Am I five? Because I don't feel five...

What will Egypt be like in 5 years? 10 years? It honestly scares me reading people's blogs about the gaining power of the Muslim Brotherhood. It just hit me how real their hold on Egyptian people is. How much their power could change the lives of my family and friends. How uncomfortable it would make me to go back.

But you know what pisses me off? The watered-down, indifferent answers I get when I ask family about it. The people-pleasing answers, Denial, disregard, and a lack of urgency. A complete disconnect from reality.

Ridiculous.

Gratitude

I'd like to pay tribute to the students who created the massive snow penis that stands proudly on my campus this morning. Your laborious efforts have brought humor to the lives of many sleep-deprived, overstressed badgers.

I'd also like to thank the person who keeps pulling the fire alarm every night at college library. Although I find you highly obnoxious, your dedication to gauranteeing routine study breaks for the masses is admirable.

Mostly for Adam

I'd like to take a moment to express my hatred for a song called "MY HUMPS." I could go on, but this review does a pretty great job at it.

SO AWKWARD!

So I'm sitting in the Senate Page room...And in the background we're playing the radio for the public hearing going on upstairs. There's a push to amend the Wisconsin constitution to define marriage as being between a male and a female...And man, pretty popular day for people to want to voice their opinions.

So how this little shindig is working out...They let people speak both for and against, and back and forth and back and forth. Senators on both sides then respond with near vomit-inducing sweetness... "Wow we thank you for sharing your story, and respect you for it"

But you know inside they're about ready to just kick the shit out of a chair or something...Or ask a senate page to kick one for them.

I digress.

Back to the page room. We're all seudo-listening, half-assedly attempting classwork, surfing them internets, you know, the senate page deal. So the first highlight: A 17 year old girl comes on saying something like, "Hi I just came here to say I was raised in a very loving and healthy family and believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, and every child deserves both a mommy and a daddy. blablabla...When she's through, a senator says "wow, that was very brave of you, I don't think I could have done this at 17-and wow you must have taken time off of school to be here!" Nope. Homeschooled.

As it continued...we started to notice...The stories were getting a bit weirder, the two sides a little more emotional, the senators a bit less chummy...Then someone busts this baby out.

So there's a man, he's married, has a loving family of three children.
Oh, and he has multiple personalities.
Right now, he tells everyone, He is speaking as Rebecca.
The room gets pretty fucking quiet.

Rebecca goes on to state that yes she's technically a man, and that she's legally married to her wife, even though she is a lesbian when she is Rebecca...Awkward silence...The speech continues, and keeps busting out those pindrop silence, jawdropping, gasping kind of moments, one of which included being castrated...Which I hear made every guy in that room wiggle in their seats just a tad.

Ok, yes,
defining marriage as man and wife simplifies a much more complex society and deprives people of their rights.
I completely agree.

But HOLY SHIT! How many fucking bombs did this person drop on an audience who I'm SURE had quite a few people feeling prettttty fucking awkward (see 17 year old homeschooled girl)! Ha.

Man, I totally wish I'd seen it.
Especially Reynolds' face.
I do love awkward situations...

This is all I'm gonna say

Flash back to high school:
I was at a restaurant. And with a person, who if nothing else, left with me a comment that just stuck. Maybe because it was harsh, offensive, or just brutally honest. It went a little something like this:

You know what it is about you? You're happy sticking to what you know, going to the same restaurants, traveling to the same places. You settle for what makes you comfortable. You're scared to try new things.

I doubt said person meant to trigger some crazy revelation. Ehhh...Little did he know...

So, some changes were made. Priorities adjusted. Goals clarified.

The following summer I was off to Nicaragua. Now I joined AIESEC. In a bit I'll be off to Hong Kong. HONG KONG!


I'm not much for reflecting on THAT path not chosen . But, now I hit a time where, under certain family circumstances, I don't have much of a choice.

And this is what I have to say:
I am SO fucking glad.

Ticket: purchased

Ok so the loving Madison feeling has worn off pretty damn quick. So, best thing to do: buy my ticket out of here. My Hong Kong ticket has been purchased.

