Friday, December 24, 2010

Don't Ask Don't Tell

I applaud America for taking a firm step in the right direction and repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. There is however another DADT policy firmly in place here in Egypt. This one however has nothing to do with gays and lesbians in the military. This is about something else entirely. My 12th graders and I were finishing our unit on war. We had read the Iliad and were entertaining some discussion on more modern wars. During this discussion my students asked me if I knew about the October 6th War. The Ramadan War (or as the West knows it the Yom Kippur War) was fought between Israel and Egypt and Syria in 1973. While Israel suffered an initial setback, history acknowledges Israel as the victor in the end. Egypt however maintains a different story. Here there are bridges with the war's namesake along with panoramas and history books dedicated to the version in which Egypt is the mighty victor. My students, smiling with pride and patriotism, asked if I knew of this war, the war in which Egypt triumphed over Israel (they first said 'Americans' but I politely reminded them that there was a difference.) Observing the pride they had for their country in that moment, and keeping job security in mind, I had no choice but to smile and nod and say yes, I did know about that war. They seemed pleased and one student added, "good, I hate Israel." Though I was tempted to discuss the truth with them, Egypt requires its guests to abide by one guideline. When it comes to the October 6th War it's best if you don't ask, and however skewed it may seem, please don't tell.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Transcend

Why yes, sometimes it is awkward teaching American literature in Egypt, especially when the textbook is written by Americans for Americans. As I read aloud in class I am very aware of how often I say the word 'America' and the pause I make before I read and/or adjust the word 'we' or the word 'here.' Often times I feel I sound like I'm trumpeting foreign values to Egyptian students for no apparent reason, with the effect of coming off as a pro-American, culturally insensitive, and ultimately out-of-touch dummy. But sometimes, just sometimes, there is a particularly American topic that the students can relate to or at least debate. We encountered one of these topics yesterday when we began our unit on transcendentalism.
The book actually had a nice introduction to what is ultimately a tricky concept to grasp. Several paragraphs led us through Emerson's conclusions that the individual should be more powerful than any government institution. Also included was an acknowledgment of Amos Alcott's work to revolutionize the American school system. Alcott believed that students shouldn't be taught on rote memorization. Instead, they should be taught to think critically, discuss, debate, and question everything around them. I paused here in my reading and asked the students to consider this for a moment. Here is a movement begun in 1830's America by one man. Yet now, centuries later, his work and the work of his followers is having a profound effect on their own lives. Thanks to Alcott, I was raised in a school system based on critical thinking. Therefore, this is what I teach now in my classrooms in Egypt. However unlikely, my students have been personally affected by the transcendentalist movement. What was perhaps most interesting was the debate that ensued after I posed the questions at the end of the selection. Again, this being an American textbook the questions asked American students to consider a) Do government institutions or do individuals hold more power in 'our' society? b) Can individuals make a difference in 'our' society? c) Should individuals hold more power 'here' than they do? Now, applying these questions to Egypt yields some fascinating results. Each class agreed instantly that government institutions hold all the power here in Egypt, that's no secret. What I found fascinating was that after some debate and discussion, my two classes came to two separate conclusions. One class believed that if the government could enforce laws appropriately, that power should continue to reside in government. The other class argued that capable or not, the government should remain solely representative of the people and therefore the individual should be given more power. Personally, I was pleased just to create a forum where these students could think for themselves, question the status quo, and ultimately make a solid argument.
At the end of class I read them a paragraph written by an author who had read Emerson in high school. He was 16 at the time, same age as my students, and transcendentalism had a strong impact on him. He thanked Emerson for allowing him to embrace the power we all have to be free-thinkers, to question injustices, and ultimately follow our own paths, whether or not the "in crowd" approved. I told the students that I couldn't promise these essays would have the same impact on them, but that we would pick up here next week.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Speak no evil

As an international affairs major I imagine that the insight I am about to share should have dawned on me earlier, but thanks to recent events it has just now become clear to me. Countries and their governments are a lot like people. They have egos, they're easily offended, they break laws. Given the latest WikiLeaks scandal it was interesting to see world leaders and sometimes countries described in the same way you might describe guests at a party. Some of these character quirks are endearing... Sarkozy likes things done a certain way... shocking. But other governments' behavior is less than charming.
A couple months ago I gave my students an extra credit assignment. They had to research who was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize and why. I explained to them the significance of this and that the winner, Liu Xiaobo, would not be able to attend the award ceremony and accept his prize. They were very surprised and all felt that this was indeed an injustice. I explained that one of the reasons I had them look up this information online was to demonstrate that they had the ability to do this and that the information existed. I told them their Chinese counterparts, had they even known to google Xiaobo's name, would have come up with nothing.
Yesterday I read the New York Times article describing the ceremony and China's reaction to the Nobel Committee's decision. The article described how China was seething with anger, just like a teenage girl scorned. Though unlike a high school mean girl, the results of China's actions are much more serious. The country went on a propaganda-spree and painted the award and its committee as devious tools of the West. The Chinese government went door to door pressuring its friends to err on their side and not go to the party... er ceremony. Careful not to offend the rising power too much, Obama mentioned his appreciation for the country's ability to lift millions out of poverty but then warned that they had a lot more work to do when it came to human rights.
Interestingly enough, I was planning to share this follow-up article with my classes (mainly also to demonstrate that news can be interesting and it is worth following) until I got to a paragraph towards the end. The article specifically called out Egypt. Egypt was named as one of the countries boycotting the ceremony at China's request. Reason being, that though the nation is considered to be a Western ally, just like China, the Egyptian government enjoys centralized power and crushes any dissent it manages to hear over the traffic.
This posed a problem for me because I wanted my students to think about the situation for themselves. I wanted them to feel like they had the space and perspective to form an opinion, and not be forced to defend their government along the way. If I do share the article with them, I will share an edited version.
Regardless, while at times amusing, it is concerning that world affairs is often shaped by bruised egos, vindictive ventures, and personal agendas. But just like people, countries have the ability to rise above school yard behavior. Ironically, those countries who in the past few months have demonstrated behavior unbecoming of a 12 year-old (cough, China), would do well to keep in mind the words of Liu Xiaobo: "Hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy. I hope therefore to be able to transcend my personal vicissitudes in understanding the development of the state and changes in society, to counter the hostility of the regime with the best of intentions, and defuse hate with love."

Sunday, December 5, 2010

I learned a latke


In the interest of keeping traditions alive, I decided to make homemade latkes. It turns out that making latkes is a lot like living life, in that some of the lessons learned along the way are awfully similar. You see latke making is all about learning from your mistakes, internalizing the lessons, and adapting to become more successful. In the beginning you are sure you have all the answers. Then you encounter some bumps along the way (gah they won't stick together!), then by the end (sometimes too late) you learn the secret (more egg than you think.) In the end you reflect back on the experience wishing you knew in the beginning what you know now. You accept of course that the process was something you had to go through, and that you are ultimately a stronger, wiser person for it.

Happy Hannukah all.