Habibti

indescribable.

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:15:00 +0000

It is hard for me to find the words to fully express what my life has been for the past six months. It has been nothing short of incredibly amazing to say the least. I never could have anticipated that I would be feeling this way about my stay here but things are hardly what they seem. Through all the pitfalls and the fun times, everything always came out on top.
From day one I had a certain attraction to Cairo, there was something intriguing about the city even as I was being driven through it during 6 pm traffic. Something that just draws you in.
Even though I definitely went through the typical stages of 'culture shock', I never regretted my decision of coming here. I won't lie, there were plenty of days when all I wanted was to just go home for a 24 hours but that's bound to happen whenever you are out of your comfort zone.
When I look back, what stands out most are the people. The people I have met, became friends with, and interacted with have truly made this experience what it is. The AIESECers here took me in (literally) and included me in their lives, and for that I am so grateful. These people have become my Egyptian family, the ones I could turn to and could count on. And I know that if God permits and I get to come and see some of my friends again, It will feel like home.
What almost surprises me is that I actually did it. I really came to Cairo for half a year to intern. I think there were a sizable amount of people back home that either doubted me or thought it was a terrible idea. And knock on wood, I'm still alive and I did it. Since I've been here I've facilitated a conference, went scuba diving in the Red Sea, been interviewed on a tv show, Climbed Mt. Sinai, and felt culturally awkward on multiple occasions. I'm so happy I took the chance by accepting the internship and picking up my life and bringing it here.
In the end all I can say is that this has been a wild ride that I will remember for the rest of my life. I feel so blessed.

Diving with Nemo & Dori

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:26:00 +0000

Due to the fact that I will be sadly leaving Egypt in about 10 days or so, I’m doing my best to go out in true ‘Denise’ fashion, with a bang. Yesterday morning I returned back from Sharm el Sheikh after a weekend of diving and fun. My amazing and completely over-achieved boss man is a Divemaster and volunteered to take a small group of us to get our open water diving license. So of course we could never pass up such an opportunity to get certified in one of the best diving spots in the world, Sharm. It was incredible! I’ve never done anything like it and it was such a great experience to see essentially a whole new world underwater. I thought that snorkeling in the reefs of Dahab were cool…but diving in Sharm brought it to a whole new level. And I learned that I’m pretty much a fish. My tank of air was always twice as full as everyone else’s whenever we all finished a dive, probably due to all my years of swimming and running. Anyways, I advise that anyone who has the opportunity to get their diving license do so because it’s such a cool opportunity to see the underwater world and all the gazillions of fish and sea life.
As we were driving back from Sharm, I was looking at the beautiful Egyptian sun setting over the Sinai mountain range and was reflecting about my past 6 months in Misr. I just couldn’t get over the fact that I’m leaving all of this behind me so soon. It sounds cliché but I have had such unique life experiences here and I have grown so much in the last half a year. It’s as if I just don’t want this ongoing experience here to end. All the memories and the influential people I’ve met have made a lasting impression on me and I cannot express my gratitude enough to all of them. This internship has made me see why everyone loves going on AIESEC internships, because they really do change you and get a perfect opportunity to live life to the fullest. I know that I still have time to figure out exactly what I’m taking away from this experience but I just wanted to share some thoughts.

"Martyr of the Head Scarf"

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:55:00 +0000

Last week an Egyptian woman named Marwa El Sherbini was stabbed to death 18 times by a German man who was guilty of verbally abusing her 8 months ago….and did I mention that this occurred in a court room? And her husband was stabbed AND shot?
Seriously, how could such a thing like this happen in a courtroom where there should be a handful of police and authorities present to handle such a situation? Well let us back it up and start from the beginning.
Marwa who is a respectable woman of Muslim faith was called a ‘terrorist’ and ‘Islamist’ and ‘bitch’ by some lowlife, ignorant jerk in Berlin, Germany just 8 months ago in a park. He verbally attacked her because she was wearing a hijab, and of course to this guy any woman who religiously and strictly follows Islam and wears a veil is considered a ‘terrorist’. Uh, I don’t think so. Like any woman with dignity she took his punkass to court so he could be punished for calling her such discriminating names in a public place. While in court he was found guilty of the hate crime charges and he was meant to pay 2,800 Euros as a fine when he lashed out by attacking Marwa who was 3 months pregnant at the time, with a knife and stabbing her 18 times. He continued by stabbed her husband twice and had time to stab another person all in the courtroom. While this was happening the police ‘accidentally’ shot her husband while they were aiming for the attacker. How in the world did this man have enough time to stab people 20+ times until he was stopped? And how many times are we going to let outright racist incidents such as these to happen under our watch?
This story makes me sick and makes me wonder how so many people around the world still have these prejudices against those who practice Islam. If any of these mindless idiots took 5 minutes to learn something about the faith, I think they would realize that there is nothing ‘extremist’ or ‘terrorist-esque’ about Islam. I blame the media (along with the past administration) for putting such thoughts into the heads of Americans at least. Just today I was watching a video on CNN about child suicide bombers in the Taliban. And a good 30 sec of the video showed a group of young Muslim men and boys (supposedly in a Taliban camp) praying. Its things like these that you don’t realize are consistently casting a negative light on the Islam faith.
At least the media is getting this story some publicity as things like this happen often without the world knowing. What if this had happened to a westerner in the Middle East? It would be on the news in a hot second. And what makes me annoyed is that Egypt and the rest of the Muslim World most likely won’t do much about this so that attacks like these on Muslims will one day stop. President Mubarak needs to take a stand on this issue NOW so other nations will understand that such situations are completely unacceptable, racist, unnecessary, and demeaning. How many innocent men and women who simply practice their religion have to be publicly defamed or killed before someone will really start doing something about it?
…All because she was wearing a hijab.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/07/06/egypt.woman.killed/index.html

