I love you Cairo, but it was time to leave you

July 27, 2011 I left Cairo. Nearly three years after arriving in August 2008. Why did I leave?

Long answer. When I started the advertising job in August 2010 I said I would stay there for a year and then go home. I left the job before that but sort of always planned on leaving in August anyways. This plan was kept inside my head or whispered to close confidants. Who wants to live somewhere as if they are leaving? Better those around you think of you as being there for a while. To continue, Ramadan is a great time to be a non-Muslim in a non-Muslim country and three years is a good amount of time to be away from home. Three years is also a "shit or get off the pot" point. As in, I needed to commit to Cairo for real, learn Arabic, get my own apartment and start thinking of it as a permanent home and not just "where I was" or leave.

Other contributing factors include, but are not limited to... increasing national instability, most of my friends having left or planning to leave (bye Chrissie, Mike, Yusef and others), increased desire for pork products, increased desire for mountains, increased need for family hugs, decreased desire for noise and air pollution, my parents for the first time in three years saying "we would like it if you were home," increase desire for sister time, increased feelings of disconnection from friends stateside, and a nagging sensation (to use a cliche phrase) to start creating a permanent life somewhere (well not really permanent).

I think it is a little weird I feel like I have to justify leaving a country, but I do. Why? Well, I really loved Cairo. Still do actually. I had a job I liked, a pretty rad business (Cairo Cocktails), good friends, a handle on the scene and more of all of the goodness to come. But, the daily difficulties were beginning to outweigh the epic weekends and crystal blue seas. Post-revolution life for foreigners is dramatically different in many good, expected and annoying ways.  After three years I was starting to get to reactive and losing all patience with random people on the streets. In the weeks before I left I threw half a kilo of apricots a man in BMW when he pulled up next to me and told me I had a nice ass. True statement, but unwanted and tacky to put it nicely. After I felt only regret at not having rotten fruit to throw. Also, I hit a man with a book in the metro when he whispered something nasty to me as I walked in front of him. Also, I screamed at the government customs agents who stormed my work office. Who yells at government agents? The negatives of Cairo were beginning to overtake the many positives. Time to leave with happy thoughts in my head.

So after a particularly rough week in June I decided why wait till August? Why not just leave before then? Bought a ticket and started feeling really good about the decision. Who knows, after a few months of a depressed American economy, my faded tan, Tea Party idiots on the news, missing Cairo friends, Seattle rain and job searching I might be crying for Cairo. I will keep you posted.

For now though I looking forward to hiking, road trips, weddings, greenery, mid-west visits, friends a phone call away, election season and getting reacquainted with the USA.

Amazing to have been in Cairo.

Good to be home.

For mothers

For the mothers still with us and those that have passed. Because we never had to ask you to take care of us. You just did. Thank you.

Virginity Tests: A Revolutionarily Disgusting Idea

Every man and woman should remember every single woman they see walking down the street is someone's mother, sister, auntie, grandma, niece or cousin etc. There is no "other" type of women, as the Major Amr Imam of the Egyptian Army claims when talking about the protesters who were arrested and forced to undergo "virginity tests. He told CNN that


 “The girls who were detained were not like your daughter or mine. These were girls who had camped out in tents with male protesters in Tahrir Square, and we found in the tents Molotov cocktails and (drugs). We didn’t want them to say we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove that they weren’t virgins in the first place. None of them were (virgins).”


Articles are here and here


The women who were a part of the Jan25 Revolution were exactly the same as your mother, your sister, your aunt etc. They were then and are now women, like all women. Their bodies are their own. Their virginity is their concern and not a tool to be used by police to show the jailer's innocence upon release. Though varied in size, shape and color, women's bodies are fundamentally the same. The rights all women should have to protect and keep our bodies safe should be as similar. 


"Othering" a segment of the population is popular in every country. "They" are on welfare, only "they" do drugs, I won't get AIDS because I am not one of "them". Well in a city were 98% of women report getting sexually harassed on a daily basis there really is no "other" type of woman. If you are a guy and you still think only a "certain" type of girl gets harassed you are blind, ignorant and scared. 


