Don't Eat the Pictures

Fun Fact #4

Falafel was first made in Egypt. Though in most other countries (including those in the Middle East) it is made with chickpeas, in Egypt falafel is made entirely of fava beans.

It's definitely been an interesting week. Though I had a few overwhelming moments this week, I'm feeling much better about being here and dealing with cultural challenges than I was last week. I've given lots of taxi drivers directions in Arabic, made purchases, and survived another week as a clearly foreign, white, unveiled female in a conservative Muslim country.

The Baron's Palace (I stole this picture from the internet.
I don't know who took it, but it wasn't me.)

 This past weekend I was invited to City Stars Mall with my roommate and her friends, so I tagged along. It pretty much looks like the Mall of America but with women in bedazzled niqabs and prayer rooms. Though there were tons of western shops like Zara, H&M, and Armani Exchange, there were also quite a few Egyptian stores at varying price points. I don't really plan to go back, but I was quite glad I went just to see what is was like, and I was able to get to know my roommate and her friends a little better. It's clearly the place to be for young Egyptians who just want to hang out and eat and window shop. I also bought a scarf for 20LE ($3.28) that I can wear when I go on field trips to mosques. Possibly the most exciting part was driving by the Baron's Palace, a privately owned house in Heliopolis that Egyptians think is haunted. There are a ton of other stories about the place as well, but I think it might be the coolest looking house I've seen so far in Egypt. I really want to go inside, but apparently the only way in is to bribe the security guards. We'll have to wait and see about that...

Sorry it's blurry. My stealth photography needs some work.

 This week, my professors have begun to actually teach since the add/drop period is over. This is far more interesting than last week, but also means that I have to do homework. I took (and bombed) my first pop-quiz on Egyptian turf, which was a big disappointment since I had actually done the reading, but now I know that I have to step up my game. And somehow I managed to move on with my life, because that evening I went to Khan el-Khalili with two friends (one male, one female, yes this is relevant info). Khan el-Khalili is this crazy market/bazaar place with endless aisles of stuff. We got yelled at and gawked at a bunch in Arabic because it's in a more conservative area and Hannah and I were not veiled, but it was generally very cool. My friends and I have become skilled at dealing with people who follow us or are excessively aggressive about selling stuff to us. After leaving the market, we ate a delicious dinner of meat, meat, and more meat, with some okra and rice. It was quite fun and challenging since the whole menu was in Arabic and the waiters spoke no English, but we managed to get food and eat. In general it was a great night, though I certainly wouldn't have felt comfortable navigating the market without a male companion. I will definitely write a post soon about gender roles and sexual harassment in Cairo, but it's certainly a subject that people could (and do) write entire books about.

The Egyptian Museum

Tuesday was another good, but weird day. I got off to a late start and did some homework before heading to the Egyptian Museum. The Museum is quite large and overwhelming, with very few labels and absolutely no clear organizational plan. My friend and I wandered through the museum and looked at tons of stuff from dead people. Everything was absolutely beautiful, especially the items buried with King Tut. Nearly everything that was found in his tomb was gold and beaded. Sadly there were no pictures allowed inside the museum, but everything really was breathtaking. The famous mask of Tutankhamen's mummy is especially gorgeous in person. And I decided that I, too, should probably be buried in a gold tomb.

While wandering around the Egyptian museum I was reminded of how much of Egypt's history was removed from its original location by foreigners, and that much of it still resides outside of Egypt. Some pieces have small labels in French or English, and some credit archeologists or organizations with clearly Western names (I especially liked "Mischigan University"). When I saw a sign saying "This was repatriated from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011," I was immediately reminded of the 1983 Sesame Street special entitled Don't Eat the Pictures, when Big Bird and friends get stuck in the Met overnight and make friends with an Egyptian Prince in front of the Temple and reflecting pool. Since you're wondering, I watched the VHS of this wonderful special throughout the mid to late '90's, and believe that everyone should see it. I guess my point is two-fold. First, see that special. Second, Egypt has been victim to so many outside forces that one needn't come to Cairo to see Egyptian history. The Met and the British Museum, as well as many other American and European museums have extensive Egyptian collections. The more time I spend here, the more depressing I find that. 

I mentioned that Tuesday was a weird day for me because of the date. I guess September 11th is always a weird day for me. I've grown up and moved far from home, but I always remember the fear that fifth-grade Deborah had on that day as she was picked up early from school and surrounded by crying adults, and the impact that it had on the NYC metro area. It's especially strange being in a Muslim country where Tuesday was just another day, but also where many people are working hard to prevent Westerners from viewing them as terrorists. When I read news from the US, I'm always sad to see the extent to which Americans connect radical Islam and Islam in general (really Murfreesboro?), and I see much of that as a result of post-9/11 USA. At the same time, I understand that 9/11 is an incredibly painful day for many people, and my thoughts are with everyone back home. 

I'm anticipating that next week will be a bit strange too, since it will be my first time in memory not attending High Holiday services. I'll see how it goes and let you know. (Mangoes and honey instead of apples and honey? Seems like an adequate substitution to me...)