Egyptian Day of Anger

In response to the Tunisian situation in which violent protests ousted a tyrannical regime, Egypt has tried to follow suit. This has lead to some pretty interesting bus rides through town. On Tuesday Egypt had a national holiday, when most folks are off of work. Ironically “Police Day,” the holiday taken in order to pay homage to the police (read-security forces) was the national holiday picked for the protests. That morning the largest Egyptian news paper ran the front page article of the trial and mugshot of the Alexandria bomber-solidifying a government crackdown against any opposition. (The following day after massive protests, the paper discussed such movements, in Lebanon.) Tension filled the air that morning, along with the playful screams of boys. These boys were the conscripted army members from upper (Souther; Nile flows down river/North) with billy clubs being assembled at chokepoints. Egypt has a rule which states one cannot make Egypt look bad abroad. That along with Embassy orders kept our cameras down as we drove past. However it was interesting as the boys blew kisses at our bus and waved. A few hours later some of them would be engaged with rock throwers, a few cars and tires lit on fire, and massive demonstration. Tear gas (wouldn’t that be a cool souvenir?) and water cannons were used against the demonstrators. As we were coming back from the pyramids the following day, we noticed many cars were parked along the side of the bridge we were on. Looking down we saw a small street with a platoon of police with riot gear engaged with protestors who were throwing rocks and sticks. This is the one decent picture I got of the incident, which was safe to take from an elevated and moving position. () As we continued our drive we passed a few gas stations which had all of the workers (full service) standing out in front flagging the entrance so that folks could not buy gas to use. It was all very intense but seems rather ineffective. There is no legitimate opposition to the ruling party. American fears of a Muslim Brotherhood takeover play well into the regime’s strategy, and most Egyptians I have talked to would not support a Brotherhood government. The movement is a step in the right direction, but Egypt is following Tunisia’s lead, which has a significantly smaller population. Will this end in my extraction from some rooftop by helicopter? Not at all. People will complain and make facebook statements and then they will go back to watching soccer. Mubarak had a plane gassed up and ready to bolt, and rumors are his sun has left for London. With these actions the rich leader’s playground of a country is slowly dwindling. The scariest thing is who, or what will the next leader look like?

In other news: Packers won. I searched for an hour and a half walking all over the western parts of Cairo for a hotel to watch the game and have become intimately familiar with the expat bars. No luck however. On my way back I saw a man in a Bass Pro Shop hat, which scream American to me. I asked him if he was American. He said “La Habibi ana msrie” (no my son/love/young one I’m Egyptian) I then asked in Arabic if he knew where I could find the American football game. He said he would recommend New York. We then talked about what I was doing in Egypt and how I found his country. All in Arabic. I am getting much better at the language.

This is a country of contrasts. One day we were at the pyramids- a symbol of strength and old wonder, the next day the largest mall in the Middle East where I had a hotdog from Hardee’s and an Auntie Ann’s pretzel. Right now I am on the road to my new home on the coast. The drive is beautiful with many Mediterranean style compounds with lush (by desert standards) date trees. The two days of protests seemed to have subsided, leaving both sides asking “now what?” For me the answer is simple; go to the coast, learn Arabic, and take good pictures. Things happen here just like the rise and fall of the Nile, it is part of life. Sometimes change happens quickly, sometimes over longer periods of time. I am excited to see what change will come when I get to Alexandria.

Leaving on a Jet plane

It’s about 8 in the morning here. I am sitting on the 11th story balcony, overlooking an area of Cairo from out apartment for the next few days. Steam comes off my freshly made cup of tea (look mom, no hands!) as the sun starts to warm up the city. It will get up 70 today, and I couldn’t be happier.
Plane ride over to Europe was great. I have never flown in a 747, and flirted my way to an open row with the nice woman at check in. I got all 4 seats to myself and promptly went to sleep sprawled out. When I woke up we were in Europe. Most of my friends, and many Drake students will get off at the European stop. They will see wonderful things, probably taste wonderful liquids of varying results, and be immersed in a different western lifestyle. My European adventure consisted of a frankfurter (when in Frankfurt) a beer and another nap. Eiffel towers, cathedrals, and tapas places are fine, but some crave a little more adventure.
I am not sure what it takes to come to the Middle East. We met a group of students headed to American University Cairo. There was a confidence amongst both teams, a sort of “I’m ready to take on the world” mentality. Undoubtedly the stresses of Middle Eastern life for Americans will rear up at some point. We will be ready. The next week or so is orientation and acclamation before we push north to our actual apartment.
The tea is getting cold.
-IW

Changes in latitudes...

6,000 miles. 23kg luggage allowance. 4 months, 2 weeks, 2 days. 181 pounds (I fully expect to drop back to 165, upon return I am starting the new fad diet: falafel and hummus, Atkins beware!) 1 hideous beard. All set to roll down the tarmac.
I’m all packed up, ready to go off on another adventure. This time it won’t be for a week in Des Moines. Or even three weeks playing tourist down the Nile. I have prepared for this ever since Ms. Brey said “hey, want to go to Jordan?” I will be exceeding previous stays in the region by more than double. This time there is no mission; no metrics to be judged upon, no team to oversee. The goal is simple: be. Learn more Arabic. Open up the world, and come back with stories. There will be lots of stories.
Almost all of my previous posts have been song names or lyrics, so in that fashion I will end with the following:
“Reading departures signs in some big airport reminds me of the places I’ve been…Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure make me want to go back again!”
So I will.
See you in the Sandbox!