Egypt is changing, slowly, but change is happening. Some women I know report less harassment and some report more. Certainly all reports from Tahrir during the height of the Revolution were of men and women side by side in the most respectful and equal manner. Keep the faith Egypt; get vocal and get upset about this behavior. Sexual abuse by the police or army is not set aside for women only. Men are victims of this as well and will be as long as it is tolerated in any form. No country will ever be a great country until all its citizens are equal and feel equally safe. 


I don't know of a country where women feel totally safe. But I had never heard of a country that peacefully deposed an autocratic ruler in less than 30 days either and Egypt you did just that. The world expects the worst from you, keep showing them the best. Be upset about this, be vocal in your opposition and keep demanding better from your countrymen and women.

Monday Song

This is what really matters

We all know the importance of hair. Historically (Samson and Delilah), biblically (washing feet with it), economically (you can sell it for wigs at a good price), sexually (otherwise why would some suggest women hide it?), children's books (Rapunzel) and socially (oh girl, you got that good hair). So while the fires of revolutions rage throughout the Middle East (a region particularly adverse to hair), Europe gets bailed out and America attempts to get rid of all forms of social welfare programs I say we focus on what really matters: the hair of important people or people we see on TV a lot. There are a few standout men and women in the public eye who would clearly be less important without their hair. Here are my nominations for best hair on the heads of a semi-polical figures.

Best Braids: Omar Bin Laden, son of Osama.

Hot dam his hair is sexy. 

How can Obama ignore his request for more information about the death of his father when faced with such sexy braids? He can't. Expect a press release soon and those photos people won't stop whining about.

Best Dye Job: Mubarek

His 30 year rule played second fiddle to his hair's eternal darkness. Like the Pharaohs before him, beauty mattered. Check my last post on his personalized pin-stripes.  Unlike the Pharaohs Mubarek did not prepare for his after life with the same vigor and we must be assumed his hair has faded, his riches will be looted and his tomb will go undecorated. 

Hair as Stupid as its Owner Sounds: Donald Trump

I am not a fan of "The Donald" and his hair does not help the cause. I do find it amazing that the stupidity of his hair style has been trumped (pun intended) by the stupidity of his "presidential campaign". The biggest crime Donald commits is giving red heads everywhere a bad name as most of us have wonderful hair. He should be kicked out of the tribe and forced to go brunette. I bet Mubarek's colorist is unemployed and could help him out with that transition.

Best Follicle Reason to Put a Ring On It: Kate Middleton

Apparently Kate's hair is her best asset. I doubt that, but it did become the most asked for hairstyle in New York salons almost overnight. 

Cairo 1950s

 

"Who's goals are different and destinies intersected, the struggle between life and people gets more intense. Life is as vibrant as this timeless river and people live it heading for the unknown."

That suit!

There is no reason for this post other than the photo below. You know you were a gangster when you had a pin-stripped suit with your name as the stripes.  WOW. Do you think Qaddafi has one? Would he know how to spell his name in English? Qaddafi Gaddafi, Kadaffi, Q'addafi and the list goes on. Even Hosny is potentially misspelled. Could by Hosni. Hope his tailor did not get in trouble for that. What do you think it is like to the tailor to someone like Mubarek?

This photo is second possibly only to the creatively hilarious website that is...

Kim Jong-Il Looking at Things. You will not be disappointed.

Or is the winner the Will Ferrel as Harry Carry vs Qaddafi mashup?

Not sure who wins. 

Maybe this amazing story I heard from a friend about Libyan state TV before Qaddaffi started killing everyone. The brother in law of my friend, let's call him Jim, was in Libya for work. Noting the extreme lack of night life Jim went back to his hotel room after dinner to watch some TV. A few minutes into his program the broadcast cuts and Qaddaffi appears on screen for a service announcement. In this announcement he immediately begins to yell at the TV audience, screaming "You are wasting your lives watching TV. You are useless, lazy and good for nothings. Get up and do something." The PSA  abruptly ends and regular programming continues. Um, what? Can you imagine watching a CSI rerun and all of the sudden Qaddaffi is on the screen screaming about how lazy you are for watching state TV? Amazing.

But, I don't want the epic stories of craziness to over shadow the cruel, murderous and senseless actions of Qaddaffi. Crazy or not he is one horrible SOB who is joined by far to many dictators we tend to pass off as "crazy," "delusional," or "eccentric". When really they are just murders.

