Final Reflection

What a trip! It’s hard to believe that seven weeks could pass so quickly. In hindsight, I can’t believe how much of Egypt I saw and I don’t think enough time has passed for me to fully grasp the changes the program instilled in me. To start, I dove into this trip without knowing what to expect; I had only traveled once prior to now, and that was for 10 days. I feel I was well prepped for adjusting to culture shock, both from the pre-departure orientation sessions and talking with my sister, who has been to Africa several times. What I did not expect was how quickly I assimilated to Egyptian lifestyle. I anticipated a much more conservative society and a much less accepting community; both of these notions were immediately driven from my head upon landing in Cairo. Before jet lag had time to sink in, we were off touring Cairo. Trying to soak up as much information as possible as the sun beat down over our heads, the amount of sightseeing accomplished within our first full two days sent me into a sort of shock. The quick pace slowed down for a day or so, whereupon I was introduced to the warmth and hospitality of Abduh and Hayyam. The delicious turkey dinner served as my first real meal in a few days and, more importantly, as an introduction to the kindness I would soon be shown by most of the Egyptians I would meet.

The first week was probably the most difficult. I came to the airport April 30^th knowing virtually no one. Clustered together in a group of almost 40 was quite frustrating at times; for a good 10 days we were being loaded on and off buses and guided around like a herd of sheep. Even individual time was spent in larger groups of 8 or 10 rather than 3 or 4 students. The balance between trying to meet other students and paying attention to the tours was tricky; often running on 5 or 6 hours of sleep, days were long and hot. Additionally, being a tourist was not the most pleasant experience. In Aswan and Luxor, I felt as though I could not walk down the street without being gawked at or verbally harassed. Though sometimes people may have been trying to be friendly, my mood often turned from agreeable to frustrated within a block down the street from the hotel. Unsure of how to deal with men whistling or catcalling every hundred feet, and not wanting to offend anyone, I remained stoic and silent, simply glaring or politely ignoring these taunts. Aside from this aspect of our travels in Upper Egypt, I found myself in constant awe at the sight of the many temples we visited. I mused at the thought of how, without the aid of any modern technology, these colossal architectures could have been built so structurally sound as to last thousands of years. The amount of history these places hold, though I had read and learned about it in elementary school, is simply phenomenal.

Returning to Cairo, I found myself antsy the night before classes started, much like how I feel the night before my first day of school. What would class be like? What would my professor be like? Would I be able to handle the workload? Questions raced through my mind as I fell asleep in my room in the Flamenco, a place that would become home for the next four weeks. I anticipated that four hours would drag by unbearably, but I found myself fully immersed in the class work, absorbing as much information as I could. The class size was perfect; with only seven students, each of us received enough attention when needed. After four weeks of classes with Peter, I was satisfied with the material we had covered. His teaching style was different than what I was accustomed to, especially for learning a language. We waited almost a week before starting the alphabet, and even then we learned it letter by letter. As frustrating as this was at first, this approach ended up working quite well for me. Although I felt like we were learning at a slow pace, I enjoyed being back in Cairo because it allowed me to feel more comfortable going out to restaurants and simply walking around Zamalek as I had some basic understanding of the Arabic language.

After only two days of classes, I initially anticipated working with the glass-blowing group on the service learning project. However, I was offered an opportunity to read to and teach English to a small group of students at a school in a poor community in Cairo. Five other students participated in this program, but we did not work as a team; we were separated and each given a group of 3 or 4 students to work with. I was surprised at the cleanliness of the school we taught at and the materials available to them; they had a computer room and appeared to have a very solid artistically based program. Working with the students, whose ages ranged from eight to eleven, was quite a trying experience. Young children are difficult enough to try to maintain, but working with a language barrier made this challenge one hundred times more difficult. Although by the second time I worked with the students, I had slightly more Arabic knowledge, my comprehension was very slow and the kids talked very quickly. I managed, however, to get by relatively successfully, spending a few hours teaching the kids the colors and some basic nouns. I found the other students who were part of this service learning program very helpful; some of us bounced ideas off of each other as to how best to teach the kids. I would suggest, however, that if this program is continued to be offered as an option, ensure the students involved have sufficient background in the language. Although, as I said, everything worked out well, I think the kids would best benefit from students who had a stronger grasp of the Arabic language.

