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EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

Today is the first time that I feel homesick...the Yanks made the playoffs and pretty much no one here gives a shit. Its also raining...yes in the desert. That is all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIv3lEYGCH4&feature=related

Musical Offerings

So people have been asking me about the music over here. I'll break you guys off with some more traditional middle eastern popular tunes but first, the CLUB BANGERS. Cairo is big on house/dance music in the clubs, and its starting to grow on me...guess I got some tunes to donate to the next Psi U dance partay. I havent quite figured out if these songs are old or new but I hadn't heard any of them before getting here and they have definitely become my jammy jams...espcially the David Guetta ft. Akon one.

check these songs out and here are a few download links.

David Guetta ft. Akon- Sexy Bitch

Edward Maya ft. Alicia- Stereo Love

Yves Larock's Rise Up is also really great...couldn't find a link for that though.

Happy Listening!

Snapshots

most beautiful soul

meal of champions

on my National Geographic tip

artsyish

Up In Smoke

(Not from Cairo, but he's smoking...pun intended)

Sometimes I feel like Cairo is one giant smoking advertisement, with Marlboro Light as the brand. At the risk of sounding like a complete cornball I simply must say...smoking has never looked so cool. I don't really know how to describe it or even exactly what IT is but Cairo makes you just wanna roll out and ashtray and get to puffing. EVERYONE SMOKES. I mean this is the kind of stuff the surgeon general warns us about on the side of the cigarette box but damn, all the cool kids are doing it. Hell, even the not-so-cool kids are doing it, and by kids I do mean kids, and adults, and senior citizens. The Bedouins are smoking, the Muslims are smoking, the Coptics are smoking. Where are they smoking? Everywhere. In the bathroom, at the cafe, at the stadium, on the bus, in the cab, on the street, in the restaurant, outside al mosque, in khan el khalili, on the grass, at the library, in the classroom. Why are they doing it? Who knows but I've just noticed how prevalent smoking cigarettes is here. Some of the first words I learned in my colloquial arabic class were lighter and ashtray...smoking is so prevalent that they DONT EVEN NEED cigarette ads. Its crazy. I'm just so intrigued by everyone walking around puffing on a cig and they all seem to be at ease amongst all the bustle. Just an observation.

Im dizzy drunk from this bilingual existence. My very body split through and through by a technicolor city,the mural of the naked woman on the cuadra not to far from my house, and the words pase lo que pase on the wall in the bookstore where i pretend to study.This country which has given me much and to whom i can thank for making me a skeptical dreamer.

1.Ben wants us to write poems together over these millions of miles and i hope his words can reach across the world and shake me like they sometimes do when we are sitting so close to each other the hairs on our arms can touch.

2.hope they can teach me what it means to be more than a quiet train passing through some unfamilar landscape. remind me where i last left my soul. Did i forget it there at the alter to el diablo? mistaking that pile of stones and discarded cigerettes for a tribute to the pachamama. who apparently enjoys to smoke from time to time.

Teach me again what it means to be a poet.
To think and breathe then write something so painful or beautiful that is cannot be written.
to try and capture this hard, rare thing called life.

Dear Pachamama, Thanks for Touching my Soul

I have been back in Buenos Aires for one week now and I haave to write about my trip to Jujuy before I forget how it felt to be in a place with such a palpable spirit. I feel like the problem with having so many amazing experiences in such a short amount of time is that each one begins to run into the next and I just want to give the Pachamama(mother earth) the reflection she deserves. So we travelled as a group to the Northern part of Argentina, 2 hours by plane, 1.5 hours by bus and we arrived in this dusty little pueblocito with houses made of clay and unpaved streets. I havvve to describe the people of this place, they are so tranqila and tiny, like from another time. Their faces are etched with lines...I kept wanting to say that they looked windswept, because they look as though literally the wind and sun have carved lines in their cheeks and foreheads. Ahhh...me mata! I felt like I could live in those mountains making jewlery and...doing whatever it is that they do. But perhaps that was the high altitude making me dizzy and making it hard for me to maintain some sense bc many of the first peoples of that region are so very poor! Thats the thing that struck me so powerfully is the differenc between Buenos Aires, a city with all the modern convienience, attitude and grit of New York City, and Humahuca, a town that is filled with a quiet, ancient type of energy....(I hate to write this way, but honestly I was so moved by this place I felt like every moment I was having revelations about my life and the excesses of cities like BA. The Pachamama really did touch my soul!

