Here's a shot I took in Garbage City, but could be anywhere.
More fruit action still to come...
Friday, October 26, 2007
speaking of fruit...
Here's a shot I took in Garbage City, but could be anywhere.
More fruit action still to come...
top 10s
It's now been nearly six weeks since my arrival, and I'm starting to form some impressions. (I know, I know, after everything I've said about suspending judgment here we go... but it's just to keep things light as the newness melts into reality).
10 things I love about Cairo
1. THE FRUIT!!!! (mangoes, melons, dates, bananas, pomegranate, tangerines, grapes, guava, figs...)
2. the delicious felafels, fresh pitas, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, and baba ganoug etc.
3. the Metro - both the grocery store and the subway
4. the support and affection of friends (up to four greeting kisses, lots of physicality)
5. the work!!
6. the balcony on our new flat (I'll share pictures when a friend and I move in next week)
7. the rich historical sights (now de-mysticized by urban sprawl)
8. the sunny heat (I love it... particularly as I know winter is approaching in Canada)
9. the cosmopolitan scene (arts, culture, restaurants, nightlife)
10. wireless internet (that allows me to skype family and post these ramblings)
10 things I don't love about life in Cairo
1. the occasional whistling/groping (that one time)
2. the air pollution
3. the zahmah - traffic congestion everywhere!
4. the inescapable dustiness of everything
5. the inevitable confusions/limitations that result from not speaking Arabic well yet
6. the 'finders fee' attached to a new flat
7. the taxi drivers' cigarette smoke blowing back on me
8. the fire crackers exploded in our ears, or setting off car alarms
9. the water quality!!
10. the lack of personal space living in a city of 20 million
10 things that make me laugh in Cairo
1. the hairy carpet on taxi dashboards (practical: they hide the dust)
2. the sing-song doorbells and horns
3. the unique elevators (there's a range from door-less to full-service with a button-pusher)
4. the basket system - dropping down your container when the vegetable seller comes around
5. the donkeys that get the right of way (because they won't stop for anything)
6. the Arabic phrases, yani, interspersed with English in conversations
7. the ridiculously cold a.c. that makes me prefer the +30 degree heat
8. the Western fast food chains that many Egyptian friends think are the cool place to take me
9. the incessant "Welcome to Egypt" foreigners always receive regardless of how long they have been here
10. the way my Egyptian friends call me darling or my baby (translating the affectionate 'Habibi' - my love)
10 things I love about Cairo
1. THE FRUIT!!!! (mangoes, melons, dates, bananas, pomegranate, tangerines, grapes, guava, figs...)
2. the delicious felafels, fresh pitas, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, and baba ganoug etc.
3. the Metro - both the grocery store and the subway
4. the support and affection of friends (up to four greeting kisses, lots of physicality)
5. the work!!
6. the balcony on our new flat (I'll share pictures when a friend and I move in next week)
7. the rich historical sights (now de-mysticized by urban sprawl)
8. the sunny heat (I love it... particularly as I know winter is approaching in Canada)
9. the cosmopolitan scene (arts, culture, restaurants, nightlife)
10. wireless internet (that allows me to skype family and post these ramblings)
10 things I don't love about life in Cairo
1. the occasional whistling/groping (that one time)
2. the air pollution
3. the zahmah - traffic congestion everywhere!
4. the inescapable dustiness of everything
5. the inevitable confusions/limitations that result from not speaking Arabic well yet
6. the 'finders fee' attached to a new flat
7. the taxi drivers' cigarette smoke blowing back on me
8. the fire crackers exploded in our ears, or setting off car alarms
9. the water quality!!
