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.

Screw the gym, let's go to the roof!

Cairo can be a stressful place. Cairo can be a place that offers very few, obvious, ways to release your stress. Before I left I ran into a friend at a wedding who had been here for a few months, he cautioned me that one day I would need to lock myself up in a room and get pissed drunk. He was right, but luckily you can find places to go out and get piss drunk because getting completely wasted behind closed doors is to close to alcoholism for me, a wee bit sad.

Alas, there are other ways to relive stress. I suddenly started reading like I used in middle school. Once again I am finishing a book in a day, stealing them from friends with decent taste, and even buying some from Virgin Megastore. Buying from such a sick store is a little depressing, but then again I do drink Starbucks coffee now. Next stop Abercrombie & Fitch to completely round off my middle school rehashing.

Katie and I also discovered the rooftop is the next best thing to a gym. In our best effort to emulate a circuit workout we ran up some stairs and proceeded to rock out on the roof, working on our fitness. Paul was there to document the event on digi film.

Ipods. Sync'd

Figuring out double jump roping.

If you would like to try for yourself, I do suggest you do, you will need one ipod per person, one jump rope, headbands, spandex, and one rooftop. Sync ipods and start the same song at the same time. Now alternate between jump roping, alone or together, and running around in circles on the roof. Running’s benefits are increased with occasional fist pump in the air in time to your sweet tunes. For added enjoyment give your workout buddy an encouraging high-five when you pass each other running. Continue for 20-30 minutes. Add some lunges, a few push-ups, and don’t forget to stretch. Wash, rinse, repeat- presto fitness!


One day we might be brave enough to conduct an aerobics class in the street, but I think I might have to be piss drunk to attempt this. In all my years of athletic performance I have not worked out drunk, something tells me Egypt is not the best place to start.

View from Nour's House and Nour

View from the deck off the room I sleep in at Nour's house.

My Bed.

Nour and his younger brother Ezz.


Nour and his family live in Heliopolis, a not quite suburb outside of downtown Cairo. Most buildings are high rise concrete monoliths, but inside the nicer apartments you will find tiled floors, air conditioning, tasteful furniture, patios and large rooms. Nour lives in a nice place.

Streets are rarely well paved and are usually filled with sandy dust, men standing on the corners and various stalls. A really nice shop will be next to a shady cigarette stand and across from a fruit vendor and a snack kiosk. Pepsi and Coke reign supreme and I have seen more 7up here than in anywhere else. I am extremely glad Diet Coke is a universal happening, sometimes multinationals are a good thing, sometimes.