One of the most notable and consistent features of the Cairo streets are the presence of fruit juice stands. These refreshment hubs stand unassumingly on nearly every street but never fail to gain the attention of locals and tourists hoping to take a small reprieve from the unwavering Egyptian heat.
A specialty of these stands is a drink known in Arabic as "aser asab" which translates to "sugarcane juice". The name is a fair description of the drink but fails to to this cultural phenomenon justice. I had never heard of, seen, or imagined this drink before coming here, but it has rapidly become one of my favorites. For under 20 American cents (1 Egyptian Pound) this drink can be, and likely is, enjoyed by anyone.
The most fascinating part of this drink is watching it being made. Thats right, unlike bottled juices and other local favorites like Pepsi and Seven Up, this drink is made right in front of the customer, or shortly before his arrival. What happens is that when the customer orders his drink, the person running the stand will take several of the sugarcane plants that are freshly delivered every few days and put them into a machine that grinds them up and squeezes the juice out of them. The juice falls out of the machine and into a bucket where it is rapidly transferred to a cup for the customer to savor.
Because it is so fresh, some locals claim that the juice is very healthy and provides many nutrients. A quick internet search revealed to me that in fact sugarcane juice, due to its high sugar content, is high in calories. However, the low level of processing that the juice goes through prevents it from losing many of the calories that other drinks lack, and certainly the drawbacks are not worse than those found in sweetened coffee based beverages and various brands of soda that have been processed countless times. In addition, this beverage has been known to heal sore throats, cold, and flu and is believed to be a cancer preventative. Due to the lack of simple sugars, aser asab is also a great source of energy and hydration, both very convenient in the hot Egyptian sun.
Although I had never seen anything like it, similar drinks exist around the world, most notably in Brazil, India, and Asian nations. There are variations in how the drink is served, for example in some places a squeeze of lemon or ginger is included.
But for a quick refreshing reprieve from the heat that dominates Cairo, there is nothing better than a freshly squeezed glass of aser asab. Although I had never seen or tasted this drink before coming here, I already see it as a wonderful innovation.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Transportation in Cairo
Here in Cairo there are many things to see, and possilby as many ways to get around. For those who prefer comfort it is possible to get where you need to go with taxis, but for more adventurous folk there are plenty of ways to get from one place to another.
But going back to taxis, even that isn't all that simple. When hailing a taxi for a ride, it is important to notice the color. The cheapest are the black taxis, these are also the lowest quality but in most instances that really doesn't matter. Then there arew wite taxis that are somewhat better but also more expensive, and the most comfortable are the yellow taxis.
However, taking taxis can be expensive and leads you to miss out on a lot of te fun that comes with transportation in the big city. My favorite way to get from point A to point B (though in some cases also to Poits C, D, E and so on) is with the "microbus" system. Basically there are different hubs around the city (I only use a few of them) and the microbuses travel between them and eventually go past wherever you're going. It isn't really convenient nor is it very comfortable, but after some initial difficulty I am impressed with the ease and efficiency and accuracy with which I can use them despite my very shallow understanding of the language. The hubs are named for different landmarks, usually neigborhoods or metro stations, and I have know idea how many there are in the city.
Like any major city, there is also a metro system, but it is not as expansive as those that I have seen in Europe and the USA. Often it is too far to walk to a mtro station, so an average trip consists of a series of microbuses, buses, then the metro.
But going back to taxis, even that isn't all that simple. When hailing a taxi for a ride, it is important to notice the color. The cheapest are the black taxis, these are also the lowest quality but in most instances that really doesn't matter. Then there arew wite taxis that are somewhat better but also more expensive, and the most comfortable are the yellow taxis.
However, taking taxis can be expensive and leads you to miss out on a lot of te fun that comes with transportation in the big city. My favorite way to get from point A to point B (though in some cases also to Poits C, D, E and so on) is with the "microbus" system. Basically there are different hubs around the city (I only use a few of them) and the microbuses travel between them and eventually go past wherever you're going. It isn't really convenient nor is it very comfortable, but after some initial difficulty I am impressed with the ease and efficiency and accuracy with which I can use them despite my very shallow understanding of the language. The hubs are named for different landmarks, usually neigborhoods or metro stations, and I have know idea how many there are in the city.
