New Beginnings

This week marked the first week of my MAT year! I worked with all of the other wonderful interns in my cohort as camp counselors this week for a Gear Up camp put on by Quantum Learning. The kids who we worked with came from four Prince George's County high schools. They all have shown promise in their schooling; however, when they get to that point they will be first generation college students. Therefore, we all came together to work with them on study skills, and interpersonal skills so they will have all of the necessary tools to make it after high school.

Before we go any further I would like to give everyone some background on how things have been going in my life for the past few months. Let's start back at the end of April...I had finished writing my SMP (St. Mary's  Project, thing undergraduate thesis) and sent it to my adviser. I had a pretty solid powerpoint and scripted speech to present on May 2nd to the entire history department, my friends, and my family. When, as stories go, May 1st rolled around and my hardrive crashed. I had my SMP backed up, but not my powerpoint and script. Needless to say I was a mess. Then on the way to Annapolis to have my hardrive replaced a rock flew up, hit my windshield, and cracked it. Margaret was in the car with me and I hate to say it, but saw me at my absolute lowest. But she was a trooper and kept me sane.

All in all the presentation went well. YAY! But that whole experience put me in such a funk.

Gala was wonderful. I got to see several tipsy professors, always a fun thing. Graduation came and went. The moment everyone looks forward to I approached with lots of apprehension. This whole year I have been comforted by the fact that I would be back on campus. I didn't have to worry like everyone else about impending adulthood. And then the world fell on me all at once. My. God. I'm really here. I had been talking about getting a Masters since High School when I found out I would be going here. But now it was a reality. My five year plan was complete. After this, I'm done.

My mine was on rapid crazy chaotic mode. Where do I go from here? I hadn't had to think about the future, and I had finally put on the shoes that I was so grateful I didn't have to worry about my senior year of college.

This pressure haunted me for the six weeks that I was home. I began to look into PhD programs and look inside me to figure out what in the world I wanted out of my life. Where do I want to be by the time I'm 30? 50? 100?

I'm a worrier. And I think I had perfected the art by the time I got here at the end of June. I was so concerned that this program was going to start and I was going to realize that I really hated the one thing I have ever wanted to do with my life, teaching. But I can say without a doubt after this camp that I know I am working towards everything that I want and need out of my life.

Do to the length of this post I'm going to put the rest of my week with the camp in another post.....more to come soon!

So Long No Talk

Hey.....So I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a while! Let me give you a run down of the past four months!

Things I did this semester

I was in the Vagina Monologues- We raised over $1,700 to support women who have been assaulted.
I made costumes for the musical Cabaret at my College. It was one of my favorite shows I have worked on...I love musicals!!
I worked on a group quilt with the people I work with- As a result I have started working on a quilt on my own. I'm excited to see how it turns out!
I started a book club- It was themed books by women all over the world. We read books written by women from China, to Egypt, to the US....
I made a Consent Zine
I was co-president of FUSE-Feminists United for Sexual Freedom
I TAed an Introduction to Islam class- I want to teach in the future and this was such an amazing experience I cannot wait to teach again!
I spoke at the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Colloquium- The Theme this year was Women in Politics.
I am now doing Archeology at Historic St. Mary's City
I traveled to Florida to visit Raina, my friend from Egypt, and my friend from high school Lacey- University of Florida is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I hope I get to go back and visit sometime soon!
I played in a LOT of SNOW! It was really shocking to the system at first. But I love snow!

I learned a lot while I was gone....

Patience- Learned
When I left for Egypt I was one of the most impatient people in the world. I was defiantly operating on fast paced US time. I have learned that for some things just take longer to get done. Whether it is overcoming an obstacle, learning something new, or accomplishing an every day task; eventually everything will get done. If you just wait things will fall into place...sometimes it just takes longer then we want it to.

