Post MIS

Good times. Learned a lot about AIESEC in Egypt, danced to some funky Arabic tunes. I think if I have to dance Bebot again I might gnaw off my leg, though. At least until the next LC meeting.

Scramble

Heading to the Misr Intercultural Seminar in 6 hours; found out 3 hours ago. AAST offered to comp me thanks to the work I had done with them over the past few weeks - their generosity and kindness continues to humble me. Stories and pictures to come soon.

Beliefs

Yesterday ended up being a tough day. But not, surprisingly, due to the morning, where after 5 hours of sleep Evi, Roeland and I ventured into Cairo to renew our visas. If the lack of sleep and plunge into the murky depths of Egyptian bureaucracy wasn’t enough, my phone fell out of my pocket as I exited the cab, and although I pulled off some impressive car dodging trying to catch up with it after I realized it was missing it was to no avail.

So, for those of you keeping score: Tired, Bureaucracy, Lost Phone. All before 9am.

But fortune decided to smile on me this time. Getting all the shit together for the application took about 30 mins, and 2 hours later we had our shiny printed labels in our passports. I got a friend from AIESEC to text my phone, which the cab driver read, called back from and arranged a drop-off point for the phone. He is a very, very nice man. And I got to take a nap in the afternoon once we got back, which can’t be all that bad.

Later that day I swung by the university to attend an OGX prep session on representing Islam abroad. Seemed like a good way to learn about a part of the culture that such a big part of the region, you know? And truthfully, I did – the external who led the session was very intelligent and articulate, and clearly knew a lot about the subject. I spent most of the session in silence, trying to remember as much as I could for future reference. Some of the stuff made me uncomfortable – frequent references to American culture were less than positive, and while I’d be the first to say that aspects of American life aren’t perfect it gets me down that the country draws criticism for things that are hardly unique to it (as an article I linked to a short while ago noted, anti-globalism riots often target US business; arms protests reference the US stockpile and so on). As I expected as she spoke of the role of Jesus in the Quran there were viewpoints and explanations that I didn’t agree with, but if those were her beliefs I can respect her right to a perspective different from mine based on her religion.

In explaining why she did not see Jesus as the son of God, she argued that God would not have allowed his son to be killed by mortals. Like I said before: ok, sure I can see the argument there. Don’t agree with it – the crucifixion is kinda important to my religious beliefs when all is said and done – but I can accept it as a different point of view. She followed by saying that if anyone that could prove to her that God allowed his son to die, she would stop believing altogether. I had been pondering on whether or not to say anything for a while, but that statement in particular caught me and moved me to ask something directly.

I asked if she could at least understand the perspective that Christians hold – not to accept it as fact, or to submit to my iron will, just to accept that some people think this way instead, and grasp the concepts behind it (as I had been trying to do the previous 90 mins). I did not get a yes.

I explained my beliefs – that Jesus accepted this fate and died for our sins, to show his eternal love for humanity and so on; her response was that one of two things was possible:

1) That Jesus died for our sins and therefore absolved all of them in perpetuity. This means that I could go out now and kill someone (or to use a slightly less extreme example, I could go and have sex outside of marriage, lie to others and so on) and still be assured my place in Heaven, as everything that I had done was pre-cleared by JC.

2) That this is not the case, and no sins were absolved, meaning that the crucifixion was pointless. This ties into the belief that it was not Jesus who died on the cross.

So I tried again; that as I don’t believe in 2) and 1) ain’t right to me either, that despite the crucifixion it’s central for people to live good lives and help each other out to gain peace in the afterlife… but I kinda got shot down. One or the other she said, no in-betweens. I could see a drawn-out, my-religion-is-better-than-yours debate start, but we were cut short as security was ushering everyone off campus at that point. The presenter Sadi and I exchanged contact info, I left the room and I to make sure the others didn’t see me so upset.

Why was I so emotional? I knew going into the session that some of the ideas would be new and different to me, but it wasn’t those that got me so cut up about everything. I felt like I had let myself down somehow; that I had the chance to explain my beliefs to someone and left with them thinking that all Christians get a free ethical ride through life. I was hurt that every example she gave of someone not living a morally clean life was American or linked to America. I was disappointed that I couldn’t get her to at least say “I understand, do not agree, but accept”, as I had tried so hard to do. What kind of portrayal had I given of my beliefs that would result in an outcome like that?

I hitched a ride with Karim and Yasser, two of the AIESECers that had attended the session. We chatted about the perceptions of Muslims in America, life after 9/11, the need for people to look beyond the media images that are presented to them, both here and in the West. Eating ice cream and fruit on the side of a busy street, I thought about what had happened that day. In a way I’m glad the reaction in me was so strong; it means I care about what we spoke about. I don’t usually talk about my beliefs; I think in AIESEC we're far more likely to identify ourselves by our nationalities, playing an unwritten, international game of Bingo as we travel and meet and cross countries off the list. But I realize that this isn’t the last time I’ll be the only Christian or westerner in the room, nor the last time I’ll have to interact with someone that believes they are right and I am not.

