Where am I?

Where am I?

Why does Google suddenly think I'm in Mauritius?

A Normal Life

A Normal Life

I cannot say this enough times: I love Fridays in Cairo. Today I got up very early (for a Friday) - 8am, doing last night's dishes, going to pick up groceries at Alfa Market. The weather seemed to cool off last night and it was still early enough that I could reach Alfa relatively dry and comfortable.

Fridays are days for doing absolutely nothing after dragging yourself out of bed for a pancake breakfast at noon. We had our obligatory pancakes a bit earlier today, and in a digitally updated version of Sunday mornings back home, I sat at my desk and idly browsed the NY Times.

Blake and I talked about cars. What kind of car would you get back home? Two-door or four-door? What about a hybrid?

It was such a weirdly normal conversation. Usually, we sit around and talk about the latest news in Iraq, or who got chucked out of the Egyptian government and/or thrown into prison today, or what pundit published what diatribe in what newspaper/magazine/blog. Television watching has been reduced to a double dose of Daily Show/Colbert Report downloaded from iTunes.

I wonder if our conversation will be any different once we're back in the states. Will they still be overshadowed by politics and war at every turn? Or will I, at least, be able to go back to talking about television, celebrity gossip and what's on a sale at the supermarket, comfortable and relatively unbothered by things happening out of sight?

I'm guessing not, but sometimes it would be nice to just enjoy a lazy Friday/Sunday morning feeling like everything in the world is ok.

On the Road Again

On the Road Again

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here. Our apartment has basically been serving as a refugee bed & breakfast; one friend getting ready to head to the states via Haifa, two other friends leaving their program in Damascus under pressure from their university, a dozen odd Whiffenpoofs at the end of a three-month tour.

Once the Whiffs arrived I had to get out of town. I was originally supposed to be heading to Lebanon to visit friends in Beirut, but obviously the current war put the kibosh on that plan. But instead of compelling me to leave the region, the war pulled me deeper into the conflict. Angry and frustrated at the borders that seemed to be closing in around me, I decided that I couldn't waste any more time. I needed to start seeing as many places as I could before, God forbid, anything else happened to keep me out.

So, I headed to one of the places on my most endangered list that I could also still get into without too much advance work. On the morning of August 3rd, I bought a round-trip ticket on El-Al airlines for that evening's flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.

The next few posts, I will try to recount some of the (mis-)adventures of my one week trip. It's also a chance for me to try to sort through everything I experienced during that time. While I'm glad that I went, it was on the whole a far from uplifting experience that left me with little hope, I'm afraid, for the current situation.

I Hope I Don't Have Worms Now

I Hope I Don't Have Worms Now

I took a couple of friends to the Khan last night to do some last minute gift shopping before they leave Egypt. Naturally, we had to stop for tea and sheesha at Fishawi's Cafe, where we were accosted by tiny kittens. One ambitious kitty made good use of my sheesha pipe, above, as a prop to help him get closer to our chicken dinner. Nice try, little guy.

It Lives!

It Lives!

So after about a month of fussing over my poor hibiscus plant and desperately trying to nurse it back to health, it finally bloomed again this morning. Hooray!

Pasha Pool Party

Pasha Pool Party

If living in Cairo has taught me one thing in the course of two summers, it is the value of swimming pool culture. Paying to use the pool at a private club or hotel for the day is a huge summer activity here, and I have to admit, I've become a big fan of the practice.

We're particularly fond of a place called the Muhammad Ali Club, which is way out in the middle of nowhere past Mounib. It's got a pretty spacious pool, good food and big bench seats along the Nile where you can lay out, smoke shisha and drool on yourself while you nap for the bargain price of 40LE (Heineken beach towel included). It's the best deal in town and I particularly like it because you really feel like you've escaped smog-enveloped Cairo for a day.

You can also attack your friends with ice cream:



I didn't bother to take pictures of the pool itself this past weekend, but I thought my shot of the Pasha himself lording over the cows was pretty sweet. I don't know why there are cows there, there just are. Mooooo.

Validation

Validation

So, after being down for a bit, Cute Overload is taking submissions again. I've been wanting to send them a picture of Rocket for ages and have finally seized the opportunity to send the picture I posted on Friday. Fingers and toesies crossed that they post it! Not that I've become an obsessive dog mommy or anything. Seriously.

Pigs On Ice!

Pigs On Ice!

I love it.

I Should Have Studied Chinese

I Should Have Studied Chinese

My sister, Mary, just sent me this article about a single Mormon mom who moved to China and ended up starting a highly successful financials news and information services company. Her five percent stake in the company is worth over $40 million.

Cao!

Happy Birthday, Stinker

Happy Birthday, Stinker

No, not you, Mom. Although it is your birthday, too (Happy Birthday, Mom!). My dog, Rocket, turned eight years old today. Can you believe it? For a cockapoo, that makes him officially middle-aged now. Weird to think seven years have passed since I graduated from MIT and began this strange, twisty road that's led me to Cairo. Who would have ever thought?

All We Need is Love

All We Need is Love

On a lighter note, I took this picture of a street vendor's wares near the Lawyers Syndicate. Lots and lots of furry heart pillows with sweethearts' names on them: Nahid, Gamal, Iman, Leila, etc etc...

Art Imitates Life?

Art Imitates Life?

Yesterday I attempted to meet Blake at an obscure cafe downtown so we could attend a screening of "The Yacoubian Building" and a press conference with some of its stars at the Journalists Syndicate. As usual, his directions weren't clear and my sense of direction was totally off, so after I threw a hissy fit we ended up meeting at the Syndicate (conveniently located across the street from Fatahallah Arms).

Just around the corner, the Lawyers Syndicate was decked in protest of the events in Lebanon with posters of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, that read "Our Hearts Are With You" and banners denouncing the US and its Zionist allies. It came as no surprise when Blake told me that the Brotherhood has a bit of a foothold at the syndicate.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to get into the screening, so we went home and watched "As-Safara f'il 3amara," a recent film starring Adel Imam as a disgraced paramour who returns to his Cairo apartment after a twenty-five year absence, only to find that the Israeli Embassy has moved in next door. Wacky hijinks and soul-searching redemption ensue.

A lot of the scenes featured in the movie happened to be the very same places where we were wandering about that afternoon: the High Court, the Journalists Syndicate, etc. Popular places of protest these days, be it against the government, against Israel, against the American occupation in (Fill in the Blank)...It's funny to think sometimes how despite being a city of roughly 20 million, you still always recognize the same places on screen.