And like that... he is gone
So that's it. RIP Three Years of Hell, June 2, 2003 to August 25, 2006. After all these words, there are only a few things left to say.
Two sites, the Imbroglio and the Volokh Conspiracy, have given me a slightly premature sendoff, and their words are very kind. (The site has received its final Kerr Package.) In answer to Ambimb's question as to why the site is closing, the answer is simply that the project is done. I don't know what my next big task will be. I've got two articles in process (much more difficult now I don't have free Lexis access). There's a few chapters written of a novel, a thought made more exciting by three friends who have already written books. The more I look at law and technology, the more I think that an open-source, XML-based framework for writing judicial opinions would bring caselaw closer to the public (as well as weaken the WEXIS duopoly). Perhaps that's a project worth looking into. Whatever the case, I'm sure I'll have no problem coming up with other tasks to occupy my (soon to dwindle rapidly) free time. This story was always meant to have an ending, and after all these months, it is finally here.
Thank you to the professors and students at Columbia Law School who made this journey such a rich experience. The same goes to the bloggers across the 'sphere who've linked, commented and otherwise spread the word. (A special note should go to Martin, who started me on this path.) My family, although asked not to comment on the blog itself, never failed to give me encouragement (and fodder for quite a few posts) throughout my years here.
And finally, of course, thank you to all of you who've read this site over the last three years and a bit. Journeys are made better with travelling companions, and I couldn't have asked for a finer bunch.
Best regards,
A.R.
@Garrett – Thanks for the comment! Egypt was certainly not an enjoyable place to travel, but definitely think it goes beyond my treatment as a women. Know my husband can attest that just being a Westerner traveling through is downright exhausting. The hassling really gets to you! Definitely agree that the group tour thing may allow you to avoid much of this, but guess it would also distance you from experiencing the few redeeming cultural experiences. Ah, Egypt…Thanks for following our journey.
@Art – It was quite alarming experiencing how women are treated and it really made it hard to enjoy all the other fascinating parts of the Egyptian culture. While we don’t regret going, it was a tough place to travel, no doubt. Will be interested to read about your experiences if you guys do decide to go in October. At the very least you should have better weather, as 115 degree temperatures made it that much harder. Thanks for following our adventures!
@Katie – Glad to hear you had such an positive experience traveling through Egypt. That’s the funny thing about travel, you can visit the same place and come out with a totally different perspective and also have completely different experiences. My experience being attached by the guy at the restaurant, however, really left a sour taste in my mouth for the people and it continued to get worse throughout our week there. I definitely won’t let it hinder us from traveling through other parts of the Arab world, I’ll just be a lot better prepared.
@Melissa – Thank you for your kind words! It’s a hard subject indeed. I can only imagine what it is like to travel through Sudan and Somalia. I’m sure you had some tough days and I completely agree with where you are coming from: Human dignity trumps culture. Well said! Yes, I have trouble accepting the fact women are treated that way and just because I’m visiting there as a female tourist, doesn’t mean I will accept that treatment, too. I am a bit turned off with traveling through the Arab world, but I definitely will go back. Just need a bit of time
…Thanks for following our adventure!
Hi guys!
I’m Todd’s roommate. Just spending an early autumn night in Chicago on our back porch drinking some wine and talking about how we wish we travel more than we do. Amazing pictures, great stories from what I’ve read and coming from someone in digital advertising, your blog looks great for many reasons
One recommendation-I traveled to Beirut this summer due to dating someone from that area, all bias aside, I would HIGHLY recommend that you both travel there to experience what the Middle East has to offer in this region. It is a known to be one of the more liberal places in the ME, and when I use liberal lightly compared to the US, but the culture, food, landscape, livelihood is like no other.
I think it might provide another perspective on a region that is made up in part of an islam community.
And if I can’t convince you, NYX in 2009 said it was the #1 travel destination and Anthony Bourdain recently made a trip back…
Yalla!
I cannot even tell you how much I appreciate your honest, intelligent approach to this extremely difficult issue. I had the worst time you can imagine travelling in Sudan and Somalia (I know, I know….not the smartest places to go. I probably would not make the same decision again!) It infuriates me when people try to give a simple response (“it’s just their culture”) to what is actually an almost insanely complex issue. At the end of it, I came to a conclusion similar to yours: my beliefs are simply incompatible with the way that some cultures accept. I will staunchly refuse to accept the term racist for saying that. Human dignity trumps culture, period. I’m really sorry you had such a bad time though, and I want to tell you how much I *love* your writing!
Melissa
Ottawa, Canada
I’m really bummed to read that you were so put off by Cairo and Egypt as a whole. Egypt is probably one of the best trips I’ve ever taken, so I’d like to offer an alternate point of view.
I visited for just over 2 weeks in 2008 and had an amazing time, visiting Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, Sinai and Dahab.
I’m blond and female, so I definitely stood out, but I dressed very conservatively and didn’t experience anything close to the type of harassment you experienced. And for a good part of my trip I was with a group of other women, also dressed conservatively and to my knowledge none of them had any problems either.
It was a bit of culture shock to see things like separate lines at the ATM for men and women or to see the occasional woman in a full burka (although our tour guide explained most of those women aren’t Egyptian, but immigrants from other Arab countries). According to the tour guide I had for part of the trip, there is actually a lot of respect for women and the penalties for crimes such as sexual harassment or rape are so extreme that they are very rare. At the same time, he told us there is the view of Western women as being “easy” so showing any skin or wearing tight-fitting clothing would attract a lot of negative attention. I was there in January/February when it was cooler, so it was not difficult to stay covered.
Yes, the vendors in the markets were annoying and it was usually best to avoid eye contact – I generally made it a policy to only go into the stalls of those who did not try to lure me in and I found that worked quite well. And while I definitely was scammed a couple times, most of the Egyptians I met were incredibly friendly and helpful.
You can read about my experiences at http://katiegoingglobal.com/category/travel-journals/egypt-2008/.
Katie´s last [type] ..Five Steps to Choosing a Group Tour
It sounds like the worst part of your experience resulted directly from your treatment as a woman. I think if I travel to Egypt with a companion, especially a female one, to avoid mistreatment the group-tours a la the Nile and beyond may be the best option.
Very well written. We are/were bound for Egypt the end of October. I have traveled to many countries and enjoyed immersing myself in the culture. But, after reading this from a stand point of a traveler entering a country where women are treated thusly, I will find it difficult to understand or even try to understand the culture. Your article sounds like you made every attempt to remain neutral but were overwhelmed and slowly became negative. The actions of the waiter are beyond tolerable. While things could happen once or twice to any traveler, it sounds as though this is not only tolerated, it is permitted and excused as “tradition.” We may rethink our travel plans.
Art
Art G´s last [type] ..Skagway and CarrCross- Briish Columbia- Canada — Skagway- Alaska- United States