On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 6:24 PM, Filip Maljkovic dungodung@gmail.com wrote:
Just to briefly add my two piasters to the table: I was, too, ripped off several times by several people, like most of the visitors at one point or another. We all experienced the chaotic Egyptian traffic. There were some other minor inconveniences, but if I sum it all up, I don't mind them. After the conference, I traveled a lot with some Wikimedians; we visited the pyramids of Giza, I rode a camel, we saw the way the people in Cairo and Alex really live (outside of the travelers' paths), we went to Luxor and saw wonders... All in all, I think this was one of my best trips: seeing and experiencing the best and the worst of a country makes you really appreciate it. And, at least in my book, the good things pretty much outweigh the bad things. And I'm sure most people would agree.
Indeed, and in case I wasn't clear in my previous e-mail (actually, when I wrote it I was afraid I was sounding too defensive of Egypt, and tried to tone it down), my arrival and stay in the country was just lovely. I experienced things not seen in the U.S. and apparently a severe annoyance to some, but—and this is what I was really trying to get at—I really wasn't bothered by them. For sure, the things I saw and did were well worth the sweltering heat and occasional inconvenience, and I echo Filip wholeheartedly.
One thing I always kept in mind was that the American twenty in my pocket was more than a day's wage, which made it hard to get mad about being overcharged L.E. 5 for cab fare. (At one point, I was chastizing Phoebe for giving a cab driver L.E. 10 for the ride down the corniche from our hotel, at least double the going rate—"it's a buck," she said, "and it'll make him really happy." It dawned on me that in the U.S. I tip snotty waitresses more for less.)
But we're talking about cultures and geography. The conference itself was done very well, IMHO, and it was more or less as good as the last years'. I sure hope I'll be able to attend the next one (although I wish the conference be set as early in August as possible).
You're right; the organizing team certainly couldn't do anything about Egyptian culture if they wanted to. I can pick nits, but as far as actually pulling off a conference goes, they did superbly.
Austin