Cairo-2011

If I wondered, and I did, if I would be here for the “big one” my dreams/fears you came true. Egypt, from Aswan to Alexandria and Cairo to the Sinai blew up. Millions of people came out and displayed civic and democratic sensibilities which most of the world did not think existed in Egypt. Mubarek sort of stepped down after many people were killed and many voices were threatened with violence. You have all watched the news I assume and unless you were watching FOX Not-So-News then you should have a good idea of what happened.

I arrived back to Cairo on Wednesday. Went to work on Thursday. Went to the peaceful demonstration on Friday, “The day of Remembering the Martyrs,” where the crowd resembled that of a country fair without the rides or livestock. If you have been to a country fair you know they are a real cross section of people. In America the cross section tends to be horribly unattractive, mainly interested in fried Twinkies and spattered with the young kids completely enthusiastic about rides, 4H and the freedom you have when you run through muddy grass fields to wait inline to win a silly carnival game.

In Cairo much was the same, but different and with less grass. There were bystanders stopping to watch a speakers in corners, kids crying and begging mom for a shoulder ride, loud speakers, vendors shouting and then you had a few “main stage” acts vying for visitors.  Tahrir was crowded, not hostile, you had the sense most were “tourists” not the OG Tahrir protesters and all seemed happy. Various “marches” went around the square, up to the edges, ventured in and then left again. There was the march for tourism in Egypt, the large flags busting through crowds like Chinese New Year Dragons, the faces of the dead help up on signs, flags for sale, ribbon for sale, stickers for sale and even some water for sale. All in all, a lot like a country fair.  I was happy I went and got over the small amount fear I had about coming back to Cairo. I also know I missed the real thing, but don’t have to many regrets about not being in the thick of it. I think there is another demonstration next Friday. I expect there to be one for many Fridays form now until things actually change.

After the protests on Friday the Cairo Jazz Club opened, from 3-11pm, for curfew style bar hours. The place was packed and the song below was blasted no less than three, maybe four or five, times and everyone sang along each time. “Sout Al Horreya,” written and performed by a local rock band and is a truly beautiful song. The video is all footage from "real day" in Midan Tahrir and gives a really good idea of just how many different people were there.  For now people are cautiously optimistic I would think. They are dealing with a new sense of freedom and a newfound ability to voice an opinion.

There are many who are committed to making sure real change in the civic society and government happens. There are many who want a secular Egypt. There are many who want those responsible for the crimes of the past three weeks held accountable. There are many who for the first time feel proud to be Egyptian.

Up next I think we have continued action in Bahrain, Libya, Tunisia is still going, maybe Iran and the rest of North Africa. Get ready and while you do listen to my new favorite song about Africa.

Turns out it is a revolution

I have a heavy heart because I left Cairo. Currently I am in the UK, safe, happy, loved, damp from rain and baking cookies. That sounds trite. I don’t really know how to talk about this whole experience in any other way. I feel as if I was dating someone and then their family started to hate our relationship so we tried to be secretive about it for a while and then I started to feel horrible about causing family troubles and left. I walked out of the door with a lot of love, respect, two heavy suitcases and sadness in my heart. Does that make sense?

I feel like cheating for leaving. I feel like a weenie, I also feel like there was no place for me there. I was under the feet of the people I lived with. I was not working. As much as foreign support for the protests matters, it was not my fight to be in the middle of on the ground. I could not really leave the house. Effectively I turned into a housewife.

Here is a little breakdown of what I was doing during the days I was in Egypt for the much needed revolution. I stayed inside, I watched TV, I cleaned up a bit, I organized a closet, I did my nails, when there was no phone or internet I did not use either, I checked in with the embassy and got conflicting reports about evacuations every day, I helped Ayman make the house safe, I got into the car twice to take two exploratory trips, I let my nerves and fear get control for periods of time and then calmed down, I stared at screens when thugs on camels whipped people, I was scared when I heard gunshots outside, I worried the people I knew and loved were getting hurt, I made food, I cried when I thought about leaving, I did dishes and when there was phone and internet I checked in with friends and family. My birthday happened on the most deadly day of the protests. I was unhinged because the life I had built (and was really happy with) was being torn away so unexpectedly, but at the exact same time beyond happy it was happening at all.

