Cairo

This weekend I was able to go to Cairo which was amazing. It is as crowded as New York if not more and there are no traffic rules that people follow. Aside from that and the polluted air, its not so bad. It was amazing to see this really ancient city that has been inhabited for thousands of years. However, you can recognize the many transformations it has gone through. There is so much history here that there are many old buildings that look historic that are being neglected. It looks like the Egyptian gov't is focusing its money on preserving the big tourist attractions like the Pyramids so it can keep that tourist economy flowing.

Of course there is more to Cairo than "old Cairo." A friend of mine took me to the City of the Stars mall which was really something. In some ways it was like other malls although they recreated the historic Khan El Khalili bazaar (which was apparently better than being in the REAL Khan El Khalili bazaar). It was a showcase of the extravagant Egypt that I hadn't seen until this point.

Suspicious activity

So this morning I learned from my mom that my debit card was unfrozen by my bank after my mom told them that I was in Egypt and attending the TEFL program. What had happened was that my bank had noticed large transactions coming in from Egypt and suspected that it was fraud by the size of the transactions and the fact that they are coming in from Egypt. While I was unhappy that my bank didn't stop and think that it is possible I could travel to Egypt(transactions from the States should have ceased by now), I guess I am happy that my bank is trying to look out for me by freezing my card when they think fraud is involved(in their defense I never did tell them that I was leaving). However it has lead me to think about who you can really trust sometimes.

Everyone in Egypt has been really friendly so far. Sometimes though if the person being friendly is staying in front of a store or restaurant, there is always the feeling that they are being nice just so you will buy something. Some of the owners manage to come off as more sincere than others based on how much they talk with you and how desperate they are to have you come in their store. However, I still find most people in Egypt very trustworthy and hospitable.

Although we have talked to many different people, most of us on the program haven't really developed any local contacts outside of the people affiliated with TEFL. We are staying in a shared apartment that is enclosed with a gate. It feels very nice and secure but the situation seems to have a habit of pushing all the people on the program closer together while isolating us from the locals to an extent. The ironic thing is that even when walking the streets at night we feel completely safe and still talk to people normally.

The reason I am thinking about this is that meeting local Egyptians is what can make or break our time here. No matter how many monuments a person sees, they will not learn about Egypt unless they make friends with local Egyptians. This is the first time I traveled to a country without having some good friend who was there or from there. When I came I didn't know what to really expect from Egypt. But it has been amazing so far so now I just need to meet some actual Egyptians. It comes with time but hopefully that time will be short.

The story so far.

Sorry for not writing earlier but I wanted to get some handle on what's going on before I wrote my first entry on Egypt. I've been here for almost a day and a half but it has been exciting. First at Cario International we almost missed our ride because me and another student named on the program thought we were being picked up form a terminal we landed in but when we tried to go back the taxi driver couldn't find the terminal. Luckily my Arabic came in handy as the driver spoke very little English. However, our driver managed to find us and take us to our apartments.

Technically, I'm not staying in Alexandria itself but Al-Agami, a small suburb 30 minutes from the city center. I wouldn't mention it so much except that it annoys me when people from Niles and Glenview go around telling people they are from Chicago. Those places are nothing like Chicago and this place isn't like Alexandria as I've learned. I will forgo mentioning the trash that my friend semi-expert is so tired of hearing about that comes out of every news story on Egypt but it is there.

What I should mention is the driving situation. Basically it is like any major city minus driving rules. People zip around as they please without regard to lane or what the other car is doing. Somehow the Egyptians make it work. Pedestrians will also run out in the middle of the street as they please but I have no seen an accident yet. Any one familiar with Egypt realizes that in the Middle East the real threat is not terrorism but driving (this holds true for pro-western "we are always under attack" Israel). It is one of the signs of a general feeling of disorganization and lax attitude that surrounds life in Egypt. However the reasons for that are many and I will discuss them in future posts as I observe life here more.

Of course it should also be mentioned how generous the people here have been. Walking down the street everyone has said "hi" and "good morning." In general Egyptians love having guests and it is part of the way of life (40 percent of the country's income comes from tourism). It is really heart warming and I hope I will be able to get to know some people around here more personally. After all isn't the point around here to meet Egyptians? Anyway I will get back with more details and when it is not 4 in the morning.