SIWA

hey! i wrote this travel story about siwa.. i wanna share!


Siwa Gives a Lesson In Fear

You can never find what you're looking for while searching. Only when your mind flouts, and you travel away, you capture it. It can take a blink of an eye, or eternity.

Siwa taught me this. I wouldn’t need to clarify what the place is if it got the same media attention as the pyramids, or the Eifel Tower . Still, it was a destination worth it all.

It took me 11 hours riding a public bus to get there from Cairo . Unlike the pyramids, Siwa doesn’t attract many tourists; or at least, many conventional tourists; those speaking an Arabic word like "ezayak" to say hello and automatically then, consider themselves living the "Egyptian experience". No, no. Siwa is different; not many manage to get there; but whom does, Siwa makes sure to give them the reward they deserve.

Siwa is an isolated oasis that have been settled since the 10th millennium BC, at least. In 2007 , the world’s oldest human footprint was discovered there that was about 3 million years old.

How significant are we in the face of time?

This is precisely why I take photos: to immortalize it, this life, as I come to know it , and let it be.

When I first laid eye on Siwa, it reminded me of a scene from an old movie I watched. It was a beautiful afternoon; tiny mud houses stood beside each other, donkey carts eagerly made their way to cross from one street to the other, and men sipped their Bedouin dark tea while having shisha (hookah). Those donkey carts were taxis since there were no car taxis. Women didn’t occupy much of the public space; when I looked around attempting to spot some, I saw two women carrying bread as they held their children's hand.

Let me just say that Siwa isn’t the typical recommended place for tourists. Globalization hasn’t yet left its fingerprints on Siwa's features ; unlike Cairo where one can see KFC in the middle of the dessert beside the pyramids. There are only local restaurants that turned out to serve the best "fatir" ever. It's similar to a pie , just one thousand times better. When I asked the waiter where it’s originally from , he proudly announced : men hena (from here). My skeptic Egyptian friend, Ahmed, said that it’s originally from Turkey , but here, Egyptians are too proud to admit that amazing things do come from elsewhere. I laughed, and teased him saying, “ well, they have every reason in the world to think so.” He grinned admitting that at the end of the day, he does feel the same way.

I also had a fool sandwich (brown beans) with black tea that’s popular in Siwa. I thought that "consuming" this sandwich here, in this so-called third world , has safer effects on the world than the sandwiches produced in the first world by industries that hire underpaid illegal immigrants and slaughter cows inhumanely. Eating that food sandwich was eco-friendly, I happily concluded.

That’s what's so unique about travelling; it allows you to re- label things that you took for granted.

The Bedouins taught me how to live life to its fullest, even when I’m not feeling 100 percent secure, but this didn’t happen on the first or second day , or even the third. In the beginning, I was just too nervous and self-cautious that I’ll be ripped off or harassed. This perception started changing when Bedouins kept persistently inviting us to have lunch and dinner with them; they always offered the widest smiles and kindest gestures.

My American friend, Sarah, dropped her wallet when we touring the village; a Bedouin picked it up and ran to catch us and give it back. We offered him money to thank him; he strongly refused as if we were offending him. After this, I thought , “ maybe Siwa isn’t the dangerous place I’d imagined. Maybe it’s all in my head”.

I have never gone sand surfing, and honestly speaking, never planned to. We rented bicycles to go to the ancient fortress , known as (Shali Ghali). Our Egyptian guide , Khaled, told us that the British and German army fought in Siwa in the First and Second World War. He then sarcastically added that not only people come here to fight, but also to sand surf; I immediately exclaimed, “thanks, but I didn’t come here to kill myself.”

And there it came, the answer.. softly spoken by Khaled,

“ Sam, I went to Beirut in summer 2006. And guess what? It was war, bloody war. But there and then , only there and then , did I learn what it meant to live. Obviously, it was dangerous in the streets. But, lovers were passionately hugging beside the beautiful sea. Shop owners refused to close. Men and Women were laughing as they sipped coffee.

Were they scared? I bet they were, as hell.

But , they didn’t let the fright strong enough to stop them from living. And this is life Sam. You take a risk, you innovate. You come up with all these new things. Will you be afraid to try them because you might be rejected or maybe even harmed? definitely yes; it’s a fact of being. Plus, fear keeps you from falling from the edge, it’s for balance. But , whether or not you allow fear to stop you being the person you truly are remains the question, the ultimate question. And in the end, this defines your life.”

And this was it; the moment I learnt, the moment I realized how it ought to be .

When exactly do we lose the courage of the child within? Is it the culture? Or maybe the media? But the media is there to help us discover and explore. And exploration never happens without courage, and a decent amount of fear.

On that day, Khaled taught me what I needed to know; about the tomorrow I’ll have to make and the everlasting voyage this phenomenal life truly is.

I did sand surf , and it made all the difference in my world.

