amrawi – Page 2 – Postcards from GW

Party at Gelman!

AdminMarch 4, 2013

What do you get when you give GWU students a two-week spring break vacation? Parties. Sleep. Beach. And more! BUT, what happens when you assign those same students final reports, exams, and presentations right before this long anticipated break. You get “party over at Gelman”, or just a bunch of young adults crowding in on the 5^th floor of Gelman library till way past midnight, each holding a Starbucks hot drink in hand.

For this past week I can honestly call Gelman library my second home. Let me tell you this, I have never called the library “ home” in Egypt, even with a full load of courses. If there is one thing that the diverse amount of Egyptians coming from AUC agree on, is that the workload here at GWU is a lot harder than back home. In Egypt with a course load of five classes each semester, I do about two hours of work each day which gives me enough time to submit reports and presentations and be well prepared for exams. However here at GWU with a course load of four classes, I could spend about double that amount of time doing work. There definitely is a lot more assessments and quizzes here at GWU, which I feel helps the students stay more on top of their work, and so when exams come around the students are more prepared. As opposed to my home universities where you are kind of left to work on your own pace but once exams hit, you’re in for some trouble.

Coming to a university with twice the number of undergraduate students, I was expecting to have to sit in on lectures hall and use clickers to ask questions in class. However surprisingly enough, the class sizes at GWU are roughly the same size as AUC; ranging from 20-25 students per class. I believe the size is good because it allows for a good student to teacher ratio, and it is definitely less intimidating than those big lecture halls.

Out of my four classes that I am in enrolled in at GWU I have to say my favorite is my Public Communication class. Even though the class runs pretty late, from 7:10-9:40pm once a week, I have to say Professor Schumacher’s energy sure does keep me awake and ready. This class is a public speaking class, where we learn the basic public speaking skills needed to inform, entertain and persuade the audience. It places a strong emphasis on the speech-building process. It is such a fun and interactive class where we constantly are engaging with one another and critiquing each other speeches and there isn’t a heavy reading load (have I forgotten to mention that my other classes assign us 50 pages of reading every class).

Another major difference I noticed is that at GWU, students have to buy books. I came to be very familiar with chegg.com, a book rental website where student can rent their books and then return them at the end of the semester. At AUC most students just photocopy the chapters from the library at our university or just study from the slide shows presentations that our professors make.

So with this much work, you bet the Gleman library would be the new hangout spot for GWU student. So if you’re looking for any GWU students, now you know where to find them.

Happy 281th Birthday!

AdminFebruary 25, 2013

By amrawi

February 22^nd marks a very important day in my history book, it is not only the birthday of the 1^st president of the United States, but it is the first time that I laid eye on what the Americans call “s’mores”.

Gathering around a bonfire, in honor of Mr. President, I was handed a s’mores pack that come with no instructions. However with a stick, one marshmallow, two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate there really was no instruction needed. Observing the people around me, I began toasting my marshmallows and then unwrapping a piece of Hershey chocolate and putting it all in between the two graham crackers. However, my first attempt at making s’mores was not so successful, a little birdie forgot to tell me that I was supposed to use the two graham cracker to pull the marshmallows out, instead of trying to do that with my own hands. So yeah, quite messy, but it was honestly delicious! Definitely going to load up on graham cracker as I’m leaving so I can make some in Egypt. After the excitement over the s’mores dozed off, we were now ready for the apple cider.

Again a totally new drink for me, apple cider is what the Americans and Canadians call a warm unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. I was not a big fan of that drink myself; it was a bit too sour for my liking. After the drinks and s’mores it was time for Mr. President’s birthday cake! A scrumptious vanilla cake with vanilla flavored icing and the words “Happy Birthday George Washington” written on the top, was devoured within minutes. After the food was done, the “Freemason” group at GW performed a small chant. I was a little confused. What happened to singing to big G? What happened to blowing out the candles? So I was left singing the words to Happy Birthday to our 281-year-old president in my head. I guess because it was beginning to rain outside they had to cut the celebrations short, and unfortunately we missed out on the pie eating contest.

