Last one for awhile...

Would you believe I'm watching the first World Cup right now with some Germans (and other foreigners). Score just became 4-2 Germany. Fun b/c we're watching in the International Center where my friend Matt works.

Big day visiting MCC'ers for lunch, back to the Church of the Nativity again, to the Milk Grotto, and for a bit of shopping. It's my last day (I think) in Bethlehem so I've tried to make the most of it.

Tomorrow, I'm headed for Jerusalem early in the morning. I have to be there at 7am! But it will be worth it b/c I'm going on a day-trip to the northern part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. I'll be riding in a car with some other MCC'ers.

After that, I'll be staying in Jerusalem for the rest of my time (I think). I plan to go all around the old city, the Stations of the Cross, Mount of Olives, etc. I have until next Friday morning when I leave, so I think it'll be OK.

This is an amazing place with wonderful people. Palestinians have lived through a lot, yet they continue to be creative, vibrant human beings. Pray for them.

Everyone needs to come here and experience what it is like. Words, pictures, and video cannot convey the reality of it all.

More about Egypt?

If you miss reading about Egypt, try these 2 blogs from MCC kids living there (and getting ready to leave soon *sniff*)

Nick

and

Becca

Busy around Bethlehem

Wow, tons going on. Let's see if I can tell the short version.

Wednesday, I went to the Old City of Jerusalem in the morning for some shopping and looking at sights. I made it to the Armenian Quarter and the Garden Tomb. In the afternoon, I met up with Sri, the MCC'er in Jerusalem and we went to Ramallaha to the Quaker Friends Center for a talk by a visiting American professor on Christian Zionism.

I couldn't find one good website with a biography of the speaker (Rev. Dr. Don Wagner of North Park University in Chicago), but if you Google him you will find links to books, lectures, etc.

On the way back to Jerusalem on the bus, it took Sri and I 90 minutes to go about 10 kilometers. This was due to multiple "flying checkpoints" put in place at random by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Why?

From what I have seen, it is to humiliate and degrade Palestinians.

Thursday, I went to Hebron to see the Old City, mosque, and situation there. (good article at BBC)

What a situation. The Old City is quite nearly a ghost town. It once was a busy place with thousands of shops and people all around. Now, tensions are high with Jewish settlers both inside and around the Old City. We met a man who lost 2 children to violence from soldiers and faces daily harassment. His story was featured in a documentary called "In the Spider's Web". We were given a copy, but unfortunately the subtitles are only in Arabic. I need to see if I can track down a copy in English to share once I'm back in the U.S.

Last night, we went to a great art exhibition on Peace and Non-Violence.

More later, if I can get to a computer...

Made it to Israel!

Well, I'm now sitting in Bethlehem. We left on a bus from Cairo at 11pm last night and arrived in Taba at about 6am. After a bit of struggling at the border due to the Syrian stamps in my passport, we made it across and to Eliat. They took me off into a little room and subjected me to all sorts of questions about why I had gone to Syria, who I saw there, what I was going to do in Israel, if I knew people, etc. Quite a process but it only took about 1/2 hour.

What a crazy place! Israel proper feels like Europe and people look/act like it, except for the automatic weapons that some are carrying around. That's going to take some getting used to!

From Eliat we took a 4-hour bus to Jerusalem, walked around town a bit, then took a bus part-way to Bethlehem, then a taxi. We had to do the 2 ways b/c you get to a point where the Separation Wall stops the road that the bus is on and there's no easy way to go around. So...you go through a check-point of security where everyone is screened and then taxis are waiting to charge you high fares to continue.

I came on the bus with my friend Lachlyn who has a friend Matt in Bethlehem. So, I'm staying there for the next couple of nights and then will be going to stay in Jerusalem after that. Hopefully, I'll get some people to stay with from Couchsurfing.com

Playing tourist around Bethlehem tomorrow. Matt works at an institute with a computer lab and 'net connection, so hopefully I'll be able to keep using that.

Wadi Natrun

That's where I went to day with some volunteers from the Presbyterian/Lutheran churches in the US. They're doing service in Egypt and I hang out with them every so often.

Today, we loaded up in a small bus with seats for 14. There were only 7 of us and this Mercedes-Benz bus had great air-conditioning, too! Great relief from the 100 degree heat today.

Wadi Natrun is a salt lake of sorts that dries up in the summer and then comes back each fall/winter. Due to mineral deposits the water appears to have a red/pink hue.

Take a peek:


I also posted pics from yesterday and included a link to those from a friend. See "Coptic/Old Cairo" on the right side of my Blog page.

Before my trip, a new look!

Hi all,

I've been thinking about giving my Blog a new look. So, here it is... What do you think? I saw that Blogger had lots of choices of ways to change and much to my surprise, this one is by one of my favorite web designers (yes, I have a few), Jeffrey Zeldman.

This includes a change to the way the comments work, which for the time being means that any comments before today are gone. Well, at least until I go back and make links to find them. If you put any comments in about things I wrote on Friday or Saturday, please go back and write them again.

A new beginning

I'm a bit behind on things (like adding titles to my posts). Egypt has done that sort of thing to me!

*laugh*

Big day on a long tour, and it finished up in a beautiful park.




Off on another big trip Sunday, starting ag 7am. That means I'm hoping to get up around 5am. Good thing that I'm trying to tire myself out so that I can sleep Sunday night on my night bus to Israel!!! *smirk* Pray that I can get some rest.

Still putting together plans for the trip, but at least I have bus tickets and some contact information for friends/MCC'ers there.

Inter-faith Communication

Here's a pic from an inter-faith communication tour/gathering that I went on today. We visited a mosque, several churches, and an old synagogue. This is one of the ancient churches in "Coptic Cairo". I learned today that the pulpit in churches predates those in mosques by a significant amount of time. The story that I was told is that the pulpit in the oldest mosque in Cairo was given by a church...



The person wrapped in green is a woman who needed to be "properly dressed" to be in this mosque. These robes are provided at some mosques.



This next picture is

My first tattoo.

Helway - falling down

This is the palace (on right) and falling-down hospital (left) that we saw in Helwan.

If you haven't read the story yet, it's below where this picture is.

At some future date, I'll do the research to find the background of these buildings. Be patient...

Cairo with Michael

Last Thursday, my friend Michael (from Tanta) and I went to Helwan, a suburb on the outskirts of Cairo. Our goal was to visit the Wax Museum and Japanese Garden. Crazy things to have in Egypt, right? Well...both were closed! But we got to see a hot spring which made Helwan famous as a spa location for the rich and famous in the early 1900s (but now it's an industrial area with lots of pollution and cement factories).

We walked around the outside of the Japanese Garden and what did I discover across the street? An old hospital and palace! Follow links for more information on those b/c that's what I had to do. I never knew about these places and the people we met in the area couldn't tell us much about them, either.

Since places were closed, we had some extra time, so I took Michael to the Khan el Khalili, the famous market in Cairo. We sat at Fishawy's Cafe and tried to escape the heat a bit!

From here, Michael went back to Tanta and I hurried over for the first Going-Away Party of the season. It was in a nice part of town, at the home of the pastor of an English-speaking church in Cairo. Good to see friends, munch on some tasty food, and have nice conversations.

Friday, I went to church in the morning and to another Going-Away Party in the afternoon for our MCC'ers from Beni Sueff. I've known them for their full 3 years here and it's been wonderful to have them as friends and watch their kids grow up. I'm sad to see them go... But it's always good to have a reason for a party! This one was also to christen our new MCC office.

After that, I went with one of the MCC'ers and his visitor from Canada. They were headed to...Khan el Khalili. *laugh* 2 days in a row? We also did some shopping and I made it to a few shops that I hadn't been to in a couple of years! Nelson got a very nice painting. If he takes a picture, I'll try to link to it or put it here.

Saturday, I played tour guide for another MCC'er (Gloria) and her niece from Canada. Canadians – they're everywhere!!! They wanted to go to the Islamic area of Cairo and the Khan el Khalili (3 days in a row, if you're counting). We started early to beat the heat and were fairly successful in doing that. We went to a beautiful 400 year-old Arabesque house called Beit el Suhaymie.

After a nice tour of the place (which I didn't get on my first trip there 2 years ago), we walked out onto the street and a doorman ushered us into the office across the street. What was the office? Well, it was for the engineer/architect/manager who did most of the planning for the renovation project at Beit el-Suhaymie and is now directing things for other renovations in the area. Very cool to talk with him and get a bit of info about current projects! Great guy!

This was all in the morning and then after Gloria/niece left, I did more walking by going from the Khan all the way to the Citadel. This was my first time to see most of the monuments on this walk and it was really nice! (but tiring, as it was several kilometers of walking each way) To cap the day off, I dragged my tired body to watch the Whirling Dervishes.