When I first moved to Cairo I wondered if at some point “shit would hit the fan” in the Middle East/North Africa. Maybe it would be Israel or Sudan. Both those guesses are, for the moment, wrong and for better or worse I was in Egypt. I have many foreign and Egyptian friends who are still there, a few who have left for good and a few doing exactly what I am doing.

I left with the intent of letting things calm down and then hopefully return. Nothing has really calmed down and nor should it. Nothing can calm down until the very simply stated and clear demands of the Egyptian people are met. Egypt is a beautiful country and it deserves a real government, one that does not torture and oppress the people it represents.

Ultimately I am in awe of the absolute people power exhibited almost out of nowhere. Before this revolution I had not heard one single Egyptian say, with a straight face, they were proud to be Egyptian. Now you have millions screaming it at the top of their lungs. With that sentiment and hte bravery shown by so many I remain in awe and I hope I can go back to a new and more beautiful Cairo. I actually really like my job, I have great friends I would like to see and I want to make fancy cocktails for Cairo Cocktails. All that seems trivial and I feel like a turd for thinking such thoughts, but at the same time people are revolting for a real democratic and stable life. Aren’t things like silly parties and work part of stable life?

Revolution?

As you may all know Egypt is experience a moment of revolution. Since the 25th of January men and women, old, young, long haired, veiled, educated and uneducated have been taking to the streets to protest 30 years of Mubarek's rule, impoverished living conditions, a police state and a general lack of true freedoms. The first day of protests I was out of town. Yesterday the protesters were met with immediate police force. Beebee gun bullets and tear gas were used to separate the protesters, who were then chased through Cairo's streets and separated. Today the streets are unnaturally quiet for a Thursday night and it can be assumed that people are either afraid to leave or resting for tomorrow's events.

Tomorrow after noon prayers a large demonstration is expected. "They" have blocked facebook, blackberry networks are down and twitter has been blocked for the past few days. Proxy servers seem to be working. But, considering how few people have actual access to internet (especially compared to numbers in Tunisia) the gatherings have been large.

I have registered with the embassy, two years later, and no warnings have been sent out. I am safe and will not be taking part in the protests. While I support the idea and motivation of the protests, this is not my fight and is not something a foreigner should be involved in on the ground. The best coverage I have seen is the Guardian UK, they have pretty good updates. If you search on twitter #jan25th or #egypt a good thread should show up. If I am not on facebook this is why.

Email works. I have no clear idea of how far this will go and expect that the strength of tomorrow's demonstrations will set the tone for the rest of what could become a revolution.

Thanksgiving in Cairo- the pilgrims would never want to be here but I do.

After the whirlwind trip to the USA I returned back to Cairo to keep working at Square Cube Communications and keep living in Heliopolis. Well, those two things are over! I have moved down to Maadi and in with Ayman. Life simplified a great deal with one cross-town move.  I am now closer to most of my friends, closer to Ayman, across the street from one of the best restaurants in Cairo (Cellar Door Bistro), two blocks away from the metro and living in an incredibly pleasant home.

Then at the beginning of October Anastasia came to visit. Luckily I had a vacation and we went out to the Sinai. Of all the people I have wanted to show the Sinia to Anastasia was number one. We stayed at the Good Life, got a little tan and chilled out.  Then we went back to Cairo and I went back to work. Ana did some epic tourist activities with the help of Chrissie and a few solo.  We went out together at night. Not everyone I wanted her to meet was around and I was stuck at work during the day, but she caught a glimpse of my life here.  One of the best things about sister visits is that Anastasia takes amazing pictures, all the photos below were taken by her.

 Red wall at the Good Life :)

 Daily Nescafe 

 Side street downtown on the way to check out the Townhouse Gallery

 A gaggle of ladies alongside the Nile 

 How many dirty kitties can you see?

Anastasia walking through Khan El Khalili alley ways

While Anastasia was here I interviewed and was hired for a new job. Yes, another new job. Why you may ask? Despite the correct job title and initial interest in the work my daily activity had slowed to a standstill. The account I was hired for was drying up and there was little English work to be done. In short I was being wasted and was so board I wanted to cry everyday.

I now work at Rania’s Corner, a concept boutique. We sell high-end furniture, clothing knick-knacks, jewelry and other fun things. I manage the shop and assist Rania with what ever comes up. So far I love it. We had a fun event this week, a jewelry showcase. Plus, the customers are amazing people, the environment is fun, I get to wear better clothes and I am actually being used.  Even if all that was not true my new commute would make the change worthwhile. 

