What's hiding under the Bridge...?

I am pleased to say that, last weekend, I finally managed to get to one of the places that has been on my to-do list since my first month here - El Sawy Culture Wheel in Zamalek.  This famous venue is just a very short walk, and an even briefer taxi ride, away from my home,  making it a great place to go for an evening of entertainment.

I initially heard about this place through a former IH Cairo ILI co-student, who had had a hugely entertaining afternoon at the centre, watching a lecture about the future of renewable kinesthetic energy generated by wind turbines in Egypt! I am pretty sure that she didn’t understand a single word, but the pictures were probably nice! I still do not know exactly why the prospect of watching an Egyptian conference on sustainable energy tempted me to investigate El Sawy further but needless to say when I realised my proximity to the place after my move I was extremely keen to check it out further as soon as possible.

The centre is located right by the Nile in Zamalek and it is certainly one of the quirkiest structures I have ever seen, with clever utilisation of the little space offered to it. The bulk of the centre is actually situated underneath the 25th July Bridge- with the underbelly of the bridge itself having been transformed into one of the multiple staging areas. Lighting scaffold hangs from the huge concrete edifice and the crowds gather in front of a stage that is set back into the depths of the concave arch of the flyway. It really does make an inspiring setting for cultural activity!

At first glance it is hard to believe that residents of a non-stop city such as Cairo would have time to take in any sort of cultural offering. But this is certainly not the case where the Culture Wheel is concerned. On a regular basis hoards of people flock to the arts venue to take in comedy, music, seminars, classes, workshops and more and the creativity of Cairo citizens is finally given the breathing space it needs in what can be a pretty claustraphobic city.

I have walked past the venue on many occasions to see it buzzing with patrons making full use of the space, from chilling out in the café, or taking part in a martial arts class, to queuing up ready for a live performance. Most of the time the majority of visitors seem to be Egyptians, but foreigners are more than welcome and publicity material is printed in English and Arabic.  These leaflets can be found in cafes across the city, as well as in art galleries and bookshops.

So, back to my own visit to El Sawy!  I went to a gig by popular band Cairokee as my first venture.  Producing an eclectic mix of Arabic folk and modern Indi Rock , Cairokee attracts Egyptian youth en-masse wherever they go. Just like my Australian classmate and her wind turbine lecture, I confess I barely understood a single word but the music was great and by the appearance of the fans the lyrics were certainly very rousing as they were singing along with fervor. My housemate and I managed to bag ourselves a great space, perched on a raised wall looking over the crowd below, so we saw it all perfectly and remained comfortable in the process! Luckily the evening was not too chilly, and the heat from the crowd (and probably the traffic above us!) also kept us warm; definitely a concern of mine when attending an outside concert anywhere in the world, even Cairo at the moment!

The highlight of the night was probably the Egyptian rapper who made a guest appearance. I believe he is a famous singer judging by the reaction of the crowds, but for the life of me I could not tell you who it was! I find rap a strange music form anyway, and one that is particularly difficult to follow even when sung in English; Arabic rap therefore was most certainly a rhythmical treat for my ears! However, how many people can say they have sat under a bridge next to the Nile and watched a live Egyptian rap artist sample an Arabic Indie song? Not many I guess.

An annual membership to this great venue can be brought for around 70LE, meaning that you have unlimited access and can spend summer evenings relaxing right by the Nile in the café, and the membership also allows you to participate in the classes that are being run (yoga, martial arts etc) for a lot cheaper. I will certainly be keeping an eye on forthcoming events. Maybe I will see some theatre next time as it has been far, far too long since I have stimulated my creative side!

For an English website check http://www.culturewheel.com/eng 

Cairokee at El Sawy



A brief excursion with the family

I have just returned from an absolutely fantastic break away from work with my spirits refreshed and my outlook on Cairo revitalised.  Ithink it was a wise person who said that laughter is the best medicine and it is safe to say that I have done a lot of that during the past 7 days.

I have come to the conclusion in my time here so far that the easiest way for me, at least, to deal with the sometimes incomparable differences between Egyptian and British life, and the inevitable culture shock that I have suffered and continue to suffer from, is to look at all the events which unfold with a good sense of humour. Nothing has allowed me to do this more than the timely arrival of my sister and her boyfriend, who both tend to see the funny side of everything and so encourage me to do the same; and hence we indulge in relentless witty banter whenever we get together.

Reunited with my sibling after a four month separation, we took to the road in a night bus almost immediately after their arrival in order to get to Sharm El Sheikh where she – a hardcore fish fan–was going to put her new diving certification to use in her first ever open water dive.