Sunday, I rested.

*grin*

I started reading the Yacoubian Building and enjoyed the cool morning. Good that I did that b/c the A/C was broken on the train I took back to Tanta in the afternoon! Hot, hot, hot!

Back to teaching this week. More details about things in Tanta soon!

Lack of Posts

Sorry for the lack of posts. I'm going to try to start making up for that right now. And look for a long post with links and pics tomorrow (I hope).

To begin, I'd like to say thanks to the people at Gillette for making a can of shaving gel that lasted for 2 ½ years! When my Mom and Kevin came to visit in January 2004, they left behind a can of shaving gel. I just finished that can yesterday! Unbelievable? Well, I used it sparingly and I only shave every other day. Plus, I had a goatee during part of that time, so I was only shaving about ½ of my face. But still, I think that's pretty good!

Also thanks, to Aerosoles shoes for building a durable product that I've been wearing for at least 6 years and can be easily/cheaply repaired in Egypt! I found this great pair of over-the-ankle dress boots on sale in a mall while working near Detroit and they were really comfortable, so I wore them all the time. Of course, I brought them with me to Egypt and they've performed great!

(unfortunately, the website only features Women's shoes, so I wonder if they stopped making products for men. Too bad!) *frown*

But a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that sole on left shoe was starting to pull away from the upper. I knew that was a bad sign, but I decided to wear them until it became a serious problem. Well, that happened while walking around in Cairo recently. *Flop, flop, flop* as half of my sole has detached from the rest of the shoe! Fortunately, I was in a good part of town for getting repairs done, so I asked around for a shoe repair guy and then walked to his place a block away. A mere 15 minutes later and after some gluing and hammering of nails, the shoe was (almost) as good as new! The cost for this service? About $.35 US. *grin*

(yes, I did say 35 cents!)

Speaking of companies and products, I spotted this on a CD-R case today:

“Pleomax, a sensible bit of Samsung”

What kind of advertising slogan is that for a spin-off company? *laugh* Doesn't that imply that the parent company (Samsung) is _not_ sensible? Seems a bit odd, but perhaps I'm thinking about this too much. Must...be...mindless...consumer...

*smirk*

Defining Moment in Egypt

Well, it finally happened! I had what I think is my “defining experience” for my time in Egypt. Read on for the story.

Last week, my friend Jay called to invite me to his birthday party in Cairo. He was planning it for Saturday night, so I decided to go into Cairo on Friday for Ultimate Frisbee and then find things to keep me occupied the rest of the time.

Friday, I wandered around near downtown looking at architecture, checking out the inside of a hotel I had never seen before, etc. Basically I was checking out how Cairo once had been. Going back to my theme of “firsts” from last week, I went to the Ben Ezra Synagogue. Now this was _the_ place for the Jewish community to go, before all the changes in Egypt in the mid 20^th century. Inside at a small desk was 80+ year-old Eman, who was born in Egypt. I asked her why she never left and she explained that even with all that has happened, Egypt is still home. I want to go back and talk to her more some other time and hear stories...

After Frisbee, I decided that I needed to check out the inside of one of the old cinemas that I hadn't gone to before. This one was called the Metro and is quite nice, with an interesting history. I don't know when it was built (but will try to link), but it's been well-preserved. That's surprising! The movie I saw? Mission Impossible 3. It was decent. They definitely changed the formula from the previous two, which can be dangerous, but I think it worked. For sure, it was better than War of the Worlds (also starring Tom Cruise), which I watched the previous night on my computer. Horrible! I might write another post just about that...

So...you're still waiting for me to tell about this “powerful experience”. Have patience, we're getting there.

Then on Saturday, I had the whole day free. I arrived at the edge of Islamic Cairo around 2pm. It's an area I've walked around several times over the past few months, but this time I had a better book to use that shows some out-of-the-way spots.

While examining the exterior of a small mosque, I noticed an old man (maybe in his 70s) leaving the mosque and slowly starting his way down the steps Now, when I say “steps” I mean slabs of rock that have been rounded by hundreds of years of use and can be tricky for anyone to use!

In Arabic, I said “Any service, sir?” which is a common way of saying “Can I help you?”

His response?

He tilted his head toward the sky, turned his brown, wrinkled palms up, and smiled.

Trust in God.

"New to me" Coffee Shop

Well, I went to another “new to me” coffee shop on the way to class today. I have seen this one while walking to my courses these past 3 years and I finally stopped in to have some juice. Nice place. Very Islamic. Many verses from the Koran at the entrance and they even turned off the television during the call to prayer!

After class tonight, I experienced another first! -- seeing college-aged females at coffee shops in Tanta! Not just in 1, but in 3 different ones near the Faculty of Commerce. I was shocked! It was only 8pm, which is quite early so I thought that this was just a strange occurrence b/c of the location. But then, I was with some friends later at a coffee shop in a different part of town and there was a young woman there, too! Now this was even more extreme. She had a head-covering on (but face uncovered), was sitting with a young guy, and she was smoking a cigarette!! Wow!

Off to Cairo for the weekend, I think...more on Sunday!

A Week of Firsts

It's been a week of firsts for me in Egypt.

Last Thursday for the first time, I played 3^rd wheel with an Egyptian friend and his “blind date” in Alexandria. As a result of me trying to give them as much time as possible to talk and get to know each other, my buddy and I missed our train back to Tanta. (also a first)

While in Alex, I went to a coffee shop that I had never gone to before and this helped inspire me. I'm now making it my mission to go to as many coffee shops in Tanta as I can before I finish my time in Egypt. Already this week, I've added 3 to my list!

Possibly related to all this, I started feeling sick on Tuesday afternoon. I was fine to teach, but my whole body was just aching after that. I ate dinner at my friend Michael's house and got home late. I've learned how to listen to my body a bit better in Egypt that I did in the U.S., so I knew that I needed to rest, so I slept from about 2am – 11.30am on Wednesday.

I woke up a new man! Well...not quite. I woke up feeling better, but also knew that eating any sort of solid food was out of the question. *stomach grumbles* I had made plans to meet with a student at a coffee shop at noon and that was good b/c it required me to get out of the house and test how I was feeling (as opposed to lying around on my couch).

At the coffee shop, I had a hot milk drink which helped settle my stomach. I also had a good talk with my student and one of his co-workers. After that, I did a bit of grocery shopping and came home for a nap. I thought about eating lunch, but still didn't think my stomach was up to it. I did have 2 bananas. I have to keep working the 2kg that I bought earlier this week! That's about 4.4 pounds and when dealing with the numbers it doesn't seem like a lot, but it's tough to eat that much before they get soft! *laugh* I still wasn't feeling great, so I took an hour nap.

Had a good class tonight and then met up with friends at my local church. We went to my favorite coffee shop which is conveniently located across the street from a cheap place for sandwiches (chicken, sausage, etc) I can never resist eating at this place, and thankfully my stomach was ready for food.

In other food news, while walking home tonight, I stopped to buy eggs. This was my first time buying eggs in about 6 weeks...and I was shocked by the price! In Egypt, the price for eggs is based on buying 30 (a dozen has no meaning here). When I bought eggs before, the price was about $1.50 for 30 eggs. (about $.60/dozen) Today, the price was $2.50 for 30 eggs!!! Blame bird flu and the drastic measures the Egyptian government took to contain it. A friend who works selling medicine to vets says that it will take about 3 months before the supply of eggs gets back to pre-bird flu levels. Until then, it's “a crisis” (in his words) for people living on a fixed income.

Well, time to finish watching Walk the Line. I'm feeling much better now, but my sleep schedule is a bit off b/c of all the sleeping today. Hopefully I'll be able to get to bed around 3am.

Stay tuned! I'll try to write again soon!

Wow...can you all believe that this is my 4th post this month! And it's just the 15th!!! So, I'm taking the time to write, but what do I have to say?

Well, I can start by pointing you to an author that I've been reading? Can you believe that I've started reading _The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People_ by Stephen Covey? After years of thinking my friend Rob was a bit fanatical in his attachment to FranklinCovey, I think I now see that value of it. At least of the principles I've read in the book. Not sure if I'll go the planner route in the future, or not!

The book is from our MCC library in Cairo and my boss recommended that I read it. He just finished it and I generally like his reading choices. I'm quite shocked by how Christian the book is. I was quite ignorant of Covey's background, so I never knew that his ideas would connect with my beliefs. It's been a good discovery!

When I finish up my "Mission Statement", I'll post it here. Or maybe I'll even write out ideas as I'm working on it...

On a Tanta note, I ate "Jew's Mallow" with rice and chicken this evening with a friend and his grandmother. Anyone out there know what that is?

