The history of the PVA in the American university in Cairo

PVA is an important component of the American university and as the university’s mission statement holds that AUC represents an alternative to Egypt’s public university system. It provides an university education that is liberal and art based. Private and international to students able to pay tuition and so as the former president DR. Pederson in the late 1980s has intended the PVA courses would be a vital component of the core curriculum, for the art courses offered by the PVA were and still are a vital ingredient of the university’s liberal art education.

Listen to the following Documentary to find out more.



Sources:
AUC Archives from the rare books library,
The history of the AUC book,
AUC today publications,
Music: Pirates nest by FreePlay music

Project #7

I Present you, the promo for my coming documentary:




In Case the video does not open, here is the link on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHUoXhoyF2c

Audio:





Stay tuned for the full length documentary

On the long complicated process of relationship approval in the Arab Societies

Last Thursday, I was enlightened by the phenomenon of Erayet al Fat-ha, the reading of the opening. This is a step that you have to take in order to hang around your boyfriend without being perceived like a total slut in front of your family, if you had a typical egyptian family, that is.
Erayet al Fatha, is like a pre-engagement. It is basically when two families gathers up in order to acknowledge that their son and daughter are going out and that they might decide to get married later on. This phenomenon usually takes place in houses where religion is put first.

So what happens in an Erayet-Fatha?

Nothing much, you and your boyfriend/ girlfriend invite your family members, preferably the males only, because let’s face it in this society; the males opinion is a thousand times more valuable than that of the female’s. Then, you all just sit down, all dressed up and read the first verse in the Quraan, the same one that Muslims read in all their famous five prayers.

But hey, don’t get too excited because according to religion you still can’t go out together unless you have someone with you, to watch your every move, you know in case you decide to do something *wink**wink.* As the prophet "Whenever a man is alone with a woman the Devil makes a third." and who wants a devil being his third, and still if you are a girl and you are alone with a man in this society, you are the devil in disguise.

Final Project Journal:

Final Project Journal:

During the last week I have roamed around the PVA with my voice recorder interviewing professors in the fields of, Visual art, music, film and theater, recording what they know about the history of the PVA, and also where I could find out new information.

Unfortunately, I found out that there are no archives concerning this particular subject other than archives containing the sound of previous concerts.
I have as well, gathered sound bites of people playing instruments around the PVA, to use as Nat sound, also I interviewed some art students.
My next step would be touring around the heads of the four departments in the PVA, as well as trying to gather sound bites from theater, perhaps maybe attend a play and record the sound.

Moreover, at the moment, I am listening to what I have already gathered in order to sort the information in them and write a script to find out what more I need to know. And what to as the professors I am going to interview next.

My Empirical fear of Egyptian matches, a podcast

Journal #4: Long Form Audio Documentary #2

http://www.prx.org/pieces/15305-rn-euroquest-48-sex-and-consequences


As being easily bored as I am, as well as highly appreciating spending my time doing things other than my school assignments. It is surprising that I chose a 23 minute documentary to listen to, when the assignment required a minimum of eight minutes. However, I chose this particular documentary to listen to, which is Sex and Consequences by Radio Netherlands because I found it highly interesting. I listened to the voicer at first, and I was immediately attracted by the energy of the piece I felt it was not going to be boring because of the choice of music that was chosen as a background to piece, also the voice of the announcer is far away from being boring. And most importantly the topic which is about the consequences of legalizing prostitution in the Netherlands as well the emotional consequences of terminating pregnancies.

The piece is full of interesting information, as well as facts. Like the fact that prostitution was not legal in the Netherlands till the year 2000. And why prostitutes in the Netherlands prefer wearing white Legendre’. The piece is full of interviewees, which are interesting to listen to. Amongst them was Saskia fenghainan, the editor of radio Netherlands world Dutch affairs who is an expert on the subject and she highlighted a lot of important points. She was introduced her she started talking; I thought that that was a nice way to do it as the listener became more ready to know who she was.
I like the variety of sounds present, the music, the natsound, along with the variety of people speaking made the piece really interesting. Also putting many people provides many angles of view to subject making the listener willing to listen more and more to see the opinion of other people.

