This past weekend I headed to small city of Marina (El Alamein), located an hour’s drive outside Alexandria with some friends.

Marina is a coastal resort city that caters to the super wealthy and elite in Egypt…most houses cost (far) over a million Egyptian pounds and are typically occupied for a few months.  Access to Marina is prohibited to the public and one must be a resident or a guest of a resident in order to enter the city. According to our host, Marina is composed of some 20 islands all connected by bridges. Apparently the Bin Laden family owns one of the islands in Marina. In order to purchase a house on said island you must submit a resume and have interviews with one of the Bin Laden’s. It’s apparently a very serious process.

Dr. El Komi’s good friend (our host), Dr. Zain owns a chalet close to the ocean and was kind enough to rent it to 9 of us for a small price. He was amazingly kind throughout the entire trip.

When I arrived, I was struck by how how deserted it was. There was hardly anyone around besides us…the reason being that this time is considered “off season” and “too cold”. However, by our American standards of weather, we could not be happier with +70 degree weather and ocean breeze.

We spent our days lazing on the beach, swimming in the frigid waters, and visiting the near by mall/hotel, Porto Marina, fully equipped with an in-built Venetian-styled canal (with gondolas, of course) and an especially decadent Chili’s restaurant. The last night we went to the beach and lit a small fire all while gazing at the million stars above. We became ancients guessing constellations and tracing our own pictures across the black horizon.
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The breathtaking beauty of the Mediterranean and Marina is only enhanced by the desolate and barren land surrounding the city. Gated communities are an amazing thing; this phenomenon seems to have no borders and is a common global characteristic among the rich and elite. One must contemplate the desire to physically segregate living-space from “others” (i.e. a high wall and a guarded gate) based on class differences. It is profound how much a sense of physical distance between one and another can create a sense of security and hetero-distinctiveness.

To me, class lines in Egypt are very distinct and recognized openly. In our Arabic classes we have learned over 12 titles for people based upon what class they appear to belong. For example, we are to address a man with glabiyya (long traditional gown) in one way, while a man wearing western clothes or a suit is to be addressed in another way…and yet another way for a person that has completed the Hajj. The distinctions continue based on the person’s occupation, age, gender etc etc.

Note that I am not suggesting that somehow Egypt’s class distinctions are completely unique or that such things to do not exist in the U.S…we have our own distinct way of denoting class and we inherit social attitudes towards people of different social standings.

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The segregated experience in Marina conflicts with another experience I had when Egypt played a soccer match against Algeria (about one month ago). In this instance, sport tied in with nationalism created a sight of unlike anything I had seen before in my life. When Egypt beat Algeria the streets of Cairo were literally on fire. People from all walks of life celebrated the night away in absolute bliss. I ran through the streets in my tweed suit (this celebration was right after I attended the Egyptian Opera) with my doorman (and now friend) Taamir.

The crowd of celebrators grew thusly: first a group of people would start waving flags and chanting certain slogans, then more strangers would come (with percussion instruments like tablas) and continue the chant. Typically after about 20 to 30 people have gathered several people would take aerosol cans and lighters to make home-made flame throwers. At this point traffic would cease as the celebration spilled onto the main streets. In the mean time groups of other celebrators would come and join thus growing the crowd at an exponential rate. Then all of us (several hundred by this point) would run on of the bridges over the Nile in order to join the nucleus of Cairo’s celebration. Literally thousands of people had descended upon one city square, all of them in absolute bliss.

As I observed random people hugging each other (some wearing thobes and others with western clothes etc.), it seemed as though nationalism outweighed many of the class differences that night. However, this nationalism was spurred on by competition against “the other” (in this case Algeria). The tenuous rivalry between Algeria and Egypt goes far beyond sport. The attitudes of Egyptians towards Algerians as a people is highlighted with negative comments referring to their “overly-French” pride and brutish tendencies towards violence. Furthermore, Egyptian  nationalism is directly tied in with Islam! There is no real conflict between “church and state” as there is in the U.S.; Islam and the state can coexist quite nicely (but this subject can be reserved for another day).

