an internal debate

[menschlichen]

so I am, thinking about where to go next after shanghai. it seems like a potentially determinative step- maybe one of the last times i could totally revolutionize my life and perspective on things. here are my most likely options

Comments

[menschlichen]

yes, of course i thought of cairo-arabic would be so much more useful than turkish, really- and for the same reason thought of beirut. i guess istanbul seemed like a safer alternative than either, for different reasons (in a different world, i would go to a cosmopolitan baghdad, but of course...) one thing about istanbul is that for whatever its worth my parents would feel better about it- they honeymooned there, but cairo i think theyd be more concerned, probably rightly so. also just generally as a superficial snap judgment of someone who has not been to either istanbul seems pleasanter on an everyday level- the way the buildings look, the efficiency of public transport, that food at the cafe across the street and whether the chef spits in my food because i'm american or not, (not to mention the proximity to europe in general) if i was in cairo i could and probz would have to d with american university f cairo, a friend who was considering moving to beirut immediately met people at AU there and knows no arabic nor french nor would really consider learing arabic too seriously. however she also has 1, a mfa and 2, experience as a schoolteacher in american public schools. on one hand i say, 'why would a year of living in china remotely qualfy me to work at a university in egypt,' and on the other hand i say 'why would a university in egypt not want for a minimal living wage my work' so i dunno.

either way is, realistically i am sure cairo would be a nice place to live and is worth exploring. on a superficial level it seems like it would be more difficult, politically (that is to say visa wise) more dicey, etc.

actually if possible at this point i'm leaning towards istanbul, or mexico DF if that is possible, for similar reasons- not cold, delicious food, beautiful people live there, cheap, probably less discovered while still decent places to live, probably both having an avant garde of people i could meet and join with. so maybe cairo should be added to the list?