Trafficking is still a problem in the Netherlands, and although it is legalized now a lot of women are working under the illegal sector.
By minute 7 and 30 seconds the topic’s focus changes and moves to Berlin and the situation of prostitution there. And forced prostitution during the world cup. Berlin another country where prostitution is legal.
At this point the piece became more serious and so no music bites were present anymore. At the moment the documentary sounds more like a news cast. These few seconds were informative, but the mood was kind of boring to me, luckily the serious mood did not go on for long. [the reporter here is Mike bouragada from Frankfort.]

Back to the Netherlands with Saski who was reintroduced. The mood broke into a looser one when the interviewer asked her what she thinks about porn.
And from now, we move to a different topic, and the music is back, yay!! The topic now is porn, and what are the issues with porn from a women point of view.
We are taken to the first porn film festival in Berlin with Cinnamon Nipart, and there we are introduced to a new concept which is feminist porn.
She interviews women are seemingly interested in porn however believe that it should be feminized, the mood here is very different than the rest of the piece it is more fun and more engaging.

The topic then moves to unwanted pregnancies but before so, a really creative transition was made. A calm lullaby was played and then the interviewer says that he is a bit sleepy and from then he moves to babies. And then to abortion, the music here is amazing, really relevant; baby lullabies!

He introduces a doctor to talk about depression and guilt that accompanies some of those couples who undertake abortion. Then the show moves to prenatal issues like checking the child for deficiencies.

In conclusion, I thought that the topic was quite interesting, however was a bit unfocussed; in the voicer he stated a two issues that he will be discussing but discussed around 4, partly related issues. I thought that was both good and bad. Good because diversity equals less boredom but bad because if a listener started listening for the latter point he’d have to listen for 20 minutes till he reaches it and that is not time efficient for him.

RN EuroQuest (#48): Sex and Consequences
Series: RN EuroQuest: Public Radio's Weekly European JournalFrom: Radio Netherlands Length: 00:29:59

News Wrap, Six charity hospitals are being built around Egypt to save pre-mature babies.

For more information about pre-mature birth click here.

News Wrap Script

Music: (Broken Hearts- by Dreamfullofzen)

Intro:
Cast- Al Gam3ia Al Shar3eya is a charity group founded to serve the needs of the financially challenged particularly for taking care of premature babies and babies that are born with health problems who arrive in a family that is unable to pay for their health care. Ten years ago the organization established its first hospital to serve its cause in Nasr city. That was first step, for today there are nine other operating hospitals in addition to six being built as Ispeak.
Dr Ibrahim Abd-El-Haq a Natal consultant and the head of the charity group’s hospital in Nasr city, will be with us to elaborate more, firstly by explaining what qualifies a new born to be considered “premature” or “Preterm” and what kind of patients do they accept in their hospitals.
Sound Bite 1 (Dr. Ibrahim):
The new nate starts from 500 hundred grams to nearly 600 grams. This is named as a premature baby or preterm baby.

Cast -Premature birth is a serious health problem. Premature babies are at increased risk for newborn health complications, such as breathing problems, and even death. Most premature babies require care in a newborn intensive unit (NICU), which has specialized medical staff and equipment that can deal with the multiple problems faced by premature infants.

Sound Bite 2 :
We have more than 12 new natal units which are the one of the biggest units in the Middle East and maybe in the world. We have more than 500 hundred incubators and more than 100 hundred ventilators and these instruments maybe the largest ones in the world or the Middle East.

Cast-The cost of one day of baby care could rise to 1000 Euros in European countries, however,

Sound bite 3:
All this service is charity hospitals which depend on the business man in Egypt, only in Egypt and not outside Egypt. We accept anybody who comes to our unit if he is Muslim or not Muslim and if he is Egyptian or not Egyptian. We deal with all nationalities and all religions. There is no difference between a person and another. It is especially for poor persons, but if a rich person who starts this treatment in a special hospital and after some time he may complain of there is no more, that he spent all his money on that hospital, then we accept that person as well.

Cast-The rate of premature birth has increased by 36 percent since the early 1980s (1). At the same time the rate of poverty has increased and as a result more and more families lose their new born child. Operating these hospitals is not easy [quote] and your help is most needed, if you have money or effort to spare it would do you good to know that you might be saving a life.
Sound bite 4:
The natal unit is an intensive care unit that needs more people who care about these babies.

