I suppose I should have done this almost a year ago... I can't believe it has almost been a year now.
I arrived home on June 4th 2010. Since I have returned a lot has happened in Egypt, and I am thankful for the chance I had to study there, and I wish my friends and all Egyptians the best in this new and exciting era for their country and the Middle East.
As for this blog, I am happy that I started it even though I wish I posted more often. I would be receptive to the idea of blogging again, if only I had a reason to blog. Until then وداعا.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Springtime for Egypt
It is officially spring/summer in Egypt. Yesterday daylight savings began (always the last Friday in August), and today the police offices have started to wear their white uniforms instead of their usual black/navy blue ones.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Spring Break
I am in Dahab right now, it is absolutely gorgeous.
On Friday March 26th we took a night train to Luxor and boarded a cruise that would take us to Aswan, stopping at various historical sites along the way. The train ride was about 10 hours, but we booked a sleeping car (I did not get much sleep anyway though). I have kept the ticket stubs so I can post the exact names later on.
On Tuesday the 30th we took the night train from Aswan to Cairo, it was about 12 hours. We arrived in Cairo at 9:00 on Wednesday, and by 10 I was on a bus to Dahab with my fellow IFSA students Brent and Robin.
Since being in Dahab I have scuba dived twice, and in about an hour I will be on my way to climb Mt. Sinai (climbing on the day before Easter!).
I was concerned about decompression sickness because my last dive ended at 10 this morning, but after reading about it (and some reassurance from Brent and Robin), enough time has elapsed so that it won't be a problem. We only dove 10 meters anyway (for 30 minutes), and the dive chart I was looking at did not start until 12 meters, and since I was with a dive master, we were very careful about the rate we surfaced.
Usually the tour we do also includes climbing Mt. Catherine (the tallest mountain in Egypt, a little taller than Mt. Sinai), along with a visit to the monastery, but right now it is closed.
I leave in an hour (10:30 pm), the goal it to be on top of the mountain by sunrise, and from the accounts I have read, it is roughly a two hour hike with coffee and tea stands about every twenty minutes. I have been awake since 6 am though, so unless I get some sleep in the bus, I will be very exhausted tomorrow. Luckily nothing is booked for the rest of the day.
I wish I can give a more detailed account of the last couple days, but it will have to be sometime in the future.
On Friday March 26th we took a night train to Luxor and boarded a cruise that would take us to Aswan, stopping at various historical sites along the way. The train ride was about 10 hours, but we booked a sleeping car (I did not get much sleep anyway though). I have kept the ticket stubs so I can post the exact names later on.
On Tuesday the 30th we took the night train from Aswan to Cairo, it was about 12 hours. We arrived in Cairo at 9:00 on Wednesday, and by 10 I was on a bus to Dahab with my fellow IFSA students Brent and Robin.
Since being in Dahab I have scuba dived twice, and in about an hour I will be on my way to climb Mt. Sinai (climbing on the day before Easter!).
I was concerned about decompression sickness because my last dive ended at 10 this morning, but after reading about it (and some reassurance from Brent and Robin), enough time has elapsed so that it won't be a problem. We only dove 10 meters anyway (for 30 minutes), and the dive chart I was looking at did not start until 12 meters, and since I was with a dive master, we were very careful about the rate we surfaced.
Usually the tour we do also includes climbing Mt. Catherine (the tallest mountain in Egypt, a little taller than Mt. Sinai), along with a visit to the monastery, but right now it is closed.
I leave in an hour (10:30 pm), the goal it to be on top of the mountain by sunrise, and from the accounts I have read, it is roughly a two hour hike with coffee and tea stands about every twenty minutes. I have been awake since 6 am though, so unless I get some sleep in the bus, I will be very exhausted tomorrow. Luckily nothing is booked for the rest of the day.
I wish I can give a more detailed account of the last couple days, but it will have to be sometime in the future.
Friday, March 26, 2010
What does Israel Want?
Every time I read an article talking about the Israel/Palestinian crisis it states that the Palestinian Authority would like to establish a state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Never is there any mention of the goals of Israel's government.
Instead of addressing the core issue, that is, how far will Israel encroach upon the West Bank?, mediators seem to be willing to settle just for talks with the Palestinian Authority because it is perceived to be an attainable small victory, but there is no way peace talks will be successful unless we know what Israel's territorial goals are, talks or no talks.
Israel's strategy has been to give no definitive answer about the future extent of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (partly because of internal disagreements) instead focusing more on its conditions for talks and not what it wants out of them. However, as the lyrics to an old Rush song say, “If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.”
If Israel is serious about peace, why does it have to keep building settlements? Continuing to build settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank only aggravate the situation. The usual explanation for the settlements is that they are because of “natural growth,” but what about the national growth of the Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank? Their birth rate is much higher than Israel's, and the living conditions in Gaza right now are already dire.