10. the lack of personal space living in a city of 20 million
10 things that make me laugh in Cairo
1. the hairy carpet on taxi dashboards (practical: they hide the dust)
2. the sing-song doorbells and horns
3. the unique elevators (there's a range from door-less to full-service with a button-pusher)
4. the basket system - dropping down your container when the vegetable seller comes around
5. the donkeys that get the right of way (because they won't stop for anything)
6. the Arabic phrases, yani, interspersed with English in conversations
7. the ridiculously cold a.c. that makes me prefer the +30 degree heat
8. the Western fast food chains that many Egyptian friends think are the cool place to take me
9. the incessant "Welcome to Egypt" foreigners always receive regardless of how long they have been here
10. the way my Egyptian friends call me darling or my baby (translating the affectionate 'Habibi' - my love)
Monday, October 22, 2007
going APE in Garbage City
On Saturday a friend and I went to Mokattam, Cairo's famous 'Garbage City'. There, poor immigrants from Upper Egypt (most of them Coptic Christian) have carved out a niche for themselves sorting the city's waste, and living amidst the rubble. Although the flies and stench may not provide a pleasant welcome, once you move beyond the initial abrasiveness of the sights and smells you can quickly observe the dignity of these 'Zebaleen' (garbage sorters), and the 'order' within the piles that fill their streets.
Garbage City is famous, both within Egypt and internationally... though for very different reasons. Internationally it has been heralded as an innovative approach to recycling and recovering post-consumer waste: up to 80% of the garbage that the Mokattam collectors sort stays out of landfills or burn piles. Yet, policy-makers in Egypt argue that the Zebaleen only collect the 'best' waste, leaving the trash of poorer neighbourhoods to languish on the streets. Furthermore they are 'squatters' who haphazardly built on land they do not legally own, living in unsanitary conditions with contaminated water and rampant disease. They are seen as an embarrassment, which the government has threatened to dispose of one way or another. Towards this end, the government began contracting private waste removal services a few years ago, a strategy which caused considerable outrage in Mokattam (see this Christian Science Monitor article for more of a backgrounder).
From an ethical perspective, part of the challenge is that this work, though lucrative, can be hazardous at worst and disgusting at best. Though this approach may be good at waste reduction and save the government billions of dollars (incognizant or ungrateful for this though they may be), should we support a system that has grown out of and perpetuates inequalities? True, it has evolved organically since the 1940s, but it seems to me that many of people who do this work were driven to it out of desperation and have limited opportunities for upward mobility. At the least, the living conditions in Mokattam call the compassionate to ask: How can we improve the health, safety, quality of life, and empowerment of those who work and live in this community?
That is exactly what folks at the Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE) have sought to do, through their collaborative programming with community members. Founded in 1984, APE seeks to "improve solid waste management practices in Egypt as well as transfer its technology to other parts of the world". Yet this is only half of their work, they also seek to improve community professional, educational and health standards through their learning programmes.
The APE Mokattam site provides all kinds of services to the community - day care and literacy programs for the most marginalized children (and the children of women workers at APE), health services (including Hepatitis C screening and treatment), and many work programs for women and girls.
Over 90% of their staff are female. We were able to see older girls (13 +) making rugs out of recycled cloth, as well as women making paper (above) and paper products, quilting, and embroidering. One of the things I found most fascinating is that APE offers formal apprenticeships in which new workers learn literacy and numeracy as well as their trade. In the rug-making section (below) it takes approximately three months to go through the programme, and girls are paid for this training. Once they have the skills, they are able to take out a (subsidized) loan to buy a loom so they can work from home.
Another very fascinating thing is that Ten Thousand Villages (a Mennonite-inspired fair trade organization with shops across North America) may be interested in carrying some of APE's products... Apparently someone was out visiting a few days ago to learn more about their products and processes.
APE also runs a recycling recovery program in another part of Garbage city, but apparently this is harder to get to and quite a distance from the Mokattam site. I'm hoping to visit it another weekend, but the Mokattam programmes were quite enough to see in one day. As you can tell from these glimpses, the site is beautiful. APE recovered an old landfill site, in the middle of the neighbourhood, transforming it into a garden with organic produce and pungent flowering trees.
It looks like some of the MEDA group will have the opportunity to visit APE during their upcoming tour... I think it will be an interesting visit!