Exit Music (broken Hearts).

it is so much more than a Costume... It is a statement.

Thursday the 29th of October was not a typical day at the AUC, it was two days before Halloween, since Halloween was supposed to be on the Saturday following it.

I went to university caught up in the Autumn blues, fed up with life –as usual-, when suddenly out of the blue I saw these cave men running, and giving everyone a wonderful show. They are just students at the AUC who were enjoying themselves and welcoming Halloween, Anyhow, they really made my day, I mean the fact that they woke so early and got in costumes and actually came up with a show, aimlessly, rekindled my lost hope in this world.

Then after a boring class, lost as usual with an empty phone battery, I heard music, and there it was, all I needed a rock concert, right in front of me - and it’s not even my birthday-. It was “faking it!”---that’s the name of the band-- it was awesome, and as if god was helping with the show he made it rain!! And there was more costumes and more excited people! So yeah, thank God, from now on I am a believer in what I used to call stupid celebrations that are a waste of time. I missed my meeting that day, but I am glad I did. I laughed, I jumped and I screamed and it was worth it.

So next Halloween, I will wear a costume, and I bid anyone who is reading my humble Blog to wear a costume too! And just be kids again and laugh and laugh… You know what don’t wait till Halloween, how about you stop working for an hour and do something out of the ordinary for once. I don’t know, maybe go sand boarding or bake a cake or something. Good luck fellows Earth residents.

Love Treatise, Journal #3: Long Form Audio Documentary

Love treatise,
Producing Company: Alaska Teen Media Institute
Length: 00:08:36
Narrator: Cooper Galvin


Funny and witty..

I love how he takes us on a journey with him. Like how at first he comes up with an idea, and states it and then states the logical thing to do next. Showing us the purpose of creating the piece.

What is Love?... He asks 7th grade girls. He interviews many girls at the same time, it’s cute and fun, and gives the listener an idea of the atmosphere and how relaxed the speakers are. I like that he picked innocent seven-graders who still have a warm innocent definition of love. It is also very spontaneous, which gives the listener the assurace that it is real. I like that he let the conversation flow naturally yet in a fun way, I guess he might have chosen his subjects to be fun before the interview.

After the seven-graders he moves on to ask a more serious group, an experienced group of seniour guys. And you can see the difference between the first group and the second group. You can tell that the first group is very much caught in a pink world, unlike the second group which is more serious. I love the diversity of the subject.

He interviewed this guy, and asked him for a definition. The guy didn’t know how to answer, and asked to leave. He didn’t say anything significant, yet you can tell the point behind adding his contribution to the piece it shows how blury the definition of love is in the minds of people.
He interviewed a big bunch of people till that point, normal people around campuss. I guess that way he was able to portray the general image of how people interpret love. However, no solid answer where found to his question. I guess it is because it is a subjective question and each person has his own definition of it. I like that he chose that particular topic to pursue, since it is so subjective that almost everyone defines it differently and so in my opinion people would like to hear what others have to say about this blurry subject.

He then moves on to interview someone who is supposingly more experienced than the rest of the group; the Romantic Poetry Teacher. Who provides us with a conclusion that is “everyone has their own definition of love and that we have to reach our own definition of love, which we will not find untill we are ready.”

The Narrator’s voice, in my opinion is ideal, at least, for this piece; because with it he can portray emotion; the listener can tell when he is amused or shocked or plain bored. It is not too loud or too quite, and it has a friendly vibe to it, I guess it gives that vibe because the script is very lively and engaging, and also because the interviews were conducted in a fun casual way.

However, I am not a fond of his choice of music for the piece, because eventhough it is a nice song that is related to the subject it is very distracting to put as a background, I think he better has chosen something softer or at least lowered the volume a bit.

The documentary was not too long or too short, I think it is perfect, I woulddn’t let go of any part of it if I was producing it. It is 8 minutes and 35 seconds of informative fun.-

Remember Remember to laugh!, a podcast

On the 21st of october the SU has placed a trampoline just for the entertainment of stressed students!!

Way to go SU!