Matchmakers, Money, Marraige. Nice combination eh?

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:04:00 +0000

Marriage.
A word both feared and encouraged in the Egyptian culture. So many Egyptian women my age are frantically searching (modestly of course) for their perfect match before they hit the age of 25, because of course when you are God-forbid close to 30 and unmarried, you are a quickly labeled a ‘spinster’ and too old for any decent man to take interest in you. Horrifying. I cannot imagine having that kind of pressure on me to hurry up and get married like 99.9% of the girls here do. Even at 18 or 19 it becomes an issue within families to make sure their daughters are proper girls and suitable for a good husband. And to be aware of the semi-arranged marriages that occur every single day is insane. Imagine you very Mother (no offense mama!), the same one who raised an angry eyebrow to every boy you ever mentioned, to play your matchmaker?? No bueno.
So here is the rundown. For families who are into this arranged marriage deal, the son who at times is too shy to find a girlfriend in a social setting, decides he is ready to find a wife and of course his mother and father know the perfect girl for him that can meet all of his qualifications for a future wife. An outing is planned, completely causal of course, where both families proudly arrive with their marketable son and daughter and hope for the best. If all goes well, they will meet in a similar setting (never alone of course) numerous more times until after a few months are engaged. Wedding plans. Money plans. Married. The end.
I had a loooong conversation with a couple Egyptians who are only a couple years younger than me about this whole marriage issue and they had some VERY interesting and liberal-minded comments on it. One AIESECer, just 19 years of age, is feeling ridiculous stress from her family and her mother to find a suitable partner. It seems to her and many other girls that settling for an engagement to a man who is practical or decent is better than waiting around for an extra 5+ years to find someone who you actually have love for or who you feel is right for you. But she is also one of those thinkers that has a mind of her own and sees no problem with forgetting society by sticking to her guns and not conforming to the whole marriage thing. Practical. Many marriages happen because both families come from high classes and they union between power families are just practical. She knows that she will always be taken care of so why not right? Which brings me to yet another point. Before a marriage can even happen the groom and his family are traditionally supposed to have everything taken care of financially such as the house, car, furniture, and the whole lot. So basically the bride just shows up with gorgeous dress. Lately both families are contributing more however the woman is not expected to provide too much. Even during a marriage where both the wife and husband work, they money made by the husband is shared and the money made by the wife is for her to keep for herself. The wife is not meant to bring anything to table for the family because the husband needs to keep his manhood and power ya?
Even though all this mess happens on the daily, trust me that there are still a great number of beautiful and loving couples such as my HR manager Riham and her husband-to-be Mahmood.
Ok enough enough, I can’t continue talking about this subject without getting irritated. All I know is that I’m tired of people asking me when I’m getting married, or why I’m not married or engaged. I’M 22 AND A POOR STUDENT! OF COURSE I’M NOT MARRIED!
So ladies back home, be grateful for your rights to marry or not to marry, I know that I am.

Hot Summer Nights

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:45:00 +0000

"OMG! It's soooo hot in the summer months Denise!" - EVERYONE in Egypt
eh, not really.
I was ready for unbearable, ridiculously hot summer days once may got here.
And honestly...i'm still waiting. It's definitely hot, but damn. Mexico and Miami in the summertime are much much worse this time of year. Key Difference: Humidity. In Monterrey it's 99 degrees, feels like 108. Here it's 97 degrees and feels like 94. So the whole sweating the second you leave the AC and sticking to virtually everything you touch is happily left on the western front. All you have to deal with in Cairo is intense sun, no biggie just have ur sunblock on deck. However, 'Upper Egypt' which is actually in the south (Upper referring to the plateau), is absolutely ridiculous hot. I will pass on the 115 degree weather, thanks.
So next time someone tells me that the Cairo heat is insane, I'll let them know they need to take a quick trip to my homeland and stick it out in the humid summers of the deep south.

