M3a al-salama, Cairo! مع السلامة, القاهرة
Tomorrow is going to be my last day in Cairo, but I am supposed to be working on a paper right now so I figured I would do a goodbye post to my time in Cairo, Egypt instead.
What I Will Miss
1. The lack of lines. You can be the first to pay anywhere if you push enough. However this is a tricky situation, as people assume since you are white you will wait in line forever and so you must be extra careful and diligent when pushing your way to the front.
2. Back-alley food stands. Sure, you might get parasites or food poisoning, but that 20 cent falafel was worth it.
3. The fact that Egyptians don't sleep. Ever. It's a myth. (*except my roommate who sleeps all the damn time).
4. Being a minority. While I rarely partake in making fun of people who cannot retort, when a teenage boy walks by you drenched in cologne it is very relieving to assail on him while he walks by unknowingly.
5. Arabic. I took four semesters of Modern Standard Arabic before I got here, but the teacher never spoke in Arabic nor were we expected to, so I basically got to start from scratch. I learned a lot more in one semester (even being completely isolated on campus) than I did in four, and it's going to be sad to leave that behind.
6. The way that despite the fact that all logic says Egypt should implode on itself, it still manages to soldier on. Sure a lot of people die each year on Egypt's roads (8,000 I've heard thrown around), but if you ride on them even once you say to yourself "Wow it should be a lot more than this." There is no system in Egypt governing anything--but the system works.
What I Won't Miss
1. The rich snobs at AUC. They are the same age as most American college students, but their maturity level is beyond ridiculous. There are food fights at the food court, people talk about "make out" corners, and generally walk around with a sense of entitlement.
2. AUC/New Cairo. We are at the edge of Cairo. It's an hour's cab ride to get into town (on a good day!). The food is expensive by Egyptian standards (and sometimes even by American ones), and is limited to McDonald's, pizza, and American cuisine in general. The dorms have limited cooking facilities and one fridge for the entire unit, which is always filled to the brim with rotting food.
3. The haggling. MY GOD THE HAGGLING. Just tell me a price. If it's reasonable, I'll take it, if not I'll walk away.
4. Arab time. No, this is not a stereotype people, it's a real thing. If you show up at 8:30 for a 7:30 event, you will be early.
5. Pollution and traffic. Thankfully where I live in New Cairo, it is not very polluted (yet). Spending an hour or two in downtown Cairo is disgusting. Even after an hour or two in Cairo, when I get back and blow my nose or something it's just pure black dirt. Blergh.
6. Egyptian men. Even though I didn't get harassed a lot even with blonde hair (My theory is either I'm an ugly hag, or I just somehow have mastered giving off an aura of "Don't talk to me if you value your life." Or both.), they are still sleezee balls.
That about sums up my experience. There were good days and bad, friends came and friends went. It was a little expensive, all things considered. But overall, I'm glad I went and overall I enjoyed myself. But I am definitely ready to go home (except for the fact that it's hovering around 0 degrees F back in Minnesota!) and finish my last semester of undergrad. I only have two classes to take: my math (yes, I put it off) and my senior seminar paper, for which I'm pretty sure I have a topic. Then it's off to the Real World. Hmm...
What I Will Miss
1. The lack of lines. You can be the first to pay anywhere if you push enough. However this is a tricky situation, as people assume since you are white you will wait in line forever and so you must be extra careful and diligent when pushing your way to the front.
2. Back-alley food stands. Sure, you might get parasites or food poisoning, but that 20 cent falafel was worth it.
3. The fact that Egyptians don't sleep. Ever. It's a myth. (*except my roommate who sleeps all the damn time).
4. Being a minority. While I rarely partake in making fun of people who cannot retort, when a teenage boy walks by you drenched in cologne it is very relieving to assail on him while he walks by unknowingly.
5. Arabic. I took four semesters of Modern Standard Arabic before I got here, but the teacher never spoke in Arabic nor were we expected to, so I basically got to start from scratch. I learned a lot more in one semester (even being completely isolated on campus) than I did in four, and it's going to be sad to leave that behind.
6. The way that despite the fact that all logic says Egypt should implode on itself, it still manages to soldier on. Sure a lot of people die each year on Egypt's roads (8,000 I've heard thrown around), but if you ride on them even once you say to yourself "Wow it should be a lot more than this." There is no system in Egypt governing anything--but the system works.
What I Won't Miss
1. The rich snobs at AUC. They are the same age as most American college students, but their maturity level is beyond ridiculous. There are food fights at the food court, people talk about "make out" corners, and generally walk around with a sense of entitlement.
2. AUC/New Cairo. We are at the edge of Cairo. It's an hour's cab ride to get into town (on a good day!). The food is expensive by Egyptian standards (and sometimes even by American ones), and is limited to McDonald's, pizza, and American cuisine in general. The dorms have limited cooking facilities and one fridge for the entire unit, which is always filled to the brim with rotting food.
3. The haggling. MY GOD THE HAGGLING. Just tell me a price. If it's reasonable, I'll take it, if not I'll walk away.
4. Arab time. No, this is not a stereotype people, it's a real thing. If you show up at 8:30 for a 7:30 event, you will be early.
5. Pollution and traffic. Thankfully where I live in New Cairo, it is not very polluted (yet). Spending an hour or two in downtown Cairo is disgusting. Even after an hour or two in Cairo, when I get back and blow my nose or something it's just pure black dirt. Blergh.
6. Egyptian men. Even though I didn't get harassed a lot even with blonde hair (My theory is either I'm an ugly hag, or I just somehow have mastered giving off an aura of "Don't talk to me if you value your life." Or both.), they are still sleezee balls.
That about sums up my experience. There were good days and bad, friends came and friends went. It was a little expensive, all things considered. But overall, I'm glad I went and overall I enjoyed myself. But I am definitely ready to go home (except for the fact that it's hovering around 0 degrees F back in Minnesota!) and finish my last semester of undergrad. I only have two classes to take: my math (yes, I put it off) and my senior seminar paper, for which I'm pretty sure I have a topic. Then it's off to the Real World. Hmm...