The Khan, Classes, and Egyptian Hospitality

First of all, I want to apologize for the not updating my blog in a while. I have started my classes, and honestly, things have been pretty stressful. Lets start with a little pre-class activity, and then I will move into my classes, and wrap it up with one of the most amazing/touching stories you will ever read, so read on my friends!

The week or so before my classes started, I was very fortunate to know a few local Egyptians who I met when they came and studied abroad at my university, the University of Colorado. Ali, Mai, and Rana have been absolutely amazing hosts in their country, and have introduced me to their friends and country in such a special way that I will forever me indebted to them. Along the way I have met a few new American and Egyptian friends, including other students studying abroad, and "Cairenes" who I've met through the aforementioned Egyptians. One of the most notable activities I did before classes started was visit Khan al-Khalili bazar, a world renowned series of streets and alleyways that wind through Islamic Cairo. I went with Rana and her friends Nada and Hussein, and we were later joined by Mai and Ali.

The amazing Egyptians: (from right to left) Nada, Hussein, Rana, Ali, and Mai

It was such an amazing experience, and I feel that there in that market one can really find a true piece of Cairo (I found this to be ABSOLUTELY true last night, more to come!). You have an insane blending of tacky tourist nick-nack sellers, silver jewelers selling their wares, and hand-made goods, all right next to crammed-full Ahwas (cafes), mosques, and of course an enormous amount of people. Upon arriving at Khan al-Khalili, I was surprised to see that there were not actually all that many tourists. In fact, I felt like the only one there. Most of the people mulling about the streets are every-day Egyptians, simply looking for spices, nice cloth, or of course a good shisha (water pipe) and some shai (tea). The sellers know this all too well, and just like anywhere frequented by tourists and locals alike, there are always two different prices for everything. If you are as fortunate as I was, and are with locals or Arabs who speak Arabic, you will likely get great deals. If you are with a group of tourists, it is another story. Say you walk up to a stand selling tacky pyramids made from glass (why on God's green earth would anybody do this? I have no idea but they are everywhere, so somebody must be buying them!) and ask how much the merchant wants for a paper weight-sized pyramid. He might say: "Okay okay I make you good deal. Only 100 pounds, I love Obama, I love USA!". So the first thing that goes through your head is: "HOLY CRAP, 100 dollars NO WAY! Oh wait, its not dollars, its pounds... So actually, with an exchange rate of 5.5 Egyptian Pounds (LE) to every dollar, I am roughly paying $18 dollars." Not bad you think to yourself, and with a smug smile you hand over the money.

Congratulations, not only are you an idiot for buying a piece of glass shaped like a pyramid, but you also paid AT LEAST twice as much as you should have. Haggling is simply a part of every day life here in Egypt, from cab rides to groceries. Read on for my second experience at the Khan where I had my first buying experience!

Khan al-Khalili in all of its Ramadan glory

Let's take a break from shopping and talk about my classes. Simply put I am very excited about my classes this semester, and I am aware that Arabic will most likely thoroughly whoop my behind. The professors are stellar here at AUC, and I can't help but let the thought of post-graduate work here in Egypt run through my head... Below is a break down of each class:

Arabic: Since day one my professor has spoken only a handful of words in English, so en sha Allah (God Willing) my Arabic will be rockin' by the end of my year here.

Islamic Art and Architecture: This class (and all others but Arabic) is taught in English, and the professor is an Irishman who is very engaging. A few field trips will be taken as well so this one promises to be fun!

Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt: This class is taught by the world famous Egyptologist Salima Ikram, who is really fun. I am the only boy in this class, and it will consist of a couple of papers and visiting lots of monuments in Egypt as well as multiple trips to the Egyptian Museum. Good stuff :)

The Foreign Correspondent: Covering Conflict in the Middle East: This promises to be one of my favorite classes, and is a graduate level class that is open to American students studying abroad at AUC. The professor is S. Abdullah Schleifer, a charismatic man and ex-bureau chief at the Cairo NBC office.

International Law: While quite possibly hard, this class is also looking really great mostly because of the professor. He was an American lawyer who has had experience as a federal prosecutor, and various other high up positions. He is passionate about his class and I can't wait to learn more.

Political Anthropology: I am also the only guy in this class... The professor seems pretty laid-back, but this one will be pretty reading intensive.

Now on the good stuff...

So last night I came home from school a little late due to some bus delays, and really just planned to bust my ass doing Arabic homework and not much else. Somehow whilst sitting at dinner I arranged with a couple of guys to go to Khan al-Khalili to go drink some tea and smoke shisha. After taking a taxi there (all four of us for 15 LE, $2.73.. I CAN'T get over the taxi prices!), we made our way to al-Fashawy, a famous ahwa in the heart of the Khan, frequented by locals and tourists alike. We were seated outside, and sat right next to a local who was by himself at the table. After a few minutes we all struck up conversation with him, and next thing we know, we were discussing politics, foreign policy, US agenda, religion, etc. This was totally unexpected, and it was really cool to hear from a local elder (Mohammed was probably around 60). Two and a half hours later we left Mohammed and al Fashawy in search of a kufiya (scarf/head covering) for myself. We wondered into the textile section of the bazar (Khan al-Khalili breaks down into sectors outside of the main part) and while speaking English, caught the attention of a couple of local Egyptians. After introducing myself to them and telling them where I was from, I asked them if they knew a good place to find a kufiya. They said yes and took us to a great place where I found a black and white one for 11 pounds. This was great, and because they were with us (speaking in Arabic to the seller) we got a great deal. They stayed with us in our wonderings, and then asked us if we wanted to see the section of the market that was devoted solely to the making and selling of shisha pipes and parts (for those of you who do not know, shisha is molasses covered tobacco usually sweet and fruity that is smoked through a water-filtration process that involves heating the tobacco with coals on top... It is also a nightly ritual for Egyptians). Wanting to see more of the Khan, I agreed, and the other guys somewhat reluctantly agreed as well, because lets face it, we were not sure if these guys wanted to scam us or rob us or something of the like. We followed them through a series of desolate alley ways that were for the most part empty, and I have to say that a few times I gave following them a second thought. But soon enough we popped out onto a main street; we had just taken a shortcut. This street was stunningly beautiful. It was in the heart of Islamic Cairo, and now I understand why this district is called this. There were ancient mosques that lined the street, and it really was a picturesque seen. As one of them (they were both named Ahmed) was a history major, we pretty much got a full historical tour of Islamic Cairo, and even saw the houses where Nagib Mahfouz lived. They also took us to the best fo'ul (beans and oil... LOTS OF OIL) place I have had yet, and we all sat together on the street eating absolutely fabulous street food.

Some of the guys from AUC with Ahmed and Ahmed on either side of myself

Somehow along the way back they also got us into a magnificent mosque that was being renovated and was closed to the public... Below are some pictures...

It was such a magical night for so many reasons. But above all else, it was amazing to receive such an amazing outpouring of hospitality from two complete strangers. I maintain that this would NEVER happen in the US, where we seem pretty caught up in our own lives and our own doings. "The Ahmeds" to me represented Egyptian society at its best: generosity, kindness, open-mindedness, faith, and friendship.

My apologies regarding the length of this posting, I suppose I should update more often instead of writing essays for you to read...

With Love

Eric