Church in Cairo

I went to church 3 times in Cairo, and the third time I walked into that beautiful Roman Catholic church, I felt a connection I haven't often felt. Mass in Egypt was tedious for me because of the heavy accents of the priests (Eastern European & Asian) and lectors, and because of the terrible singing, which we did a lot of. So I looked around a fair amount of Mass. My fellow worshippers were really, really diverse. Many were South Asian, some were Arab, and the rest were white, with mabye 10 blacks out of maybe 200-250. There were a lot of older people, a lot of kids, and a lot of middle aged people. Twentysomethings seemed to come exclusively from AUC. Despite the thick accents, and because of the heavy racial diversity, Mass actually felt like a community of worshippers instead of a bunch of white people counting down the minutes until freedom. I would never have guessed that I would find religious inspiration in Egypt, but I was wrong.

You look so un-Egyptian

when you don't know that doors push open into buildings; they don't pull open. 6 weeks ago, Nabil and I would've thought that RadioShack was closed in the mid-afternoon if a worker hadn't graciously opened the door (by pulling it from the inside) for us. We had no luck pulling it open and couldn't figure out what was different about this RadioShack. It was probably the first store I visited in Egypt.

The way doors open: something you take for granted until it changes and you look foolish in another country.

Connecting the dots

During the Sharm trip, we rode ATVs in the desert. Which sounds pretty awesome, but it was like riding shotgun with a 16 year old with a learner's permit. About 30 of us rode in a single line. We gunned our ATVs for about 50 yards, then slammed on the brakes. For two and a half hours. Occasionally we'd have to swerve out of line to avoid rear-ending the ATV in front of us. Every time we did that, our Egyptian guides yelled at us and told us to get back in line. If one of us fell behind as the rest of the group sped towards a quick stop, we got yelled at and told to speed up. The Egyptians just didn't seem to understand why we would swerve out of line, or why we wouldn't go as fast as we could (for 50 yards). In fact, many Egyptian adults didn't understand a lot of things I would take for granted that American adults would understand. In light of my last post about how lead pollution can make Egyptians dumber, I wonder if the reason Egyptian adults seemed to have the reasoning capacity of an American child wasn't the pollution!

Also, as many of you know, I have an irrational fear of bees. Been afraid of them since I was a kid. Nothing I can do about that now; I'm way too old to kick this habit. So I'll miss the absence of bees in Egypt. I think I saw 2 bees, both in Alexandria or Sharm (both cities are outside Cairo, the most polluted city in Egypt, and both are right on the coast, where coastal winds could clear out any remaining pollution). Again, maybe the pollution killed off my nemeses...

Air pollution kills 3,400 people per year!

The Egyptian government estimates that air pollution kills 3,400 people each year, and causes 15,000 cases of bronchitis and 329,000 respiratory infections.

Because of car emissions and the lead smelting industry (which rings the City of Cairo), Cairo remains one of the world's most lead-polluted cities. Throughout the trip, people would remark at how much better they felt during weekends away from Cairo, but then had respiratory problems when they returned. A huge reason was the lead pollution, which is not a new story:

A 1997 New York Times article reported that airborne lead pollution reduced Egyptian IQs by 4 points.

A 1998-99 study by the Egyptian government began by stating that "leaded gasoline appears to be a principal source of general environmental lead pollution." The study cited a 1968 study that estimated that 90% of the atmospheric lead came "from automobile exhaust and that the increase in environmental [lead] levels was due mainly to emissions from leaded gasoline." The study concluded that after switching to unleaded gas in the Cairo governate only (but not the surrounding regions), the concentration of airborne lead pollution decreased by 13% a year.

This article still rings true in 2008

A National Review article from 2003 adequately sums up my experiences in Egypt.

Sorry for the hiatus...

