Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Getting ready to leave for Luxor tonight. My bag isn't packed, but almost everything
is out on my bed.
It rained early this morning!!!!
Unfortunately, it was before I woke up, so I didn't get to see it. Apparently,
this is very unusual to have any rain in February. But I suppose the timing
was good, as the streets were somewhat messy from Tuesday's events.
I should note that people did a very good job of washing out the sidewalks
and streets with water Tuesday evening, but the rain certainly washed
everything away.
Tuesday night, I found a good place for fuul and tamaya. Fuul is sort of a
bean paste put into pita bread with veggies to eat as a sandwich. Tamaya
is very similar to falafel and also served with veggies in a pita. It's
really cheap stuff, yet tasty. For the 2 sandwiches, I paid 1 Egyptian pound
(abbreviated LE). At current exchange rates, that's less than 20 cents!
But the cheap stuff won't be available in Luxor, where I'll be for the next
couple of days. That's definitely a tourist location, with the prices to
match! *sigh* Oh well, it'll be good to be away for a couple of days.
Supposedly, it's warm and sunny during the day. I was told to bring a hat
to block sun, sunglasses, and sunscreen. I'm also taking lip balm with
sunscreen that my Mom got me for Christmas. Thanks Mom!
Not sure what I'll do in Luxor, but I have a guidebook and I'm kinda going
along with my 2 bosses and their young boys. Both boys are around 10. We're
going/coming back on the same train so that'll be good. My language skills
are still lacking, even for asking directions so their help will be nice.
Arabic classes are tough! The tutor I've had the past couple of days is good,
but she didn't waste any time. She introduced all 28 letters in their basic
form on the first day and then went on to how they change when combine with
other letters on day 2. We've gotten into conjugation and conversation, now
as we're up to day 4.
Hopefully my class will be good. It will start on Monday, if enough people
are registered.
Well, battery power is getting low and I don't feel like plugging in
right now so I should go.
WARNING: This entry is R rated for mature content. Those with a queasy stomach
might want to skip it.
My strongest memory of Tuesday is of gunpowder and blood.
Gunpowder from firecrackers and blood from sheep, that is...
Tuesday was the beginning of Eid el Adha celebrating the ram that was
sacrificed instead of Abraham's son . The holiday actually goes all week,
but Tuesday was the day of slaughter and now Wednesday is the day of
feasting.
So, Tuesday there was blood flowing in the streets. All day, the butchers
went about their appointed rounds. House-to-house, slaughtering the animals.
At some locations, this was done on the roof. At others, inside a garage area,
but with many it was right out on the sidewalk. It becomes quite a spectacle
and small crowds gather.
As timing would have it, I never quite saw the butchers at the beginning of the
process. I just saw the cuts of meat being made and the blood flowing down the
street.
The smell mixed with gunpowder as children and adults began setting off firecrackers.
Not the ladyfinger type, mind you. Pretty big stuff, and loud!
So many things are strange or unusual here, yet it feels somewhat normal at
the same time. It's difficult to explain. Perhaps I can think more and write
about this later.
Sunday, February 09, 2003
Very long post here. Most was destined for my mom, but it's pretty much all that's been going on. Well, except for all that happened on Sunday, but I haven't written that down yet...
Sitting in the flat on Saturday evening, it’s about 9pm. I should probably wander out for some groceries and a meal at some point… Today’s been fairly busy. I met Craig and Carmen at the MCC office this morning. It’s a very close walk from where I’m living right now. They were supposed to be there at 10am but got caught up and didn’t arrive until about 11am. I had time to read, though. There’s an English-language newspaper called Al-Ahram weekly that I read a bit on the web before I got here but at the office they had the printed version. Lots about current events, politics, and some about local events.
We were at the office for our financial orientation. Instructions on how we fill out paperwork for expenses, how we request cash advances, when forms are due, etc. Not exciting, by any means, but necessary and it will help to have this structure and routine to do. That took a few hours, so we went for a meal around 2:30. By the time we were finished, it was close to 5 and Craig was going to drive Carmen home, as she’s a bit of a distance from here and is still getting used to the trams, metro, busses, and cabs. In what I’ve done so far, I haven’t needed to use any of those. Not sure if that’s good or bad. It’s made things easier just to walk a couple of places or have Craig pick me up, but in the long run I’ll need to figure out the mass transit system.