My general impressions of Cairo were very positive. One of the most attention grabbing aspects of Cairo life was the driving. Driving in Egypt has best been described to me as a video game: you make the rules, each road is a different level, and you just weave in and out of traffic, and use traffic signs and lights at your discretion. I was initially taken aback by the general noise level in Cairo. As a pedestrian, the driving itself didn’t really bother me, as it reminded me of the pedestrian lifestyle I have grown accustomed to in Boston. Having been in Cairo for several weeks, I found it incredible the amount of concentration the drivers have. Literally accosted from all sides, the only traffic rules are to avoid getting hit or hitting anyone or anything. Yet the drivers here are some of the best I have ever seen.

After 4 weeks of classes and service learning projects, the outings to both Marsah Matrooh and to Siwa were well timed. Although the week spent in these places was more relaxing than anything, I enjoyed that we had the opportunity to see the diversity of land and lifestyle that exists within one country. Rather than just reading about or hearing about the differences across various regions of Egypt, we were able to more fully appreciate these variances by interacting with the people of these regions. Aside from this, traveling outside of Cairo offered a more peaceful place to reflect before going home. The hustle and bustle can be a great distraction and this interlude into a much less polluted and significantly less crowded area provided a nice, relaxing few days to let the rest of the trip really sink in.

The most enlightening part of the trip was dialoguing with Egyptian students. Nervous as to what we would talk about or how the conversations would go, my group discussed an array of issues including American politics and gender/cultural stereotyping. Egyptians are “fast friends;” many of them were very hospitable and offered to drive myself and several friends around different parts of Cairo, offering a more in depth look at the life and culture. These friends provided a social network to the city, an outlet I was very thankful for because I was able to comfortably explore more of the city. Our conversations during the two set meetings and all the discussions we had outside of these meetings were, for me, one of the most important aspects of the trip. My generation has a lot of problems to deal with in the near future. As future leaders, I truly believe that making international connections with students our age at this point in time is one of the greatest benefits we have available to us. This type of networking connects the youth of my generation on a personal level, allowing for relationships to develop between nations, perhaps helping better understand the problems of our generation.

In regards to dialogues, the Abu Dhabi portion of the trip was simply phenomenal. Although the lifestyle at the Intercontinental is far too glamorous for me, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Initially concerned at the lack of information provided to us regarding what we were going to be doing in Abu Dhabi, I eventually adopted the Egyptian “ma’alesh” attitude, simply hoping for the best. I felt somewhat stressed, anticipating not meeting the high expectations set by the leaders of the conference. We had only one day to prepare for a presentation; certain information was unavailable to us and I was very unclear as to the goals of and ultimate expectations set by the leaders of the conference, although I feel my group fared rather well in the end. I realized early on that I had to put the stress aside because all of us, Americans and Arabs alike, were in the same boat and had been provided with the same information. I learned to simply focus on the task at hand and interpret it as best as possible. Again, the networking opportunity provided on this leg of the journey was incredible. Meeting students from the Middle East and the Arab world put my views into perspective; meeting these students makes the areas they come from more than just places on a map because many of them shared personal stories about the culture and lifestyles of their homes.

Overall I was very pleased with the way the program was run. Perhaps seven and a half weeks is a little long; the last week or so dragged on and people’s moods deteriorated significantly. I realize that the program runs on a limited budget, but if next year there were more cultural outings offered, like the Whirling Dervishes, I think these would greatly enhance the trip. The tour guides were all extremely informative and knowledgeable. Although some days were a little too full with tours, I think it is important to include visits to Islamic and Coptic Cairo; these tours provided me with important historical and cultural information that helped me better grasp the current status of the Egyptian lifestyle. On a more technical note, communication between the program directors and the students was probably the weakest part of the trip; however, I understand the difficulties faced in trying to get a hold of thirty-five students in order to deliver messages about last minute changes. Despite a few miscommunications, I feel things ran pretty smoothly. I am genuinely thankful I had the opportunity to participate in this program. I anticipated an amazing trip, but as I mentioned before, some of the effects this trip has had on me remain dormant as I have only had a few days to truly reflect on my experiences.