Golden Glow

The day started off rather dreary and cold. This would be my last day on Drake’s campus for quite a long time. When I left work today at the admissions office, I wandered through Meredith and then by Morehouse-the places I have spent the majority of my Drake time. As I came out, the sun was setting, casting the warmest of golden glows on campus. I will miss Drake very much, but cannot wait to start the Egypt trip…

Normally I start these trip blogs with some sort of this is why I am going, what I believe we will accomplish, etc. This time is different. I am not leading anyone, I do not have a particular mission other than to just be there. We don’t have State Department meetings, embassy parties, or a schedule outside of classes. I am quite excited for this change of pace from my other endeavors in the region. I am also looking forward to the photography opportunities and challenges, which I hope to share here.

In terms of the recent bombings in my future city, which left 21 dead, we will keep our eyes open and our security tight. However we cannot, and will not back down. Putting Americans in the region, learning the language will continue to minimize the chances of these atrocities happening again, as was the case in Jordan. No Americans were targeted or killed in this particular attack, and both Butler and other organizations I seek counsel from have deemed it a safe place to travel. Regardless of kill counts and risk, dialogue promotes peace, and soft diplomacy, of a people to people style is one of the best ways to promote a common understanding between cultures.

“A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for”-G. Hopper

Validation

In my endeavors with leadership at Drake I came across a book which has done wonders for me. It’s your Ship by Captain Abrashoff would be on my must read to lead list. One of the simple and effective notions discussed is validation. Everyone, regardless of your job, likes to know they are appreciated. The best leaders will take time to make sure they have face time with everyone in the organization to at genuinely thank them for what they do. I had this experience working in the admissions department, where I am the lowest ranked person. I do clerical work. If you are reading this as a prospective student, chances are any mailing you received, I and my cohorts of minimum wage earners assembled. A few days ago the head-honcho of our entire department came into our room. There is generally no reason to be in our room-other than the coffee machine, but he is on a different floor, and presumably has an office big enough for his own coffee machine. He stopped by just to say hello, chat with us and then at the end thanked us for what we were doing. Is what we do glorious work, no, its mundane, but it is sincerely appreciated by the top brass and knowing that helps ease the monotony. Imagine if the general came in to talk to privates just to say hey I really appreciate the work you are doing for this organization. Chances are they would remember that.
Instill validation in your own leadings. Every man in the fraternity was asked to give me the addresses and birthdays of his parents/guardians. On those birthdays I send a card from all of us brothers. At the end I always put in something about their son that I appreciate, an idea I borrowed from the book. I, like Captain Abrashoff, had a member come to me and thank me for sending that, and his father told him that he was proud of him, which didn’t happen often. It was a fantastic feeling.

All the Small Things

Last night was a pretty cool evening. In fact this whole year has delivered many “I love college” moments.
Millions of years ago Greek Life stood for building better men and women and fraternal bonds with everyone. One of the ways this was shown to the sorority women was through serenades. Every Greek organization has a sweetheart song (ours is the Rose of Pi Kappa Phi.) Serenades have evolved into a song written about the sorority followed up by the sweetheart song. This allows for as much creativity and fun as possible. Last night was probably the best one we have ever done. Ironically there were only three of us to serenade the women of Kappa Alpha Theta. The other houses easily all had at least 20 guys. We went 2nd to last and walked into the room packed with probably 80 Theta girls. I set down the plastic Rock Band drum set while Alex and Ben strapped up their guitar hero guitars. We hit play on the ipod and went into a Theta specific version of Blink 182’s All the Small Things (All the Thetas.) We rocked it and had the sorority girls up on their feet jumping around and rocking out. Then the three of us dropped to our knee and barber shop quarteted (new word) our Sweetheart Song. This is the first time Pi Kappa Phi took first in a serenade.
Shortly after I put on a suit and tie and argued before the entire Student Senate for their endorsement of Drake Sportsmen’s club to give student a venue to learn how to safely enjoy firearms. It also went brilliantly. It has been quite some time before I have argued before a large group (mock trial high school) and it is still a rush. Not bad for a Thursday night.

Take it Easy

Four bands exist on my bucket list. In no particular order: Green Day, Blink 182, Jimmy Buffett, and the Eagles. I recently got to check off one, which puts me at 50%.
Friday evening I was out with a buddy hanging out with more buddies, doing buddy things. After sinking a remarkable shot, I checked my phone. The text message I had received read the following: Sunday evening, would you be my guest at the Eagles if you don’t have anything to do?”
The implications of that text made my weekend. In fact this last month has been fantastic! (Marathon, Eagles, Birthday, making use of 21st birthday)
There have been many times in my life when the Eagles have given much much comfort. This past summer, sitting on the beach south of the Suez I was switching between Jimmy and the Eagles, and it was simply amazing. As I sat in the Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines, the same feeling swept over. In fact I generally have this rather stupid looking smug on my face when I become extremely happy and excited. My cheeks hurt from 3 hours of smiling. The most magical moment was when my favorite song came on: Take it to the limit, one more time…