Just found this old blog and figured out my login information. I guess I'm going to try to start blogging on here for real now. Not sure what it'll be about, but look forward to a post within the next week. When I logged in, I found the following unfinished post. I guess I started to write it and never came back. Enjoy:
Before I get into the thick and thin of it, I've got some bad news for those of you living vicariously through my exploits here in Cairo. There will be no pictures taken by me coming home. Depressing story made short: in a sort of confusion, I left my camera bag in the back of a taxi with my camera in it. There is zero chance of getting it back. Moving past my initial disappointment, I've decided to attribute it to one of the natural ups and downs of travel and hold off being mad at myself until I get back to the US; hopefully, you will so the same. I will, however, attempt to supplement this blog with pictures some of my friends here have been taking so you get some idea of the places I'm talking about.
When I left you last we were on the eve of the 25th, the eve of anniversary of the revolution. I purposefully left the ending of my last entry quite ambiguous because I did not yet know whether I'd be in Tahrir the next day. By Wednesday morning, however, reports from Tahrir indicated a safe environment. The University had given us mixed messages: the official policy asserted that we should avoid the square at all cost while privately several authorities indicated that there is no other way to try to understand the situation without being there first-hand. The 25th is a national holiday commemorating the revolution and as such school was closed. The opportunity was there and I, like most of the Americans here at AUC, took it.
We traveled in groups to the square. My group ended up being 4 guys including myself, two with good Arabic experience, but no Egyptians. It wouldn't end up mattering. We were welcomed with open arms.
Leading into the square vendors selling all types of easy Egyptian finger foods--from baked yams to grilled corn and every variety of salted nuts in between. Cheap merchandise was stamped with the national red, white, and black bars (cough...the flag...cough cough). Blocking off the entry into Tahrir square was human security ring of sorts composed of members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood assumed the duty to check IDs of those entering and provide simple pat-downs to inhibit any attempt to bring in weapons or the like into demonstrations.
This was my first experience with the brotherhood and I'd be lying if I wasn't favorably impressed. For all the paranoia we're fed in the west towards Islamism, the popular Islamic parties emerging in the new democracies are by no means dangerous. They are
.....And that's where I stopped writing 2.5 years ago. Anyone know what I was going to say next?
Before I get into the thick and thin of it, I've got some bad news for those of you living vicariously through my exploits here in Cairo. There will be no pictures taken by me coming home. Depressing story made short: in a sort of confusion, I left my camera bag in the back of a taxi with my camera in it. There is zero chance of getting it back. Moving past my initial disappointment, I've decided to attribute it to one of the natural ups and downs of travel and hold off being mad at myself until I get back to the US; hopefully, you will so the same. I will, however, attempt to supplement this blog with pictures some of my friends here have been taking so you get some idea of the places I'm talking about.
When I left you last we were on the eve of the 25th, the eve of anniversary of the revolution. I purposefully left the ending of my last entry quite ambiguous because I did not yet know whether I'd be in Tahrir the next day. By Wednesday morning, however, reports from Tahrir indicated a safe environment. The University had given us mixed messages: the official policy asserted that we should avoid the square at all cost while privately several authorities indicated that there is no other way to try to understand the situation without being there first-hand. The 25th is a national holiday commemorating the revolution and as such school was closed. The opportunity was there and I, like most of the Americans here at AUC, took it.
We traveled in groups to the square. My group ended up being 4 guys including myself, two with good Arabic experience, but no Egyptians. It wouldn't end up mattering. We were welcomed with open arms.
Leading into the square vendors selling all types of easy Egyptian finger foods--from baked yams to grilled corn and every variety of salted nuts in between. Cheap merchandise was stamped with the national red, white, and black bars (cough...the flag...cough cough). Blocking off the entry into Tahrir square was human security ring of sorts composed of members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood assumed the duty to check IDs of those entering and provide simple pat-downs to inhibit any attempt to bring in weapons or the like into demonstrations.
This was my first experience with the brotherhood and I'd be lying if I wasn't favorably impressed. For all the paranoia we're fed in the west towards Islamism, the popular Islamic parties emerging in the new democracies are by no means dangerous. They are
.....And that's where I stopped writing 2.5 years ago. Anyone know what I was going to say next?
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