View of Egypt in 7 Days

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Egyptian view in 7 days? That's exactly what I gave my DEAR DEAR sahbiti Vanessa when she came to visit me a couple weeks ago. While I was showing her around Egypt, from the Pyramids to Mount Sinai, I felt like I was seeing everything for the first time. Seeing all the incredible sites and destinations Egypt makes me realize how absolutely breathtaking this country is. And experiencing it with someone close to you or love makes it that much better. There have been numerous instances when i have been traveling somewhere in Egypt and all I could think was "hmm..This would be so cool if my family and friends could see this!!". So it was really cool to have Vanessa here, and oh did I show her the very best of this country!
We started off with the Pyramids and Co ptic Cairo the day she got here...in the heat, oh goodness. And then headed for a felluca down the Nile, which I always always enjoy. For the weekend we hopped on a microbus and headed for Dahab on the Sinai Peninsula. Beautiful. Dahab is definitely one of my favorite places in Egypt. While we were in Dahab we took a day (kind of) trip to Mount Sinai & St. Catherine Monastery. And after 3 days in lovely Dahab, we were back in Cairo and she was off to Obama-land.
Most Amazing/Interesting Moments:
1. Seeing a scorpion for the first time
2. Riding on an anorexic Camel by the Pyramids and attempting to read hieroglyphics
3. Talking until the sun came up her first day here!....gossip & catching up hehe
4. Arriving to the Blue Hole in Dahab, a diving/snorkel spot
5. Seeing nemo and the reef while we snorkeled (AMAZING!) definitely one of the most beautiful and exciting thing I have ever seen.
6. Watching the sunset during dinner on the Red Sea, twas pink & purple!
7. Hiking up Mount Sinai at 2 AM in the morning for 3 hours!!!
8. Finally getting to the top of Mt. Sinai and seeing the sunrise.
9. Meeting great people on our ride home.
10......ENJOYING ALL OF EGYPT'S BEAUTIES!
oh and Vanessa definitley said that she enjoyed her stay in Egypt the most out of Italy, Spain, France, and Germany!!! WOOT!

I bet now EVERYONE wants to come to Egypt

"Address the Muslim World and an Indirect Apology for the Past Administration" - NileTV

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:52:00 +0000

In the past 8 years more or less, I have never felt this proud of my President. There was just something about the way he addressed the Muslims of our World that made me feel proud to call President Barack Hussein Obama my leader.
As many of you know President Obama came to Egypt on June 4th after visiting Saudi Arabia, where King Abd-allah gave him his blessing (big ups to King Abd-allah!), in order to addres the Muslim world about societal issues rather than talking politics. The entire city has been preparing for his arrival for the past two weeks. In Heliopolis (Pres. Mubarak's residence) and in Zamelek, streets have been cleaned and the gardens have actually been shaped up in order to make Cairo look presentable for perhaps the most powerful political leader in the World. Schools and work places also closed down for the day as there would be a tremendous amount of traffic. So we all enjoyed a nice day off to watch his historical speech.
What made me so impressed with his address was that he wasn't talking AT Muslims, but to them. During his entire speech, I never felt that he was belittling anyone even if he had to give some tough love to the Islam World about certain issues (especially the Isreal-Palestine conflict). It was this issue specifically that I was looking forward to the most. Because of the long ties America has had with Isreal, I was so interested in how he would attack this issue. I was impressed. He was extremely upfront about what both sides need to work on in order to acheive 2 separate states. While he was talking about women's rights and education, I felt that he was really speaking as a father. You could tell that he really felt passionate about female Muslims receiving all of their rights as citizens of the world. Talking about democracy also was an important part of his speech. He emphasized that HE is aware that every nation is not the same and the U.S. has NO right to say what kind of government a country should have, however there are basic human rights that we can ALL agree on regardless of our faith. I felt that he had certain parts of his speech to specifically show that he is not Bush and to 'apologize' for the way the Muslim world has been treated and has appeared under his administration....which was very cool. His connections he made between Jews, Christians, and Muslims were incredible. He really showed that we are all the same at the core and that we all want the exact same things.
All in all, it is time for action. The speech was received VERY well by Egyptians here but now we are ready for action on the American side. I think that Muslims around the world are still behind President Obama and understand that he is extremely positive about the next 4 years of relations. Experiencing his speech here in Cairo is something that I will never forget. This proud feeling I have that my President truly cares about the society I have become a part of really makes me excited about what President Obama has in store for the next 4 years.
"Obama...The next King Tut" - Tshirt in Khan el Khalili