January 12-16: New York City
January 16-June 10: Hong Kong

That feels good.

Life is good

It's been a while since I've been in this city and felt so happy.
It was a beautiful day outside, sunny, perfect temperature, and I am just giddy smiley and...back to being myself. My last few weeks have been so crazy and bogged down with the pressure of exams, and the self-induced pressure of proving to myself that I'm capable of doing well if I just work at it hard enough... I pulled through the insanity of my last week, and it's such a fabulous feeling when all the hard work pays off. I had a really great weekend full of flopping and watching Harry Potter and spending time with people I love...a perfect way to melt away the stress and anxiety of the week before. And It's almost turkey day, and I'm relaxed and stress free and ready to throw on my sweats and eat for four days straight and see my girls and watch MORE movies.
Man. Life is good.

Uganda Idea status: freakin awesome

Dody's idea for AIESEC gaining mass distribution rights is almost reality. The day after this man's brilliant commenting, Adam and I sat down and busted out an email to the makers of the film. And here's their response:

I just finished reading your email and I am now staring at the
screen not knowing what to write because I am so excited about
what I just read. Wow... AIESEC is an incredible organization and
I am so stoked that you have a desire to help the children of
northern Uganda. And not only do you want to help the children of
northern Uganda, but you want to do it through helping show
Invisible Children. That is so great.

As far as your basic idea... I think something like that can totally work out. How many DVD's are you thinking of trying to distribute? And I don't really know what we would "negotiate" to give you non-exclusive distribution rights, because offer anyone the right to watch and spread the film as they so please. However, I guess because this is on such a larger scale we might have to draw up some sort of legal agreement. So, I would love to talk with you about this over the phone, I will give you a call tomorrow during the day sometime, or you can call me anytime

Awesome.
More updates to come.

And the moral of today's story:

I need to buy a planner.

Invisible Children: What now?

My coach group met today and had a really great conversation regarding the Uganda Event our Madison LC hosted this last Thursday...From our meeting, we decided that our @ network can do more, lots more, to spread awareness. We have a huge tool, a network to 91 different countries, with passionate, motivated students interested in bettering the global future. The question is, how can we utilitze it?

We started brainstorming and came up with an idea I'm dedicated to making a reality. How can we educate people, Aiesecers, not just within the US, but throughout all the @ countries on this issue? How can we have a direct impact and spread awareness worldwide??

Here's the idea:
We have members traveling to different LCs all over the world. If we can somehow purchase a massive amount of Invisible Children videos (which in itself is a fundraiser for Uganda awareness by the makers of the documentary) and send them with willing exchange participants so they can host Uganda events in the @ countries they will be visiting, we will potentially be spreading awareness of this under reported crisis on a large scale level, to people just as passionate and motivated as ourselves.

This is just the tentative idea. We need to work out the kinks, figure out fund raising ideas to purchase a massive supply of these documentaries. Anyone interested in getting this going with me, comment away.

I'd like to get this rolling before the semester ends. i plan on taking a documentary to the Hong Kong @ers and setting up an event just like ours on that end of the world.

How many people can we impact?

Mid semester thoughts

You're thrown into these schedules, you go from one thing to the next, not knowing where you'll be in the next few hours without pulling out the old calendario, scrambling to finish up what you are already a week behind on, losing track of time and place and feeling a bit zombiesque. I've attempted to impose some sort of regularity to this semester. I've failed. There's definitely a sense of disconnect, in many junctures. Things change, friends move, come back, go abroad. They come back changed, or maybe they're exactly the same, and its you who's changed. Families change, the dynamic changes, expectations change, responsibilities accumulate. The city stays the same, but the people that define the city and what it means to you are missing.
Case and point:
I've just been in Madison too long.
It's time to get away.

A little questionable...

