Hey beautiful friends and family, 

It has been far too long, I know! Right now I am sitting in my flat in Agouza, Cairo, and just finished my paper on comparing Turkey and Egypt. The next one I am about to work on is about Eastern Christianity. The one after that is about the Arab/Israeli conflict. And a couple more, but I'll spare you the details! 

So we just got back from our "travel component" part of the semester a few days ago. We were started out by flying into Istanbul, Turkey. It was a STARK change from Cairo. A little chunk from my Turkey/Egypt paper to help describe the differences:

Picture for a moment walking the streets of downtown Cairo. While walking around, you hear the call to noon prayer, echoing above the sounds of honking horns and men selling goods on the street. Imagine an over-populated, polluted city, dusty from the sand blown in from the desert. Some men and women (probably from Upper Egypt) are wearing gullabeyas. The large majority of women are wearing headscarfs, brightly colored and usually fashioned to match the rest of their outfits. Less traditional men are wearing slacks and button-down shirts. You look over to discover a taxi driver reading the Quran as he sits waiting in traffic. On the corner you see a church, where a Mosque is built directly across the street from it. Men are hurrying to noon prayer, with their prayer mats tucked under their arms. You enter the train station and see the southeast corner filled with men bowing for prayer, facing the direction of Mecca.

Now place yourself in Istanbul, Turkey. You look around and see a thriving city filled with confident, young, stylish people. No one is carrying a prayer mat. Almost all the women are not wearing a headscarf, but rather sporting stylish modern haircuts. The pollution is minimal; the air is clean and crisp. You see the Blue Mosque in all its splendor, with tourists entering and exiting in a constant stream. The Turkish flag is sported on bridges, streetlights and balconies of homes. You begin to think you are in Europe until the Islamic call to prayer brings you back to reality. However, no one is rushing to noon prayer. Taxi drivers are not concerned with reading Quran while waiting in traffic. Mosques seem to be tourist sights rather than places of worship and prayer. 

All of us experienced extreme culture shock going form Egypt to Turkey. Turkey really does feel very European, with women wearing less, more consumerism, and overall more western. We spent a lot of time touring around the city, visiting famous mosques and other sights. We heard from the AKP, Turkey's Justice and Development Party, American diplomats, and university students. It was fascinating to discuss the differences between Islam in Egypt and Turkey, too. Turkey is a highly secularized, nationalistic state...similar to the US. Many people say it is the only success story in merging democracy and Islam. A lot of people will also say that if other Middle Eastern countries could just adopt their model of democracy, it would fix everything. It's a nice idea, but its definitely not that simple...there are so many other aspects to consider--economic, religious, geographical, etc. If I have learned anything while on this program, it is to be way more cautious about deeming what would be good for a country's well-being without having a holistic understanding of it...

After Turkey we flew to Aleppo, Syria. Syria was incredible. We spent all of three days in Damascus, hanging out in the old city. We also went to an old crusader castle at the top of a hill in Aleppo. It was epic..jumping around the ruins, playing mancala in the carved stone, taking pictures, laughing. It was a much needed break! Oh, and we got to visit Ben and Amber and hear about their work with MCC. Up until then we had been hearing about so much political stuff, so this was also refreshing. Their focus on peace-making, building relationships, getting to know the community, learning Syrian Arabic, raising Aiden, etc. Was so great. I stayed with them a couple nights. I also went to a Syrian Orthodox church service with them, which was really neat. I miss them so much!! But I'm going to Damascus again for Christmas, and mom is coming too! 

After Syria we drove to Jordan. We only spent a couple days there, more for a transition to Israel. One of the days we went to the Dead Sea and floated floated floated!! We rubbed the dead sea mud all over our bodies..you know the stuff they bottle up and sell for hundreds of dollars! It was great. 

After Jordan we drove to Israel and were there for a total of two weeks. This was by far the most intense part of travel component. It was a mixture of seeing Biblical sights, learning about the Arab/Israeli conflict, hanging out with Palestinians and Israelis (on separate occasions), visiting the "wall," hearing from politicians, church leaders, and students, and lots of reading reading reading. Overall I have come out of Israel with my head spinning, confused and angered at the the things I have seen and learned about. As an outsider it is so easy to gloss over a situation, offering solutions without knowing the full story. I knew a bit of the Palestinian experience before coming to the Middle East, but I have been blown away at the complexities within the situation. The people there working for solutions are knee-deep in the muck of remembered past violence, political warfare, religious ideologies, ethnic and cultural identity differences, land-grabbing, growing Israeli settlements and breaking international law, governmental corruption, refugees, the question of the "God-given land (Judea and Samaria, or modern day West Bank)," US pressure, the situation in Gaza, disenfranchisement of both Palestinians and Israelis, Christian Zionism from the US pushing their pro-Israli agendas, the diminishing Christian Palestinian population, deep fear of the "other," foreign involvement, Holocaust guilt, violation of human rights, and the list goes on and on and on...

