Flatmates and Phones

Today I went to church. It was nice... just like church at home except all new people and the worship leader has an Australian accent. I signed up to be part of a Life Group, so I am waiting to be contacted.

After church I did some impromptu shopping. The guy at the Mobilnil store yesterday told me to come back today for the cell phone deal I wanted (I had the newspaper ad). Today he directed me to the Alpha Market. I keep hearing about the Alpha Market, so I decided to go find it. He told me it is on the Corniche (road that parallels the Nile).

On my way to church I had spotted a camera/photography shop. So I stopped in to get my photos for the Metro pass. Turns out in Egypt they sell a minimum of 8 passport photos at a time. It must be a testament to Egypt's well-organized beaurocracy. Anyway, I'll pick up the pictures tomorrow after 7 p.m.

I also passed a bakery and decided to restock my supply at home of aish balady (Egyptian bread, a kind of pita bread). I've been eating it out of the freezer and this morning realized there's only a few loaves left.

Then I made my way to the Corniche and discovered the haven of imported goods that is Alpha Market. I also got my new cell phone (on right). As you can see by the comparison of my regular phone, it is quite small!

I returned home, ate some kind of European potato chip/chex type snack, drank my lemon Schwepps (I was indulging in my imported purchases!) and played solitaire while listening to the Friday prayers and sermon. The mosque next door kindly amplifies the call to prayer and the sermon so everyone can hear. How much did I understand? Not really anything more than allah u akbar. But there was a nice breeze out on the balcony, and I was finally feeling comfortable after applying the coritizone cream on all the bug bites I have (I had also stopped at a pharmacy).

Anyway, I also said "hi" to my flatmates. They have been quite good company since the family has been gone. Plus they're just cute.

Here they are fighting:

And here I scared them:

A Word on Weather

I've mentioned that it is hot here in Cairo. I haven't really gone into details, so I thought I'd take a moment to briefly describe for all of you what it is like here.

In a word, it's a sauna. Standing in the Metro cars, I can usually feel sweat rolling down my neck, back, and legs. No matter what I wear, it gets wet. The temperature has been in the 90's, and humidity in the 50% plus range. Today is actually quite pleasant at 95 degrees and only 39% humidity.

The heat and jet lag have disturbed my sleep quite a bit. If I'm not awake because it's too hot, I'm awake because my body is telling me it's time to be awake. I usually take a nap sometime in the late afternoon.

Anyway, when I say it's hot, I mean it's too hot to go anywhere or do anything between 1 and 5 p.m.

I will never complain about weather in Oregon again!

First Glimpse of School

Today I went downtown to visit the school. I mostly wanted to time how long the walk and Metro ride would take. While I was downtown, I met Michelle, whom I have been emailing. After visiting the school (very uneventful, I’ll learn everything tomorrow at orientation), I went on a quest to find a money exchange shop. I headed off. After a few blocks, I stopped in Radio Shack. It’s strange how I trust familiar names. Plus they are air-conditioned. The man there directed me down the street. I went where he told me, but didn’t see anything. So I asked a woman on the street. Through some sign language and her asking a different man, they directed me to a commercial centre – basically a mall (where everything was closed). I saw a bank and gave up trying to find just the exchange office.

After the bank (this took 45 minutes from when I started), I headed toward the place where I was to meet Michelle. I saw a couple interesting sights. There was one guy sitting on the edge of the sidewalk facing the buildings, with a .45 on display. It looked like he was cleaning it, but it was partially disassembled on a stand, facing the building. I somewhat nervously walked by, every gun safety lesson ever learned telling me to protect my ankles.

I took a picture of the street (above), mostly for my dad. See anything familiar? I zoomed in for you.

This is a pretty typical scene. It’s like this everywhere I go. This is why I didn’t want to live downtown! Maadi is a little quieter.

Modesty Defined

One aspect of Islam that is often talked about is the veil that women wear. The rest of a woman’s dress code is often ignored. Not only do they cover their head, but their skirts go to the ground, and their arms and neck must be covered. A very conservative woman will cover her ankles with stockings/socks, her hands with gloves, and perhaps even her face. Part of the dress code is to stop men from looking at women in a dishonorable way.

