Friday, May 27, 2016

Scotland 2016: Returning To The Country That Made Me... Or Did It?

It's been over 800 days until I stepped on the green grounds of Scotland. The last time I was fortunate enough to be in Scotland I had no idea I would soon be living in Egypt, deprived from all the things that make Scotland the best country in the world: the freshest air, the nicest people, a culture of music and merriness and, of course, an abundance of green, my favorite color. And before I went to Egypt I didn't even know what a life without all these things would be like. I loved Scotland then, and now, after my forceful absence, I was genuinely overwhelmed to grace the green grasses again. Every step was a gift. Every breath was a revelation. The past week in Scotland showed me that having a wonderful past is as important as having a rosy future. And for now, the present is a treat because both of them look pretty fantastic...

With my professional overhaul hopefully being underway, a small "break" (not like I stopped working) in Scotland was better than a two week vacation in the Caribbean for me. I don't need to relax (actually, yes, I really do need a freaking break, hopefully next week) but to make myself the most positive person I can be. I have huge challenges ahead of me I can't hope to tackle if I don't become the best version and me. And what better way to do that than to remind myself of my past and how far I've come. In fact, wandering my old campus in Dundee, remembering how happy I once was as a student, made me realize that I would never find happiness in that again. Today, more is needed to make me feel successful than a good grade. And as a result, I noticed for the first time that my ambition had taken me where I am now, and hopefully even further next week. I didn't even know I was ambitious...

At the same time, it was ridiculously easy to find happiness in the smallest things. Just walking up to the campus from the train station, looking at my old life and admiring all the lovely flowers that were planted to delight smiling people living a life I hope to live too one day, made me tear up. I don't think that Egypt is a horrible country through and through, but to deny I was never really as happy as I was here in Scotland would be foolish. In comparison to Scotland, it seems, everything sucks, especially for me. After three years I walked in and had delicious lunches and wine with the best friends I ever had and went to dance with people I had barely talked to, only to find that this part of my life will never change. The feeling one gets when they experience genuine friendship is pretty unbeatable, and thanks to Scotland I can claim I have made it...

Consequently, Scotland gave me the biggest gifts I ever received, and thanks to my development in the years that followed living in Scotland, I learned to appreciate them more. After two years of not having a few things around, grass turns greener, friendships grow stronger and, most importantly, my appreciation for things that were once taken for granted have now become true blessings. For this, I have to thank Egypt as much as Scotland, but it is in Scotland that my adult life, my career and my actual development as a human being started, and being back this week showed me how I am now a person "in progress" rather than a person at the start of a new journey. I am no longer at the start. Scotland was the start, and I can't even see the start anymore. Although I still love Scotland, the person I was then has ran along quite a bit, and to return to the start would be stupid, right? As a result, I see that Scotland gave me a good boost but I'm no longer
a "beginner".

Evidently, not everyone will have these feelings when they visit Scotland, and yet I believe that Scotland does this to all people: friendly people change everyone, stunning countrysides amaze everyone and a nice whisky refreshes everyone's palates; and they literally hand you whiskey when you arrive at the airport, I'm not even kidding. Scotland is a small, insignificant country that isn't very good at anything, doesn't produce world-class athletes except for Andy and matters to nobody on an international stage, however, its people love and appreciate it without closing their eyes to the things that have to improve. But they want to improve, because they love their country. Most of the young want it to be independent to show the world they can do better (whether they can is another question...). Scotland is the country where beauty and friendliness still matter, and that's why it is a wonderful country, not just for me!

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Under Construction: Egypt's Road to Freedom Of Speech

Another day, another plane crash! And once again, it's Egypt Air who is in the news, this time, unfortunately, with less giggles than a couple of months ago when a divorcee hijacked one of their planes to deliver a message to his ex-wife in Cyprus. Last week, most likely everyone on board died, and it's sad, and infuriating, and completely senseless that these things happen. I am personally heartbroken because it's the second plane crash within just over half a year that is associated to my chosen home of Egypt, and tourism will likely take another dip. In order to prevent that from happening, all of Egypt is now tweeting #IStandWithEgyptAir which actually annoyed me a lot. Why? Because it shows how Egyptians are continuously shutting their eyes on how Egypt, and its institutions, even airlines, need to change. And we can't even blame them for doing that.

The Egyptian government would likely see this as a call for Revolution, arresting me, and everyone in Egypt knows that is the daily fear of someone outspoken. For journalism, as much as it exists in Egypt, that means it is actually being criminalized. As a result of that, every single person in Egypt is denied access to information that gives one the chance to make an independent opinion. And without independent opinion, you have a peaceful, shushing population that lives under the impression they are now safe. Can't argue they're not, right? To me, #IStandWithEgyptAir shows that Egyptians, understandably, are willing to forfeit their ability to have an independent opinion for safety and prospertity. Even if terrorism downed flight 805, Egypt Air still deserves nobody "standing with them". Egyptian things, like a crappy airline, are defended in an effort to save Egyptian face. In the end, the only thing that doesn't matter is the truth...

