you can imagine why the protests were held today. So many Egyptians came to speak out against the government. They were actually organized on facebook. So many people came out to join and the pictures I snapped were from only one protest in the Cairo area. People were coming back with bleeding wounds on their head from being hit by the police. In other areas tear gas was used and students who went on the bus for a trip told me that they saw a body in the street on the way back. Al-Jazeera calls this the biggest Egyptian protest in 30 years.
All of those people were at the protest. They completely filled Tahrir Square.
The sign translates to this:
"-I am not overcome
-I am a person
-I don't want to be insulted
-I want to live in peace
-Isn't it too much men?"
This one says in English "We are all here until Mubarak resigns."
If you can't understand why the protests were so big know that 40 million Egyptians live on less than two U.S. Dollars a day. I can't even but a decent meal here for that much.
Reality can sometimes slap you in the face. It did for me today. I don't think anything will come of these protests, at least not while I'm here. What I do know is that if a large percentage of the Egyptian population remain in poverty, out of work, or in jail for speaking their minds Mubarak's police may not be able to hold them back for many more years.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
In Cairo!
It's only been a little while but a lot has happened in the past few days.
Aside from the 20 hour trip to Cairo, the crazy traffic on the ride to the dorm, the jet-lag, and the confusion, I've got to admit that I'm having a pretty good time. The actual city of Cairo is unique (in a good way). Its a mix of high end retail stores, crumbing apartment complexes, and architecture from all periods. There is literally no other city like it. Cairo is not for the faint of heart though. Cars are normally about 2 inches away from each other and its a common driving technique to cut people off. The pollution is enough to to give the moon a yellow-brown hue. On top of all that, the slums can be extremely depressing since most are covered in layers of trash and the buildings are basically decomposing. Despite all of that I feel like I am falling in love with the place even though it's only day one. The city is so different from any American or European city that it's actually refreshing. The people are generally very nice even though I've gotten more than a few stares since I look, well, American.
My first day went like this....
1. Wake up at 9:50, which was ten minutes before the last bus left for the New Cairo. I got dressed in record time and ran out the door with my roommate...and without anything but my keys.
2. Plead with the bus driver and later the campus police to let me in. Succeed and officially adopt the nickname Nora since thats what my name sounds like to most Egyptians.
3. Register, eat falafel pitas for lunch, and proceed to run all around campus for a few hours trying to get my student i.d., student visa, buss pass, and course schedule. Some success and some failure there.
4. Returned to the dorm in Cairo. Slept for an hour, then went out to eat and shop at the Ganina mall.
The mall was built just like any Western mall, and the merchandise in the stores had prices that you couldn't bargain on. The prices were pretty fair (right around American prices) but we were THE ONLY foreigners there. Thus we attracted plenty of stares, especially in the hijab stores. However the more we looked around in each store the more the employees warmed up to us. At one point we even got pumpkin seeds to munch on from the women in a high-end hijab store. It was an accomplishment.
entrance to the Ganina mall.
The Girls I went with!
Possibly the most adorable kid in the Middle East. He was outside asking for money and let me take a pic when I gave him a pound. He liked the pic. :)
Mannequin at Ganina Mall.....
Sign for Mandarino, which may possibly serve the best Fattah Chicken ever.
6. Returned home via awesome cab driver who coaxed us to clap along to every song he played.
All in all I'd say it was a good start to my study abroad experience. Let's hope tomorrow is just as good.
Aside from the 20 hour trip to Cairo, the crazy traffic on the ride to the dorm, the jet-lag, and the confusion, I've got to admit that I'm having a pretty good time. The actual city of Cairo is unique (in a good way). Its a mix of high end retail stores, crumbing apartment complexes, and architecture from all periods. There is literally no other city like it. Cairo is not for the faint of heart though. Cars are normally about 2 inches away from each other and its a common driving technique to cut people off. The pollution is enough to to give the moon a yellow-brown hue. On top of all that, the slums can be extremely depressing since most are covered in layers of trash and the buildings are basically decomposing. Despite all of that I feel like I am falling in love with the place even though it's only day one. The city is so different from any American or European city that it's actually refreshing. The people are generally very nice even though I've gotten more than a few stares since I look, well, American.
My first day went like this....
1. Wake up at 9:50, which was ten minutes before the last bus left for the New Cairo. I got dressed in record time and ran out the door with my roommate...and without anything but my keys.
2. Plead with the bus driver and later the campus police to let me in. Succeed and officially adopt the nickname Nora since thats what my name sounds like to most Egyptians.
