A semester at the American University in Cairo
Well well, where to start? Like too often I have been quite inactive for some time on this blog, and I still haven’t written anything on Egypt. So I’ll start with a post on AUC, because this is why I came here, and what shaped my experience of Egypt during these four months.
When I signed up for the exchange back home in Montreal at the Concordia International office I was told that AUC was “the Harvard of the Middle East”. Well, let’s go straight to the point: it’s a joke!!! After a few month of fulminating against this AUC I finally got the irony of it all; and it is actually hilarious!
To start with, I heard that the people in charge were originally planning to have a ‘environmentally sustainable’ campus. This is maybe the funniest joke of them all. There are water fountains fountaining everywhere on campus, which is in the middle of the desert (it doesn’t require much brain power to realize that a water fountain in the sahara desert is not very natural…). There are also fields of flowers, and [very] green grass all over the place, and it’s all growing on sand dunes…
Complain #2: The campus is FAR! I spent two hours everyday commuting around Cairo in these Family Transport buses whose drivers are all enrolled in an intense competition at who’s-the-most-insane-when-it-comes-to-driving. This literally ruined my experience as I was sticked most of the time in traffic. And this leads me to another complain #2 bis: transport back and forth this joke of a University is expensive as hell! 300$ for the semester’s bus pass, when it should be free!
Complain #3: Classes are preposterously useless! I should specify that this complain goes mostly for the lower level classes (200 and 300 level). I took two seminars/grad-classes and they were pretty good. But the other ones… what a joke! When my teacher of Cultural Anthropology found out that some student were plagiarizing he just said that he was unhappy about that and that he would take some points off… One of the exam questions was “explain what is cultural relativism to a friend in a small paragraph”! Even in high school teachers had higher expectations from us!
Complain #4: students are ultra-spoiled kids who are completely disconnected from reality! They are all so rich that they think the American exchange students are cheap because they don’t eat at McDonalds everyday (which is almost 10x the price of a falafel). Of course not everyone is dum; I made some very good Egyptian friends. But the majority are just spending their life wondering about which Louis Vuitton bag to wear…
Complain #5: it’s impossible to work at the library because the AUC kids are swarming the place and it all looks like a playground or something like that. Sometimes it’s so loud that I can’t hear my own ipod music…
+++: But the good thing about this place is that I am done so I don’t ever have to go there again!!!
p.s: Maybe I should call this post “AUC hate mail”. I’ll try to calm down before my next post.
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AAA says:
June 18th, 2010 at 04:07
You’re such an ass, im glad you left, btw you idiot, falafel is 0.6 the price of a cheeseburger so what’s the point?
David Vilder says:
June 19th, 2010 at 14:28
To the anonymous author of the fabulously well written comment “You’re such an ass, im glad you left, btw you idiot, falafel is 0.6 the price of a cheeseburger so what’s the point?”:
My point here is that McDonald should never be in a University, a place where kids learn about life, real values, learn how to become an adult. McDonald is the scum of humanity.
I write my opinion and my experiences, and I assume it. But I am glad to hear other points of view, only for that you have to be literate and mature enough to write something else than “You’re such an ass, price is 0.6 bla bla bla…”
In other words, stop whining and write me some constructive comment instead of perpetrating the stereotype an the idiot student kid at AUC.
shukran.
Childeric says:
June 20th, 2010 at 09:14
Ahahahah! tu t’attendais à quoi réellement? Un campus américain au moyen orient? Bref, toute expérience est bonne à prendre, ça t’aura appris d’autres choses que ce que tu attendais…
Et euh moi je bosse à quick alors je peux pas gueuler sur mcdonald, meme si je suis d accord, c’est plutot très moche d avoir un fast food mondial dans un campus…
Et pour le courageux anonyme, j’adore le ” i m so glad you left” putain c’est tellement ça la jeunesse dorée…. Des enfants en bas age a mèche molle et dents ultra bright. Au secours.
Barakraoufik.
AUCian says:
August 30th, 2010 at 22:16
I agree with only your first and second complaints. I agree with the fact that the fountains on campus are definitely not abiding by their ‘environmentally sustainable’ claims and with the bus situation. I found it very disappointing that AUC is charging us for something that should be a part of the costs we are already paying (which is common mind you). They take advantage of the fact that generally, egyptians who atten AUC are wealthy.
I somewhat agree with your third complaint. Some professors are not professional in their courses that they lecture but needless to say, not all professors are like that (there shouldn’t be professors like that but unfortunately there are). As a science major, I can say that my science courses are challenging and stimulating with professors who are passionate and strict when it comes to the ethics and codes of the university. There are some courses (part of the core curriculum) which are not up to university standards though.
I know you said that you met some egyptians who were not spoiled but you seem to think that the majority of egyptians are like this. That isn’t true. Firstly, I am an egyptian myself and I have many other egyptian friends as well as foreigners. I live in the on-campus dorms and would have to disagree with your complaint. The egyptians that you seem to have encountered are the ones referred to as the “gucci” aucians. They’re only a segment of the whole student population. Even if they are not the “gucci” aucians, I know many other foreigners who would also disagree with your complaint. Many of them love it here (but of course there are pros and cons to everything).
As for your last complaint – the ground floor of the library tends to be crowded and noisy. I would suggest to go to another floor. I have found the library very useful for my studies and very quiet too.
P.S I also think McDonald’s should never have been placed on campus as a food outlet.
AUCian says:
August 30th, 2010 at 22:25
@Childeric
I am not fluent in french but I understood the gist of your comment. There’s nothing wrong with an american university in the middle east. It’s a great way to introduce both cultures. And people should expect better; that’s how improvement is achieved. It’s people like you who should not voice their ignorant beliefs.
Giuseppe says:
November 23rd, 2010 at 19:08
Maybe the teachers gave you such easy assignments because your spelling and grammer are horrible. The Queen of Jordan, Juan Cole and the largest shareholder of CitiGroup all attended AUC and said they loved it. Maybe you are just a low life kid that feels the upper class has no use. Communist perhaps?
David Vilder says:
March 9th, 2011 at 14:58
Dear Guiseppe,
I always appreciate constructive comments that are well thought through. Your light shines upon me.
I apologize for my spelling and grammar. I hope you will be able to survive after this dramatic experience you must have had while reading my posts.
And you are absolutely right! If the Queen of Jordan liked AUC while I didn’t, then I’m obviously a low life kid, perhaps communist.
Actually, dear and valued Giuseppe, you should write a book, which I and all the other low life kids/communists could use as a doctrine that would help us to be virtuous as you certainly are.
Long life to you,
David.