I am learning, slowly, Arabic... both in school and out. I find that most of my learning experience happens outside of the classroom. I have been so fortunate to meet the best people, both local and not, who have been generous in assisting me with any endeavor necessary for constant motion, and in return, I offer my honesty and loyalty as a fellow human on this small planet.
I feel like I've been here forever already, and yet, it's only been a little over a month. This, I'm thankful for. Time here, Cairo time-if you will- is right down my alley. There's flow, a motion, symmetry of action that constantly swells around the city. It is an understanding, that even if you don't agree with the actions of others, there's almost an acceptance that everyone has there own way of traveling the same roads. Just like the traffic, the people are required to steer their own route in accordance to what surrounds them. Communication isn’t dependant upon words, rather, actions…
Within this month, I can't even describe how many beautiful encounters I've had with everyone I come in contact. I am constantly blessed to have everything I need come to me in due time.
I absolutely LOVE my classes. I am taking Arabic (colloquial), Ancient Religion and Ethics of Egypt (AWESOME!!!), Understanding Arabic Music (Sweet), and Arabic Music Ensemble (FUN FUN FUN)… Along with private lessons for Violin, which has been sparsely occurring, as he has cancelled many lessons for gigs and such… grrr.
The music scene is great! I’ve been able to attend a great amount of shows at the Cairo Opera House (Including AIDA, right in CAIRO!), the Culture Wheel, and other community activities. The other day, I was grateful to see a show put on for deaf children at the children’s park. It was wonderful to see such interactions and community involvement for those in need.
The American University in Cairo’s New Campus is HUGE! Still, everyday, new things are being added, fixed, maintained, and rebuilt… constant renovation is occurring on a daily basis. Though the architecture is phenomenal, personally, I feel a lot to be unnecessary. What draws my attention the most is that through the making of this $800 MILLION project, 6 workers have died! It’s awful to think that such a project, no matter the size, could cause 6 people to risk their lives at such a level. Through the 6, there’s only really been one with explanation, and still, the cause is said to be “carelessness.” It is obvious to see that the European influence of style in the AUC community is VERY large. Fashion is a BIG deal, and though modesty is a virtue in this country, taking the fashion to extreme is common in such a community as AUC, as it is necessary to have quite a bit of money in order to attend.
Aside from the university and city, I have been able to enjoy the magic of the nature that surrounds Egypt. I found that I was getting so stressed from the insane amount of noise pollution. Never before living in a city, it is physically taxing on the body and mental state. On the weekend of Valentine’s Day, I had the great opportunity to travel to the Black and White Deserts. WOWOWOW… I REALLY needed that. The BLACK DESERT is full of remains from some 25 million year old volcanic eruption(s). The sand looked like peppered dust, swirling in motion, synchronizing with the sky above. Then, we visited a phenomenal quarts desert, where crystals, evolved from underwater volcanic activity had been exposed and worn, resonating with every thumping foot that trek above. The WHITE DESERT was INCREDIBLE!! By the time we got there, it was about sunset, and the large limestone formations guarded the area like towering protectors… it reminded me of the monuments that our ancestors have been trying to re-create for centuries. Being out there, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by white, like snow dusted upon desert, brought me back to the time of my forbearers… when all they new was what surrounded them… The whistling of wind, the sun, the stars, the incredible moon, the silence, the music of nature! It was amazing! That night, we camped under the stars… BILLIONS of stars appeared, making it incredibly hard to identify anything but the large constellations. THEN… suddenly, like a red flaming fruit arising from the ground, the Full Moon rose in its glory for all to see. With everyone singing and dancing around the campfire, smoking sheesha, drinking tea, and enjoying life… it was perfect in its purity. After about an hour, the moon demanded attention, turning the once completely dark night into day again… and everything glistened in the shadows that the light of the mood cast over the earth… INCREDIBLE!
On the following weekend of my birthday (Feb 21st), I realized another dream of mine. I drug 3 friends with me (David, Luke and Erin) to watch the sunrise above the Pyramids! I had been planning to be at the Pyramids for my birthday since I found out I would be studying in Egypt. We got some tea at the little hut that sat next to the guard gate, climbed on the roof and watched the sun rise, as the crescent moon guided it above the Great Pyramid. It was an amazing morning. Then, we rode horses through the desert to a place that overlooked all 9 Pyramids (yes, there are 9)… This was a humbling moment for me. I LOVE riding horses, but hadn’t since the last time many years ago, when I was thrown off. After a few years now of not experiencing or recognizing any fear in life, there was a moment that this fear immediately entered my conscious again. As my horse wanted to ride freely and fiercely through the desert, I found myself faced with the fear of being thrown off. It was humbling to know I still had fear… humbling to know I was ALIVE, and humbling to be at the mercy of the communication between an incredibly intelligent creature and myself, alone together in the sunny morning desert.