Fried Tamaya vs. Gym...Tamaya wins in Egypt

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:32:00 +0000

As much as I love to keep up with TRYING to stay fit and not getting too fat off of tamaya and constant chipsy, the local gym makes it a little challenging. It seems as though my time at the gym is always an adventure. So in Egypt the vast majority of the gyms are separate. One gym for las chicas and one for the chicos, and they are usually just next to each other. It's the little differences such as these that I have somehow gotten used to. One thing that i noticed from day one is the apathetic attitude many people in Egypt have when it comes to health and exercise. Maybe I am biased coming from the States, but it bothers me that so many Egyptians are incredibly unhealthy and hardly ever workout. And even those that do bother to go to the gym walk at 1.3 miles/hour on the treadmill while they yell across the room to their friends about their lives. Frustration perhaps, but it makes me feel so uncomfortable when I do my running workouts for 40 minutes and actually break a sweat. I look like the crazy girl in the gym.
My favorite moment by far was when i was doing my abs excercises and the instructor was trying to persuade me to attend her abs class she was providing for the rest of the ladies....she was overweight and old. Enough said. I appreciate AIESEC at Cairo University for taking initiative and doing the iLive project promoting healthy lifestyles at their university. Hopefully the project did some good, however I know the majority will continue along with their unhealthy lives. But as for me, I will keep turning down the shisha, Miranda soda, and late-night Egga sandwiches.

MIS and some thoughts on Egypt's future

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:32:00 +0000

Yalla ya AIESEC Egypt!
What a crazy amazing weekend I had in Ras Sudr at the Misr (Egypt) Intercultural Seminar – MIS. MIS is the national conference for AIESEC members who either want to go abroad on exchange (like me!), are heading out of leadership positions, or are about to begin their leadership position on the executive board. I was a facilitator for the Exchange track, WOOT!, of the conference and it was such an experience! I learned a LOT not only about myself but also about a certain topic/issue I raised in a session called ‘world café’ which is an opportunity for us as facilitators to raise current issues and for the delegates to discuss with us about them. My topic was the Brain Drain in Egypt.
Traveling abroad as much as I have, and especially to developing and underdeveloped countries, has made me realize how lucky I am to be born an American citizen. It has also shown me the overwhelming number of people who dream of coming to a place like the U.S. or other developed countries around the world for a better future for them and their families. So about the brain drain, 90% of the students at the American University in Cairo, which is one of the best schools in Egypt, plan on leaving Egypt when they graduate. Whoa. When so many of Egypt’s intelligent minds leave, it makes it more difficult for the country to advance itself politically, socially, and economically. It’s topics like this that a lot of Americans don’t think about, ever. So what I wanted to know is why specifically so many of Egypt's bright minds are so quick to leave and what can be done to reverse the brain drain. I got some reallllly great responses. I had one girl named Salma who studies politics and economics who made the biggest impact on me by far. She truly has hope for Egypt’s future to prosper and come out of all the negativity and corruption that currently runs through it. Unfortunately, people like here are not so common and it’s going to take people like herself to bring change in Egypt. What really touched me was that she was so hopeful for the future that she said she would give her life in a heartbeat if that mean that her children and grandchildren would be able to live in a better Egypt where their lives are appreciated.
There is a lot more I could say regarding my impressions and thoughts about the discussions I had but for the sake of blogging, I’ll try and keep it short. Just be thankful for all of those who fought for YOUR freedoms and protested so YOU could have your rights and so that your life can be valued in your country. A lot of people don’t know how lucky and blessed they are to be living where they do in America, be thankful.

Just Listen to Each Other!

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:15:00 +0000

Last night was a long night to say the least. I am FACI-ing (Facilitating) AIESEC Egypt’s last National Conference of the year, MIS. Part of being a FACI is sitting through preparation meetings to be sure that everyone has done their share and approve all the sessions that have been allocated. Maybe elsewhere in the world this meeting would take no more than lets say 2 hours from start to finish. But in Egypt…not so much. The meeting was to begin at 6pm, it started at 6:45, which is pretty good since the one last week started 90 minutes late. We did not leave the AIESEC office until 11pm. Ouch. The constant talking back, interrupting, yelling, disrespect, and talking in circles drove me insane. I was so disappointed in the lack of order and inefficiency of the meeting. I understand that there are cultural differences in the way that meetings are handled, but that was just ridiculous and upsetting. This kind of interactive behavior is something that I have been aware of since the day I arrived. Yelling and interrupting is a lot more commonplace than in the States But regardless of the country, there is no reason for incoming and outgoing MC (National Committee) members along with the 5 FACI’s to disrespect each other’s opinions and feedback, we are too experienced and mature for such things. If there is anything that I can leave as a positive mark on AIESEC in Egypt it’s respecting your team members and leaders. I hate to be so negative about an AIESEC team that has been so welcoming and wonderful to me, but this is just out of order.

Ciao Bebe!