Compare:

Old work: 30 plus pounds in cab rides daily, wait at a gross gas station, drive through around two hours of nasty traffic both ways, and arrive at workplace in a not so developed new development.

New work: Two pounds daily-plus coffee, nice walk to nearby metro station, about an hour and half both ways,  metro allows for ipod listening and reading, exercise in the form of walking to and from stations, pleasant scenery and necessities nearby.  WINNER!!!!

 Winning at life-Anastasia and Faye.

In other news Chrissie and I launched a business. Cairo Cocktails, please become our friend on facebook. After being here for a while the two of us noticed a real gap in the service and quality of bartending at events and parties. Either you pay a ton to import fancy shmancy folks from Europe or you are stuck with cheap local bartenders who do not drink and make martinis with Martini and Rossi over ice. We are somewhere inbetween. We have great experience in customer service, bartending, are professional and passionate about bringing real cocktails to Cairo. We work with a host to prepare a specialized cocktail menu, make our own syrup infusions and have gotten a few gigs so far. 

Plus, Chrissie is a networking queen and has found a few other excellent Americans with bartending experience to help us out. Hopefully we can really get things going and have more fun.  People in general are enthusiastic about the idea and really supportive. We got a great write up in Quintessentially,  a concierge service found in almost every major city around the world.

 Jimmy and Ramez at their camp.

So life in Cairo goes well and I am fairly happy. We just had a big long vacation. I went back to the Sinai with Cairo friends and Fran (from UW-Madison), who was teaching in Tanzania and now traveling with her friend Jeffrey. They will be eating Thanksgiving Day dinner with us tonight.  Yeah, life sounds pretty good right?

Far far away in the Middle East/North Africa there is a girl…

Faye, who has very many things, people and places to be thankful for.  She is thankful for a family who makes her feel loved enough to do crazy stuff and takes their time and money to come visit (all of them now!), thankful for friends in Cairo who make this crazy city feel like home, thankful for business partners/best friends who put up with her, thankful for a new roommate who made his house her home and thankful for this big crazy beautiful, strange and loving world. 

Re-entry

I feel as if I start many posts with "Yes, I am still here," but I am still in Cairo. I wake up many days and have no idea how two years (more really) went past.  The fact that I have been here for two years was made more apparent and also less obvious when I went home.

Home, Seattle, was an occasion filled event.

Occasion number one, Burning Man. There are many things to be said, I don't think there are any pictures of me so I can't post them and this experience has no doubt changed my life for the better. Absolute inspiration and creativity does not even begin to give justice to what people (horribly normal people and amazingly freaky people) create for this extravaganza. I am still in awe. Ayman and Chrissie could not have been better first time Burn Buddies and if I did not love them for any other reason (which of course I love them for many reasons) those days in the desert would be reason enough to love them forever. Yes, Burning man inspires that sort of love. It is worth it, everyone needs another reason to love something, someplace or something.

I "borrowed" the pictures below from a facebook album Ayman made of various people's photos. I can take no credit.

 The actual layout of the Playa.

I don't know her name, but she was a few stories tall, lit up at night and made me happy to be human.

Occasion number two, Maya's wedding. The first of my best buddies from high school and life in general to get married and she did it right. The ceremony and wedding were filled with tradition, friends, family and crazy Jewish folk dancing. Maya altered her grandmother's wedding dress into something timeless and perfectly Maya (somehow delicate, unique and yet strikingly traditional). I met the groom, Ben, for the first time and was impressed in many ways. All of the ladies showed up, traveling from Paris, SF and Portland.

 Quill, me, Becca and Caitlin.

 Nan, Becca, Besty, me, Caitlin, Sarah and Emily waiting for the ceremony to start outside the newly remodeled Husky boat house.

Occasion number three, Ana was in town. Sister time is always a good time. Family times are also good times.

Occasions four and five, September family birthdays. I was not around for the actual date of my dad's b-day but close as I could get. For mom's actual date I was there and she hosted a wonderful ladies only brunch with lots new friends from the new neighborhood (finally got to put some faces to the names) and old friends from all around town. A delicious way to spend what turned out to be a sunny day. Also, later at a Georgetown bar I figured out spicy chai tea tastes amazing when steamed with a little bit of soy milk and enhanced with a generous shot of dark rum. If it was ever winter in Cairo it would be my drink of choice.

