CAIRO!!!!!!

So as I approach my fourth day in Cairo, it still hasnt really hit me that im here...but at the same time I already have great memories of funny, strange, exciting happenings and im already falling for this city. There's so much to say but the words are evading me because I want to make sure I describe it as accurately as possible. In time this will come to me, but for now...

TOP TEN

10. Witnessing a fight...and then watching the police congratulate the "winner".
9. Schwarmas are sooo yummy
8. Egyptian men are some cuties!
7. Riding a sailboat (felucca) down the Nile at night...beautiful and so calm.
6. Everyday I meet someone new and interesting.
5. The architecture of the campus.
4. I can go to the hookah bar at 11 pm and stay there til whenever.
3. Cairo is truly the city that never sleeps, bump New York
2. There is so much history here.
1. Waking up three days in a row and still being shocked that I'm in cairo.

Chocolate High

So I’ve been in Ghana for exactly 3 weeks, which make my opinions simply that, because in no way have I been here long enough to make any particular judgments BUT being here has proven to be extremely WONDERFUL and extremely COMPLICATED. Wonderful in this sense: EVERYTHING that I’ve seen (thus far) is run by only black people—from the professor who teaches me about the African Diaspora from a W. African perspective, to the fine brothers who I can admire 24/7. It is a BEAUTIFUL & EMPOWERING thing for a person (who loves their blackness) to be able to experience and important for anyone in general. I love it here.

It’s complicated in too many ways to be able to explain but I will try and speak on some things that I’ve noticed. The one disheartening thing that I’ve experienced so far (disheartening but simultaneously encouraging) is that anyone who is not dark enough is considered white. It was explained to me like this. Where you’re from, White is the powerful majority, therefore one drop of anything else (hence the 1 drop rule back home) makes you othered/non-white. Here in Ghana, Black is the rulemaking majority, and one drop of anything else (any lighter ethnicity no matter which) makes you White. It’s a very interesting dynamic and something I’m still trying to adjust to, because someone calling me White at home is a mistake a non-Black person would ever make. Also, WHERE ARE ALL MY NATURAL SISTERS AT?? I haven’t seen one yet!

Despite all of the adjusting, I couldn’t imagine myself in any other place. I’m learning more here than I could possibly describe.

- Christina B.

life on the fast track

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So I haven't actually reached my study abroad destination yet, but with less than a week to go I'm trying to prepare myself for what the semester will be like. I've decided that I want to try as many new things as possible as well as learn as much as I can about Egyptian culture. Thus I have decided to observe Ramadan, which begins today (8/22). Ramadan is celebrated as the 9th month on the muslim calendar and it is seen as one of the five pillars of Islam. It is also believed that during this month the gates of heaven are open for the entire duration and the gates of hell are closed. During this ninth month, according to Islam, the holy Quran was sent down to earth from heaven. Practicing Muslims observe the month by fasting from sun up to sundown as well as straying from sinful activities, because the fast is supposed to be cleansing one's body, mind and soul. I don't know what all of this will mean to me, as the month progresses especially once I get to Cairo. But here's to me and my first day of Ramadan!

UBA like Cuba...

I started my first week of school and I must say the shit is bananas. There is no central campus here and I am taking classes at two different schools, The University of Buenos Aires aka. La UBA and some classes through my program. First of all this week is "shopping" week were we visit classes see what we like what we dislike etc. and it has been wild. I'm taking the colectivo from one end of the city to the next trying to get to classes on time(although puntuality here means something completamente diferente). Stepping into The university of B.A is cra-cra. The bulidings are old and unkempt, there are people painting on the walls, handing out pamphlets, shouting and chatting passionately. There are pics of Che and Mao on almost every floor and everywhere signs of general student dissatisfaction with...everything. The government, the school, capitalism...todo. It is INCREIBLE! I love it!! UBA is like everything Wesleyan thinks it is minus everything that prevents it from being...authentically radical. Today I shopped an incredible class on the Latin American political system, despite not being able to "get" everything, it was still so interesting. Thus, while it is a little overwhelming to be thrown back into academia after this long vacay, I am lovin it!

House Arrest

Since my little incident on the mean streets of Buenos, Aires, My mother...from thousands of miles away has mandated that I don't go out after sundown. She says "If you were in Baghdad you would have to do the same thing," so in order to appease her and also because I'm still a little nervy about what happened, I have decided to take a couple days off from the B.A nightlife (at least until the weekend, which officially starts on Thurs here...When in Rome). I'm taking this time to reflect on my goals for this trip. I want to experience B.A to the fullest, but I also want to be able to return home with all my parts intact. So I'm trying to figure out how to be safe and still be able to experience life as a Porteno to the fullest. These past couple of days besides going to a couple hours of orientation each day, I have been in the house talking with my family, drinking mate with my host sister and watching telenovelas. Getting my head right. All in all is has been a good hiatus!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

So being in Buenos, Aires is like being two years old again...I have to relearn everything. How to appear less like a confused American and more like the savvy world traveller I seem to think I am. With my apparent lack of Spanish proficiency buying a pack of gum proves to be difficult. Each time I open my mouth to speak its like trying to read Marquez for the first time...somethin's not making sense. But despite the difficulties I must say I love Buenos, Aires! So after almost two weeks here I have come to a couple conclusions which I consider to be "The Good, the bad, and the ugly" based on 2 weeks of observation and subject to change.

The Good: Despite their reputations for being "chic, ultra-stylish and arrogant" the people of Buenos, Aires are overwhelmingly kind and helpful. The city is filled with people willing to chat with strange lost American girls and not just in hopes of getting me into bed..or at least not always.

The Bad: My dreams of strolling down the Avenida de Corrientes and sipping cafe at a corner bistro have been slightly disrupted by the cold weather(I didnt actually believe they had winter here) and the pollution(Argentinians seem almost oblivious to the environmental movement that has taken hold in so many other place around the world. They seem content to breath dirty air, run the water and liter anything anywhere.
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The Ugly: Getting mugged at gunpoint week 1, by far the ugliest of uglies but you don't have to warn me twice, it won't happen again