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:01:00 +0000

I know that this blog is SUPPOSED to be about my experience in Egypt, but I recently got the opportunity to visit Italy for three days and the incredible sights in that country are definitely worthy of a blog post. My boyfriend EJ was recently relocated to Vicenza, Italy about 45 minutes from Venice in Northern Italy, which is the reason I was able to visit. So after I found that I had four-day weekend, I decided that I just had to go up there and see a familiar face and explore a new country that has always been on my mind. I arrived in Venice around noon and was off on a bus to reach the center of the city on my own. It was the first time I was able to walk around and tour a city by myself. I got off the bus and just wandered and bumbled around for a few hours and got to see some really amazing sites and areas of the city. The next EJ and I got on a train to Florence to see the largest Dome in Europe, El Duomo and it was absolutely humongous! I’ve seen some large cathedrals in my travels but this one takes the cake, and the outside detail of the Dome was so intricate and beautiful. Unfortunately my camera died towards the end of our day trip but the famous statue of David was massive, much bigger that I had expected. The last rainy day of my vacation was spent in Vicenza gathering my American products that have been truly missed and making a quick stop at Popeye’s, mmm. We did make it to Venice for the evening and took the infamous Gondola ride through the numerous canals spanning Venice. It was just like the movies except our Gondola man did not sing to us, you couldn’t have everything I guess! One thing I realized going to Italy is how much I really missed green things; Grass, flowers, trees, the whole bit. Also I took such notice of how clean and unpolluted Italy is and the initiative to keep it that way. I won’t lie, going to Italy made me a little homesick. As many other feelings pass, I’m sure my homesickness will be gone before I know it!

A day in Coptic Cairo

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Yes, I know plenty of things have taken place (both in and out of Egypt!) since my last blog post. But I really wanted to take the time to talk about a famous site in Cairo, that I think many people forget about when they think of Egypt.
About a month ago my roomies and I set out to go visit Coptic Cairo for the day. A little history behind Coptic Christians and Coptic Cairo: Copts are the Christian Majority here in Egypt and are the first group in Egypt to follow Christianity in the 1st century. They are the largest and oldest group of Christians in the Middle East. So in Coptic Cairo, there are numerous historical sites: the Babylon Fortress, Church of the Holy Virgin, The Hanging Church, and the Abu Serga that are all in this old part of Cairo. What makes this area so important and interesting is that the Holy Family visited this exact area on their “flight into Egypt’ from Judea and King Herod. The Holy Family stayed and rested in the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga), which was destroyed in 750 A.D. and rebuilt many times since. While we were visiting these sites, It was very surreal to know that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus once were here centuries ago seeking refuge and security.

Misr. A home? I think Yes

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:09:00 +0000

Making adjustments, adapting to my surroundings, and learning the ways of life here in Egypt are all things that I have done in the past 12 weeks. Admittedly it has not been the easiest or most painless journey, but one worthwhile nonetheless. Just about every place I have traveled, it has been extremely easy to adapt and understand the culture I placed myself into until Cairo. I decided to fulfill my AIESEC internship in Egypt because I wanted to challenge myself; I did not want to go to a country that was inside my comfort zone. And so far so good! It has been a challenge but I have learned more about another culture’s traditions, daily life, and religion than I would have if I had gone somewhere ‘comfortable’ which is really what AIESEC Xchange experiences are all about.
Having said this, I am actually feel a sense of belonging here, weird I know! But it is quite nice to not feel like such a stranger in another man’s land. From eating the neighborhood Al-Shabrawy to making friends with my bawab, Cairo has become a home. Yes, dear Cairo and I still have our differences that may never change, but are appreciated. The incredible people I have met have only helped me establish a sense of belonging here and they will make it that much harder to leave in July. It still boggles my mind to think that I could find a place and live across the World and feel this at ease.

MENAXLDS 2009!! I love my Aiesec

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:03:00 +0000

Wow. Another AMAZING MENAXLDS Conference!!
I just returned from the Middle East & North Africa Exchange and Leadership Development Seminar held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt and it was a great international conference! Over 150 delegates from 27 countries gathered in Sharm, where just a few weeks before World leaders convened to talk about peace in the Middle East region. The purpose of this conference is for young people from the MENA region and around the world to continue developing their potential by expanding their leadership, personal, and professional skills during sessions. Even though I was only able to attend this week long conference for 3 days, I know I gained and learned so much from the sessions and the people around me.
The conference started with Global Village, which is an opportunity for the delegates from each country to represent and show their culture, food, dances, etc…which was held in Cairo. I was so excited to see my old friends from last year’s conference and see all the new @ers ready for the conference! There was only 1 delegate from Yale University to represent the U.S.A. so I’m glad I was able to be there ☺
It is really sad to make all these connections and friendships and then they are taken away from you just as quickly as they started. Hopefully I will be able to see these amazing people again in the future, abroad or in the states. International Conferences like these remind me how absolutely awesome and unique this organization is and how lucky I am to be a part of it. The opportunities & possibilities of AIESEC are endless and I can truly say that I have changed for the better as a leader and benefited from @.
Okay, that was my AIESEC spiel ☺