One afternoon we got to hang out with a group of Palestinian students, and they took a group of us down to the wall. It was shocking to see how big it actually was, cutting through their community in Bethlehem. The psychological affects of the wall run deep...literally separating the two groups, causing more unknowns and less chance for reconciliation on the ground. This has potential to get controversial and heated real fast, but I will say that the human experience there is one of constant fear...they are literally living in a war-zone, and I cannot begin to imagine how I would respond if I were in their shoes. Can you? 

Now for a little transition...here are a couple journal entries from Turkey and Israel, when I had time to actually journal! 

10.31.08 -- Istanbul 

We are in Istanbul. This city is phenom! Very pedestrian-friendly...Black sea, parks, fall crisp air...really nice break from Cairo. It's been good with the students. Last night had a lot of fun with the girls. Took pics, ran around the park, sipped tea and munched on hot bread in the bazaar. Laughed, shared stories and dreams for the future. Tara looks forward to finding the person she will spend her life with. Chels looks forward to falling in love. Esther looks forward to settling into a place...doing life outside of a "program." I echo her sentiment. However, I know when I'm out of college I will miss the programs and communities. The prospect of LA is an exciting one, for sure...

Oops! We're going out! Gotta go...

11.14.08 -- Ankara 

Funny how lonely one can feel, even when surrounded by 30 people with the same passions and interests as you. We intentionally isolate ourselves, and in turn, feel sad that we aren't laughing with the group, or that we are sitting at the front of the bus. Ha! For once I am one of those kids...and it is good for me to experience, I think. When people can't fill the voids in our souls, who or what do we turn to? The Bible? Prayer? Books? Poetry? Exercise? Food? Funny movies? Shopping? I can tell there are people in the group who are having a hard time socially. I'm one of them sometimes. I just don't really feel like trying. It is a really good feeling when I can be joyful and happy as myself and not try to please people. 

11.15.08 -- Ankara 

Too much starbucks tonight. Ran around the room, dancing to hip-hop, sprints, sit-ups. felt good to sweat! Talked with D, kelly and Leah. Was SO good for my soul. It was a booster. So stoked to see them again, yet ready to re-engage MESP...

11.16.08 -- Jerusalem, Austrian Hospice

A great poem by Kahlil Gibran on love

when love beckons to you, follow him. though his ways are hard and steep, and when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. and when he speaks to you, believe in him, though his voice may shatter your drams as the north wind lays waste the garden...

for even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth...

[end poem]

Well, thats it for now folks. I have 14 more days of MESP, and then I'm hanging out with my family in Cairo for five days...then off to Damascus for Christmas!! It's weird to think about coming back home; I've made some incredible friends here and have really been enjoying it lately. But it will be right when the time comes :) 

so, it's been a while!

Hey friends out there,

It has been far too long since my last blog. Please accept my deepest apologies. To say this past month has been busy would be an understatement! 

This semester really has been a whirlwind. Arabic, Islam, high profile speakers, weekend travel, roommate craziness, service project, etc etc etc. 

Today:

 

6:30am-Wake up

7:30-Community Breakfast 

8:15-Devotionals on the roof 

9:00-Arabic Class

10:45-To director's flat to hear from speakers 

1:00-Lunch

2:00-Study Arabic, read, work on paper

8:00-Learn Dabka, a traditional Palestinian dance

Tomorrow is the last day of Ramadan! A few weeks ago myself and the intern decided to fast, and then attend Iftar with Muslims at a mosque nearby in the evening. We arrived and were handed a box of food: chicken, rice, bemya (okra and tomato sauce), aiysh (bread), and torshie (pickled veggies). We walked across the busy street to a long patch of grass. We were summoned by a group of middle-aged Muslim women. There were groups of Muslims covering the entire stretch of grass, simply enjoying a meal from the local mosque before heading home. It was a really 'communal' experience! We all shared our food with each other and attempted conversation in broken Arabic. As soon as a few Egyptian men approached and started asking Andrea why she was still unmarried at age 24 (and weren't shy about marriage offers), we decided to leave :)

Tomorrow I'm going to Sisters of Charity in Moquattem for my service project. I usually help wash clothes at the beginning, and then play with the toddlers and babies in the afternoon. I'm loving it!!!