So, Tanj and I were walking back from a rough day of econ... Walking to and from class, we see these odd-shaped specimens scattered on our path, some whole, some smashed up, but due to sleep deprivation, in depth convos, the hustle and bustle, we never process the peculiarity of these objects..until today. On our walk back, we witness a man scattering around collecting them, and then hurrying off into the distance. We try to follow him, but he disappears out of sight. This is when we decide to tackle the mystery of the questionable fruit. We return to the main path scattered with these oddly shaped, lime green...fruits?. We look up...there are no trees in sight growing them. Tanja is brave enough to pick one up. It's a bit sticky. It smells like a tangerine. We take it home for further investigation.



Not difficult to cut, but perhaps unripe. The inside smells like a pumpkin. What is this thing?! Someone out there has got to know...I will not rest until I find out the mystery of this questionable fruit.

New hardest part about Ramadan:

I can't take study breaks to get food.
There's no valid reason to get out of this chair.
my one solid excuse is gone.
Procrastinating has hit an all time low.
Weird.

Blogworthy: A revelation

"I win by means of nothing but logic, and I surrender to nothing but logic" (Atlas Shrugged)

When I read this book, this quote really stuck out at me. It was a concept I found fascinating at the time- to be able to make all decisions based on logic, control all emotions, and think with a clear head 110% of the time.

Well, sorry to burst that pretty bubble, but I don't think in absolutes. And perhaps those that do have a far too simplistic view of the world. While you may try to have a completely objective view, emotions WILL play a part, personal experiences WILL affect your decisions, your world view WILL determine the decisions you make. While decisions you make may feel completely justified by logic, chances are, a part of your decision was also based on instinct, a gut feeling, a subconscious SOMETHING. We just aren't smart enough to consciously process everything that goes through our mind into making decisions.

And who is to say that's a bad thing?

I've learned that:
-I thrive on my PASSION. If I'm not passionate about something, I won't do it. And the word passion doesn't fall completely in line with a solid, tangible explanation for decision-making. It's just there.
-I am not rash, irrational or naive, nor do I make decisions without extensive thought.
- I don't have hyper-sensitive emotions that I follow blindly, nor do I blindly follow the opinions of people in my life that I trust.
-Making decisions based on a label or theory that, because of the Land of Academia and a little concept called Group Think, you feel you should agree with takes the crucial aspect that differentiates humans,CRITICAL THOUGHT, and throws it out the window. Plug yourself into an equation, add some numerical analysis bullshit, and out pops generic thought number 1257. HMMM.
-I reject romanticism as a way of life...Then again, I believe realism overly simplifies the world. There's a grey area in between, an area which requires a mixture of both logic and instinct. That is where I fall.
-I am not a genius; I'm no where close. But you know, that makes me work twice as hard to figure shit out. So I won't approach things I don't know about with an egotistical, judgmental, absolutist attitude based on some preconcieved notion of what is RIGHT and WRONG. THAT would be naive.

So, that's it. Yes, I'm going to Hong Kong. Yes, I love AIESEC. Yes I am passionate about both, and plan to dedicate myself to both, to a point where it may seem irrational, naive, and spontaneous to some.

Tough.

Destination: Hong Kong

I'm going to Hong Kong.

I just found out I got in today.

Trying to let it soak in.

Awesome.

Brain Barf!

I must love and accept my awkardness! There is just no other way around it, so, I must flaunt it.

A good laugh at myself is probably needed.

Life can be taken a little too seriously.

Once in a while, stop planning. A little go-with-the-flow action.

Dabble in the creative side. Pull out the old sketchbook.

People watch, scribble it all down

Read some Doctor Seuss, only out loud and with Fun Voices!

Laugh. Do a cartwheel here and there. More giggle fits where tears stream down the cheeks.

Need to heighten the optimism, downplay the stress!

A little genuine fun, like the Waterballoon fighting, slip and sliding, rollercoaster kind of fun.

Do your shoulders feel lighter yet? A little more skip in your walk?

Can you Dance? Can you shake it like Nobody's Business?

Well, good.

