Tag Archives: pre-departure

Destination: Cairo

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My nose has been in this book for the past few weeks:

Did you know the Mosque of Ibn Tulun is said to be Cairo’s oldest mosque, built somewhere between AD 876 and AD 879? Or that Egypt is home to the famous Fayoum Portraits, some of the earliest ever examples of portraiture dating from 3rd century AD? Here’s something mind-blowing: the Pyramids are the only one of the Seven wonders of the Ancient World to survive.

Pretty cool, right?

As I’m sitting in the airport flipping aimlessly through this book, I stop for a moment to look up at my surroundings. There’s a young girl in a yellow polka dotted dress being half carried, half dragged by her father who is quickly losing patience. There’s a woman typing away faster than I am sitting near by me; she looks like she’s got everything under control. The hustle and bustle of the airport is comforting for some reason. The more I watch people prepare to board their planes to various destinations around the globe, the more I start thinking about my own: Cairo, Egypt. The real Cairo, not the 2-dimensional one I’ve been obsessing over.

My carry-on bag beside me is stuffed to the brim with arts and crafts supplies. As are my other bags. My ratio of necessities to pom pom balls, glue sticks, play-doh, colored beads, and yarn is highly unbalanced. If you can’t tell, I’m really looking forward to working with the children at Ana-El Masry. Ana El-Masry is an Egyptian non-profit foundation that rehabilitates street children that me and my fellow DukeEngage Cairo participants will be teaching at. I will be working in the arts group with Yohana and Stephanie in hopes of seeing the children learn through creativity and expression. Even though I haven’t met the kids yet, I find myself thinking of them often.

This trip will be my first time traveling outside North America.  I’m listening to the travelers around me talk on the phone, order food, and speak with their loved ones… normal exchanges. Exchanges you would hear anywhere in the world, just not necessarily in English. In just a few hours, most of the interactions around me will be in Arabic. After only one year of studying the language, I have come to fall in love with it, but it won’t be feasible for me to communicate solely in Arabic. I see a lot of hand motions and stumbling over Egyptian dialect in my future. I’m not sure if I’m full of excitement or angst right now, but I’m hoping for a practical, healthy mix of the two.

It’s uncertain what DukeEngage has in store for me. We’ve been given such an amazing opportunity and I trust that this will be the experience of a lifetime; an experience I will never forget and one that will change my perspective- my perspective of the world, my perspective of others, and my perspective of civic engagement. But, perhaps most importantly, engaging with partner organizations in Cairo will change me in a way I will not expect.

I’ve always loved to write, and I have a few blogs I update regularly, so this summer will be no exception. I’ll be keeping a small hand-written journal for personal reflections as well, so some excerpts may make it up on this site. I can’t wait to share my experiences, stories, and anecdotes. I’ll also try to keep readers updated on what we’re doing and seeing in Cairo, while composing thoughts and opinions about civic engagement and volunteerism. I’m about to board the plane, so the next time I post I’ll be in Egypt, inshallah!

Photo Source: http://www.hotelstravelpal.com/Africa/Egypt/Images/islamic-cairo-01.jpg        http://www.fliegerweb.com/user_bilder/Boeing737800_EgyptAir_400x263.jpg

 

Preparations and Anticipations!

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Today I bought art supplies for around 65 children that I can’t wait to meet! It was fun to walk up and down the craft aisles planning activities and imagining all the things we will do this summer. I’ve always enjoyed art because, in all its forms, it’s a true expression of ourselves. I know that the children I will be working with at Ana el-Masry will have lived very different lives than my own, and I am very excited to see their own thoughts and experiences be manifested in their creativity!

Watauga Lake, where I enjoy swimming, boating, and spending time with friends!

Summers in my hometown in Northeast Tennessee are generally relaxed. If I’m not at the pool, supervising and playing with kids as a lifeguard and babysitter, I am probably at Watauga Lake or hiking along our many lakes and waterfalls in the county.

"The Blue Hole," one of my favorite stops along the trail

 

However, my favorite events of the summer are ones where the entire town comes together and celebrates. We have many of these little festivals and parades such as our July 4th parade through the historic part of town and the annual boat parade on the lake.

My Town's July 4th Parade

So I’m also excited, and nervous, to watch all of Egypt come together for democratic elections. As Ryan mentioned in his blog earlier this week, the elections in Egypt have stirred up all sorts of controversy, and the reviews in the media have been up and down, but I am still excited to be witnessing history in Egypt this summer!

As I pack yarn and construction paper into my suitcase, I can’t help imagining all the wonderful experiences and people in store for me and my DukeEngage participants this summer. I pray for our safety and I anticipate a truly life-changing experience!