This afternoon on the Metro, a young woman sat down next to me. I was in the woman’s car (the first two cars of the train are reserved for women only). She was completely covered except for her face. Since it is in the mid-90’s with humidity of about 80 percent, I couldn’t blame her when she took off her gloves and proceeded to make a phone call.

What I found amusing is that her outfit covered her, but was far from what I would consider modest. Her dress had a white background with orange stripes (or something – I didn’t pay that close attention). It had spaghetti straps, and underneath was an orange shirt. I’ve noticed a lot of women wearing these shirts under regular fashions. They are skin tight and cover from the neck to the wrists (like a mock turtle-neck; no scoops or Vs!). It looked like she had orange skin. Her headscarf was a bright orange, and she had a tassel-like decoration hanging from the pin that secured it. Her dress was very form-fitting.

A lot of young women wear similarly flamboyant clothing. And it is all tight. With big necklaces. There is something strange to me about fulfilling the letter of the law but not the spirit.

Farewell to the May Fair

Today I leave the hotel to move in with my host family. Overall, this has been a pretty good place. The room is simple, but it is clean, has A/C, and satellite TV. I got to watch parts of The Nanny and Oprah.

Here are some pics. I'm sorry they are a little blurry and poorly formatted!

Metro Madness

I'm enjoying creating alliterative titles. I know. I'm a geek.

This afternoon I went and visited my host family. They are wonderful! I will be sharing a room with a 15-year-old. the room is big and air conditioned. I move in tomorrow.

The flat is a good 30 minute metro ride.

So this afternoon when I got to the metro station, I had to remember how to do everything. After staring at the Arabic map for a few minutes, I figured out what line to take. I also had a chance to observe everyone buying their ticket so I knew what to do. Getting there was no problem. I spent about 4 hours with them talking, eating, sleeping. It was nice.

On about the fourth station on the way back, the train stopped to let people out. The the doors stayed open and all the lights went out. Apparently it was done for the evening. So everyone on the crowded train leaves and goes across the platform to the train on the other side. I figure that must be the right train. However, I didn't want to be that close to people and decided to wait for the next train.

The next train came and I got on. I was looking for Midan al-Tahrir, but didn't see the station. I knew the station is underground (the metro goes above ground outside downtown), so when we resurfaced, I asked someone where Midan al-Tahrir is. It had occured to me that I didn't pay attention to the name of the station when I originally got on. They told me I'm on the wrong train and pointed to the train going the other direction. I quickly got off and went to the next platform.

On that train I got on the Women's car (the first car on the train is reserved for women only). Once on, I asked which station and was directed there. Finally!

The entire experience took about an hour. Then the always harrowing taxi ride back to the hotel. I'm tired!

Out and About in Zamalek

This morning I got up at 7 a.m. It’s my first day in Cairo, and sleeping any later was impossible! I was pretty hungry, but my thirst was tremendous. While the air conditioning is heavenly, it does dry out one’s throat!

I got up and went downstairs to eat breakfast on the terrace (there’s free WiFi there as well). It was very simple: a hard-boiled egg, some bread, pre-packaged jam, butter and cheese, tea and orange juice (Tang). It was perfect. I knew those foods wouldn’t upset my stomach.

Then it was time to get out of the hotel. The last thing I wanted to do is sit in my cool room and mope about not knowing anyone and missing everyone back home. The first order of business is a watch battery. This is something I didn’t have time to do before I left.

I left the hotel and started walking. Most of the shops were closed, which was strange because it was after 10 a.m. I wandered around for quite a while. I noticed things from when I was here 7 years ago – the gas station I walked by every day. I saw the Italian restaurant where we liked to eat. I passed many embassies, Spain, Austria, and so on. I saw the Hardee’s, which was great.

I had also wanted to stop by the AUC dorm where I stayed last time, and find out if I could sort out my housing application (I need to take myself off the waiting list and make sure the deposit check is cancelled). Turns out I have to clear that up at the main campus, which is what I expected. I continued walking.

After asking around, I found a Radio Shack, which then directed me to a different store. Finally! My watch is working!

I wandered on back to the hotel, stopping to buy some bananas, and apple and water. I feel like I’m getting ripped off at some of these places, but I can’t do much about it.