DreamfullofZen, An Interview

DreamfullofZen A.KA David Tawfeeq, is a truly inspirational artist. Listening to his Music had an effect on me. As an Art lover I have great respect for Professor David. I also envy him, for I would also love to have the ability to portray emotion as vividly as he can. Like a magician with his music he can portray ideas and thoughts, and even send you delving in memories.





Check Out. Dave's official website. It is user friendly and contains his music and videos, or visit him on his MySpace.

The Super Cigarette!

For all smokers out there who are not very okay with the idea of dying out lung cancer, electronic cigarettes now exist.

An electronic cigarette or "e-cigarette" is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by heating a nicotine-chemical solution into a vapor. It is an alternative to smoked tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. In addition to nicotine delivery, this vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, while no tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved in its operation.

Electronic cigarettes are reusable devices, you buy the cigarette once and the then you change the nicotine cartilage, which are cheaper than most cigarettes.

Some E-cigarette companies claim that the electronic cigarettes eliminate the health risks associated by smoking tobacco since it doesn’t exhaust any chemicals other than nicotine. And it also helps smokers quit.

The cigarette comes in many shapes and sizes. Some look like normal cigarettes and pipes while others resemble a ball point pen.

Also, if you have a vapor cigarette the non-smoking sign doesn’t apply to you, which means that you can smoke anywhere and anytime.

An E-cigarette costs around 50$ dollars. I’d love to own one. I’d also love to believe that smoking it is risk free. As I am crazy about my cigarettes but I am not so keen about getting lung cancer.

PSA: Check the Expiry Date On Food to Postpone Your Expiry Date

Friendly Voice:
Maya: Timmy what’s that you are drinking?
Taymour: It is supposed to be lemonade, but it tastes funky.
Music : funky time by lips inc.
Taymour: No not that kind of funky (as if referring to the song). It tastes expired.
Maya: Oh let me try. Oh dagnaghaggitybagit (surprised), did you check the expiry date before you drank it?
Taymour: I didn’t, let me check that thing… holly macaroni, it is expired! (surprised)
Serious Voice:
Maya : Always remember to check the expiry date on food or drink.
Taymour: As well as being extremely gross, eating expired food is also unhealthy.
Maya: Bacteria build up overtime and open up for disease.
Music Fade out…

Listening Journal 2

NPR, To Casket or Not to Casket:

About the site:
It has a wide variety of programs to listen to and as you are listening you can rewind, so if you miss a part you have a chance to get back to it. But the buffering is very slow compared to the BCC and the world vision report.

To Casket or not to Casket, a Review:

The interviewer Robert Kurwhich presents the speaker “Bernd Heinrich” by telling us about a service we can get from nature for free. Robert then explains is it in a creative way. He starts explaining in a way that everyone can relate to, relating beetles to undertakers and cleaning men; as they do the service of disposing dead animals and making them disappear. There was a sound of a shot, denoting that an animal has been shot, he didn’t have to say anything. The sound explains itself.

The job of the interviewer in this feature is not only to ask questions he also voices information, but not in a scientific way, unlike his guest the specialist in the fields. Both speakers alternate, making the feature sound like a friendly conversation.
There is not much Nat Sound, however the feature was quite entertaining to listen to. The conversation itself was interesting. The shifting of speakers made it easy for the listener to concentrate.

There was a song that was playing as in the middle of the feature. A very funny and exceptional song, it sounded like it was being played on a stage in front of people, since in the background you could hear people cheering and laughing. The song is “dead Earnest”, performed by Pete Seeger.

The feature ended with a suggestion to listen to another feature, also related to animals and death and burial.



With the audio feature, there is a related article that contains a letter from a student who doesn’t want to be put in a casket because this way, animals can’t reach him and so he would not be a part of the eco system.

5 min. 23 sec.



The BBC World Servic News:
About the site:
You can choose the quality of the audio; standard or high quality. The standard quality is very good, and it doesn't take much time to load. You can also choose between using Windows Media Player and Quick time, which makes the site compatible with Windows as well as Macs.

The Review:

The announcer speaks faster than speakers in features. There is mostly no Nat sound or sound effect. But there are other speakers to announce different information, like when he talks about a president he gives a part of the speech. And when he talks about a country he passes the Mic to a reporter to someone closer to the scene.

