About
Michael Novinson is a junior political science major, education minor, and prospective journalist. He will be studying abroad at the American University in Cairo during the spring semester.
Michael will arrive in Cairo on January 23, attend a week of orientation, and begin classes on February 1. He will return to Michigan on May 30. During the week, he will be taking courses on Middle Eastern politics, journalism, and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic. During the weekends and spring break, he hopes to travel and experience a sunrise over Mt. Sinai, the ancient architecture of Petra and the Valley of the Kings, and ashure in a Turkish restaurant.
Michael’s reasons for blogging are two-fold – first, he hopes to use 127 Egyptian Nights as a forum for considering and reflecting upon his experiences in Cairo; second, he wishes to gain experience with new media in order to better prepare himself for a career in journalism. He has never maintained a regular blog before, so bear with him if any mishaps occur.
Michael hopes 127 Egyptian Nights will offer a frank and entertaining perspective on life in Cairo for an American student. At the same time, he understands that he is a guest in a foreign country and fully intends to abide by Egypt’s rules and norms. Therefore, since Michael won’t post anything on this blog that he wouldn’t wear on a t-shirt in Cairo, 127 Egyptian Nights will generally steer clear of politics and religion, since both topics are considered taboo in polite discourse. Anything else, though, is fair game.
Please e-mail questions, comments, or suggestions to mnovinso@haverford.edu, and don’t hesitate to post comments directly on the page. After all, your feedback is invaluable in creating a more interesting and enjoyable blog!