Author Archives: Stephanie Egeler

Precious Life Changers

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When I signed up for DukeEngage I was expecting to change the world, or at least my assigned corner of Cairo. I expected to go to Ana El-Masry and teach art to the next Van Gough or Kahlo. While I have no doubt that we have had an impact on these kids this summer, my expectations were not reality.  I love these kids, and I hope that I taught them some life skills, but I doubt they learned a lot about art except perhaps how to better express creativity. However, I have learned so very much from these kids and instead of changing their lives, they have changed mine.

In America we expect the right to pursue happiness, but we abuse that promise everyday by pursuing things that we think will make us happy eventually but make us miserable in the meantime. On the other hand, the future of all these children is uncertain beyond the fact that they will someday rejoin society as contributing members, but their pasts are heartbreaking realities. In spite of the uncertainty of their futures and the terrible realities of their pasts, they are happy. They are fun-loving, energetic, and always smiling and laughing.  In their faces I am reminded that thankfulness is a key in happiness. While Amanda mentioned that some kids miss the freedom of the streets and run away, others are thankful for the shelter, food, clothing, and love they receive at Ana El-Masry which was unattainable on the streets.

Adham and Anur, two of the newer students

Generosity is a virtue. Even in a land of abundance like America, generosity gives way to suspicion and greed, but these children give so much.  When we arrive in the mornings they are eating breakfast, and even though we have all eaten already and a croissant is all they will receive for this meal, they all insist on sharing some with us. The children rip of pieces and hold them to our faces until we take them and eat them. Today, our last day, they gave us all hand-made bags that they sewed for us in their sewing class. Their selfless generosity is truly inspiring!

Brilliance can be born out of any situation.  At Duke everyone is expected to brilliant, and many have had an environment which nurtures this brilliance. In contrast, these kids have literally been living on the streets, and yet many of them are incredibly smart.  Many of them have come out of seemingly hopeless situations like rape, families with addiction, abuse, death of their parents, but they thirst for knowledge. They love to learn and so eager for knowledge in ways that I can never remember being as a nine or ten-year-old.

Abdullah and Manar, bright students, brother and sister, and born of a mother suffering from addiction and mental illness

Sometimes words just aren’t enough. For someone who is an aspiring linguist, it is hard for me to admit that words aren’t always necessary for communication. The tone of a person’s voice matters so much more than the actual words. Also gestures, body language, and hugs are just as competent modes of communication. While I have taken some Arabic, it was still very difficult to communicate with the children in the Egyptian dialect. In spite of this language barrier, I have connected with the children in truly meaningful ways created relationships that I value so very much.

Me with Yusef, a truly special young man

Today, as we drove away from those precious smiling faces for the last time, I thought of how much they have truly changed my life in the way that I value things and the way I look at the world and life.  While I may be sad now to leave them, I am so happy to have this opportunity and I know that I can always find a way to see the bright side of life like these kids have. The founder of Ana el-Masry said to me “These kids have something special which other kids don’t have because they have seen the worst. But they are still children and because of that they are precious and they are happy and smart in ways we cannot imagine.”

“Cairo is a Museum”

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In the center of Tahrir a rosy stone building rises above the rest. Even though its two stories are by no means taller than the high-rises around it, it stands with a purpose, a beauty that the hotels and government offices lack. It is the Egyptian Museum and it houses thousands of artifacts all from this one incredible country.

Entrance to the Egyptian Museum

As I wander around the labyrinth of sarcophagi and hieroglyphics I am struck by the incredible stretch of history housed in this one area. Inside the museum thousands of years are brought to life by the artifacts; the jewelry, stones, and mummies whisper of an ancient civilization, one far advanced and steadfast as ever. I wind my way through periods of art and burial traditions, each giving glimpses of different dynasties and conquorers. It reminds me that no matter what Egypt has been through, it will rise again.

Egypt has been conquered by the Nubians, the Romans, and later colonized by European powers, but it rose above all the conquests to become its own proud country. The museum with all its historical glory is in Tahrir Square, the site of Egypt’s recent internal revolution. Uncertainty fills every crevice of its future, but I believe that Egypt will rise above and succeed as it always has. In my previous post, I mentioned how the Egyptians have a new-found patriotism that they are excited to explore. They have overcome their foes and unjust rule, and I am excited to see how they will rise again.

As our groups floats along the Nile on one of our many Faluka (basically a sailboat) rides, Professor Lo talks about how there is so much to do and see in Cairo, and says that “Cairo is a museum” within itself. While he was talking about the opportunities and history which permeate this amazing city, I take it in a different light. Cairo is a museum of conquest, revolution, and victory. It is a museum of a people–an entire civilization and their struggle to survive, to overcome, and to thrive in this world. Most importantly, it is a museum which is always under construction, always expanding, and always gaining new exhibits.

Graffiti in Tahrir

A Patriot in Cairo

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As I write this post, my family is probably eating Watermelon, enjoying fireworks, relaxing on the lake and enjoying the parade I mentioned in my first post. But I am miles away on one of my favorite American Holidays, in a place that is tasting its first bite of the democracy which I have been enjoying my entire life.  However, today I experienced Independence Day in a new way.

The day started with the normal Cairo smells of cigarette smoke, smog, Tamiyaa, and Fresh Croissants instead of the smell of hamburgers and apple pies which normally accompany this day in my hometown. The children at Ana El-Masry had no idea that the American students in their midst were feeling homesick, and continued to be energetic and adorable as usual.