The language is very precise and professional and straight to the point, unlike features there is no use of metaphors. It is like a fast audio display of events. In five minutes it gave us an idea of what’s happening all over the world. It is not meant to dive in one subject in particular.

5 minutes

World Vision Report, Ultra-Orthodox Women go to work:

About the Site:

It is very simple to use, as soon as you open you'll find the feature stories, you just press on a story and it plays on the same window. nonetheless, you haveto be careful as you listen to the story since it plays one way, you can't rewind it.

The Review:

The story is about how really religious orthodox women in Israel are going to work due to recession

The introducer starts with talking about America since that is where the audience is mostly centered. Then with a Nat sound another speaker speaks, the Nat sound shows that he is in Israel, where the story is at. He interviews a lady, he doesn’t say that she is Jewish, but the listener can tell because of her accent. I like that they do not state the a obvious, since stating the obvious would take up time.

He explains what the life style of the religious of Israelis is like, and then starts to tell a story of a woman who has lived in Israel. The fact that he chose to spoke about one example makes it simpler to the listener and easier to comprehend.
He adds her voice in the feature to continue what he already started saying. I found that it makes me as a listener more alert especially that she is a woman and he is a man which makes the pitch different.

“When something becomes nothing you are in a big problem” I like how recession was described here it is very simplistic and even kids could understand it.

Women have no skills to go into the job market which means women has to go to the job market. The Nat sound changes to the job market, and the guy describes how the scene is like and what the women are wearing, which makes it easier to imagine.

He interviews so many women and it is interesting to listen to their different voices and the different opinions. The opinions are sometimes contradictory which makes the listener think.

7min. 16 sec

Niqab and the AUC

On the third of December 2001, a court decision made it possible for students to wear the Niqab on the AUC campus. After Immam El-Zainy, a part time student raised a lawsuit against the AUC when she was not allowed to enter the library with her Niqab.

A statement issued by AUC last winter banning niqab on its premises said, "We believe strongly that all members of the AUC community have a basic right to know with whom they are dealing, whether in class, the library, labs, the bathroom or anywhere else on campus. This right extends to all faculty, students, staff and even visitors. We use photo IDs for a reason -- to enable us to identify people by matching the person's face to the picture." [Al-Ahram weekly]

I respect and understand this statement by the AUC, however, I believe that even with Niqab you still know who you are dealing with; there is the voice of the person, as well as their style of walking, moving and even dressing and you mostly can still see their eyes and the size of their body. It is true that you can’t see their facial expressions however you can see their eye movement and their body language.

Today on campus we have a Canadian girl studying art wearing the Niqab. However, under certain regulations; she has to show her face as she passes by the security guards on her way to entering campus, also if any faculty member asks her to show her face. I take a class with that girl and I have never felt that her Niqab is annoying me. In fact I respect her for it. With her Niqab she is expressing herself and her beliefs and after all freedom of expression is a human right, and it is a right that the AUC claims to have it protected between its walls.

I saw the girl’s face and she is absolutely gorgeous, and when she talks about her Niqab you can tell that no one has forced her to wear it, just like no one has forced her to convert her religion to Islam.

Nonetheless, people bother her on campus for wearing her Niqab; once in a history class a professor stopped her while she was entering class and told her that she was not allowed with the Niqab on campus and that she has to show her face. He embarrassed her in front of the whole class till she finally was able to justify herself. She said “In Canada people are more accepting of my Niqab than here in Egypt.”

Nat sound Assignment

On Marketing Religion (The Bridges Foundation)

This video starts
with Mr Soliman instructing people to repeat the Islamic Shahada, then gives some information about the Bridges foundation, It's intended to advertise the workshps the foundation offers to internet users.



Yesterday out of curiosity, i attended the first day of an extensive workshop on how to become a Da3ia (A preacher). The workshop which consists of two levels; each for three days. The first one is 4 hours a day and the second level is for 12 hours per day. The workshop is organised by a foundation called the bridges foundation. that aims to present Islam. It has branches in the UK, Kuwait, Austria, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the United states.