3. Register, eat falafel pitas for lunch, and proceed to run all around campus for a few hours trying to get my student i.d., student visa, buss pass, and course schedule. Some success and some failure there.
4. Returned to the dorm in Cairo. Slept for an hour, then went out to eat and shop at the Ganina mall.
The mall was built just like any Western mall, and the merchandise in the stores had prices that you couldn't bargain on. The prices were pretty fair (right around American prices) but we were THE ONLY foreigners there. Thus we attracted plenty of stares, especially in the hijab stores. However the more we looked around in each store the more the employees warmed up to us. At one point we even got pumpkin seeds to munch on from the women in a high-end hijab store. It was an accomplishment.
entrance to the Ganina mall.
The Girls I went with!
Possibly the most adorable kid in the Middle East. He was outside asking for money and let me take a pic when I gave him a pound. He liked the pic. :)
6. Returned home via awesome cab driver who coaxed us to clap along to every song he played.
All in all I'd say it was a good start to my study abroad experience. Let's hope tomorrow is just as good.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Bank accounts, Clubs, and Haircuts
Hello everyone!
There were a few interesting things that have happened in the past few days. For one I decided to open a separate account for my scholarship money. Instead of attempting to figure out travelers checks or moneygrams I've decided to take advantage of the atms on campus in New Cairo and the ones in downtown Cairo (fingers crossed that the withdraw charges won't be too outrageous). Since the money from the scholarship will mostly be used to cover cost of living expenses I'm thinking that taking out a monthly allowance for food and a few souvenirs alongside writing checks for my dorm payments will keep my spending down. As stuck-up and spoiled as it sounds I've never actually had to worry about keeping track of living expenses during my college experience. Already studying abroad seems to be providing me with plently of learning, and possibly screwing up, opportunities. Fiscal responsibility here I come!
On the lighter side I took a look at the orientation handbook for AUC today and found a list of clubs and student organizations. Unfortunately there doesn't seems to be any club involving sailing. However there are some pretty interesting looking special interest organizations like "Writers for a third-world nation" and a music group that I'm hoping will be down the same alley as the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble Bereket was at UT.
Here's a clip of the ensemble's performance last November. If you look at the screen during the beginning of the song you can see me playing the cello. :)
On a less relevant note I recently got my hair cut.. First of all it was getting too long and second of all the bottom half was blonde and the top was my natural brown (I had died it a year back and despite trying to dye it back to brown multiple times the color always faded back). Some of it is still blonde but it feels a heck of a lot lighter and ready for Egyptian weather.
That's about it for now. 14 days left.
There were a few interesting things that have happened in the past few days. For one I decided to open a separate account for my scholarship money. Instead of attempting to figure out travelers checks or moneygrams I've decided to take advantage of the atms on campus in New Cairo and the ones in downtown Cairo (fingers crossed that the withdraw charges won't be too outrageous). Since the money from the scholarship will mostly be used to cover cost of living expenses I'm thinking that taking out a monthly allowance for food and a few souvenirs alongside writing checks for my dorm payments will keep my spending down. As stuck-up and spoiled as it sounds I've never actually had to worry about keeping track of living expenses during my college experience. Already studying abroad seems to be providing me with plently of learning, and possibly screwing up, opportunities. Fiscal responsibility here I come!
On the lighter side I took a look at the orientation handbook for AUC today and found a list of clubs and student organizations. Unfortunately there doesn't seems to be any club involving sailing. However there are some pretty interesting looking special interest organizations like "Writers for a third-world nation" and a music group that I'm hoping will be down the same alley as the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble Bereket was at UT.
Here's a clip of the ensemble's performance last November. If you look at the screen during the beginning of the song you can see me playing the cello. :)
On a less relevant note I recently got my hair cut.. First of all it was getting too long and second of all the bottom half was blonde and the top was my natural brown (I had died it a year back and despite trying to dye it back to brown multiple times the color always faded back). Some of it is still blonde but it feels a heck of a lot lighter and ready for Egyptian weather.
That's about it for now. 14 days left.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Shopping for Cairo
As promised, this is the part of the blog where I abandon talking about the application and acceptance process and instead talk about my own experiences as a UT student studying abroad.
The culture in Egypt suffice to say a bit more conservative than what I have grown up with in Texas. What amounts to my normal spring and summer wardrobe-- mostly v-neck t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops-- I have been told will earn me plenty of dissenting looks from the women and cat calls from the men of downtown Cairo. On top of that the dorm I will be staying in, Zamalek, has a strict "decent clothing" policy while studying or socializing in any of the common areas meaning that wearing anything considered flashy could rid me of a place to live while in Egypt.