Is AUC a High School?!

Is AUC a high school?

Because the last time I checked AUC's official website, it explicitly said "AUC is the region’s premier English-language university." Not only is it considered a university then, but also a premier one. I started elaborating more on my little discovery; what constitutes a university by definition?

Well, students must be a basic part of this prestigious educational institution. Unfortunately, the vast majority is not concerned whatsoever with academics. Many deserve high honors and mastery in being "drama queens". Others just sit around lazily doing nothing as the day unfolds.

As an international student, I expected to learn more about Egypt partially from the students. On the contrary, I was more knowledgeable on the politics, economy, and society of this part of the region than Egyptian AUCians .

According to the website, AUC serves as "forum for reasoned argument, spirited debate and global understanding." How influential will AUC be if this "reasoned argument" and "global understanding" was only limited to a small minority? Or are we, also here, caught in big titles and labels that convey everything but reality? Is it a trend in the Arab World to have words more than actual efficiency?

And what will happen to Egypt's grass root? At the end of the days, AUCians are considered the leaders who play an essential role in the development and prosperity of the region. What will the end be to the father who supports 5 children with a wage that doesn't exceed 5 pounds a day (and we all know what that means)? Who will create a better system that will protect such individuals?

"The majority of AUCians are not concerned with the world outside their bubble. They don't consciously think of the people of this country," An anonymous student said.

Was AUC more selective decades ago? Or is it the generation of today?

If the fruits of a tree became dry, could we infer that the roots are infected, maybe just not strong enough to last?

We can totally ignore this idea and simply indulge ourselves back in our luxurious life. But sooner or later, Egypt will rise and it will be such a defeat if AUC was in the margins.

my thoughts ..

When I was at high school, I got "the most beautiful smile" title. There was no way I could have gotten the "miss beauty" one; beauty in my school was never defined as: a girl who laughs and eats and talks all at the same time, wears funky clothes, goes to a custom party as a "boy " while the rest of the girls took it as a chance to be perfect "miss universe" and a way to dress slutty without being judged; I never saw rabbits and cats in nature that looked this hot!The funny thing is that my school "hot shots" hit on me all night long; I don’t know was it the mustache or the suit that attracted them. i think I was a handsome young gentleman; yes, I even opened doors for the hot rabbits!!

My best friend told me then: you shine Sam. That’s why you have this gorgeous smile.

I learnt what this really meant when I lost it.

I was too young then to realize that it might just be gone; that it might just go away; the life within; that it might be stolen when I'm not looking ; when I'm overwhelmed by "not – my –best " life experiences; when life become too harsh and complicated for me to handle ; when I'm disappointed so many times that I start doubting what I took for granted.

Things happened so fast my senior year, I didn't stop to look at the mirror to see if I can recognize myself. Then, I came to cairo to study at AUC.

All the girls I knew freshmen year transformed to the norm of an AUCian girl : Miss looking perfect 24/7 every single day 365 days a year with a frown. For some mysterious reason, a smiley face wasn’t very popular among girls.

I became that girl; always dressing perfectly and walking around with this ugly frown ( the hot rabbits and cats in high school still looked gorgeous without having the frown).

It was a foggy day in winter when I had my revelation. I was going through some old writings of mine when I stopped at these words written in a messy 10 years old handwriting: I don’t want to grow up to be like " adults" whom I dislike. I want to stay me; enjoy simple things and truly love people.I don’t want to let any bad experience change how I look at life; at the magic of life, and love.I promise I wont lose myself as I grown old.

It just hit me; I became this person who does things the way everybody does, faceless, and sad in the inside. I had to save myself; I needed to change.

I am writing these words to open this new page in my life; I never wanted to be conventional; I went to journalism school when I had a scholarship to go to medicine school. I would theorize why people aren't satisfied in their lives at the age of 7. I would sit on a slide and believe im the queen of the world. I still belive in an unconditional love that never ends.and yes, miracles do happen.

isnt it interesting?

hey! i wrote this profile about this egyptian director. i think hes an interesting guy. i thought of sharing it with you :

In a world where people usually choose to do, be, and think the same, a few forge their own way. These few add color to the world of television re-runs, identical pop songs, and cookie-cutter fashion.

They are not seen on TV not only because they stand behind the camera, but also because they are not appreciated by the masses that value commercial films. These few choose to stay independent; to be different.

In a city rich in culture, history, even the lower class misery, Tamer El-Said started his own legacy. Born in Cairo in 1972, El-Said chose to be an independent film maker.

A director for several short films and documentaries, El-Said participated in several film festivals like Aspen Short Film Festival.

For El-Said, being an independent film maker is about being sincere to himself. It is how much he sticks to his vision and not let the market affects his choices in making movies.

El-Said portrays films as human beings with souls. "You can never be happy if you lose your soul throughout the making of the film,"El-Said said.

