You say you want a revolution. Well...

This post was originally written on Sunday, January 30th but do to internet complications couldn’t be posted at the time. I am alive and have safely arrived to Paris where I’m staying for the night until my flight to Philly tomorrow. I will post again soon about more recent updates on my last few days but as for now I am completely exhausted and need some time to really process all of what I experienced in the last week...



What started as a measly facebook group inspired by Tunisia has become a dedicated movement to make a change in Egypt. First, let me start out by saying that I am safe and that I have only failed to post for the last 3 days because the wonderful government here shut down the entire internet. With that said I must now explain the chaos that has been my last few days.

My Plan:

-Train to Beni Suef on Thursday to visit a professor and find more subjects for my research

-Train Friday morning for Alexandria to meet up with a UD group that is spending Winter Session in Egypt and Morocco (one of my good friends is on the trip and we’ve been trying to find a time to meet up)

-Tour around Alexandria with a friend Friday and Saturday

-Train back to Cairo on Saturday




My Reality:

-Made it to Beni Suef successfully! Had a wonderful time meeting his family and friends and got a handful of good interviews in. He even took me to the Maydom Pyramid where we got a private tour inside (it had actually closed five minutes before we got there, but in true Egyptian fashion he argued with them and they finally agreed to let us in). It was amazing, and again I am very happy I am not claustrophobic. After an amazing Thursday, it was looking like a good weekend ahead of me.. but wait.

-Caught a 7:30am train to Alexandria on Friday because according to the last time I had talked to my friend, they UD group was leaving for Sharm el-Sheikh in the afternoon. Since she was unsure of the hotel, the plan was to just call her and my Egyptian friend who planned to show me around to figure out where to meet up. One small glitch in the radar: with all of the protests and mayhem going on, the government decided to SHUT OFF CELL PHONES. Panic. Apparently they shut off service at 7am. Just my luck. I stayed calm and decided to go to plan B and go to an internet café and get in touch with them that way. Through the mob of people I found a taxi, and we escaped the huge protests and people swarming the streets and he started talking about how much the Egyptian people hate their government. I asked him to turn on his meter (always trying to avoid the argument of how much to pay) but through his broken English he explained that it wasn’t working, just like the mobile phones AND THE INTERNET. Welp. There goes plan B. Apparently there had been plans to have huge protests right after the Friday prayer (the Muslim equivalent of Sunday mass) so the government decided to shut down all modes of communication to prevent further mobilization of people. The nice taxi driver convinced me to stay and find a hotel to avoid going back to the train station and Cairo. Long story short, I made it safely to a hotel after being rerouted numerous times because of the giant protests.
-Realizing that the Internet and phones weren’t coming back on anytime soon, I decided to cut my losses and take a train back to Cairo. I was really bummed that I didn’t get to see anything in Alex (at least my hotel room had a view of the Mediterranean) but I just wanted to get back to my apartment safely. Well, plan C (D, E, F? I’ve lost track) failed as well, because the trains were also stopped. So, I took a taxi about 40 minutes past protesters, tanks, and numerous buildings on fire to the bus station. Three hours later I was on a bus to Cairo (which was apparently the last one they let go so I’m counting my blessings for that one) BUT the busses weren’t allowed to go in to the actual city. We got dropped off in New Cairo and I made friends with a really nice guy who insisted I share a taxi with him and his grandmother to stay safe and get back as soon as possible. At this point cell phones started working again and I was constantly getting calls to make sure that I was okay. The things I saw on my 45 min taxi home will never leave my memory. Men running with knives, sticks, and guns. Buildings on fire. Roads closed. Tanks lining the streets. No policemen. People protecting themselves. Chaos. Mayhem. Fear. Excitement and terror juxtaposed. It started to really hit me as we neared the areas which I finally recognized. Driving over the Nile I saw that the massive office building that I had conducted an interview in with the National Council for Women only a few days before was now complete charred, gutted by fire. I could go on describing the sights, but words will never be able to capture the scenes and feelings produced by the taxi ride I will never forget.

