All good things come to an end. My semester here in Cairo is officially over and it has been one of ups and downs, great triumphs and failures, happiness and sadness, and feelings of emotion that I have never experienced and probably never will experience ever again. Would I change the way I did some things? Yes. But do I regret anything? No. Two quotes tend to sum up how I tend to live my life: the first, by Jack Kennedy usually pushes me to take action and not sit on the sidelines: “those who dare to fail miserably, can achieve greatly.” I always try to take a risk, I try to live on the edge. There is no status quo to my life (just like in the Middle East, ironically) but that is how I want to live. I thrive on change. I feel at my best in the midst and that leads into my second favorite quote, which was exemplified when I pledged Sigma Chi. “Life is about the journey, not the destination.” To me, living in the present is the most important aspect of life. Yes, the past and present are important, but all too often, we forget about the moment we are living in right now. I tried to have as many “Now Moments” as possible where I just stopped and took it all in, but I still always felt like I was thinking about the next step.

It is incredibly hard to believe it has been four months. Yesterday, I was driving through my hometown and I can’t even really fathom the fact that a week ago, I was driving through the most polluted city in the world, sharing the roads with eighteen million, while I now barely share it with eighteen thousand in Murrysville. Being home feels rather surreal; the people are different, the weather is different, the atmosphere is different, the lifestyle is different. Flipping on the TV and every channel being in English is nice, but it was a semester barely spent watching television whatsoever (so, clearly I am catching up during break). Junk food didn’t exist in Cairo, well it did, but it was double or triple the price of American junk food so with the standard of living seen as so cheap, I wasn’t about to spend five days worth of food budget on a box of cookies.

The inevitable question keeps coming up, every time I see someone new: how was Egypt?? they always ask. After all the gushy “well it was great, so nice to see you, I love being back for the holidays” deal, I normally say that it was full of highs and lows, goods and bads, but such is life. I moved to Egypt for four months anticipating nothing less. I studied abroad for the feeling of life, not just a feeling of travel. Four months is an incredibly long time to only have ups and goods and never have bad moments. Even on a two-week trip to Israel or three weeks in France, there will be moments of disconnect or dissatisfaction, so in a society that is nearly the antithesis – in some regards – to American culture, I would say I was rather successful during my time there.

Despite certain life changes, I was able to adapt decently. I longed for home (read: DC) at certain points during the semester, but I never feel like it caused an issue that detracted from my semester in Cairo.

I have been thinking a lot about over the past two weeks and there isn’t really anything more to say, other than I am glad to be back in DC and I am glad to restart my life. I met some great people, saw some great places, learned some great things and overall had a great time. I hope this blog made you feel like you were there, at any point during the past four months, which is what its intention was. I tried my best not only to let you know what I was doing, but it also served as a sort of journal so I could keep track of the stuff for myself.

Ma’asalaama or goodbye in Arabic. I nearly forgot how to write/say/spell it…

Well more like a couple nights… whatever.

Making flight reservations seven months ahead of time can be both good and bad for several reasons. Clearly, the earlier you book reservations, the cheaper it will be but who knows seven months later what will actually occur during the semester and how home sick one will become.

I wouldn’t say I was incredible homesick, however, I neglected to bring winter clothing to Cairo so therefore, on my voyage for four days to Rome I had a blast (sans winter clothing).

I left Cairo Wednesday the 19th with Meghan and we headed off to Cairo International Airport – clearly after a fight with the cab driver – before finally saying goodbye to Egypt. I traded the remainder of Egyptian pounds before going through the final checkpoint and “officially” leaving Egyptian soil. We waiting in the terminal for an hour or so before boarding (also having to pay 22 LE for a small thing of Pringles – almost $4!!). We left Cairo aboard Alitalia and had a rather disappointing meal, but the quick hop (3 hours) across the Mediterranean was rather simple… until landing. We were, say 200 feet, off the ground and about to land on the runway when all of a sudden, we took a nose dive UP towards the sky. With the engines roaring we began circling around back over the Med and tried again. According to our Italian neighbors, the pilot, who shouted over the intercom while it was happening, said that another plane crossed the runway we were supposed to be landing on, oops.