For our secondary NGO’s AlKayan and AlResala, we wanted to do something special to celebrate the day and give them a taste of American culture. All day yesterday, the girls in our group cut and peeled apples while I tried rather unsuccessfully to make pie crust without measuring cups or a rolling pin. My estimates turned out to be wrong and I ended up smashing it into the pie plate like pizza dough only to find out that the oven in our room didn’t work. However, all turned out well after I went to the guys apartment to use their electric oven.

All this effort definitely paid off when we arrived to see a series of signs in our classroom at  AlKayan reading “Happy Independent Day.” We laughed and thanked them for being so thoughtful and proceeded to tell them all about the holiday and why we celebrated it including a list of vocabulary words like patriotism, barbecue, fireworks, and independence.     We were comparing the independence of our two countries and discussing patriotism as a love for one’s country when Moataz, the worker at AlKayan who runs the English classes, said “Before January 25 (the recent Egyptian Revolution), from 1973 when we were freed from colonial rule until January, we never felt for our country what you feel for America. We did not talk about it the way you talk about your country.”

To say the least, I was shocked. We’ve been in Cairo for over 4 weeks now and we’ve seen Egyptians so passionate about their country, so hungry for change, and so full of patriotism, but this passion, like democracy, is a new concept here, one which makes me appreciate my homeland even more.

I’ve always heard that DukeEngage in Cairo makes you realize your “American-ness,” but before now I’ve never really thought about that aspect of this experience. I cannot imagine not loving my country, my home. Even though I may sometimes see the flaws in the system, the ability to see these flaws and the will and ability to change them is what democracy is about. Now that I’ve seen democracy at its birth, seen the realization of flaws turn to will and blossom into change, I am even more proud than ever to be an American.

Hospital of Neglected Beauty

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I don’t really consider myself an unhealthy person and I usually treat sickness with the nonchalance that sleep and ibuprofen can cure almost anything.  However, after unbearable abdominal pains, dizziness and fainting, and weakness and chills sent me home from Ana El-Masry early Wednesday, I decided a visit to the doctor may be in order.  I called Professor Lo and Taylor, our site coordinator, and was whisked off to Anglo-American Hospital in Zamalek.

When we arrived, I expected to see a large building, lots of vehicles, sliding automatic doors, sterile tile halls and florescent lighting. However, we pulled up to the typical cast-iron fence which frames many of the prominent buildings in Cairo. An old metal sign above the gate, rusted around the edges, had the name of the hospital in both English and Arabic, and we walked past an old guard house towards a 3-story building with large windows and beautiful scroll work. The marble steps lead to an arched wooden doorway and inside the reception desk, instead of being the sterile plastic or stainless steel, was carved dark wood.  We walked down a tiled floor to a wood door with a sign beside which says “Emergency Room.” Professor Lo knocks on the door and a nurse opened it and asked us to wait a moment. The waiting area was two wooden and cast-iron park benches in the hallway.

Entrance to Anglo-American Hospital

The entire hospital had a look of dilapidated glamour. The wooden trim, the fireplace in the corner of the examination/emergency room, the marble sink in the same room all hold the same lavish appeal of forgotten ages. As we walked in the doors, Professor Lo said, “yeah, this was the best hospital in Egypt in the 50’s,” but I couldn’t help thinking, ‘Professor, we aren’t in the 50’s.’ I’ve noticed that so many of the buildings here hold a beauty that has fallen in disrepair. The buildings are proud sentinels of a long forgotten past, rimmed with cast iron fences and intricate gates. Their cement walls are in varying shades of sand and greying white with carved balcony ledges and marble steps. They are so beautiful and so old and proud and decaying. Their decrepit state breaks my heart, but I love them all the same. They are like old men and women of a long-forgotten age full of finery and prosperity looking sadly over a changing world around them.

Fireplace in the Emergency Room

As I drive away from the hospital, clutching my receipt for the 137 Egyptian pounds (about 32 American Dollars) that I spent on the examination and medicine for an acute Urinary Tract Infection, I observe the city in a new light.  The graffiti on the walls near the Cairo Opera House fill me with a mixture of hope and sadness, hope for the messages of change and revolution they display and sadness for the neglected beauty hidden underneath.

An old building near our apartment

Pyramids and Economics

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If you are friends with me or any of the other DukeEngage participants on Facebook then you have probably already noticed all the pictures of the Pyramids we have put up. We had a great time, but I was shocked by how few people were there touring one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was so empty! Since we were one of maybe two groups there and all obviously American, we were swarmed almost instantly by vendors selling their merchandise and people trying to give us camel and horseback rides around  the pyramids.

 

Most of them were very friendly and treated us fairly, but it broke my heart to see them. I didn’t want what they were selling, but I know that they needed me to buy from them. Tourism makes up a quarter of Egypt’s economy and is down over 60 percent due to the political uprisings.  They were proud people who wouldn’t take handouts and who loved to welcome us and tell us about their history.  We discussed the upcoming elections and the effects each candidate would have on their livelihoods: tourism. It reminded me that even though prices are negotiable, whatever money these people can get means so much more to them than to me. 1 Egyptian pound is the equivalent of about 15 cents to me, but to them it is a falafel sandwich, a cup of tea, a metro ticket, or muffin. It is the means of providing for themselves and for me. I only spent about 40 pounds, the equivalent of around 6.5 US dollars, but I now half wish I had done more. I don’t have limitless funds, but I have been blessed with so much more than others.