3id Kibir in Cairo November 27, 2009

The vacuuming began at 7 am, as the butchers in city sharpen their knives.  The excess water in the streets is from the first rain in Cairo, since my arrival in September.  I awoke at 5:15 am to the sound of thunder and then a sudden downpour.  Immediately, I jump up from bed, and walk to the balcony, to get a closer look.  I would like to say that it washed away all the dirt and dust that has accumulated, but rather it  just made a muddy mess.  There was a lot of low land flooding, as there are not proper drains for the water to go down.  I can’t imagine what it would be like if there was a lot of rain.

Today is 3id Kibir, and my 4th time experiencing it.  However, unlike 3id in Morocco, there are a variety of animals that are sacrified, depending on wealth and also on how many people are to be fed. There are sheep, water buffalo, and cows. I was with two friends, and we left to go get a feel of 3id, at about 8:30am.  We tell the taxi driver to take us to a place that would be good for observing the sacrifice.

He takes us to the Giza Zoo.  Not what we had in mind at all.

We then head towards Mohandeseen.  The muddy roads and trails of blood in the street, we wander upon many butchers hard at work.  I decided to not take any pictures in this area, as I wanted to observe and not interrupt any of the activity.  I had the opportunity to talk with children in the street.  It made me miss being in Morocco a little, wishing to have the same community feel that I had there.

The puddles of water, the dampness in the air, and quiet streets made for a nice morning walk.  It is rare for the streets to be so empty, as Cairene’s are celebrating and enjoying their family time.

I remember back to my first 3id in Morocco, in December 2006.  The cold air, and waking up to see my first sacrifice.  The throat is cut and the blood begins to drain  from the sheep. The precision that each butcher has with the animal is incredible. The skill of knowing how to delicately handle the animal, and yet leave nothing to waste. The women of the household preparing every part of the animal in their proper way.  The final placement of the sheepskin to dry in the sun on the roof, before it is then cleaned.  I remember my initial reaction of wanting to look away, as it was new to me.

Now, 4 years later, this sacrifice is normal to me.  Although, I myself do not have a sheep, there is a beauty that comes from having cultural awareness of other customs and traditions, within another culture.  As Cairo slowly grows on me, I know that I will learn to like Egypt as much as Morocco.

Wandering Through Zamalek October 30, 2009

As I wander through Zamalek, I am actively looking at the environment around me.  The architecture of this modern island, the remnants left by its residents, and the streets themselves.

I am unable to walk on the sidewalks in Cairo, which is fine with me. In Morocco, I got quite accustomed to walking in the middle of street.  Here the sidewalks are in such a condition and the curbs are uneven, that I prefer to weave in and out through traffic and parked cars.

Conscious of how the garbage piles up, I begin to take notice of the types of garbage available.  In a city with no organized recycling program in place, all the good garbage is collected by the citizens.  You really have to look out for “good” trash. 

My assignment this week is to pick up “found objects” which will then be incorporated into collages.  Pushing my work into a different direction, and giving it physical content from the city itself.

I located modern day collages, created from posters that are torn down and repasted, providing a history of events that are happening in Cairo.

Figuring out the role that Arabic Calligraphy will play into my printmaking and into my paintings.  Today I purchased a thesaurus to help me in expanding my vernacular and learning more synonyms.

my size paintings October 21, 2009

Having been terribly bored in my Egyptian class the last few weeks, I decided to see if I what the next level was like.  I got to class at 9am, and tried the 4th level of Egyptian Arabic.  Nothing short of amazing.  I am much happier in this class, and decided to switch.  Sure there are lots of things that I don’t know yet, but I would rather be challenged then to be sitting in a classroom wishing that I was somewhere else.

Arabic Foosha is getting more complicated, with all the new vocabulary and grammar structures.  Mostly this is because this session of Arabic is focusing on politics and the language of newspapers. 

After class today, I walked home with a couple of classmates.  Instead of waiting in a taxi for a half an hour or more, we decided to walk.  It takes a lot of concentration going over the bridge, over the Nile, to get to Zamalek from Mohandeseen. It still takes the same amount of time, but I suppose it feels like it is going faster because you have physical movement. Walking towards all the car exhaust wasn’t so pleasant, but enjoyable walk nonetheless. Then we decided to go get a coffee at Simonds. 

Simonds has the best cappiccino’s in Zamalek, and has been in Cairo since 1889. It reminds me of a cafe that you would see in Italy. 

I got home, and then went out right away while I still had the energy to go and get some things.  I went with Ginger downtown to get more paint and some gesso.

Yesterday I bought wood panels, that I will paint on.  I bought 3 of them, and they are bigger than me. It is so exciting and I look forward to the potential of what will happen to the surface. Today I put the first layer of gesso on these three panels.

One thing that I know to do next time is to have panels that are thicker, since these are so large. I think that usually people want to have thin panels because they want to save money or to have it be lighter in weight. It is very important to have something that is sturdy. There is always a learning lesson in every project.