David and I were able to enter the second largest pyramid of King Khafre… I was amazed at the energy I experienced as I meditated in the very center of the Pyramid… chanting Omm… and allowing the vibrations to wash over me and the surrounding chamber… until I entered a state of recognizing my body’s existence, but only feeling that I was merely a vibration. I sent fragments and waves of the love I was experiencing out into the universe, celebrating the birth of my creation, and re-establishing the initiation of my Ka (life force). After a long day of discovering a maze of tombs, which surrounded the pyramids, along with the sphinx and other ruins… I ate and hit the hay!!!
The next morning, Sunday @ 1am to be exact… I was “blessed” by the gods of the toilet… making constant runs to the bathroom, and exhausting myself from dehydration. I had finally met “The Bug.” Everyone says that if you don’t get sick from something you eat here at least once, you don’t have the TRUE Cairo experience. Well, needless to say, after a trip to the hospital, and 4 days of digestive upset, doing nothing but sleep, drink water, and run to the bathroom… I have had my share of the “BUG.”
My body was experiencing rough times, and like clock work, as if to offer a healing alternative, my friend, Luke, invited me along to go to Marsa Alam (a magnificent place on the Southern portion of the Red Sea. Knowing that I needed the healing of nature and waters, I immediately said yes! The drive was about ten hours in all, aside from some stops and such. Since we were invited along with a local friend, Amr, and his family, we all were able to comfortably fit in two cars for an easy ride.
The Red Sea reminded me of a fluid sky, blue and crystal, vast in shades of wonder. It was such an extraordinary feeling to know that this sea has such history and light. We arrived at our huts, a quiet little community right off of the shore in an area/resort called Deep South. It’s a community run by a scuba company. That night, we all relaxed by the sea, had a lovely home-cooked meal, and sat under the stars in each other’s company. Before bed, I saw an amazing shooting star that exploded into a green and yellow ball within the earth’s atmosphere… blessed.
The next day, we got up early for snorkeling and scuba diving. Snorkeling was the most Technicolor experience ever! I’ve never seen so much natural color and light outside of the documentaries I’ve seen about the choral reefs. I must have seen hundreds species of life, all doing simultaneously living amongst their surrounding homeostasis. I even got to see two squid! After snorkeling for a little over an hour, while the others did their first dive, we all made it to shore to dry off for a bit. As the gang was suiting for their next dive, they made me aware that I was going with them for my intro dive!!!!! Not only was it going to be my first scuba dive, BUT, I was going on a full dive along with them (rather than a 15 or 20 minute dive)… I WAS SOOOOO EXCITED!!! It’s been my dream to be one with the sea, and I didn’t even have to pay for it!! I was so lucky. During the dive, I used flippers for the first time, and by half way through, I got the hang of the whole buoyancy thing enough that my guide let me go off on my own… stating afterwards that he had never had such a good intro dive! I got to see a giant SEA TURLTE too!
After that surprising experience, we cleaned up, and headed a little further south to Wadi el Gamel (valley of Camel), where we camped again under the stars and were serenaded by the local tribesmen music and dance. They made us their lovely “coffee” called “Gubana” (not sure of the spelling)… and though I don’t drink caffeine usually, Ihad to partake in their tradition. IT WAS SO GOOD… Grant it, the tiny little shot-glass sized cups were half filled with sugar… the taste was phenomenal to the senses. They roast the beans over the fire, hand crush spices consisting of either Cardamom and Cinnamon, or Ginger. They are very superstitious and only drink odd number of cups (such as 3, 5 or 7)… but I had to stop at 1.
The next day, we had, yet again, another lovely homemade meal, and went on an adventure through the desert on CAMEL!!! My camel, “Sharateen,” was THE BEST CAMEL EVER! Seriously, he was the BEST camel ever. The others were, in my opinion, pretty “whiney” and complained a lot. Not Sharateen. We ventured to a quiet little place in the valley where we stopped and had more Gubana/spiced coffee, and they made us fresh bread in the hot sun in the heat of the sand and coals. They served it with fresh camel cheese… and while the bread cooked, ‘Hommad, the natural leader of the crew, showed us his amazing skills at throwing the tinniest rocks a million miles away (ok, exaggerated, slightly, but seriously, the distance and strength of his throw created a wobble affect that we could all hear).
After the incredibly entertaining camel ride, it was time to head home…
Since my arrival, and especially since returning from the sea, time seems to be moving at an immeasurable rate. I can’t measure the hours, the days… Rather, measure by my experiences and people whom make them possible. I LOVE it here, Egypt and it’s people grow on me more and more everyday… and can’t wait for what the future brings to the present…
(of course, this was a HUGE summary of the time so far… so I’ll be back with some more exclusive posts of the normal hustle and bustle)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOHHAMMAD (the prophet)
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