On Sunday morning, I’m meeting Craig again so that I can go register for my Arabic class. This upcoming week is a holiday, so I won’t have class until a week from Monday. But I’ll be in Luxor at the end of the week. Craig, Karen, and their boys were going on a quick trip and invited me. We’re taking the train and it’s not really that expensive, I guess, but it’ll be a chunk of my personal spending money for the month. But I have the money, so I might as well use it on little trips like this! It’s an overnight train on the way there and then an early morning one on the way back. Something like 10 or 12 hours, I think. We leave on the 12th and come back the 15th so we’ll have all day on the 13th and 14th to do things. Not sure what they have in mind, but I’ll probably do some things on my own and maybe a few things with them. We’re going to figure out some relatively cheap hotel once we get there.
It’s quiet here right now because the other guy staying in the flat (Darren) is on a short trip with a friend of his who is visiting from S. Africa. He’s working with a Christian group there. Anyway, they went somewhere up on the Sinai Peninsula. Not sure how to spell it or what they’re doing there. I’ll hear about it when they get back on Monday.
I’m learning bits and pieces of Arabic just from being on the street, but not much yet. I’ve been trying to pick up some vocabulary from the books around so I just need to go into some shops to practice.
Church on Friday was good. A fairly traditional service and communion, but the pastor was vibrant and evangelical. Mostly foreigners and African refugees at the service, so I had some good conversations after the service was over. Not sure if I’ll make this “my church”. Probably not. I want to check out a couple of others. There are some “younger” places, from what I’ve heard. Mostly a matter of deciding to go and then finding them, which shouldn’t be too bad. I can’t really tell you right now what the message is about. However, we did do some Bible discussion here at the flat on Friday night. Darren and his friend were going to read/discuss, so they invited me to join. We looked at 2 Timothy 2:14-end. Interesting to think about!
I guess I’m jumping all around on topics here. Just kinda letting my mind go. The flat I’m staying at is really big. It’s definitely upper-middle class, by Egyptian standards. There’s a bathroom with tub/shower combo, sink, toilet, and the washing machine. I haven’t tried the washing machine yet. It’s European style, so you load it from the side, there’s no agitation, and I haven’t tried it yet. For drying, there are drying racks and a clothesline on the balcony.
Yes, there’s a balcony that looks out on a small street. We’re up 2 levels above the ground floor so it’s fairly quiet. I’ve heard the prayer calls from a nearby mosque this evening, but in the mornings, I’ve been sleeping through them. There are 3 bedrooms in the flat, but 1 is mostly storage. Lots of stuff around, like things people have left here instead of selling or taking back with them. There’s a little attic above the bathroom that I need to explore, but it’s really dusty. I want to ask Craig about it to see if it’s worth going up there. I saw a list of the items stored there, but it’s dated 1997! *laugh* Maybe I’ll create an updated list or something. Sometime when I want to get really dirty!
So each bedroom has a door going out to the balcony. We’re in the corner of the building, so the balcony makes a “L” around the 3 bedrooms. Mine is the corner bedroom. At some point, I’ll take pictures and try to send them or put them up on a website. I haven’t tried connecting from the flat yet. Plenty of time for that! I’ve been sending messages from Craig/Karen’s and now from the office.
High ceilings in this place. Probably a bit over 10 feet tall with a big, open sitting/dining room, plus a fairly big living room with 2 couches, a few soft chairs, and a coffee table. It’s a little chilly sitting here so I think I might toss on my coat and go walking/shopping/eating. My bed is probably queen size and pretty comfortable. I have a couple of light blankets on it which keep me warm at night. It’s a bit chilly stepping out of the shower in the morning, though! *smirk* Good, hot water but then cool air!
Speaking of water, I started drinking tap water the first night I was here… No ill effects so far! Actually, it’s filtered tap water, so it could still have upset my stomach, but I’m doing well with it. The food has been sitting well too. Good news about all that!
I love you both and I’ll try to start writing more personal things too. I’m in good spirits, but I do feel overwhelmed and unprepared at times. Well, most of the time I feel unprepared but that’s to be expected! *Grin* I’m in Egypt! Good to remind myself of that every now and then.
Sitting in the flat on Saturday evening, it’s about 9pm. I should probably wander out for some groceries and a meal at some point… Today’s been fairly busy. I met Craig and Carmen at the MCC office this morning. It’s a very close walk from where I’m living right now. They were supposed to be there at 10am but got caught up and didn’t arrive until about 11am. I had time to read, though. There’s an English-language newspaper called Al-Ahram weekly that I read a bit on the web before I got here but at the office they had the printed version. Lots about current events, politics, and some about local events.