After I get back from Alexandria on Sunday, I will begin painting them and putting Arabic calligraphy on them as well.

Black Cloud Covers Cairo October 19, 2009

The air was so thick this morning. I left the apartment in Zamalek around 8:45 am to get to class on time. I began another session of Arabic Foosha and Egyptian Arabic today.  The sessions are usually either 4 or 5 weeks long.  I think I will like the 4 week session better, because I won’t oversleep or loose motivation.  Although I am loving being in school again, this city is so exhausting. 

Outside of Cairo, people are buring rice stalks. This effects everything here.  The difference in the environment and congestion has increased.  I arrived when it was Ramadan, and not many students were in school.  Now, when I leave school, a taxi ride that should be no more than 10 minutes long, will take up to an hour. There isn’t a great solution either.  It would be faster to walk, but then you are walking into the updraft of diesel fumes.

On a clear day you can see the buildings in the distance.  Now it is difficult to see from one bridge to the next one along the nile.  Such an environmental problem, with no easy solution.

When I first arrived, many Egyptians and foreigners who know Cairo well, said that October would be difficult because of this extra pollution in the air. The black cloud that covers Cairo and is ever present.  How true this is, and it is affecting my eczema…imagine that. Of course, it doesn’t help that the weather has been around 95 degrees or hotter. 

Papermaking in Cairo October 18, 2009

El Nafeza papermaking

Arriving by the metro, we get off at Mar Girgis station, and walk towards the street where Darb 1718 gallery is located. As we walk past a Coptic church, after we exit the metro, we are greeted by a military officer that escorts us towards our final destination. I think the street was closed at the moment, but because we were with our Egyptian friend, we were allowed through.

El Nafeza teaches young girls and boys how to make paper. They are using rice straws that are left over after the rice harvest.

In Cairo, right now, there is a cloud of black smoke that is coming from the burning of the rice straws. It is a terrible problem because there is an abundance of rice straw that is discarded after the harvest. Through the creativity of Dr. Mohamed Abou El Naga, the founder of El Nafeza, some of the rice straw is being reused and providing an income for young Egyptians. Many of the youth that were working today, are deaf, and it is a great way for these girls and boys to work.

The facilities is quite large, and has been around for more than 4 years.

The process of papermaking begins with the pure rice straw. It is boiled in a large vat, run by a medium sized buta gas tank. The rice straw burns for about an hour and a half. Then it is cleaned with water. Next, it is moved to another room. They use a washing machine, that then cleans it further and helps blend the rice straw into the pulp.

Afterwards, the pulp goes into another large container and waits until it will be used. There are large tanks that the colored dye and pulp will then be poured into. The girls then take screens and dip them into the pulp and colored dye mixture. They wait a moment, and let the excess waters drain from the screen. They use a plastic scraper to put around the edges of the paper, to help it come off the screen easier.

The final part of the process is placing the screen on the cement wall. The paper then sticks to the surface of the cement. Holding the screen tight against the wall, a sponge is used to push the air out from underneath the screen and paper, so that the paper will dry flat against the cement wall. Even more excess water and dye drips down the wall.

There is no sizing that is used in this paper.

They have a multitude of products available. It appears that there is no end to the possibilities of products or designs that they might use. According to the wife of Dr. Mohamed Abou El Naga, this facility is the only one of its kind in the entire Middle East. This is rather surprising to me. The Arabs brought paper from Egypt to the Western world, and yet now there is almost no paper of this sort being produced here. There is so much potential for paper to be made from various sources.

As a printmaker, I am very interested in papermaking. There is a direct relationship between the image and the paper one chooses. I have been using Japanese papers throughout the years, due to its weight and durability. I am hoping in the future, that I will be able to utilize the papers at El Nafeza and to work with them to do some printmaking/papermaking workshops.

I think that one thing that is still a challenge for this facility, is that the paper ends up being too expensive for the Egyptian population. However, it is so important to have a Egyptian-made product that supports the Egyptian community.

I look forward to seeing how my prints will work on this paper, and the possibilities of how this paper can be used in the future.

To learn more information about El Nafeza, please check out their website at http://www.elnafeza.com

Mazel=Laisa=Not Yet October 9, 2009

Now living in Cairo, I am able to reflect on my experiences in Morocco.  As I am still adjusting, it is interesting what retrospect can offer to help me understand how I function in another country.  My language acquisition is a primary example of how I now have words that I realize that I use a lot in another language.   These are the words at the moment, that I am not able to switch over and use the Egyptian form yet. I have a tendency to use these words, even within an Egyptian sentence.

A. mazel: not yet

B. Kayn/Kayna; There is or There are

C. Safi: Enough

D. dyal: of

E. A3fak: please

F. Blesh: something you don’t need

There are things that I am able to absorb quickly into my vernacular, and other things that I rely on from my Moroccan dialect. Of course, when I was learning Moroccan dialect, I couldn’t remember the word for socks for almost a year.  Some words stick, while others just don’t.  With time and practice, you can train your mind to refer to the new words, but for me I think it is important to document these words and the challenges that come with being new again in a culture.