We took the train and then the metro into Rome and it was rather chilly. We eventually found our hostel (right near Termini Train Station) northeast of the centre of town since there is no official downtown in Rome. We put our bags down and got ready and headed out for our first night on the town. We took a bus along one of the main corridors in central Rome and found a cute little trattoria where we were the only foreigners. I got a salami, tomato and mozzarella calzone and Meghan got spaghetti with meat sauce. It was excellent and we split a cheap (but good) bottle of wine. It was so cute being there at Christmas time with all the families out in their best (well that is normal, Italians are stunningly dressed year around), with kids, grandkids, cousins, the whole lot out to eat.

After dinner, we went to Campo de Fiori, a nightlife area right near where we ate. We went to a few bars, enjoyed happy hour specials, and just relaxed before our big day on Thursday where we had to see all of Rome in one day since Meghan was only in Rome for one day.

The next morning, we got up wicked early (6:45am) and took the bus to the Vatican. Vatican City, or the Holy See, is the head of the Catholic Church and is the smallest independent state in the world. It is completely surrounded by Rome (and Italy) and there are no border checks to get in/out of the country. We got there early and were some of the first people to enter Piazza San Pietro or St. Peter’s Square as the sun was rising. The square was virtually empty and a huge Christmas Tree was located near the center. We first decided to go into St. Peters Basilica, which is one of the largest (second only to one in Africa somewhere) cathedrals in the world. Built in the 16th & 17th centuries, the dome was designed by Michelangelo and is still one of the largest and most beautiful in the world. We saw the Swiss Guard that protects the Vatican, as well as Michelangelo’s famous Pieta which stands near the entrance to St. Peter’s, several tombs of popes as well as the soaring architecture of the Basilica itself.

A funny few notes: first, I accidentally swore in the Basilica. One reason for me getting deported from the Vatican. Then, all of a sudden something fell and I said: “that scared the sh-Krap out of me.” Reason two. Then, I said “there is probably a ninety-eight percent chance I won’t ever become Pope, but should I, I want to be named Leo (after my kitty, of course).” So I took a photo posing as Pope Leo and I got yelled at in Italian. But clearly I didn’t get deported, but it would have been a nice story.

After visiting St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square, we grabbed a quick espresso while we waited for the Vatican museums to open. I may not be the biggest coffee drinker, but the espresso was pretty awful. Later, we had a decent cappuccino and I had another espresso which was better, but I was kinda disappointed.

At the Vatican museums, the first room we saw was Egyptian Art. I wanted to shoot myself. The Vatican Museums have artwork and relics from all over the world, not just unique to Italy or Rome, so we basically tore through this section and found the ancient Greek and Roman section before heading off to the Cappella Sistina, or the Sistine Chapel, which is where all the Cardinals meet to elect a new pope (once one dies, clearly). The ceiling is the most famous ceiling in the world, with Michelangelo painted as scenes from the bible including the Creation of Adam, which is where G-d had his outstretched finger almost touching the outstretched finger of Adam. Michelangelo’s Last Judgement is also in the Sistine Chapel, and I took photos even though I wasn’t allowed to. Along the walk to the Sistine Chapel, some incredible artwork including one of my favorite pieces of art is just painted on a random Palace wall. School of Athens by Raphael depicts Plato and Aristotle and other important figures during Greek antiquity. I can’t believe I got to see it.

After the Vatican, we ran to the Spanish Steps and grabbed a quick bite to eat for lunch. The Spanish Steps are a tourist attraction unto themselves. It has become increasingly popular among tourists and locals alike as these beautiful steps link the Trinita dei Monti, a famous church and the Piazza di Spagna at the bottom. This is in one of the main upscale shopping areas of Rome and the street directly at the bottom is comparable to Fifth & Madison Avenues in NYC and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. The Steps are also a popular site in many films that feature Rome.