At the start of the session, I was chatting to some of the AIESECers; I said that I enjoyed sessions like the one we were about to participate in because the world needed to be open, to discuss, not necessarily agree but at least accept. On of them cracked a broad smile and said – rightly – that the world wasn’t like that. I agreed, and said that we still had to try, even if our voices are small against the roar of the rest of the world.

I’ll keep trying.

Half Here, Half There

A busy week so far - YES Project session on Wednesday, AAST Cairo LCP Elections yesterday, VP confidence voting today, YES Team meeting tomorrow. This is a good thing - this weekend is LTM in New York and Little 5 in Bloomington... which covers nearly everyone I'd really like to hang out with again. Missing you all...

Speaking of elections...


Congratulations to Boogie, the new LCP-elect of AAST!

Dust in the Wind

There is one major-ass sand storm hitting Cairo right now.

Hey, Cairo Weather - stop being such a dick.

The Book

Using an idea craftily stolen from Mazzy, a while ago I started adding all my conference sugarcubes to a single book to keep them all in one place. Or at least that was the plan, until I fell behind in adding them… for a few years. But, having brought all the old, tattered envelopes with me to Egypt, I was able to finally update it. Although I’m missing a few of my earlier conferences (pre-Oct 2002) I’ve now got memories from 13 conferences in 3 countries safely stored within:

MONKEYS 2002 & 2005
MORE 2004
SSC 2003, 04, 05 & 06
WSC 2004, 05, 06, 07
MMS 2004
MENA LDS 2007

It’s kinda weird to read through all the messages from those past conferences; all the people whom I briefly met, worked with and then left, some never to be seen again. Some of the names I haven’t heard of in years, others I saw this past week. Some of the notes came from people whom later would be my room-mate, team-mate, and closest friends.

I’d be the first to admit that It’s been tough to move on from what is now the past. My life with AIESEC US was one I held very dear to my heart, and although my future is so full of adventure right now part of me is still crushed that I had to leave that part of my life so suddenly. Even with WSC this past January, it feels like there are still so many goodbyes to say, so many friends whose hands I wish I could shake, fellow AIESECers whom I wish I could embrace one last time.

But while the book in a lot of ways reminds me of a lot of those things, places & people I miss so much, it makes me realize that there’s no shame in remembering the good times – the late-night discussions, the inspired party themes, the raised glasses, the hours spent in the company of friends. I have pages and pages of memories with me now, but many more pages to fill. My AIESEC Experience isn’t over. The last 6 months have taken a lot out of me, but I’m not ready to leave just yet…

Perceptions of America

The perception of America in the rest of the world is something that has become increasingly of interest to me, both as a citizen and as a Salaam participant. This article on the BBC website caught my eye; should provide some interesting listening (if they allow me to listen to it from outside the country...).

The Best Laid Plans

So the majority of that stuff I had planned for today? Not so much. Got back from Day-o-Salaam at 11pm after one info session and 13 interviews. Must research tea tomorrow...

Bedou-In The Hizzouse

Today was Bedouin Night/Day, so a bus full of AIESECers headed off to Giza for some horse riding and camp-fire-sitting-next-to in the shadow of the Pyramids. Pictures!


I rode two horses, whom I named Mittens and SuperDude. Mittens was a lot more chilled out, while SuperDude went as fast as the horses around him despite my best efforts. Excellent day out - lots of AIESECers, a bit of culture, tea brewed over an open fire, no falling-off-horse incidents (although SuperDude seemed like he was trying pretty hard) and absolutely no sand in my underpants (which brings the number of Simpsons references in this post up to two - but from which episodes?).

Tomorrow I'm on the interview panel for Salaam traineeships; I also need to research the Egyptian tea market for my YES Project team, do some exercise and learn more Arabic (lookit me, I can count to 7!)

Also available for Bar Mitsvahs and Christmas parties

Leaving AAST today after the YES Project session, I was grabbed by a couple of guys from AIESEC and dragged into a classroom - turns out they're trying to start up a new chapter at a seperate university in Cairo, and they wanted a demonstration of what a rolecall was for the attending students/potential future AIESECers. Out comes Baby Shark, to general amusement.

I swear, there's a hidden extra box on my personal "AIESEC Experience" diagram labeled "Acting Foolish for the Amusement of Others". Ever since I danced on my own in front of the whole AIESEC US Leadership Team last LTM it's all been downhill.