I will upload some photos later.

I’d like to share something I’ve learned about communication. Ever since I got the idea in my head to travel to a Spanish-speaking country, my goal has been to become “fluent” and master the language. Although I suppose that goal is not quite as concrete as I had expected or hoped. Communication simply consists of people simply trying to get across ideas or messages to other people, and most of the time that doesn’t even involve words! So I suppose mastering a language and all the inner-workings of the grammar stuff isn’t quite as important as being able to simply communicate the intended idea. I’m sure it’s just a lot more fun to feel comparable comfort in two languages instead of just one. It just fascinates me how people all over the world can use the same sounds and move their mouths in the same way (or at least similar ways) - just in a different order – and come up with a completely unique language that connects the humans within a specific region. Incredible!

For a short update on what has happened to me this week, I’ll hit a few high points. The basketball coach of Universidad Nacional invited me to play with the university team (maybe because he’s good at recognizing incredible natural talent, or maybe it’s just because I’m taller than 95% of the population here… who knows?). Much to my dismay, walking into the gym for practice on Thursday night found me feeling like I stepped into a time machine that took me back to high school freshman basketball tryouts. I feel confident that my middle school team would have given the best players there a good game, but I’m gonna stick with it and see what happens. I also got to meet with Daniel Hercules, the boyfriend of a friend of mine at UE, to have him show me around his university and San Jose on Monday. I “got to” sit through his physical chemistry class, which made me appreciate my chemistry-less curriculum. Before I go, I’d like to share a few of the few things I currently miss about the United States: cold milk that comes in gallon cartons instead of luke-warm liter boxes, popularity and sufficient broadcasting of the Winter Olympics, and the promise of toilet paper in every public bathroom. (That last one could really leave you sitting in a… sti(c/n)ky situation!).

A pic I snagged with the Universidad de CR futbol team... super nice guys!

The front of my university

In a whirlwind decision, I stuffed clothes in my bag and headed to Tabasco. It all started late one night when my friend Maggie (from New Hampshire) and Hyramzu (a tabasqueño studying here in Mérida) were sitting in a park eating our favorite galleta ice cream. This past weekend was Carnaval, aka no school until Tuesday. While Mérida is very well known for its weeklong celebration, I was antsy to leave the city and see something different. Out of the blue I asked Maggie if she wanted to fly with me to Monterrey  for the weekend. I had already researched this possibility, and knew a round trip plane ticket would only cost 700 pesos (In other words, it would be like traveling from San Francisco to Chicago for $70 roundtrip.). However, Hyramsu quickly invited both of us to his home in Colmalcalco, Tabasco. Since touring with someone who knows the region is always more fun and informative, the decision was easy. Tabasco here we come!

We arrived early Saturday morning after a nine-hour bus ride sprawled out in an almost empty second-class bus (While most people would rather travel in first class, my codo ways would rather save money. The only downside I see is that the bus has no bathroom, but that is canceled out because that means the back row actually has seats perfect for laying down and getting a decent night’s sleep.). From then on, the weekend was a blur moving from one activity to the next. As Comalcalco is known for its chocolate, we went on a chocolate tour, ate an alligator-fish called pejelargato, visited the zoo in Villa Hermosa, saw the Olmecan ruins, and had a fabulous Valentine’s day dinner complete with an entertaining show of Karaoke.

We also spent a lot of time with Hyramzu’s family who was very excited to get to know us. Hyramzu’s father works for Pemex, the petroleum monopoly run by the government in México, and his mother sells anything and everything. Both are kind and inviting. His mom is your stereotypical Mexican mother- always offering too much food and making sure our every need has been attended to. Hyramzu has three other siblings, two of whom still live at home. The whole brigade was very accommodating and excited to talk with us about everything from food to whistling to religion. Being a caballero, Hyramzu (and his family) did not let us pay one penny throughout our whole time in México (This is something I still struggle with. In the U.S., going out to eat with friends almost always implies that everyone pays for their own part. In México, going out to eat almost always implies the gentleman pays, even if it is not an actual date.). The day we left, the family eagerly asked us when we would be coming back. From the moment we arrived, Maggie and I instantly felt integrated into their home and family and cannot thank them enough for their hospitality and kindness.