The superhumans

There are incredible, hard-working, motivated, ambitious people in AIESEC. I wouldn't be in this had I not been surrounded, pushed, and inspired by them. These are the superhumans...the ones that can just keep taking more on, the energizer batteries. Seeing someone this incredible on the cusp of burning out...that scares me. While it may seem like these mentors,leaders,and friends, are capable of anything and everything, they simply can't do it all. If a person this motivated starts burning out,we all need to step it up a notch...They may think they can carry the weight of the world, and perhaps they can, but they shouldn't have to.

One step closer

Next semester is finally at my fingertips...

Characters

I'm a people watcher. It's been ingrained through the endless hours spent studying body language, facial gestures, tangible actions, subtle and not so subtle mannerisms, and on and on and on in theater I, II, III, IV,...I can't help it. But, It definitely will provide some high entertainment value this semester.

My micro TA: the quintessential econ nerd, wears his pants way too far past his belly button, has overly large red-rimmed glasses, and awkwardly annunciates every single word. "Now most TAs might preface their intro discussion with a little information on their interests and hobbies," he began..."I'm sorry to inform you that I am a pitifully boring human being. I don't do anything. I wake up between the hours of 5:30 and 6:00 am, sleep between the hours of 10 and midnight, and in between I eat, sleep, and do economics"....He also wears a special band around his left arm (yes he's a lefty, as am I) to prevent his hand from feeling like cement when he writes on the chalkboard. He takes a sip from his coffee cup every thirty seconds, and has already attempted a few jokes, only to face a silent classroom staring back at him awkwardly. Seriously, if this guy was in a movie, I'd call him too generic...But in real life he's highly amusing, sadly not purposely so.

I then have "Hot Rod" Matthews for International business, and man does that guy look like a cartoon caricature! His deep set wrinkles on his forehead and his frumpy stance can't be complete without the disarray of white hair piled on top of his head, but the best part is he can make the funniest faces, and completely on accident! His eyes will buldge just a little too far, his shoulders will shrug up past his ears, he'll crinkle his forehead, pucker out his lips and prolong the "who knows" look he's trying to convey just a wee bit longer in case anyone didn't catch the hilarity of it sooner.

You know when you're in a situation, and it's really not meant to be funny, but you have to hold back your giggle fit because letting it out would just be completely inappropriate? I'm interested to see how many more days like that I'll have this semester...

"Hurricane prompts awkward questions"

The social and racial divide is finally impossible to ignore, and all it took was a disastrous hurricane...Imagine that.

Take it easy

My goal for the year: to go on the Business School study abroad program in Hong Kong this coming spring semester. In order to apply, you need 9 business/economics credits completed by the time the program starts. There is currently one opening for this program, and I'm doing everything I possibly can to get it...this means taking two econ classes, and an international business class all in one semester...Now on top of that, I signed up for a modern spanish lit course as well as a writing intensive comparitive politics course. That is a total of 17 credits. Today, I applied for a job as a messenger with the Sergeant at Arms for the State Senate...which is a 15 hour a week commitment. I just got an email saying I have the job. This is all aside from all the AIESEC that consumes my life (which is not a negative statement, but is an essential part of my life that I have to make sure to make time for)...Now, I am an overachiever, yes. I don't mind working my ass off, this is true...but Today, I simply realized there just aren't enough hours in the week to do everything I want, and to do it well. I mean, I debated...I kept thinking just suck it up for a semester...but, I think back to people telling me I'm going to burn out if I keep pushing myself this hard, and I'm not ready to burn out quite this early...So, I dropped a class, am down to 13 credits, and I'm giving myself permission to take things easy...It's tough, let me tell you...I don't like feeling like I can't accomplish everything I want, but I've just had to face that it's the right thing to do...right?

