Home › Forums › Polo’s Rabble › request for intel: Want to study in the ME this summer.
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- October 8, 2004 at 5:11 pm #1959nickMember
I would love to go the ME to study this summer. Any recommendations? Dubai, Tehran, Cairo? Any programs that you know of out there? I would love to travel around a bit too. Money is an issue, but I think I can pull it off. Generally, I want to study ME politics, maybe Farsi.
I just want to get out.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
nick - October 8, 2004 at 8:08 pm #5556AnonymousMember
Hey Nick. The mid East rocks! And I aint talkin bout the odd bomb that goes off from time to time, nice people and good food. Sure the beer is a bit over priced but hey, shit happens! I dunno about studing politics but I met a guy studing Arabic at the uni in Damascus, he had a flat in the old town. A nice place too. I forget what he paid but it was not all that much.
As for schools, there is the American uni in Berut and one in Cairo.
If money is an issue you may want to avoid Leb for long term study but still try to visit as the place, um, uh, rocks :DThere is loads of stuff to see so you may not have time to go to school, theres pyramids, petra, jerash, wadi rum, the list is endless!
How much time will you have and what kind of budget will you have to work with?
- October 8, 2004 at 10:20 pm #5557nickMember
The amount of time there really depends on cost and the program.
Thanks for the input. I’ll look into that.
- October 9, 2004 at 6:53 am #5558JefeParticipant
Jordan will be cheaper and has good public safety. Dubai will be more expensive but is very safe. It also depends on what dialect you intend to study.
- October 9, 2004 at 6:04 pm #5559AnonymousMember
Nick, you don’t have to enroll anywhere in the region to study politics. Walk into the nearest coffee shop, sit down next to any stranger or group of strangers and ask any question about politics and you’ll end up getting kicked out at closing. The conversation will last as long as you want it to an dif you’re open to it, so are they.
Now, for my money, i would go to Cairo. It’s the center of the mid-east universe. Every group is there across the political, religious and ethnic spectrum. Nothing like having a conversation with an communist, christian jordanian bedouin. I never have but ill bet that someone there fills that bill. Plus, Cairo sits on top of arguably 18K years of history, is pretty safe, cheap, and easy to get around.
There are several universities there that you can check out for politics and language programs. Cairo U, The American University, The British University etc. I think private tutors are also pretty cheap (the economy is extremely depressed). For languages, I don’t know if you’ll get a crack at farsi but the good thing about learning egyptian arabic is that it has been exported across the ME world because of the big arab movie making industry there. So, it can take you through a region where language changes alot.
Security wise, Cairo is safe. There is literally a police guard on every corner with an AK. Of course egypt took their bullets away a couple of years ago when one of the dumbfucks was resting his head on the muzzle during his shift and blew his own head off. But they’re still there looking dumb and tough.
Dubai is an expensive shoppers paradise. It’s got no character. Ive never gotten to Tehran.
I have a love/ hate relationship with cairo. love hanging out there, it sucks big ick to work in.
- October 9, 2004 at 9:45 pm #5560AnonymousMember
And if you do opt to go to Cairo, a good place to drink is the Cap D Or. Cheap cold beer and all kinds of complementry fresh food! The only thing you will find to be stale is the stella! And the stella is stale throughout Egypt! I also agree with Tejas, if its polotics you wanna talk go no further then the locak sesha place, you can hone your back gammon and dommino skills while talking/argueing the night away.
- October 12, 2004 at 4:49 am #5561AnonymousMember
Just gonna pop a question in on Nicks thread re. daily travel budget in the ME…… Possibly travelling in the region in 6months time- on a very tight budget. In Turkey last year got by on an average of about 15 euro a day without being too much of a scrooge. Is there much of a variance in costs between Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt? Is it plausible to be able to get by on 10 or less….(minus the beers- and the odd inevitable ripoff) ?
- October 12, 2004 at 6:19 pm #5562AnonymousMember
Re: Costs. Well Kapa its been a few years but I found the ME to be good value and if I did not have a nightly bar tab to contend with ii would have been laughly cheap. Lebanon can get a bit pricey, espacely in Beruit, but Beruit has everything and after being on the overland trail for a while one tends to spend a lot on all things western.
