Missed Opportunity for WVO!

Blast! I am a master of bad timing. Bidding on a diesel Volvo in Jackson just ended a couple of days ago! And it was a cheap car, too!

If anyone around Michigan knows of a good diesel for me to buy, please let me know! I don't want to miss a chance like this again! *sigh*

WRIF Rocks

Okay, I admit it...I'm a sucker for advertising. I've always liked the WRIF radio station and I'm registered to get their emails. Every so often, I look through what they have to offer on their site.

Today, I found the Interviews section which is full of downloads with the DJ's talking with musicians. Fun stuff!

RenFest has started

I hadn't thought of this in a long time...I guess it was about 4 or 5 years ago that I made the trip to Holly, Michigan for RenFest. It's a fun way to spend a day!

(if you have no idea what I'm talking about, follow the link and look through the website)

For those of you in Michigan who enjoy attending the Renaissance Festival, I have an email that will get you Buy 1 - Get 1 Free tickets. Email me and I'll forward it to you.

Price Comparison -- dry cleaning

As I do from time-to-time, here's a message to tell you how much things cost in Egypt.

I just took in some dry cleaning:

-1 suit
-1 sweater
-1 short-sleeved shirt

Any guesses on how much the bill was?

19 Egyptian Pounds = $3.50

How much would it be in the U.S.?

Gone until Sunday

I'll be in Cairo and without Internet access until Sunday. So...I'm trying to give you as much as possible to look at or read as I can! Just pace yourself!

Here are some new photos that go along with the previous post.

Pictures? You want pictures?

What is there to explain about this one? Just a group of guys with a big head, right?

*laugh*

Well, this is what Coptic Orthodox youth do during the summer months -- they get ready for the big parties that each church has in September. These are huge productions and for the occasion, someone writes a new play and then these masks, costumes, and scenery are made for it.

The King is Dead, Long Live Rock and Roll!

Elvis Aaron Presley
Born: January 8, 1935
Died: August 16, 1977

...and a whole lotta hip-shakin' in those years...

MegaFarms in Michigan/Ohio

The topic of megafarms has been a hot one in my part of Michigan for years now, but it looks like it's getting even hotter!

Ohio, Michigan megafarms spur clashes over air, water pollution

and to balance that out:

Megafarms find new friends in neighborhood

Iran's President starts Weblog

Yes, I know that sounds like a joke, or something from the Onion...but it's true!

According to the BBC, you can read what President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is writing in several languages...but first you have to get to the Official Website. When I tried, the server was too busy.

Snakes on a Plane

Okay, I admit it! I had a bit of free time on my hands, so I had Samuel L. Jackson call a few of you on the telephone!

But I really do like the idea of a movie called Snakes on a Plane! Plus, the marketing they're doing with the website, phonecalls, and contest is really spectacular!

Wonderful Photographer!

I just realized that I've never told you about my Canadian friend Matt. I mention that he's Canadian b/c it would make him happy and also so that you don't get confused with either of my 2 American friends named Matt.

Matt came to Egypt for a few months on an internship with MCC and his university. He worked with refugees in Cairo, but he was also also able to do lots of things related to his serious hobby, photography. He's due to start photography school in the fall and by looking at some of his pictures, I think you'll see why he's going down this path.

Really, you should go look at the pics.

Now.

She wants to be a SuperHero?

Thanks to my Mom for giving me something to write about! *laugh*

So, it turns out that a young woman from my hometown is on the SciFi Network's "Who Wants to be a SuperHero?" program. She's the one called Creature.

The SciFi profile lists here as an Auto Mechanic, but I don't think that's quite right. From reading TonyaKay.com, it looks like she's a professional dancer (warning, some pics Not Work-Friendly).

Plus, I found "How a Vegan Lifestyle Changed Tonya Kay's Life"

In the hometown paper, I found 2 articles and they're pretty funny...both are written in a "girl next door makes good" sort of way, but they're talking about a person living a very alternative lifestyle. Much different than conservative Hillsdale, as I know it!

--Creature from Hillsdale
--Family enjoys woman's gig on 'Superhero' show

And for the record, she dropped her hard-to-spell and hard-to-pronounce last name of "Linebrink" for performing. Probably a good idea!

