CAIRO
Dear Reader,
This is my last abroad column.
I’ve been abroad since last June, and have been writing this column since August. I’ve submitted a lot of articles to be published — most of them terrible, but hopefully a passable one or two managed to slip in. I maintain no illusions about my readership. I’ve only ever received two comments — one when I misspelled “Frankfurt,” and a response from AU Abroad when I revealed some less than estimable actions taken by a study-abroad provider. (I apologize for misspelling Frankfurt. Not sure how I missed that.) I imagine that you, dear reader, have come across this column the same way I did - waiting for someone at the University Center, skimming the tattered remains of a Scene section, looking for some hilariously uninformed pseudo-intellectual posturing you can mock when your friend arrives.
That’s fine. I’ll take what I can get. But, if I can be horribly self-indulgent for a few more paragraphs, I want to pitch you something.
Since you’re reading this, you’re likely an AU student — one with a rare moment of free time. That means you’re probably planning to go abroad. It also means your ultimate destination is probably Europe or Australia.
I want you to reconsider. How about the Middle East?
Not that there’s anything wrong with England, Australia, France, Spain, spending a semester on a boat or the like. There isn’t. An essayist once wrote her time in England taught her “to appreciate the subtle nuances in difference so key to any form of cultural understanding.” I have friends who have done Europe and Australia programs. Based on their blogs — incidentally, every study abroad student seems obligated to have one these days — all of them are having a grand time. Their universities are top-notch. Their experiences are positive.
Truth be told, the same isn’t always true here. I’ve taken classes that wouldn’t have passed muster at a second-rate high school. Not everyone’s experience is positive. At the moment, I’m studying with a group of Americans. Most of the girls can’t wait to get back to a society where men don’t hiss and catcall on the street. One of my roommates hates it here. He says Cairo is “culturally dead” and wishes he were in Italy instead.
That’s fine. No one says an abroad experience has to be all puppies, kittens and booze-soaked golden sunshine. Negative experiences can impact your growth just as much, if not more. Besides, time usually puts things in a better light. Ten years from now, my roommate may have a much different impression of his time in Cairo.
So, even though the reviews may not be great, and even though your parents may object, I think you should come here anyway.
The possibilities are vast. Since you’re reading this, I assume you’re fluent in English. In America, that means nothing. Over here, it means you’re automatically qualified for a wide range of positions. One friend of mine is helping lead a new political party in Ankara, her only previous experience being a degree in IR. I got an internship at The Daily News Egypt/International Herald Tribune with a smattering of nonsensical clips from The Eagle. I can’t tell you the number of ex-pats I met in Istanbul who showed up with no certificates, no experience, no work visa, no qualifications except their passport and were leading comfortable lives teaching English within a month.
You also learn languages — Arabic being the prime example. Also, we’re not talking the stilted, formal Arabic you learn at AU. Nobody speaks that. I’m referring to Colloquial — the language of the people, the language you can joke and laugh and make friends with. Also, since AU has decided to stick a kebab knife through the Turkish program, I know you haven’t studied the language spoken by the most powerful economy in the whole Middle East. Where better to learn Turkish than Turkey?
There are other perks too. People are surprisingly friendly, especially if you like Obama. Food is cheap and plentiful, and your stomach problems should subside in a month or so. Cultural values are vastly different, both in enlightening and frightening ways. You’ll learn patience — the kind that only comes with a three-hour traffic jam or your sixth visit to the foreigner’s police to get a stamp. You’ll become comfortable seeing heavily-armed police on a daily basis.
I’ve done homesteads, programs with Americans and direct enrollment in foreign universities. I’d recommend homesteads above the other two, but anything is fine.
I’m too out of the AU loop to know if AU Abroad’s deadline already passed, but there’s no reason you have to go through them. (Though I did, and it’s worked out fine.) In fact, there’s no reason you need a program or plan at all. You just need a plane ticket and a couch to crash on. (CouchSurfers.com is good for this.) Pick up a copy of Lonely Planet if it makes you feel better. Buy a return ticket if it will make your parents more comfortable.
But make sure you can change the return flight’s date. Once you get here, there’s no telling what will happen.
I hope you’ll consider it. Thanks for reading.
With best wishes,
Will Zeman
You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
