End of Orientation Week

I’ve been in Egypt merely a week, but it seems like I’ve been here weeks already. If I have to go home tomorrow I think it’s already been well worth it considering everything I’ve already experienced. And one quick note, when ever I refer to the program I’m in, The Middle East Studies Program, I’ll just use the substitution, MESP.

Tonight concludes the final night of orientation week, and what an incredible night it’s been. Here are some quick highlights:

- I went to a market and in downtown Cairo, next to a large and beautiful Mosque, smoked the best hookah (sheesha if you’re in Egypt) of my entire life. Although it was the one and only time I’m allowed to smoke this semester, that’s probably better for my lungs.
- I rode a boat on the Nile twice, once with a small group and a second time with the whole program.
- I visited a Coptic Church which sat close to 1000 built into a cave just outside of Cairo.
- I wandered around the neighborhood trying to talk with locals and improve my terrible Arabic.
- I spent an entire day at an orphanage holding children less than a year old to let them experience some loving touch and simultaneously put them to sleep for their afternoon naps.
- I took part in a “Commitment Service” where the people in our group really opened up to one another to commit to making this the best semester possible. We ended the night by singing several songs and improving the harmony parts of the Doxology, the song MESP students are known to sing in the numerous holy places we visit throughout the semester.
- My sweetest experience/adventure I’ll expound on a little bit further. The event for that day was to experience the Metro (Egypt’s Subway), and to find a place to eat. I was with a girl from our group, Ashley, and after walking around a nice little touristy area, we saw that the Metro went to Giza. By using our highly advanced, liberal arts educated minds we thought, “Hey, the pyramids are in Giza, let’s go see the Pyramids.” To make a long story short, after meeting a man who slightly conned us, we rode a few buses and the next thing we knew we were riding a camel around the Pyramids. Yes, that’s right, a camel. After the camel ride we then had to find our way back home, which took some luck and a crowded bus ride, but we made it back safely. All in all, we paid a little too much for the camel ride and were somewhat taken by this guy, but it was really sweet!

Tomorrow we start actual classes and I’ll finally have a chance to increase my knowledge of Arabic and we’ll get to start digging into some of the difficult issues one must encounter when studying the Middle East. I’m extremely excited.

And as much fun as this sounds, there will be increasingly challenging times ahead as the semester progresses. I’m away from all my amazing friends at school, I’m in a completely different culture, I’ll be challenged by a difficult language, and I’m sure all this will eventually begin to bear down on me and really stretch me as a person. I’m incredibly blessed to do all of this and I know I will learn and incredible amount not only about this culture, but about my self.

Continue to keep me in your prayers!

Jonathan Kuik