All this _and_ she drives a car that runs on Vegetable Oil??? Can I marry this girl???? *laugh*

Sewing up a Storm!

Yeah, that'd be me...sewing.

Never let it be said that there's no practical value to high school! I learned how to type and how to sew. The typing I do a lot (like now, for example), but I don't do much sewing.

However, this month it's been necessary.

My Master Plan (TM) to have clothing that I brought with me to Egypt wear out so that I don't want to bring it back to the U.S. is working. In fact, it's working _too_ well and things are wearing out now, when I still want to use them for a few months!!!!

This happened last month when I was in Alexandria with my friends. Rip!! ...and there's a tear at the knee... Thankfully, I had a needle and thread in my Dopp bag (yes, I was a Boy Scout), so I took care of that little problem.

Since that time, I've discovered 2 other tears in pants I'd like to keep wearing. So...I canibalized a T-shirt that is wearing out to make some patches. 1 pair is finished and the other I'll do this week. Maybe I'll even post pictures!

I blew it

Okay, so my mind can't keep track of "Albania" vs. "Algeria". *sigh* Just ignore the earlier post about all that. I'm so ashamed of myself...

"Threat to the UK" (not from me)

I'm sure it's all over the news, but:

From the BBC, "A terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US has been disrupted."

I read CNN's piece and it's decent, but I'll stick with BBC since this is all happening in the UK.

Scooped!

*sigh*

I can't believe David posted about the big Egypt story in the U.S. news about 11 Egyptian students who skipped out on their student visas. I'm so ashamed!

But, I can give you the update that 3 of the students have been found, with 8 still at large. (I guess I'm posting this first b/c David's still asleep)

My comments on all this:

1) The list of names -- Judging from what I see, there's only 1 name on the list that could be Christian. All the other names are Muslim names. So, I'd be willing to bet that this group set off a big red flag from the beginning and people in the government had some level of awareness of the situation before they were contacted by the university. Then, when some of the guys didn't show up...well, we're seeing the result of that.

From the updated CNN article:

"Federal authorities began thoroughly tracking international students after learning that one of the 9/11 hijackers was in the country on an expired student visa."

2) I'm a bit confused by the text of the lookout bulletin that was issued:

"At the present time there are no known associations to any terrorist groups. Approach with caution."

--If there are no known connections to bad people, then why approach with caution? Shouldn't these guys be treated as young people who violated the guidelines of their visa first and as a threat, only if evidence points that direction?

3) David is right in his assessment that tons of people in Egypt are dying to do something like this. I've talked with people who want to marry anyone they can to get citizenship and would happily break any sort of visa they got and stay in America to work. I even know someone who did this once.

Flight Information for December

Well...it's better late than never, I suppose.

Last week, my mother told me that my nephew Justin (whose birthday was Wednesday) had asked when I was coming home.

I had hoped to be able to give him that answer on his birthday, but I didn't get the information until today.

Currently, I have 2 different reservations on 2 different airlines (Iberia and KLM)
But at least they're both on the same day!

And that day is...

*drum roll*

Friday, December 15.

The Iberia itinerary:
Depart Cairo 12.25am -- Arrive Madrid 6.35am (7h10m)
Depart Madrid 12noon -- Arrive Chicago 2.25pm (9h25m)
Depart Chicago 4.15pm -- Arrive Toledo 6.12pm (57m)

Total flight time: 17h32m
Layovers: 7h15m

The KLM itinerary:
Depart Cairo 4.20am -- Arrive Amsterdam 8.15am (4h55m)
Depart Amsterdam 10am -- Arrive Detroit 12.55pm (8h55m)
Depart Detroit 3.10pm -- Arrive Toledo 3.40pm (30m)

Total flight time: 14h20m
Layovers: 4h

It seems a bit silly for me to wait in Detroit for 2 hours so that I can take a 30 minute flight to Toledo, but maybe the ticket is cheaper this way. I'll have to check on that.

Comments? Votes? What are _you_ doing that weekend?