Pace of Living-Things Will Get Done
This goes alone with the above. I used to have panic attacks if I was going to be late to something. I am happy to say that this no longer happens! I know at times I got SO mad at how erratic and chaotic things seemed when I got to Egypt. This can even be seen in by blog entries...I was VERY irritated in the beginning....but it got better. Patience has defiantly helped me with this. I know that everything I need to do will get done. It its own time everything will get accomplished. I know I sound like a fortune cookie....but I see now that we are never given more then we can handle. I used to get SO mad when people would tell me this. But I love that I can say it now with confidence that it is true. It is something I struggle with every day. But I know that in the end everything will work out.

True Life-I'm A Caffeine Addict
I AM SO ADDICTED TO CAFFEINE!!!!! I gave it up for a while in Egypt...but I am completely back on the wagon and I wish I wasn't! I still think that the best coffee I have ever had was the coffee I got by the Med in Lebanon....I would go back just for that.

Fall in Love- Love is Hard- Love Takes Work
I learned a lot about love over the past year. Love is the one thing that has the power to make you feel so amazing and make you feel like complete shit. Things got bad when I was in Egypt with the person I was in love with. But it was through my heart break that I learned how much work it takes to be in love. When you are together that love comes so easily. But it is the distance that really shows you your love. Long distance relationships are hard. They hurt. Frankly they suck. But in the end I think they are the most gratifying because they teach you so much about yourself. They are the best learning experiences and I am glad that I had this one. I am no longer with the person I was with when I went to Egypt. But I will always be grateful for my time with that person. Since then I have experienced many different forms of love and they have all been influenced from my work with love from Egypt and I am excited to explore love in the future.


Things Get Bad- But I Can Do It 
The title pretty much says it all. My trip to St. Anthony's Monastery still helps me every day that things go wrong (for more details read my post about it earlier...). Every day I wake up with my mantra and I try to think about it and live it every day. Egypt was one of the best learning experiences of my life and I am excited to see how these lessons play out in my life in the future. I can't wait to go back!

Leaving Egypt

I have been thinking recently about the things I will miss when I go home, the things I am excited to leave, and the things I can't wait to go when I get back home...here are a few.

Things I Will Miss

~The amazing weather every day! It makes waking up in the morning so much easier!
~The wonderful people I have met!!! I hope that we can continue our friendships when we go back to the states!
~It being normal to have two girls and two guy hold hands or walk with their arms around each other and forbidden/scandalous for a boy and a girl to walk hand in hand.
~Speaking with my minimal Arabic skills.
~Being able to travel to places I never even dreamed of seeing so easily.
~Bargaining for things.
~The exchange rate...I don't want to be poor again :-(

Things I Won't Miss

~Getting a lot of unwanted attention from men
~People saying, "Welcome to Egypt!"  EVERY time I go out.
~The greasy overpriced food on campus.
~Being SO far away from civilization.
~Getting ripped off because I am white and blonde.

Things I Can't Wait To Do

~DRIVE MY CAR! I can't wait to be able to go places again!
~Drink a cinnamon chai late!
~See my friends!!!! (Helen and Heather I expect a swing and poi date ASAP! Megan, will you be in any shows when I get back?! Everyone else I want to see you too!!! Facebook me and we will figure something out!)
~Have a much needed heart to heart
~Rock with my Mommy.
~Eat some amazing food that I am hoping my Dad cooks....chili, pecan pie, mashed potatoes, and corn bread....hint hint  :-P
~Seeing my brother and sister. I know through Skype that my brother Sam has grown up SO much in these past few months it is just crazy. He is 14 years old and looks and sounds like a man! But he is still as goofy as ever! I also missed my sisters first semester of college. I so wish I could have gone up and visited her!
~Go see the river!!! I need a day back at daffodil valley, wrapped in a blanket, looking at the sun setting over the river...with all the time in the world just to think and figure some stuff out.

