I'm currently packing my bags to move from the university dormitories to my new apartment in the center of Alexandria. As I was putting various articles of clothing and random things that I've accumulated for the bast two months into my suitcases, I started thinking about this little cell that I've been living and sleeping in since I arrived. A musty little 15x15 square room with a closet and 2 shelves. The white walls are marked with mysterious red and black skid marks, and a filthy maroon rug really ties the whole place together. My bed is essentially a slap of fabric held up by 6 pieces of wood (surprisingly comfortable!) and I turned every little ledge and hook I could find into something that I can use.
I think all the guys that are here with me will agree that the most unsettling thing about the medina (the dorms) is the flies. No matter how much you leave your door closed, or how often you keep your light off, whether you have food in your room or not, how frequently you clean your room, it doesn't matter. Those flies will find a way in, and they will fuck, and they will make some more flies, and fuck some more. They don't really do much, just kind of float lazily around your space and waver back and forth almost as if they were drunk. Over the course of the summer I almost learned to ignore them. I accepted that they were a part of my life now, and I should just let them do their thing.
But I wanted to write about this place because I noticed that, as...interesting as the conditions are, I really started to make this place my own. Almost like a home. It was a place where I could close the door, turn on the A/C, play some American music, maybe watch an American movie, and tune out the tension that exists outside. When I had a difficult day or week, even a difficult hour, I could come into this space and lay down. I could cry if I needed to, write a song or a blog. I could also walk down the hall to a friends room and sit with him and hang out. There's something comforting about packing 3 or 4 people into a 15x15 room and talking and laughing with each other, knowing that they're going through this experience with you. It's nice to be able to walk 15 seconds to an extremely passable 6v6 soccer field where you can stay up into the late hours of the night playing together with Egyptians and Americans.
I also can't underplay the valuable language learning environment this place provided. Not only was I able to practice Arabic with a bunch of people, I was forced to. From the guys who watch the gate to the people that I lived next to to the people that I ate dinner with, there was no way I could not talk. And because of that my speaking abilities have improved dramatically, much more than they would have from just being in class.
I won't miss the community bathrooms, and the smell of moldy clothes hanging on the drying racks. And even though the flies have become kind of like annoying pets, I don't think I'll miss them either. I definitely won't miss having to take 3-4 taxis a day to get to school and around the city. I will, however, miss a lot of other things about this place. Most of all, the accessibility I had to the other guys in the program. I think it would have taken a lot longer for us all to become friends if we weren't thrown into this place together. Now we at least know how to tolerate each other, and maybe I'll hit up some of them up throughout the rest of the year to hang out. Maybe.
That was a boring post. Sorry, get over it.
Peace
Angry T
p.s. take a listen: http://soundcloud.com/angrytarek
I think all the guys that are here with me will agree that the most unsettling thing about the medina (the dorms) is the flies. No matter how much you leave your door closed, or how often you keep your light off, whether you have food in your room or not, how frequently you clean your room, it doesn't matter. Those flies will find a way in, and they will fuck, and they will make some more flies, and fuck some more. They don't really do much, just kind of float lazily around your space and waver back and forth almost as if they were drunk. Over the course of the summer I almost learned to ignore them. I accepted that they were a part of my life now, and I should just let them do their thing.
But I wanted to write about this place because I noticed that, as...interesting as the conditions are, I really started to make this place my own. Almost like a home. It was a place where I could close the door, turn on the A/C, play some American music, maybe watch an American movie, and tune out the tension that exists outside. When I had a difficult day or week, even a difficult hour, I could come into this space and lay down. I could cry if I needed to, write a song or a blog. I could also walk down the hall to a friends room and sit with him and hang out. There's something comforting about packing 3 or 4 people into a 15x15 room and talking and laughing with each other, knowing that they're going through this experience with you. It's nice to be able to walk 15 seconds to an extremely passable 6v6 soccer field where you can stay up into the late hours of the night playing together with Egyptians and Americans.
I also can't underplay the valuable language learning environment this place provided. Not only was I able to practice Arabic with a bunch of people, I was forced to. From the guys who watch the gate to the people that I lived next to to the people that I ate dinner with, there was no way I could not talk. And because of that my speaking abilities have improved dramatically, much more than they would have from just being in class.
I won't miss the community bathrooms, and the smell of moldy clothes hanging on the drying racks. And even though the flies have become kind of like annoying pets, I don't think I'll miss them either. I definitely won't miss having to take 3-4 taxis a day to get to school and around the city. I will, however, miss a lot of other things about this place. Most of all, the accessibility I had to the other guys in the program. I think it would have taken a lot longer for us all to become friends if we weren't thrown into this place together. Now we at least know how to tolerate each other, and maybe I'll hit up some of them up throughout the rest of the year to hang out. Maybe.
That was a boring post. Sorry, get over it.
Peace
Angry T
p.s. take a listen: http://soundcloud.com/angrytarek
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