Despite all the fun activities, the trip definitely reinforced my discovery of how quickly cultures change. While Mérida is one of the most tranquil cities on the planet, Comalcalco is bustling and Villa Hermosa is a congested mess. People in Tabasco drive offensively, or in other words, if a car is coming and I want to make a right turn into their lane, I’m going to step on it and go and assume they are going to stop. Traffic laws, while already are more chaotic in México than in the U.S. appeared to be nonexistent. Another huge difference is the way the people speak to each other. Unlike yucatecans, in Tabasco people tend to drop the s’s in their words and put a lot of emotion into each phrase, giving them a Donald-Duck Italian mobster like accent. Everything is much more passionate and much less formal.

All in all it was a wonderful eye opening experience. The poverty is much more apparent in Tabasco than in Mérida and much harder to avoid. For example while children do sell gum in the streets in Mérida it is not a common sight. In Tabasco, every street corner seems to have a child working to try to make ends meet. However, I do not regret even a little bit missing out on Carnaval in Mérida. Yes, five days of fiesta would have been fun, but the experience I had in Tabasco was unforgettable and irreplaceable.

Riding on the subway, walking down the street, or just sitting at a local café, you get to see many distinctive qualities about a country. So far I have noticed that: 1) sidewalks are for parking instead of walking, 2) divisions in the road are for decoration and not to help direct traffic flow, 3) even if you live 10 minutes away from your destination and are planning to take a taxi you probably should give yourself about half an hour to 45 minutes to ensure you will be on time, 4) the metro is more efficient and dependable than in Boston, 5) it amazing how much you can eat for 5 dollars, 6) people drink tea at all hours, 7) you can actually drink faucet water without getting sick (of course after your “community immunity” kicks in) 8) the chocolate here is AMAZING!!! 9) Mango juice as well, 10) everyone is extremely friendly and helpful when you try to practice Arabic with them, 11) I feel safer walking in Egypt than walking in Boston or New York, 12) there is a ton of people in the city and you do not know what rush hour is until you ride the metro from Sadat station to Dokki, 13) the Nile river is BEAUTIFUL, 14) some women I have spotted who do not wear a hijab have hair styles taken from the 80s, 15) when ordering Turkish coffee make sure you are ordering medium sugar and not “happy coffee” (the difference in the two words is the order of the letters “masboot” (med. Sugar) and “mabsoot” (happy).

All of these aspects and more are what make each and every country unique. That is why I love to keep a small journal with me so that I can jot down every little aspect that I find interesting.

Laura wins!

Another change we have been lucky enough to be a part of this semester reigns in the political arena with the election process that ultimately led to the first female president in Costa Rican history: Laura Chinchilla. We had a fun Super Bowl / Presidential Election party at our house on Sunday to celebrate both historic occasions. Julian and I, the only Estadounidenses (“Americans” is not politically correct I’ve been told) in the house, were the only ones really watching the Super Bowl I think, but we had two TVs in the room to broadcast both events so everyone was happy. The whole time leading up to the election involved an incredible amount of flag-adorning, car honking, and conversation sparking. What is neat is how incredibly passionate Ticos are about politics without transmitting an ounce of that passion into violence. They really seem to be a peaceful people as a whole from what I can gather.

Sucking on some coco juice during orienation

Classes began this week, which is another change to chalk up on the growing list. There are marked similarities and differences between the education system here and at home, but to say that it is more USA-esque than not might be stretching it. Details may be too many to discuss in a blog that is meant only to summarize my experience while attempting to keep your interest. I have yet to make an incredible amount of new Tico friends after my first couple days in school here at UNA, but there is time yet. I have noticed that male adolescents here tend to consistently have two things in common: raging hormones and copious amounts of hair gel. Though this inevitably attracts the females, whose wardrobes can be as sassy as their hair is brown, because lip-locked couples obviously licensed in PDA dot the campus like sprinkles on a sundae. And my middle school frowned upon holding hands…

Overall my school situation is nothing to complain about because I have both Fridays and Mondays free, which allows for a personally unprecedented 4-day weekend for the entire semester, and most of my classes involve frequent field trips (some even overnight near the beach!) for very cheap. I think I can cruise with the 15-credit hour load I’ve got, so I can focus more on Costa Rica and her people while I’m here rather than books and papers. There will be time for that later.