Like any major city, there is also a metro system, but it is not as expansive as those that I have seen in Europe and the USA. Often it is too far to walk to a mtro station, so an average trip consists of a series of microbuses, buses, then the metro.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Destination
I have spent the last few days learning basic Arabic, going to different parts of Cairo, adjusting to the Egyptian culture, and trying the variety of new foods that this country has to offer. At the school our group has more or less mastered the Arabic writing system, though we still make some mistakes. Actually speaking has proven to be more difficult. I have learned some assorted words from my host family and classes, and most grammar that I am learning is by example. Today my whole class was amused by the sound made by the letter "غ" (similar to the French "r" sound but throatier) and joked around making it, we got a good laugh out of that. I also went to the local mall called the "Star Center", it was good but I was surprised by the amout of American shops and restaurants there were, like McDonalds, Hardees, and KFC. The bookstores had at least a third of their space devoted to English langauge books, but I guess that could be expected from an international hub.
Today I went with my host family to a wedding party that was a traditional Muslim celebration, then went to a "disco" party that took place in the street. I was a bit put off by the fact that there was a dance party with only men, and after looking I concluded that there were in fact no females around. I guess that is just part of the culture, as it is common also for people of the same gender to hold hands or hug in public but rarely is there any intergender physical contact.
The wedding party included some dancing but more eating and talking, and since my Arabic is still restricted to very basic phrases I could only speak to a few people. There was also traditional food and a reading from the Qu'ran.
Tomorrow I will see the pyramids, so I will be sure to post about that with some pictures. Until then,
-R H Kramer
Today I went with my host family to a wedding party that was a traditional Muslim celebration, then went to a "disco" party that took place in the street. I was a bit put off by the fact that there was a dance party with only men, and after looking I concluded that there were in fact no females around. I guess that is just part of the culture, as it is common also for people of the same gender to hold hands or hug in public but rarely is there any intergender physical contact.
The wedding party included some dancing but more eating and talking, and since my Arabic is still restricted to very basic phrases I could only speak to a few people. There was also traditional food and a reading from the Qu'ran.
Tomorrow I will see the pyramids, so I will be sure to post about that with some pictures. Until then,
-R H Kramer
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Flight Around the World
Wow it's been a week since my last post... So much has happened and I don't think I'll be able to cover it all, so I will focus on several aspects of my journey. For the first part of the journey, I flew into New York and met the group that I am staying with. There were thirty people in the group, but only 25 are with the same program that I am and only 16 will be going to the same school.
A little backgroud on the program- it is called the National Security Language Initiative and is sponsored by the State Department of the United States government. Students are selected to go to each of 7 countries, and the program that I was chosen for is to study in Egypt. We haven't started language classes yet, but our first day learning Arabic is tomorrow.
The government divides the scholarships for this program between several different organizations to better carry out the goal of the program. The Egypt program, along with a couple others, is through AFS, an experienced exchange organization. Therefore, we go through much of the same process as other AFS participants with a few added details. This means that like students in other progams, we meet with our groups for the first time at a university in New York city. Here I got to know people not only from my own program but who were also going to other countries. After a few meetings and some free time, we left for Cairo at about 11:30 at night. Our flight was delayed because one passenger forgot not to check his medicine and it had to be retrieved, but finally we took off.
I can usually sleep really well on the airplane, but only managed to sleep for 5 hours this time since the group was lively and interesting enough to keep me awake for a long time. We arrived in Cairo later than planned, but that really wasn't a huge setback. Here you can see the contrast between the view in the two flights, NY City being the one at night and Cairo being the daytime picture.
After that we went to a hotel and had some further orientation activities. In the USA I had heard that since Cairo is in a desert, people here are very concerned with water conservation. You can imagine my surprise when I saw this right outside the hotel:
We also saw a championship soccer match between the USA and Brazil. I'm glad I cashed in on the moment while the USA was winning 2-1 since Brazil ended up with a 3-2 comeback win:
At the end of the day yestersday we met our host famlies. Mine is very nice and has hosted students in the past. The food here is also greart, and I have learned some (very) basic Arabic even before the lessons.
The weather here is hot and sunny- always. Also, nobody wears shorts so there is a constant heat and a degree of sweating outside, but nothing too extreme. I prefer this weather to very cold weeather, but look what happened to some chocolate that I had left over from the flight:
Well, I will post again as soon as I can and report my Arabic progress. Also Friday we are going to the Pyramids, and Sunday to a soccer match.
-R H Kramer
A little backgroud on the program- it is called the National Security Language Initiative and is sponsored by the State Department of the United States government. Students are selected to go to each of 7 countries, and the program that I was chosen for is to study in Egypt. We haven't started language classes yet, but our first day learning Arabic is tomorrow.