10e or less? Well you might do it in Egypt and Syria but may find yourself spiting in the face of hygene when it comes to eating and sleeping, better to take 15 a day + beer money. - October 13, 2004 at 12:29 am #5563ROBKeymaster
In Jordan, if you want to see the sites like Jerash and Petra etc then 10 will not be enough.
However, if you are away from the tourist areas it would be possibel to travel VERY cheaply. I was just outside of Safut a few years back (half an hour out of Amman) – I couldn’t walk 100 meters without someone inviting me to tea or dinner and I am pretty sure there would have been just as many offers of a place to stay if I hadn’t already had one. Not much to see in areas like that, but certainly cheap as hell and very hospitable. The trick to finding places like this is to look in Lonely Planet – if the place is listed in the book then do NOT visit it. Go to the next place on the map that doesn’t have a write-up for the backpacking crowd.
- October 13, 2004 at 5:14 am #5564AnonymousMember
Nick, when I was your age I was a dipshit..it was more ingnorance than intentional, but you are one amazing dude.
Even though I have never been to Jordan or anyplace else in the ME, I’d say pick Jordan for now and then go to someplace you like better if you find it but just go over there and get your foot in the door because you will have time to change your mind.
I wish the internet had been around when I was in HS.
- October 13, 2004 at 6:53 pm #5565nickMember
Thanks for the kind words.
I’m also thinking of university. So when I go to the ME to study, it will look good on my app. That certainly is not the reason that I want to go, but it is a factor I suppose.
I would love to go just to go and travel, but my parents aren’t so keen on that right now. I don’t blame them. Only a year or two until I can go wherever. But as is, the parents are supportive.
- October 13, 2004 at 7:28 pm #5566Lee RidleyKeymaster
Nick,
I certainly agree with the advice to try out Egypt: It’s nigh on impossible to get bored there, and if the Egyptians start to get up your nose, you can hop on a train and head south to Aswan where the folks are predominantly Nubian – a far easier-going race of people. The region is steeped in history and the whole experience would be a veritable culture-fest for you.
However, you stated that you are interested in picking up a bit of Farsi…
In Egypt, you’ll be hard pushed to find anyone speaking anything other than Egyptian-Arabic or English.If Farsi is of some importance to you, and your folks are apprehensive about waving you off to Iran, I’d be happy to introduce you to a couple of good friends in S E Turkey, one of whom speaks fluent English, Farsi, Kurmanji and Turkish. He’d be happy to spend hours with you teaching you some basic Farsi phrases (he did this for me with Kurmanji).
Your folks wouldn’t need to worry too much about your safety in this part of Kurdistan, as the “hostiles” are the very people who you’d be aquainting with.Cheers,
Lee.
- October 14, 2004 at 1:04 am #5567ROBKeymaster
The “hostiles” are who you’d be acquainting with?
Wow – Lee – you really got some skills in keeping a parent’s mind at rest. :shock:
- October 14, 2004 at 2:15 am #5568AnonymousMember
The trick to finding places like this is to look in Lonely Planet – if the place is listed in the book then do NOT visit it. Go to the next place on the map that doesn’t have a write-up for the backpacking crowd.
….ha ha ha…. point taken Rob. Might have to take one of those IST-Cairo LPs after all….could always double as toilet paper as I know I’m gonna need it. Rickshaw, so it’s not bullshit about Beirut being the city to be in the ME. Did you travel anywhere else in Lebanon? The south…..Bekaa valley….?
Re. language, I imagine it’s essential (not to mention polite) to know some basic Arabic. The Egyptian dialect seems to be the most widely understood in the region, is this correct? Maybe I could persuade an Egyptian I know to help me out……..
P.S Moderators. Have not visited PB’s for ages and so forgotton password. Could you email me it or PM it at BFC ?
- October 14, 2004 at 8:32 am #5569Lee RidleyKeymaster
@ROB wrote:
The “hostiles” are who you’d be acquainting with?