Well, it looks like Egypt is in the news again! (though I'm not sure if this story is making it to many of you yet)

There have been some major protests against the government lately and it looks like things are really heating up! It could be a very interesting time these next few months that I'm here!

Follow the story on: SandMonkey.org

Well, I just promised one of the kids that I would get off the computer in 10 minutes. So, let's see how much I can type out about our day in that amount of time!

Today's main event was going to the Susanna Mubarek Children's Museum. The museum could have been much better, but it was interesting and told some good things about Egypt. There was also a simulation of a submarine diving deep down in the Red Sea that was pretty good. Nothing was interactive, unfortunately.

But as we were leaving, they said that for an extra ticket (another $1 US on top of the first $1 US for each child) we could have an art lesson on how to make some small item out of clay. Everyone (including me) was excited about that! We had a very nice teacher and it was really fun! I made some sort of vase, I suppose. While making it, I didn't think it was very good but at the end, our teacher said that I'm good with my hands and he suggested that I take some lessons. *smile* Maybe he was just being nice, but I have always liked art. Someday, perhaps I'll be in the right place at the right time to take lessons.

From there, we took a short walk to McDonald's. The kids had been eagerly anticipating this and it was a fun experience to be there with them. The main thing of interest (aside from the food) was one of the couples eating together. She was wearing a higab (with face uncovered) and he had on sunglasses and shorts. They sat across from each other and after eating, their faces were only about 6 inches apart!!! About as close as you can get without touching/kissing, I guess!

Now the day is winding down and I'm starting to think of plans for the evening. I need to make a couple of phone calls. We leave early Wednesday morning for meetings/retreat near Alexandria. I'll be helping with the kids again for the first 1 1/2 days and then taking part in the meetings and activities after that.

I won't be on email again until the 9th or 10th, but feel free to email while I'm away. I'm opening the floor to suggestions on what I should do "next" in my life. Interesting jobs you think I'd like? Service opportunities? Graduate programs?

Would you believe I have a few quiet minutes to write, without any distractions. *laugh* This is quite impressive b/c I'm currently watching over 5 children, ages 8-12!!!

They're all MCC kids and their parents are in training sessions today and tomorrow, so I volunteered to hang out with the kids. So, that should mean that I'm online quite a bit during the day today.

It's possible during that time that I'll be able to write a bit about what I've been doing the last few weeks.

As a parting shot, the kids just chose to listen to "I Shot the Sheriff". *smile* I love MCC kids!!!

Back from another weekend in Cairo. Thursday, I went in the afternoon and met some friends at the famous, old El Fishawy's Cafe. Very cool place in the Islamic area of town. Friday, we had a meeting for everyone in my MCC group. After that, I went to the Opera House for an amazing performance by the Virsky National Dance Company of Ukraine. Wow! I've never seen such great dancing!

Now, I'm back and this evening I spent a bit of time online snooping around for things.

It looks like the city where I was living most recently in the U.S. while working at Walsh College is now doing a major downtown development project. Check out Clawson, Michigan!!

Playing with Google Mars. What is Google going to offer next?

A link from David. Looks like an interesting article about an Imam in New York.

Well, I thought I was going to have a nice, quiet weekend in Tanta. *laugh*

Instead, I had a nice and really fun weekend running around the countryside and Cairo!

On Thursday, I went with my friend Fady to the hospital he works at in a village of 5,000 just outside Tanta. We met people there and I even went on rounds with him! *grin* After that, we went to a wedding of one of the nurses. She is Muslim, as is everyone in the village.

Very neat! She wears the higab to cover her head and hair (but leaves her face open) everyday, but for her wedding day, she took it off and also wore a very nice wedding dress with transluscent sleeves. Pretty racy!

It was a long night and then an early Friday morning b/c I got a call to come to Cairo and help a Monk with his English. He's trying to travel to England to serve a church there. I have some experience in helping people prepare for the test he needs to score well on, so I went to help. Quite an experience! We sat together for about 4 hours and I mostly let him practice speaking -- so I got to ask him questions about his life, things at the monestery, etc.

Saturday was a big day, too! My friend Matt and I decided to head for some monuments in the morning and had a great time. We thought the highlight of the day was going to be the Ibn Tulun Mosque and that was cool, but then we discovered the Amir Taz Palace. It's an amazing story of how it was rescued.

Matt is a great photographer and took tons of pics, but I haven't seen them yet. For now, take a peek at these pictures that I found on the Net. If you're really interested, you can look at these pre-restoration pics.

This is my new favorite place in Cairo! (possibly in all of Egypt) Why? Well, it seems that it's not on the tourist trail yet, so we were the only people there! Sure, I want other people to enjoy it -- just not when I'm there! *smirk* It's just such a beautiful place and very calm.

Western Entertainment -- gotta love it!

Here's your quick report of the Pink Floyd cover band from Thursday and more...

Fantastic! The band was composed of all Egyptians and the crowd was about 90% Egyptian. People were singing along and even making requests! So much fun!

The meetings went well in Cairo and now it's Saturday night. I'm with friends and we're watching Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary on DVD. *laugh*

Now, the last thing on the note of entertainment.

In a future post, I'm going to be trying to put together a list of major concerts I atended in the U.S. So...if you ever went to a concert with me, please email me at my gmail account and tell me what you remember!

Another pic from out in the village. This was a bridge over a small canal.

Looks like I'm going to a concert by a Pink Floyd cover band on Thursday night.

*laugh*

Yet another thing I never imagined I'd do in Egypt!

More details after the actual event...

Another first for me in Tanta!

Last night, I took my buddy Michael out for dinner, after my English classes. We sat down in the empty restaurant and while waiting for our meal, 3 more people came in.

The group of 3 was composed of 1 Egyptian and 2 university-aged students from either Malaysia or Indonesia.

So...that means that 3-out-of-5 customers in this restaurant at that time were foreigners! *laugh* I certainly never expected that to happen in Tanta!

Another pic for you all to enjoy. And I'll even explain the previous one with the bicycle. This was out near a village about 45 minutes outside of Tanta. One of the teachers in Tanta and her family have a house there and she invited me to come visit. So, I invited some other MCC'ers and we had a nice day.

Now, this pic is some critters we ran across while walking out in the fields. Cute, eh?

Not sure if anyone saw this on the news yet, but I received this email from the U.S. Embassy:

On February 17, 2006, the Government of Egypt confirmed that H5N1 Avian Influenza was found in poultry from the Cairo, Giza, and Minya Governorates.

The Embassy is not aware of any evidence of any human cases of the H5N1 Avian Influenza in Egypt.

--”Governorates” equate roughly to states, and I live in a different one from those 3 listed. Nonetheless, I'm going to cut down on my fondling of chickens and frolicking in poultry markets.

I have friends in Tanta who are vets and/or work for vet supply companies as sales representatives. Even before this recent development, they said that the market was in a downward spiral due to news in other parts of the world. I can only presume that these cases in Egypt will cause further damage to the industry.

Apparently, since this notice was sent out, there are now confirmed cases in 9 governorates, including the one where I live. As of the 20^th, no live chickens, geese, ducks, or swans are to be allowed in markets. If they are found, they will be confiscated and owners fined.

Speaking of health news, did anyone else happen to notice that this week a law was passed in the U.K. banning smoking in all enclosed public places (pubs, restaurants, and concert venues being the major change)?

England is becoming like California.

Scary!

I was lucky enough to watch part of 2 different hockey games today! *laugh* That's something I never expected to do in Egypt! Thank goodness for the Olympics!

The first was Germany vs. Italy. I saw another thing for the first time – Germany had cheerleaders! Strange...

It also sounds like New York has a new hockey team, at least according to the announcer on the station I was watching (from Dubai). The announcer twice mentioned the New York Icelanders. Seems silly, cut I see how that could come from “Islanders”.

Just a few minutes ago, Slovakia vs. USA finished. I think I was watching it live, so I won't spoil things for anyone by telling the final score. The biggest shock for me while watching that match was to see Chris Chelios on the ice! 44 years old and still going strong, I guess!

Between the 2 hockey games, I drove around Tanta for the first time and then taught 2 classes. A friend of mine had minor surgery on his foot last week, so that makes it tough for him to drive. So...I took him to his doctor's office today to have the dressing changed. I was impressed at how clean the office was. Much better than a hospital I saw last year that was a bit scary!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Now, I'll procede with a completely non-Valentine's themed message. *grin*

--I recently paid my utility bill with you. I thought I'd share the specifics, for any who are interested:

Gas: 40
Water: 53.50
Electric: 80

Now, that's not very helpful for comparison to where you live, until I convert to dollars.

Gas: $8.00
Water: $10.60
Electric: $16.00

Cheaper than what you're paying? *grin*

Oh wait, I forgot one important bit of information -- that's my total bill for the past 6 months.