We then walked along through the shopping district, seeing all the beautiful holiday windows of Versace, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Prada, amongst others, until we got to the Fontanta di Trevi, or Trevi Fountain, which was made popular during the film, Roman Holiday, and a visit to Rome isn’t complete without a visit and a toss of a coin over one’s shoulder. It is the largest of all of the fountains in Rome designed under the Baroque architecture.

We then walked the two kilometers from the Trevi Fountain towards the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. Along the way, we saw one of the Imperial Forums and a large crowd of people gathered, with tons of photographers focusing on a few gentlemen. Clearly, I took a few photos because this is Europe and you never know who is going to show up in the papers the next day. It turns out, that the Portuguese Prime Minister (and rotating EU-President) Jose Socrates, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Rodriguez Zapatero, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. Unfortunately, French President Nicholas Sarkozy was meeting with the Pope. He is my favorite European leader so I didn’t get to meet him.

We then went to the Roman Forum, which was the centre of Ancient Rome. A little disappointing because much of the ruins are barely recognizable but it was pretty cool. The archways and Roman columns were my favorite part basically, but I love Roman columns with anything.

On the east-side of the forum is one of the most famous and recognizable structures in the world: the Colosseum. Actually called the Flavian Amphitheatre, this ancient feature of Rome was one of the largest built in the Roman Empire and is a must-see on every tourists visit to Rome (I actually saw it three times). Much of it was actually sacked during the centuries following the fall of the Roman Empire and a lot was taken for use elsewhere in Rome and Italy so much of the original theatre is actually gone. Most, if not all, of the entire upper level was gone, much of the interior was destroyed and the original floor, under which was dressing rooms and animal pens for the Gladiators, is now exposed. However, in my opinion, the current state of the Colosseum is actually more beautiful than it would have been two-thousand years ago. We walked around a little outside before heading inside to view the site.

We then went back to the Vatican to see St. Peter’s Basilica at night, which was incredible, especially right before Christmas with the tree in St. Peter’s Square. We then grabbed another great Italian dinner in a trattoria and then we went out to a pub crawl. Along the way, we walked by the Trevi Fountain at night, which was also incredible.

The next morning, Meghan went to the train station to head to the Airport since she had a very early flight out. I slept in and for the next two days was on my own, although I had incredible fun in the hostel with some great people from Turkey, Brazil, Australia, and Missouri.

Friday, I took it easy hanging out around Piazza della Republica, which is one of my favorite squares (especially at night). I chose to go out and see some of my favorite works of art and visit some churches all over Rome. I first walked back to the Spanish Steps, then walked around the upscale shopping areas around the Spanish Steps.

Rooftops of Rome from the top of the Spanish Steps. You can see the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in the distance.

I love Roman architecture. Incredible. I then stumbled upon the Pantheon, which is an ancient Roman basilica with the most incredible dome, which is the largest unsupported dome in the world. It has stood for nearly 2,000 years and remains a beautiful site, despite how ugly it is outside.

Friday, I just walked around Rome a lot, since it is a very walkable city. I then went to the Piazza Navona which is a central square in Rome. A giant cathedral is on one side, while the Piazza is occupied during the Christmas season by a huge Christmas Market, which was so much fun but kind of an eyesore against the Roman backdrop.

Within the Piazza is Bernini’s famous fountain, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, which is gorgeous but was under reconstruction. The fountain is also featured in Dan Brown’s novel, Angels & Demons, which centres on the incredible works of art that make Rome one of the most incredible places I have ever been.

I walked around a little more, before going to the Pizzeria da Baffetto, which came highly recommended by a friend (Molly) who studied in Rome for the past semester. It was a flat, crispy crust but was great (and cheap too). Then, I walked around Rome at night stopping at the Pantheon and the Colosseum before heading back and going out with a few people from my hostel.

