Elizabeth Skene

Not much to say lately.

Today I was supposed to go to Alexandria to get a tour of the library. I got to the train station at 8:30am, but there weren’t any trains until after 2pm, which would get me there too lately, so I had to cancel. I was definitely bummed, but at least I’ve been able to visit the library twice before [but never behind the scenes]. Lesson learned = buy train tickets in advance.

To make sure today had some sort of adventure, I decided to try to get home by tram. Heliopolis has a fairly extensive tram system, but I’ve never been able to find any information or map for it. It begins at the train station so I hopped on &  had a great ride & it a cool way to experience the city. Although I didn’t make it all the way home & had to grab a cab eventually, it was well worth the 50 piasters [.09 US cents].

A week ago, my friend Dan & I went out to dinner, as he’s left for vacation in the States & won’t be back to Egypt until I’m gone. We ventured to Nasr City to try out El Borg – a four story restaurant famous for it’s fish from Port Said. We had tiger prawns, boori, a soup with a broth that was mostly butter & a variety of salads. It was a delicious meal! Then, walking out, I was taken by surprise by these giant pelicans! Definitely not native to Cairo, but hopefully well kept & fed by fish scraps.

Strange to think that this month would mark the end of our Peace Corps service if we had stayed in Bulgaria. But we didn’t stay. We can home & got jobs & started grad school & I fell apart & I pulled myself together & now I’m in Egypt. It’s crazy the places life takes you & the experiences you’ve been given.

I’ve been giving a lot of though to the rest of my life lately. It’s a little frightening. Here are my conclusions: I can’t live in a city, I need to have a garden, I need a place to put my hammock. Bonus points for being near water. A short commute would be nice too. We’ll see.

Just 3 days left! I’m already 85% packed, but I’ll find plenty of ways to fill my time.

Two days ago I saw cherries at the store! I bought a big bowl, soaked them in a vinegar rinse, scrubbed them with antibacterial soap & I’m now enjoying them [& will hopefully not be getting sick from them]. This the first time I’ve had cherries since Bulgaria, when Joel’s host family had trees in their yard. I don’t understand why, since Americans are so intent on planting trees & shrubs & other things in their yards that it’s not something useful like fruit trees.

Krupnik cherries

This past week has been probably the business/craziness/stressful week since I’ve been here. Thankfully, the weekend is close & hopefully I can find some time to relax, unwind & prepare myself for an awesome last 3 weeks.

I can’t believe I leave in 25 days! It’s only now thatI’m getting on my feet  and getting my cultural bearings – I’m not ready to go back so soon! However, I AM ready to start running again – it does wonders for my body, my mental health & it’s a chance to be alone, enjoying nature.

This past week I’ve been lucky enough to host another guest – Mariyana, my language trainer from the Peace Corps came from Bulgaria & stayed with us for the week! It was SO amazing to see her again after two years, to help her explore Cairo & to use my Bulgarian again. She went home yesterday afternoon, but we had a great time while she was here. Bonus was the music in the cab ride to/from the airport – Elton John, Eminem, Shakira & Daft Punk. Nile.fm plays all the hits!

Melnik with Mariyana & Rozen, 2008

World Cup fever has definitely come to Egypt! Personally, I know nothing about football & I don’t much care to learn, but the excitement is contagious! Every cafe I’ve been to lately is showing the games, with all chairs facing the tv & all eyes captivated. A cafe near our house even put up flags from all different countries. Even when I’m not watching the game, I know when one’s on from the cheers coming from the cafe across the street.

Managing a Twitter account for the RBSCL has been really great, not only in terms of promoting the library & sharing information about other libraries & archives, but I’ve learned so much about  from the Egyptians I follow [the tweeps, if you will]. Right now I’ve been following the story of Khaled Said – a young man who was beaten to death in a cafe in Alexandria. There’s a good summary of the story here & [quite graphic] photos & info here.

The photos make my stomach churn, but in a way I think I needed to see them – just hearing “beaten to death” sounds terrible enough, but without something to anchor my perception to, it’s hard to imagine what that really means. The photos, the face, the story – they give it gravity. The good news is that the government has agreed to a new autopsy.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated event in Egypt – abuse of power, torture and police brutality are a fact of life here. That’s what inspires me so much about the people I’ve come across on Twitter – they don’t stop fighting & they don’t give up.  If only I had something more to contribute to this cause – I feel so inadequate & useless. As it is, I’m afraid to go to a protest because I’d probably be arrested, which I’m not opposed to, but I’d like to be able to speak Arabic first. Anyways, you can check out my “Egypt” list on Twitter & see for yourself.