*smirk*

By popular request (first by mother and now by David), I'm going to start updating things here a bit more often.

I just got back to Cairo this afternoon for my classes!

Go Egypt!!! Friday night, they won the Africa Cup Soccer Championship! And I was there cheering them on! We arrived 4 hours early and were very surprised to see the stadium already quite full!!! Thankfully, we still managed to get some decent seats to enjoy the pre-game cheering and then the match itself.

This was my 2^nd time to see Egypt play in this tournament. We did our ticket-buying far in advance and then Egypt was nice enough to keep winning so that we could see them play again! *grin*

Friday afternoon, the crowd was really lively. Go figure – 99% were cheering for the home side! People had nearly perfected their costumes and face-painting! They also got a chance to practice their French, at least in banner-writing!

One change from earlier matches was that there was a marching band for this match! I certainly didn't expect that!!!! Nor did I expect part of the band to be dressed in pseudo-pharonic garb! *laugh*

Pres. Mubarek and 1^st Lady Suzanna were in attendance and we watched the military helicopter fly overhead to bring them to the parking lot. It didn't surprise me that he was there, but in class today I had a long conversation with students about the match. They said that it is new for the 2 of them to show this much emotion over a sporting event. My students liked that they both (especially the Prez.) were just acting like normal people. I guess Suzanna was waving a flag and jumping up-and-down at times!!!

And they had a lot to cheer about!

The crowd was really loud at the beginning of the game, but then simmered down b/c the 1^st half was a real defensive battle! Quality play, but not much to really fire up the crowd.

Half-time was good to re-energize folks and roll through the 2^nd half. Score: 0-0. Yup...another match going to extra time.

15 minutes – no goals
another 15 – no goals

And then? Shoot-out!!!

Amazingly, Egypt's goalkeeper stopped 2 of the first 3 attempts against him! (very difficult to do) When he stopped the first one, it just sent a blast of energy through the crowd. With the 2^nd stop, it kicked up the energy level another notch. When all was said and done, Egypt scored on 4 of its kicks to Ivory Coast's 2.

The crowd? It went wild, to say the least! People were flinging their inflated noise-makers into the air, tossing their hats, etc. No high-5s, but lots of hugs and smiles!

We stuck around for a bit of the medal/trophy ceremony and then decided to slip out to beat the rush on the way out.

But we weren't allowed to leave. We went up and out of the stadium to the walkway and headed for the gates, only to find that the gates were closed. Yes, we were a bit confused.

However, our confusion was soon interrupted by the HUGE fireworks display. They were setting them off just outside the gates we wanted to use, so were were thankful that they weren't allowing people out! Nice display! Probably 15 minutes of constant explosions!

After that, we went out these gates and then for a 5 minute walk to the main gate and to the street. All inside the stadium, the cheering/celebrating continued and everyone was so happy! It was great to see! On the street, it reached another level!

Taxis with people hanging out the windows...pickups with people packed in the bed and sitting on top...cars with teenager sitting in the trunk with legs dangling out...flags...people on shoulders...families/couples/groups.

Now this isn't just people from inside the stadium. People were coming from all direction on foot and in cars to join in on the fun!

We thought about trying for a taxi, but ended up walking about 25 minutes and then catching a tram to where we were sleeping. What a trip! Everyone in my group was decked out in red/black/white, so as we walked past groups of soldiers, people in stores, or out in front of their apartment buildings, they would cheer for us/Egypt and we would wave and yell!

Then...fire. Now this was nothing compared to what I heard about at Michigan State University when they used to celebrate/riot, but these folks were doing their best.

It seems those “keep away from open flame” on spray cans like bug spray are there for a reason. If lit on fire, the streams make a torch about 3 feet in length!!! That's just a guess on the length b/c I wasn't getting close enough to really tell!!! *grin* But I saw several people doing it!!

We also saw people pouring gasoline on the street and then lighting it on fire!

Crazy!

I guess there's a reason the U.S. Embassy issued a warning on Thursday for U.S. Citizens to be careful around celebrations for the match!

Finally, we got to a tram stop and continued our party-watching from a tram. Good to get a different vantage point and be a little bit removed from things...but we could still see the partying out the windows.

Fun, fun, fun!!

While typing this, I've been half-watching an interview program on TV with the coach, captain, several players, and some singers who did songs for the tournament. They're also showing a few clips from the matches, but mostly it's crowd shots and short talks with people before/during/after the match yesterday. Cool to see!

As a closing note, I'll share a bit from a talk in class today. I had my students talk about the championship match for them to talk and also get some new vocabulary. One of the points they really were impressed by was how many young women and families were at the matches. I had also been surprised by this, so I encouraged them to talk a lot about this.

Apparently, matches in the Egypt club leagues are almost exclusively attended by men. Women don't see it as safe b/c thing are not well organized and fights often fight out between teams or spectators.

So...this was the first time for people to see such diverse crowds. My students seemed quite pleased and hope that this is the beginning of a change in the way things are done. I hope so too!

For a different perspective (from a friend who watched on TV and I sent updates to about the crowd, etc) see:

http://www.smsevcik.blogspot.com/

Another post where I apologize for not writing anything recently. Sensing a pattern here? What a sad Blog I have...only a few of you die-hards out there reading it b/c of my lack of posts. *sigh*

My excuses? I don't really have any.

Yes, I began classes this week...but that's not really keeping me too busy to write.

Social life? Well, I have been somewhat busy catching up with friends and sitting with people to watch the Africa Cup soccer matches...

But I've still had time at home to do some reading and to watch some movies. I wouldn't want to try typing while reading, but I think I could do it with a movie on in the background. But I just don't.

I know I've promised to get to the details of what's been going on since the holidays, but I guess I'll start with the present and then try to move back in time...

Here's my teaching schedule, if anyone is curious:

Saturday
5-6.30 --> Help with Conversation Class

Sunday, Tuesday
5.30-7 --> Level 5
7-9 --> Advanced Practice Class

Monday, Wednesday
4.30-6.30 --> Level 4
6.30-8.30 --> Level 6

Of this batch, only the “Advanced Practice” is new. We had a large group that finished Level 6 in December and they just don't want to stop studying! (I think that's a good thing) So, I'm putting together this class without a set textbook, just using handouts, Internet materials, etc. It's going to be more work than the other classes in terms of preparation, but I think it's going to be fun to do!

As I mentioned earlier, I've been watching lots of the Africa Cup matches. This includes 2 matches in the stadiums in Cairo last weekend!!! Quite an experience!

One of the other MCC'ers organized us awhile ago to buy tickets early, so we got tickets for 2 of the quarterfinal matches (Egypt ended up playing in one of them). The match we saw on Friday with Egypt was so much fun! We arrived at the stadium 4 ½ hours early so that we could get the best seats in our section.

So what did we do for all that time? Well, we entertained ourselves and also let the crowd entertain us. I don't know exact numbers, but I think there were about 30,000 in attendance. The vast majority were wearing red/black/white, the colors of the Egyptian flag. People had all sorts of clothing with these colors – hats, jerseys, scarves, shirts, even Muslim women with special higabs for the occasion!

People were beating on drums, singing songs, and doing chants. There was such an energy in the air! In the end, Egypt triumphed and the crowd was happy, to say the least...

Then on Saturday, we went to another quarterfinal match between Ivory Coast and Cameroon. We knew that crowd would be smaller, so we only got there 3 ½ hours early for that match. Even at that, we were there much earlier than we needed to be! This was in a smaller stadium than the Egypt match and there were were only several thousand ticket-holders in the stadium and then maybe 10,000 Egyptian soldiers/military to fill the other seats!!! *laugh*

Yes, they gave these guys colored running suits and then randomly dispersed them in sections of the stadium – some guys in green, others in red, orange, and yellow. What a scene!

Now I've been back in Tanta teaching this week.

Well, except for 1 class that I canceled on Tuesday night. Egypt was playing in the Semi-finals and I wanted to watch it on TV (and so did some of my students)! In a lively match, Egypt defeated Senegal 2-1 and will play Ivory Coast in the Final on Friday in Cairo.

Where will I be?

In the stadium!!!!! *smile* Yeah, it's going to be incredible!

Check next week for details about the match.

To see pics and read about the championship, check out: http://egypt2006.com.eg

Nearly 2 weeks since my last post!!! Yikes!

Let's see if I can start with today's activities since they're fresh in my mind and try to work backward in future posts.

Today, I spent the day with 3 students from Eastern Mennonite University. They're on something called the Middle East Study Tour. If you want to see a bit of what they've been up to, check out the journal/photo gallery.

Had a great Christmas-time in Tanta. Coptic Orthodox Christmas, that is! I was around the church both inside and outside on Christmas Eve to see the service and people, then went for dinner at a friend's house.