On my final day (Saturday, December 22), I walked around Rome all day, seeing tons of churches and incredible works of art as well as just the incredible architecture of Rome.

St. Theresa in Ecstasy by Bernini.

A cool fountain by my Hostel.

I love the blend of yellow paint/stucco with the white/grey marble that is ever-present all over Rome.

The Chains of St. Peter, and below is the Tomb of Pope Julius II, which is an unfinished work by Michelangelo. The central figure is Moses.

I then walked around near Capitoline Hill, which has the Capitoline Hills and centers around the Piazza Campidoglio and a grand stairway designed by Michelangelo. Yet again, I love the mix of yellow paint and the white marble decorating much of the exterior of much of Rome.

Then, I walked around Il Vittoriano, which is the monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II, the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and also the most hated monument in all of Rome. It is very large and unimposing and is considered by most Romans as unattractive and cannot stand the site at the Piazza Venezia. It, however, does provide nice views of much of Rome.

I did some more walking around, since most of the churches were closed right after lunch until mid-afternoon. So here are just some photos of the beautiful buildings and streets of Rome.

I then went to see some Churches because of the incredible artworks that are just scattered everywhere throughout Rome.

Afterwards, I grabbed a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine to celebrate the holidays and heading home. I was at an Irish pub and they ended up showing American college football so I had a couple of Guinnesses before walking around Rome and heading back to my hostel to say goodbye to Rome.

So, in lieu of the inevitable post about Rome or my grand finale on the semester, I finally made it home. Only ten hours after I was supposed to but, hey, at least I made it.

My flight from Rome got in on time, although we had a wicked hard landing. We basically fell out of the sky onto the runway because the wind was devastatingly strong. A couple of the oxygen masks fell down into the cabin (yes, they do exist) and some Italians began shouting, so it wasn’t a pretty scene. After claiming my luggage, I walked out of Terminal One at JFK into a torrential downpour with near-horizontal rain as the wind was blowing the rain in every direction. Needless to say, I was happy to be back in the United States.

I made my way to the Jet Blue terminal only to realize… that my flight scheduled for 10:15 had now been delayed until 1:15am. Great. After checking in and waiting for twenty minutes to check my luggage (and getting lectured on how to travel by myself by the ticket agent: “okay. So walk upstairs. Make a right. See your gate on the ticket? Follow the signs for the corresponding gate. Go through security. You will need an ID and your boarding pass. Don’t lose any of those. They are important. Once you are through security, find your gate. Blah blah. I wanted to deck him, but his nice little blue Santa hat [for Jet Blue, clearly] would ensure my ascent to the non-existent Jewish hell), I looked around for a place to eat. I settled for a Sports Bar and ordered a salad and a burger and a beer. Oh wait – I’m not 21. Whoops. I got carded and felt like such an idiot. I waited in the restaurant for two and a half hours, talking with friends on the semi-manageable free Wifi before heading out and reading a bit. By that point, my flight had been delayed to 1:55am, and eventually 1:56. I slept a little until about midnight when I walked over to the monitor to discover another delay: 2:51am.

After kicking myself for coming home from abroad right during the middle of the holiday travel season and flying through JFK and flying on Jet Blue, I glanced up again to see: Jet Blue #1057 Pittsburgh: Canceled. I ran to the customer service line to get re-booked when they tell me they are providing a bus for us. I thought, oh how nice, a bus to the hotel. No. A bus from JFK to Pittsburgh Int’l Airport. A mere seven hours away. I was clearly delusional as I traipsed down to claim my bags (which took another thirty minutes) and eventually followed other people with PIT luggage tags to the other side of the Departures terminal. This was at 1am. The buses didn’t arrive until 2:30. We didn’t leave for another fifteen minutes and arrived in Pittsburgh at 9:45am, passing my house and my town along the way, with my dad driving a few cars behind our buses.