Garbage City is famous, both within Egypt and internationally... though for very different reasons. Internationally it has been heralded as an innovative approach to recycling and recovering post-consumer waste: up to 80% of the garbage that the Mokattam collectors sort stays out of landfills or burn piles. Yet, policy-makers in Egypt argue that the Zebaleen only collect the 'best' waste, leaving the trash of poorer neighbourhoods to languish on the streets. Furthermore they are 'squatters' who haphazardly built on land they do not legally own, living in unsanitary conditions with contaminated water and rampant disease. They are seen as an embarrassment, which the government has threatened to dispose of one way or another. Towards this end, the government began contracting private waste removal services a few years ago, a strategy which caused considerable outrage in Mokattam (see this Christian Science Monitor article for more of a backgrounder).
(A typical Zebaleen cart loaded with trash... returning to Mokattam after a foraging trip in another part of the city.)
From an ethical perspective, part of the challenge is that this work, though lucrative, can be hazardous at worst and disgusting at best. Though this approach may be good at waste reduction and save the government billions of dollars (incognizant or ungrateful for this though they may be), should we support a system that has grown out of and perpetuates inequalities? True, it has evolved organically since the 1940s, but it seems to me that many of people who do this work were driven to it out of desperation and have limited opportunities for upward mobility. At the least, the living conditions in Mokattam call the compassionate to ask: How can we improve the health, safety, quality of life, and empowerment of those who work and live in this community?
That is exactly what folks at the Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE) have sought to do, through their collaborative programming with community members. Founded in 1984, APE seeks to "improve solid waste management practices in Egypt as well as transfer its technology to other parts of the world". Yet this is only half of their work, they also seek to improve community professional, educational and health standards through their learning programmes.
The APE Mokattam site provides all kinds of services to the community - day care and literacy programs for the most marginalized children (and the children of women workers at APE), health services (including Hepatitis C screening and treatment), and many work programs for women and girls.
Over 90% of their staff are female. We were able to see older girls (13 +) making rugs out of recycled cloth, as well as women making paper (above) and paper products, quilting, and embroidering. One of the things I found most fascinating is that APE offers formal apprenticeships in which new workers learn literacy and numeracy as well as their trade. In the rug-making section (below) it takes approximately three months to go through the programme, and girls are paid for this training. Once they have the skills, they are able to take out a (subsidized) loan to buy a loom so they can work from home.
Another very fascinating thing is that Ten Thousand Villages (a Mennonite-inspired fair trade organization with shops across North America) may be interested in carrying some of APE's products... Apparently someone was out visiting a few days ago to learn more about their products and processes.
APE also runs a recycling recovery program in another part of Garbage city, but apparently this is harder to get to and quite a distance from the Mokattam site. I'm hoping to visit it another weekend, but the Mokattam programmes were quite enough to see in one day. As you can tell from these glimpses, the site is beautiful. APE recovered an old landfill site, in the middle of the neighbourhood, transforming it into a garden with organic produce and pungent flowering trees.
It looks like some of the MEDA group will have the opportunity to visit APE during their upcoming tour... I think it will be an interesting visit!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
tut tut is that a raincloud?
I was shocked last night to see clouds rolling in around dusk. No, it was not just the sun sinking, the diminishing light was connected to a brooding grey heavy on the horizon. There were a few teasing drops early evening, and then around 2am we got a good dousing. Can you believe it, rain in the desert?! Apparently it may go a year without rain here... and the usual showers come in the winter. Crazy eh?!
The sun is working its magic again, so most of the streets are fairly dry already, but apparently Cairo wasn't designed for heavy rain, (with drains etc) so when it gets a chance downpour, there can be flooding. This one didn't cause major trouble, but we'll see what happens later in the year.
I was delighted to wake up to the rain and thunder because it's the first dramatic change in weather we've had since my arrival. It brings with it fresh, charged excitement. Today is also cooler... blessed blessed rain.
The sun is working its magic again, so most of the streets are fairly dry already, but apparently Cairo wasn't designed for heavy rain, (with drains etc) so when it gets a chance downpour, there can be flooding. This one didn't cause major trouble, but we'll see what happens later in the year.
