For my Intro to Development class, I met with the NGO Nahdet El-Mahrousa (which is literally translated as "The Renaissance of Egypt"). The meeting was basically an orientation where we were given information about the NGO and its projects and functions. From what I can tell, it seeks to promote development in Egypt both through educating the youth and through aiding young Egyptians with development plans. The NGO has many arms, one of which is focused on scholarships, another of which is dedicated to an innovation competition among college students, and another of which helps college students network for internship and employment opportunities. Nahdet El-Mahrousa does not guarantee that innovation projects will be sponsored or that individuals will be hired; it simply encourages young Egyptians and aids them in getting their ideas to the forefront, either through innovation or through work in a specific job. It also has programs, such as the one I will be working most extensively with Ana Masry, which seek to promote tolerance among young Egyptians. I think the goal of the NGO is education of Egyptian young people. Through this education, young Egyptians will be more likely to be interested in fostering Egypt's development. Through Nahdet El-Mahrousa such young Egyptians with these interests will be able to move their tolerant, progressive ideas forward. After the holiday after Ramadan, I will be meeting with a representative from Ana Masry.
I have also signed up to teach English as a foreign language to refugees. The program is one night a week at campus, and I am excited for that to get underway in October.
I think most things will get underway in October as (and yes, this is both true and shocking what I am about to say) AUC has suspended classes until October 4. We were supposed to have a holiday from September 18 to September 22, but because the Egyptian government has closed all public schools in the country and has been putting pressure on AUC (a private university to close) due to health concerns regarding swine flu, the decision was made yesterday to cancel classes beginning today and ending October 3. The university will be open and will continue to operate. I think this is somewhat of a power play we are witnessing because AUC did not want to close (and rightfully so as I do not think there are many students sick), but was ultimately subjected to governmental pressure. It really shows who runs the show here, both public and private. So, AUC cancelled classes but I think it is an affront to the government that it is remaining open.
The closing of the university also showed me firsthand the spinning ways of the Egyptian media. My mom told me that online sources in the US spoke of online classes being organized. While other universities may be doing this and while it is true that there is an online sight where professors can post assignments and communicate with students, professors were given no where near enough time to organize anything. When I checked the site today, nothing new had been posted for any of my classes. I think most professors are upset about the way things were handled, and I can definitely understand that.
Most students on the other hand, especially study abroad students, are excited. We are using the time to travel. Tomorrow night/Saturday morning we are leaving for a Nile cruise to Luxor and Aswan. These were our plans before classes were suspended. We have been busy planning what we will do when we return however, because we will have 10-11 days left of our break. We are planning to go to Dahab, Petra, and Amman (and possibly other places along the way). We would be bussing or ferrying everywhere so costs for transportation will be fairly low. Soon we'll be figuring out our other accommodations and more specific details. It's all happening so fast! I'm both nervous and excited, and I think it will be a wonderful experience. I don't think I will have access to a computer on this excursion, but after our two plus week adventure is over, I will be sure to post everything about our trip!
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