Lunch at Lulu's

So yesterday, my mom and brother and I headed to lunch at one of our fav mideast restaurant...Lulu's. On the way in, we ran into my friend Abbie...now Abbie is an awesome girl (who I am recruiting for @ hopefully)...she took off a year and lived in Israel after high school, volunteers a ton, does all these crazy camp counceling shindigs, and is majoring in Jewish studies and philosophy...Now, we bump into her with her family...and we all ended up having lunch together. Ok seriously this was great...a Jewish family and a muslim family that don't know each other having lunch together at a middle eastern restaurant because their daughters are good friends...and it was awesome, because even though our parents might have never gotten to know each other or had the conversations we had during that hour, they kind of stumbled into it because of us...and ok so yeah I have lots of Jewish friends big deal, but seriously, this is a bigger deal for the rents. I mean, yes my parents have a few friends that are Jewish, but they probably tiptoe around very real conversations...Yesterday, they not only had lunch together, but actually TALKED about her trip to Israel and my trip to Egypt,They were actually interested in our personal experiences of the two places...They were put in situation that they probably found slightly uncomfortable, actually learned from it, and maybe even enjoyed it?... I think that's just fabulous.

Keeping Busy

All summer I felt like I had something to do, and usually, it felt somewhat purposeful or significant. I am now moved into my apartment, have purchased all my textbooks, finished Harry Potter (which was intense), bustled around campus "exploring" my new surroundings I am running out of errands!...This is the first time this whole summer where I have cable tv to watch, and the time to do it, but that feels like a waste! I may be crazy, but I hate not feeling like I have something to do or work towards...AIESEC feels like it is paused for the next two weeks, and I guess I have time to be lazy?? Which is lameeeee...

But no worries, I am already making a new list of things to get done before summer is over...and damn it, this list is going to be both purposeful AND significant!

ok my rant is over.

ALI GILMAN COME HOME

CAFTA

Ok, so in my super liberal, hippy, intellectual West High School, I took a Latin American History class...In that class, I learned that NAFTA was a cruel horrible trade agreement that solely benefited the States, and exploited Mexican workers...I learned of the Maquiladoras, of the poor working conditions, of workers that felt there only way to survive was to illegally cross the border into the states. I know that I learned a completely one-sided view on the issue, and am putting together bits and pieces of a much more complex issue, but now that CAFTA has passed, I have this sinking feeling...I don't know if I have enough information to base it on, and I could just be relying on the very emotionally-based curriculum of my high school course, but I just feel uneasy... I guess more information would be greatly appreciated, and from all sides of the story.

Apartamento

I am officially starting the new semester today by moving into my apartment! I have been counting down until this day for a greater chunk of the summer, and it is finally at my fingertips, muahahahaha. After coming back from SSC, I really can't wait to get started on next semester. SSC, like everyone said, completely refueled my passion and energy...It has officially remedied any pessimism and jaded sentiments that had built up in the streets of Cairo, and has replaced those feelings with a conquer the world sort of attitude...which is fabulous. This next semester going to be a lot of hard work, both with classes and with aiesec, but, it should also bring along a lot of fun times, and I am ready for both. I have had the greatest summer, and I honestly don't feel like I wasted a single day of it, but now I am ready for something new and nearly impossible to get thrown my way...I'm ready to work my ass off, ready to multitask, to pull all nighters, to be in two places at once, to SYNERGIZE, to learn how to cook anything other than premade mac and cheese (which, for anyone who knows me, knows this may be a bit of a challenge)...Today, I'll be sleeping in my apartment for the first time, and will officially set off this crazy semester, here I go!

Favorite Things

A Favorite Things List was started
under the Siwa midnight sky
It goes something like this

*Shooting Stars

*Tidal Waves

*Going Commando

That's as far as we got
The list is open to suggestions.

I'm back!

I am back in Madison...It feels good to see GREEN...I think I have decided that is my favorite color (not shit brown)...does that mean that my identity crisis is over? You may think I am joking, but in a way it's true...This past year has been such a phenomenal experience for me; If you were to ask me last summer who I would be in a year, I would have drawn a blank and answered offhandedly that I would most likely be the same person, just one year older... I have spent a great part of this past year breaking down my values bit by bit, and seperating my family's from my own. I have struggled with huge concepts; religion, relationships, independence. I was a mess first semester, and was lucky to have a huge support system and an amazing friend to walk me through it. But, not until I joined AIESEC and met the incredible people within it did I finally feel like I had successfully begun sorting out my priorities, my goals, my passions.