Christmas day started out for a children's party at the church, then time at the outdoor Tanta Social Club with friends, and then to a cafe' for the evening! Lots going on!

Now I'm in Cairo.

Tuesday starts a Muslim holiday which involves the sacrifice of sheep. I'll try to write more details later. Needless to say, the day of is a very bloody affair. However, days leading up to that can be somewhat amusing!

For example: today, I saw a man putting a sheep into the trunk of his car! The sheep wasn't putting up much of a fight. It wasn't even making any noise! It just tried to stick its head back out and the guy pushed him back in.

Crazy!

Thursday I'm off for about 10 days in Israel. More later!

Life is going in spurts -- either I'm really busy around Cairo, or nothing is going on. Friday was busy with church in the morning, then meeting some relatives who are visiting Egypt, Frisbee at 3pm, then dinner with another MCC'ers and her visitors. Crazy.

Today, it's been a quiet afternoon of emailing and catching up on news. Tonight, I guess I'm going to do something to celebrate New Year's Eve, but I haven't quite figured out what!

But it's all insignificant compared to this:

UN 'shocked' by violence in Cairo

--Please read this article and follow links to the pics and other newspapers reporting on this story. It's horrible, absolutely horrible. I heard yesterday afternoon about troops going in, but I didn't know until today about the death toll. I'm not sure if I know anyone who was involved, but I'd be willing to bet that I know several family members of people who were.

I'm saddened by the reality of this, but I'm glad to see the heavy coverage that it is getting by Western media. This is a story that needs to be watched and followed... Please pray for all those involved.

I guess I should explain the pictures.

The one with me and 2 other guys was taken at a Retreat Center near Tanta when I was there on the 23rd and 24th with all the MCC'ers. On the left is George, our accountant/office manager (Egyptian). Next is James, the coordinator of our program in Egypt (he and his wife, Linda do that job together -- both are from Pennsylvania)

The big group picture is me with my Level 4 class that just finished. That's the reason for the odd hand gesture! *grin* This was a great group and I'm excited about having them again in Level 5!

Day after Christmas...

Went to a big mall today. It's a huge mega-mall in Cairo called "Stars Centre". I would include a link, but the website is so useless that I can't bring myself to do it. I couldn't even find a list of the major stores or any decent pictures. *sigh*

Just did window-shopping while some MCC'ers and their kids went to the movies. I didn't feel like watching anything, so I was happy to walk around.

Chatted tonight with my Mom, my niece Jordan, plus my friends Rob and Juan. A very nice after-Christmas present.

I should be online again on Tuesday if anyone is around to chat. I'll also try to write more about my Christmas celebrations...

Merry Christmasn and Happy Holidays to all!

If anyone is online on the 26th, I should be online b/c I want to chat with my family. Try to catch me then!

-Jason

9 days since my last post! Terrible! I have been online in that time, but I keep forgetting to write anything here.

Now I'm sitting b/c it's better than moving around. *smirk* On Friday, I went on a 2-mile run with a friend and then played Ultimate Frisbee. This is more high-impact exercise than I've done in the past 6 months combined! I need to learn how to say "my knees hurt" in Arabic! *grin*

I was around Cairo for a couple of good Christmas concerts, but now I'm headed back to Tanta. In fact, I need to go right now so that I can get to the train station in plenty of time!

1 of my exams is complete and graded. That leaves 3 more to give this week and then grades to calculate. That'll all be done on Wed. Then on the 22nd, some MCC'ers are coming to stay with me for the night and hang around Tanta. On the 23rd, the rest of the group will come to Tanta and we will all be at a Retreat Center together for 2 days to celebrate Christmas. Then...back to Cairo for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Beyond that...????

Back...in Cairo...again!!!!

Yes, this update is coming to you from the fine city of Cairo. Tanta? Yeah, I was there for 4 days this week!

I'm here to go to church on Friday morning, bake Christmas cookies with friends in the afternoon, then go to a party Friday night. It'll be a big day!

Saturday -- it's back to Tanta for a meeting with my bosses from Cairo, my director in Tanta, and the Bishop. Nothing bad, just to see how everything is going and talk about what we'll be doing this upcoming year.

Next week, I'll finish one of my classes (they asked to speed things up to be done before their university exams) but I'll keep going with my others until the 18th or 20th.

Made it back from a long weekend in Cairo. Would you believe that I was awake before 7am on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings??? Crazy!

Thursday was so that I could observe some classes at Ein Shams University in Cairo. The director of my English program in Tanta teaches there and she invited me to see her students and talk with them a bit. I did this a year or so ago and it's quite the experience!! 60-80 students crammed into a small lecture room. Most of them were Muslim and a handful were fully veiled. (no, the veiled ones didn't talk to me)

I was running on caffeine most of the day! I had breakfast around 6, Nescafe at 10.45, and then Turkish coffee at 12.45. I was wired!! Finally had lunch around 3.30pm, before going to the Cathedral in Cairo to watch an MCC'er teach 2 classes and help with them a bit. Big, big day of being in classes!!!!

After that? I went to a band playing African music and then to dinner at 11pm.

More later about the rest of the weekend!

Just some quick thought for the day... I'm thinking about getting a DSL connection in my apartment after the holidays. My bosses in Cairo have DSL at work and at home, so it would be convenient to talk to them anytime using MSN Messenger or Skype. This wouldn't be a blinding fast connection (it's actually ADSL), but fast enough. Of course, many of you out there have really fast connections and I could talk to you from home, too.

I'm also gearing up for some serious research into jobs or graduate schools for when I return to the U.S., so I think that will require quite a bit of time online.

Big weekend coming up -- Thanksgiving in Beni Sueff, then Sat. and Sun. in Cairo for a teaching conference.

No big news. It seems that most people I talk to are quite nervous about the results of the recent election in Egypt. Out of 440 representatives, about 70 are now from the Muslim Brotherhood. That's less than 20%, but a big increase from the 30 people who previously held office. I'm curious what the short- and long-term reaction by the U.S. govt. will be. It seems that throwing millions of dollars to Egypt is not having the desired result. I wonder what Plan B will be...?

Well, here's your unexpected Election update.

Election -- what election? Well, today is round 2 of the elections for parliament seats in some areas of Egypt. Tanta is one of those areas, so the election has been a big topic of conversation this week.

Last Sunday was round 1 which took a list of about 20 candidates down to 4. Today, 2 will be elected from those 4. I can't find a lot of links, but this one tells you about some arrests in Alexandria.

Actually, by the time you read this there will probably be updated news about what's going on. So, the best place I can point you to is: Egypt's Independent News.

Pray for this country. It's getting crazier than ever!

Ack!

For no good reason, I seem to be having a Bill the Cat moment. *laugh* Now, how many of you will get _that_ reference.

Crazy busy times here. Extra classes last week, gone all weekend for the MCC Fall Retreat in Minya, back to Tanta on Sunday, now more extra classes this week. Visitors from MCC are coming to stay with me Friday night, so I'm working on cleaning when I have time...

So, no deep thoughts on world issues. In fact, I'm back into my little bubble in Tanta, so I haven't gotten any news in days. My cable TV has been out for a few days and I'm guessing my landlord stopped paying for it. I was spliced into his line, so it was free for me -- so I suppose I can't complain!

Hopefully, I will have some time Thursday afternoon to look through emails, and post more here. I've been hearing about more and more people using Skype. Do you? Opinions? I'm going to try to register tomorrow and then be online a bit to test it.

So this post began as a comment to what David wrote about the non-profit group One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), but it was getting quite long so I thought that I should put it here:

Of course this will be successful. By "successful", I mean that there will be lots of good press for MIT and the sponsors as they hand these laptops to smiling children. Really, the only goal is to give them the computers. On the site, there aren't any concrete goals about the use of the computers. Here's a question and answer from the site's FAQ:

"Why do children in developing nations need laptops?
Laptops are both a window and a tool: a window into the world and a tool with which to think. They are a wonderful way for all children to "learn learning" through independent interaction and exploration."

Now, there are several problems with this. The first is that if there is a goal in here somewhere, it's one which will make it impossible to do follow-up on. There will be results to giving the computer away, but there will be no good way of using them to justify the project.

The second problem is that in general, projects which address a "need" should have the assessment and decision-making done locally. If these countries came to MIT or some group and said "we need cheap laptops for reasons X, Y, and Z" that's one thing. The reality is another. Here, you have an outside organization with serious resources coming into countries and saying "Take this -- try to use it in a good way".

There's a very funny of this in the FAQ:
"In one Cambodian village where we have been working, there is no electricity, thus the laptop is, among other things, the brightest light source in the home."

Yup! Odds are, that's how some of these computers will be used -- as light sources. Not as a "window on the world", but like a $100 candle to light up someone's living room.