-I MADE IT BACK. Once I arrived to my floor, my landlord came out and kissed me and hugged me and was nearly in tears that I made it back safe. They brought me food since it was forbidden to walk outside from 4pm until 8am the next day. Once I made calls to a bunch of people letting them know I had gotten back safely, I attempted to get some sleep through all of the screaming in the streets.


Not how I had pictured my weekend to go, but it was certainly adventurous. I’ll be sure to relay more stories when I get back, but this is about all I can handle to write. It has been an exhausting few days and I’m still in shock of what this government is capable in doing. Shutting down all lines of communication during a crisis like this is not a way to govern a country, but it certainly is a way to scare people into further protests and violence. Mubarak needs to go.




…We all want to change the world.

Protests

Alrighty.. so I ignorantly stated minutes ago that I wasn't sure of what happened with the protests today.  As it turns out, three people were killed (and events are still continuing).  One policeman in Cairo was killed after being hit by a rock.  Two others were killed in Suez after tear gas was used.  Please read up on what's going on, but know that I'm safe and in my apartment.  I was advised by a few of my new Egpytian friends (who are in their twenties and were therefore aware of possible protests via facebook long before news agencies caught on) to stay clear of downtown today.  All I saw tonight on my way back from the carnival were HUNDREDS of policemen in full SWAT gear, with sheilds and all, but no protestors.  As much as I want to see all of the action... mom and dad, don't worry... I'm staying in my room for the night and leaving the capital city in the morning.   I still don't think this will amount to what protesting did in Tunisia, and to be honest I don't know if that's the best situation for Egypt anyway. 

But please google "cairo protests" or something of the sort and check it out. 

Update and travel

Apologies for the lack of updates as of late.  It seems that as the days become fewer the list of things to accomplish grow exponentially- but that's how most journeys seem to go. 

Today was a national police holiday and many protests were planned in crowded areas of the city.  I was pretty worried, or at least aware of the possible chaos that could insue in the wake of the Tunisian revolution, but nothing seemed to come of it.  At least not that I was aware of.  Instead I spent the day touring the beautiful Citadel to Ibn Tulun (a beautiful mountaintop estate full of mosques and artifacts that would leave any Islamic history buff drooling). The whole family was able to go out with me today because of the holiday and we made a special point to celebrate the end of the girls' exams with an event of their choice: a fun house.  They had been talking about it all week and I can't quite say that I knew what a "fun house" entailed but I was certain that it must be, for lack of a better word, fun.  As it turns out, a fun house is just their english translation for a carnival!  It was fantastic.  Ferris wheel, spinning teacups, tilt-a-whirls, and any other ride you could imagine.  Anyone who loves carnival rides, I dare you to try one outside of the US... let's just say most of these would FAIL any sort of safety regulation.  All the more fun. 

So, I'm not exactly sure what went on with the millions of Egyptians wanting to voice their anger for their corrupt government... but I certainly had an eventful day.  It's safe to say I was enjoying another type of chaos, but far away from making any history.  I'll read up on the news of the event and try to report back if anything actually came of all the hype. 

Sorry to cut this short, but I will be waking up very early to go to Beni Suef, a small city south of Cairo for a few days with a professor.  Not sure if  I'll have internet or not, and I may go straight to Alexandria from there.  Worst case senario I'll post on Sunday. 

Until then stay warm and GO PACK GO.
Liza

PS- for any other International Relations nerds, I went to a lecture the other night at the American University of Cairo to hear the founder of Human Rights Watch.  So interesting. 

Sebou'

Shaking babies and banging metal right next to their heads.  Sounds like an easy way to lose custody and a fast ticket to family court.  Think again.  In fact, these are two of the main components of one of Egypt's most traditional ceremonies. 

