Friday Night Fun

So tonight the exciting agenda is a movie:

And a snack:

It didn't take me too long to break into the pomegranates! And you might be saying to yourself, Did Sarah pick the movie because it matches the snack? I can assure you, that while that may be something that I would do, in this case it is pure coincidence.

Happy Friday everyone!

Micro Busses

I don’t think I’ve talked much about this particular mode of transportation. Micro busses, also known as mini busses, are quite popular. I haven’t ridden in one yet but I hope to before too long. I’ve been advised that it’s not really safe for foreign women to use alone, so maybe I’ll get an Egyptian friend to go with me.

Anyway, the micro bus is kind of like an extra large Volkswagen van. It has about four rows of seats and a sliding door. They are blue and white. There’s a mini bus depot right next to my regular Metro station, so I get to avoid them every day.

So here’s how it works: At the depot, the driver or his sidekick will shout out the destination. I’m not sure how many passengers it needs to leave the station, but eventually it does. If a person wants to get on a mini bus, s/he stands at a known place, or visible place along the route of the bus s/he wants. That person shouts out the destination to all the busses that pass by. The door slides open, the bus slows down, and the new passenger jumps on. And off they go. You can imagine the chaos of everyone shouting at the depot! Alternately, there are several hand gestures that symbolize the destination. For example, if you want to go on the bus whose final destination is the Pyramids, you either shout out “Haram!” or you make a triangle with your hands.

The mini bus drivers are probably the wildest drivers in all of Cairo. Sometimes it looks like people are about to fall out, as they go careening around traffic circles with the door open. However, they are also maybe the best drivers in all of Cairo, and are perhaps the most popular form of transportation. They are cheaper and faster than the Metro, and probably just as crowded.

One tricky thing about the micro busses is that their routes are not published, neither are the hand signals. So a newcomer could have quite a difficult time, especially if they don’t know Arabic.

Learning all this has helped me adjust to the shouting of my daily walk. It also explains why some people stand on the street, shouting at traffic :-)

'Tis the Season!

So, I realized the other day that the holidays are approaching. I had completely forgotten about Halloween until my host mom came home from the US with Brach's candy corn. I have always loved the stuff, but in recent years I've been turned off by the thought of eating plastic. But having a few pieces sure reminded me of home!

Here in Cairo, we're all celebrating the end of Ramadan. That's it for holidays! I think we get Thanksgiving Day off of school... I'm planning to do all my touristy things that day!

But in other seasonal activities, it is now pomegranate season. Here's a picture of the tea I enjoyed after breakfast today. Notice the pomegranates:

Yuckyness

Yesterday when I was walking to the Metro, I saw something strange on the sidewalk. I couldn't quite tell what is was, so I stared at it ask I walked by. It was about 8 inches of the bottom part of a donkey's leg, including the hoof. Eeeew.

Converted?

Having a 15 year old sister is fun. She's always wanting to play around with me. Here's what I would look like were I Muslim:

A Glimpse at AUC

Here's where I sit in the afternoons and make phone calls, or do some random work. It's quite pleasant here. It's called the fountain area. The little gathering of grasses in the middle surround a small fountain.

Road Rash

Many of you know that I can be quite clumsy at times. Last night when I was getting out of a taxi last night. As I was stepping back to be on the sidewalk, I failed to lift my foot the 12 inches needed. I fell over, quite gracefully. Here's the result:

The Story of My Camera

I usually just reply personally to comments (if at all), but Hook's comment on my last post reminded me of a story that I think everyone will enjoy. First of all, I don't remember what kind of camera I have, and it's not with me at the moment... I think it's a Nikon.

Anyway, back in April when I decided to come to Cairo, I had a list of things I needed and a list of things I wanted. On the list of things needed was a laptop. I had been saving specifically for a computer, so I was glad to have the money available.

One item at the top of my "want" list was a digital camera. I wanted a good one, but didn't really want to spend any money on it. I probably could have afforded an inexpensive (i.e., low quality) one... but I didn't want to. I had prayed about my needs, and the thought occured to me that I know a lot of people with cameras, and wouldn't it be great if someone loaned me a camera for 4 months at a time. Pretty unlikely, I know.

A couple days later, I climbed into Jeff's truck, and he asked me if I had a digital camera. When I told him no, he asked me how I would feel about a long-term loan. He happened to have two, one of which he hadn't even taken out of the package and came complete with rechargable batteries (and a battery charger). He had it with him, and said, "Here you go." I was surprised at his generosity, as we hadn't really known each other very long.