Le tour de Beach

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:34:00 +0000

I had quite the beachy weekend!
After my ear infection prevented me from going to the ultra-cool desert camping trip, my roomie and her boyfriend invited me to take a weekend trip to Dahab with them instead. Don’t I have a great roommate!? So we packed up for a couple days and left promptly at 4am to begin our unnecessarily long journey to Dahab in the Sinai Peninsula. Of course I passed our in the back seat only to awake 3 hrs later to the gorgeous view of the Red Sea Mountain chain that runs all through Sinai.
I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before! After a quick stop in Sharm-el-Sheikh to get my shot in my ass, we arrived to Dahab. The beach was not your typical beach beach. It was more rocky than sandy and it kind of went into a 2 foot drop off into the Red Sea. We stayed in a German hotel on the small bay and it was quite possibly the most relaxing weekend of my life. Thank goodness we had Amr there to bargain for our delicious seafood dinner that night, he seemed to make friends with every vendor on the street…friendly Egyptians! I just have to share this piece of alarming information I received from our Egyptian version of a ‘cabana boy’ the next day at the beach: Beduoins use camel boo-boo to make hash. Not implying that I take part in these activities but I just found it disgustingly interesting.
Our adventure back was just that, an adventure. We left Dahab at 8pm only to be greeted by a flat tire around 12am in the middle of the Sinai Desert FML. That only held us up for about 2ish hours, during which Anna & I were subjected to nasty policemen. After another hour, we were about 3 inches from a terrible accident and yet another flat. Praise God we were fine and we reached good ol Nasr City at around 4:30 am. Good trip tho!
THEEEEEN a friend of mine who is actually from Atlanta too (we didn’t kno eachother at home) called me up on Sunday to ask if I wanted to go to the beach for a day…for free. Of course I said YES so we were off to Ain Shokna on Monday morning. Leave it up to Egyptian timing to cause us to arrive at the beach at 4pm, really. It would’ve been a great day at the beach if we had gotten there like 4 hours earlier! But it was still a great day and made some new friends. This beach was even more beautiful than Dahab, the water was turquoisey-blue with sandbars and starfish! I’m sure I’ll be back soon enough.
Now I’m just trying to get ready for MENAXLDS 2009!!! And I couldn’t be more excited to attend this conference and see everyone! GT will be well represented!

Health Care in Cairo, there's nothing like it!

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:33:00 +0000

I am sick. Kind of. And here is the story of how health care is run in Egypt.
I usually hate getting sick or having health issues in foreign countries, not like it happens very often. But being under the weather away from home is never fun, I even get a little sad when I’m sick at college and that’s only 25 minutes away! As many of you know I have quite a number of piercings in my ears, and only in my ears. And the one I got last October apparently has not healed completely so it got infected ☹ so my dear friend Hend, I swear she’s always there to save the day, takes me to her trusted family doctor. The office was in between a schwerma shop and a smelly barber shop on the 3rd floor. So I signed myself in on the ripped piece of wide ruled paper on the front desk and looked around at the random pieces of furniture as I was wondering what kind of doctor’s office this really was. There were no nurses or anything like that, just the doctor and his one employee taking my $13 fee. After a 20 min wait, I finally got to see him and he was this middle-aged, balding, homely man with a friendly face ☺ He explained to me that I have an infection in my cartilage that was most likely caused by bacteria in the water or dust, Egypt in general. The most interesting part of this story is my medical protocol; I have to get an augmenten-like antibiotic shot in my ass ever 12 hours for the next three days. Great. In the U.S. I would most likely be coming back to the doctor to get this shot, but no this is Egypt, I get the shot from the pharmacist. I looked at him like he was nuts, there was noooo way I was going to let some boo-boo pharmacist stick a needle in my butt! Unfortunately, I have no choice so off to the pharmacy I went. After looking at my prescription, he takes out the syringe and bottle of antibiotic, and without washing his hands or even putting on some latex gloves, he continues making my medical concoction. I was not happy about the lack of sanitation whatsoever. He points to the back room of the pharmacy, which was honestly a small, gross storage room where he proceeded to tell me to bare my behind for this injection. Not fun. Just wanted to pass on this interesting piece of info about how apparently all dirty pharmacists in this country are ‘qualified’ to just stick needles into people without using any kind of sterilization procedure, I’m praying I don’t get some kind of random infection in my ass.

Remember that One time I went to an Akon Concert in Cairo, for free?!

