Christmastime! In April…

As I sit here in my apartment in Cairo, seeing the sunshine, the palm trees, the sand and dust, and listening to the bustle just outside–if you can call it “bustle” here in the ‘burbs–I am also getting ready to post some wonderful memories from Christmas in Germany with our wonderful friends, Chris and Franny, and their two adorable kids, Carson and Kennedy.  It was an amazing trip that ended too soon, but got to be extended a bit by a revolution (more about that later).

We were off for 6 weeks for the winter break here at AUC, the longest winter break I’ve ever had, and I enjoyed every minute of it!  I got to run in the snow most days–

Beautiful path

It was always gorgeous out!  Green on the evergreen trees and the snow covering farms, fields and cute German houses was so amazing to see.  The snow in the picture fell two days before.  I tried to run while it was snowing, but it wasn’t that romantic, big flakes coming down slowly type of snow.  It was absolute white-out conditions, and I honestly feared I’d get lost for not being able to see.  Then I would die.  I only made it a mile out, then had to turn back.  I also slipped and fell twice, in two consecutive runs, in the same spot on the run.  The first time, I knew it was coming and I was powerless to stop it.  The second time, I thought, “Don’t fall here…” but I did anyway.

I thought being away from my family and Danny for Christmas was going to be terrible–and it was, in some ways.  I missed everyone so much, and I didn’t get to see people open the presents we bought for them.  But I was with family in Germany!  Chris and Franny spoiled the crap out of me for Christmas: GREAT food, cool presents, a full stocking with yummy chocolate.  All that is not to mention wonderful company, great kids to hang out with and a fun time all around.  It was the only time I’ve ever spent Christmas outside of the US, and the only time I’ve been away from blood-family, but the family God blessed me with in Germany couldn’t have been better!

Santa was here!

Tired after presents

We had a blast opening presents and then playing with everything after.  Also, what’s Christmas without a few fun movies to lay around and watch?

Franny and Chris made a fantastic spread for dinner and we just got to relax.  Not much better than doing that with family on Christmas!

They also spoiled me by taking me on a bunch of day trips to cool places near their town.  A small town called Monschau sits in a valley in the mountains, and because of its placement, was actually untouched during WWII.  It was gorgeous, especially in the snow, and they’re famous for their mustard.  I ate mustard soup.  It was really good!

Me and Carson in Monschau

I was there for two weeks, and it was much too short of a trip.  Thankfully, Chris and Franny came to see me about a week after I left them, so the party could continue!  And it did…

Blame it on the rain…?

So, it’s been a while since my last post.  There are a number of reasons I haven’t posted on this blog, but there are two factors that did NOT play into this lack of communication: 1) inactivity and 2) rain.

Since I last posted, my sister got married, which I went home to the US to attend.  I was in Germany for Christmas, Boston for an interview, and London for a research trip.  I also got 3rd place in the female division of the Egyptian half-marathon at the end of January.  I got stuck overnight in the Cairo airport because of the Revolution; 3 days later I got stuck for 6 hours in the same airport for the same reason–no, I don’t learn.  I GOT the job I interviewed for and then I wasn’t sure I’d make it back to Cairo for the start of term…but I’m getting ahead of myself!!

The wonderful wedding of my sister and her new husband!  SO fun and so worth the trip home.  Being the maid-of-honor for your sister and your best friend on the same day is something few get to experience.  I loved every second of it.

One of my fave pics from the day.

We had SO much fun!! I got back to Cairo and immediately turned around to go to Alexandria for Thanksgiving with an AUC faculty trip.  So…I’ve been to Alex.  No real need to go there again.  Saw all I needed to see in three days.  The Med was pretty, but get off the Corniche too far and it isn’t pretty.

Mediterranean at Sunset, Alexandria, Egypt

How can you NOT love these views?  I’ve been out of the country for Thanksgiving twice in my life–once in London and once in Egypt.  In London, I had McDonald’s for dinner after a day of classes.  It was strange to have to go to school on Thanksgiving.  In Egypt, we went to a fish restaurant for dinner.  (See below)  Trust me, McDonald’s was MUCH better.