If you're going to be in Michigan, Ohio, or Indiana in December...email me to tell me about your plans. When I was in the U.S. last summer, I used a Yahoo calendar to keep track of things and I'll probably do that again. I know the holidays are a busy time for everyone, but I'm open to invitations/suggestions on things to do and places to go (bearing in mind that I'll be unemployed with no source of income).

Greasy Rider

Back to thinking about vegetable oil for vehicles...

(which reminds me, I really need to start talking to friends/family back in the U.S. about finding a diesel VW and getting it converted so I can drive it, starting in December -- you've been warned!)

Anyway...a documentary has been made about driving cars on vegetable oil and it's called "Greasy Rider". Yes, they did go with a cheezy title!

Finally watched "Serenity"

After a long wait and much anticipation, I was finally able to watch "Serenity" last night. This is the movie connected to Joss Whedon's "Firefly" television series. Friends in America (you know who you are) gave me the series to watch and I enjoyed that special treat here in Egypt.

If you know about this movie, you 've probably seen it. If you don't know about it, then you probably wouldn't like it. I'm not sure if that's a fair statement, but I'll make it anyway and you can disagree if you choose.

Anyway, for those of you who have seen it, here is a website with translations of the various Chinese phrases used throughout the movie.

There was also some Arabic written on a door, but it was a bit blurry. I thought I'd be able to find a website with the translation, but I can't. So...maybe I'll watch the movie again and try to figure out the word.

Happy Birthday Justin! (on Wednesday)

So, here's a big birthday wish to my nephew, Justin. His birthday is Wednesday, but just in case I can't get online...I'll post this now.

For this occasion, I decided to look a bit at the meaning of his name. People in Egypt often ask me what my name means b/c here, most names have meanings and everyone knows them.

So, the meaning of "Justin" (from thinkbabynames.com)
and of his last name, "Smith" (from last-names.net)

If you combine the 2, you essentially get "the one who strikes in a just way".

Good thing for Justin that he's a soccer player! *laugh* Have a great birthday Justin, I love you!

No such thing as "coincidence"

This week, I've had some weird connections going on with Algeria. First, my old roommate Bart told me that there are 2 Algerian coffee houses Clawson where he lives and then I watched the movie “Inside Man” which contained a reference to Algeria. (I think I can say that without giving away any of the plot.) I highly recommend this movie, partly b/c I never expected to see Spike Lee do a film like this and maybe he never will again.

Actually, it's been a week of movies. Friday night, I went with a bunch of friends from my church in Tanta to see an Egyptian comedy in the cinema. It was my first time and I picked the right group of guys to go with! They really laughed hard at times!

Did I understand everything? Of course not! Don't be silly! But, I understood enough to get most of the jokes and follow the story. I only had to ask 1 question during the intermission (all movies have them in Egypt, even foreign movies) and then 1 at the end. Like most movies, there were “in-jokes” and cultural references that I didn't understand, so I needed some help with that.

Recently, I've also seen:

V for Vendetta
The Final Cut
The Skeleton Key
The Pink Panther
Running Scared

The first 3, you really should see b/c they're good/excellent. I wouldn't bother with the last 2. More details later...

I never thought I'd see this!

Saw a 1973 Plymouth Fury III in Tanta today. Crazy! The owner told us that it was stored in a garage for 25 years. And I believe it! Original paint, seats, hubcaps, tail lights, and maybe even tires. All that, and just 40,000 miles. Too bad it's an ugly car. It was ugly when it rolled off the assembly line and even moving into the “classic” category can't change that.

No glass bottles?

So, is it true that it's almost impossible now to get beverages in glass bottles in America? Just cans and plastic bottles?

This will be a very strange thing for me b/c in Egypt it's much cheaper to pay a deposit on a glass bottle and then exchange it each time you want soda/pop, rather than buying cans or plastic bottles. Plus, glass bottles are refilled locally and cans/plastic are imported.

I'm asking b/c I was listening to a recent Podcast of the Diner by James Lileks and it was all about classic beverages, but he also talked about changes in the system. I know, it sounds dull...but it feels like old-style radio listening to him! This link is to listen, but you can also subscribe to the Podcast and download weekly. Also, see Lileks.com for more fun!

Christmas Shopping

It's never too early to start thinking about what to buy people for Christmas, right?