Wow...the prospect of looking into graduate schools, getting funding, etc. is really daunting. I started doing some research on that today. *sigh* Anyone have any good suggestions?

Fortunately, I had a few nice distractions to take me away from the frustration of that. First, I chatted with my Mom, then David, and finally my friend Dhiveja from South Africa. I've never been able to chat with Dhiveja online before and this was a very special occasion b/c she was chatting with me from China, where she is competing in the 2005 Miss World Competition. Check your local listings for December 10th and cheer for her!

My first picture from Syria. That trip is often on my mind and I finally got around to putting up a pic. This is on my final day in Damascus, in a "bath house". Do I look relaxed? I should! For 2 hours leading up to this picture, I was in a sauna and then got a really good massage.

Bad news for the day: Bananas Could Split for Good. (bad pun from the BBC)

One of our new volunteers in Egypt recently told me about the possibility of a banana blight. This article from the BBC is a couple of years old, so let's hope scientists have been working on things! Thankfully, it's not a problem for me in Egypt b/c the bananas here are a different variety. The taste a bit creamier and are softer than what you get in N. America.

Yes, another post already!

That's b/c I forgot something important in the previous one. I bought a drum today!!! Now, I just need to learn how to play it. My neighbors are going to _love_ me while I'm playing around with it!

It's an African-style drum. I don't know how to describe it, beyond that. One of these days, I'll take a pic. But I need to post Jordan/Syria pics first!

Anyway, I got it for less than $3 U.S. and it's really cool. Someone made the body from pottery and then put a drum head over the end. The sound is decent and I like how it looks, too. A bit heavy to move around much with it, but fun to have!

The first post in my newly-revived Blog and I don't have much to say.

I guess the highlight of the weekend was hearing a talk by Terry Waite at the American University in Cairo. To refresh your memory, this is the hostage-negotiator (among other jobs) who was held hostage for 5 years in Lebanon starting in 1987. He spoke on the roots/causes of terrorism and it was very thought-provoking (and even entertaining b/c he's a funny guy!)

This was quite a relevant topic b/c of the bombings in Jordan on Thursday.

To use a famous quote..."I'm baaaack!"

Basically, I've decided that I am online often enough and it's more fun doing a journal online like this than Tanta Tales. At least for now. What do you think?

Right now, I'm not sure how often I'll update things here -- maybe a couple of times a week. For special occasions, I'll send out Tanta Tales messages...

Of course, I still want to hear from you by email!!!

-Jason

Well, I've decided to start sending out emails and only using this site to put links to my pictures, books I'm reading, etc. I also like that the site is archived so that I can keep the old things I've written but I guess I could manually do that too. We'll see how that works out.

But for now, I'm just going to send email out to folks. If for some reason, you haven't been getting my notification messages and want to be on my email list, please let me know.

Signing off...

Hmmm...this didn't work when I posted on Sunday. Better now?

A bit about where I'm living:

No A/C -- fans only. I have 2 floor-fans in my room, then in the TV room there's a ceiling fan, and in the dining room (where I eat lunch) there are quite a few fans which help keep the air moving.

The food has been good and I definitely feel like I'm "eating like an Egyptian". I've been having many foods that I had only seen or maybe just tried 1 times. Now I am eating them on a daily basis. Let's see if I can describe some things:

-Green peppers stuffed with rice and seasonings
-bread and cheese
-meatball-type things
-corn "soup" (kinda like soup, but not quite)

New pictures up of where I'm living...

Username: jpics
Password: easy

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4289823393

and the recent MCC meeting

I also just added a page with the books I've been reading. It's "books".

Hmmm...so they've changed the way thing work for the software I use to write my journal. It looks a bit nicer for me to type, but it shouldn't make any difference when it comes to how you view it.

Things have calmed down here in Tanta, but apparently I've been acting a bit tired/grumpy today. Two different times, people asked me, "why aren't you happy". But tomorrow is a new day!

I hope people are still reading this, even though I haven't been posting much and didn't send out an email about my most recent posts.

This is also the first post from my laptop in Tanta. The guys at my local Internet Cafe' have been nice enough to let me connect here. It's not very fast for downloading *frown*, but it'll do...

On the way back from Cairo on Sunday night, I started talking with 2 guys on the train. Both are studying to be translators at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Very bright guys and friendly, but of course not Christian.

Tuesday afternoon, one of them called to invite me to come with them to his agricultural village a few kilometers outside Tanta. Everything was so green, nice fresh air, a great sunset, and the opportunity to see fields of apples, grapes, oranges, mangos, and corn. (the guy's family owns property and raises crops). He sent me home with a bunch of apples and I shared a meal in the family home.

Great! Right?

Well, for me -- yes! I felt completely comfortable and safe the entire time and really enjoyed the experience.

Unfortunately, the folks at Dar Phoebe (where I live) weren't thrilled. I left around 5pm and got back at 11:30. Before midnight when "the big outside door is locked".

So this morning, Tessuni (the sister who runs Dar Phoebe) and others were very curious what I had been up to, where I had been, and why I hadn't told them when I would be back.

Mostly b/c I wasn't sure how long I was going to be gone. Also, I didn't think they wanted/needed to know my movements, but apparently they do.

Due to this and the people I was with not being Christian, I got into a fairly long talk today with Tessuni about who I should (and shouldn't) be friends with. *sigh* Mostly I said lots of "I understand" in response to what she was saying. It seems as if they would like to choose my friends for me, or at least make sure that they are Christian.

I know that I am teaching with/for the Orthodox and they feel responsible for me, but what are the limits? Overall, being at Dar Phoebe is wonderful, but it would be even better if they would just relax a bit. I'm feeling like choosing discretion over honesty is in the position I'm in now. Up to this point, I've been telling them everything when they ask, but now it feels like that's going to cause more problems.

(this was the text of a message I sent to my bosses about things in Tanta, but I thought it made for a good journal entry, too)

A good weekend in Cairo. Frisbee, a couple of movies ("You've Got Mail" and "When Harry Met Sally"), a meeting/goodbye party for Craig/Karen, and a bit of baking. Busy, busy!

I watched "Mail" with other volunteers at Dawson Hall on Friday and decided to watch more Meg Ryan, so "Sally" was on Saturday. Funny thing is that it was the edited Egyptian version, so _the_ scene was completely taken out!!! *laugh* I won't explain, but hopefully folks understand.

Also went to a big "Refugee Day" at the American University. Good music, food, fun, and learning about different organizations.

I met a couple of interesting guys on the train last night, coming back to Tanta. Both are students in Cairo, but coming back for the summer with their parents in Tanta. One is studying "Islamic Law" and the other is studying to become a real-time translator (like for live speeches and that sort of thing)

They might call me later in the week to get together. We'll see...

Here is your Arabic lesson for the day...

The word is "nom" and it rhymes with "Tom".

It is a polite way of saying "sorry, I can't hear you".

For most people, at least. For _me_ it means:
"wait, wait, wait -- hold on. I only follow about 10% of what you're saying, so if I can get you to say it a few more times and use small words, maybe we can converse a little bit. Drawing pictures and using lots of gestures will help me, too. Thanks."

*smile*

Currently, this is my life... *grin*

Just checking email quickly for the first time in a couple of days. I've taken pictures but haven't asked about how to upload them, or if I can. I'm connected from the internet cafe next door to where I'm living.

All is well and I'm using my Arabic a lot!

It's sick and wrong, but my computer now talks to me. *grin*

When Windows boots up, it says "Welcome".
When I get an email, it says "You've Got Mail".
When I exit Windows, it says "Goodbye".

But it's ok, b/c it's the voice of Stevie Nicks (with some of the others in the background)
*grin*

I'm such a geek, but I found these on a site and I couldn't resist. Apparently, they did some special promotion with AOL, so they recorded these.

I also snagged a bunch of Fleetwood Mac wallpapers today, so I put one on my computer!

“Leftover Salad” – is it me, or does that sound like a good name for a punk band?

Well, it’s what I call my concoction that I took to dinner last night. Thanks to Lisa D (congrats on your new house!) and Erik for your suggestions/comments about things to add, but I had to go just with things that I had here.

So, I cooked some torpedo-shaped pasta, chilled it and added sliced up oranges, grapes, and apples. Nice and fresh for a hot day. It went over well with the kids and adults in the group, so I’m happy about that.

Next week, I need to make a “green salad” for a dinner gathering, so it will be experimentation time again!

Dinner was good and there was lots of religion-related conversation. The most interesting discussion was the thoughts of different denominations about sprinkle/pour versus immersion when baptizing people.

Things went until after 9pm, so I didn’t make it to the Opera House. Oh well! I came back here for a bit of reading and chatted with Beth on MSN Messenger.

