Thursday, November 19, 2009

Dear Blogosphere,

After a month-long period of neglect I return to my poor little blog, in order to assure you all:

Why YES, I AM still alive!

I apologize to all those far and wide for my disappearance, but Cairo’s gotten tricky in the last few months. I was devoting so much energy to struggling through life that the idea of reliving that struggle in blog form was just too exhausting! But I’m ready to pick up the narrative again and pound out a few paragraphs on what’s been going on.

For now, I will interrupt the already-interrupted tale of First Eid Break, and give an update on more recent matters.

Cairo has cooled down in the past few weeks, which is lovely. I never realized how closely linked my mood is to the weather! I have noticed a direct negative correlation: Temperature goes up, Carolyn’s mood plummets. But (alhumdilallah!) temperature does DOWN…Carolyn’s mood flies up to the sky! So regardless of any other stress in my life, that, at least, is one inarguably positive thing.

Unfortunately, that is just about the only inarguably positive thing…oh, but no need to be a Debbie Downer! I’ll summarize the problems quickly and then move on to pleasanter matters.

First, AUC is not exactly living up to my standards as an international university. The students make me cringe: they come into class late, talk back to the professors (Mama and Papa, thank you for raising me to respect my elders. I could never imagine speaking to a teacher like that!), and complain ceaselessly about the work load – which ironically, leads to my next complaint.

Perhaps I’m just not used to the teaching method here, but the preferred tactic is to assign an overwhelming amount of reading and then regurgitate it in class, because all the professors have long given up hope that the students are actually going to read any of it. For Autumn and I, who do read it, this means that class is generally (not always, but generally) a waste of our time. It also means that the professors, who know by now that we are two of the few who actually do the work, expect us to share notes with those who do not! This is a request that we have learned to politely refuse. Luckily the professors seem to understand our protest.

Cairo itself becomes a little wearing on the nerves as well. I have never been a city girl. Luckily, our neighborhood is one of the more aesthetically pleasing parts of Egypt – we’ve got our fair share of trees, and the buildings and roads are all pretty well maintained. So I count my blessings there. I’ll be happy to get back to my house on White Clay Drive, though. To go from living on the fringe of a national park, to the center of one of the most crowded cities in the world – haha, talk about a shock to the nerves!

And the dust shows no signs of subsiding – meaning I am forced to wear my glasses almost every day. Glasses are great for some people, but for me, they are like a time-traveling-transporter back to my days as a chubby-faced sixth grader, with braces and tortoise-shell spectacles. And a propensity for wearing the most garish and awful shades of orange…WHY didn’t anyone tell me that was a bad idea?? So as you might imagine, I’m looking forward to wearing contacts again when I head home.

Well, I suppose there’s more, but I’m tired of complaining. Egypt is what it is, and I am so grateful that I was able to come here. I am learning so much about the world and even more about myself. Much of it is uncomfortable and unpleasant – who ever said Soul Growth is easy? – but I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish it anywhere else. So alhumdilallah! Kul tamam (it’s all good.)

Plus it’s given me an (almost unhealthy) appreciation of America. At one particularly low point I even had the Youtube link to the song, “Proud to be an American” on my facebook “about me.” Have you heard that song? It is possibly the most obnoxious America-song in the entire history of America-songs. Which is probably why I loved it.

Oh a nice note, though, I am feeling more cheerful today than I have in weeks - because I do believe I finally figured out my spring schedule! I register tomorrow and I don’t want to jinx it, but if all goes well I’ll graduate in time, Honors Degree in hand.

I’m looking forward to graduation. I’m ready for the real world.

We are right on the cusp of another Eid Break, which again might be extended due to swinish reasons. It won’t affect the end of the semester though, and that’s all that matters to me! I’ve got a plane ticket leavin’ Thursday morn’ (of December 17th), and so long as I’m on that plane all will be well in my world. I am sure once I’m gone I will miss Egypt desperately, in my characteristic Carolyn fashion. My ability to cultivate nostalgia even for the most unpleasant of things is fearsome to behold!

As for Eid, I’m not so sure what I’ll be up to yet. I’ve got three 15 – 20 page papers to bang out, so I’ll take advantage of the downtime for that, but I don’t intend on doing anything quite so ambitious as the last break (which I still have to finish documenting. Again, so sorry). A trip down to Dahab might be in order, and there are some sights I’d still like to see around Cairo – Coptic Museum, Citadel (I’ve been there, but I want to see it again), Azhar Mosque, Islamic Cairo, Cairo Tower – haha, now that I’m listing it out there’s more to see than I had realized!

Thanks, Blog! Who’d have known you’d be so handy for vacation planning? Maybe I should write on you more often.

But for now, I’m going to sign off, with the promise that I will try my darndest to write more often (isn’t that always the promise? Ah well, never said I was a woman of my word…in fact, there is large evidence to the contrary.) I hope all you readers out there are well and happy, and appreciating our beautiful country as much as you should be! Unless you are in another country. In which case, I hope it’s nice too. Though don’t pretend it could ever come anywhere near America.

Unless it’s Norway. Damn, I love Norway.

Fondest regards,

Carolyn, the ever-negligent bloggist

1 comment:

  1. I understand the difficulties of being in such a crazy foreign place, especially when things don't exactly go as planned! But I am glad to hear that things are well and getting better and that you are learning a whole lot (even if its not in class).
    The Shrub misses you!

    PS- Based on person experience, I highly recommend going to a greasy dinner the minute you land in US.

    ReplyDelete

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