Celebrating Christmas in a Muslim country

After 2 weeks in a country that is deadlocked in its inability to select a new president, I have now moved on to a country that has been happy(-ish) with the same president for nearly 27 years: Egypt.
My family flew over from New York and joined me here so we could spend the holidays together. We reunited in Cairo on Christmas Eve, the anticipation of which made me realize how much I actually missed them all. In the past few days, between long conversations and catch ups, we’ve floated on a restaurant-boat on the Nile, battled Cairo's interminable traffic, seen the wealth of relics in the Egyptian Museum, and wandered around the Pyramids of Giza, the only remaining wonder of the ancient world. We are now in Luxor, continuing to explore Egypt's ancient wonders and trying to stop my father from trading me and my sisters as brides for a handsome dowry of camels and gold.

From here, we are going to Sharm El Sheik, a famous Red Sea beach resort to relax and spend some final time together as a family—something we won’t be doing again until the summer. After New Year’s, they are returning to the States and I am continuing on my travels through East Africa and ultimately on to Southeast Asia to begin my next placement.

Finally!

Over the past week, I spent most of my time overindulging in delicious Lebanese cuisine and touring around the city. I have also been enjoying Beirut’s legendary nightlife, the vibrancy of which is in direct proportion to the depth of the political crisis. Most of my appointments and interviews have unfortunately been canceled, but finally ALEF and the student group from AUB decided to reschedule the workshop for today.
Surprisingly I was not at all nervous for my first solo training—though the fact that I wasn’t nervous freaked me out a little. But I was well prepared, especially since the workshop was already canceled twice at the last minute. I was scheduled to give a 4-hour negotiation workshop for a group of 40 students, but only about 10 actually showed up. I was momentarily disappointed at the low turnout, but I didn’t let it show and ultimately enjoyed the fact that I was working with a smaller group. The workshop was more intimate and interactive than it could have been had more people attended. The group was great: they took to the material, asked lots of questions, pushed back, engaged each other in discussions, and whole-heartedly participated in the role-plays. There was a great energy in the room and I was loath to cut it off even though we went one hour over time. Ultimately, it was a great first experience and a lot of fun-- though utterly exhausting. I really can’t wait to do this again!

On and on and on...

There are tons of soldiers along the streets today, at least one every 10 meters or so. But despite the tensions today, they don’t seem any more alert or on guard. They stand around, these young boys in grey fatigues, leaning on sand-bag barriers, lazily fingering their rifles. They catcall at the few passing girls, languidly direct traffic, and enjoy the rare December sunshine. In the city center, the streets are completely deserted. Like a scene out of an apocalypse movie: not a car, not a bike, not even the birds venture into the streets. Every once in a while, a convoy of black SUVs with tinted windows speeds by, either going towards or away from the Parliament building.
This morning I got a call from ALEF, regretting to inform me that due to the election day fears, the workshop I was scheduled to conduct at AUB was indefinitely rescheduled. These fears were totally unwarranted since, despite much fussing around, the elections were postponed for the 9th time. And the Lebanese political crisis continues…

Lebanon, day 2

Despite the tragic bombing that occurred hours before my arrival yesterday, things are going well in Beirut. This morning I had a very productive meeting at the Association Libanaise de l'Education et de la Formation (ALEF), the human rights advocacy and education organization through which I am working here. On Monday, I am giving an hour-long presentation at the American University in Beirut (AUB) on processes of post-conflict reconciliation. Later in the week, I am going to do an internal facilitation training for ALEF staff and volunteers.
Next weekend, I am planning on driving to Damascus--yes that would be the capital of the axis-of-evil Syria. It’s just a short trip over the mountains and should only take about 2 hours by road...

Welcome to Lebanon!

My friend Aline greeted me at the airport this afternoon with a big hug and immediately asked me if I had heard the news. After a frenzy of packing in The Hague and many hours of travel and transit, the last thing on my mind was the news. Apparently there was a big bomb blast in one of Beirut’s Christian suburbs, which killed the army successor of the potential new president. Lebanon has been stuck in a political impasse for weeks, unable to come to a compromise and select a new president—and this attack has pushed any imminent solution out of reach.

While it certainly unsettled me, the bombing didn’t really scare me. The sense I am getting from most Lebanese people I have talked to today is that they are saddened by the assassination, but ultimately blasé as these types of things have been happening with regularity for nearly 2 years. More than once, they simply said, “welcome to Lebanon!” Others told me that the bombs are well targeted, killing the intended victim and the people in his immediate entourage. They are not random suicide bombings in which the maximum civilian casualties are sought like in Iraq. I am not sure how comforting this line of reasoning is, but I did decide to come here knowing that the security situation is unstable. I don’t feel like it’s completely out of control, though I will remain cautious during my short placement here.

Ciao Nederland!

I can’t believe today is my last day in The Hague. I know it sounds terribly cliché but my placement here really has gone by in a flash… Despite being a disappointment professionally, I loved my time in the Netherlands. There's something about life here that is uncomplicated, simple, easy... and yes, rather wet and rainy. Ultimately though, I'll walk away from this placement with new lifelong friendships and a healthy appreciation for the dangers of cycling while intoxicated.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few weeks trying to take advantage of my time here as much as possible, as well as preparing for my next placements.
After months of tearing my hair out in frustration and almost abandoning this placement in Thailand altogether, I have not one but two offers from host organizations. The first was a total leap of faith as I randomly emailed the director of the Center for Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University, who immediately got back to me saying he'd be happy to host me. As another last ditch effort, I had searched the Smith Alum database and contacted the 15 or so Smith alums who live in Thailand. Thanks to their networks and outreach, I now have a possible placement at the King Prajadhipok Institute Center for Peace and Governance. I am setting up phone calls with them for next week to figure out the details--hopefully I can figure out a way to work with both!

Role Reversal

Very powerful South African advert

BeNeLux (sans Lux)

This weekend, Justin (who is visiting the 'Low Countries' for a long weekend from Boston) and I ventured down to Brussels, just a quick 2-hour train ride from The Hague. Surprisingly Belgium did not seem on-the-brink-of-revolution-and-collapse as the media has portrayed it. In fact, it was lovely—charming and quaint like the Netherlands, but warmer, especially with the seasonal holiday cheer around the Christmas markets.
I did a little Christmas shopping for my family and indulged in the culinary specialties of the city: ‘moules frites’ (steamed mussels served with French fries) and ‘gauffres au sucre’ (classic Belgian waffles with powdered sugar). Not only was I infused with holiday spirit, but I was also particularly happy to be back in a French-speaking city. It reinforced a growing realization of how distant I sometimes feel from my French side and how much I really do want to go and live in France again next year.