an internal debate

[menschlichen]

so I am, thinking about where to go next after shanghai. it seems like a potentially determinative step- maybe one of the last times i could totally revolutionize my life and perspective on things. here are my most likely options

Comments

[blingapollo]

it's tough. i was going to say tokyo, but on second thought that seems no better than istanbul- the capital of a country whose preeminence is in necessary decline. what about cairo?

[menschlichen]

yes, of course i thought of cairo-arabic would be so much more useful than turkish, really- and for the same reason thought of beirut. i guess istanbul seemed like a safer alternative than either, for different reasons (in a different world, i would go to a cosmopolitan baghdad, but of course...) one thing about istanbul is that for whatever its worth my parents would feel better about it- they honeymooned there, but cairo i think theyd be more concerned, probably rightly so. also just generally as a superficial snap judgment of someone who has not been to either istanbul seems pleasanter on an everyday level- the way the buildings look, the efficiency of public transport, that food at the cafe across the street and whether the chef spits in my food because i'm american or not, (not to mention the proximity to europe in general) if i was in cairo i could and probz would have to d with american university f cairo, a friend who was considering moving to beirut immediately met people at AU there and knows no arabic nor french nor would