In-country orientation… only about a month late

On our last day in Cairo, Fulbright held an in-country orientation for all the Fulbrighters (ETAs, student researchers, and scholars; about 50 total). Held at the American Embassy, the program opened with an address by Ambassador Scobey. It was similar to the remarks we heard in DC this summer about how important this program is for mutual cultural understanding, aka American propaganda efforts abroad. Regardless, I appreciated her time and inspirational send off. We also received briefings from the American Citizen Services office, Security officer, and Embassy nurse. These warnings (Say no to drugs, crossing the street, microbuses, and immodest clothing) were a mix of common sense and paranoia. Either way, a month into our Egyptian adventure these warnings seemed unnecessary, but I guess the Embassy wanted to cover its backside by expunging itself of any liability should one of us gets thrown in jail and expect diplomatic immunity. Hopefully, this will prove to be irrelevant for all of us.




After the briefings, a panel of Fulbrighters from last year offered their two sense on life in Egypt. The discussion on raising children in Cairo was extraneous for me (alhumdulillah, “thanks to Allah”), but I was encouraged by the resounding insistence to adapt to life in Egypt instead of fighting it. For instance, business/productivity hours are funky here; our apartment broker called Grace and me yesterday at 11pm to discuss the lease signing. Instead of getting frustrated that 9-5 is not the time to get work done, I just need to embrace it.



Orientation was followed by a guided trip around the Alabaster Mosque and dinner at the Citadel. The mosque was built very similarly to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, but the decorative style was more Egyptian (nerdy side note: This demonstrates the Egyptian/Ottoman tensions from the era of Muhammad Ali. He is considered the father of modern Egypt, but was a regional ruler subservient to the Ottoman Sultanate in Istanbul. See your favorite reference site for more information). Anyways, the mosque is beautiful and reminded me of all the mosques I visited while in Turkey three years ago. And as you all know, I LOVE Turkey!

The Alabaster Mosque at night

And oh my gosh!! Dinner was phenomenal, and quite possibly the best Egyptian style meal I have eaten this past month. It was served buffet style (my favorite, obviously) and included chicken shish kabobs, mixed salad, hummus, sambusak (fried cheese in philo-dough), kibe (meatball-like things with nuts), and a lasagna-inspired dish. I ate so much since it could be my last meal for a while; just kidding, there are so many amazing restaurants in Alex including the best seafood restaurants in the country. I cannot wait!!!

At the Citadel

After dinner, there was a vocal musical performance. Dread at the thought of packing began to creep into my mind throughout the day and I was anxious about saying goodbye to everyone, but the music calmed my nerves. Plus, I was lost in conversation with some other Fulbrighters here for research. I really enjoyed hearing about their projects and experiences thus far in Egypt. Most of the people I met are going on the Siwa trip as well, so I look forward to catching up with them in three weeks.



We all figured the festivities were concluding with the musical performance, but we were seriously mistaken. Before we knew what was going on, a one-man dervish show took the stage. This was far from the traditional whirling I am used to; his skirts were not only colorful (like the performers we saw at al-Azhar earlier this month), but had lights all over them. Yes, the man was lit like a Christmas tree. I am not sure how traditional dervishes would view his performance from a spiritual perspective, but he sure as heck was entertaining. And the best part, I got to whirl too!!! He finished his routine and then walked straight towards me, grabbed my hands, and left me center stage. Thankfully, he gathered a few more from the crowd because I initially thought it was going to be the Morgan-and-one-man-dervish performance for the entire Fulbright Commission front and center at the Citadel. I cannot begin to explain how difficult it was to spin and I only did it for 60 seconds, max! The skirt was so heavy and I was too full to be spinning so quickly, but it was the coolest part of my day. We were all laughing so much, clapping along to the music, and cheering each other on as we whirled about. (FYI: I was later told by my friends that I have the “ride the mechanical bull” style to my whirling. They of course added this to their list of jokes for me, their beloved southern belle).



Post-citadel, Team Fulbright returned to pack and to enjoy our last night at the Shepheard with some music and spirits. The night was bittersweet, but a great conclusion to our month in Cairo and the perfect send off for our coming adventures as teachers, cultural ambassadors, and twenty-something year old Americans here to live it up… on your tax dollars.