I was delighted to wake up to the rain and thunder because it's the first dramatic change in weather we've had since my arrival. It brings with it fresh, charged excitement. Today is also cooler... blessed blessed rain.
Friday, October 12, 2007
fish outta water/shaken and stirred please!
Perhaps the best way to become aware of or move beyond cultural assumptions is to immerse yourself in another culture. At times living in a new environment can be uncomfortable, puzzling, or downright frustrating, but it sure helps you realize how easily you may take your community's ways of doing things for granted because 'that's just how things are done'. It’s as they say: "It would hardly be the fish who discovered the existence of water”. It may take a shuddering land on a sandy shore to fully appreciate the oxygenating liquid that once poured through your gills, but, if you’re adaptable, you may grow legs and hop on your merry way, or, at least, gain a different perspective of the pond you once called home… Perhaps there’s some rank pollution there that you’re healthier away from, at least for a while.
I think part of the key to successful cultural adaptation is to suspend judgments when you first arrive… both of the new culture, and of your own! Piece of cake right?! ‘Your’ way is not inherently right or wrong, and neither are the new ways you’re being exposed to… they’re just different. This kind of approach makes it easier to move beyond your own culture’s assumptions/values/constructs and yet, not be compelled to fully embrace the new one either. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing deal. If you can suspend judgments long enough to open to curiosity and understanding, you are likely to find ways of observing and participating in aspects of the new culture in a comfortable stretch between new and old. The longer you're there, the more you can serve as a bridge between the two… helping to build mutual understanding for those on each 'side' of the cultural divide.
I'm reading an incredible book right now called The Cultural Nature of Human Development by Barbara Rogoff, and it has been absolutely pivotal for me in terms of how I see cultural diversity, child rearing, education, community development and participation, religion, the list goes on and on! Although I'm reading this anthropological gem for work, I feel the timing couldn't be better on a personal level as well as I navigate a new environment again, and a new job.
At work, this book lays an important theoretical foundation for some of the primary social research we're about to do. We're looking at how children are learning from the formal work they are performing in four technical trades: automotive mechanics, carpentry, textiles/carpet-making and (likely) electronics. Through visits to micro-enterprises and interviews with business owners (who have gone through an informal apprenticeship process to get to where they are now), working children/youth, and educators/NGO staff involved in vocational training programs, we are assessing three things:
“The best part of comparative work in another culture [is] the chance to be shaken by it and the experience of struggling to understand it.” S. Goldberg
Here's to life long learning!
I think part of the key to successful cultural adaptation is to suspend judgments when you first arrive… both of the new culture, and of your own! Piece of cake right?! ‘Your’ way is not inherently right or wrong, and neither are the new ways you’re being exposed to… they’re just different. This kind of approach makes it easier to move beyond your own culture’s assumptions/values/constructs and yet, not be compelled to fully embrace the new one either. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing deal. If you can suspend judgments long enough to open to curiosity and understanding, you are likely to find ways of observing and participating in aspects of the new culture in a comfortable stretch between new and old. The longer you're there, the more you can serve as a bridge between the two… helping to build mutual understanding for those on each 'side' of the cultural divide.
I'm reading an incredible book right now called The Cultural Nature of Human Development by Barbara Rogoff, and it has been absolutely pivotal for me in terms of how I see cultural diversity, child rearing, education, community development and participation, religion, the list goes on and on! Although I'm reading this anthropological gem for work, I feel the timing couldn't be better on a personal level as well as I navigate a new environment again, and a new job.
At work, this book lays an important theoretical foundation for some of the primary social research we're about to do. We're looking at how children are learning from the formal work they are performing in four technical trades: automotive mechanics, carpentry, textiles/carpet-making and (likely) electronics. Through visits to micro-enterprises and interviews with business owners (who have gone through an informal apprenticeship process to get to where they are now), working children/youth, and educators/NGO staff involved in vocational training programs, we are assessing three things:
- What children are learning through work (technical, business and life skills)
- How they are learning it (who teaches, pedagogical approaches used, and how knowledge/responsibility is cultivated over time)
- Some of the best methods to prepare working children for their careers and life, and what (if any) holes emerge in their current education through work
“The best part of comparative work in another culture [is] the chance to be shaken by it and the experience of struggling to understand it.” S. Goldberg
Here's to life long learning!