Shit Happens

I just got back to Cairo from my week of roadtripping through eastern Egypt and Jordan. I have SO MUCH to write and share and great pics as well. Unfortunately my comp is more triflin than a pimp on sunday morning and has decided to act crazy....so I dont know when ill be able to really get down to posting all the stuff that I had originally intended to, but it will happen eventually.

Side note and comment about B.Amorena's last post. The world is going crazy and fucking up on a daily basis, its actually pretty depressing and eye opening at the same time. Every day something ridiculous happens that can make you really question what goes through ppls heads, especially those who are in power. Just have to inhale and exhale.

The Nature of Protest

Yesterday I went to a demonstration in support of the depenalization of abortion in Argentina. Sadly, the group of 20 to 30 abortion advocates were oversahdowed by a massive demonstration involving hundreds of people marching from Congresso to Plaza de Mayo. I couldnt really understand what the demonstration was about but I believe it has to do with Kraft foods and the firing of a huge number of employees and something about H1N1 as well...obviously had some trouble understanding the pamphlets, but I was incredibly struck by the culture of organizing and protesting here in Argentina. And I am having a moment right now where the world just kind of looks really ugly. With everything that is going on in the U.S to stop the (modest) healthcare plan from being passed and WHAT the pro-democracy demonstration in Guinea in which 100+ people were killed as police open fired on the crowd.
There are some days when I just cant handle how fucked up the world is. I had kind of shut myself off from current events. Being here makes it a lot easier to forget that the rest of the world still exists. This is kind of a rant, but what I really want to do is just put all of these events in perspective,trying to understand how all over the world people are fighting to be heard, fighting for the right to just live. Its like im seeing too much this week how fragile democracy really is. Its really only this tiny thread of a thing and if you stop fighting for it for even one second someone will try to make you forget that its the only thing we have to keep us from dying, slow painful deaths bc we cant afford to see a doctor, or quick surprising deaths to silence.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/world/africa/30guinea.html?hp

roaming...

So because I have time off from classes - decided to take a
backpacking roadtrip of sorts around the Red Sea area of Egypt and
into Jordan. I'll be trying to post when I get wifi access because I
think it might be cool to give y'all a heads up on my moves and the
experiences in each place. I'll be writing from my BB so its gonna be
short and sweet.

Day 1...I left cairo around 7 am this morning and arrived by bus to
Dahab around 4. Needless to say it was a long ass bus ride...but way
worth the 9 hrs of driving through the desert, 5 passport checkpoint
stops and blasting AC that probably froze my nips off. Dahab is
something that cannot be described accurately with my words. All I
know is since I've been here I have become totally serene by the waves
of the Red Sea which lies just feet away from the hostel. I could
escape and live her forever, and time sees to move much slower than in
cairo. Its made for just sitting with a cold stella by water and
looking out and just thinking. Amazing. Tomorrow I head to the Isreali
border...I know that will be an experience and a half.

You're Right This Place is Magical

This weekend I visited one of Pablo Neruda's homes in Valparaiso, Chile. This is the exact spot where he sat and wrote the words that have repeatedly brought me to tears.(these aren't the words, but this poem is one of the most sensual poems I have ever read I had to share an excerpt: Kinda makes my toes tingle...too much, yeah I know.

He ido marcando con cruces de fuego
El atlas blanco de tu cuerpo
Mi boca era una arana que cruzaba escondiendose
En ti, detras de ti, temerosa, sedienta
-Neruda

The sunrise is

the greatest simplistic beauty that we are given routinely. The first hint of orange sneaking through the navy sky is something that cannot be described in words.

Catch a sunrise and see for yourself.

