"Squeeze the World"
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Yesterday we started the morning by accompanying our contact (who shall be refered to as "EB" as in "E.B. White" who I think wrote Charlette's Web) to a new alternative school in one of the poorer areas of Cairo. The school itself was very nice, but the neighborhood reminded me of driving through the outskirts of Guadalajara. It was near the Pyramids, so we went directly to them after EB finished his work there.
The Pyramids are truly amazing. One factor is their obvious size and mass, but also the amount of time they have survived. Throughout history, nearly every prominent figure has visited them. They certainly aren't in the same glory as back then, but they are the same stones and in the same surroundings. Around the pyramids were about a hundred camel and horse riders hassling the tourists. They actually use the term "hassle" to describe it, too. I was told several times that I was very beautiful and everyone wanted to know my name and where I was from. Fortunately, having a guy with us drew off some of the attention, especially since many assumed that he was a lucky man with two young wives.
Today we visited the Citadel, a fortress which has been used by various empires and kingdoms. Now it is a tourist location and home for mosques, but it gives an amazing view of the city. The architecture was amazing, and we spent a good amount of time wandering around. We also visited the Military Museum there, which was very interesting. It's strange how my mental time-line always has a gap between the Roman Empire and the very end of the Ottoman Empire, but a lot of things happened in there. Every child who walked by would ask us how we were or what our names were, but they didn't understand the answers :) When one boy asked my name, I asked him what his was in Arabic. It threw him off completely, and his mother found it very entertaining. Then she either asked if I was Syrian or said that they were, I'm not sure. Then I said that I didn't speak Arabic and looked very sheepish, which she seemed to find even more entertaining. I don't understand, but I'm glad I brought her some joy.
We spent some time just walking around, and it was really cool to see the variety of life there. Everyone seemed very excited to greet us and practice their English. I'm not really sure what we'll be doing tonight, but it's been nice to "tour at leisure." Though I'd like to see everything I can, it's not a bad change, especially when it gives more opportunity to interact with the locals.
The Pyramids are truly amazing. One factor is their obvious size and mass, but also the amount of time they have survived. Throughout history, nearly every prominent figure has visited them. They certainly aren't in the same glory as back then, but they are the same stones and in the same surroundings. Around the pyramids were about a hundred camel and horse riders hassling the tourists. They actually use the term "hassle" to describe it, too. I was told several times that I was very beautiful and everyone wanted to know my name and where I was from. Fortunately, having a guy with us drew off some of the attention, especially since many assumed that he was a lucky man with two young wives.
Today we visited the Citadel, a fortress which has been used by various empires and kingdoms. Now it is a tourist location and home for mosques, but it gives an amazing view of the city. The architecture was amazing, and we spent a good amount of time wandering around. We also visited the Military Museum there, which was very interesting. It's strange how my mental time-line always has a gap between the Roman Empire and the very end of the Ottoman Empire, but a lot of things happened in there. Every child who walked by would ask us how we were or what our names were, but they didn't understand the answers :) When one boy asked my name, I asked him what his was in Arabic. It threw him off completely, and his mother found it very entertaining. Then she either asked if I was Syrian or said that they were, I'm not sure. Then I said that I didn't speak Arabic and looked very sheepish, which she seemed to find even more entertaining. I don't understand, but I'm glad I brought her some joy.
We spent some time just walking around, and it was really cool to see the variety of life there. Everyone seemed very excited to greet us and practice their English. I'm not really sure what we'll be doing tonight, but it's been nice to "tour at leisure." Though I'd like to see everything I can, it's not a bad change, especially when it gives more opportunity to interact with the locals.
A, 7:00 AM