I went back to Egypt for the first time in two years, and for the first time, I didn't mold into the person they wanted me to be. I held my own, I argued, I debated, I gave my family a glimpse of the person I am and the things I stand for, and it felt GREAT! I had my fair share of frustrating conversations, days when my sarcasm took over, and days when I felt completely jaded. At times it just feels easier to slip into their world and be the person they want you to be just to make everyone feel comfortable, but...to hell with comfortable! That's what we're here to do right? Raise some questions, think about the world in a new way, and make others do the same...stir it up, little darling stir it up...(sorry marley took over) I have had the most eventful three and a half weeks in Egypt, and for the first time, I have finally gotten to SEE Egypt; I experienced the world of Siwa, camping under the stars in a desert oasis, completely different than the hectic lifestyle in Cairo that had come to define this country for me for the past decade and a half...Thanks to everyone that made this trip what it was...To the AIESEC crew in the homeland, especially the inspirational KAITLIN, who is about to begin a new chapter, BEST OF LUCK! To my Madison LC, I am so excited for this next semester! And to the person who keeps me motivated, you're the John Galt in this story.

So, yes, my favorite color is green

And I am back.

Friday, SSC In Denver...and the journey continues...

I'm a smoker, sweetheart

Good times with Michael Bolton, and the guy who wears his shirt...

Una semana mas...

I was rescued by kaitlin Mike and Ryan. The rest of my stay in 3ageeba was as it should be, pleasant and relaxing.

Kaitlin and I were asked if we were engaged or married by two ten year old strangers, and when we answered that we were single, they softly shook their heads and said, "haram, rabenah yesahel" loosly translated to I'm sorry, may God make it easier for you.

My tolerance for crazies is just about at its peak...pictured above is a prime example

Feeling a little too cynical lately

A few restless nights, disturbing dreams, pesky flies

A bit of mental exhaustion

I miss State Street

Is it bad that I'm ready to go back?

Less than stellar

Any place this beautiful, no matter how remote the surroundings, should lead to good times with the right company...Let's just begin by saying the company is less than stellar...

This is a view from our cottage..This beach, 3ageeba, right on the Med Sea is one of my favorite places. I actually like the fact that there isn't a café-filled, disco-teched out night life, and that I can swim all day, nap read and walk around outside at night...But apparently my idea of a relaxing trip is not what others would call enjoyable...My Texan cousins are on this trip...I think the quote that best sums up my cousin's personality is..."wouldn't it be cool to have a hummer in Egypt?!"...she actually said that...ya, that's what I am faced with. Reading is apparently an absurd hobby, and good music consists of Britney Spears and other pop bands...my music taste is ridiculous, my ambition is strange to say the least, and my sarcasm is outright cruel. According to these cousins from down south, what this place is missing is air conditioning, a night life, and a few hummers here and there just to make things really good.

I haven't even started on the Egyptians...There are now two men that tell bad Egyptian jokes, sing much more often than they should, and push buttons way past their limits, my father and his best friend. That's right, I now have to deal with two of my father. When they get together, they tell corny joke after corny joke, and everyone actually laughs, except of course my brother and I...they all then realize we're not laughing, decide we don't understand arabic well enough to get the hillarity of the said joke, and explain why it is so great...this happens after every joke...every single one. The fact that we just find the jokes as painful as rusty nails gouging our eyes out just never really occurs to them...

I am then shoved into a room to greet more family friends, and as I'm shaking my mom's friend's hand she says, "Oh my God what happened to your face?!" I stare back blankly trying to figure out what the hell she's talking about, and she continues, "your face! Oh my God you poor girl! What are all those dark spots on your face! This is just not right, you have permanent scars!," I finally figure out she's talking about a small scar that has tanned darker than the rest of my skin...and she continues doing so for about ten minutes as I awkwardly stare back trying to grab my hand away....