We were at the office for our financial orientation. Instructions on how we fill out paperwork for expenses, how we request cash advances, when forms are due, etc. Not exciting, by any means, but necessary and it will help to have this structure and routine to do. That took a few hours, so we went for a meal around 2:30. By the time we were finished, it was close to 5 and Craig was going to drive Carmen home, as she’s a bit of a distance from here and is still getting used to the trams, metro, busses, and cabs. In what I’ve done so far, I haven’t needed to use any of those. Not sure if that’s good or bad. It’s made things easier just to walk a couple of places or have Craig pick me up, but in the long run I’ll need to figure out the mass transit system.
On Sunday morning, I’m meeting Craig again so that I can go register for my Arabic class. This upcoming week is a holiday, so I won’t have class until a week from Monday. But I’ll be in Luxor at the end of the week. Craig, Karen, and their boys were going on a quick trip and invited me. We’re taking the train and it’s not really that expensive, I guess, but it’ll be a chunk of my personal spending money for the month. But I have the money, so I might as well use it on little trips like this! It’s an overnight train on the way there and then an early morning one on the way back. Something like 10 or 12 hours, I think. We leave on the 12th and come back the 15th so we’ll have all day on the 13th and 14th to do things. Not sure what they have in mind, but I’ll probably do some things on my own and maybe a few things with them. We’re going to figure out some relatively cheap hotel once we get there.
It’s quiet here right now because the other guy staying in the flat (Darren) is on a short trip with a friend of his who is visiting from S. Africa. He’s working with a Christian group there. Anyway, they went somewhere up on the Sinai Peninsula. Not sure how to spell it or what they’re doing there. I’ll hear about it when they get back on Monday.
I’m learning bits and pieces of Arabic just from being on the street, but not much yet. I’ve been trying to pick up some vocabulary from the books around so I just need to go into some shops to practice.
Church on Friday was good. A fairly traditional service and communion, but the pastor was vibrant and evangelical. Mostly foreigners and African refugees at the service, so I had some good conversations after the service was over. Not sure if I’ll make this “my church”. Probably not. I want to check out a couple of others. There are some “younger” places, from what I’ve heard. Mostly a matter of deciding to go and then finding them, which shouldn’t be too bad. I can’t really tell you right now what the message is about. However, we did do some Bible discussion here at the flat on Friday night. Darren and his friend were going to read/discuss, so they invited me to join. We looked at 2 Timothy 2:14-end. Interesting to think about!
I guess I’m jumping all around on topics here. Just kinda letting my mind go. The flat I’m staying at is really big. It’s definitely upper-middle class, by Egyptian standards. There’s a bathroom with tub/shower combo, sink, toilet, and the washing machine. I haven’t tried the washing machine yet. It’s European style, so you load it from the side, there’s no agitation, and I haven’t tried it yet. For drying, there are drying racks and a clothesline on the balcony.
Yes, there’s a balcony that looks out on a small street. We’re up 2 levels above the ground floor so it’s fairly quiet. I’ve heard the prayer calls from a nearby mosque this evening, but in the mornings, I’ve been sleeping through them. There are 3 bedrooms in the flat, but 1 is mostly storage. Lots of stuff around, like things people have left here instead of selling or taking back with them. There’s a little attic above the bathroom that I need to explore, but it’s really dusty. I want to ask Craig about it to see if it’s worth going up there. I saw a list of the items stored there, but it’s dated 1997! *laugh* Maybe I’ll create an updated list or something. Sometime when I want to get really dirty!
So each bedroom has a door going out to the balcony. We’re in the corner of the building, so the balcony makes a “L” around the 3 bedrooms. Mine is the corner bedroom. At some point, I’ll take pictures and try to send them or put them up on a website. I haven’t tried connecting from the flat yet. Plenty of time for that! I’ve been sending messages from Craig/Karen’s and now from the office.
High ceilings in this place. Probably a bit over 10 feet tall with a big, open sitting/dining room, plus a fairly big living room with 2 couches, a few soft chairs, and a coffee table. It’s a little chilly sitting here so I think I might toss on my coat and go walking/shopping/eating. My bed is probably queen size and pretty comfortable. I have a couple of light blankets on it which keep me warm at night. It’s a bit chilly stepping out of the shower in the morning, though! *smirk* Good, hot water but then cool air!
Speaking of water, I started drinking tap water the first night I was here… No ill effects so far! Actually, it’s filtered tap water, so it could still have upset my stomach, but I’m doing well with it. The food has been sitting well too. Good news about all that!
I love you both and I’ll try to start writing more personal things too. I’m in good spirits, but I do feel overwhelmed and unprepared at times. Well, most of the time I feel unprepared but that’s to be expected! *Grin* I’m in Egypt! Good to remind myself of that every now and then.
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