This past weekend we met with Coptic Christian Egyptian youth. They came to Agouza and we had a phenomenal time. We talked about the fundamental differences between Western Evangelical Christianity and Eastern Coptic Christianity. I am really starting to appreciate tradition. The Copts have such rich, historical roots and to see folks my age fired up about their own traditions was refreshing! Lately I have been on such middle ground, grappling with issues of salvation, social injustice, Christianity, vocation, truth, dilemmas of faith, and where I fit into all of this! Universalism? Inclusivisim? Pluralism? Does it even matter?? What does it mean to be a product of post-modern influence? How does being a "child of empire" influence my worldview? How can I be open-minded without keeping my mind "open at both ends?" 

A recent entry from my journal:

Seek first to understand, then to be understood...

For so long I have adopted this phrase as my "live verse." But I must be careful in its execution. Before applying this admirable model in my life, I need to have a foundation. I need to know what I think about whatever it is we are discussing. I can't forget about the part where I "seek to be understood." It is when we are constantly talking over each other that we engage in unhealthy and unproductive dialogue. I would say to seek to be understood, in a sensitive and cautious way, is to have self respect. To think your opinion is invalid just because it may be unoriginal or already thought up is denying who you are and where you come from. In essence, it is unfair and downright offensive to the people involved in your life up until now: the people who have helped you along the way--helped you realize that it's not all about you.

[end]

So, I'm still grappling with these questions, and given our limited free time, I'm sure I'll deal with them LONG after MESP. 

We leave for our travel component in about a month. Very excited. And I'm turning 22 at the end of this month!! Strange....

More to come, Inshallah!

Love to all :)

hey kids, 

indeed, i have made it to the big mango. right now i'm sitting at an cafe in agouza, picking up signal from the nearest mcdonald's...thanks golden arches! 

my computer has little to no battery life...i'll do what i can to write quickly! 

time in egypt so far has been relatively stress-free. mesp is a program highly committed to student well-being; they are good about easing students into egyptian culture. i have mixed feelings...as a group of 30 we take a tour bus around cairo, go to mosques, and participate in other activities in the city. i knew this going into mesp, and i am actually pleasantly surprised at some of the other student's cultural awareness and previous travel experiences. i try to ignore complaints and offensive comments toward egyptian culture and highlight other student's excitement and open-mindedness. 

i am also learning new things. we went to the khan-el-lili (an extremely touristy spot with hookah and souvenirs). the director of the program offered a mini-detour to a few students...i took him up on his offer. after a round of turkish coffee and hookah we walked through a narrow alley with vendors every couple of feet. we made it through the chaos and came up to an extremely elegant, historical mosque. we snuck upstairs to the roof that overlooked cairo. for just a moment we were able to experience peace in the midst of the chaos. we glanced down the edge of the roof and there was a massive courtyard below, not at all looking like it belonged there. our little excursion was a beautiful escape from the greedy, chaotic tourism below. 

one of the girls' foot got run over by a taxi the other day...the driving here is insane and the pollution is (says the director) comparable, if not worse than Beijing. 

i don't have a regular schedule yet; we are still in orientation week. like i said, the program is introducing us to egyptian culture very very gently. the first couple days our cooks made us american meals: burgers and spaghetti. lately we have had more egyptian food: fried fish, macaroona, etc...

my computer is about to die now. i'll finish up. tomorrow we are going to "garbage city," one of the more poverty-stricken places in cairo. we start arabic class later this week. I CANT WAIT!!!!!!! i'll visit my family next weekend most likely. i was able to see ben and amber, was really nice. i'll see them again for a meal on thursday. 

all in all, things are great. its good to be back :)

Pre-departure jitters...

yes, my friends, i have created a blog. it was at the sole advice of two females who mean a lot to me: leah butts and kelly worcester. i admit, it took some convincing...i'm not too into the blogging thing. but, i do know it will be a ncie outlet for updates and a venting session or two :)

i'm sitting in my dad's apartment in alhambra, ca, finishing up packing for my trip to egypt. i'll be there for about five months: four months on a study abroad program (middle east studies program), and about a month traveling afterward. you could say i'm experiencing all the standard pre-trip emotions: anxious, excited, numb...

my dad is taking me to the airport in four hours. i have most of my stuff ready to go, just need to take care of last minute logistics.

i'm most excited about learning arabic!! and, we travel as a group to syria, jordan, israel and turkey. it will be hard for me to be travel in a large group of students (30), but i hope to keep patient and open-minded. also, our director emailed the group and warned about groups who have done MESP during the U.S. presidential elections in the past...he says it nearly destroyed community! i'm sure there will be a variety of opinions; i'm eager to see group dynamics unfold.

great news! i found out my brother and his wife and son will be on the same flight as me from frankfurt to cairo! (fyi: they met during MESP, and since have lived and worked in the middle east). i'm really really pumped about this.

alright, thats about it for now. gotta get to more packing/attempting to keep my sanity!