September Snapshots
Moving beyond mental images, now, here are some photos of everyday life in Egypt as my one-month mark approaches!
I'm still starry eyed about the glitz and glamour of Cairo
I'm still starry eyed about the glitz and glamour of Cairo
Look at this gorgeous architecture: it's the Opera House
in the heart Zamelek (an island in the middle of the Nile)
in the heart Zamelek (an island in the middle of the Nile)
of course, you need one classic tourist shot: the Nile - downtown Cairo
(whew, now it's out of my system!)
(whew, now it's out of my system!)
ah, the gorgeous palms along these fertile shores
three of my favourite Aswan ladies
a taste of pop-culture: our first concert at the Opera House.
The Egyptian heart-throb was Mohamed Monier, and we - four CIDA interns and friends - stood like anticipatory match sticks in a full box, packed in by hundreds of screaming Egyptians, while we waited for hours for the show to begin. Here's proof that he finally showed up!
The Egyptian heart-throb was Mohamed Monier, and we - four CIDA interns and friends - stood like anticipatory match sticks in a full box, packed in by hundreds of screaming Egyptians, while we waited for hours for the show to begin. Here's proof that he finally showed up!
a city of high rises...my first view of Cairo
the lush islands around Aswan (the view from our hotel)
...and my extended family!
Friday, October 5, 2007
glimpses
Cairo is:
Metro sardines with a salty babe held up to the fan.
Allah'u'Akbar
rising in waves of fervor.
dizzying high rises,
Standstill traffic.
Death and life
that squats in cemeteries
and scurries in shadows.
Dust,
Dust,
Dust!
Fasting empty streets that slowly become sheesha-strewn by night,
meandering men heading home in 2am jams
an exuberant sister that runs to take my hand,
lulled to sleep at my side
(a comforting heat).
dirty water in a dry land,
life out of dust.
Malls and lights
and dingy stalls
and donkeys
and dates.
Metro sardines with a salty babe held up to the fan.
Allah'u'Akbar
rising in waves of fervor.
dizzying high rises,
Standstill traffic.
Death and life
that squats in cemeteries
and scurries in shadows.
Dust,
Dust,
Dust!
Fasting empty streets that slowly become sheesha-strewn by night,
meandering men heading home in 2am jams
an exuberant sister that runs to take my hand,
lulled to sleep at my side
(a comforting heat).
dirty water in a dry land,
life out of dust.
Malls and lights
and dingy stalls
and donkeys
and dates.
Exploring Aswan: first impressions of Upper Egypt
I've heard that many northern Egyptians (city-dwellers from Cairo or Alex) view their southern counterparts as somehow 'backwards' or 'inferior' - 'uncivilized' even. Once you leave the Nile delta, they claim there's nothing but hot sand. Even along the southern shores, they say there's not a lot going on... why go?
Well the communities are smaller, and the pace is definitely more laid-back, but to me that's part of the charm of Upper Egypt... at least what I've seen of it so far. Though I was only in Aswan for a little over two days, I'll be honest, I became quite smitten with the place. First of all there's less pollution, the people are generally jovial (even during Ramadan when tempers may be shorter), there's less congestion (traffic/people/buildings), and it's gorgeous! There are, in fact, many touristy things to do: the Isis temple is close by, there's a lively market, felucca cruises aplenty, and a great Nubian Museum.
But I didn't have a chance to see many of 'the sights' on this trip. Richard and I were there on business... meeting with the EACID Director to discuss project developments and research I'll be helping with in the coming months, visiting loan clients and their child labourers (mostly in the context of family-run businesses), and interacting with children who regularly drop in at the educational centre to play Ba'alty or participate in classes.