Thanksgiving dinner. He smiled at me.

 

 

I’m going to do better about posting (thanks for reminding me, Mandi!), so my next post this week will be about Christmas in Deutschland. Bottom line: damn good food, beer, and friends.

Coptic Cairo!

As a historian, specifically as someone who knows a lot about the history of Egypt, I shouldn’t be surprised by the antiquity of this country.  But I always am!  At the end of October, we visited a part of town called Coptic Cairo.  The Copts are, basically, the Christian denomination that began in Cairo.  St. Mark the Evangelist came here in the first century AD to bring Christianity to the Egyptians and it’s been here ever since.  There is a part of Cairo that has a concentration of very old Coptic churches, and that’s where we went on a very lovely day in October.

We started at the Coptic museum with a talk by a very knowledgable Coptic scholar, Stephen Emmel.  He’s here at AUC for the year and he’s been a wonderful colleague, friend and all around great resource for new faculty like me.  I think I bugged him with too many questions about Coptic saints, Coptic art, languge and more.  The museum was beautiful and had a lot of great artwork and a manuscripts library that was closed to us.

Coptic Museum

The Museum was built right next to the Church of St. George, one of my favorite saints.  He slayed dragons (the devil) and I kind of fell in love with him when I was a curatorial assistant one summer in KC.  So I was pretty excited to see this church.  The church itself was built on the ruins of a fortress that had been built on the site in the 3rd century AD, by the Emperor Diocletian.  The foundations of the fortress were still there, and another church, called the Hanging Church, was actually built on top of the foundations as well.

Outside of Hanging Church

The Hanging Church was built, they think, as early as the 4th century AD, but rebuilt in its present style in the 10th or 11th century and it’s the seat of the Coptic Pope.  Inside it’s literally covered with art from the period and its all beautiful.  It’s a pilgrimmage site, and there are quite a few relics inside that people come to offer prayers and simply touch for comfort or healing.

 

You can also see the foundations through the glass flooring they have in some parts, and you can see why it’s called the hanging church.

Roman Tower, through floor of the church, and my feet

We moved on to the Church of St. George, where, they say, he was imprisoned and tortured.  We saw the cell they claim he was imprisoned in and some of the devices that were used as torturing devices back then.  Um, ouch.

The Church was BEAUTIFUL, inside and out.  I was surprised how comforting it was to be in a building that was familiar to me–not because it was a church, necessarily, but because it was of a Western style and had familiar art motifs and I could actually read some of the words!  It’s funny how being surrounded by things that are not your comfort zone makes you appreciate and realize what really is.  But that’s what this time in Egypt is about–get out of my comfort zone and do, see, and experience new things.

Inside St. George's Church

There were a few other holy places we went to as well.  The thing about Egypt is, if you subscribe to one of the 3 monotheistic traditions, it figures into your religious history.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up ostensibly ruling Egypt; Jacob brought the rest of his family later during a famine and they stayed and multiplied; Moses left Egypt with Jacob’s descendants some 400 years later; Christ returned with his mother and earthly father to escape Herod’s murdering all the children under the age of 2 after Jesus’ birth; Islam has been the main religion in Egypt almost since the beginning of the faith in 632 AD.

We went to a synagogue, but not to a mosque–those are all over and we went to a 10th century one not too long before this trip.  We also went to the church that was built on the site believed to have been a stopping place for the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph) while they traveled through Egypt.  There was a crypt with an altar, but it was flooded so we couldn’t go down.  It was neat to think about though.  I don’t really think we can know exactly where Jesus and his parents stayed while in Egypt, but we know they were here.  They had to have seen the pyramids.  They definitely saw and maybe cooled themselves in the Nile.

I think that’s why I like being a historian–I like to know what happened and imagine myself there.  I’ve always liked that ever since I was young.  Here, in Egypt, you can’t help but do it all the time.