All of this in mind I returned from a week long camping trip ready to find a new wardrobe. Armed with an array of gift cards I had accrued from the holiday season I set my sights to the Woodlands mall. Surprisingly it wasn't very crowded, but for someone who would choose a Firefly marathon over a shopping spree any day it was an exhausting 5 hours. (Also, shame on you if you don't know what Firefly is).
Overall I returned with....
- 3 pairs of jeans
-1 light cotton sweater
- 2 cardigans
- 3 short-sleeved (high neck) shirts
- 4 button up shirts
- 1 pair of boots
- 2 pairs of flats
Probably the weirdest item for me on that list were the cardigans. Since they first appeared I have refused to wear cardigans. I'm not sure why I never wanted one. Unlike my unparalleled dislike of nike shorts I just had never really thought twice about wearing a cardigan. However, considering that I will be restricted to long sleeves and pants in 90+ degree weather on a daily basis, the lightweight cotton cardigan became pretty appealing to me.
So here's a picture of the first cardigan I've ever owned.
Okay, so this isn't the most exciting picture ever, but I figured posting at least one picture per blog will make reading it a little more interesting. The really good pictures will hopefully start coming in on January 23rd, which will be my first full day in Egypt.
Speaking of which....19 more days till Egypt!!!
There's still plenty of things to buy before I leave but fortunately I've got some time.
The culture in Egypt suffice to say a bit more conservative than what I have grown up with in Texas. What amounts to my normal spring and summer wardrobe-- mostly v-neck t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops-- I have been told will earn me plenty of dissenting looks from the women and cat calls from the men of downtown Cairo. On top of that the dorm I will be staying in, Zamalek, has a strict "decent clothing" policy while studying or socializing in any of the common areas meaning that wearing anything considered flashy could rid me of a place to live while in Egypt.
All of this in mind I returned from a week long camping trip ready to find a new wardrobe. Armed with an array of gift cards I had accrued from the holiday season I set my sights to the Woodlands mall. Surprisingly it wasn't very crowded, but for someone who would choose a Firefly marathon over a shopping spree any day it was an exhausting 5 hours. (Also, shame on you if you don't know what Firefly is).
Overall I returned with....
- 3 pairs of jeans
-1 light cotton sweater
- 2 cardigans
- 3 short-sleeved (high neck) shirts
- 4 button up shirts
- 1 pair of boots
- 2 pairs of flats
Probably the weirdest item for me on that list were the cardigans. Since they first appeared I have refused to wear cardigans. I'm not sure why I never wanted one. Unlike my unparalleled dislike of nike shorts I just had never really thought twice about wearing a cardigan. However, considering that I will be restricted to long sleeves and pants in 90+ degree weather on a daily basis, the lightweight cotton cardigan became pretty appealing to me.
So here's a picture of the first cardigan I've ever owned.
Okay, so this isn't the most exciting picture ever, but I figured posting at least one picture per blog will make reading it a little more interesting. The really good pictures will hopefully start coming in on January 23rd, which will be my first full day in Egypt.
Speaking of which....19 more days till Egypt!!!
There's still plenty of things to buy before I leave but fortunately I've got some time.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Application process cont. and acceptance
As promised I'm using this second post to finish up talking about the application process I had to go through for study abroad. Hang in though, once I finish up explaining how to get yourself ready to study abroad I'm going to begin talking about what I am currently doing to get ready to head off to Cairo.
Application Process: Alright, once you've picked out what university you want to study at with your advisor, its time to fill out applications. First and foremost you need to fill out the general study abroad application for UT. The application only requires some general information and once its submitted your SAO advisor will be able to clear you to study abroad. You'll need to pay a $50 application fee right after you fill out the application though or else it will be erased (also, this is just the beginning of the fees that you will encounter). When you've finished up this application its time to work on the the application for the school you want to go to.