Just For Kicks



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNm2Ec2T-js&feature=channel




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqJd3d3RHFE&feature=channel

Do You See What I See...?

CUTIE PIESSSSSS!!!
weaving at Ntonso

queen mother
elmina castle independence square

view from hostel jamestown beach

Schools Out!!

Okay so in case I haven't done a great job of conveying the "Egyptian way" is kind of like whatever makes sense at the moment is what is done. The thought process that proceeds actions was at first kind of strange and confusing to me. But now I'm kind of getting used to the fact that things do not form a regular pattern. A meal that I ordered yesterday and took 5 mins to cook, could take an hour to cook this week. A bus driver who is supposed to ask me for a ticket to ride the bus MAY or MAY NOT ask for the ticket. The guard at the pyramid who is supposed to confiscate cameras from visitors who are entering the pyramid will just let you me in with a wink and a smile. And so keeping up in trend with that Egyptian way...yesterday I was informed in my class that starting today we would all be on break for Ramadan until OCT 3rd...or 4th. The reason being that the government officials are afraid that people who are going to Hajj(Pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy land for Muslims) may return to Egypt with symptoms of H1N1. So they want those ppl to be in their homes away from public for at least 7 - 10 days before they reemerge. So no classes for me, a two week vacay of sorts. GOD I LOVE THIS PLACE.

A Tale of Two Cities

This past weekend I visited Alexandria, the also famous, much cleaner, less crowded, Mediterranean sister of Cairo. History buffs will tell you all about the significance of Alex as the place of the great library and the lighthouse (which burned down a whiiiiiile ago) as well as its evident Roman and Greek influence. There are also the its ties to the love story of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony as well as their reign of power. All these things aside, the one thing that I got from Alex is that while its really interesting and on the beautiful Meditteranean, Cairo is definitely where its at. I'm not one for regional beef (Biggie over Pac ANYDAY lol) but Alex just wasn't cutting it for me. I think that its the type of place you go to when you want to be close to the sea or if you don't like crowds. But if you even spend two hours in Cairo and then go to Alexandria I'm pretty sure you would find it less than amusing as well. Now it is not my itention to offend any Alexandrians this is just my experience and the opinions...in list form.
CONS
- Why did I go to like four different Cafe's and was refused to see a menu at ALL of them. One clever man quickly responded "I AM the menu"...umm yeah no thanks.
- The waiters serving my shisha were not nearly as helpful as the ones I've come used to in Cairo
- Not as crowded, more conservative = not as fun!
- The amount of tourists is more noticeable.
- Please take better care of your beaches... its the Mediterranean dammit.
- Slower pace lifestyle
PROS
- BOMB ASS seafood
- The Citadel is a beautiful spot to visit
- Not as hot or polluted as Cairo
- Roman architectural sites...if that floats your boat.

All in all it was still a fun weekend in Alexandria, and at least the hotel will serve you booze even during Ramadan :)

Ilhamdullilah

So this may sound kind of cheesy and may be somwhat reminiscent of that disney movie "The Color of Friendship" but I had to donate some time to explain the amazing new friend I have found here in Cairo. Well actually I didnt find him, but its no big deal. We all know how WES is everywhere, and usually this can be so damn annoying. But there is that 1% of the time when wes connections turn out to be great and then you find yourself thanking wes for being so small. Shout out to Karimah '09 for introducing me to her friend Mohamed.
I have always known that one of the points of studying abroad is to exchange culture and ideas with local people and learn more. But I think we find it more often than not, that students studying abroad stick together in an All American group and never really branch out. I have done some of this with the friends that I have made here, which is great, but I truly am blessed to have met Mohamed. I find myself talking to Mohamed about anything...anything at all, and our deep conversations topics ranging from religion to love to Common sometimes have even distracted me from practicing my arabaic (the original purpose of our meeting). His mind is brilliant and yet comforting. Sometimes I find myself forgetting that we are sitting by Khan el Khalili and I am in the middle of Cairo because it feels like I have already known him for so long. It is also interesting to learn about issues from his male and muslim point of view. Despite being enrolled in 5 courses, all reading intensive, I know already that my greatest lessons will be what I learn from hanging out with Mohamed. I know that this will be a friendship that will continue long after I leave Cairo (a date marked as D -DAY on my calendar) and for that I truly am blessed.
I think my man Humphrey Bogart said it best in the last line of Casablanca...