I think the condemnation of the recent Israeli settlement announcement by the Obama Administration might lead to Americans to be more critical of the Israeli government, which, according to a recent Gallop Poll, Israel currently has a 67% favorable rating by US citizens, but the Palestinian Authority is at 20%.
Instead of addressing the core issue, that is, how far will Israel encroach upon the West Bank?, mediators seem to be willing to settle just for talks with the Palestinian Authority because it is perceived to be an attainable small victory, but there is no way peace talks will be successful unless we know what Israel's territorial goals are, talks or no talks.
Israel's strategy has been to give no definitive answer about the future extent of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (partly because of internal disagreements) instead focusing more on its conditions for talks and not what it wants out of them. However, as the lyrics to an old Rush song say, “If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.”
If Israel is serious about peace, why does it have to keep building settlements? Continuing to build settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank only aggravate the situation. The usual explanation for the settlements is that they are because of “natural growth,” but what about the national growth of the Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank? Their birth rate is much higher than Israel's, and the living conditions in Gaza right now are already dire.
I think the condemnation of the recent Israeli settlement announcement by the Obama Administration might lead to Americans to be more critical of the Israeli government, which, according to a recent Gallop Poll, Israel currently has a 67% favorable rating by US citizens, but the Palestinian Authority is at 20%.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Typhoid Fever???
That is what I thought earlier tonight.
I was lying on my bed with my laptop earlier tonight and I started to notice what looked like bug bites appearing on my arm, and then a rash appearing on my shoulder. Being the hypochondriac I am I looked up the symptoms for Typhoid Fever and saw that I had some of them, so I started to panic (in a typical hypochondriac fashion).
Typhoid Fever is caused by a type of salmonella found in contaminated food, and I know that I sometimes eat at some pretty sketchy places.
So I rushed out and bought a thermometer, and I took my temperature and it turned out that I did not have a fever. I also noticed that marks on my arms were disappearing and the rash on my shoulder was gone.
My roommate suggested that a possible culprit could be bed bugs, or anything from the outside since I often lie on my bed with cloths that I have worn outside. Also, the fact that I first noticed my symptoms while lying on my bed, and that they got better when I left it seemed to strengthen that case.
Needless to say I threw everything in the washing machine, hopefully that will make things better. I have also increased my water intake as a precautionary measure in case I do get a fever, and I am currently investigating if I should get a Typhoid Fever vaccine.
I was lying on my bed with my laptop earlier tonight and I started to notice what looked like bug bites appearing on my arm, and then a rash appearing on my shoulder. Being the hypochondriac I am I looked up the symptoms for Typhoid Fever and saw that I had some of them, so I started to panic (in a typical hypochondriac fashion).
Typhoid Fever is caused by a type of salmonella found in contaminated food, and I know that I sometimes eat at some pretty sketchy places.
So I rushed out and bought a thermometer, and I took my temperature and it turned out that I did not have a fever. I also noticed that marks on my arms were disappearing and the rash on my shoulder was gone.
My roommate suggested that a possible culprit could be bed bugs, or anything from the outside since I often lie on my bed with cloths that I have worn outside. Also, the fact that I first noticed my symptoms while lying on my bed, and that they got better when I left it seemed to strengthen that case.
Needless to say I threw everything in the washing machine, hopefully that will make things better. I have also increased my water intake as a precautionary measure in case I do get a fever, and I am currently investigating if I should get a Typhoid Fever vaccine.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Red Sea
I got back from the Red Sea this evening after spending a night at a nice resort. I had a great time, I rented a Kayak for 30 minutes, and this morning I spent almost two hours watching the tide come in (for some reason I really enjoy that).
Of course now I must deal with tomorrow. One of my classes was moved to Sunday (I hope not permanently), so now I have 9 hours of class tomorrow. I also have a cold that started around Friday, if I can't shake it tomorrow than I should be able to on Monday since I have no classes that day. Tuesday I have another 7 hours of class. Wednesday's class was moved to Sunday, so this weekend is a four day weekend!
Of course now I must deal with tomorrow. One of my classes was moved to Sunday (I hope not permanently), so now I have 9 hours of class tomorrow. I also have a cold that started around Friday, if I can't shake it tomorrow than I should be able to on Monday since I have no classes that day. Tuesday I have another 7 hours of class. Wednesday's class was moved to Sunday, so this weekend is a four day weekend!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Names
The other day I was in a taxi and was trying to make conversation with the driver. At one point in the conversation I said "I am Chris," he responded "I am Muslim."
Maybe I said it wrong, but I think the problem was that my name sounds very close to a major world religion.
Maybe I said it wrong, but I think the problem was that my name sounds very close to a major world religion.
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