Thursday, October 30, 2008

As I walked home I had so many thoughts rushing through my head that I decided I would write about them when I get home, but now that I am home, It seems they’ve all just flown away. I’m still trying though...

I didn’t really work much today, although I did work more than I usually do recently.
The reason I did not work that much today is: today was Hussein Aman-Allah’s last day in Egypt, for he is leaving in a few hours to Switzerland for 6 months!

Hussein came to GUC today to complete some papers, return his graduation ceremony’s cap and gown and most importantly (or so I believe) to bid some people farewell. So, even if it wasn’t much fun I had to accompany him through the whole thing, this was the last time I’m going to see him for at least 6 months.

So I didn’t attend that product design class that I had from 2:30 to 5:30 (double slots), and we walked from an office to the next, and got into some fights with some “scum” as he likes to call them (low-cultured Egyptians who think they are better than you, and know nothing about the manners of civilized humans, of course, they are... Egyptians in the end! Not to mention how enjoyable they find getting into fights!)
Then we went for coffee with Prof. Slim who quoted some American manager’s saying that I find worth mentioning:

“Don't fight with the pig! Because you will both get dirty, and the pig will enjoy it!”

After the coffee Hussein had to leave. He was already too late, and I have to say... I really hate goodbyes ... and could barely hold my tears... Hussein is one of the few, very few people that are the reason I’m not in a much worse situation than the one I am currently. Without him (and the rest of them) I really wouldn't have been able to go that far, and I’m really, really going to miss him.

Hussein left, and I had to sit and work on ([link]) and by the time I was done, the GUC’s 2008 welcome party (Mohamed Mounir) had already started, and people were pouring in from every direction, I could see from my office window in the C building. I bought an overpriced and awfully tasting McRoyale Combo from the McDonald’s booth, went back to my office and ate it, finished one last page of work, packed my stuff, and headed to the side gate next to the C building that I always use to enter, and exit the university.

“We’re sorry, this gate is closed! Unfortunately you’ll have to walk to the main gate...”
I think: “Oh here we go”

I tell the security guy at the main gate: “Hello, I’m a staff member and I need to get out! I want to go home...”
“I’m sorry, this gate is closed”
“Ooooowwwkayyyyy ... so which one’s open? I just want to leave...”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know...”
“If there’s a Dr. with a car, from where will he get out?”
“From here!”
“Ooookayyyyyy ... suppose I’m a Dr. without a car!”
“Haha”
“...!”

So you see, trying to logically reason with Egyptians seems almost impossible. They've all stopped using their minds long, long ago... Most of them to be precise!

I went to the reception in B4 to ask for someone with a little more authority than the security personnel on the gates. as soon as I step inside the building some dude behind the desk quickly shouts “aywa?” as if I lost my way and got into B4 by mistake so he was just going to let me know that I *can’t* be here and that I would have to leave, thankfully... Well, I didn’t give him a chance.

“I’m a staff member, my office is in the C building, they refused to let me out from the gate over there, and told me to go to the main gate, and there they told me it’s closed, I want to go home! Could you please let me go home?”
“You can leave from the car parking”
“I don’t have a car”
“That's the only way”
“You must be kidding...”

I was about to lose my temper when Ibrahim (IT Engineer, Former CS-TA, and a friend) appeared from no where, asked me what’s going on. From there on, everything changed.

People at the reception desk started calling the main gate on the phone, and Ibrahim went with me to the gate, and finally, I was able to step outside the beloved GUC. only to find that 50% of the Egyptian population was outside.

They had turned the whole block ... or maybe more, into a gigantic parking space!
Including the bus-station from which I take the bus to Nasr City..-Yes! Cars were parked INSIDE the bus station, which means, there were no space for buses, even if there were ... all the streets leading into and out of the station were congested-

I didn’t know what to do so I walked to the station looking for someone to ask, hoping that someone will tell me what are the inhabitants of the area are supposed to do to go to Nasr City when the GUC turns the whole neighborhood into a parking space for its visitors...

No one really gave me an answer ... but most of them said there are no buses now “sa3b awi” they said.

A couple of minutes later I saw that bus around the corner. I started walking, it started moving, I started running (I’ve never done that before, I usually wait for the next bus, or train when I miss one) I was still not going to make it I started hitting on the side of the bus with my hand ... and shouting “3asher yasta!” (Al 7ai Al 3asher, Nasr City.) Finally, the bus stopped, and I was able to get on.

*phew*

I think that’s it for now, I’ll try to write the rest of the thoughts later tomorrow.