Cairo Craziness

So, first a little general news. Classes started on Sunday, and for the most part they've been pretty good. I'm taking Intro to Islam, Arabic, The Historical Jesus and Cultures and Peoples of the Middle East and North Africa. We only have class 4 days a week, so no complaints there, and the classes, in general are not too difficult. Arabic, of course, is quite a bit of work due to attempting to remember everything I've forgotten by this point and also adding on new information. But, the teacher is wonderful and sweet, and my classmates are great (there are only 4 of us). Life is good.

Unfortunately, I got food poisoning Sunday night, so I ended up leaving school early on Monday and then using our free day (Tuesday), to sleep and try to recover. Definitely NOT a fun experience. Luckily, i'm blessed to have two wonderful roommates who went out and got crackers for me, made sure to ask how i was feeling and just generally check in on me whenever they could. While i'm not FULLY over it yet and only just today ate my first somewhat full meal, I do feel MUCH better than before. So thank you for your prayers!

On a more positive food note, in general the food here is WONDERFUL. There is shawerma, koshari, falafel, and kebabs. Along with of course, general Americanized foods. EVERYTHING is delicious. I'm angry I can't stomach them quite yet. I miss it already!

Falafel

Koshari

Shawerma

Finally, on a more serious note, I want to let you all know what's been happening news-wise. Yesterday, when we got back to the dorms, per usual there was a soccer match on. It happened to be the match between Cairo club al-Ahly and club al-Masry. Everyone was cheering and yelling until the game ended and suddenly madness erupted. The winning team's fans (al-Masry) rushed the field towards the al-Ahly team and fans. People were getting attacked with knives, fireworks, hand to hand fighting, it was terrible. Two students from AUC died in the tragedy. At least one of the bodies is missing....i'm unsure about the other. There were protests on campus today as angry students demanded answers for what had happened. As of right now people, in general are assuming that this was at least in part some sort of governmental conspiracy. Whatever the case may be, our prayers are with the families of everyone who didn't make it out of that game.


If you haven't heard of this or simply want more info here are some good resources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16854554

http://news.yahoo.com/40-killed-clashes-egypt-soccer-match-191558932--soccer.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16848473

Let it Shine--- Psalm 21:13

Tonight was eye-opening. Sorry for starting close to every post with some variation of that statement but that's sort of how my summer has been going. It has been a constant onslaught of realizations about myself, God, my relationships and Christianity. It's AMAZING.

Okay, so onto tonight! This evening we got to enjoy an "International Dinner". Unfortunately, because they want to be able to keep this a surprise for future SDSP members, I cannot give you full details of what went on. What I can dish out however, is that it was extremely enlightening. One of the countries that I specifically got to focus on tonight was China. At first, i'll be honest, I was disappointed. My heart is for Europe and the countries there like Germany, France and Italy that are so terribly dead in their faith. It breaks my heart. Now, most people know that Chinese are known for being hard workers and doing well in school. We've definitely got that stereotype down, but that stereotype stems largely from truth.I won't delve into stories here, but there are quite a few about kids doing horrible things because they failed to meet expectations. For me though it was not until tonight as I was learning about china and thinking of the stories I've read and heard that that reality truly sunk in. Perfection is an idol for the Chinese. Suicide is one of the biggest problems in China, and the reason can often be traced back to a failure to meet the standards of perfection society and families have set up for people.

As all of that was racing through my mind tonight, I kept coming back to how blessed we are. Do people in the US struggle with the need to be perfect? Absolutely. In fact I go to a school where many people feel the need to have done something great with their lives by the time they've graduated, a school where people literally camp out in the library for days at a time, and a school where i have seen people in tears over getting a "B". So, when I think of China that's what I see. Kids who are asked to meet a standard that is unattainable and pay for it in countless ways. It's a predicament that is so incredibly out of the realm of my understanding. Even when I see it at my university it's hard for me to comprehend. Let me give you some background here: my parents are teachers. Trust me when I say I know what it feels like to feel the need to do well. But, on the other hand, my parents are also the people who, when I flip out over a bad grade in a class, tell me that there are bigger problems and that failing one class doesn't matter and that, in the end, school and grades are NOT WHAT IS IMPORTANT. Do you need to graduate to get a good job? yeah. it'd help. But in the end, as Christians we are called to something so much greater than worrying about grades.

 It breaks my heart to think that within the Chinese culture the idea of grace we hold so dear within Christianity is really an unheard of concept. The idea that regardless of what we do we are loved? Nope. That doesn't make sense. But then, I guess it is crazy isn't it? Christ calls us to a ridiculous love. It's nonsensical. Loving people who don't deserve it. Loving people who mock and ignore and curse us. Yet, when you know that love, there's nothing more you want others to experience.

And so, began my second thought explosion....   Isaiah 6:8
 If you know me at all you should know that travelling is something i'm passionate about. I cannot even begin to imagine a life with the inability to travel. TORTURE. There is so much to do, see and experience in this world. So many cultures to explore and stories to hear and people to meet. I've always known I loved travelling but it wasn't until a couple days ago when I realized how much I desire to help others get that same experience. I LOVE watching people experience something completely out of the realm of normalcy for them. It's simply incredible. hahah i'm smiling just thinking of it. I don't know how that's going to work into a career for me. I've kind of been assuming I might end up working with a tour company, or maybe a study/work/volunteer abroad organization. But this evening, I realized that regardless of where my passions take me I have one more unshakable passion that will always work it's way in. I want others to know the love i feel in Christ.

I am broken. I have been hurt. I have seen immense pain. I have experienced terrible situations. I have hated myself. I have hated others. But, more importantly, I have been loved

Loved in a way  that cannot be completely described other than to say it makes you want to sing to the God who created it. So, no matter what I end up doing, I pray that God will continue to work through me and allow me to be apart of others getting to know the love that takes care of everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79055I6o-NQ