January 21, 2005
American University of Cairo
“We almost burned down the house.”
The experiences of an international student initiating his stay in Cairo are certainly different to those of on starting in Australia. “We bought a new shisha. Then we fired it up and were drinking ‘aquavit’. When we woke up in the morning, we found a piece of coal had fallen off the pipe and burned through a stack of newspapers.”
Perhaps it is time for a little bit of explanation. A ‘shisha’ is a water pipe of the kind employed by many Arabic cultures for the smoking of tobacco. ‘Aquavit’ is a homegrown brand of Norwegian vodka.
Roger Bruland, perhaps a slightly shy Scandinavian, jokes, upon the completion of this interview: “I’m going to get deported!”
International students arriving in Australia feel as though they are faced with a jungle of bureaucracy upon arrival here. However, this is nothing compared to the problems faced by international students in Cairo, Egypt.
For example, one necessity in dealing with the process of acquiring an international student visa here is (no kidding!) 15 passport photos. This is a modest amount, considering that the international student here has to run to about 20 government offices to acquire that visa. Then, it’s a matter of whether or not the official like you – you can get anywhere between three months to one year on your student visa. It makes one practically crave the hellishly straightforward Australian system. It’s no wonder that most international students here opt to remain on a tourist visa that can be renewed monthly for no more than 10 Egyptian pounds (less than AUD$1). The other option is to get it renewed through the university, where the standard is a 6-month visa. Somehow, the system seems reminiscent of Russian roulette!
Egypt, under what, by international standards, is a country under a dictatorial style of governance, is nonetheless, like its international counterparts, seeking to capitalise on international education.
Currently, around 20% of the students studying at the American University of Cairo are international students. The University of Cairo, however, is a much more popular destination, catering to a very large population of students from neighbouring Middle Eastern countries.
Orientations for international students at AUC are an entirely different process to that experienced by Australian International Students. As in Australia, most students don’t remember much from their hectic orientations. However, the lessons that are learned are quite different. “Kissing on campus is against the regulations, as is covering the face. Two girls were expelled last year for covering their face at university.”
Security is also a large issue covered during orientations. When he first arrived here, Roger went on holiday to the seaside town of Dahab. Not so far from where he was staying, a youth camp was bombed by the same groups implicated in the Hilton bombings. “Even youth culture is targeted”.
Censorship is a particular headache – especially for postgraduate students. In 1998 alone, 200 books were banned by the Egyptian government. As a result, a ‘copy shop’ culture has developed in Cairo, with lecturers pointing students to the next-door point to obtain illegal texts for the sake of education.
Perhaps it is this flagrant disregard for the law that makes Egypt an international centre for human rights and forced migration studies, along with South Africa. Censorship by the government can be quite random, but Roger has noted that it is generally texts concerning non-proliferation and those critical of the government that are the main target for nationwide bans.
Despite the hazards of bureaucracy, it seems that Roger, a PhD student in political science, has chosen the right place for his academics – a “region in turmoil after the Iraq war.’
fon @ Friday, January 21, 2005 link to post * *