The trip home was also incredibly stressful. Lots of travel time in planes and airports, I got sick and I realized just how absent I have been from America. Expired driver's license, not able to get a doctors appointment, dentist check ins, forgotten street names and  lots of new buildings. I have also grown used to how hard simple things are to get done (for me) in Cairo and this attitude transferred to America. Where, things can be hard to get done but ultimately I know how to do them in my native country and I should have calmed down and relaxed. Lesson learned.

The return to Cairo was rough. I got a bad head cold and had I hoped my time in Seattle would shed light on where I really want to be at this moment, it did not shed much light at all.  I did find out Seattle can still be a new city for me. My friends there have managed to discover  unknown aspects of the city and get involved in different things. Their actions have assuaged my fear about going back to Seattle and finding it to be the same as it was for the first 22 years of my life or not as exciting.

A couple weeks after landing life is smoothing out and Cairo, as ever, is proving to be an amazing host. Just when you think the whole country is silly a tiny phone call proves you wrong, you meet someone who blows all expectations out of the water or a good conversation reminds you are really just having a bad day and your mood has very little to do with Egypt.

The best news is that Anastasia is coming to visit. More words of excitement to come about this later, Boom! Wham! Whoo Hoo! Awesome! Those are all I got for now.

Onward towards the promised land

As I pack and get ready to leave for my oh-so-exciting vacation to the West Coast I have to admit that the America I see in the headlines is horribly pathetic.

Let's take a sampling of the headlines from right now...

-Idiots protesting the "Three Blocks Away From Ground Zero and Within Walking Distance of  Strip Club Mosque" are making the entire USA look like bigots and hate filled Islamaphobic uneducated twits. What a surprise the whole debate and  is actually fueling Jihadist rhetoric and during Ramadan when everyone with a minaret has a particularly captive audience.

-An even bigger idiot in Florida is attempting to turn 9/11 into  "International Burn A Koran Day," wow Nazi!

-Politicians from New Hampshire are denying Global Climate Change. Really, in New Hampshire?

-Sarah Palin is still getting press, if you ignore her she will go away!

-Idiot Republicans are actually trying to get rid of the 14th Amendment, Anchor Babies? Democrats-you are horrible at thinking up witty phrases, get a new copy writer!

-People actually believe Obama is a Muslim. Really? Didn't he write a book about his faith? Can these people read?

Not so good. This depresses me. Two years later people still hate George Bush Jr, they still like Clinton (ha!), and they are beginning to see Obama as a fraud and no better than the rest. When you live abroad you get a lot of crap still for being an American and I have to respond. I used to be able to say things were changing, the mood of the country seemed to be happier and more intelligent. Now, I am scared I was dead wrong. I am scared that we are ignoring everything that is really important and focusing on stupid anchor baby inspired debates on the Right and on the Left the every present battle of who is the most liberal without actually supporting liberal policies because somehow they allowed the Right to call everything Socialist.  On the other hand my Canada jokes now have a twinge of sadness behind them because not so secretly I am jealous of my old Northern neighbor and I think the sadness adds another layer to the humor.

On this trip back I know I will see friends, attend a wedding of a best friend, and stare at mountains. I hope I find something else, something that will make me want to be in America.

Ramadan! Let's Go!

This is my third Ramadan in Cairo, only my second in a real workplace. Although, in the spirit of the season and honesty let's not call the school a real workplace, so this is really my first in a real workplace. What does Ramadan mean for me? People get sleepy and slow. My working hours shift from 10-6pm to 10-4pm. Daylight life hours are few and far between. Anyone who can swing shifts their work to night and sleeps all day. Anyone who is not into fasting, hates the vibe and can afford it leaves the country. Tons and tons of dates are consumed. Families have large meals and spend time together. The local networks compete for ratings with hours of movies. Finally, Ramadan like most religious festivals does not resonate deeply with me, but it does affect my daily life and if I had family close by it would be the perfect reason to sit around and do nothing with them.

