If any one still reads this...

I"m in Jerusalem now, but I haven't posted because I don't want any written records of what I see and do out here. Sorry about that.

Stupidity never ceases...

I woke up at 2 p.m. today and found this video while looking around the web. There are many things that should be discussed (why is it that no one discusses these things? I mean there are loads of other videos about the same thing and pretty much every book in Barnes and Nobles talks about the dangers of Islam, but......no one REALLY discusses this.....you know what I mean?). Hats off to the courage of the German government to recognize the threat of the Muslim population. If only there was something they could do to encourage a "pure religion" or maybe a "master religion." It is clear that the film implies that Muslims are not on the level of Christians so you can call them....I don't know....maybe sub-Christians. Yes that works until you can replace Christian with Human. I wonder if Israelis can see the irony in this.

The video concludes saying Christians should have more babies and "spread the gospel with the whole world." Yes, there should be a "Crusade" to spread the world and convert those evil Muslims. We should go to the Holy Land, drive out most of the population, invade other Muslim countries, and establish military bases in all the Muslim countries. That would be a worthy "Crusade" indeed.

On a serious note (the only one of this whole post), this reminds me of another documentary I saw on youtube called Zeitgeist. They talk about two totally different subjects but the tone and style seem pretty much the same. They connect various different events to create a more grand plot that capitalizes on peoples' fears about certain events and exploit those fears to maximum effect. Everyone who disagrees with this is either a mindless sheep or evil terrorist. They both also have vague conclusions for how to deal with this (although having more babies is a concrete step, little is given beyond that). Here is something the turn back the tide of stupid.

P.S. The video on Islam is posted by the youtube account friendofmuslim. Think about the last time you had a friend who was this scared of you when they saw you. Were they a true friend?

goodbyes

Yesterday we had a goodbye party for a friend who is leaving for Bahrain. Although I was kind of bitter for awhile about somethings that had happened here in Egypt, I really enjoyed coming here and would not have traded this opportunity for anything else. I was riding in a cab and looking out at everything going on in the streets and felt oddly at peace for some reason. Maybe I just feel this way because last night I booked my ticket to Turkey and leave in two weeks. Hopefully this last two weeks will wrap up everything that has happened in Egypt. I am also now doing a blog in Arabic. If you know Arabic you should check it out.

A long time passed...

It's been awhile since I've updated this because I could never keep prospective posts focused. Life in Egypt has slowed to a grinding halt. What was once exciting faded when I realized there isn't that much to do in Egypt. At least it seems that way. People mostly use their free time by going to coffee shops and gossiping about others (even though it is expressly forbidden in Islam). There are night clubs but they are full of sketchy types who will try to take your money at every turn if they think you are American. Worse is that Palestine feels a million miles away from here. There are posters from Gaza already torn and faded on all the buildings and trains but little else. The country that was once the capital of the non-aligned movement and the center for the PLO has been tamed and given up on such aspirations like that.

It's possible that there is more of Egypt to see but at this point I've had so much trouble with scamers and people who never show up that I doubt I'll see it any time soon. Well guess its time to hit Dave's ESL Cafe and see what jobs are around.

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.