Their daughter then decides it is time she tells me about the ways of love...I am, of course, the naive American girl who is sadly driven by ambitions and careers and success, and who doesn't realize the importance of romance, loving unconditionally, sacrifice, emotional dependence, and marriage...apparently marriage should be one of my top priorities at this point...I should realize that love at first sight could hit me at any moment, and that when it does, I should be able to drop everything to make my husband happy...my husband is, of course, the head of the household, so wherever he decides to move me (which will obviously be Egypt since he will, of course, be Egyptian), i will have to agree to in order to please his every need, because his career is obviously more important than my own. God gets upset, I was reminded, when a perfectly good man comes along and we turn him away because he is not everything...we are in fact put on this Earth to procreate, and although careers are a fun little hobby, the job at hand is of course to make babies. She, of course, can speak from experience, since she has been in one relationship 3 years ago, and she is now at the wise wise age of 22.

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Kaitlin, Williams, and Ryan...this place is too beautiful to be spent with people like this...

Siwa

Adventures in Hurghada

It's three in the morning and I just got back from Hurghada...

My sleep schedule is all confused; I don't think I will make much of an effort to fix it for the next three weeks...
Any who, Hurghada...a tourist magnet on the Red Sea where there are fewer Egyptians than topless Europeans and old men in Speedos...soooo awkward. We got there by taking a microbus. Let me just say that the only way I survived that trip without dying of a heart attack was attempting to sleep the whole way there. I woke up, several times, only to notice that we were driving into oncoming traffic...but we made it, which is good. This was not the typical Sadek family vacation, which usually consists of waking up somewhere between noon and two and bumming around on the beach...everyone was surprisingly ready to actually DO something, which I found amazing.

The first day we were up by seven...SEVEN! The day consisted of banana boating and windsurfing and such...Adam and Trent, this windsurfing instructor was determined to prove that he was a better teacher than hoofers...he wasn't by any means, and would say odd phrases like "do macarena macarena," expecting us to understand what that meant.... Another odd thing...When we started the whole windsurfing ordeal, they asked us if we were Egyptian (Egyptians get better deals apparently)...now my Egyptian cousins are the ones dealing with this, so they of course say yes, but then my cousins and I start babbling in English and the guy feels like he has been cheated. Throughout the lesson, he proceeds to tell me how much he hates America and Americans, and I found myself constantly feeling like I had to prove to him that I was more Egyptian than American...which is ridiculous, especially since I identify more with being American than Egyptian. The good thing is, I was able to hold my own, express myself in Arabic, and basically make him feel like an ass...which I couldn't really do a week ago...which is good.

Now the fun stuff...I went scuba diving for the first time. At first it felt panicky and claustrophobic, because breathing under water defies any sense of logic...but, then I got the hang of the whole breathing in and out business (which is tricky, let me tell you!). Saw three huge eels, one which was probably within 10 feet, and a shark off in the distance (which I tried to run away from, but the instructor wouldn't let me...damn him)...

Overall, this has probably been one of the most productive trips to Egypt I've had...and I've been here less than a week...Thursday, off to Siwa with the AIESEC crew...

More later

Blogging from the Homeland

So I'm finally in Cairo. Our airport experience quickly reminded me of the lack or organization in this city...After two of our six bags (yes six, only three of us...the explanation: my mother is crazy) were frantically thrown onto a vacant bus which then took off without us, the following hour consisted of my mother throwing a hissy fit about the disorganization of the airport system, the city of Cairo, as well as the entire Egyptian government, screaming at airport managers left and right until we finally got our bags...I never knew my mother had it in her...

This situation also made me realize how frustrating the language barrier is for me...I was asked to explain the situation and through my anger and frustration I just couldn't articulate nearly as well as I wanted to just how pissed off I was, and ended up instead looking like a stammering spoiled American idiot...so my goal is to speak arabic whenever possible here, no easy way outs...

But despite the minor setbacks, I love it here.

It's been two days and so far it's surreal. I have spent time with my family, gone out to cafés with my cousins, and met up with Kaitlin for some much needed comfort. The hardest part has been leaving behind something that was so amazing and that made me so happy, knowing that when I return it won't be there anymore...Being so far removed from Madison has made the situation especially difficult...I keep looking for something tangible to hold onto...luckily, Egypt itself is just that...the smell of the shisha at the cafés, the references to places I've heard amazing memories about, and my own plans to explore a new side of Egypt for the next three weeks make me feel connected and in a way comforted.