I signed up for an informational webinar on research Fulbrights & have been emailing with a UM professor about auditing Arabic next year. Even if I don’t come back as a Fulbright scholar, or even at all, I think Arabic will serve me well. Also, I’m ready to be fluent in a second language [Bulgarian really isn't all that helpful].

Wow, I apologize for such an un-eloquent post…
At least tomorrow’s Thursday & then it’s the weekend, which will be full of lots of rest & possibly a trip to the beach.
Ciao!

Familiarity & longing:
these two themes have been rolling around in my mind a lot lately.

Does one follow the other?
Do I long for things that are familiar, or do I start longing for something else once things are familiar?

This week Andrea, a fellow Bulgaria Peace Corps Volunteer, posted a blog about following Sofia Daily Photo & the mix of feelings that surface. In many ways, I can relate – there’s something about seeing pictures of Bulgaria, reminiscing, reflecting & reliving that experience that I can’t describe. But is it only the sense of familiarity I had with the city of Sofia that makes me long for it?

Anyways, I’m learning to coexist with both feelings – the familiarity I have walking down my street, hailing a cab, buying bread, the longing I feel for green grass, swimming in a lake and laughing with my friends. I’m also learning that while I’m here I will long for home, and when I’m home I’ll long for Egypt, much the same way I find myself longing for Bulgaria.

I suppose what it comes down to is that I’m incredibly lucky to become so familiar with life in so many different places.

My apologizes for being so rambly & inarticulate today!

This week I started reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle & it’s really good! [400 pages so far in 2 days!] I recommend it to everyone, especially those who have ever shared a connection with a dog [although it’s much less recommended if you’re overseas, far, far away from your beloved pup...].

I guess I just wanted to share those thoughts.

Perhaps those of you who have lived overseas [or not] might have better descriptions/explanations/experiences you want to share?

Integration.
That lofty, noble goal, promoted by the Peace Corps – a buzz word that became a caricature of itself through overuse. ‘Integration’ is the path to ‘sustainable development,’ with ‘meaningful relationships’ & ‘cultural exchange’ along the way. Always a little vague & always out of reach, I’m not sure how many volunteers would say they really felt they integrated.

As noble a goal as it is, it’s a little unfair.
Coming to Egypt & living in a culture that’s far more different in Bulgaria has helped me formulate my own ideas of integration. Maybe part of the problem was that my expectations of myself were too high to begin with [a chronic condition] & my fresh start here is helping me to redefine those expectations.

To live simply, quietly & largely unnoticed – these are my goals here.
I’ll never be part of the neighborhood here, for a variety of cultural, religious & socioeconomic reasons. However, by shopping at the same places as my neighbors, walking the same streets, taking the same cabs & treating those I met with respect, I can reasonably expect to blend in [as well as my blond hair will let me].

Knowing that – that ‘integration’ is impossible – is such a relief.
It allows me to be more genuine, more comfortable, to let things go, to cushion myself from disappointment.

This all probably seems like a no-brainer to most everyone else,
but it came as a breath of fresh air to me.

Spring mornings like this instantly transport me back to Bulgaria. Walking up the hill, preparing for a day of language study, saying good morning to the babas & their goats…. Although it’s hard to believe, two years ago yesterday I was on a plane, on my way to becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer. Stranger still is that, if we were still there, our service wouldn’t be up for another 3 months. These two years have been full of joy, growth, despair, pain, beauty &, above all else, full of love.

This weekend I spent so little time on the computer & so much time outside – it’s been incredible! Friday we had a lot of friends over & stayed up late hanging out on our front porch, Saturday we have a cookout & spent lots of time outside, eating food & playing with all the dogs & enjoying the company. Sunday we went to a brunch our friends hosted – complete with mimosas, amazing food & an mini-Reese’s hunt [which I course won]. Last night we went to Lansing to meet my amazing friend Victoria, who I don’t see often enough, for sushi & a drink.

The only down side to all this wonderfulness is that I’ve completely ignored the fact that there are just 3 weeks left of the semester, that I should be doing lots of work & I leave for Egypt in just 24 days! Oh & my birthday is coming up too! Yikes!

I feel antsy & restless this morning. I had weird dreams last night.

Who wants to run away & live in the mountains & have chickens & grow vegetables & hang up laundry in the sunshine & watch the rain from our front porch & live a quiet, simple life, full of hard work?
I do.

But it’s not time for that, it’s time for grad school.
Time to finish class, eat lunch, go to class, take my afternoon break & then have class again.
Here we go!