While walking around tonight, I got a spark of inspiration to write a parody of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" inspired by the preparations for Ramadan. However, I don't think I can come up with enough material right now for the whole thing, so all you're getting is my reflections.
It does feel like the night before Christmas, in that frantic shopping sort of way. Since Ramadan begins on Sunday (so I've been told), I decided that I should stock up on some food so that I can have breakfast and lunch in my apartment. So, after a celebration to give certificates to our students from the Summer English Classes, I hit the streets.
I was not alone.
Not even close!
The streets around the main market area in town for things like fruits, basic foods, and dried fruits (raisins, dates, and apricots are consumed in mass quantities during Ramadan) were just packed! It would have been alright with just foot traffic, but when you toss in cars trying to go both directions, scooters, bicycles, and the occasional horse-drawn cart, it was pretty crazy!
I managed to get a kilo of raisins to munch on, some bread, and a chocolate-covered sweet for in the morning. Oh, I also bought a kilo of honey from a guy who has a bee/honey farm not far from Tanta. Hey, I'm doing what I can to support the local farmer!
Now, I'll probably stay up for a few hours to relax and listen to what's happening on the streets. It's quiet now, so I'm guessing that maybe people are napping and then will wake up a bit before early morning prayers to have one last big meal before the Holy Month of fasting begins.
So many things change because of Ramadan. I'll try to think about some of them and write a good description later.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
We have winners!!!
Regarding my previous post opening the contest to see who would be the first to chat with me, using my new DSL connection -- this is the announcement of the winners!
Much to my surprise, my mother was not the first person to text chat with me. She came in a close 2nd. Thanks for trying, Mom. *smile*
The winner for first to text chat with me was my friend Vanessa in Michigan.
And the winner for first to voice chat and to give me a peek into his life using a webcam was my friend Rob in Michigan.
The text chat was on MSN Messenger and the voice/video was using Skype. Quality is really great! *grin*
So...you still have time to be a winner by getting into a voice conversation with me on MSN Messenger, or any type of chat on Yahoo Instant Messenger.
What did they win?
Well, Bob...they win visits from me! Yes, that's right! Upon my return from Michigan, they'll be lucky enough to have me come spend time with them.
Is this really a prize? *laugh* We'll have to see what they think!!!
Much to my surprise, my mother was not the first person to text chat with me. She came in a close 2nd. Thanks for trying, Mom. *smile*
The winner for first to text chat with me was my friend Vanessa in Michigan.
And the winner for first to voice chat and to give me a peek into his life using a webcam was my friend Rob in Michigan.
The text chat was on MSN Messenger and the voice/video was using Skype. Quality is really great! *grin*
So...you still have time to be a winner by getting into a voice conversation with me on MSN Messenger, or any type of chat on Yahoo Instant Messenger.
What did they win?
Well, Bob...they win visits from me! Yes, that's right! Upon my return from Michigan, they'll be lucky enough to have me come spend time with them.
Is this really a prize? *laugh* We'll have to see what they think!!!
Friday, September 22, 2006
Pirate Babe Calendar? (and more Pirate info)
This amuses me. Yesterday, I wrote about Pirates and today I came across a link for the Pirate Babe Calendar. Strange things!!!
On a related note, I forgot to say that I rode the Pirate Ride (or something similar) at Dream Park today. While riding it, I decided to talk like a pirate so I said things like "ARRRRGH!", "Shiver me timbers", "Matey", and "Walk the plank". I blame my lack of originality on the fact that I was high up in the air and flying around!
On a related note, I forgot to say that I rode the Pirate Ride (or something similar) at Dream Park today. While riding it, I decided to talk like a pirate so I said things like "ARRRRGH!", "Shiver me timbers", "Matey", and "Walk the plank". I blame my lack of originality on the fact that I was high up in the air and flying around!
A big day at the amusement park
Big day -- met people at 7am and we left for Cairo before 8. Not bad, really. First we went to a church and then on to Dream Park. We were there from noon until 9pm! Wow!!!
Quite an experience. I think Dream Park is the biggest amusement park in Egypt, but it can't really compare to major parks that I've been at. The complex is huge, with a hotel, mall, etc and is owned by a big media company so it's trying to be a bit like Disney World or Disney Land, but it's more like "The Most Popular Fair on Earth" mixed with some of the smaller rides from Cedar Point.
The biggest ride is something like the Iron Dragon at Cedar Point and they also have a smaller version of Thunder Canyon as one of their water rides. Heck, there's even something like Disaster Transport! Oddly enough, all the rides seemed to have come from the same German company.
Some of the fair rides that I thought about included the Tilt-a-Whirl (my name for it -- at Dream Park it was Tea Cups) and something like the Matahorn. Sorry for the obscurity of this b/c only my mother and maybe old high school friends will remember these names from the Hillsdale County Fair (which is actually called "the most popular fair on Earth" for some strange reason, since that can't be true).