If nothing else, this experience has been repeatedly teaching me how the Lord provides.

Leaving Cairo

After a firm admonition from my mom, here is a new post. In my defense, this week has been quite busy, and I got a cold. Most of my free time has been spent sleeping, or trying to sleep.

On Thursday afternoon, I went with my family to a place outside of Cairo. It was some conference... "Dad" invited me along because I told him I was considering a trip with school for next weekend, but it is quite expensive. So I went with the fam. It was a little awkward for me because I was not a formal conference participant, but it turned out okay. I think. The point is, I got out of the city!! I couldn't believe how quiet it was, especially at night. We could hear crickets! Plus, I got a million and one more mosquito bites. It looks like I have chicken pox.

The pictures were taken randomly. The landscapes are taken from the roof, and the other pictures are inside the conference center. And some cityscapes of the drive there :-)

My first glimpse!

The conference center.

This is taken from the roof. Notice the red dates on the palm trees. And thanks to my zoom lens, you get a glimpse of village life.Inside the center again. I was trying to be artistic, like Jeremy. Perhaps I was mildly successful.

Making Dinner

Yesterday I made dinner for my host family. The menu was spaghetti with garlic bread. Everything started with shopping. Most things were easy to find, but I didn't know the Arabic word for basil (I do now!). Once we figured it out, I realized I had to order by the kilo, and if not by the kilo, then by the gram. I only needed a little bit! I spent one pound, and bought enough basil to last a year!

I got home and realized I'm very much my mother's daughter. I spent about an hour cleaning the kitchen before I felt I could start working. If there was a dishwasher, it would not have taken quite so long!

I started cooking, and my host sister was helping. She kept suggesting all these weird things, like adding pepper to the ground beef to take away the raw meat taste. I told her that the raw meat taste will go away once it's not raw anymore. After a while, I gave in and let her add pepper, as I would add it anyway. She also tried to insist that the water was boiling when it was still at all the little bubbles stage. I didn't let her put the pasta in! Finally, the oven is gas, so it doesn't have any heat directed from the top. The bread was toasty, but not from the top, like I'm used to. Overall, however, it was quite tasty. The sauce I bought was pretty sweet, which I don't prefer, but I think it was good anyway.

We also bought a box of brownie mix for dessert. This is a treat, because the imported foods are quite expensive. Unfortunately, someone had turned off the oven, so when I went to check them they weren't cooked. I started the oven, and everyone forgot about them. They were quite burned! We ate the middle part anyway :-)

The Metro Mall

Every day on the Metro, I have an opportunity to buy something. This morning it was socks, and this evening it was sheets of stickers and Koranic tracts. It’s quite interesting. Peddlers get on the car, and sell their things in one of two ways.

The women usually have bags of stuff and shout out what they are selling as they slowly make their way down the car. I’ve seen socks, hair thingys and other accessories, make-up, galibeyas (kind of like mumus), and plastic table covers.

The other vendors are boys or teenagers, who walk down the train and put something in everyone’s (or almost everyone’s) hand or lap. They sometimes skip people who are sleeping or reading, but sometimes not. They sell things like sheets of stickers, religious tracts, or other random little things. Usually they skip me, and I felt quite blended in the first time they gave me something. It was a bracelet-type thing made from hematite (that black, shiny stone). I think it was a prayer rope, like a rosary, because I saw the girl across from me counting the beads.

What strikes me as strange, is that people buy things! The woman this morning must have sold about 30 or more pairs of socks while we were standing there. I think they were 5 pairs for 10 pounds, or 2 ½ pounds each.

I have yet to buy anything, but if something strikes my fancy, I’m not hesitating!

Adjusting

I’ve been in Cairo over a month now. (Only 82 days left till Winter Break, for those counting!).

I keep wondering when I’m going to adjust to life here. When will I get used to the Sunday – Thursday work week? In my mind, Monday is still the dreaded work day, except now I say Monday when I should say Sunday. Church is on Friday, and I still say, “In church on Sunday…” I know I shouldn’t be too hard on myself and that four weeks won’t blot out 27 years of culturalization, but still. I’ve managed to tune out all the noise, unless it is impossible (like the blaring horn just outside the classroom today). And I find myself trying not to stare at foreigners. They stick out so much! I wonder if I stick out like that.