Next up–the NILE!

Surrey with a Fringe on the Top

No…wait.  It isn’t that kind of vehicle.  At any rate, at the end of October I got to go on quite the adventure–ATVing around the Egyptian desert.  It was pretty fun!  But, as things in Egypt have tended to go, it didn’t go quite according to plan.

We had first planned on dune-buggying in the desert between the Pyramids at Giza and the Saqqara pyramids before our good friend Lili and her husband moved back to the US.  about 6 hours before we were supposed to leave Rehab to get to the desert (that is, at around 2am) Lili got a phone call from the dune-buggy place asking if we could postpone our trip a couple of hours.  Then, they asked if we could postpone it a full 6 hours and we said no way!  Here’s how that trip ended up:

Getting our nails did!

Getting our nails done in Rehab and having lunch!  It was a fun day, but no dune-buggying on Lili’s last weekend here!

Our next attempt was successful.  My friends Natalie and Justin booked the trip to ATV in the desert near the Fayoum, a +/- 2-hour drive from Rehab.  It was a great place!  We got there, lounged by the pool and ate lunch while waiting for our very tardy ATVs.  The reason the manager gave that we had to wait so long was that the ones he wanted us to have were out in the desert at the time and the ATVs available weren’t that great.  He gave those to a different group.  Well, we finally got out and here’s some of what we saw!

View from the Top

Me on my ATV

Me and the desert.

Needless to say, I had a BLAST.  Lili couldn’t come because she was back in the US already, but we were thinking of her!

The desert landscape was beautiful–no buildings as far as the eye could see and blue skies interrupted only by dust kicked up by the wind.

Getting home through Cairo traffic was also interesting.  I have no pictures of that, mainly because we were all hanging on for dear life and praying we would make it home alive.  There were, as always, a couple of close calls on the Ring Road, but we made it!

It’s been a while…

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything, but that’s only because I’ve been out having adventures in Egypt.

School has been good–definitely keeping me busy and on my toes.  Every day is a learning experience for me.  Whether I’m learning about living in Egypt or about how to teach my Egyptian students, each day brings something new.  I enjoy new things a lot, but sometimes it’s nice just to feel comfortable and in your zone.  That also happens every day in a lot of situations.  I am in my zone when I get to run on a regular basis.  That has most definitely been a part of each day.  I’m training for the Egypt half-marathon at the end of January.  It’s just a 13 miler through the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens in Luxor, Egypt. No big deal.  YES!  It’s a huge deal!  My friends Mary and Jeff are going to come run as well.  We all hope to be at full health at the end of a nice long Christmas break.  It’s sure to be a blast, no matter what.  I also get to be in my zone when I get to come home to my apartment, change into comfy clothes right away and get on Skype to my family and friends back home.  I don’t know what I’d do without Skype!

Some fun times I’ve had since I last posted, but which will likely get posts of their own soon:

1. We went dune buggying in the Fayoum desert
2. We went on a tour of Coptic Cairo and saw gorgeous old churches
3. We went on a felucca ride on the Nile
4. I went home for my sister’s wedding!
5. We went to Alexandria, Egypt for Thanksgiving

It’s important to remember that anything you try to do in Egypt, whether it’s go to the bathroom or go on a planned tour, it will get complicated.  It isn’t that it ever must be complicated, it will simply get that way.  Early on in my time here, this was much to my dismay.  Now, I am much more laid back about it–at least that is how I choose to see myself.

Three more weeks left in the semester!  We can do this!  More post in a couple of days to recount the fun had in the last 6 weeks.

The sun also rises…

Psalm 136: 1, 4, 7-9

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

⁷ who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.

⁸ the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.

⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

I was reminded of verses like these when I was out running this morning.  Yes, running in short sleeves and my legs covered to my knees.  I added a ball cap today because of the sun, but it was all worth it for this view at mile 3:

It’s going to be another hot hot day today, but the views are gorgeous!