Going off on a tangent of speculation, it just occurred to me that someone probably took P.T. Barnum's "The Greatest Show on Earth" tagline and tried to change it. The trouble is, "greatest" is a subjective term, so you can get away with using it b/c no one can prove it's not the greatest. Unfortunately, "most popular" can be quantified by presuming that attendance equals popularity. If this is done, then the Hillsdale County Fair has been lying to people for 150 years! *grin*
I'm tired, but it was a fun day and strangely enough, it felt like being home...even though I was with a group of 16 Egyptians all day. The timing was good, b/c the Hillsdale County Fair starts on Sept. 24th.
Quite an experience. I think Dream Park is the biggest amusement park in Egypt, but it can't really compare to major parks that I've been at. The complex is huge, with a hotel, mall, etc and is owned by a big media company so it's trying to be a bit like Disney World or Disney Land, but it's more like "The Most Popular Fair on Earth" mixed with some of the smaller rides from Cedar Point.
The biggest ride is something like the Iron Dragon at Cedar Point and they also have a smaller version of Thunder Canyon as one of their water rides. Heck, there's even something like Disaster Transport! Oddly enough, all the rides seemed to have come from the same German company.
Some of the fair rides that I thought about included the Tilt-a-Whirl (my name for it -- at Dream Park it was Tea Cups) and something like the Matahorn. Sorry for the obscurity of this b/c only my mother and maybe old high school friends will remember these names from the Hillsdale County Fair (which is actually called "the most popular fair on Earth" for some strange reason, since that can't be true).
Going off on a tangent of speculation, it just occurred to me that someone probably took P.T. Barnum's "The Greatest Show on Earth" tagline and tried to change it. The trouble is, "greatest" is a subjective term, so you can get away with using it b/c no one can prove it's not the greatest. Unfortunately, "most popular" can be quantified by presuming that attendance equals popularity. If this is done, then the Hillsdale County Fair has been lying to people for 150 years! *grin*
I'm tired, but it was a fun day and strangely enough, it felt like being home...even though I was with a group of 16 Egyptians all day. The timing was good, b/c the Hillsdale County Fair starts on Sept. 24th.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
An extra hour, an extra week
So, here's something for the "I didn't know they could do that" category.
Normally, Egypt does the "fall back" time change the last Thursday in September. That would be one week from today. However, because Ramadan starts this Sunday (we think), the government has decided to have the time change tonight. *laugh*
For me, that's really good b/c Friday morning at 7am, I have to meet up with a bunch of friends from Tanta to hop on a bus for a day of fun at a big amusement park, Dream Park. This will be my first time to go and it sounds like a great place! If nothing else, the price is right! It's 40 Egyptian Pounds (less than $8) for the bus to/from Cairo and the ticket into the park!
I just looked through the website and it looks like a small place, which will let us save our energy for screaming! There are also water rides, so I think I'd better take my bathing suit and a towel plus some dry clothes to keep on the bus. My DSL connection is paying off now, for sure!!!! *smile*
Normally, Egypt does the "fall back" time change the last Thursday in September. That would be one week from today. However, because Ramadan starts this Sunday (we think), the government has decided to have the time change tonight. *laugh*
For me, that's really good b/c Friday morning at 7am, I have to meet up with a bunch of friends from Tanta to hop on a bus for a day of fun at a big amusement park, Dream Park. This will be my first time to go and it sounds like a great place! If nothing else, the price is right! It's 40 Egyptian Pounds (less than $8) for the bus to/from Cairo and the ticket into the park!
I just looked through the website and it looks like a small place, which will let us save our energy for screaming! There are also water rides, so I think I'd better take my bathing suit and a towel plus some dry clothes to keep on the bus. My DSL connection is paying off now, for sure!!!! *smile*
Sudden realization!
You remember the friends that I mentioned in a previous post? The ones who got married last week? I just realized that they got married on Talk Like a Pirate Day! (of course, this was no coincidence and when they told me the date, I should have checked to see if they lined up)
Ah, I love my friends!!!!
Ah, I love my friends!!!!
The loudest Roar since '84
Wow, the Detroit Tigers are still in 1st place! From various people, I had heard that they were doing well earlier in the season, but I hadn't checked recently!
With just the rest of this month and 1 game in October, things look good. They have 6 games against Kansas City, a team which isn't very good (at least judging from their record). Of these, the last 3 are in Detroit to wrap up the regular season.
I won't bother trying to find clips now, but once the playoffs start...I'll be using my DSL connection to watch whatever I can. Comment/email if you know good places for me to look.
With just the rest of this month and 1 game in October, things look good. They have 6 games against Kansas City, a team which isn't very good (at least judging from their record). Of these, the last 3 are in Detroit to wrap up the regular season.
I won't bother trying to find clips now, but once the playoffs start...I'll be using my DSL connection to watch whatever I can. Comment/email if you know good places for me to look.
Michigan to get federal grant for teaching languages!