 

Tradition and Opportunity

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Memorial Day Weekend is traditionally the most anticipated and jam-packed three days of summer in my hometown of Carmel, Indiana. Every year, several of my family’s closest friends travel to visit the quaint suburb just north of Indianapolis I’ve called home for practically my whole life. There is constantly something to do, somewhere to go, or someone to see during this weekend, and though exhausting, it’s usually one of the highlights of my summer.
The Indianapolis 500, the greatest spectacle in racing, is a Memorial Day Weekend tradition in my home state. The race is just one of the many things I love about Indiana.

This year in particular, three family friends who have young children of their own came to visit. I got to play with all of the kids this weekend, and though shy at first, once they loosened up, they were non-stop balls of energy, running circles around me while I played countless games with them. It was incredible to see how different each one of them was, with their own unique personalities and quirks.

As I tried to keep control of the chaos that the kids were creating, I couldn’t help but think ahead to the children we will soon work with at Ana-El Masry. I can only imagine what some of the children at Ana-El Masry have been through in their lives thus far. I have grown up with everything I could ever need and more provided for me. No one likes to admit they are spoiled–so I’ll say I have been very, very, very lucky throughout my life to be given the things I have. But I think that getting to know the children we will work with, peering inside their souls, connecting with them, teaching them, and learning their stories will help me grow as a person.

Usually my summers are filled with country concerts, eating out with friends, long runs through Carmel, afternoons playing tennis, or late night movies. My life at home is great; it’s comfortable, easy, and relaxing. But from my time spent at Duke the last two years, I have learned that learning doesn’t come when those feelings are present. One must be pushed outside their comfort zone and forced to deal with situations they are not used to.  DukeEngage certainly offers this opportunity, and will be unlike anything  I have ever done.

As the departure date inches closer (just three days now), my feelings have intensified. Am I ready to leave home? No. Am I excited to experience Cairo and begin our partnerships with the organizations? Absolutely. Am I nervous? Heck yes. I think these feelings are all natural, and frankly I would be worried if I wasn’t having them. I can’t be sure of anything at this point except one thing: the 8 weeks ahead of me will be the most eye-opening, enlightening, and incredible opportunity of my life.

Known Unknowns

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The summer is always supposed to be this extraordinary time where we can get away from the harsh grind of daily routine and catch up on all that stuff we’ve been meaning to get around to all year. That’s how I, at least, think about it at my most stressed.

But somehow it never works out that way; new things come up and we further procrastinate on the goals we’ve been putting off. It seems that the more time I have, the harder it is to work productively. I could prep for the committee I’m chairing next semester, but wouldn’t it be so much more interesting to record acoustic alt rock covers with my sister instead?

That’s how my summers usually go; I get quite a bit done, just not the things I was planning on doing. So they’re pleasantly extemporaneous, but always well within the comfortable, predictable bounds of suburban Greensboro, North Carolina.

Greensboro skyline

Greensboro: Where I work, swim, and make the rest up as I go along

It’s a cliche at this point to say that DukeEngage will take me out of my comfort zone. But there’s no better way to describe it – I’ve never left the country, and the last time I flew was when I was very young. I honestly have no context whatsoever for what to expect in the coming weeks besides the impressions that people have shared with me.

But even that doesn’t contribute much to my sense of how things are going to go over there. Almost everyone I’ve talked to for the past several weeks has felt compelled to give me some strongly-held opinion of theirs about conditions in Egypt. They have ranged from insightful to obscure, from consistent to downright contradictory. Even media responses to the election, for example, can’t seem to agree – is the run-off a “nightmare scenario,” an “inevitable result,” or even a choice between “flavors of bad”?

In the words of Donald Rumsfeld, the truth of the situation might be called a “known unknown,” somewhere in the middle of all these dichotomies. I can go around in mental circles indefinitely trying to figure out exactly where, but that’s ultimately not helpful. I have too much on my mind at the moment. If I don’t focus on the things I do feel relatively confident about, there will be literally no way I will come even close to being prepared for this trip.

I know I can relate to children pretty effortlessly, having lived with and worked with kids of every age for my whole life. I know I absolutely love teaching and working with all kinds of music. I know I completely trust and admire the DE Cairo group. There’s not too much more I can say for sure, but how much more do I really need?

So to conclude my abstract musings, I think this summer won’t be entirely different from my usual strategy. There’s simply a new culture to learn. I will focus on making sure the factors I can control are the best they possibly can be. Everything else, we’ll just have to figure out along the way. I’m counting down the days.