A little note here about the safety of the coach journey, as I know that there have been a number of recent and historic incidents in the local news about bus crashes and tourist deaths in the desert. In fact, even on my return from holiday today I have been informed by a colleague that local news had reported a fatal crash whilst I was away and at the same time as I was travelling; which was a little unnerving to say the least.All I can say is yes, there is a risk when travelling by bus and this can’t be escaped. I have talked about the apparent lack of road rule adherence and enforcement in Cairo in a previous blog and to be honest the same carelessness definitely seems to apply even in the tourist areas and, by comparison to the UK at least I have good reason to suspect that there is a very high accident rate on the roads. However, in the defence of the coach companies the news reports of the road accidents that have happened in recent months should be looked at in context. Dozens of coaches make their way from Cairo to Sharm(and all around the area) both night and day, on a daily basis, reinforcing the fact that you can definitely get to Cairo from Sharm in one piece!If you are a little perturbed by the thought of travelling long distance by local bus then the best way to go would be via domestic flight. These range from between 300 to 800 LE and are frequently departing from Cairo International airport.

With the coach journey survived, we took a cab to the basic yet perfectly adequate and quite pretty self-catering holiday resort called Delta Sharm. Sharm El Sheikh is quite simply a long strip of touristic resorts and beaches, broken up by expanses of desert. The area itself, the Red Sea, is most famous for its coral reef, which is quite probably being over-exploited by the tourist industry and which has almost certainly benefited from the acute lack of tourism that the area has seen in the last 12 months, due to the effects of the revolution.

Nevertheless, the Sharm coral is one of the only winners of this particular era (and Red Sea conservation is another whole topic). The unfortunate side-effect of the Egyptian Revolution is that the tourist industry in the country has plummeted and many, many people have lost their jobs and businesses in the aftermath.

When I first started my Egyptian adventure 12 months ago to the day, it was simply with a holiday with a friend to a fantastic little hotel called the Royal Albatross. At this time Egypt and its rioting was in international news almost daily and as a direct result the Red Sea area was like the Mary Celeste; totally abandoned, despite being 7 hours away from the violence and completely unaffected.

In June last year, on my second Sharm holiday, we still saw very little by way of tourism and workers seemed grateful for our custom. However, one year on and it is safe to say that small glimmers of life are beginning to reappear which is very good news for locals whose livelihoods are this industry. This time around I saw many Egyptians holidaying with us and taking advantage of the off peak season, but I also saw a  fair amount of foreigners taking their chances despite any bad press that Sinai and its surrounds has had.

I must admit even I had been having my reservations about the mini-break after hearing the news of the multiple kidnappings. However I did my research and went to a tour company owned by a friend who I trusted for adviceand to book all of the trips so we remained safe and felt very well looked after during our stay. We even ventured into the desert and into a Bedouin tent on a fantastic quad bike safari! I personally erred on the side of caution still, and opted not to bookany of the long desert trips that are on offeron the recommendation of the tour company. These trips take you to remote areas that are not as well policed,which is not really a good idea at present. In fact, even the British Embassy site itself recommends only essential travel to these parts of the country at the moment.I am sure that will change in due course.

Diving and snorkeling, beach fun and the nightlife are all still happening and we took advantage of them all! I cannot wait to take another trip in the height of the holiday season, when more people are filling the resorts and the bars and bringing the buzz back to the area.

Back in Cairo we also saw signs of tourism still happening as people from all nationalities, including Egyptians,enjoyed the famous landmarks and tourist attraction alongside us. It was a positive sign but there is still a long way to go until the industry is restored back to full health. The presidential elections are this year and so the topic of tourism will hopefully be a priority for the newly instated government. One can only hope so, as without tourism a very large chunk of Egypt’s workforce will continue to remain unemployed and spiraling into poverty. IH Cairo ILI is still working hard to send students off to experience the sights and sounds of the city and hopefully our work and the work of other companies like ours will help to slowly bring this brilliant holiday destination back to its former heyday.

The museum of Egypt

a quick sales pitch for IH Cairo ILI!

I have decided that you have all read enough of my waffle for one week. I have been writing new copy for the college so instead of any insights today I thought you may like to read about what we offer here at IH Cairo ILI!

"Come to IH Cairo ILI for an Arabic language experience like no other. You will learn the native tongue of the Middle East in the very heart of the capital of Egypt. Cairo is an exhilarating city, a blend of ancient history and traditions with all the hustle and bustle of a modern metropolis. A stay in Cairo will appeal to anyone, of any age, who has the spirit of adventure and a desire to explore other cultures.