I can't really criticize that behavior. If I was Egyptian, I would most likely prefer a peaceful Sisi government to a previous revolutionary one where many people died. It is in a human's interest to be safe, and apparently suppression can make that happen more easily. The biggest problem I have with that is that it would never be okay with me. I live for information, that's all I really care about, and to realize that access or sharing of information can impede that security is, to me, the biggest tragedy. What's even worse is that evidence suggests that people are still dying, just not in front of everyone's eyes. Those who feel like today's Egypt is better than those of a few years ago didn't do their homework, in my opinion. The reasons for people dying or disappearing today are the same though: they want change! They want freedom! I can defend Egyptian tourism, but I can't defend Egypt, or its ridiculous airline. With #IStandWithEgyptAir, I'd deny that...

As long as it's criminalized to demand change, freedom does not exist. Security is an illusion if the only way to achieve it is not expressing concerns or being able to criticize, even constructively. When I express my disdain for Egypt Air, Egyptian airport regulations and bribes, that does not mean I forfeit my love for the country. Egyptians do not understand freedom of speech. Everyone wants it but nobody demands it. And if the past is any indicator we also know why. Unfortunately, with the current state of things freedom of speech will not happen if we wait long enough. So yes, the streets are not bloody anymore, and safety seems to be a bit more feasible than it was in the days of Tahrir. I, personally, however, believe that's not enough, especially when the safety of people in my profession is at #159 in a global poll of press freedom. Then again, I didn't lose anyone in Tahrir...

The closest I came to leaving for political reasons (until I actually left for political reasons) was after many, many Egyptians I spoke to after Charlie Hebdo expressed their consent with punishment of the killed journalists (albeit not murder!) for mocking the Prophet. To me, Charlie Hebdo employees are just people I don't want to hang out with, not people worthy of any sort of punishment. If someone demands punishment for someone expressing an opinion, even if that opinion sucks, they are not out here fighting for freedom; they are sitting back and allowing oppression. And after the responses I got for calling out Egypt Air for being crap and Egypt for being unsafe I am not surprised these folks have no freedom of speech, because those personal attacks and threats can rarely be regarded as a fertile ground for criticism, which, of course, is a byproduct of expression. Until Egyptians can take it I see no reason why the regime should change: doesn't look like the people are ready for it anyways... 

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Eurovision 2016: Conspiracy or Compassion?

I know I'm late to the game, but I watched Eurovision this year as well, and I was stunned by the happenings as much as Vladimir Putin was, although mostly for different reasons. Jamala, a Ukrainian songstress with ridiculous tubes, managed to put some of those goosebumps on me everyone always talks about; that never happens. And at the end of a very long last day of packing and saying goodbye to Cairo I had to stay up until the early hours of Sunday morning to see if the Russians had been defeated by the Ukrainians for once. And thanks to the new Eurovision voting system, that actually happened. The responses were different, and funnily enough they had less to do with how much one liked the song but more with how one views the Russians.

Of course, not entirely unjustifiably, the Russians were furious: the majority of the voting public had voted their song as the best, but nearly half of the 42 voting countries' juries hadn't given the Beyonce copycat a single point. The problem was that, as of this year, apparently the new voting system changed all outcomes. The juries of Eurovision clearly loved the incredibly boring performance by the Australian doll singer more than the public, but the public points put her back in her place, making the decision between Russia and Ukraine. With both of these singers left as the only ones who hadn't received public points yet, we all knew either one would win the competition. It just depended on how many points Russia would get, and if the public had called enough to overcome the jury's lack of points.

That didn't happen. Maybe it was a political decision of any Eurovision jury to deny the homophobic country to put up the gayest party of the year or express their disdain over Russian foreign policy lately, or maybe it was simply the fact that Russia was trying to win the competition with basically the same person, song and performance as Sweden last year. While that is probably not the reason, it does serve as a legitimate excuse: nobody wants to see the Russian version of last year's winner Mans host the competition next year. The jury seemed to have made the decision that a woman who made the entire arena go quiet would be more deserving, maybe because they were the only ones who remembered last year's forgettable telecast.


I, for one, was very happy about this "injustice": I thought Russia's song was unoriginal and boring, and other than the optical illusions of the performance I already forgot everything about it. The Ukrainian song, however, still haunts me days later. The song stood out from all the others, was by far the most genuine in meaning and performance, and added historical significance to the competition. If a song, partly sung in a Crimean Tartar dialect, inspired by true events, can win Eurovision, the diversity of Europe is illustrated as much as Conchita Wurst's win illustrated that Europeans are, at least if an entertainment show is an indicator, accepting and open-minded, and I can't help but like that. And maybe, just maybe, people actually like the depiction of war, not war against the Russians...

The biggest loser in this is poor Sergey, the Russian singer who, in fact, disagrees with the Russians' actions in Crimea, most likely the subject of his loss. He traveled to Stockholm thinking he will win, only to be robbed of the win by a Ukrainian woman who pretty much sang a song about how terrible his countrymen are. For the second year in a row Russia got second place which, as a German football fan, I know freacking blows. Always being up there but never winning the title must suck, especially when the public wants you to win (World Cup 2006, Euro 2012, thanks very much, everyone hates Italy...). Russians seemed to think that the Americans picked the winner, which of course is a pile of something. In fact, if the US participated I think they'd get even less points, nobody likes these guys. In this particular example, however, Russia really doesn't get to complain: be nicer to gay people and stop annexing places, and the Eurovision juries, I believe, would be happy to have a Moscow competition...