Power of the Students…
“Do not come closer or we will throw stones at you” was one comment shouted by a student protestor as I walked up to the chained, car blocked, human barricaded gates of the AUC campus. I was not worried about my safety – this was a very “peaceful” protest, although dramatic action was taken and some people were injured when they tried to leave campus by climbing fence, in fact, one colleague of mine juped the fence to get to his assistant work he needed to complete! Background: a couple of weeks ago, the student union and a large supporting group of students began their protest against the 7% tuition increase implemented this year, and to be added for the next two years equalling to a (aprox. Cumulative) 25% hike over three years. It has been a while since I have written and there has been so much that has happened. To be honest, the details of the protest are not important, what is important is how I went to campus and found that my right to an education had been taken from me along with the access to an institution that had I paid for.
When I realized what was happening (this was the second protest, the first one, a week back, consisted of a human chain that most people broke through and did not cause much of a disturbance on campus) I became frustrated but waited patiently to see if the gates would be opened. After 2 hours of waiting, I decided to hitch a cab and go back to Maadi where I could study from home and await any communication from the university. Sure enough, a few hours later, the AUC sent an email out to the community notifying that it was suspending operations until further notice. Let me tell you that I was not very happy about all this. Myself, along with the other graduate students immediately began communicating on the matter and the possibilities of outcomes. Would the semester be cancelled? This was our biggest fear. In order for the AUC to keep their accreditation, there are a certain amount of credit hours that must be held for classes. Would they lose accreditation? Not knowing of the outcomes, the Egyptology department was driven to keep things going and try and do everything possible to keep the semester alive. After a week and a half of not having classes, the possibility of a cancelled semester was looking more like a reality. Although there were no official classes, I was going all over the Cairo to meet for classes arranged by professors and the students. My week consisted of: waking up in the morning, checking email, and IF there was a class – I would take an overcrowded metro then usually pay for a cab from the metro stop to the coffee shop or place.
I was so pissed off about the situation. First of all, I came all the way to Cairo for graduate school and DID NOT want to be held back longer. Also, it was very difficult to remain focused on school and classes with such a large disruption. Granted, yes, for most of the time of the protest – I was at home in my PJ’s studying or doing my readings for classes. However, it was almost impossible to be in the same mind-set when the routine of a grad student is thrown such an enormous curve ball – I can only duck so low! Anyway, I somehow managed and was able to memorize some hieroglyphics and study for a mid-term. An agreement was finally reached between the student movement and the administration and classes begun again last week. In order to fulfil accreditation requirements, most classes are now required to hold make up classes, which luckily for my faculty will be held in the form of field trips! I look forward to going to Saqqara, Dashur, Giza, Bubastis, Tanis, and the Museum with my profs!
SICK SICK SICK! My first trip to a Cairo clinic..
Alright, I should also add that I have been fighting a crazy cold these last two weeks which has not helped with my motivation and frustration with “Cairo”. My chest cold has now turned into a sinus infection that causes me to sneeze and go threw boxes of Kleenex by the day! Im serious, I sneeze every minute – this makes things very awkward in lectures and sometimes causes me to step out of class and really release the gunk!
Finally, once campus opened again, I went to the campus clinic. I was in and out in 20 minutes with a diagnosis of Rhinitis and three prescriptions – Clairton, amoxicillin, and nasal spray! The best part was I walked in and out without paying a cent – even for the drugs! Gotta love an expensive university. I am feeling better now, although im almost out of the drugs and still sneezing and sniffing now and then…might do another trip. Due to the pollution and environment, people say that it usually takes you longer to get better than it does back home. 2 Weeks and still counting… J
I am feeling better though, and classes are back – it feels like life is back to normal again (or whatever normal in Cairo consists of..haha). It is time for me to stop procrastinating on learning this hieroglyphic vocabulary and get back to work. By the way – I am writing this as I am looking out the window in this brightly sunlit library. I am writing to the view of a desert in the background, palm trees in the foreground, and a mosque in the distance that looks as if it was just placed in the desert sand. Despite all that has happened these weeks… I really do love Egypt.