I feel like I’ve been here forever! I think such a huge change has brought that feeling on. This week I’ve felt like I’m in a daze, just floating through my classes and not really being there. I’ve been forgetting random things (meetings, class photo, etc) and I’m lucky to catch them without being completely unreliable.

I’m already tired of the daily commute. I’m tired of being sweaty all the time. Even though Fall is well under way, it is much like summer at home. Afternoons in the low 90’s, and at night it doesn’t drop below 70°.

Okay. Enough complaining!

Reminiscing Pink Martini

The other night I was self-indulgent. I usually end up staying up way too late, grading papers, reading, or just listening to my own thoughts about everything that needs to be done. Instead of doing that, I played computer games and listened to all three Pink Martini albums.

As I was listening, I started remembering everything associated with this band over the last few years. The first time I heard them, I was late to work. I stopped to give some guy a jump and ended up driving him to a gas station. While I was waiting, Pink Martini was in the KINK live performance lounge (www.kink.fm, my favorite radio station). After hearing a live version of Hang on Little Tomato, I was hooked.

I went out and bought the album. Christine and I started watching them on PBS whenever possible. She bought me their first album. I raved about them to all my friends.

Michelle, knowing how much I love this group, invited me to a company event at the zoo last October where Pink Martini was supposed to perform. We had a lot of fun, eating and drinking the free stuff, and waiting on the lawn for the show to start. It never did. The main guy disappeared and the show was cancelled.

The make-up concert was December 23 at the Schnitz. Michelle was out of town, so she gave me the tickets. Christine and I had so much fun!! We are such geeks, we went home, turned on PBS, and guess who was on J

Then Jeff, before we were dating, knew how much I liked them and bought tickets for the new album debut. By the time the show came, we were able to make a date out of it. Dinner before was wonderful; I had lamb at Red Star. The concert was fun, as expected. Jeff bought me the new album, and we danced in the seats along with everyone else.

Finally, Jeff, being the wonderful man that he is, bought tickets for a July concert at the zoo but was unable to attend. I took Amanda with me, and we got the VIP treatment. The concert was sold out by the time Jeff bought the tickets, and all that was left was VIP. It was wonderful! Reserved parking, a reserved blanket, dinner and dessert served, and souvenirs! Amanda and I had fun watching everyone dance in front of the stage. There were some humorous, some creepy, and many tipsy couples.

Last week I was at a coffee shop in Cairo, and I heard a Pink Martini song. No kidding. One of my classmates knows the band.

Ahhh. The memories. If you haven’t heard Pink Martini, I suggest you go right now, and buy all the albums!

Explosions, Bruises, and Other Strange Happenings

The weekend was quite eventful! After playing Dominoes for 3 hours on Thursday night, we went out for ice cream. On the way home, "dad" let me drive! It was quite exciting, and felt weird after a month of not driving. However, I did great and we made it home safely.

On Saturday morning the shower exploded. Let me explain. The hot water heater is right next to the bathtub and when the water is turned on, the pilot light ignites the flame that heats the water as you shower. When the water is turned off, the flames are supposed to go out, leaving the pilot light again. Well, I turned off the water, and the flames didn't go out. I was looking at it, and noticed a strange smell and odd noises. As I was reaching over to turn off the gas, it exploded. All kinds of vapor came out (turns out it was just water). I screamed, and once I realized I wasn't hurt, I jumped out of the bathtub (bruising my shin in the process). Dad came running in (I had the presence of mind to grab a towel!). Most of you know, I am NOT a screamer. I don't think I've ever screamed so loud in my life - my throat was sore, and I was pretty shaky. I guess this happened once before, a couple months ago. I have no idea why it exploded, but it was pretty scary.

Last night I was in my room, and managed to stab myself in the heel of my foot with a sewing needle. I have no idea why it was on the ground, but I ended up backing my heel onto it. I couldn't walk for a few minutes. Today it's a little sore!

Finally, I was walking home today, and almost got hit by a motorcycle. The driver was stupid. We were heading toward each other, but I had a parked car on my left and a moving care on my right. I had no where to go! The motorcycle squeezed by me and the car, almost taking me out in the process.

So that's been my life for the last couple days... will it ever settle down?

