A New Friend

We've been eating a lot of cereal and sandwiches lately. It's too hot to cook. I did it yesterday and had to take extra showers because it was so hot in the kitchen. Anyway, yesterday I read the back of the cereal box. Here's what it said.

Mind & Body
Feel light and healthy - inside and out!

Why is fibre important?
Without fibre, your insides are never properly cleaned. You end up feeling bloated and heavy - in mind and body. But a simple bowl of All-Bran changes everything. One serving of such high fibre every day regulates and improves your digestive system, eliminating toxins and cleansing your insides.

And, as the saying goes, a healthy body is a healthy mind. When you feel light, and clean, your state of mind improves drastically. You can literally feel the difference.

A new companion
When you see the results it can have on your mind and body, you'll realise t hat fibre really is your friend.

So try a little All-Bran every morning. Or any time of the day, for that matter. One bowl of any of the tasty All-Bran range acts as a healthy, nutritious snack throughout the day.

Celebration!

Today was my last day of class, and I turned in my last assignments. Hurray!! I have completed my MA program. I am now the most educated member of my family, which is weird to say because I don't really feel any different than before.

Tonight after the sun went down, Jeff and I went out for a celebration dinner. We were both craving American food, so we decided to splurge and go to Chilli's for the first time. We walked to where we thought it was along the Nile... and were wrong. So we grabbed a taxi going back the other way, and realized that we had turned right when we should have turned left to find the restaurant. Turns out the restaurant was TGIF and not Chilli's, but we didn't really care at that point - just hungry!

We had a great meal. They had a promotion going that we both got - soup, steak with veggies and mashed potatoes, and dessert for only 70 pounds, or approximately $15. I had iced tea, Jeff had several frozen strawberry lemonades, and we indulged. That was the first steak I've had in a loooong time, and it was much better than the steaks at similar establishments back home. The meal was spoiled for about 5 minutes, when after a Santana song, a hip hop song filled with every obscenity played over the sound system. We had to just stop the conversation and let it finish demanding, "Who the **** you talking to," because it was so distracting. I understand that they don't understand what is inappropriate language in English, but it was still weird to be sitting in a family-friendly restaurant and hear such things.

Overall, it was a good meal. And the weather had cooled enough to make the walk back home quite pleasant.

Flowers

I've been pondering flowers. I love them. They're pretty, they smell good, and they don't do much more. On the way to the university, the median in the main road has pansies lining the edge of the sidewalk, with hedges of hibiscus and some other red flower in the center. It makes me happy to see them.

I also see flowers in areas filled with debris and trash. Bare, uncared for plants surrounded by traffic and pollution. Yet flowers persist in being pretty, always happily smiling at the sun. God just created them to do that. Despite their circumstances, they are always true to their nature. It makes me think that sometimes I need to stop working so hard to be something that I have in my head, and just be, as God created me, and constantly look up to him with a smile.

The Four Seasons

Tonight Jeff and I were invited out to dinner by a friend that Jeff has made. This man is a former diplomat from the Gulf. He and his wife took us to the Four Seasons, one of their favorite places in Cairo. I guess when they were first assigned to Cairo they lived there until they were able to buy and set up an apartment. I was feeling self-conscious; the only clothes I have that fit are not very dressy! I ended up wearing a long-sleeve blouse/sweater that is NOT in season... 104 degrees today did not match my attire. Nonetheless, I felt more comfortable than in a t-shirt :-) And a good thing, too. The season decided upon in the restaurant was winter, with the AC set at a cool 69 degrees.

Being with this couple was very interesting. They have lived in Cairo off an on for years, and really like it here. They wear wealth casually - like comfortable slippers. Watching the wife interact with the wait staff, the driver, the store personnel we interacted with, was so revealing. The restaurant was in an atrium of a shopping mall that reminded me of the Venetian in Vegas. I went with the wife to check on a purchase at one of the stores. I sat there, and while she was on the phone, the owner had his two assistants display his handmade carpets for me. It was a little surreal. Anyway, the wife easily commanded everyone she interacted with, but was never unkind or demeaning to them. The deference she was shown by everyone was clear, all the niceties, special attention and so on was fun to watch. As her tagalong, I was shown some as well. I felt a little dowdy compared to her brand label purse, coat, shoes, giant gemstone and diamond rings, and so on, but it was fun.

And dinner was fabulous. The salad they served as a "starter" was big enough for a whole meal. I was glad I ordered the Thai spring rolls instead of a proper salad. Jeff didn't have a chance to finish his! Mint lemonade and sea bass with mushroom/butter mashed potatoes and steamed spinach. Yum!! I've been craving a nice meal, and this was perfect. I refused dessert... no more room next to the baby!