The orientation was amazing. There is simply too much to write about so I will highlight the most remarkable things that I experienced. I will start with the food. I can confidently say that I have been overfed and that I have experienced Egyptian hospitality. I do not know if this is the norm, but nearly every meal after breakfast consists of 6 appetizers, drinks, 3 main course dishes, dessert and coffee/tea. I cannot seem to get enough Turkish coffee these days (ah-wah masboot) and they (collective they) cannot seem to tire of feeding me tahini.

Besides the food, the orientation has offered me several opportunities to explore Egyptian historical monuments. So yes, I have seen and been inside the pyramids and ambled by the sphinx; and yes I have seen King Tutankhamen’s casket along with several well-preserved mummies; and yes I have prayed in Saladin’s Mosque; and yes I have been in the Citadel at Alexandria etc etc. This is all well and amazing in its own right, but what stands out are the people.

First and foremost, most Egyptians think that I am Egyptian. Whenever I tell that I am not Egyptian, the second thing they tell me is that I must be Arab. When this too has failed, they still insist that my face is Egyptian (khalass!). For the most part, the locals I have tried to talk most with are the Taxi cab drivers. Most taxi drivers here love to talk. I normally start by telling them where I am from and that I like Egyptian music; typical response: Oum Kulthum! Ya Helwa! Then we play the heritage guessing game (aren’t you Egyptian?) and then the religion guessing game (but you are Muslim yani?) and finally the “what I like about the US” game (Jimmy Carter!!).

We also received several lectures ranging from topics of health, Egyptian music, ancient Egyptian history, archaeology, women in the Arab world, and Islam. We got a lecture from none other than Egypt’s Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities: Dr. Zahi Hawass.

A rather flamboyant personality with an inclination towards stardom (and abhorrence for cell phones), Dr. Hawass explicitly schooled us on the recent groundbreaking archaeological digs he was leading and the arduous tasks he undertook in order to become the best in his field. I asked him what his greatest disappointment was, and he answered without batting an eyelid “I have none”. After the lecture he commissioned a pass that will allow us (as a group) into any historic site monitored by the Council of Antiquities including all Museums for free! This tremendous gift has enabled several of the trips on which we went.

IFSA Butler held a photo contest among us Egypt students. I somehow managed to win! Below you will find the pictures that I submitted. This is ironic considering the number of times that I forgot my camera! The photos were judged by Chris Harrison, Dr. El Komi and very kind  (and famous) photographer whose name I have regretfully forgotten…I am sorry about this; as soon as I can find his name out I add it without fail. The prizes were: a wonderfully painted ceramic mug and what appears to be a wooden-ebony in-layed box of dominoes.

Orientation is over and I have to start reminding myself that I am on a study abroad and not on vacation. I say this because during orientation apart from going over the technical administrative procedures our orientation also consisted of fun excursions and trips. One of the first big trips was going to Waadi El Natrun in the Western Desert. We had to ride on four wheelers because they are the only vehicle that would not sink in the sand and are safe enough for the adventure. We left at about nine in the morning that day and did not get back until about after 6pm, so we literally stayed an entire day in the desert. The experience was nice, but I don’t think I would do it again unless my family would like to. The day we went was very windy and the combination of wind and sand is not a good one. However, the sites were gorgeous and the open spaces were beautiful. Another exciting trip the group took was to Coptic and Islamic Cairo. During this outing we were toured around different churches, mosques, and one synagogue. They were all so serene and amazing in architecture and design. Each one with a special style pertaining to the century it was built in. Another excursion was, of course, to the pyramids of Giza. It was an all day trip visiting different museums including an open air museum containing an enormous statue of Ramses (I think the Second, if I remember correctly), the Solar Boat museum to the Sphinx and Great Pyramid. We were able to go inside the Great Pyramid, climb all the way to the inner burial chamber and come back down. (Let me tell you, it is a work out!!!) The final big thing the group did was visit Alexandria. We had to drop off 6 members of the Egypt group in Alex so our RD (Dr. Mohamed, who is super cool) decided to make it an event. We stayed to nights in Alex and saw an Italian Symphony at the Opera House and the lovely Citadel. Not to mention before the Opera night we saw Egypt win the African Cup and experienced firsthand how Egyptians celebrate after victory. Overall, the orientation was great I am exhausted but happy and wish I could do it all over again.