Films allow El-Said to express his thoughts and discover his soul through film making. El-Said said, "Life is a journey of self discovery. I create movies that help me do so."

El-Said believes that we tend to talk to people who are like us; people who share our same values, thoughts, and perspective of the world. We do this because it is safer and more comfortable.

This does not help us progress since civilizations develop through clashes between different points of view.

"Laziness is in our human nature; we want to unify everything", El-Said said. "It is very arrogant to sit in the cinema and expect to get everything doing nothing." Film is a form of art; just like literature ", El-Said added.

It is a struggle between the commercial and the alternative. The alternative is anything outside the mainstream. El-Said is not against commercial films; he is just against them deleting him.

People usually go to the movies with previous expectations. If what the movie pictures differ from their expectations, they judge it being "bad", El-Said said.

People have a reference for everything; whether it is for relationships or going to the opera house. They carry their judgments from one story to another and live the same pattern over and over again.

"This reference ruins what they are living now. People should give themselves the chance to taste things openly," El-Said said.

"I deal with films with no expectations or references. I open my heart to feel new things, break the rules, and get out of the box people try to put me in", added El-Said.

"The camera is a strange piece of metal. It is like a lie detector. You can never lie to yourself or the audience," El-Said said.

Every once in a while, a film maker's inner vision succeeds with the masses, other times it does not. It is as simple as this.
"That is why artists should never believe their publicity. I got lucky with On A Monday in terms of box office, but I do not expect this to happen every single time I direct a movie," El-Said said.

The best way to live life is to be fully charge of something." The films I direct are my responsibility. I create films that are in harmony with my feelings, "El-Said said.

Ahmed Nasri, an Egyptian film critic, said, "El-Said uses his imagination to get out of what the masses are used to. He has the guts to do so. And what can I say? He always succeeds in creating magnificent pieces of art."
"El-Said has the gift of reaching the audience. He presents his creative thoughts smoothly in a way that captures the audience, "Sarah Bendy, an Egyptian film editor, said.

El-Said was awarded the Special Jury Award (2005) in Sakia Festival for Short Feature Films. On a Monday, a film about a middle aged couple discovering affection in their marriage, won the best short film in the Eleventh National Film Festival for the Egyptian Cinema, Cairo.

For some artists, the measure of success is publicity and profit-making. For more courageous artists, success is a matter of being innovative.

And let it be said that the Nile witnessed the birth of such artists in the shadows of this ancient city.

president arnold and auc

it was said at the forum that classes weren't affected by the short semester. well, i believe that now, we're getting more papers and exams than we usually do cause everything is condensed. and im pissed; cause i wanna do all these things and i dont wanna school work to affect it. when im 60 years old, i wont remember the random paper i did for some class im not interested in (since there are certain classes that one must take at auc), but ill remember my adventures with my friends, the amazing books i read since i wanna be a novelist , and just the real life here. yes, im interested in journalism classes, but it's only one class that im taking. i have this rhet201 class and its just so boring.. it's academic writing (which made me realize i dont wanna be an academic even if its more prestigous than being a journalist).. after all, i didnt choose journalism for socio economic reasons but simply cause it's my passion to write from and about the people- the real people..

i think this is the best semester during my stay in cairo cause im balancing- to a certain extent- between school and my personal/social life..

:)

i think its a matter of being focused when doing things.. like when studying you're really studying and engaged.. and when you're going out you're really in it and enjoying it not thinking about what you should do tomorrow

:)

as the semester unfold, i realize what such a rich expereince it was.. hopefully, it will only bring the best,,

A good semester!

As the semester unfolds and reach the end, I realize that this was indeed a good semester. I learnt a lot about myself and journalism , made a bunch of amazing friends, and got more focused in my life. Yesterday we had this floor meeting in the military hotel. They told us that there will be NO on campus housing next semester. For me, this is good because I’m trying to get an internship this spring (after my failed attempts to get an internship in the winter). I will live- enshala- in maadi which will allow me to easily go to downtown where most of the news agencies are. I’m excited for the Eid holiday – not because ill spend it with family since im in Egypt and they’re in Jordan , but because I’ll be able to study for my gre. Since in winter, I get distraced cause I go to Jordan and I see all my family and friends (which can be overwhelming)

AUC students are active!!yaaaaay!

OK , so , president Arnold announced that he won't give part of the tuition back since AUC charges students on a credit basis, not on a weekly basis. he also added that he is sure professors are managing to deliver quality education in this short semester. so , i decided to gather signatures from professors who think otherwise.My concern is that i won't find professors willing to do so since the administration might get pissed.i will go for it but if it turned out to be a bad experience i will just stop because my time is more precious than wasting it on something with no results. I'm impressed by students because they are usually just like :whatever, but during the strike and after, they were so active. Go AUC students!! I'll update you with what happens with my signature thing/