...we took finals last week and I flew home, landing in Boston on Friday. I've never been incredibly outwardly patriotic, and I've complained incessantly about how overused the American flag is in our public life, but I actually welled up a little bit when I saw the flag in Logan. It's great to be back; I've missed home and everyone from home. I'll keep blogging now that I'm home. During my study breaks I found some interesting information about Egypt that I wish I had found while I was there. Also, I dropped off 9 rolls of film to Target today, and chances are great that I'll get all 9 rolls back tomorrow error-free (US efficiency > Egyptian efficiency). So I'll be sharing those pictures with you as well.

I should be in Boston until early August, when I'll drive back to DC. If you're in town, let's get together!

Not sure what to make of this

The world going to hell wasn't completely W's fault, but he was the POTUS during the past 8 years, so he played a pretty sizable role. It's probably more a coincidence that oil is now $144 a barrel, but the article is interesting nonetheless.

Another reason I love Matt Yglesias' blog

I'm a huge fan of Atlantic Magazine blogger Matt Yglesias. And not because we share similar political preferences. Because he says smart things. Here's a post on patriotism in our hyper-political culture.

Sorry if this post was kind of preachy.

Any final requests?

Insh'Allah, I'll be home in Boston on Friday morning around 11. Does anyone want any particular souvenirs, or pictures of anything, or whatever? Speak now or hold your peace...

Take your news with a grain of salt

Apparently Ahmadinejad isn't so popular with the real powers-that-be in Iran.

I just noticed

that the wrapper on my bottle of Egyptian-sourced Nestle water reads, "Premium Natural Drinking Water. Safe. Healthy." Since when does a company need to proclaim that its water is "natural," "safe," or "healthy"?

Right on

Bizabt tikida! (exactly!)

Explaining jihad

Here's an interesting video that was recommended to us by our Islamic Jurisprudence professor in regards to the "Verse of the Sword" (ayat 9:5 from the Qur'an). It's brief, but still goes into more detail than Fox News or the New York Times.

He's gotta start somewhere

Ehud Barak says something sensible for a change.

Two interesting links from Egyptian media

"Veil your lollipop." The comments below the blog post are pretty interesting, too.

Not sure why this American tourist thought leaving a video with Marriott reception, and asking them to make copies of the video was a good idea. Apparently she didn't know that Egypt is a police state.

Another interesting study abroad blog

Jabeen, one of my classmates at American, is also blogging about her experiences while on our study abroad program in The Hague and during an internship in Jerusalem while living in Ramallah (West Bank, Palestinian Occupied Territory). Her perspective on living & working there is one that you could go a lifetime without being exposed to, such is the sad state of American media coverage of anything Israeli. So you should read her blog, too!

Stuff White People Like

Not sure how many readers have checked out this site, but you really should. It's pretty dead on. Lawyers make the list!

Hungover, but legitimate, venting

In need of nutrients, I just went downstairs to the dorm "cafeteria" to buy some juice, and a 7-Up for Nabil, who's been really sick all day (we've both been vampires today--lights off, curtain closed, sleeping alot). I pay for my merchandise, and the clerk hands me 12.50 in EGP--a 10 pound note, two 1 pound coins, and a 50 piastre note. Then I notice a vending machine in the cafeteria. So I amble on over to the vending machine. There's no price anywhere on the machine, which doesn't accept bills. Shouldn't be a problem, I say to myself, because everything in this country is cheap. So I put in a 1 pound coin and press the 7-Up button. Except that 7-Up costs 2.50. And I have only 2 coins worth 2 pounds. I ask the clerk for coins, and he immediately tells me that he has none. I go to the reception desk, and no one has coins. I try the security office, and no one has coins.

Getting change in this country is a HUGE problem. No one has it. Vendors, and even some restaurants, want--indeed, almost expect--exact change. When you have only big bills, as an American law student is likely to have (since every time you exchange money you get big bills), and your bill is small, vendors actually get frustrated by your attemp to pay for your stuff with a big bill. In retrospect, I'm a little surprised the clerk could give me 12.50 back from a 20 pound note. I wonder whether it says anything about Egypt that buying a soda from a vending machine is a chore?

Happy Birthday, America!

Now go eat a hot dog, drink a beer, watch baseball and enjoy tonight's fireworks! Sadly, I will likely do none of these things today...