"...I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"

ilhamdulillah(thanks to god)

There Must be a Different Word for Chivalry in Argentina

In response to the my dearest friend's post from the motherland, I must respond with my own observations about the ways men treat women in Buenos Aires...Where to even begin? Men in Argentina have been raised from the teet on the notion of machismo. And I must say I don't hate all things about machismo...the feminist in me just slapped me up-side my head, but let me explain. I have seen young boys stand get up from their seat on the bus for a lady. I have seen men helping old ladies across the street too many times to count. When I'm standing in line to get on the colectivo, if there is a man in front of me he will let me get on first. Also I have flirted(all the pun intended) with the dating culture here in Buenos Aires, and always always the chicos open my doors, pull out my chairs..the whole thing. At first I didnt know how to respond to all this chivalry, these caballeros took me by surprise...but wait, I soon learned there is another side to all this mannerly behavior. Los chicos love to darles piropos a cualquier mujer. Basically, with all of this chivilrous behavior comes a price. The men don't take rejection, not that they dont take rejection easily or they don't like rejection, nope the notion of rejection simply doesn't exist for these men. It is as if they just know that if they keep trying they will get what they want. I don't know if its all the machismo ideology they were brought up on or what, but the men here seem to think they can approach/conquer any woman they desire, regardless of how uncomfortable their advances may make you feel. Today for instance. I was taking a little walk for exercise(thats what I tell mi madre, but really I just go for ice cream and then bum around the shops for a couple hours.) Anyways I was strolling through my hood when these two guys ride past on the street on motorcycle...first, I dont fucks with the motocicleta, that's school for theives 101, how to mug via motorcycle, so I was freaked out at first, but then I realized that they were simlply blowing me kisses, not weilding armas. Anyways, I ignored it per usual, but the next block I see the same guy, he has dropped his friend off and is waiting for me at the block. He begins with the usual, "you are so beautiful..blah blah blah" and I continue as usual, but this one is particularly sure that he will get what he wants. He proceeds to follow me for about 6 blocks, manuevering in traffic as I dodge from street to street trying to lose him at the street lights. Each time he catches up with me and begins again with observations of my bueaty, offering me a ride, offers to take me out. It was day time in a very safe neighborhood otherwise I would def have used my pepper spray to convey my message more forcefully, but luckily I passed the casa of one of my amigos and I was saved, but this is just one example of machismo gone wrong.

chivalry is NOT dead

So I'm officially convinced that it's sooo much easier to be womanist (feminist) or at least "womanist (feminist)-minded" at home because too many of the black men (NOT ALL...just a lot) are trifling and/or disrespectful. Don't get me wrong--I'm all for self-sufficiency, equality, and respect for women, but it feels less like a struggle when I don't feel that tension that seems to separate black men and black women back at home. I have never met a more respectful, courteous, and friendly population of black men in my entire life than I have here in Ghana! I'm sure it's tied into Ghana's patriarchal culture which someone with a Western perspective might deem "problematic" (kinda hate that word Wes), but for the time being it feels right!

In other news...chivalry is not dead in more ways than one...I'm still confused as to why in a country that is a majority BLACK, some pigment-challenged individuals still feel comfortable enough, or the need to insert themselves unnecessarily into conversations in which their opinions and CORRECTIONS were not asked for, especially on issues of black identity and history. Perhaps their now cornrowed and/or braided hair (+ extensions) and the introductory West African dance class they signed up for has enabled them to tap into their African roots and they can now relate to me on issues of ethnicity and culture. Perhaps I'm being too harsh. Perhaps I shouldn't have changed my expectations of American cultural norms while abroad. I do know for sure that this sense of entitlement and white privilege needs to die a faster death.

- Christina B