It was good to walk around and reacquaint myself with what it is like here. The men stare, the women wear headscarves, and it smells funny. That is something I had forgotten – the way this city smells. It’s not awful, but the humidity sucks up all the pollution and garbage and the scent hangs in the air. It’s definitely not the fresh smell of Oregon air.

I had also forgotten how bad the sidewalks are. Every 10 or so feet there is an alleyway or a driveway or another street, and the curbs range anywhere from 6 to 18 inches. Parts of the sidewalk are crumbled away, revealing sand (which collects garbage). There are trees growing that block the way, little shops selling candy and cigarettes, guard booths, and guys randomly sitting in chairs all on the sidewalks. There is also the fun task of dodging the water dripping from all the A/C units. In addition to the water, there is also the plants that are put in the sidewalk to catch the drippings. Sometimes there are hoses attached from the unit to a tree to water plants. Often is easier to walk on the street, which everyone does.

All in all I wandered for about an hour and a half. I’m feeling much more capable and mentally stable today. It is tremendous what sleep can do for my mood!

Famished in Frankfurt

It is 3:10 a.m. Or at least it is in Portland and in my body. It is actually 12:10 p.m. on Saturday. I’ve been here now since 8:40 this morning. My flight doesn’t leave for another 2 hours and I’m starting to feel like I’m losing my mind. I’ve been up now for 19 hours, and by the time I arrive in Cairo it will be more like 25 hours.

Around 11 a.m. I decided that I was hungry. So I went to the little sandwich/coffee stand in the middle of the hallway. They don’t take MasterCard. I briefly debated with myself if I should bother going to get Euros. At an exchange rate of $1.35, I decided to not bother.

An hour later I started wandering the concourse (and losing my great seat at the gate) looking for a store selling real food and water. Or maybe a currency exchange station. I wandered in and out of the travel stores. Unless I want perfume or chocolate, I was out of luck! I thought I found something… but it was only a store selling reading material. I could have purchased caviar and champagne, but it’s not quite the right mood for that menu.

Finally I wander down the concourse, past my gate and to the other side. There’s café called Illy. Thank God - they take cards! I order a Ciabatta Caprese (sandwich with mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh basil). It’s 4.40 Euros, but I don’t care. I ask the guy behind the counter how much a bottle of water is. He asks me if I want sparkling water or not. I really didn’t care and wanted to know how much the two swallows I’d get out of the bottle were. 2.40!! I told him I didn’t want it, and he rolled his eyes and acted impatient. I suppose if you work at the international terminal you run into a lot of people who don’t know your language, are functioning on little sleep, and are otherwise different from you. I don’t have the patience for European rudeness. I ate my sandwich ($6.00!) and left. I’d rather be dehydrated for a short time rather than give into paying $3.25 for a half liter of water. Then again, maybe that’s the normal price for water in Germany.

I’m rambling now… my head hurts and I feel I’m in my own universe with people orbiting around me, coming in and out of my consciousness. They only exist if I pay attention to them.

I’ve read USA Today, the Financial Times Weekend Edition and watched two flights leave my gate so far… I hope mine is next.

Fly PDX

I love the Portland Airport. I'm sitting here waiting for my flight to Cairo and I can access the free WiFi here. That's right - I'm on my way!

It is so strange how my life has focused toward a particular day, August 24, for so many months, and it is finally here. Now I'm thinking about the next day, December 18, when I fly back. Don't get me wrong, I fully intend to live in the moment each day, and I'm guessing school deadlines will overshadow my return for a while during the semester.

About 3 to 4 weeks ago I prayed for God to tell me where I am living. I told him, "I'm being obedient and going even if I don't have a place to live, but it would really be nice to know ahead of time." Last night when I checked my email at 1 a.m., I had an email from Michelle responding to my Craigslist ad for needing an apartment and roommate(s). She sent details and pictures, and so now I have somewhere to land. It is available September 1, and my hotel is reserved through August 30. I'm guessing I'll be able to stay another night.

I'm feeling much better now about leaving. I can actually start to think about school and what I enjoy about Cairo rather than worrying about where I'm going to live. I do ask for prayer that I will have a good relationship with my two flatmates. I will be sharing a room with a Ugandan. They are both AUC grad students in different programs from mine.

The flight is boarding!!