Since I've only applied for AUC (The American University in Cairo) I'll tell you about what it was like to fill out theirs. To be able to apply I had to have at least 30 credit hours completed and a GPA of 3.0 or more. This info along with the application requirements were made readily available to me on AUC's website. AUC also has an online application that I was able to fill out without having to worry about sending it in though the mail. Normally there will be a fee for the application of around $50 dollars depending on where you apply. Since I did mine online though I was allowed to forgo the fee. Alongside the appliation and essays I also had to include proof of my passport, photos for a student ID, a list of 8-10 courses I was planning on taking at AUC, two confidential letters of recommendation, and an official transcript. Here's a tip; if you don't know what professors would be best for a letter of recommendation you can always ask Stacey Amorous or Dr. Carver to write one for you. Also, if you feel like the professor you want to fill out a rec won't write a very positive one for you, don't even bother asking. The people who sift though the applications will be looking closely at not only you're essays but those letters as well when deciding whether or not you'll be a worthwhile student to have at their university. Once more, get all of this done asap. The earlier it's finished the less stressed out you'll be about it.
Once everything's in for your study abroad application just sit back and relax. Being in UT is most likely enough to get you into a good foreign university, but most of you are in LAH which means that those reading you're application will know that you're an excellent and qualified student.
Once everything's in for your study abroad application just sit back and relax. Being in UT is most likely enough to get you into a good foreign university, but most of you are in LAH which means that those reading you're application will know that you're an excellent and qualified student.
Acceptance: The feeling that you get when you find out you've been accepted into the university of your choice is just as good as it was the first time you were accepted into UT or freshman LAH. At least it was for me. When I got my LAH letter of acceptance I was in an airport with my grandmother on my way back to Houston. I'm pretty sure I scared a lot of haggard travelers when I jumped ecstatically up and down in the terminal. I found out I got accepted into AUC just a few days after the deadline for the application and nearly dropped my phone hopping around in the Dobie mall parking lot. Next however, comes plenty of planning and even more things to read through and fill out. UT will make you attend a MANDATORY meeting set for early November to help you familiarize yourself with the region you will be traveling to. Check the website after acceptance to see what day your meeting is on. There are also physical exam forms, extremely lengthy powerpoints complete with quizzes over the info in them, international insurance, and proof of tickets that you will have to provide. Suffice to say, it's plenty of work, and to top it off its all do by December 1st. My advice is to take a weekend to sit down and fill out the forms, buy the insurance, and purchase the tickets. The physical can be done at UT but make sure to get an appointment early on. A few days before December first ALL of the appointments for physicals are most likely going to be taken and you'll have to find a clinic or doctor elsewhere to do it for you. Once you've completed all of the mandatory forms and meetings try to meet with your advisor so that you can get an idea of the types of clothes to bring, what foods to eat, where to live, etc.
Normally the university you will be studying at will require you to confirm your attendance by a certain date. Once you've completed your confirmation the university can send you information on picking out classes, placement tests you might have to take, etc. Check your university's website or call/email the international students office to get information on what else you will need to bring with you and what forms you need to fill out before you leave. For AUC I needed to get a physical (remember you can kill two birds with one stone by bringing both UT's for and your univeristy's form to the first physical) and I needed to take a few test for medical conditions. Beyond that you will need to get a visa to travel to your country. I will be able to get a visa at the airport for Egypt, but once in the country I will need to attain a student visa. Your university will be able to help you out with this process.
One more piece of advice; enjoy your break. Be it winter or summer break make sure that you spend time with family and friends ( or at least the ones you like) because you're going to miss them when you're abroad.
Okay, now that we're finished talking about the process of applying and acceptance I promise that the next post will be more interesting if not less educational. It's January first and I'm already packing...just a little while longer until the real adventure begins.
(I know that ending was cheesy, just go with it)
ma3 's-salaam and hope you're having a wonderful break!
Laura
Normally the university you will be studying at will require you to confirm your attendance by a certain date. Once you've completed your confirmation the university can send you information on picking out classes, placement tests you might have to take, etc. Check your university's website or call/email the international students office to get information on what else you will need to bring with you and what forms you need to fill out before you leave. For AUC I needed to get a physical (remember you can kill two birds with one stone by bringing both UT's for and your univeristy's form to the first physical) and I needed to take a few test for medical conditions. Beyond that you will need to get a visa to travel to your country. I will be able to get a visa at the airport for Egypt, but once in the country I will need to attain a student visa. Your university will be able to help you out with this process.
One more piece of advice; enjoy your break. Be it winter or summer break make sure that you spend time with family and friends ( or at least the ones you like) because you're going to miss them when you're abroad.
Okay, now that we're finished talking about the process of applying and acceptance I promise that the next post will be more interesting if not less educational. It's January first and I'm already packing...just a little while longer until the real adventure begins.
(I know that ending was cheesy, just go with it)
ma3 's-salaam and hope you're having a wonderful break!
Laura
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)