Today is my third day in Cairo. It’s hard to believe that I’ve only been here three days so far – last week seems like it was a month ago already.

I’m doing my last semester at TWU with the Middle Eastern Studies program, a group of 29 students from schools across North America (well, I am the only Canadian) who all are fantastically interested in the Middle East’s political, religious and cultural aspects. It’s a fairly diverse group, with students coming from all over the United States to (in a sense) play their part in the War on Terror by projecting a positive image of Westerners for Egyptians and other Middle Eastern peoples – something that actually isn’t that hard to do, it seems. Certainly, this program seems to be held in high regard, and Cairo, at least where my group is at, is probably safer than many parts of Vancouver.

It’s interesting living in a country where very few people speak your language. Though the past few days have simply been an orientation, it would seem that we’re still in shock as to what degree we have landed in a completely different world. We don’t understand the language, or, perhaps even more importantly, the nuances behind the language. That said, it is certainly possible for us to operate in this city, where everything seems fantastically cheap. For example, an hour at an internet café costs about $0.65 – compared to upwards of $10 in Canada. Of course, though we may be surrounded by relative wealth in our own neighbourhood, we have been around a bit of the city and seen places that would make many blush in shame at their own wealth.

One of the most interesting things I have found about Cairo so far is the degree to which people can ignore risks. Driving, for example, is marked by excessive tailgating, speeding and passing through blind spots. In our neighbourhood, which is marked by one-lane roads, it is not uncommon for people to drive 50-60km/h down the street with their lights off at night – only slowing for pedestrians (of which there are many) or cars coming in the opposite direction (in which case, often one will have to back up).

Similarly, crossing a major street always stimulates adrenaline, and is an experience that I’ve found no equivalent to so far in the West. One must simply step out into the lane into traffic and pray to God that everyone sees you and drives around you – much like a giant game of Frogger. As our program director has said more than once, the traffic is much more likely to get you than any political situation.

What is the political situation here? Hosni Mubarak has ruled since 1981 after Anwar Sadat was assassinated. The country has also officially been in a state of emergency since then, though in day-to-day life this is not felt much. Certainly Egyptians are very aware of the world that is going on around them, and to some degree they find it difficult to understand why the US and other Western powers do the things they do.

Of course, I could say that Canada is much more respected here (and yes, I have pulled the Canada card a few times already) but that is a bit of a cop-out. I’m looking forward to seeing in the weeks ahead how Obama is received here, especially if he takes a tougher stance than is expected on the Middle East. There remains also the possibility that Obama could show up here this semester, which has certainly been speculated – but perhaps I’m dreaming.

So far, this posting has been exactly what I had hoped – and it’s only been three days.