Well, this is "old news" from April, but I find this idea/article to be interesting:
"Embracing Arabic: State to get language grant" (from the Detroit free Press)
My first reaction was "Great, more Americans studying languages!" But I have to balance that with my skeptical side, thinking that part of the government's aim is to start training kids in Arabic and Chinese so that they are better qualified as adults to be used for intelligence-gathering. You know, FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. Train them early!
Thoughts?
"Embracing Arabic: State to get language grant" (from the Detroit free Press)
My first reaction was "Great, more Americans studying languages!" But I have to balance that with my skeptical side, thinking that part of the government's aim is to start training kids in Arabic and Chinese so that they are better qualified as adults to be used for intelligence-gathering. You know, FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. Train them early!
Thoughts?
More observations about myself and Egypt
It's really nice having a juice shop in my neighborhood. That was the one major drawback of where I used to live. Today, I had a "cocktail" (that's even what they call it in Arabic). Essentially, chunks of banana, apple, pear, melon, and fresh date in a tall glass, mixed with juice, and topped with whipped creme.
Yummy! I've been a bit scared to get these at other places in the past b/c they sit around awhile. But these looked fresh.
The only bad thing is that I don't like fresh dates. I've been trying to like them, but I can't do it. The texture is nice, flavor is OK, but that mouth-drying element and the after-taste are...yuck!
Live and learn.
Yummy! I've been a bit scared to get these at other places in the past b/c they sit around awhile. But these looked fresh.
The only bad thing is that I don't like fresh dates. I've been trying to like them, but I can't do it. The texture is nice, flavor is OK, but that mouth-drying element and the after-taste are...yuck!
Live and learn.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Observations from this evening
In my neighborhood, a new coffee shop just opened, so I tried it. Decent place, but a bit more expensive than others around. I'll probably go back. It's hard to beat the location -- less than 5 minutes away.
While walking home, I noticed that there's another coffee shop that should be open soon. The walls are painted and chairs are ready. I'm presuming they'll open for Ramadan, which starts on the 24th (maybe).
Sitting at the cafe', I saw a video on TV that was a new cover of the Bangles' song, "Walk Like an Egyptian". I tried to find information on the Web about who sings it, but I couldn't find anything!
While walking home, I noticed that there's another coffee shop that should be open soon. The walls are painted and chairs are ready. I'm presuming they'll open for Ramadan, which starts on the 24th (maybe).
Sitting at the cafe', I saw a video on TV that was a new cover of the Bangles' song, "Walk Like an Egyptian". I tried to find information on the Web about who sings it, but I couldn't find anything!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
A fun Monday
Yesterday, I:
--watched an Indian movie at the Indian Cultural Center
--ate a Syrian-style sandwich on the way back to where I was staying
--was mistaken for being Turkish by another customer while waiting for my sandwich
What a day!
--watched an Indian movie at the Indian Cultural Center
--ate a Syrian-style sandwich on the way back to where I was staying
--was mistaken for being Turkish by another customer while waiting for my sandwich
What a day!
A Contest to Contact Me!!!
I'm happily connected to my new DSL connection! God willing, I'll stay connected too!!! *grin* It took a bit of time for the guys to get the wires capped properly and there seems to be some sort of odd electrical field near the desk where I'm sitting, but all seems to be well!
So, the contest is to see who will be the first to:
1) Text chat with me on MSN Messenger
2) Voice chat with me on MSN Messenger
3) Use their webcam so that I can see them on MSN Messenger
4) Talk with me on Skype
5) Connect in any way using Yahoo Instant Messenger
If you don't know my name on these -- it's the same for all of them. That's my first initial and last name. Just check to see if I'm connected!
Prizes? Who said that a contest has to have prizes??? But I'll see what I can do...
So, the contest is to see who will be the first to:
1) Text chat with me on MSN Messenger
2) Voice chat with me on MSN Messenger
3) Use their webcam so that I can see them on MSN Messenger
4) Talk with me on Skype
5) Connect in any way using Yahoo Instant Messenger
If you don't know my name on these -- it's the same for all of them. That's my first initial and last name. Just check to see if I'm connected!
Prizes? Who said that a contest has to have prizes??? But I'll see what I can do...
Sunday, September 17, 2006
"Underground Heavy Metal Scene Thrives Cautiously in Egypt"
So, I missed this story from CBS news a month ago about Egypt's growing Heavy Metal scene, but I'm bringing it to you now. Amazing what you find sometimes when doing a simple search -- I just wanted to find out the time for a concert tonight!
*grin*
But it's an interesting article and now I really want to check out one of these concerts!!! What a crazy thing that would be!
*grin*
But it's an interesting article and now I really want to check out one of these concerts!!! What a crazy thing that would be!
100 Ways to Save the Environment
Live...from North Carolina, it's... 100 Ways to Save the Environment!
*applause*
(Please ignore the typos on that page -- they're worth fighting through to read the good information that's there!)
*applause*
(Please ignore the typos on that page -- they're worth fighting through to read the good information that's there!)
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