The most exciting thing about this Ramadan? I am leaving for part of it! That's right, headed back to Seattle and the glorious West Coast for the first time in two years. Who knows how much I miss it. I have no idea so you have no idea. I leave Cairo on the 25th and stick around Seattle until September 15th. During that time I will attend the wedding of Maya Newman, the first one of my Seattle Ladies to get married, celebrate mom's b-day and celebrate dad's b-day (if a few days early). Otherwise I plan on walking up and down hills, maybe riding my bike around, drinking coffee, eating Paseo, staring at mountains, taking note of how many buildings have been torn down and replaced with condos, losing my tan, chilling in the rain, renewing my driver's license, hugging people I have not seen for two years, if I am lucky eating some Pacific Salmon and watching sun sets over the Olympics.


At this very moment the thought of packing and spending a horrendous amount of time on a plane makes me feel queasy, but in a few days I will be very excited. Cell phone is the same and if you are around Seattle let's hang out.

May through June = CRAZY

My oh my the fun times I have had recently. Sorry for no posts since forever, but this is how life goes.

First we should start with Suzie's crazy, whirlwind, non-stop three day visit to Cairo. She is crazy and I love her for it. What an honor to have someone come all the way here for only three days! She was picked up from the airport in the most amazing fashion ever with new friends and old. From then on it was non-stop. Highlights include a one day trip to Alexandria, delicious quail dinner/lunch at Andrea's (new to me), riding a camel for the first time by the Pyramids, plenty of girl chat, dominating Khan el Khalili and Suzie being her fantastic sunny self!

Our camels

After Suzie's departure I had about a week to prepare for my first trip back to America in nearly two years. The entire Ehrich family gathered in New York for the wedding of Nate and Vicky on Saturday June 12th in Bryant Park. They hosted a truly beautiful, thoughtfully planned, and delicious weekend. Outings included the most outrageous burger I have ever eaten, jazz, William's graduation luncheon, a trip up the Empire State Building, a very tasteful rehearsal dinner with drinks after and plenty of walking around. The wedding was gorgeous, bride and groom were impeccable, my champagne glass was never empty, the steak was perfectly pink, everyone danced all night, and they had a Polaroid photo booth. Please everyone who is getting married copy the photo booth idea. 

Stepping foot on American soil was not quite the shock I thought it would be. Still, chilling in Brooklyn with Ana and mom, plus friends was a good break. I also got some much needed daddy daughter time, mommy daughter time, sister time, a haircut, and over all family time.The weather was rainy (nice break really), I could wear shorts in the streets, caught a football match with Dad, had the option of an alcoholic drink at every meal, quality window shopping, phone to calls to the girls around the country (it has been years since I have talked on the phone with some of these ladies) and pork products!

Can't complain about the trip at all. Then back to Cairo where I was immediately taken to the beach for an amazing weekend. Then back to work and the beach every weekend since. Think I am sticking around Cairo this weekend, but who really knows. In the meantime I am planning a trip back in the fall to Seattle and life will move forward from there. What the past almost two months have taught me is that just when you really think you can't stand a place someone or something will flip it on its head and make you love it all over again if you are open to this action. Being open and receptive to new opportunities and people is the biggest lesson I learned while away from America. I have finely tuned my douche bag radar, which aids in knowing who and what to be open with. So, while I could see happily going back to the states anytime, I can't really see leaving Cairo just yet. Conundrum I know. Cairo has a momentum I like right now, I feel like jumping and and saying hello to all of it.

We went to the Empire State Building, such a touristy activity, but actually pretty cool. 

Note the shorts in a very public place, so awesome.

Here are some facts about Cairo and Egypt

Egypt has 81,527,172 people as of 2008.

Cairo has over 20,000,000 residents, I would say it is safe to add on another 2-5 million to that number.

Donkey carts have been outlawed in downtown Cairo in an effort to improve traffic.

The new "Ring Road" is 100 kilometers (62 miles) and as the name implies goes around the Cairo/Giza metropolis.

Cairo is considered a "Mega City," joining the likes of Mumbai, Mexico City, New York, Tokyo, and others.

One half of all hospital beds are found in Cairo

One half of all university desks are found in Cairo




If Cairo were a sovereign nation it would be the 5th largest Arab country

Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt, in only 30 percent the size of Cairo.

Cairo is home to Al Azhar University, the world's oldest surviving degree granting university.

There are over 2,000,000 cars in the streets of Cairo, 60 percent of which are over ten years old.