How I have changed


~I have realized that there is a lot in this life we cannot control and I have become a much more calm and peaceful person after accepting this.
~I have learned that I know SO little about the world and the people in it.
~I realized that my education in the US was pretty horrible in that I never learned anything about international history. I have learned more living here in 4 months then I have learned in my 20 years of living.
~I have learned how to hide important details about myself extremely well. Sometimes I shock myself with the half truths that I can make come out of my mouth.
~I have learned that I can coexist with a group of people that I grew up being told by the media and some of the people around me were "evil", and "oppressive". And most importantly I learned that these two adjectives are by far the worse adjectives to describe the people I come in contact with on a daily basis.

Much Love! I'm off to Lebanon!!! I'm spending Eid with my friend Raina and her family in Beirut!!! Be back on December 1st!!!

xoxo
~S

Being Green in Egypt

When I first got to Egypt the first thing I looked for were recycling bins....and they were no where to be found. I kept searching and I found out that the American University in Cairo does have bins to recycle paper in. It is my understanding that they sell the recycled paper to NGOs to use. Then I realized that on our trash cans there are signs that say "Wet Trash" and "Dry Trash"...meaning Dry Trash are recyclable things and Wet Trash is not recyclable things. However, drama has started on campus because people don't know if the Dry Trash is actually being recycled. We (the hippie americans) are looking into this...I think it has gotten some wider campus acknowledgment though.

I clearly have gotten spoiled by SMCM who has recycling bins EVERYWHERE! You don't see a trash can without seeing a recycling bin close by. It's quite wonderful. Plus SMCM has started placing Compost Bins in places where student would be throwing away food. (eg by the dorms, by the Campus Center etc) I haven't had much stuff to compost at school since I have been living in dorms....but here we have been cooking a lot because food on campus is expensive and a part of me dies every time I have to throw away veggie bits that could be composted. I'm always tempted to throw them out in the gardens...but I know that if I do that the cats/dogs that roam campus will start roaming around the dorms and that poses many problems.

I also grew up in a house where we composted anything we could. My Dad pretty much walked behind everyone in my family my whole life telling us to turn off the lights when we left rooms. I was never allowed to leave food on my plate at dinner and we have been recycling for years. So I am pretty biased on this subject....but I feel like most people would agree with me that SOMETHING has to change and soon!

I have also seen a HUGE problem with students leaving trash everywhere. And I hate to say it but it seems to only be Egyptian/Arab students who do this. The vast majority of the school population at AUC is extremely privileged and they are used to having people clean up after them. Most of them have maids at home and they clean up after them. But they need to realize that they aren't at home! You can't just leave your trash outside of the Cafeteria and expect it to go away. Often the trash sits around for days before people can get around to cleaning it up. I have also been behind people walking down the path and they will drop trash on the ground right out in the open! I have to wonder if this is just complete and total disregard for what they are doing, or if it is because they are ignorant to the horrible consequences of constant littering?

I can only hope that AUC starts implementing some sort of active recycling plan in the near future and also environmental awareness education. Because when it comes down to it...things may be getting better in the United States with becoming more "Green"...but that is only ONE country. There are thousands of countries out there that need a complete and total U-haul.

Just something to think about...
xoxo
~S

Dit Dit Dit

Three simple words which mean so much to me!

Last night the Pink Boa had its last party and with the ending of that amazing institution I feel like I need to give thanks to all the the amazing people who have graced that hallowed ground.

Until college I was never able to be truly and completely myself. However, the amazing people I met at St. Mary's and the amazing alum from SMCM have pushed me to finally be comfortable with being me. Thank you so much....and you know who you are! Some of you I knew about even before I met you...and I am so happy you came into my life and blasted away so many of my previous conceptions of the world. Some of you came into my life through others and I couldn't be more grateful for all that you have taught me.

I would not change anything I have done in my life, even the bad things, because they brought me to you.

I miss you all and wish I could have been there with you to hear Dit Dit Dit one more time in the crocodile tears color room! You all are my best friends and my family. Many Kisses and Many Hugs!

xoxo
~Sarah