DukeEngage Cairo 2012

A Civic Engagement Program in Egypt

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Week 1 – Video

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Ryan
1

You’ve looked at the pictures and read the descriptions… Now you can see what we’ve been up to for yourself! A short video of our first week in Cairo is below.

Posted in Week 1 | Tagged Cairo, duke, DukeEngage, egypt, engage, organizations, pyramids, service, sphinx, university, video | 1 Reply

Participants

  • Amanda Young RSS feed
  • Amber Watson RSS feed
  • Daniel O'Keefe RSS feed
  • Desmond Lee RSS feed
  • Dylan Peterson RSS feed
  • Kishan S RSS feed
  • Marianna Jordan RSS feed
  • Ryan Gaylord RSS feed
  • Sarah Haas RSS feed
  • Stephanie Egeler RSS feed
  • Yohana Zecarias RSS feed

This blog serves as a creative outlet for the 2012 DukeEngage Cairo participants to reflect on their time in Egypt and share their stories. The participants are students studying at Duke University who are passionate about volunteerism and humanism- two components that make DukeEngage Cairo a program that is committed to strengthening the spirit of civic engagement. We hope you enjoy reading about our summer adventures and our experiences working with partner organizations in Cairo.

Image: http://topworldcities.net/cairo-sunset.html

Archives

Links

  • Duke Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
  • Duke Islamic Studies Center
  • DukeEngage
  • DukeEngage Cairo 2012 Facebook Page
  • I the Egyptian
  • Kayan Society
  • Twitter @DECairo2012

Reflections Week by Week

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June 24th, 2012: Reflections from DukeEngage Cairo

June 24th, 2012: Reflections from DukeEngage Cairo

Kishan Shah Sitting in Arabesque with our whole crew, I was overcome with excitement, anticipation, and anxiety. The café was jam-packed with eager Egyptians awaiting the momentous announcement that would ensure one of two fates: angst and chaos among the hundreds of thousands of people in Tahrir Square or elation and merriment. I could feel myself stirring, impatiently awaiting a name: Ahmed Shafiq or Mohammed Mursi to be uttered from the lips of the head of the Supreme Court, Farouk Sultan. As I tried to make sense of the Arabic swirling through the café, I was overcome by my emotions: with ...

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Destination: Cairo

Destination: Cairo

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 ...

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Known Unknowns

Known Unknowns

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 ...

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Itinerary of Service

Attached to my fridge by a pyramid-shaped magnet, my DukeEngage travel itinerary has become an obsession of mine. Despite the fact that it’s been up for almost a month now, I’m always stunned each time I reread it. Newark, Frankfurt, and then finally Cairo- an adventure that seems straight out of an action movie or a best-selling novel. Peering over what in reality is a boring, standard email printout, my stomach twists and turns as if on queue. My body is gripped by an interesting concoction of excitement, fear, and most importantly, uncertainty. Meanwhile, my mind flashes over what seems ...

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Twisted Tongues

I've welcomed chaos into my life whole-heartedly over the past few years. Car breaks down, casual. Lose a couple hundred bucks, casual. Miss my flight to Cairo because I think we're leaving the next day, CASUAL. Now, now, don't worry - I'm typing this in our apartment in Garden City (which will most likely be nicer than any apartment I will live in the US), so I only almost royally shattered my summer. But looking back on the last 24 hours, I must say, missing my flight was probably the best thing that could've happened to a linguistically-challenged person such as ...

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Tradition and Opportunity

Tradition and Opportunity

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 ...

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The Children are the Focus

The Children are the Focus

This morning we climbed onto a 15-passenger van and began our journey out of Garden City to the desert to Ana El-Masry, our primary community partner. After  turning around several times on the highway, we finally turned onto a dirt path in the desert that looked like a construction site and did some serious off-roading until we reached a massive compound complete with grass in the front yard and a row of palm trees lining the drive.  With miles and miles of sand stretched out around it, it was a little oasis and a haven for many. Once inside, we met ...

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Preparations and Anticipations!

Preparations and Anticipations!

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! Summers in my hometown in Northeast Tennessee are generally ...

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On Democracy in Egypt

On Democracy in Egypt

Today is not just any Saturday in Egypt. Today is the beginning of the voting for the run-offs in Egypt’s first democratic presidential election- something that will be taught in history books in years to come, and here I am, a small-town American girl in Cairo, witnessing democracy at work first-hand. The polls are open and Egyptians are casting their vote for either Ahmed Shafik, the former prime minister to Mubarak, or Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.               What Egypt is facing is two extremes; a polarized election that it seems democracy often initiates. With our own election coming up in ...

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Fitting In, Standing Out

Fitting In, Standing Out

"Ana ismee Kishan," I said as we met countless friendly, helpful, and encouraging faces yesterday. The response I got at each place we went was all the same: "Anta misry?" In Arabic, this translates to "Are you Egyptian?" Of course, I somewhat expected these types of comments, but to have it happen numerous times throughout the day was a bit shocking. A strange dichotomy of belonging and alienation fell over me each time; men and women we met would first speak in fluent (and FAST) Arabic to me, as if I was the leader (at least in communication) for the group. Taking ...

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