For most of the night, I was trying to be optimistic about it. Oh, it’s the weather both in New York and in Pittsburgh. Oh, the plane isn’t here yet. Oh, it’s Christmas. But by the end of the night, I nearly lost all respect for Jet Blue since it was clear they didn’t have their act together. It took over two hours once they canceled the flight until they got us buses, there weren’t nearly enough pillows or blankets, the bus drivers didn’t know where the airport was, the sassy ladies at baggage claim shrugged us off AND all other airlines canceled similar flights earlier in the day. If Jet Blue had just canceled the flight during the evening, it would have given us more opportunities to figure out alternatives.

It turns out all the flights the next day on Jet Blue were booked so going standby, on Christmas Eve, out of JFK, on Jet Blue, didn’t seem like the most plausible option. So I took the bus, sucked it up, and slept a little, whilst this guy tried talking to me about how awesome the full moon was or how good cashews tasted after you heated them up in the microwave. Welcome back to America.

Well my Alitalia flight from Rome to New York was an adventure in itself, culminating in a near-falling out of the sky – luckily onto the runway – because of the incredible winds around the New York area.

With that said, 90% of the Jet Blue flights are either delayed or canceled this evening.  My flight – originally scheduled in September for 8:30 has been pushed back several times over the past four months finally scheduled for 10:15 – was delayed as soon as I landed to 1:15am (on the 24th, meanwhile), now delayed again until 1:55am, arriving in Pittsburgh at 4am.  Beautiful.

And I didn’t sleep because the personal in-flight entertainment system (the only good thing about my flight to New York) had so many good movies I have been dying to see but don’t want to actually pay to rent.  So I got no sleep on the nine-hour flight.

Now I am suffering.  I just want to get home.

Immersing myself in a new culture for four months means many things. Some bouts of Egyptian culture I will bring back with me to the United States, while others must be left here. Here are a few phrases (both in modern standard Arabic and Fusha Egyptian Arabic) that I most likely will say all the time when I get back:

In Sha’Allah: which means “God-willing.” I will probably use this phrase the most because it is something that I frequently add to phrases which, in my vocabulary, closely relates to hopefully. I say it all the time and when I am talking with people on the phone or online I keep having to stop myself from saying it and instead replacing it with “hopefully.”

Yahnee: means “like.” I don’t say this as much but sometimes when I am stuck with a word I don’t know how to say, I used “yahnee” and wave my arms a little, hoping that the person understands what I am talking about.

Yalla: one of the most important words because I have said it even before I came to Egypt. It means “Let’s Go.” Everyone says it here and everyone in Israel says it as well. Great word. You should use it to.

Mumkin: means “maybe.” Let’s go to the park later, mumkin. That is exactly what we use it for here and that is exactly what I will use it for at home.

Shukran: “thank you.” Plain and simple. Just like I said Merci after returning from France or Todah when I came back from Israel, it will be a nasty habit to break for the first few weeks, but slowly I will settle in.

La La La: “no no no.” This can be used in many ways. It normally is used in relation to telling a taxi driver that I will not pay him more money because of the color of my skin. It also is used for people trying to sell me something or when someone misunderstands what I want to eat or drink or smoke.

Shwaya: “in between” or “kinda.” The best example is anytime anyone asks if she speak Arabic (Tetekelim Al-Arabia?) we reply “shwaya, shwaya.” It’s that “well sorta” “I do, but I don’t” mentality.

In another instance of “do as much as I can before I leave next week,” we decided to head to the Giza Zoo, if only for the reason of playing with lion cubs. Yes, with a little bribing (i.e. 10 LE) we can hold a lion cub and take photos with it. We also got to play with some monkeys and feed some other animals. Fun? Sorta.