Well whether rain or shine, we were still able to celebrate George Washington’s birthday! S’mores you sure did earn a spot on my favorite desserts list here in the US!

“Nemo” we found you.

AdminFebruary 20, 2013

By amrawi

What was supposed to be a college road trip to Boston, soon ended up in an under-snow mission against “ finding nemo”. With the new blizzard called “Nemo” cornering in on New England, we had to put on hold our various plans of duck tours, boat cruises and walks down the freedom trail.

Having booked our trip over a month ago, we were determined to make the most of it. With an eight-hour train ride and a diverse group of exchange students we were ready for whatever “Nemo” had in store for us. Of course I was a little too excited and didn’t understand why everyone was worried about the snow. But little did I know. Nemo you are lost, I don’t even see you. With the sun shining bright, and whole day of sightseeing ahead of us, we were very excited to see this college town.

The first stop out of the train, was to head to the Quincy Market; the first open market in America. It was absolutely lovely; with different food options and deserts, the nine of us were running around each point at a different food stations. Well can you blame us? After an 8 hour train ride, I bet you would be hungry too? After observing the locals all enjoying seafood soup and shrimp flavored bread, I decided to settle for nothing less than “Boston Chowda”; voted Bostons' best clam chowder for 2 years in a row. And after enjoying the Calm chowder, I would definitely give it my vote! Absolutely amazing, and this coming from a Middle Eastern girl who her family is obsessed with seafood, you bet it was tasty!

After spending a little too much time there we then decided to take a trip down little Italy. With the three Italians traveling with us, they kept reminiscing at the various Italian deserts and coffee offered down this street. “OMG! Cannolini, that’s the national desert of Naples, Italy” yelled Dilletta, an exchange student from Italy. This waffle crusted chocolate chip roll was something I had never had before. Very crispy and really hard to eat! After little Italy we decided to rest a bit and then go have a nice early dinner at Mother Anne’s, so that we were ready for our long day tomorrow.

Okay Nemo I think we are close. A little bit colder, and more layers to add on, Harvard make room for us we are coming in! With loud noises and excitement we stepped into what is known as one of the best universities in the world. “4.5 GPA, 2200 SAT score and president of the Chess club, that’s how I got In” explained Jordan, a freshman at Harvard. So I guess that’s what it takes to get in Harvard! Anyone make the list? Honestly it was a beautiful campus but it was just missing something, to me it seemed pretty haunted. If there is one thing you have to do at Harvard apart from talking to the genius students, it’s to rub the left foot of John Harvard; the founder of the university. It has been said that with a little rub, good luck would be coming your way.

With a trip down Harvard square, and mingling with the students in hopes of getting a little smarter, we were now off to do some shopping! Newbury street, our new favorite shopping destinations. With endless amounts of stores and restaurants it literally took us the rest of the day before we were ready for dinner. While waiting two hours to get seated at Joe’s American Grill (one of the best restaurants in town), a 35 percent off definitely put a smile on our faces as we left this delicious restaurant!

Nemo. We found you. Snow, snow and snow. I know now why Americans dread the snow. I understand, I really do. With heavy winds and snow smacking our face, it truly was not a pleasant feeling in the morning. The wind was so strong that we kept losing our balance. “I am Mediterranean! I am not made for this kind of weather” yelled Dina, an exchange student from Egypt. Our third day pretty much consisted of us trying to ease our way across the dense snow and winds and trying to keep warm. Adding the rest of the layers didn’t help, with -9 degrees Celsius, nothing was going to help. Thank you Nemo for not letting us go on the duck tour or go to the freedom trail. Payback will be soon.

At last we were back to DC, now when 1 degrees Celsius seems “warm”, then you can imagine what Nemo was all about. Despite Nemo and the coldness it was great seeing Boston and be able to see the difference between a college city and densely political state.