The Great Pyramids of Giza, sort of Cairo, are the only remaining  monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

An estimated 9,351 under-age marriages take place in Egypt, with the vast majority of them taking place in Cairo.

A Greek papyrus from 163 B.C. mentions girls in Egypt undergoing female circumcision and the practice is widely accepted to have originated in Egypt and the Nile valley at the time of the Pharaohs. Although both Al Azhar religious officials and Coptic Pope state it has no basis in religious scripture, practice, or law and it should be not practiced.

The average Egyptian spends 110 Egyptian pounds on cigarettes, that's about 20 dollars, a month.

Mohsen Reda, an Egyptian Member of Parliament, was asked about the prevalence of sexual harassment against women in Egypt and was quoted as as saying that women should be dressed more modestly as “a lot of our youth can’t afford marriage so it is only normal for some harassment to take place.”

The minimum monthly salary of an Egyptian government employee is just LE 289 (53 US dollars).

Other people's blogs, which may or may not be about Egypt.

One of the most useful and annoying tools I have found in Cairo is a list serve called Cairo Scholars. With over 2,000 members who can email the entire group at any time you can imagine the absolute stupidity and absolute usefulness of the group.

I asked for a collection of blogs because when I was traveling here I found it very hard to find up to date information about living in modern Cairo. The guide books are for tourists and most Google searches turn up information about all the old stone stuff.

Here are the blogs if you are interested in what some other ex-pat type people living in Cairo get up to. I don't know these people and the blogs were not vetted. Many of them are more political, have way better photos, and not nearly as snarky as mine.

www.omraneya.net

Aggregation of blogs on Egypt/by Egyptians in English and Arabic.

http://equivocus.livejournal.com

Written in Armenian or  Russian.

Have you ever seen Armenian written? It looks so cool. There are also English posts.

www.ericincairo.blogspot.com 

Chronicles adventures both in and outside of Egypt.

http://transhumancity.wordpress.com/

http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com

www.theshepherdsguild.blogspot.com

www.adewegypt.wordpress.com

http://bloggingegypt.blogspot.com

http://www.IncendiaryImage.com

PS. I'm starting a new blog, in the near future. Stay tuned.

PPS This article is funny, click here.

Apartment peek

This is my balcony. 

If you keep walking forward the balcony wraps around the side of the building. 

One of the best things about the building is none of our neighbors are more than one story taller than us. One of the worst things about the building is the horribly loud mosque directly behind our balcony and the other mosque somewhere close. They cannot get their call to prayer times together, seriously it is supposed to all happen at one time and not 30 minutes apart.

Looking out from the living room. 
We are not responsible for the curtains or furniture. If either Jasmin or I were planning on being here more than 1-2 years we might change something, but this is not the case.

The Egyptian version of The Onion

Let is be said that the vast majority of Egyptians have truly wonderful sense of humor. The proof, if you doubt, can be found in the website El Koshary.

The actual dish Koshary is the delicious carbohydrate filled street food made out two types of pasta, brown lentils, rice, chickpeas, fried onions, tomato sauce, garlic sauce, and a really hot sauce. Koshary is incredibly cheap and comes in massive servings.

I once got in a friendly argument about the root of the name Koshary. My friend held that it was derived from the Jewish/Hebrew tradition/word "Kosher." I claimed it was derived from the Arabic word meaning "random" or something similar to "grab bag."  Like most people do these days we Googled it and my claim had the greater number of Google hits. If we had been betting money I would have walked away richer. We were not betting money and no one in Egypt I have met can give me a 100 percent translation. The recipe is said to have been created by ancient followers of the Coptic faith (Egyptian Orthodox Christians) to eat during their fasts, when they do not eat dairy, meat, or animal products.I don't think Koshary is Kosher. Not many Rabbi's on the street corners selling food in Cairo.

The actual food is not the point, but knowing Koshary means roughly "a jumble" and that it is dirt cheap street food gives the website's title a little more depth. Read and laugh.
 

Crossing the street

This video is really accurate, thanks CNN. Although I never find it that dangerous. If you are curious this is also what many of the veiled women in Cairo look like, the anchor speaks really bad Arabic, and the streets are filled with crappy cars.

To watch the CNN video on Cairo Street Crossing click here please.