The government divides the scholarships for this program between several different organizations to better carry out the goal of the program. The Egypt program, along with a couple others, is through AFS, an experienced exchange organization. Therefore, we go through much of the same process as other AFS participants with a few added details. This means that like students in other progams, we meet with our groups for the first time at a university in New York city. Here I got to know people not only from my own program but who were also going to other countries. After a few meetings and some free time, we left for Cairo at about 11:30 at night. Our flight was delayed because one passenger forgot not to check his medicine and it had to be retrieved, but finally we took off.
I can usually sleep really well on the airplane, but only managed to sleep for 5 hours this time since the group was lively and interesting enough to keep me awake for a long time. We arrived in Cairo later than planned, but that really wasn't a huge setback. Here you can see the contrast between the view in the two flights, NY City being the one at night and Cairo being the daytime picture.
After that we went to a hotel and had some further orientation activities. In the USA I had heard that since Cairo is in a desert, people here are very concerned with water conservation. You can imagine my surprise when I saw this right outside the hotel:
We also saw a championship soccer match between the USA and Brazil. I'm glad I cashed in on the moment while the USA was winning 2-1 since Brazil ended up with a 3-2 comeback win:
At the end of the day yestersday we met our host famlies. Mine is very nice and has hosted students in the past. The food here is also greart, and I have learned some (very) basic Arabic even before the lessons.
The weather here is hot and sunny- always. Also, nobody wears shorts so there is a constant heat and a degree of sweating outside, but nothing too extreme. I prefer this weather to very cold weeather, but look what happened to some chocolate that I had left over from the flight:
Well, I will post again as soon as I can and report my Arabic progress. Also Friday we are going to the Pyramids, and Sunday to a soccer match.
-R H Kramer
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Final Farewells
I have finally begun packing and preparing for my flight Friday, and I am excited and eager for my journey to start. But since my departure is drawing closer each day, you could say that this last week is not only a busy week in the sense of last minute preparations but also in the sense that it is really my last chance to see most of the friends that I have had in high school. I might see some of them again in the context of hometown visits and class reunions, but that will be under different circumstances. For this week, I finally get the sense that anyone I see I will be out of my life for a long time to come, and that i should make the most of these final chances to say goodbye.
One example: A couple days ago I was listening to some music and reading when my brother came to ask if I wanted to play video games with him. I told him I was busy and didn't go. Then a few seconds later, with a pang of guilt, I realized that I only had a few days left around him. Though I would certainly be seeing him again, I quickly left the book and the Ipod and went to join his Mario Kart race. I also have seen a few friends that I haven't seen much of in this (3 week) summer as well as some that I have seen more frequently. This has helped to give me a sense of closure in my final days here. My I previous experiences suggest that I won't be missing too much about home in my time in Egypt and Europe, but it is still nice to have some final chances to be around people.
However, I have to balance that with the fact that I will soon be leaving and have to bring a lot with me. That means that I have been packing, doing some last minute shopping, deciding what to take, and worrying about forgetting things that may have been forgotten. I was able to do a lot of this efficiently, but we'll see how my packing skills work out... I always tend to have the smallest and lightest suitcase in the group. I also got some presents for the family that I will be staying with, mostly souvenirs from Chicago, the city that I live near. I tried emailing them, but the email that I was provided with did not work so I guess I will be meeting them when I get there. I will also bring some photos to spur conversation with them and I guess I'll take it from there. I'll post an update from New York, where I will stop before heading to Egypt.
One example: A couple days ago I was listening to some music and reading when my brother came to ask if I wanted to play video games with him. I told him I was busy and didn't go. Then a few seconds later, with a pang of guilt, I realized that I only had a few days left around him. Though I would certainly be seeing him again, I quickly left the book and the Ipod and went to join his Mario Kart race. I also have seen a few friends that I haven't seen much of in this (3 week) summer as well as some that I have seen more frequently. This has helped to give me a sense of closure in my final days here. My I previous experiences suggest that I won't be missing too much about home in my time in Egypt and Europe, but it is still nice to have some final chances to be around people.
However, I have to balance that with the fact that I will soon be leaving and have to bring a lot with me. That means that I have been packing, doing some last minute shopping, deciding what to take, and worrying about forgetting things that may have been forgotten. I was able to do a lot of this efficiently, but we'll see how my packing skills work out... I always tend to have the smallest and lightest suitcase in the group. I also got some presents for the family that I will be staying with, mostly souvenirs from Chicago, the city that I live near. I tried emailing them, but the email that I was provided with did not work so I guess I will be meeting them when I get there. I will also bring some photos to spur conversation with them and I guess I'll take it from there. I'll post an update from New York, where I will stop before heading to Egypt.
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