A Trip Down U-Street

AdminFebruary 11, 2013

By amrawi

What’s the present value of 12,500? What are the different forms of public communications? Can you say “how much” in French? Yup my week has been pretty much work, work, and work. With midterm exams coming up and papers to submit, there really was no time for to me do any adventures. However with seven days a week I was able to squeeze in some yummy delicious food down at U-Street.

You know how Italians are famous for their pizzas? And the Spanish are famous for their Paella? Well the people of DC are famous for Ben’s Chili Bowl! (Some people refer to the hot dogs served there, as their local DC dish). With a study break and a big appetite I was ready to lay may hands on one of those famous “half-smoked hot dogs “. However I was disappointed when I found out that the half-smoked is half beef/half pork. Since I don’t eat pork, I had to opt for their specialty dish and instead have the Beef hot dog.

Now I must say it was pretty good, but not as good as I had expected. I mean when you hear of a place that Obamas go for hot dogs, your expectation would probably be as high as mine. It was decent but like Sem, an exchange student from Australia stated, “the chili hot dogs at 7-Eleven are a lot better”, I must agree! The chili sauce on the hot dog was good and overall it was enjoyable, but I have had better honestly.

With another much needed study break, as a group we decided again to go to U- Street, but this time to an authentic Ethiopian restaurant called “Durkum”. It’s not everyday that you get to huddle around with your friends and dig your hands into some tasty African food. While there might be no utensils to use, the bread they give is used as a spoon to pick up your food with. I must say the food was okay, but the experience was awesome! I expected the food to be spicy, but it wasn’t at all. It took us quite a bit though to figure out what we wanted to order because we didn’t understand the menu, so in the end the waiter just ordered for us.

While we hit up American food and Ethiopian food, we decided to leave Chinese food for Sunday February 10^th. This day marks the lunar Chinese year. With a dense Asian population in DC, you bet that Chinatown would throw an extensive Chinese parade to celebrate the lunar new year. With excitement and a new camera, I decided to go to the parade. It was great seeing the dragon waved around and the snake, but what was the point of having Turkish airline hostesses walking down the parade? Why were their kids in card boxes walking through the parade? It was quite actually quite disappointing because I as ready for a Chinese immersion, but overall it was great getting a chance to be part of the celebration and having the opportunity to see Chinatown.

Quite a stressful week I can’t wait till its over! Boston, Massachusetts you're next on my bucket list!

I “snow” I shouldn’t Be Doing This

AdminFebruary 3, 2013

By amrawi

5 missed calls. 3 text messages. 7 Facebook messages; it was no wonder that I woke up at 8am frightened by the endless amount of buzzes generating out of my phone. As I managed to build up the strength to open a glimpse of my right eye, I caught one word on the text message, that sent me jumping straight out of my bed and to my living room window.

I stood startled. I was mesmerized by what I saw in front of me. Looking out of the window I gave out an expression; quite similar to the one I gave to my parents when I was told that Santa Clause didn’t exist. I was star struck. I have never seen such a sight. This sure is nothing like home, I thought to myself, as I saw tiny droplets of white, fluffy snow fall onto the ground. My eyes grew wider as I traced each tiny droplet of ice, as it accumulated one after the other creating a thick blanket that covered the cement sidewalk below me.

With the biggest smile on my face, I couldn’t help but take out my hand and touch a falling snowflake. One. Two. Three; I waited till about ten fluffy identical snowflakes accumulated onto my palm (which explains why I am now sitting in bed suffering from a major cold). Extremely impressed by the cotton texture of snow, I ran into my room ( trying very hard to not wake up my roommate, due to my excessive enthusiasm) and within minutes I was pushing open the doors to a white covered field ahead of me.

Twirling around in the snow, and attempting to make a snowball out of the less than one-inch snow on the ground, people could tell I was not from here. With giggles in the background, and people questioning my behavior, I heard Marie, an exchange student from Prague call out “ Typical Hanna, I knew I would find you here”.

With my jacket covered in snow and my shivering hands turning almost blue, it was about time for my 10am class. Unaware that the snow doesn’t really come off your clothes that easily, I had to enter my French class with a black coat covered in cotton-like snow. Professor Marshall gave out one loud laugh and I was told to have a seat.