Last night I was invited to a party to celebrate Sawsan’s cousin’s new baby known as Sebou’. This traditional ceremony has roots in Pharonic times and is celebrated by both Muslims and Christians in Egypt exactly seven days after the baby is born. Instead of the American tradition of a baby shower before the actual birth (which is often seen as presumptuous to assume the baby will be born and healthy) this is how the Egyptians welcome a new baby to their crazy world.

After chatting it up with the entire extended family (and explaining to them who the heck I was) and of course after Turkish coffee, a round of tea, a few traditional desserts specific to the occasion, and the initial ogling over baby Malik and stuffing money in his blanket… it was time for the festivities to start.

To set the scene, the baby is given its own little shrine consisting of an ornate bassinet suffocated by about 20 yards of white lace and taffeta next to a giant candle/statue about 3 feet tall. This traditional object used to be very different but is now obviously manufactured somewhere in China and looked like a giant candlestick covered in blue pompoms with a plastic baby doll and flashing Christmas lights. As soon as my eyes met this little shrine, I knew I was in for a good time.

The ceremony itself is pretty short, maybe only 15 minutes in total. First baby Malik is placed on the ground in his little decorated container while his grandmother bangs a brass mortar and pestle to make music and his mother steps over him seven times. In the meanwhile everyone is singing, chanting, and the older women make all sorts of loud screams and noises (to supposedly train the baby to be aware of sounds). In between the mother stepping over the baby, the grandmother repeatedly shouts things to the baby such as, “listen to your mother” and “listen to your father” and shakes him (sort of gently).. The whole time everyone else follows around with lit candles, including the little kids, and I have NO idea how no one/nothing caught on fire. Let’s just say the proximity of faces to candles, hair to candles and furniture to candles that occurred in that apartment would never be allowed by American parents.

But back to the main event. For the next part, the new and proud mother carries around baby Malik out the door and into the hallways while the women follow (still with candles) shouting, singing, and throwing salt and lentils to ward off the evil eye. This procession is to make the baby aware of its surroundings and so it knows how to find its home.

And that’s about all there is to it. However, I just want to point out one more thing: it was loud. I mean, LOUD. Screaming, singing, music blaring from the speakers, banging brass, laughing, shouting, you name it.. and baby Malik didn’t even flinch. Amazing. He seemed completely un-phased. He was definitely living up to the meaning of his name, king.

It was an amazing experience to see such a traditional ceremony in such a completely different culture. And if the party wasn’t enough, they insisted on giving me a goodie bag of popcorn, candies, nuts, and a candleholder.

A wonderful night with a wonderful family.

new taxi method

Taxis are one of the easiest ways to get around Cairo (unless you’re trying to cross the Nile by any of the major bridges during rush hour, which I unfortunately learned the hard way yesterday). Although, I have to say I’ve spent much time on the metro as well- it is extremely convenient, fast, and cheap with its cost equivalent to less than 20 cents. The best part about the metro is that the middle two cars are reserved for women. Women are allowed to ride in any cars, but these two are women only to uphold the many Islamic ideals that insist on separating the sexes as well as helping prevent the rampant sexual harassment here. As an avid peoplewatcher I love public transportation and seeing the wide spectrum of Islamic dress and headscarves from a mother engulfed completely by her black niqab to young girls each donning a colorful and unique hijab paired with a tight-fitting and trendy outfit is always of interest to my research observations.

BUT- back to taxis… Since they are also an extremely cheap way of getting around (you can easily get all the way from one end of the city to another for less than $5) and offer door to door service, I have often resorted to this mode of transportation. Side note- I was told that I my apartment was located near a metro station, which turned out to mean a good 25 minute walk, often making taxis a more logical answer. Taxis operate here pretty much as they do in most major cities around the world, and for the sake of foreigners now mostly use meters (previously prices were all negotiated during the ride or beforehand, and many Egyptians still prefer to use their impressive bargaining skills through this method) BUT, there is one big difference. It’s as if the taxis pulled a switcheroo and now they get to decide if they want to take you or not. Protocol is something like this:
Stick hand out (low and to the side) to hail the cab, approach the window and shout out your desired destination. The driver will then do one of two things: accept and allow you to get in or drive away. YEP, if they don’t feel like taking you they just drive away or tell you to find someone else. WHAT?! Sometimes it takes two or three attempts to clinch a driver. I’m still not sure what criteria they base their decision to drive you on, but there same process exists regardless if I’m by myself or with Egyptians. I’m glad someone explained this to me before it happened the first time or I would have been pretty offended…

