Flocking to Rehab

Like lemmings to the sea, or shoaling salmon in front of hunting orcas.

Not me, you can’t make me. I’m not going to Rehab. Rehab is for quitters (a very old joke, borrowed from unnamed sources).

Rehab – actually el Rehab city – is a gated, planned community about 4km from the New Campus of AUC. Housing is running a number of tours for faculty and staff to look at housing units there, so that when the new campus opens in September, employees can live close. Sounds great, right?

I have avoided suburbs, planned communities and gated enclaves for my entire adult life in the States. I accepted a job at the American University in CAIRO – not to live in “New Cairo” or any other part of the Eastern Desert. The move to Cairo, for me, was to be in it – be a part of one of the world’s largest, most vibrant, most polluted, oldest, most written about “centers of the civilized world” and experience all the good, the bad and the ugly of it. I have seen lots of all of it – good, bad and ugly, and I’m…good with it…happy about it….frustrated about it….in love with it and often ready to board the next plane home, all at one time. I think that is part of being in a HUGE metropolitan environment regardless of where in the world it is located. This is MY OPINION. Mine is not the only opinion, nor the “right” one for anyone but me. And for ME Rehab is not an option.

That said, since the tour, the caucusing has been FIERCE. From both sides of the fence. The Kool-Aid has been distributed, the red Kool-Aid kids and the blue Kool-Aid kids are both equally convinced that they “understand” things better than the other. And DAMMIT they are gonna convince anyone who differs in opinion.

I have to admit – I am my own kind of Kool-Aid drinker (I think mine is ORANGE). I think other people’s decisions are warped, yet I am also attempting to allow others to make their own decisions.

The convincing and proselytizing and one-argument rhetoric is the thing that I am having the most trouble with. If one truly feels that “I can’t handle the commute” (predicted to be 2 to 3 hours per day from my current neighborhood), then DON’T COMMUTE. Please don’t tell me that I SHOULDN’T COMMUTE because YOU feel YOU can’t. I know that the commute is going to be awful, and I would still rather do that than live in the gated suburb, 30km from Cairo.

I know FOR ME, that if I were to live out there, I would never see Cairo-proper again. If the commute was unmanageable to begin with then I certainly wouldn’t want to drive or taxi into town AFTER a long day of work and then back out again after dinner and visits. And, FOR ME, if I’m gonna have to spend 3 hours getting to and from Cairo, I’d rather be in the city for all my free time, limited as that may be.

I have made MY decision for next year – I will be staying in my urban oasis and suffering the commute daily. I may regret my decision, and wish for a stint in Rehab – but I’ll burn that bridge when I come to it.

3 comments

  1. That’s a difficult dilemma to be in. I have been very curious to know how the AUC community will handle the relocation of the campus. If I was in your position, I’d probably do the same thing! Will you have to rely on taxis everyday or will the campus organize vans or buses for people who want to commute? It’s a shame there is no reliable public transportation out there!

    I’m not an AUC student, but I enjoy going to campus for lectures, seminars, films, and to check out the bookstore every once in a while. So, having the campus move out to the middle of nowhere is a mild disappointment for me. But for people who work or go to school there, I can imagine the move will be very difficult. Good luck with your commute!

    [Kd] Thanks, it will be interesting and challenging. The university will be providing buses for faculty, staff and students. We will all be waiting to see how it goes.

  2. Hey Kaddee –

    I can relate. I’ve always said I’d rather live near the things I love to do and deal with a longer daily commute than to live near work and then risk not doing the things I love. For me, this means living in the mountains near hiking and great roads. I think, given your situation, I’d be doing the same thing. Live in the city where my *life* is rather than opting for convenient for where *work* is.

    Good luck staying true to yourself, no matter what the decision.

    Think Peace,
    – Alan

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