Saturday, December 11, 2010

TIME Hits the Books

As TIME examined Ed Langerak’s lengthy study guide on the bus back to Cairo from Hurghada, we began to accept the fact that we had a lot of work ahead of us. We had just spent a week touring Pharaonic temples, sailing down the Nile, and lounging on the Red Sea, but as finals approached, we needed to hit the books.

Now, instead of discussing the roles of the Egyptians gods, we discuss the role of the restraint principle in the public square. Instead of enjoying the liberty to sleep until noon on the beach, we reexamine Galston’s proposal for expressive liberty. Instead of immersing ourselves in philosophical musings, we immerse ourselves in detailed definitions and perspectives.

At all hours of the night, residents of the Cosmo can see Oles scattered throughout the lobby and lounges, headphones on, rereading articles and writing study guides. It looks as if we are all hard at work, engrossed in philosophy or paper writing. Although our efforts are ultimately productive, sometimes we find it hard to concentrate without a semester’s worth of studying stamina behind us…

Kelsie writes notes with her blue marker, daydreaming about sitting at the prow of a felucca, sailing down the Nile and into the sunset…

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…At the next table, Claire copies a definition down in her small, meticulous handwriting, and she’s reminded of the quality of the artistry in the tombs. She was always one of the last ones observing the paintings covering the walls and the ceilings…

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...Kate twirls a strand of her hair, looking at something she’s written on a green post-it note, wishing she was looking down at the green valley along the Nile in the Valley of the Kings. You couldn’t beat the view from the basket of a hot air balloon at six in the morning…

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…Katie Curtis scrolls along the document of her Dell, thinking about how great it would be to see the sound and light show at the Pyramids before the trip ends…

…Nick quickly scans Kate’s study guide before she comes back, wishing he was back in his scuba gear, scanning the coral for tropical fish and the octopi…

…Connor chooses a new song on his iPod, longing to bestow his good taste in music on the whole group as they hang out under the Hurghada stars…

…Jon sighs, looking worn out, and wishing that he was exhausted from examining the never-ending series of Egyptian temples and artifacts instead of from studying the never-ending debates about human rights…

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…Sarah turns through her notebook pages, longing to be turning over cards in one of the many euchre games played on the bus rides through the desert…

…Bri adjusts her reading glasses, thinking back to when she was adjusting her camera settings so that she could capture the sunrise over the Valley of the Kings…

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…Nandini savors a piece of chocolate to help her get through the day, yearning for the time when she was savoring the view of the Mediterranean Sea from Fort Qaitbey in Alexandria…

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…Luke Peterson stares at his computer with a look of intense concentration…not realizing that he’s sitting in front of a mirror, and we can all see that he’s actually playing Tetris. But he has finished his paper so he’s a step ahead of most of us…

…Alondra sips her Pepsi and tries to soak in all of the information, thinking back to when she was soaking up the sun on the snorkeling boat…

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…Josef writes a definition in his notebook, wishing he was looking at the writing of the ancient Egyptians or maybe even the graffiti of the 19th century European tourists found on most of the ancient temples…

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…Luke Telander can’t be found in the lounge because he’s off exploring some other part of Cairo. We’re still not sure whether he’s more efficient at preparing or just less likely to stress over a final…

…Eliza combs her hair as she scribbles in her notebook, wishing she was examining the everyday artifacts of the Egyptians—combs, jewelry, and even beds…

And I type on my computer, looking like I’m working hard on my study guide when I’m actually writing this blog post.

Here’s to all A’s!

- Hannah Ehlenfeldt

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