homophobia

If you think gays don’t have rights in the US, I dare you to venture to the Middle East. A twelve hour flight later and you’ll think you somehow went back in time, but in fact it is 2011 and people still actually think like this. Not only is homosexuality feared, denied, and hated by most Middle Eastern countries, but it is often illegal. Although under law in Egypt your sexual life is deemed a personal issue, the government finagled its way into essentially banning homosexuality and cross-dressers in 2000. Yes, in Egypt you can be arrested and charged for being gay for crimes such as “violation of honor by threat” and “immoral and indecent behavior”. Yet after reading the above and walking down the street in Cairo, one may be confused. Images of men walking arm in arm and kissing each other on the cheek is a sight synonymous with Cairo society. So what exactly is going on here? Is it a silent protest in order to express freedom of sexual orientation? Au contraire. In fact, the close proximity of men to each other often with linked arms is simply cultural norm and has nothing to do with being gay. Alas, Egypt is an Islamic nation and as the eloquent Ahmadinejad said about his Iran, “We don’t have homosexuals”. It seems as Egypt is singing a similar tune.

Censorship in much of the non-Western world is much more extreme than at home. I have been able to witness this myself through different experiences abroad in China, Turkey, and Indonesia including excessive bleeping of swearwords, blurring out of inappropriate images to make nearly every program PG, and blocking websites. But nothing compared to what I witnessed here. Watching MTV Arabia the other day (actually in English) I quickly noticed that the words “gay” “homosexual” and anything related were bleeped out. Unbelievable. Censorship to a whole new level.

more random observations

Nail polish- In the US a lot of women opt not to paint their fingernails but, at least among college girls, I rarely see women without their toenails painted. When I was in Indonesia I noticed that none of the women had their nails painted. This same observation in Egypt led me to believe that there must be some connection to nail polish and Islam. I asked a couple women about it last night and they explained to me that Muslim women are allowed to wear nail polish but that they have to remove it before they pray. (Same goes for makeup, although most religious women only wear makeup in their homes.) Since they pray five times a day, every day, it is kind of silly to paint your nails because you’ll only have it on for a few hours. Interesting. Semi-related note, they are not allowed to pluck/wax their eyebrows… be this religious or Egyptian culture, I’m not sure.

Garbage man- every day a man rings my doorbell to collect the garbage to take it outside. The funny thing is that there is a place to put trash about 10 steps outside my door. Yet, he still comes. Every day. Best part is, my doorbell sounds like birds chirping.

Update on stoplights- I found a stoplight that was working and we actually stopped when it turned red. Gasp. Without me saying anything the man who was driving the car explained that he only stopped because there was a camera on top of the light. The fact that he felt he had to justify stopping at a light is pretty telling of how the traffic works around here. It was also brought to my attention that lane lines are additionally arbitrary. The general rule seems to be: no matter how many lanes there are supposed to be, squeeze in at least two more. Side mirrors are often removed because they serve no purpose and just take up room that could be used to create yet another lane of cars.

Getting lost- I’ve learned that I’m not the only person who can’t find my way around. Phew! Because Cairo is such a big and confusing city people constantly ask other drivers, pedestrians, and traffic cops which way to go. And since cars drive with only about a foot separating them, it’s extremely easy to ask the person driving next to you. You don’t even have to shout! How convenient. But there is one problem… apparently the people in Cairo would rather guess which way you’re supposed to go than admit they don’t know. So ask around. A lot.