What better way to learn the language than in one of the top adult language institutes in the region? IH Cairo ILI boasts over 35 years of teaching experience, a student-focused teaching methodology as well as excellent teaching facilities and student services all in a safe and supportive learning environment. As part of the highly reputable International House Worldwide Organisation, IH Cairo ILI can proudly claim its much deserved status as a specialised Arabic language school, renowned the world over. As the only International House-recognised institute for training in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language, excellent tuition from fully qualified, native speaking teachers is guaranteed.  

With courses starting every month, all year round in all levels of both Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (the spoken dialect) and Modern Standard Arabic (the formal written dialect), IH Cairo ILI will be able to suit your own specific needs as a student. If it is one-on-one study or specialist training you are after then why not enquire further about the college’s one-to-one tuition and tailored courses.

All successful students are issued with comprehensive course certificates with clearly defined course objectives and assessment information. The course levels are matched to the Common European Framework and the American ALTE standards and most universities accept the assessments when grading their students. No wonder, therefore that the institute is so well attended by successful academics, diplomats, journalists, aid workers, researchers, Egyptologists and archaeologists from all over the world. In fact, there can be up to 30 different nationalities learning with IH Cairo ILI at any given time so we have a real cosmopolitan community here!

From the moment students touchdown in Cairo, our welcoming faculty and team of support staff are on hand to make the transition to life here more simple and enjoyable. It can start with the airport pickup service meeting students and taking them directly to their accommodation, whether that be at IH Cairo ILI’s serviced residence, or a hotel or rented apartment nearby. IH Cairo ILI can help students find their very own home away from home in the city. The IH Cairo ILI Experience does not stop there – the college provides every opportunity to get out and about and experience Egypt safely with organised trips and tours to all the tourist hotspots and more.

Imagine spending your language vacation smoking shisha by the Nile, touring ancient monuments and shopping in lively bazaars. Return home having unlocked the secrets of a new language and having gained incredible life experience that will not only enhance your employability but will also give you memories to treasure and friends from all over the world."

Hope this gets you thinking about having a language holiday with us here in Cairo! I am extremely excited because my sister is coming to visit this week and I will be heading down to Sharm el Sheikh for some fun in the sun! It looks all set to be a far less relaxing vacation than the 3 days glorious rest and repose that I took over Christmas! I will report back on my return to the office next week...

Current Events in Cairo

It is with a heavy heart that I use this blog to express my condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the victims of last week’s violence in Port Said, and to those affected both directly and indirectly. It is not my place in this blog to comment on the ‘whats’ or the ‘whys’ so I will not. Instead I will simply continue to advise students to be cautious and not take any unnecessary risks. Don’t stay out too late, don’t go into remote areas (such as the desert) for any reason, always let someone know where you are, don’t join any protests or demonstrations and, ladies especially, try and avoid being alone in taxis for too long especially at night. Keep checking the news for updates as the situation may change or escalate suddenly and without warning. This advice, and other methods of self-protection, I urge all students to adhere to.

The news depicts Cairo to be a place full of chaos and abandonment and in many ways I believe that a lot of people living here have felt that way at some point when watching footage of what is happening. However, to try to reassure those who may have concerns I can safely say that, as usual, the unrest remains reasonably localised and most residents here in Cairo have watched events unfold on their television sets, just like the rest of the world. Protest groups that have ventured away from Downtown have been, by and large, peaceful marches to demonstrate solidarity in mourning.  

For the most part daily business has not been affected (although it is subdued, with many shops and businesses remaining closed as a mark of respect to those who died). The same applies to IH Cairo ILI, where lessons this week are happening as per normal. With the right amount of caution being taken, Cairo life for students here at the college does not have to be compromised in many ways at all. 

If this blog was purely a personal account with no connection to work then I may well have written an entry solely documenting my own thoughts and observations on the topic, using what little knowledge I can glean about it from the news and what other people have told me. I think everyone here like me, whether Egyptian or not, is trying to find their own way of making sense of a situation that once again has put Egypt under the worldwide spotlight and put the events which started on January 25^th 2011 right back into global conversation. As I am writing this under the official banner of IH Cairo ILI I have decided that it is not really the space for personal analysis of complex political situations. However neither is it appropriate - this week - to jovially comment on Cairo living. Instead, just this once, Inshallah, I think I will stop writing here as my own mark of respect to those who died and to those still standing up for what they believe in, against all odds, and with an intensity of conviction that I never cease to marvel at.

 To keep yourself informed and help you make your own decisions about personal safety in the country, the British Embassy have a very good and up-to-date travel advice section on their website. Just click here to be taken directly to the right page.