I was told that the workshop would be about dealing with the misconceptions concerning Islam especially after the events of 9/11, and all the bombings in the UK and Madrid, however what I found was lessons on how to market Islam and sell it to people.

"You know who the best Marketer that ever existed? ... It's the Prophet Mohamed" said Mr. Soliman, who is the director of this vast foundation. He kept on through out the lecture talking about his achievements and how he has managed to convert so many people to Islam, and then he spoke to those who were present about skills that would help them to get people to become Muslim. He kept on speaking on how to play with the mind of your target and how to manipulate what you are saying as to get their sympathy. His motto was that all Muslims should act like marketers and sell Islam.

I was shocked by what Mr Soliman was saying, he was teaching all these people, who at that day counted to 157 to be frauds when it came to their religion to manipulate the minds of other people.

The violent way in which he spoke made me feel like he is conducting an army, and it truly scared that at some point i thought that i was going to start crying out of despair.

According to Mr. Soliman, the Christians in Egypt are doing huge campaigns to convert Muslims and so Muslims must fight back and get as much Christians to be Muslims because of course according to him Islam is the only road to salvation.

Listening Journal, an assignment

The story starts with a topic sentence describing what is what's coming up going to be about, which is an inventor who decides to invent a latrine deodorizer. Another woman leads the show introducing Mr. Sypher who then tells why exactly he came up with his invention, he is very descriptive yet precise and short "95 degrees, the owrst smell i have ever smelt." Changing the people speaking in my opinion helped me as a listener to maintain attention and reduced chances of boredom.

Sypher's voice then appears apparently at the working place as you can here the sound of things being moved in the background, he was apparently showing the interviewer around, when then she starts talking about facts. The background noises makes the listener feel that he is there with the interviewer and also gives some kind of reassurance that the interviewer was there and not just researching from her desk.

She then gave an overview of the past of Sypher, and then mentions that some boy scouts are interested in Sypher's invention then immediately we are transferred to a camp because we can here a sound that seems like the sound of boys in a camp, and then the boys describe how bad the smell is... again, that kept me as a listener really interested as well as surprised at how much audio could be affective at drawing images in my head.

She then speaks to the supervisor of the scouts who also said his part on the subject and then shows her around the cabin explaining how the smell comes out, through out his description we can here the steam as well as the sound of the door opening.

Then she introduces another invention to face the same problem, although it is not very effective; carbines with air processor. then she introduces James cliff to speak on that.

The show ends with her introducing another different stand point which is why change when the older way has been working for thousands of years.

I was impressed by this radio show, i felt that throughout the 3:50 minutes every second was worth it, it is very efficient. the words were chosen carefully. it is very objective, giving different points of view and also very interesting because you can here the sounds which helps you imagine, and almost feel like you are there.

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=3&islist=true&id=2&d=09-22-2009

Title: Boyhood Trip spurs Inventor's latrine Deodorizer By Laura Ziggler

The new campus Promotes Love

The laws concerning the PDA has immensly decreased after the move the to the new campus. In the old campus, a friend of mine was caught by the security guard for PDA for hugging her brother. while a couple I know has gotten more than 13 PDA charges. In the old campus, if a girl sat on a guys lap PDA would immediately intervene, while in the new campus, that rarely ever happens, and couples feel safe to kiss mouth to mouth in public.

I think it is because this campus is huge with a lot of hidden areas that it is impossible to keep an eye on every body on campus. I know of some people who went to third base in a class on campus and were never caught.

At any case, I find that a good thing, since it gives the students a bigger sense of freedom, and in my opinion when someone feels free he feels more like a human and more like an individual which makes him or her her feel like giving more to the world.


Also, I like the looser feeling that is around campus, love is in the air... And all you need is love---All hail The Beatles.

On Rehab for Eating Disorders

Noha El Bardri a student at the AUC has found that if an AUC student was cached with an eating disorder, they will be admitted to rehab compulsively. She found that out after she interviewed a psychiatrist working at the university's mentoring unit for an article she was writing for a journalism course.

I believe that it is not the university's right or any-one's right to send anyone with an eating disorder to rehab, unless the eating disorder that the person is suffering from proves to affect his/her health.