I want to read a bit this afternoon and then pack up most of my stuff before church so that I can just relax once I get home tonight. We’re loading things up at 9am Monday morning! Which reminds me…I need to make a phone call to make sure that someone will be there to meet us! *laugh*

Here’s a link for you to enjoy (apparently, they didn’t like the religious undertones):

Egyptian censors ban “Matrix Reloaded”

The last couple of days, I've been living vicariously through my friend Mike (I'll put in a link whenever he gets his Blog going!)

Why?

Because he went to the Fleetwood Mac concert in Detroit on Thursday night. My favorite band! Thankfully, Mike wrote me a very long and detailed description of the show and his thoughts on it, plus he's been asking his Dad (also a fan) how it was to be living in the '70s when all the original music was just coming out.

I've been testing my patience by downloading some live tracks from the current tour:

http://burnish.net/audio.php -- has a bunch of tracks from the Columbus show
http://www.fleetwoodmac-uk.com/songofthemonth.html -- 2 tracks from Pittsburgh
http://arizonalily.org/lilyrhiannon/music/mp3/week.shtml -- older stuff, demos, etc

I downloaded some last night while chatting with Scott and Willie. They're gone now, so I had time to lift weights this morning.

This afternoon, I'll make the salad I mentioned earlier, take it to a dinner, then hopefully make it to the Opera House for a concert at 9pm. We'll see...

In the meantime, I'm listening to in-concert music from Fleetwood Mac!!!

Friday the 13th!

Jason…Jason…Jason… *laugh*

(sorry, bad reference to the horrible movies that I couldn’t resist making! *grin*)

It’s been a busy day! Last night, my South African visitors arrived back in Cairo. They were due to be in a bit after 10pm and instead turned up at my door just before I was heading to bed at 2am!

Such stories to tell! On the way from one part of Algeria to another, they had to make an emergency landing in their airplane! Crazy! Coming back to Cairo, their flight was much safer, but it was delayed in Algeria for several hours due to some sort of mechanical problem.

We chatted a bit, but then got to sleep quickly b/c we wanted to go to church this morning.

And we did…9:30am and we were there! After that, we met up with Carmen (another MCC volunteer) and Jennifer (the cousin of a volunteer) to go visit the SAT7, big Christian satellite station in Egypt that broadcasts all over the Middle East. Willie and Scott knew people who were involved in other countries and wanted to see the facilities here. I’m really glad we did. It was quite interesting and a very professional set-up. I’m not sure who their fund-raising staff is, but they’re really good.

There are very professional-looking studios, high-quality soundproofing, and top-of-the-line editing equipment in the offices. Plus, they have a mobile studio in a van! The price tag on that is 1 million Egyptian Pounds (probably about $300,000 at the time they bought it)

Guess what? I ran into someone I knew while touring SAT7! *smirk* Yes, I’m sure that people are shocked by that!

Nancy, one of the childcare workers from when we were on our MCC retreat in Alexandria was also on a tour of SAT7! *laugh* Fun to see her and chat a bit!

After the tour, we went back to the cave church and garbage city that Darren and I had already visited. It was quite near to SAT7 and we thought it would be a good thing for the visitors to see.

We had a good time there and then had a really nice cab driver on the way back. He’s also going to come to my place at 2am to pick up Willie and Scott for the airport.

For dinner, we got sandwiches as take-out and then came back to my flat for the sandwiches, some fruit, and then ice cream for dessert. Scott picked up my Island of Dr. Moreau book, so he’s trying to finish that before he leaves!

After lifting weights tomorrow, I need to make a salad for dinner tomorrow night. Any suggestions? I’m thinking lettuce, tomato, and pasta. What sort of dressing/seasonings should I use?

Strange things afoot at the Circle-K!!! *laugh* (or at least near where the Circle-K might be, if they had them in Egypt)

After my guitar lesson, I had some time before Arabic, wanted to eat, and didn’t feel like going home. So I went straight to this good pancake place near my tutor’s house. The good news – I had pancakes. The bad news – no syrup! *frown* Just honey, but that was ok I guess.

Then there was the battle of me trying to think of the word for “butter” to have some on the croissant I bought. That was a difficult task! (it’s “zibeda”)

But what I saw just after I left made it all worthwhile.

Typically in Cairo, you see dogs and cats roaming the streets. They’re looking for scraps of food and sometimes you’ll see cats begging at restaurants.

Well, today, I saw 2 chicks begging for food! *laugh*

Really, 2 baby chickens. I kid you not.

They might have been begging, but more likely the guys who were eating outside this restaurant had the chicks with them. In either event, it was pretty strange. I gave an odd look to one of the guys and he just smiled as if nothing was out of the ordinary…

This was my last “regular” Arabic lesson with my tutor before I leave for Tanta. That was kinda sad, but I’ll still see her and the family sometimes when I come down to visit.

After class, I started back home b/c my South African visitors are coming back tonight as they return home from Algeria. I had a bit of time, so I went to my usual coffee place which I haven’t been to in a couple of weeks!

How things can change! The really friendly waiter was gone and I didn’t recognize any of the customers!! Bizarre. So, I didn’t stick around very long.

I left the place and started walking home, when I _did_ recognize someone on the street! It was one of my Egyptian students from my teacher-training course! Hany is a really friendly guy and I think genuinely happy to see me. He was going shopping nearby, so he invited me to join him. Of course, it turns out he was shopping for underwear! *laugh*

We chatted a bit about what he’s been up to and he might be a really good connection to have. On Saturday, he is interviewing at one of the hotels in the Sinai. It would be nice to know him and stay there for a good rate if I visit. We exchanged mobile numbers, and he promised to let me know how things worked out.

Waiting for Scott and Willie to call. I’m a bit concerned since their flight should have gotten in 1 hour ago.

There are reasons that cameras on mobile phones are becoming popular. I don’t have one, but it would have come in handy earlier.

I saw a truck that said “Meat Land” and had a huge picture of a happy, smiling cow on it. This was a delivery truck for some big butcher’s shop. *laugh* The picture would have been better, but the description will have to suffice.

This morning was crazy! Each week, 2 women come in to clean the flat where I’m living b/c it’s so big and has so much junk in it. Well, sometimes they come in the afternoon…other days they come at noon. Today they came at 10am and quite nearly caught me sitting in my boxers in front of the computer! That would have been unfortunate!!!

So…I scurried around and went up to the MCC office for the time they were here. I studied a bit and then picked up The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. Has anyone read it? I’ve always heard about it and thought it would be a good, quick read. Hopefully I can polish it off today or tomorrow.

Ah, morning! Nice and sunny! Time for some studying!

Not much to write today, since I just sent out a big email update. Maybe I'll think of something to write tonight. But I did update my list of pictures, book I'm trying to read, and music I'm listening to... Good stuff!

Yesterday, I talked with my Mom, my niece Kirsten, and my nephew Justin. What fun! I bought one of these cheap calling cards online and then sent my mom the information on how to use it. After a bit of trial-and-error, we got it worked out! I'm hoping to have my Dad call me on Father's Day, too!

Not much going on today, other than weights this morning and studying for the afternoon.

So, your random links for the day:
Job interview ends with arrest
and
More David Beckham trade news/rumours -- "Bend it Like Beckham" got his name out there a bit in the U.S. but I'm trying to do my bit too...

In even stranger news, my friend David seems to be turning into somewhat of a sports fan -- especially with this year's Stanley Cup playoffs. What are they putting in that Ypsilanti water??

After my Arabic tutorial tonight, 2 of my tutor’s former students were at her apartment. They met each other here, went back to the states, and just got married. So this is their Honeymoon!

The guy (Ethan) is chatting along about how he’s a college professor. I asked “where?”.

His answers? “Spring Arbor University”.

Okay, if it had been Albion, I would have been really scared, but 20 miles down the road is close enough!!! How does this keep happening to me?

He teaches Middle East studies, especially relating to the Israel/Palestine conflict. Apparently he’s very much on the Palestinian side of things and ruffles lots of feathers at the conservative Christian Spring Arbor University.

I must say, he was surprised when I knew where it was and said that several of my friends had graduated from there!!

*laugh*

Hmmm...the site where I have my journal was down when I tried to check just now. That's not good. Time to complain if that's not fixed soon. Hopefully you are reading this and it was just a temporary problem.

What are the chances??

Last night, I was at a going-away party for Roz, one of the Legal Aide volunteers and one of the other women mentions that she’s thinking of attending the University of Michigan law school in a year or so. She’s from Iowa, so this is no big thing.

“Oh, and did you know that Larissa will be there next year?”

This is the one that got me b/c Larissa is from New Zealand! Apparently there’s some 1-year master’s degree for International students… So, I ended up talking about U-M, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Michigan! Silly. Larissa will be there from September through May and knows a couple of people living there, but I might call on a couple of you to meet her or help her out. I was pushing the live music and coffee house scene, so I’m sure people out there would love to show Larissa around.