A Flip into the Frontera Waterfall

Sitting in my plane seat on the way to Costa Rica, being teased by the clouds that would allow me only periodic views of the Central American world below, I couldn’t help but be excited. I expected to be a little more nervous, but the whole process of going through airport security, being checked at customs, and having to find a taxi ride to Hotel Bougainvillea after all that went incredibly smoothly. I couldn’t have imagined a better hotel for our first night in Costa Rica – it was beautiful! From the colorfully thick gardens to the elegant meals they provided to the cloud-like beds (almost) all of us enjoyed, it was obvious from the beginning that IFSA was going to take care of us. The other hotel we stayed at in La Fortuna was equally as luxurious, with a hot springs/bar we enjoyed without hesitation. It also helps that Teresita, Yanori, and Xiomara – our 3 counselors for orientation and the next 5 months – could not be more helpful, caring, and just plain out-of-the-way nice.

The first week of orientation found us in Monteverde, which is about a 3 or 4 hour bus ride west of Heredia, and several kilometers above it. It was extremely and consistently windy, but zip lining through the cloud forest and soaking up the culture through our family stay, walks through the town, excessive coffee drinking, Spanish classes and dance classes/Latin nights were only a few of the things that made us ignore the gusty inconvenience. The sunsets were unforgettable, and being able to look at the brightest moon of 2010 from that altitude through a telescope was indescribable. My family, consisting of Oscar (father), Xeonny (mother), Oscar Esteban (son, 14) and Xiomy (daughter, 6) Fennell, was more than accommodating.

My family in Monteverde

Their home was certainly small, but I enjoyed my stay there immensely. Oscar and I made “Dulce de Bananos” as our dish for the last night with all the families, and I told the story of my first motorcycle ride that took us to the supermarket to get the 40 bananos for the 3 dessert pans, along with the preparation and ingredients of the palatable “postre”. With the comic relief of Oscitar and the unmatched cuteness of Xiomy, it was hard to say goodbye, but the Hotel del Silencio del Campo in La Fortuna softened the blow.

Our stay in La Fortuna was short-lived, but well-received. It included a short trip to a waterfall whose combination of sheer power and natural beauty I’m not sure I’ll ever see again. Jumping into the pool of falling water and swimming toward it with all my strength only to stay in place was exhilarating. We also randomly saw participants in a “campo travieso,” which is like a rainforest ultramarathon that involves travelling 220 km in 5 days, running through the water and that part of the forest! I decided I would probably have to train for the next 7 years just to be able to walk through it… those guys (and girls) were ripped!

As for my current circumstances, I am thoroughly enjoying my stay here with my family in Heredia. Don Luis (father), Marielos (mother), Julio (brother, 27 on Thursday), and Armando (brother, 20) make up my family, and everything is great! Don Luis has a thesis for his PhD he’s been working on for 5 years and he wants me to proofread/revise his summary that has to be in English… quite a task! Marielos stays at home and cooks, cleans, and does laundry 3 times a week! Am I in heaven?!? Everybody is super nice, very accommodating, and I am able to portray somewhat of a personality with the little Spanish capabilities I have, which actually is harder than one may think. More to come later on details with the family, but suffice it to say that it may even better than ideal. Orientation continues for us tomorrow in the capital, San Jose, and classes start on Monday. Also, with the presidential election this Sunday, the countless flags and buzz around the country excites our time here even more!