The Right to Bare Arms

Since moving to Egypt just about 8 weeks ago, I’ve learned how much I took for granted in the US concerning my right as a woman to do just about anything I wanted to.  Within reason, of course.  And, we can’t forget that women in the US are still struggling with things like wage gaps and SuperMotherhood.  In the US, I have the right to own property, to get an education, to vote, to have a job, to have a child or not to have a child.  I also have the oh so underrated right to bare arms.

I used to run around Norman in whatever I wanted to wear, whatever was comfortable.  I would usually wear shorts and a tank top in the summer, because it is oppressively hot in Oklahoma summers.  Sometimes, I’d wear only shorts and a jog bra and even that felt like it was too much clothing!  Yes, you’d get an occasional honk from a sleezy dude, or an appreciative shout out from a car full of frat boys (I told myself it was in appreciation…).  My boss saw me running in a sports bra once, something I’m sure he’ll never want to see again.  But, all in all, it was no big deal.  Wear what you need to to maximize your efficiency and comfort on a long, hot run on a hot day.

Since I’ve been here in Egypt, I’ve been running a lot but the experience is totally different.  My outfit has routinely consisted of capri or knee-length leggings, shorts, and a t-shirt with sleeves.  It’s HOT here–a different hot than Oklahoma, but hot.  The leggings and sleeves, and sometimes the shirt itself are a bit much for physical comfort, but they do wonders for my psychological comfort.

Let me back up a few weeks.  I moved here in the middle of August when it was very hot and very dry.  I always saw men and boys in the mornings, when it was still dark out and pleasant enough to get work done or errands run.  I got shouts, honks, yells, kissy noises, “good job”, “hello”, “you are lovely”, and my favorite, “I love you.”  I guarantee you that not a one of these greetings was in appreciation of me, as a runner or as a woman, much less as a person out for a morning workout minding my own.  I still get harassed, but by surprisingly fewer people now that there aren’t as many men on the streets in the morning.  On a few runs I’ve had cars full of men follow me, slowly, or groups of men/boys who want to impress each other that will stop in front of me so as not to let me pass.  Mostly, it’s just yelling, but sometimes it is physically frightening harassment.

I am reminded of this disrespect as I strap on my water bottle each morning.  I use a water bottle because it’s flippin’ hot, but also at that moment I can’t forget to grab my running mace to carry in my other hand for protection.  I’m also reminded of it when I see men running past me in shorts and a tank top.  I wish I could do that too!!  It becomes clear to me, every day, that no matter what I might wear to run, to walk, to be a woman each day, I will get taunted.  I’m not special, either.  All the women I know here feel the same discomfort.  One day my friend wore a sleeveless top to dinner.  On the way home, even the women made comments to us!

It isn’t that I want to wear tank tops each day, or a short skirt hiked up to my upper thighs.  All I want is to respect the cultural way of dress in Egypt, within reason, and be respected in return.  It isn’t much to ask.  Or is it?

This post comes about because of a recent murder of a Lebanese woman by an Egyptian man.  See this NY Times article for the full story: The Female Factor

It isn’t the man who made the choice to murder her that is to blame, in the minds of both men AND women in Egypt, but the woman for making him do it:

This is the standard argument presented, more even by women than by men, in the Arab world, where strict patriarchal traditions continue to hold female victims responsible for crimes against them by men. If a woman is sexually harassed, then she must have been dressed provocatively. If raped, she somehow must have put herself in a compromising position. If pregnant out of wedlock, her conduct is to blame. And if she is murdered, then she must have committed an even more abhorrent crime.

It won’t get better for women while I’m here.  It may not get better for women in the Arab world in my lifetime.  All I can do is try to respect the culture and mind my own until I get back to the US, where I will never again take my rights, privileges and duties for granted and, I hope, support and fight for the rights of other women.    Especially my right to bare arms.  I suppose I should start lifting weights again…