This also got me thinking about the name “Larissa”. I have now met 2 people with that name since I got to Egypt. Apparently it’s from Doctor Zhivago, which had a character referred to as “Lara” (which is short for Larissa). I have a cousin named Lara, but I’m not sure where my aunt/uncle came up from the name. Maybe if they’re reading this, they will answer the question! *grin*

Great music at this party. There were guys from there from Sudan and also from Somalia, and they got the drums and guitar out. Much clapping and some dancing followed…

For pictures, use…

Username: jpics
Password: easy

And see: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4289975041

On a different note…

I’ve been able to do a bit of chatting lately. Last night I caught my friend Beth and this morning, I wrote back-and-forth with my friend Julie for about 30 minutes before going to lift weights.

Today is my “regular day” of the last few weeks. Studying, napping, reading, then Arabic from 8-10pm. I think I’ll practice guitar a bit after that.

Friday, I heard a very appropriate use of the phrase “al hamdula Allah” (praise be to God). This phrase is used often in everyday conversation, but this was coming from an older woman after she was struck by a taxi cab.

I was waiting for the bus I take to Frisbee and this woman waved at a bus and then started jogging to catch it. Well, apparently a taxi thought she wanted him to stop for her, so he swerved in and hit her! Fortunately, he was going slowly by this point, but still fast enough to send her up in the air a bit and then back down on her backside. She slid along the side of the cab and exclaimed “al hamdula Allah” once she realized that she was ok! Scary…

Yikes! So long since I’ve worked on a solid entry like this! I guess that’s kinda good b/c it means that I’ve been staying quite busy.

On Friday night, I saw a good musical performance -- guitar, bass, violin, african drums, oud, something called the tablau, and a piano. They called it "Andalusian Music". I enjoyed it and so did the rest of the crowd.

Earlier on Friday, I enjoyed a good church service and then played Frisbee. Saturday’s highlights consisted of lifting weights and going to my Arabic tutorial.

So far today, I’ve gone grocery shopping with my friend Mike and then learned how he makes his really tasty spaghetti sauce. Now I’m back for a bit of studying this afternoon and a nap before church tonight.

The countdown is on, as I near my June 16th move to Tanta. I’m getting nervous about both the move and my teaching. It’s all becoming real now! No more of this time of relaxation, taking classes, learning about Egypt, and just enjoying myself. I need to start earning my keep!

As I was getting ready to type, a helicopter flew overhead a few times. It was quite close – must be something going on with President Mubarak today. I live just a few blocks from the palaces/offices.

Anyone want to join me in Egypt? In a magazine today, I saw an ad for a “speechwriter/editor” for the Korean Embassy in Cairo. *smirk* Perfect for those of you with political science, economics, or English degrees!!!

For your reading pleasure, 2 unrelated links:

Sri Lanka on verge of aid billions -- I have a friend here from Sri Lanka and also my friend Suren back in Michigan, so this is important to me.

Young Japanese becoming "freeters" (only working part-time jobs and taking time to enjoy their lives more than the previous generation)

Well, I'm waiting a few minutes while trying to connect with my friend Julie on MSN Messenger. She seems to be ignoring me at the moment. *frown* I also had problems connecting, so...

I had a good day of weights, chatting with Mike, studying, and then my Arabic tutorial tonight.
Sunday morning, I'm meeting up with Mike for a grocery shopping at one of the bigger Western-style places near him that I haven't been to yet. I'm curious to see what they have. We're also going to get ingredients for spaghetti sauce. He makes it from scratch and he's going to show me how he does it.

I'm hoping to put a longer entry in here tomorrow and tell a story or 2. You've been warned.

I'm glad that people still appreciate good music! (and they buy it, too!)

See: Led Zeppelin rules the Charts

Ran into Heather Berlin from Albion again today. So silly!

She does work for one of the guys at my church, so he asked her to join the worship band this morning! There she was, playing guitar and singing (very well, I might add).
That's my random bit of Albion-connected life. These things always happen to me, don't they???

Now if I meet someone randomly in _Tanta_ once I move on June 16th, then that will be impressive!!!! *laugh*

A good day filled mostly with my weight-lifting, a bit of Arabic, guitar lesson, and a church potluck tonight.

Fun, fun, fun!!!

Staying up late tonight to type in my thoughts from the day…I wrote while on the train to/from Tanta.

Deep thought for the day:

Everywhere here, people have copies of the Koran open. They read on the bus, on the train, etc and sometimes even chant/sing verses. What would America (or any other heavily-Christian country) be like if more Christians did that? (the reading in public, not necessarily the chanting)

Barely made my train (5 minutes before it left). Lots of traffic, then I took time to grab breakfast. *smile* Pancakes covered in powdered sugar and rolled up. Tasty ad filling but not very healthy. On that note…

I think my legs are getting shorter!!! *smirk*

All my dress pants seem to be longer than usual, this past week or so. Ah, it’s b/c they’re slipping off my waist now that I’ve been exercising a lot! Time to start wearing a belt, I guess!

Today I saw the classrooms, found out about printer/photocopier, grabbed a textbook, and talked with my teacher/director. I was able to wander the neighborhood where I’ll be living for about an hour before I caught the train back.

Yesterday, I had 2 decent (but short) conversations in Arabic. One with a taxi driver tnd the other to buy my train ticket. I should have been talking with the guys who work in my building and taxi drivers all along but I let my lack of confidence hold me back. Now I have the desire and a bit of confidence.

One other conversation…I was waiting for the tram to come home after Arabic and I got surrounded by a pack of teen-aged schoolgirls! I’ve heard about this happening with talkative girls chatting with male foreigners, but this was the first time it happened to me. “Do you speak English?” then on from there. “Where are you from?” “What’s your job?” Their English wasn’t very good, but it was better than my Arabic! Still, I tried to mix in some so that I could practice.

When getting ready to leave Tanta today, I stopped to ask for help and to make sure I was walking the right direction to the train station (I wasn’t). A helpful guy said he’s walk with me, since he lived near the station. People in Egypt will often offer to do this. We chatted a bit in Arabic and English.

His name? Mohammed. Of course… The odds are pretty good, but it’s reassuring that even though I’ll be in a heavily-Christian setting with my teaching, I will still be able to have random contact with Muslims.

My neighborhood seems alright. Not a lot of action, but a few restaurants and a coffee place or 2 for playing backgammon.

The first of June!!! How is that possible???

Well, probably because I’ve been staying really busy lately!
Let’s look at the highlights.

On Saturday, I spent the day at “Aqua Park” – a nice waterpark with pools, waterslides, etc. The main reason for the trip was to have a day of fun for Craig and Karen’s boys, but the rest of the MCC group was invited along, too. It’s been really hot lately, so it was a great break from the heat. Price was good too. 45LE ($7) for the full day and that included a sandwich, small pizza, and a drink!

I haven’t been to a waterpark since the party for some baseball team! That’s over 15 years ago! Great fun. Everything worked out ok, except for the small hole I now have in the back of my swimming suit. *frown*

The place had some pretty big waterslides, including one that you went down in the dark! In that one, you were also sitting on a big inner-tube, or on a double-tube with someone else. You could go forward or backwards! I guess they had about 5 different slides and a nice area for the kids, too. Since Egyptian schools are still in session, it wasn’t very busy. A few Egyptians, but mostly expats (including lots of Russians).

I feel odd when I do such fun things but in talking with Craig, I decided that part of what I’m learning about Cairo (and what I should be conveying to people) is that it _is not_ this really exotic place. Sure, you’ll see odd things here (carts pulled by donkeys, women carrying large objects on top of their head, etc) but you also get many things that could be part of life in N. America (like taking kids to a waterpark).

Every MCC’er has a different experience and each country/city where we serve plays a big part in that.

This weekend, I also watched 2 movies. Friday night, I saw my first “western movie” in an Egyptian cinema. 10LE (less than $2) to see “The Hours”. Has anyone else seen it? Apparently, it was nominated for many awards and I can see why. I really enjoyed this film. The performances were excellent by Nicole Kidman, Julian Lewis, and Meryl Streep. Ed Harris and Jeff Daniels were good too, but the ladies stole the show!

The cinema was nice, if a bit run-down. Comfortable seats, decent sound, a normal-sized screen, and even a guy who escorted us to our seats (requiring a small tip, of course)

We were an international group that went after Frisbee. 2 Americans, 2 Sudanese, and a young woman from Turkey.

On Saturday after Aqua Park, I met at the office with Mike and Carmen to watch “Chicken Run” from Nick Park, the guy who made the Wallace and Gromit . Funny and filled with so many puns! References to Star Trek and everything!