eudaimonia & anagnorisis

Although I am well passed the "withdrawl/lonliness" stage of "cultural adjustment", according to the official diagram i am currently suffering "culture shock". neat.

"culture shock" is characterized by, but as i will argue momentarily, not limited to

- homesickness - boredom - lethargy - withdrawal

- irritability - hostility toward local people - irrational anger - excessive sleeping

i am craving crisp sidewalk strolls along a logical street in some bustling, american metropolis...with the sweet sound of english whispering into my ears and the approximation of fresh air nipping at my nose.

impending due dates and mounting responsibilities can't shake the veil of boredom i view my academic days through. thoughts of european adventures and my parents visiting still spice up the day generally, though.

i torment the men who look at me while i walk down the street by staring straight back. i get offended when people talk to me in english if i speak in arabic. and i also get offended when they speak entirely in arabic or tell me my arabic is good, for no reason at all. so by process of elimination, that might mean every unfamilliar person who speaks to me in arabic or english frustrates me. at least its only the unfamiliar ones.

i am not angry (probably due to fatigue, eternal optimism, and a deeply-seated desire to not be a violent person) but i did spend 2/3 of last Thursday in bed and most of the weekend in a sedentary state, so i think that covers the rest of the bases.

so, you figure any advice offered from a culture-shock-ridden mind is bound to be the most cynical and unforgiving advice possible? thus, my readers venturing to cairo this week or next semester, take this with a very large spoonful of sugar...cairene culture shock is distinct in the following ways,

you may experience an internal conflict about the concept of Egypt being in Africa. Political instability, widespread disease, and government corruption aside, Africa (not that I’ve really experienced it or anything) represents to me a society based on something deeper. A society where people still group together by something more meaningful than political views or religious dogma. A society of people with a more enlightened appreciation for time..and earth… and a lack-of-clothing. Sometimes I think the concept of Africa simultaneously brings forth ideas of true justice and injustice. I am listening to Angelique Kido so it is possible my entire view of Africa at the moment is informed by tranquil acoustic guitar, naturalistic percussion and bluesy-folk-lyrics… the point is, any evidence that Egypt is the richest (or second richest if I have underestimated South Africa) country in Africa doesn’t seem to nudge Egypt into, I dunno, fixing what the western colonial powers effed up about its continent for anyone other than itself. Egypt, the mother of the civilization, is seeming a little more like a selfish little child.

another internal conflict you might encounter is that about clothing.

“… it’s because people like to be able to judge a person by the way they look here…. It’s not like that in the US. I mean, you could be a really religious person in America and wear a tank top.”

Indeed, the US has a unchallenged monopoly on superficiality (I think of the line from Before Sunset when Celine says, “I miss the overall happiness of people in the States, even if it’s bullshit sometimes, “How are you today? Great! Great! Have a great day!””) but at least we spare appearance or dress any judgemental superficiality. I guarantee you - give it a week, give it a month, give it an hour – you will critically ask yourself when you get dressed in the morning, “do I want to look nice today, or do I want to be respected”. But be warned, the days you opt for ugliness, an even lower level of social-worth may ensue.

[ continuation pending ]