A Difficult Day

Today was rough. I knew it would be, at 1:30 this morning as I was falling asleep and planning to get up at 8 am. Wednesdays are long for me, as I'm in class (teaching and taking) from 11:45 to 3:00 without a break. I went to bed earlier than 1:30, I just couldn't sleep. I woke up at 2:15 to apply cream to my 9 mosquito bites. I woke up at 3:15 with the call to prayer. I woke up at 6:00 to a strange sound in my room. I looked around, couldn't figure out what the sound was, and went back to sleep. I woke up at 7 am and found out what the sound was.


Here's a picture of my room:

That is not dark blue paint. It's water. The following two pictures were taken at 7:15 and 7:45:

Apparently a pipe burst or something, right above my bedroom. The water was even leaking out of the building. I came home around 4, and this is my bedroom from the inside and out:

So my brilliant plan to get up early and finish the readings for class today didn't work. I had a meeting from 10-11, during which I found out I shouldn't do what I had planned for my class that day (at 11:45), so I had to scramble to get tomorrow's lesson ready for today. Of course, the computer I used had network printer problems, and the photocopy machine kept jamming.

I'm off to take a nap. Maybe then I'll feel like reading a bit. One more day till the weekend!

Iftaar

Tonight I had dinner (or breakfast, if you're Muslim) with some of the other fellows from school. It was really fun! I see them everyday at school, but it was nice to do something social with them. We went to dinner, and then to Second Cup, the Canadian version of Starbucks.

From left to right: Alice, Tasneen, Neveen, and Heba. It was fun.

At the resturaunt:

Strange signs and other oddities

I think I'm taking this teacher thing a little too far...Here's a fun little quiz for all my readers:

There's a sign I walk by every day. The sign reads, "The Top Of Performance it is not just a slogan but a commitment to our costumer". Which company is it for?
A. National Theatre Company
B. National Cement Company
C. The Metro System
D. National Sewing Company

Egyptians put the following on their pizza:
A. Faheta chicken
B. Hot dogs
C. Ketchup
D. Frish tomatoes
E. All of the above

If a student has a mobile in class (against school policy), what should I do?
A. Take away the phone for the class
B. Take away the phone for a day (until I see them the next day)
C. Make them give me 5 pounds
D. Other

So please, let me know what you think! Post your answer to at least number 3 as a comment. I'd be interested to see what you all say. Today I got 1.25 from students because they were talking in Arabic, which they aren't supposed to do. I think I'll be stocked with small change for a good while.

Tonight there's a big soccer match. I asked my students if they want homework tonight or tomorrow night, and they all said tomorrow because they want to watch the game. The men hanging out downstairs aren't playing Backgammon tonight - their chairs are all lined in a row watching TV.

The answers to 1 and 2 are B and E, respectively.

Random Pictures

More pictures by popular demand...

First, this is the view from where I'm sitting right now. I'm at a Coptic Monastary (supposedly where Jesus was when he came to Egypt) that has free WiFi.

I've left the church now. It was noisy and I felt a little odd being the only person not in a group. I'm at a "coffee shop" now, but it's more like a restuarant. I have to say, Egypt makes good lattes. This is the second one I've had (the other was at school), and they are way better than anything at home. Maybe because the milk they use is whole milk+ and I always order nonfat. The first Starbucks is coming soon to New Maadi. Hopefully my gift card will work, and I can get something better than NesCafe!

Anyway, the following picture is of men outside my window, five stories down. I hear them at night and smell the sheesha smoke.

Last night I bought a new pair of shoes. I've become tired of wearing sandals/flip flops all the time, and the only shoes I brought don't work with skirts (which is mostly what I wear). How much did dad win for saying I'd buy shoes within a month? But hey, for LE 60, they could last 2 weeks and I'd be happy.

Now I'm just having fun with the camera:

Pictures!

I took these today at school:

View from the Fellows' Room, a place where all the fellows in the ELI can work. We have a little balcony.

Just to the left of this hedge/fence, is the Metro access that I use everyday.

Here are pictures from the roof.

Here's my classroom. This is where I teach everyday, have one class, and usually meetings are held here. It's a "smart room", meaning it has a projector, document camera, computer, and audio equipment.

And here's a Ramadan lamp, in the ELI reception area. This one is pretty small and simple, compared to others I've seen.

Welcome to Ramadan

Ramadan began this evening. There are special store displays, television shows, and Ramadan music everywhere. There are also giant lanterns. I'll take a picture of some at school tomorrow, but for now, here's the night view from my window. The bright colored lights are Ramadan decorations.