Egypt Reveals a Different Kind of Intensity

Columbia Spectator (Dov Friedman)

I nearly didn't include this because it is less about Egyptology than about a comparison between American and Egyptian modes of life, and has a light dusting of politics over it. However, I thought that a couple of the paragraphs might be of interest:

Daily life here could not be more different than in the city. Because the oasis’ underground aquifers are running dry, we take three minute showers—and not even every day at that. Whereas my concept of a view was a Schapiro single facing 115th Street, now I climb to the house’s roof and see palm trees, the majestic Libyan Escarpment, and the first traces of desert sand in three directions. While I spent more of first semester at 1020 than I care to admit, “going out” here consists of walking 30 minutes to town and sitting over hookah and the occasional brew. It’s a “no frills” lifestyle—and it could not come at a better time.

Yet, over the last three weeks, I have discovered a different kind of intensity. The middle month has centered on archaeological fieldwork in a fourth century Roman city. Alarm clocks ring at 5:45 a.m., and we excavate from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Another two afternoon hours are spent working at home. The intensity here is one of a collective mission. The excavation season is short and there is a tremendous amount to accomplish. Everyone here is passionate about archaeology, and the sense of collective responsibility means that no one wants to let others down. An otherwise brutal schedule becomes manageable, even desirable. Unlike the taxing intensity of New York, the intensity of this team of people has been invigorating.

See the above for the writer's thoughts about the differences between life in the U.S. and Egypt.

I am particularly intrigued by the comment about water shortages in Dakhleh Oasis - does anyone know anything else about this? The Nubian Aquifer which lies beneath the Western Desert and supplies springs and wells, irrigates agricultural land, feeds factories and processing plants, and supplies the towns and villages the (and is contraversially planned to be the essential water source for all of Mubarak's agricultural expansion plans).

UPDATE: Thanks to Kat for a link on Bloomberg which deals with the subject of Mubarak's plans in this direction.