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:03:00 +0000

This past weekend I was so lucky to see Akon with a free VIP pass. Very Nice. My friend Hend, the same girl who I was living with when I first arrived to Cairo, got her hands on some free tickets and we had quite an interesting time. With our duty free bottle of Bacardi and Concert-ready spirits, we were set to endure an Akon concert…which none of us are huge fans of. Akon is one of those artists that just guest stars on a lot of songs, but never really has their own hit album. But as many other Egyptians stated, when an “American” artist comes to Egypt, you just go! So we did as the Egyptians did, and just went! We show up at 7:30pm to a crowd of extremely underage children with their botox-ed mothers and 60 year-old fathers. The majority of the people in the VIP were like 8! There is no way in hell that my mother would have taken me to an Akon concert when I was that age to listen to songs about sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll!!
Anyways, after about 1 hour of lame DJs, we feel a huge rumble and crash on our VIP stage…the front of the stage where all the kids had congregated had collapsed.

It wasn’t a serious fall, but we were all kinda freaking out. During the chaos, we moved our way to the ultra-VIP section on the other side of the stage. And as we were walking…the second VIP stage falls. At this point we decided to go on the ultra-VIP stage anyways and take our chances like idiots. We waited until 12:30 for Akon to come, never would we have waited this long in the states, ever! The concert was quite good and we were sooo close to his stage (which never collapsed). We realized that our stage would probably fall next, so we jumped off and stood literally 2 feet from Akon’s stage. And 1 minute later, our stage falls; Cairo needs to get GT civil engineers to properly construct some stages!!
We had a great time though, and it was really cool to see all the Senegal pride in the crowd (Akon is from Senegal). But it really was such a change from how a concert like this would have gone in America. For example, it was just wayyyy too easy for me to walk backstage, and I did lol. And people would be suing left and right if their child had fallen when the stage collapsed. Now that I think about it, I don’t even believe the concert would have happened if the stages fell! Good times nonetheless!

I decided to go desert camping this weekend. Anyone who knows me well knows that I HATE camping. But I decided that there is nothing really in the desert that can hurt me so I thought it might be a fun weekend trip.

Rain, Bombs, and Beer Pong! Oh my!

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:12:00 +0000

Sooo, this has been quite an interested past few days. While I was at work yesterday, we were looking outside and the only thing I was thinking was ‘OMG PLEASE RAIN!” There were thick, gray clouds I hadn’t seen in 2 months that just screamed rain. And then it finally happened; it rained in the desert. And it was glorious. As most of you all know, there was a terrorist bombing targeting tourists in one of Cairo’s most famous and largest markets, Khan el Khalili this past Sunday evening. I was just at Khan Khalili a few weeks ago with some other AIESEC interns along with some Egyptian @ers and it is a really historic and busy marketplace. You can find all kinds of souvenirs, jewelry, scarves, cafes, shisha, and tons more. It's really a shame that such an event would happen here. Anyways, upon hearing this news, I could hardly believe it because for some reason it just doesn’t seem like it would’ve happen here in Cairo. But it did, and it definitely freaked me out to an extent, and then I realized that I couldn’t just walk around this amazing city scared and anxious that something like this could happen again. So I put it behind me and I’ll just keep it movin! If you want to read more about the event, click here
And the beer pong, this requires a bit of story behind it. My roommate and I were meant to be at her boyfriend’s cousin’s wedding on Thursday night. We got all ready to go in our ‘conservative’ dresses to party the night away at our first Egyptian wedding, and then the military stepped in. The last night of the wedding was held in a military area for some odd reason and foreigners are strictly not allowed in these areas, so we had to take our dolled-up selves and head on home. ☹ Well I was NOT going to let some lame Egyptian Soldier ruin my night! So We hopped in a cab over to Maddie’s in Zamelek, which is a pretty island in the middle of the Nile. And what do I see the second I walk in the door of her party…BEER PONG! It was like someone just plucked me out of Cairo and dropped me in the middle of Georgia Tech’s fraternities. Of course I had to play and introduce my British roomie to this great American Pastime, and of course I won. To make things even more bizarre, my opponent is also a Georgia Tech student studying in the American University in Cairo (AUC)! Weird, I know. Hopefully the next few days will calm down some, however I will be at an Akon concert on Thursday so maybe not!!

15 things

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:34:00 +0000

In the spirit of Facebook, that sounds all wrong, I decided to dedicate a post to all the notes titled ’15 random facts about me’. Instead of writing about myself, I believe writing about Cairo would be far more relevant.

15 Things that Cairo Needs (in my opinion of course)

1. A proper waste or disposal system for trash for the entire city of Cairo, not just selected areas.
2. Parking lots and Parking decks. In a city of over 8 million people with cars, parking lots would be optimal.
3. Along with parking issues, public transportation would be very helpful. If MARTA puts Cairo’s public transportation system to shame, there is definitely a problem.
4. Mexican Food. On the border does not count
5. Blockbuster or Netflix
6. Computers in Governmental buildings. I think I’m still bitter about waiting 5 hours for my visa.
7. A national campaign to reduce smoking.
8. American made Twinkies
9. Ice cream truck, I think the heat and high number of children would bring an ice cream man great profit.
10. Crosswalks, I’ve almost lost my life numerous times
11. More internet cafes
12. Lean Pockets…. Hot Pockets would suffice
13. FRESH AIR
14. Target
15. Popeye’s’ Biscuits and Dirty Rice
16. Smart Cars (15 was not enough)

Valentine's....in Cairo?