For you see, the Giza Zoo is a place of utter horror by western standards for a place to keep animals. First, the zoo has very rundown facilities, no apparent maintence staff or upkeep, and the habitats for the animals are atrocious. Case and point: as we are walking along, we see a dozen or so lions being held in cages. Not in a natural habitat (or even an unnatural habitat, for that matter). Simply barred cages with loud music playing, kids screaming wanting to hear the lions roar, and in some instances, several lions in one cage. At one point, three younger male lions began pacing around inside their cage and – reminiscing about my Lion King days – looked like they were getting ready to attack. It was horrible. They simply don’t know how to take care of these animals.

Once we bribed the zookeepers to play with lion cubs, we walked back and saw caged tigers and the zookeepers did as much as they could to provoke them! Yelling, singing and poking fun at them, to the point of utter annoyance to the animals. I have videos but I can’t seem to figure out how to put them up on here, so go to my youtube site to view all the videos: http://www.youtube.com/somedude535http://www.youtube.com/somedude535

We walked around a little more, got mobbed by little Egyptian kids (and big ones too) and played with some monkeys before being disgusted enough to leave. I was appalled at the conditions but how often do you get to play with lion cubs?

It was incredibly interesting to say the least. Now back to studying! Don’t forget to check out my videos: http://www.youtube.com/somedude535.

Little men, cruising through the heavy Cairo traffic on their mopeds.  No, this isn’t an unfamiliar scene to anyone who has been in Europe, or even some congested American cities.  What is unique is what they have on the back of their moped.  No, not a family of five (although you can catch that on a regular moped), but a metal box with an advertisement attached, displaying a five-digit number to, what else, but McDonald’s.  Or Pizza Hut.  Or Euro Deli.  Or Fuddruckers. 

One aspect of Western culture that is evident all over Cairo is the advent of the food delivery service.  Western food in particular is a sign of social status and in a place where a Radio Shak can employ ten people at any given time or a sports restaurant can support two dozen employees, restaurants galore offer delivery service all over Cairo.  For a small fee (less than $1 usually) or no fee at all, most establishments offer quick delivery to your door, regardless of how far away you live. 

One website, however, that I didn’t learn about until about a month ago, was otlob.com.  Check it out if you like.  It is the ultimate food delivery website in Cairo.  You pick your neighborhood, it comes up with several dozen restaurants that deliver to your area, and you pick from thousands of items on the menu.  Since a delivery surcharge is usually added, a tip is not required.  Thus far, I have ordered Little Caesars Pizza, Fuddruckers, Hardees and Euro Deli (two of which are within three blocks of where I live), but I still don’t feel like getting out of my pajama pants and walking.   

But clearly the best part is when the delivery boys arrive at the dorms.  They tell the person at the front desk who ordered and the attendant shouts into the microphone (which echoes around the entire first floor common area): (screech) “Mr. Adam” (screech). 

Exactly one week from today I will be doing as the Romans do, and not as the Egyptians do. With less than seven days left, clearly we are cramming as much as we possibly can in, still not quite ready to believe that we are all leaving here soon. Between my final days of classes (this past Monday) and my only day of finals (this upcoming Sunday), I have five days of no official academic commitments, so I am free. Free to lounge around and hang out with friends. Free to sleep. Free to procrastinate. I have set up goals for my papers and finals so that I can do one fun Cairo thing a day and study. Yesterday, I went to the Egyptian museum, which was rather disappointing, although the King Tut exhibit was pretty incredible. Much of the artifacts I simply have seen, in action, in temples, tombs and monuments elsewhere in Egypt, so just being thrown into a warehouse-museum with little or no labels doesn’t quite do it for me.

So with seven days left, we went back to the Pyramids, to say our goodbyes.

We got up early and were the first ones into the Pyramid complex this AM (yes!). We spent a little more than we bargained for but hey! how many times do I live in Egypt? We were there early enough to go inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, which if you recall from one of the posts the first week or so, is the only remaining ancient wonder of the world. It was incredible. We walked around all three of the huge pyramids and then took a camel ride to an incredible overlook (much better than the last time) and I managed to stay on the camel this time. Enjoy!