Many people may take this sight for granted but for someone coming from Egypt, who is used to the desert sun, it really was a beautiful view. It’s not everyday that I get to snuggle up on the couch with a warm cup of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows, and trace snow flakes as they fall on to the ground.

Egyptian Revolution: Bringing a little piece of home to DC.

AdminJanuary 27, 2013

Mix white cooked rice, with fried onions, macaroni, and vinegar red sauce; now I know what your thinking, what is this mess! I’ll pass and grab pizza! But trust me after the 25^th of Jan, once you call out those ingredients anywhere around campus, you will have a great number of Americans and exchange students lining up to get seconds from this traditional Egyptian dish; Koshary.

In spirit of the anniversary of the Egyptian revolution of Jan 25^th, I decided to host an Egyptian themed party in my apartment room of Amsterdam hall. It was not supposed to be a political event nor any type of protest, just some traditional Egyptian food of “Koshary” and an Egyptian desert of “roz b laban” which translates into “rice pudding”.

With a gigantic poster that read “ Egyptian revolution” hung in the living room and different colored belly dancing belts wrapped around our waists, this Egyptian themed party was soon to start at 8pm.

Arabic music in the background, and belts making a whole lot of noise; within 30 minutes over 40 eager foreigners were in my living room getting ready to try their first Egyptian dish. Bringing out two large platters of Koshary with the red vinegar sauce on side, I couldn’t help but laugh at the puzzled faces of the students as they feasted their eyes on a plate of macaroni, rice and lentils, drained with vinegar red sauce. Yet however as soon as their forks dived in the plates I knew it was going to be a success. “Dude this is amazing! Thank you for feeding me!” yelled Atay an exchange student from Turkey. “I’m coming to Egypt” called out Marie, an exchange student from Czech Republic. With smiling faces and students running in for seconds, it was no doubt that we needed to make more red sauce.

When their stomachs were satisfied, it was time to take them on a cultural dance experience. A group of Egyptians and I put on some traditional belly dancing music, and started shaking away to some of the most popular Egyptian songs. It almost felt like back home eating my favorite Egyptian food while listening to some of my favorite music. “Teach me teach me!” we had some exchange students yell, and even some of the guys. We took turns with the belts and danced away to the rest of the night.

It was such a memorable day for me where I was able to bring a little piece of home to DC. Now not only will Egyptians remember Jan 25^th but also the foreigners, who were able to get a piece of Egypt on such a remarkable day.

January 21, 2013: History was made

AdminJanuary 24, 2013

I am really wearing five layers of clothing!

Dressed in literally five layers of thick winter clothing and managing to wear two different pairs of pants on top of each other, I marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in two degrees Celsius weather (Or what the Americans call 35.5 degrees Fahrenheit). Standing in the chilly weather with the clock striking 5 am, most people would call me crazy, but today I witnessed history in the making. I could have predicted that I was going to do a study abroad, and I most certainly could have predicted that the world would not end in 2013, but never would I have imagined that I would be one out of a thousand proud citizens watching live the inauguration of the 44^th President of the United States of America: Barack Hussein Obama.

The whole day seriously felt so surreal. With my bundle of clothing and snack box filled with my favorite candies (and of course cupcakes!), a group of 10 exchange students marched down Pennsylvania Avenue. We were lucky enough to have Andrew, a GW student, lead the way as he took us to a private non-touristic location on the National Mall.

However from this secret viewing area, no food or drinks where allowed and it was hard to hear the speech. So I opted to leave this luxurious warm lounge, grabbed my American flag and head on out to battle the cold with the rest of the tourists.

With a GW beanie, GW pin and an American flag in hand, I was a true Colonial cheering on the President of the United States of America. It was such an amazing feeling standing outside of the National Mall, listening to Mr. President as he pledged his oath in front of the entire world.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/xRx8aCbNYEY]

With citizens chanting “ four more yeas” and people going crazy at the sight of Mr. President, it is with no doubt that people love him!