The focus of our whole first day was Ba'alty: an amazing computer game that was designed by Canadian Andrew Dempsy to teach children business ethics as they open and manage shops. The youth here are crazy about it, spending hours pouring over the screens and comparing scores!
For me the highlight of the Aswan trip was the connection with children.. both at the EACID office, and during our businesses visits. Even with language barriers we were able to communicate the basics, and that made all the difference.
During our visits to the businesses we were warmly welcomed into one family's home. Apparently there's quite a tradition of hospitality in Egypt, and we absolutely couldn't leave without being served drinks and sweets. During our time with them we learned that the father and two of his daughters, Christina and Margareta, run a sweets business from their home. They cannot afford to rent out a shop, so he has a big stand on wheels that he sometimes carts around, or the daughters help him sell in front of the house. He told us that with the help of a loan from EACID, he has been able to purchase a large oven for the business. Before, they had to take the treats to another business and pay to have them cooked. That was problematic because sometimes they would get burned in the business' oven because the owner didn't watch them carefully enough. Now, Hamdallah, things are going better, and hopefully in the future the family can begin renting a space!
From what I've seen so far, EACID's loans really target the poor, helping them to bring themselves up out of poverty with dignity, accountability, and a little hard work. And, of course, people like this father are happy to let their children participate in EACID's social/rights-based programming... they are grateful for their children to be getting more of an education, and working in a safer environment. There's a positive mutuality there that's important to build on.
Well the communities are smaller, and the pace is definitely more laid-back, but to me that's part of the charm of Upper Egypt... at least what I've seen of it so far. Though I was only in Aswan for a little over two days, I'll be honest, I became quite smitten with the place. First of all there's less pollution, the people are generally jovial (even during Ramadan when tempers may be shorter), there's less congestion (traffic/people/buildings), and it's gorgeous! There are, in fact, many touristy things to do: the Isis temple is close by, there's a lively market, felucca cruises aplenty, and a great Nubian Museum.
But I didn't have a chance to see many of 'the sights' on this trip. Richard and I were there on business... meeting with the EACID Director to discuss project developments and research I'll be helping with in the coming months, visiting loan clients and their child labourers (mostly in the context of family-run businesses), and interacting with children who regularly drop in at the educational centre to play Ba'alty or participate in classes.
The focus of our whole first day was Ba'alty: an amazing computer game that was designed by Canadian Andrew Dempsy to teach children business ethics as they open and manage shops. The youth here are crazy about it, spending hours pouring over the screens and comparing scores!
Andrew came up from Cairo for the day as well, and we spoke with EACID staff and children about what was working well, what the best strategies were for 'winning' (thus discerning whether the subtle ethical elements are balanced right) and what could be improved in the future. We also ran a competition for the boys to see who could get the most shops going in ten minutes.
The whole purpose of the game is to make learning as interactive, realistic, and fun as possible, and from what I could see, it is certainly accomplishing this well!
For me the highlight of the Aswan trip was the connection with children.. both at the EACID office, and during our businesses visits. Even with language barriers we were able to communicate the basics, and that made all the difference.
During our visits to the businesses we were warmly welcomed into one family's home. Apparently there's quite a tradition of hospitality in Egypt, and we absolutely couldn't leave without being served drinks and sweets. During our time with them we learned that the father and two of his daughters, Christina and Margareta, run a sweets business from their home. They cannot afford to rent out a shop, so he has a big stand on wheels that he sometimes carts around, or the daughters help him sell in front of the house. He told us that with the help of a loan from EACID, he has been able to purchase a large oven for the business. Before, they had to take the treats to another business and pay to have them cooked. That was problematic because sometimes they would get burned in the business' oven because the owner didn't watch them carefully enough. Now, Hamdallah, things are going better, and hopefully in the future the family can begin renting a space!
From what I've seen so far, EACID's loans really target the poor, helping them to bring themselves up out of poverty with dignity, accountability, and a little hard work. And, of course, people like this father are happy to let their children participate in EACID's social/rights-based programming... they are grateful for their children to be getting more of an education, and working in a safer environment. There's a positive mutuality there that's important to build on.
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