So as school ends, this post just sat in my draft box for much of the semester.  I don’t know why… but here goes.   

The American government is notorious for spending our money. By no means do I oppose big government – reasons for government tend to outweigh reasons against it – but rarely do I actually see my tax dollars at work. Yes, everyday when I drive down the highway, or turn on the faucet to clean water, but those basic tenets of my life aside, actually seeing American tax dollars hard at work is very relieving. The U.S. Department of Defense just asked for some ridiculous amount of money to fund the “wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq (to the sum of $150 billion, I believe), so clearly I am not seeing results there. A bridge to nowhere in Alaska is also a waste of my tax money. But interestingly enough, I have had the pleasure of utilizing several gifts from the American people. The USAID, or United States Agency for International Development is the group responsible for the dispersal of billions of dollars worth of aid worldwide, and lucky as I am, I now classify myself as a benefactor of American aid here in Cairo!

The “reputable” institution known as the American University in Cairo is a private institution and considered by most the best school in the Middle East. Funnily enough, this private institution receives millions of dollars worth of American aid. Adorned on one of the walls in the lobby of my building illustrates that my building is a gift from the people of the United States. Congratulations! your own private instutition cannot even afford to build housing in one of the cheapest cities in the world. They are reliant on the American taxpayers, who clearly don’t need health insurance for the poor children, voting rights for the most oppressed people in a democracy (DC residents!!), or bridges that don’t collapse into mighty American rivers. My school can afford a new $400 million campus in New Cairo but they can’t even afford housing for its students (let alone maintain it to livable, American standards, since this school seems to preach “The American Way” of education).

Don’t worry – it’s not only my multi-million dollar residence hall that has been donated by the American people. Walking on Greek Campus downtown, I notice another plaque… this time on the side of our library. Yes, the big, ugly, hulking building on campus was built by the American taxpayers. This, so I am told, ensures the freedom of the word (i.e. Hosni Mubarak’s censors can’t walk in and shut it down), but I think that the University would have enough clout that should we actually build our own library and fill it with books that are uncensored, we would be able to do it. I mean, my professors regularly talk about their hatred not only for the Egyptian government, but also the American one, as well. So the library is a gift from the American people. Guess what else is? All the library scanners are. And most of the computers are. The projectors. The laptops. Most technology around here has a USAID sticker slapped on it, as if we are supposed to appreciate the donation from the Americans and forget about how the whole administration has created more of a problem than they have solved, both in Iraq and all around the world. It sickens me on both ends: the fact that a private institution in Cairo – one that charges $15,000 a year in tuition, when the average family makes about 10% of that a year – cannot afford to deliver a world-class education to its students ($$$) without the help of the American people? And that the American government allows this to actually occur.

Since when did Gucci-wearing, Egyptian millionaires need to use Microsoft Office 2007 with the super-updated image library and internet servers on par with the Pentagon? American University in Washington doesn’t even have Office 2007. Furthermore, half the students here don’t even use the technology provided; it’s the international students who actually do work and utilize the library. The only reason the local Egyptian students ever use the library isn’t even for educational purposes! since the library provides a sort-of natural sunblock for those sitting in its shadow. Imagine if America knew their tax dollars were being consumed by a bunch of rich snobs as a form of sunblock?

Man, they would be upset.

Only to be surpassed by realizing that more of their tax dollars are being wasted on an unwinnable war. But hey – at least some U.S. tax dollars are going towards blocking something.  Cause it’s not like the Democrats are even making a valiant effort to blocking the war. 

So I got an internship for the spring semester at The Middle East Institute.  Very exciting.  I applied for three and had my interview from MEI and I am actually very excited.  It is really exactly what I wanted to do.  I will be working in the communications department and I will edit press releases and opeds, scour news sources from the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, cover congressional hearings, maintain media lists, amongst other things.

Very excited.  I had a great day today.  Two finals, two papers to go and I will be in Rome in 9 days!  Have a great week.