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:18:00 +0000

Oh Valentine’s Day, a special day dedicated for lovers to express their love for each other. Valentine’s cards, flowers, big red teddy bears with ‘I love you’ printed all over them are just a few examples of the traditional gifts given on Valentine’s. Apparently 1 billion Valentine’s cards are sent each year all over the world…. more than those sent during Christmas.
Having said this, I find that Valentine’s Day is surprisingly more popular in Cairo than in Atlanta. As I’m sitting here on Starbucks’ balcony, watching the busy city pass me by, I can’t help but notice everyone wearing red and happily celebrating Valentine’s. It seems as though the people of Cairo enjoy Valentine’s Day more than Americans as they are carrying their oversized gifts and walking hand in hand with their ‘special someone’. I am wondering if this is due to the enormous number of people here who are either in relationships or married.
I am somewhat shocked to see how certain aspects of the Western culture have found their way into Cairo, such as this holiday. In a place where so many ideals are criticized from our side of the world, signs of love and therefore its holiday appear to be universal and welcomed here. It’s actually quite nice when I stop to think about it, that no matter where you go or whom you meet, the ways we as people express our love to one another are the same. Maybe we’re not as different as we would like to think.

ANYWAYS.... I have been here for almost one month and still am having apartment issues, sorry to vent about this but it must be done! I have no hot water, heat, washing machine, the list goes on. I knew living here would be a change from some of the comforts of home, but I never imagined sacrificing warm showers. Enough of that, my new roomie Anna will be coming to work with me tomorrow yay! They are offering her a full time job there as my bossman's assistant. Hopefully she will accept, it's a pretty sweet deal with all the traveling involved. Hopefully I will be able to get in on some of it. They are going to Morocco in April for two weeks and I may be accompanying them because they MIGHT run into some Spanish speakers.
Well Happy Valentine's Day and just remember that lovers all over the world are celebrating along with you :)

My first Blogger Post WOOT!

denisebutler@gatech.edu (Denise) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:52:00 +0000

Well i FINALLY have a blog going! after some nomad issues ;)
It would take me almost a month to get a blog, in true Denise fashion of course!
Anyways, I'm not sure where to start but i suppose I will begin with this country is boss! My initial impression was nothing short of wonderful even though we had serious car trouble coming from the airport when I arrived. We had to pull over in the middle of Cairo traffic....no bueno if you have ever seen how crazy traffic gets here! The friendly and interesting people I have met in the past few weeks have defenitley helped me adjust to this fast paced city and foreign culture. All I really have to say is thank goodness for AIESEC in Egypt, if I didn't have friends here, I would have had a really rough time finding a place to stay for the first couple weeks. Since there was a mix up with the apartment I was supposed to be staying in, a friend I made at the MENA conference, Hend, gladly let me stay with her for three weeks. I owe her and her family so so much for all their hospitality. I have found this kind of generosity here to be quite commonplace, so many Egyptians genuinely want to help those who need it...except taxi drivers.
And to answer just about everyone's question: Yes, i have gone to see the pyramids (obviously). They were absolutely breathtaking, this makes it my 3rd wonder of the world that I have seen:). They really are massive, and seeing them on the back of a camel or horse makes it so much more exciting! Sadly we did get ripped off as usual tourists, and our tour guide knew absolutley nada about the pyramids. He took us to go see "Cleopatra's Tomb" which was definitely not her tomb, it didn't take long for us to figure that one out!

My @ internship is with a Strategic Business Development firm called Platinum Partners located in the Heliopolis area of Cairo. Unfortunately there is not much to do in this part of town besides shop...which i have no money for anyhow lol. I actually just finished my first BIG assignment as their marketing intern and technical writer. I had to write a business plan for a new company that was 24 pages long, not intimidading right?! But it turned out well and I received great reviews from my boss and it will be going to the CEO of the company this week! Below is a picture of me at the company whose business plan I wrote.Modern Bulk Systems

I just got back from my very first @ Egypt National Conference, MOMENTUM 09! It was such an interesting conference to be at as a trainee. There was no track for interns so I was really in the mix talking and learning about how to improve @Egypt from exchange to raising money, something @ will always seem to struggle with ha! There was also another trainee from none other than @US in Wisconsin! So AIESEC US was well represented all the way here in Egypt. It was such a great opportunity to meet so many of the @ers in Egypt and have those good conversations about life and experiences. My new LC @AUC could not have been more welcoming! I have such a great group of people who welcomed me with open arms :)
And I think you all should be happy to know that I had the entire conference do a couple rounds of "GT, GT, GT is OK"

That's all for now, I miss you all! Peace out