I know that when I return to Morocco again, my Arabic will seem silly to them as well.  I will be adjusted to Egypt, and will have integrated new words and will probably rely upon new ones as well.

I have always enjoyed learning languages, and part of this is due to the fact that I like collecting things. I am collecting words.  I find words that I relate to and also words that sound interesting to me.  In Arabic, I like words that use Z, Kh, Q, and letters that do not exist in the English alphabet. Perhaps this is why it is a little harder to transition into Egyptian dialect because in Morocco you would use a Q (Qaf) sound a lot, whereas in Egypt this turns into an A sound. It took me some time to get the Qaf sound and differentiate it between the K sound. But now that it has been taken away, I realize my appreciation for this sound.

Also, another thing is that I am in a formal learning setting again, and learning colloquial Arabic in the classroom is much different than being in a village and just trying to use it.  Part of the fun of it is in the mistakes and the jokes that can come from making the mistakes.  When I was in Morocco, I longed for their dialect to be written, to have opportunities to buy publications in the dialect.

Now that I am in Egypt, and I am learning Egyptian dialect from a written textbook, I find it a little strange.  So long I have just created my own techniques of how I learn new words or try new phrases.  Mostly through trial and error, but also actively hearing.  I would write down new words in arabic script and also in transliteration of how I hear the word. I created my own personal lexicon.

As I end my first 5 weeks of language courses this coming week, I know that I need to actively seek the conversations that will help me to build upon what I have been learning.  I know that it will take at least 3 months to get to the point where I feel comfortable with the language and where it is less of a struggle. Right now it is just frustrating because all that comes to my mind is Moroccan phrases…. But I always remember this universal phrase.  (And I know I just have to be patient).

shwaya  shwaya (Egyptian)

shwiya b shwiya (Moroccan)

imik c imik (Tashelhit)

Little by little (English)

Suber Glue and Sparklers October 3, 2009

On the metro, a man is selling super glue.  I am surprised how many people are actually buying this product. The women are digging through their purses or in their pockets to find some spare change.  At 1 Egyptian pound (giney), I guess you can’t go wrong.

He is holding about 60 super glue packets in his hands.  Walking quickly, he announces his presence and his product. 

“SUBER GLUE, SUBER GLUE!”

Egyptian Arabic (as well as all Arabic dialects) do not have the “P” in their alphabet.  This gets changed into a “B” sound. 

During the 2o minute commute from downtown to Maadi, lots of products are sold.  I though that fireworks were going to only be a limited time only product for Ramadan.  I was wrong.  Sparklers are a popular item that young boys are selling .  A box of sparklers is also 1 Egyptian pound.

Being a commuter has its ups and downs. In reality, a city this size, everyday is a commute whether you like it or not.  I pay 1 Egyptian pound at the ticket office, and they hand me a small, yellow ticket.  This is then entered into a ticket machine, and you go through and collect your ticket. You must keep this little ticket, in order to exit at your final destination metro stop.

Once I am through, I weave in and out the crowds to get to the other side of the tracks.  I wait near the women’s only section, at 7:50am.  To be at the metro any later you will not get a seat, as rush hour will be in full effect.  The metro is outside for most of the ride, making it more like an inner city train than a metro.  The metro becomes undeground from Saad Zaghloul and northwards.

Then, I switch at Sadat and take the Giza line towards Dokki (pronounced Doe-E.  From here, I exit the metro, and walk up and catch a taxi.  Depending on traffic, the taxi ride is about 8 minutes (on a good day). I have made it to my final destination, Mohandeseen.  I arrive at approximately 8:30am. 

Leaving school at 2:30 or 3:00pm is less fun.  I walk for 5 minutes to the bus stop and wait for a mini-bus going towards Giza.  This bus will cost me 75 piasters (less than 1 Egyptian pound).  I take it over the October 6th bridge, and then get off.  Usually the ride is fairly long, because of traffic jams in the late afternoon.   Afterwards, I bravely cross the street, and walk toward the Metro stop in Dokki.  This begins the journey back to Maadi. 

Crossing streets is one of the most dangerous things you can do in Cairo.  I always have someone else take the lead…where the cars are oncoming, I have someone to my right and walk when they do. 

Now I am living in Zamalek, so my commute will only be 5-10 minutes.  I am very excited about this, as it will be less exhausting.  Zamalek is located on an island on the Nile.  I am close to the Islamic Ceramics Museum, the Egyptian Museum and lots of galleries!

along the nile September 26, 2009

Over the next year, I will focus on contemporary artistic endeavors in Egypt.  It is an exploration of both traditional Egyptian handicrafts, as well as modern fine arts.  Also, I will be documenting my observations, sketches, prints, and Arabic Calligraphy created throughout my time here. There will be information about galleries, artistic places of interest, and Egyptian culture.  

Welcome to this journey “Along the Nile.”

 

Hello world! September 26, 2009

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