It's hard, but at the same time it is perfect. I'm looking forward to whatever comes my way in the next three years...I have ambitious plans, and know that I will be pursuing them 110%...

As for the future, I hope it will lead me towards what has made the past three months incredible, but right now, it's time to be independent, be strong, and blow some shit up...

Egyo

I fly to Cairo July 13th...here is the tentative plan: The July 16-20th in Gharda2a, 20-22 back in Cairo, 23-29 in 3ageeba near Marsa Matrouh, and the rest of my sweet sweet time will be spent with AIESECERS (get ready Kaitlin!) I come back the 6th...It has been an amazing summer in the Mad city...class, work, sailing, windsurfing, aiesecing, taking our awesome trainee around with ALI, buying art and feeling really cool, and bumming around with a wanna-be Egyo...It's hard to think that I won't be coming back to the comforts of Gilman street, but I guess the best way to look at this is this:
I am setting higher goals for myself than I ever thought possible
I am having the best few months of my life
I am making the most out of the time I have
I am happy

If nothing else, I will always have my memories of this summer

All I have to say is, my flight to Cairo will be a long one...

Random blurbs

Thanks to Dania and her awesome blog about Nancy 3agram's concert (and to T-rent for pointing it out), I took a spontaneous trip to Chicago, met up with my GREAT friend Sherine (future AIESEC newbie of Michigan, just to let you all know...yes I am making her join, she will be a freshman this fall) and had an AWESOME time! This was the most organized Arab event I have ever been to...I was quite amazed...we managed to get seats right up by the stage after some careful maneuvering...it's all about learning how to work the system; that's a smart skill to acquire...Anywho all in all it was a fantastic night. I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how to do that...

Trainees coming to the Madcity soon...EEK!

All you Madtowners on crazy adventures better start blogging...ANDY!


On a completely different note...
can I just say that I hope this next month goes by as slow as humanly possible? Actually, some supernatural phenomenon that would pause time would be fantastic...let me know if you can help me out in that department...

Promises

I just watched "Promises," the award-winning documentary by B.Z Goldberg following the lives of seven children in the heart of the Palestinian and Israeli conflict between 1997-2000...its worth watching, and closely linked to AIESEC's mission.
http://www.popmatters.com/film/reviews/p/promises.shtml
Check it out

Beduins-nomadic by blood

Being a nomad is in my blood-really. While debating the origins of my itch to constantly hop from place to place, I stumbled upon my mom's maiden name-Badawi, which comes from beduin, an Arab from any nomadic tribe...So, today I asked her if there was a link, and apparently, my great-grandpa was from a beduin tribe in Algeria...So, not only have a found out that, yes, being a nomad runs through my veins, but hey, I guess I'm also part Algerian? Who knew! It makes me wonder if there's like a nomadic gene, and if there is, if its recessive, because let me tell you, that trait has most definitely skipped my mother....so maybe she's heterozygous, with the dominant "non-nomadic" allele and the recessive "nomadic" allele...meaning my dad would have to be homozygous for the "nomadic" allele, seeing as how he can't stay put for the life of him...He left to Qatar this morning for his new job... So basically, although I'm pretty sure I made the whole "nomadic gene" up, and I'm also pretty sure that I've had too much of a zoology overdose this semester, I feel like this blog wasn't completely pointless, seeing as how it shed light on my nomadic tendencies through my family history. Ok I'm procrastinating, back to zoology.
Sara

An official Nomad

For those of you who don't know me, I'm an AIESECER from the MADCITAY...I am finally blogging, amazing eh?
About me...let me see..., second semester freshman at UW, first semester AIESECER, but I'm pretty sucked in truth be told. How could you not be; amazing, passionate people with an awesome vision, huge dreams, and so much potential. So I'm just getting started, and hope to take full advantage of this amazing amazing opportunity. I think I will leave it at that for now, more updates on my awesome self later.