Wow – Lee – you really got some skills in keeping a parent’s mind at rest. :shock:
Perhaps I didn’t word that too well. :D
- October 14, 2004 at 3:43 pm #5570AnonymousMember
Come one come all to Lee’s Big Adventure. Sign your children up now and we will guarantee to place them with suitable insurgents in many fine areas of the world. Look at what other patrons had to say:
“This is the greatest group of insurgents that I have ever wandered off with! Thanks Lee.”- Daniel Pearl
yeah, im laughing.
- October 14, 2004 at 3:52 pm #5571Lee RidleyKeymaster
You’ve got me all wrong!!! :lol:
- October 14, 2004 at 8:48 pm #5572AnonymousMember
Yea Beruit is the place to chill, it has all things western, for a western price ofcourse. When I was there they had it about half rebuilt, by now the place must be fully put back togeather. The area around the AUB has all kinds of good places to eat and loads of hot babes :D To the south of Beruit is a suburb calles Kola or somthing to that effect and is a Hizbollah neibourhood where you can meet guys who are, or will tell you they are Hez opperatives, a nice enough lot but a bit bent out of wack if ya know what I mean. Buy a souvinere tee shirt, I did and boy do I get a lot of wierd looks at home.
Head up to Tripoli, a nice city to chill in. I stayed at Grandmas house, a backpackers that will remind you of, well, your grandma, complete with doilies on the tables! From there you can go up to the Ceaders, organize yourself into a day tour with othere staying there so it will be cheap. I also visited a costal city but cant recall the name but you will figure it out once there - October 15, 2004 at 3:49 pm #5573nickMember
My parents told me I could go to Turkey. Someone in my family married a Turk and now lives there. Maybe I could sneak across the border into Kurdistan. But Turkey would be cool. But for my parents to give it the legit status I would need to go to University or have some sort of tutor that they know they can trust. I’m not sure they’d be so into the ‘hostiles’.
My friend took Arabic courses at Univ. Chicago. But I really think that going abroad would be much better.
- October 15, 2004 at 9:44 pm #5574AnonymousMember
Turkey rocks! Good food, good beer, and hot babes!
- November 5, 2004 at 7:59 pm #5575roguetalentMember
Nick,
both Cairo and Damascus are fine for study, as long as you can get a visa. Don’t bother registering with any university program. They’re too damn expensive and you can always find a smaller Arabic-only program. AUC is a big ripoff according to people who’ve taken their ALI classes.
If you’re really motivated, you can find a qualified teacher and get private lessons for maybe $10-15 US / hour. You can probably get conversation practice with a college student for nothing, in exchange for English.
Good luck,
Devin
- November 14, 2004 at 11:50 pm #5576nickMember
Thanks for the advie Devin.
Turkey looks really promising as of now. In a previous post I spoke of a family member in Turkey. Well, her husband owns a hotel there that I may be able to work at should I choose to go. Could be good.
- November 15, 2004 at 3:15 pm #5577AnonymousMember
I concur Egypt and Turkey would make the most sense and more than likely be the most fun with the lack of red tape compared to Syria or Iran (Good luck getting a student visa there as a yank!). Plus IST or Cairo are great bases to go to the other neighboring countries, and that part of the world is pretty cheap, Lebanon and Jordan excepting.
Good luck.
Whatever happend to going to Haiti?
Regards,
Stiv - November 15, 2004 at 3:48 pm #5578
- November 15, 2004 at 7:03 pm #5579rickshaw92Participant
You gotta get your Syrian visa in Cairo or Istanbul as they are not available at the border.
- November 15, 2004 at 8:48 pm #5580NGrubeckMember
For academics I would recommend the American University in Cairo which is also a pleasant enough place to hang out in (great coffee & sheesha!).
For good Farsi courses you will be forced to go to Tehran which is probably my favourite city in the ME (the North!) though you will find the quality of any poltics faculty verging on the abysmal – not much you can study except for the various crimes of the Great and the Little Satan. Farsi is a lot easier to learn than Arabic though if you are used to the classical Western languages.
Finally, Jordan is also worth thinking about.
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