But it's all good. Being a part of AIESEC can mean doing a lot of different things - sometimes you're leading a team of people and trying to give them the best experience you can, sometimes you gotta make a fool out of yourself to get a cheap laugh and break some ice. I've always been kinda shy so doing dumb shit like the dances and roll calls, especially on my own, has always helped me get over my nerves. At first it was a case of making a few pratfalls so I wasn't taking stuff too seriously, now I don't worry about it so much cause no-one's gonna think I'm a jackass for busting out some sweet moves during Kalasnjikov.

In a similar vein, during Monday's LC meeting we did some dances at the start. I was told to put on Let's Get It Started, but it turned out no-one knew it. Solo dance ahoy! It went so well I got asked for an encore, so I once again said a silent thank you to the fine members of Georgia Tech as Bebot hit the playlist. I was tempted to play the infamous, banned-in-the-US Reach by S Club 7, but somewhere I felt Jen glare at me and decided to stick with the current vogue.

Yes, I am a dork. But that has never seemed to bother people too much, so why not run with it?

[404: Witty Mummy Joke Not Found]

Yesterday's presentation went pretty well - no projector, but the speakers meant that my choice of accompanying music - Living in America by James Brown - blared forth will all due gusto and funk. Also included in the LC meeting was a very interesting debate on the acceptance of homosexuality in Egypt - it's these things, my friends, that make traineeships especially delicious.

Today’s adventure was a exploration of the Egyptian Museum in the center of Cairo. After being screwed over by a yellow (ie metered) cab (which failed to show up despite being based 200 meters from our apartment, the five of us piled into a trusty black-and-white cab and headed downtown. The Egyptian Museum houses a massive array of artifacts excavated from the burial tombs of ancient Egyptian rulers, priests and general celebrities, and promised to be one of the more memorable outings during our time in Cairo – into the site we ventured.

Now, one of the good things about the touristy places is that, while admission charges are the norm, students get a good discount (50% off entry to both the Museum and the Pyramids, for a start; train fares are also reduced). Unfortunately, I am no longer a student, no matter how many times I’ve frequented Bloomington, Indiana over the last two years. But the pressures of my below-the-poverty-line budget were great, and… well, if anyone asks, my New York state ID really means “New York State University”, alright?

So anyway, we head in and make our plans. Roeland (Dutch YES trainee) and I head straight for the Royal Mummy Rooms, while Evi (Greece) Kartik (India) and Kiran (UK) head elsewhere. My NYSU ID works again and E£50 later we hit up some hot mummy action. Very interesting stuff, if a little bit morbid (and that’s not bringing into question the ethical dilemma of disturbing someone’s final resting place and leaving their remains in a dimly-lit glass coffin for the paying public to see). Still, there are some top quality MILFs (Mummies I’d Like to Fototgraph) there, even if they don’t allow cameras anywhere ever.

Like I said, the museum is primarily stocked with artifacts from tombs, so the exhibits can range from the well-known and breath-taking (Tutenkhamun’s death mask, in all it’s golden glory) to the stuff you just saw 2 minutes ago (sarcophagus #332, next to sarcophagus #333). Still, realizing that everything there is at least 2000 years old and remains in good repair in pretty stunning. Seeing beautifully intricate carvings on the side of a 10-foot long granite coffin is impressive enough even without the vast time difference in between you and the guy who carved them.

5 hours and several sneaky photographs later we headed out into the mid-afternoon sun. I saw about 20 mummies, some cool tools, many shiny things, 2 mullets (both belonging to boys no older than 11) and one pair of spectacular blue-grey-and-yellow striped pants. Commendations to that man in particular, well done sir.

Oh, and I wanged my shin on a heater while doing pull-ups. Nothing to do with the Museum, but that’s the other significant thing that happened today and I thought you should know. Dammit that hurt.

Day 11

Over a week and a half into the Cairo experience – the apartment is settled into, the YES Project is underway and the mosquitoes are slowly, but surely, devouring me from the feet up. Expeditions so far have included dodging sales pitches in the Khan al-Khalili markets, slowly but surly exploring our ‘hood (Nasr City 4 life, yo) and chilling – literally, it was cold up there – on top of Al Mokattam mountain, overlooking Cairo as the moon began to dip at 4am. Oh and shisha, of course. And juice – delicious, fresh-squeezed juice that’s heavy with actual fruit.

As anyone that has lived in the city can tell you, one of the big things about moving to Cairo is getting used to the traffic. As a pedestrian it turns any street crossing into a pitched battle/game of chicken/test of your agility; as a passenger it’s the closest thing you can get to a real life version of Super Mario Kart. Haven’t seen any red shells or banana peels yet, but pretty much everything else is game – snarled traffic as a donkey-pulled cart meanders through a busy intersection; full-blown shouting matches springing from a slightly-mistimed maneuver; a whole lane of traffic backed up 100 meters, a cop car with two officers frantically trying to revive their vehicle at the front.

Tomorrow comes an LC meeting on culture - before then, I'll whip something up to show them that'll be - as the Americans say - dope-ass.