It's the Day Before...

...and I feel surprisingly prepared for this trip. My time in Cairo will share many elements with the time I spent in the Dominican Republic: leaving people at home, getting acculturated in a new (and very different) place, the high and low stages that you hit emotionally during this kind of experience, the unexpected roadblocks and changes to your plans (like a huelga nacional) that seem to occur more frequently in developing nations (which helps to keep things interesting :)), and finally, trying to fit back into things when you return to America.

The one main difference between DR and Egypt that is emerging from the reading that I've been doing up until this point in time is that in DR, society was outwardly pretty liberal, especially in terms of dress and drinking, and the home life was a great deal more conservative. It seems that in Egypt there is much less of a distinction between private and public, and that society as a whole is imbued with more conservative values.

Thanks to that, I'm beset with questions about clothing right now, not because I'm a fashionista, but because I know that the way I dress will affect how well I fit in and am accepted by locals. Now I'm just worried- are the sleeves on my t-shirts too little? Are my clothes too form-fitting? (I don't think s0- but what do I know?) I'll find out soon.

Mostly, though, I'm just excited to begin this experience. I especially hope that I'll have plenty of opportunities to practice my Arabic and 'aamiya (the Egyptian dialect) with native speakers. I think that being able to share a language with someone creates a strong bond, and being able to converse in the same language heightens the connective experience between you and that person. You also can feel what someone says to you if you understand their language; it's more than just words, it's also an implication or a whole set of ideas that are pegged to these few syllables, and understanding this extra meaning behind a word can deepen your perception of a message immeasurably.

I have a few goals for myself during the course of this trip, and, insha'allah, I will achieve them:

1- Improve my Arabic language skills
2- Stay open to all new ideas that I come across, listen fully, and think about the merit of an argument before I judge it
3- You obviously can't force anyone to be your friend, but I hope to become close to Egyptians while I'm there- this is imperative for understanding the culture and society in which I'll be living, and this will help me achieve the first two goals.

Our flight leaves tomorrow at 4:15, Boston time. Wish me luck!