Bulimia is an eating disorder that affects 1-3% of adolescents in the united states. i have some friends suffering from that disorder, some of them compulsively exercise whilst others force food out by purging. One of my friends who was, by the way, over weight and only purged occasionally was sent to rehab by her mother for two months. In rehab she made close friends with all kinds of addicts, and came out of rehab as an alcoholic.

Her mom, I presume, has had good intentions, however, i believe that in this country, our very own wonderful Egypt there is not enough reliable psychiatrist service, let alone taking a disorder such as bulimia seriously, even though the girl was sent to one of the most reputable rehab centers in Egypt ''Okasha'', she shared the same room with heroine addicts. I think that this is irresponsible, and it has had damage on the girl more than the eating disorder itself.


I think that sending people to rehab without trying with them first is simply taking the easy way out. Because everyone who is in that kind of problem needs help, and wants to change, and so should be given a chance before being sent to such a horrible place, unless they want to off course.

This I Believe

"You are all slaves to God, You are here to serve him" I’ve head this sentence alot as a child, at home and at school. I’ve heard it so much that it began to haunt my mind. I went on obssessing and trying to find out "why exactly did god create me?"




I grew up dissatisfied with life; I felt that it was all petty and overrated. All i could see around me was war and poverty and negilecence. I hated the human kind and felt ashamed of my humanity. Around me i saw people betraying their closest friends, destroying their countries, and acting selfish in everyway. where ever i looked i felt my heart breaking.




I was hopeless, i decided that i did not want to be a part of this cruel world anymore. i wanted to end my life. tried several times, and was called an infidel. I was not infidel; i did believe, but in my head i felt that God was to blame for everything, and that he was to blame for the pain that i was feeling. I never wanted to live, but i had no choice. i never asked to exist but there i was, unable to die, and unable to feel anything but pain.




I hated myself, i hated my kind, I hated God and I hated my partents for bringging me to this unbearable world, all because i thought that i had the right to choose whether i am to exist or not.




I grew up a rebel without a cause, with an appetite for self destruction. I lived like the dead for a while. till one day i realized that i am the selfish one.




I wanted to leave this world never acknowledging the consequences that i would leave behind me, i knew that people would be sad, but i thought they would move on. Till one dayI met someone who shared my same views, and listened to me. I found myself scared that he would decide to leave the world, and then i would be alone again. I did not know him well, but he somehow touched my heart. All the sudden the idea of death hit me: If he dies i would never feel that warmth in my heart again. For a while i forgot about my sorrow just trying to remedy his emotional wounds, and all the sudden i was alive again. The questions no longer mattered, the reason why i existed no longer concerned me.




I believe in searching for the thing that keeps you warm on the inside.

Ramadan, A Proof of freedom in the AUC

If you live in a Muslim country, then you know what Ramadan is like. In Egypt regardless of whether you are a Muslim or not, you are affected by this "holly months".


The Islamic code of ramadan entails that you can not eat, drink, or fornicate during the fasting hours which are from sunrise till sunset. that is about 14 hours. Eating or drinking during these hours publicly is considered a taboo.

"Authorities in southern Egypt have arrested 155 Christians and other non-Muslims for publicly eating and drinking during the holy month of Ramadan." [Baptist post]

In the American University in Cairo, Ramadan is very different. You can eat, drink, and smoke and mostly no one would say anything. Some people might give you dirty looks but that is about it. You would find people fasting as they hangout with people who are not. Everyone is free to do what he pleases and that is one thing i respect about the AUC.

I went to campus with my camera and a sign that says welcome Ramadan and asked students who are breaking the Ramadan code to pose to the camera. Many said they wouldn't pose with food or drinks or cigarettes as they do not want any outsiders to know that they are not fasting. Some even said that they fear getting arrested, Nonetheless alot were confident and carefree about the fact that they are not fasting.

Some people around campus belive that it is okay for you to smoke while fasting. while Islamic scholars clearly state that it is not allowed, and that it breaks you fast. they say that they do so because they believe that fasting is about cleansing the soul by refraining from temptation and that refraining from food is enough.

Ramadan in AUC proves that AUC is a place that supports personal freedoms, since students do not have to pretend to fast on campus, unless they are really fasting.