Updates and the Like

So, as it has been a week since my bad days, some updates are in order...

1)Debit Card Fiasco
So- Wednesday I went to the bank at which I left my debit card. The guy called the guy who called the guy, and they did indeed have my card.... at another branch. So, the guy gave me directions to the other bank and on my merry way I went. I failed. So I went back to the guy again and got directions again. I failed again. Then, for a final and third time, I went back and got directions... again. "Go out over there, take a right, a left on Kasr el Aini, and take a left maybe 300 meters, and it is down that street." False, dude. Very False. I walked, and walked, and walked. Asked several people where this bank was, and nobody seemed to know. And then.... Then I asked a Boab- the doormen who essentially sit outside the buildings all day and do things for the people who live in them. Most collect your trash, take your laundry, direct delivery guys to your apt, etc. So I asked this boab... "Street, street, street, left. Yes?" So I took his advice, and as I looked down that 3rd street, what did I see but a hint of Orange that signified the bank I was looking for. Could it be? YES! It turned out to be a quick process actually, I asked for the guy, he took my passport and came back with my card. I signed for it, and ta-da! Lesson learned (begrudgingly, as I have vowed not to learn any lessons from things that make me miserable): when lost, ask a boab. They actually live in the neighborhood. They know where shit is- unlike everyone else.

2) Class and Burnout
So, it turns out that I am much more burnt out than I originally anticipated going right from undergrad to a master's program. Doing homework here is hard as it is, there are few places quiet enough, with good enough lighting, or with consistent internet. Most places have 2 out of the 3, and very few have all 3. That being said, getting myself to sit down and do all the work, let alone finding a place to do it, is VERY hard. The worst part is that I LOVE sitting in class and the lectures and what not, but I am finding myself wishing that I took some time off before grad school.

In terms of class, I am taking Intro to Humanitarian Law, International Law, and Human Rights in the Middle East. The first two classes I am actually finding fairly easy- I have a lot of prior knowledge about the things we are talking about from Model UN in college. I do actually LOVE my International Law class. My professor, Thomas Skouteris, is this frenetic little Greek man who chain smokes during our hourly breaks from class. He makes lots of little jokes and is very good at explaining things in law-speak and then in actual words. I am thinking that I will ask him to be my thesis advisor maybe??

My Human Rights in the Middle East class is hard as hell- but SO interesting. So far, we have only talked about Sharia' "law" and Islamic law, and are just now getting into how Human Rights fits in. The professor is a doctoral candidate who's thesis is due in December, and she is VERY intense and asks very hard questions and does not let you get away with bullshit! So, in essence, everything I learned in college is useless ;). Seriously though, she is very challenging and her reading is the most interesting. However, since I have NO background in Islamic law structures, it is very hard to keep up when Arabic words are thrown around to describe things.

3) Moving
Not doing it. Not yet, anyway. First, its a TERRIBLE time to move. At least when looking at the expat community (which is the easiest/most reliable way to get an apartment), which doesn't have much movement now because its the middle of the semester. Also, as isolated as Ma'adi is, its quite nice, quite easy to live in, and nothing is really WRONG with where I live. So I might start looking again towards the end of the semester, but for now I am going to stay put. Also, I know how to get home from the Corniche (road that runs along the Nile), so thats good. Now I need to learn how to get home from the Autostrad (the road that runs around Cairo). I actually had to decline an invitation to go out in Nasr City because it would mean having to take a cab on the autostrad. I know the only way to learn is to try- but just getting out of the house here takes a lot of energy and pumping yourself up. Every time I am successful in my outings and get back home with little or no incident I congratulate myself. Fortunately that is becoming more and more frequent- but this is not an easy city to live in and I'm taking it one day at a time.

3) The Future
So I am going to start looking for a tutor to go around with and learn all the useful language. I'm thinking I am going to bypass the FusHa (modern standard arabic), and just work with Ameyya (the Egyptian dialect). The difference, essentially, is that FusHa is like speaking in Shakespeare while Ameyya is like speaking in Ebonics. It is considered a very low-class form of Arabic, and while it is the standard dialect for most Arabic media, it is often made fun of. Also, like Shakespeare, nobody actually SPEAKS FusHa, most countries have their own dialects. Its just that if you know FusHa, you'll understand and be understood most places. Speaking Ameyya; non-Egyptians will understand you, but you won't understand non-Egyptian Arabic.

I am also starting to look for an internship or volunteer opportunities. The problem is that Egyptian NGO's require you to be fluent in Arabic, and most of the UN-affiliated ones either require you to be fluent in French, or have qualifications that are way above me. There is one through AMERA, a UK based refugee NGO, that would have me interviewing and preparing briefs for people seeking refugee status from the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner of Refugees), but I am WAY underqualified for it. I am not sure if I am going to apply for it- I might wait to do it for next fall when I will at least have a year of coursework under my belt.

On the social front, I have a fun weekend ahead of me! On Saturday, I am going on a Felucca ride down the Nile with the Law department, so I am looking forward to meeting more people- it should be lots of fun. Also, I am going to go to a Baladi bar with my friend Chelsea. A Baladi bar is a local bar that basically only serves beer. Apparently you get a table, raise your hand, and they bring you a beer. Lather, rinse, repeat. Alcohol IS illegal here in theory, but it seems that nobody really cares, especially if you're a foreigner. I'm interested to see how it works if this is a "local" bar though.