Well, let me help you. I just learned that one of my relatives back in Michigan has an arts and crafts store and sells things through a website, too.

Check out FeatherDance Gallery and tell 'em Jason sent you!

Help Your Friends -- tell them about Firefox

A new version of Firefox (a program like Internet Explorer, but better in the opinion of many people) is coming and you should email a friend to tell them about it.

Actually, you can have them read about World Firefox Day. There, you can fill in a form to invite a friend to download Firefox. If they do, then the designers will write both your names somewhere in the new version of the program.

And the Winner is...

Erik!

He gave the correct answer for the reference I made to "don't call me daughter" in a recent post. Good job, Erik!

Also, thanks to my old roommate Bart for his answer to my question about things that have changed significantly. He even told me a few surprising things about Clawson, where I lived for a short time.

Shelby clocked in with some ideas from out in Cali. Yes, I know the places she was talking about.

And _you_? Why aren't you answering??? *grin*

Changing my style

Well, I just realized that I'm not being a very good teacher in the way I use my Blog. Mostly, I just broadcast and don't make it very interactive for you. So...I'm trying to change my ways.

In the beginning, that will involve asking some questions to have you help me learn about things in the U.S. that have changed (or haven't changed) in the time I've been gone. Please post answers in the comments to share with everyone reading.

1) What new flavors of pop/soda will I see? We have some fun ones here and I'm not sure they're available in the U.S. Can you get Pepsi Gold? Tropical 7-Up? Mirinda? Crush?

2) Additions to fast food menus? What are the biggest changes you can think of at McDonald's/Burger King/KFC/Taco Bell in the last 4 years?

3) New chains for food or products that didn't even exist 4 years ago? Or ones that have grown/expanded significantly?

4) Businesses that have gone out of business or closed a large number of stores? K-Mart doesn't count b/c I was still living around Detroit when that happened.

More to come, but I hope these will keep you busy for awhile!

Because I want to say "I did that"...

Mostly just to say that I tried, I'm going to send my CV (resume') off to Al Jazeera. *laugh* They seem to have a few jobs open that I'm mostly qualified for. I'm not sure that I want to live where they are based, but maybe I could "work from home" somewhere else.

I'm pretty sure nothing will come of this, but why not try?

More news sources

I haven't been writing much about the news b/c I'm still trying to get caught up from being away in Alexandria.

But with the protest in Tanta yesterday (it had broken up by the time I went through the area), I went looking for new websites to read.

An interesting site is the Official English Website of the Muslim Brotherhood. Also, you can get an interesting view of things by reading Al Jazeera.

By any other name...

Random thoughts here. I've gotten so used to people saying my name wrong that I've stopped correcting them.

For example, in the same take-away restaurant that I go to often, 1 guy calls me "John" and another calls me "Tony". *laugh* The first one I can understand, but I have no idea about the 2nd way!!! Also, people often hear "Johnson" when I say "Jason" b/c they know about Johnson & Johnson products.

But don't call me "Daughter". I'll publicly recognize the first person to write me with the source of that reference.

Correcting myself...

Okay, so the story I wrote recently about playing in the waves at Lake Michigan had an error. I guess it was 2001, not 2002 when that happened. Unfortunately, I wasn't Blogging that long ago, so I don't have my original thoughts on the day.

Protests!

So in Alexandria this weekend, we drove past a large protest sponsored by the Muslim Brotherhood. People there had signs about the situations in Palestine and Lebanon.

Now today, a friend just told me that there is a big protest in Tanta with people yelling things against America/Israel. I have to take a taxi through the intersection where the protest is to bet to class in about an hour, so I wonder how things will be by that point...

New pictures

These are from a trip to the beach and some monasteries 2 weeks ago. Sorry...no pics from my most recent trip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16399621@N00/

More looking back...

In Alexandria this weekend, I played in the waves and tried to body-surf in to shore on them. I had a bit of deja vu b/c just about 1 year 4 years ago, I was doing the same thing in Lake Michigan with my good friend David. He can check my memory on this, but I called him up unexpectedly and made the plans to meet at the beach. We had a fun day in the water, then camped beside the parking lot.

And then it rained. And the winds came. It wasn't quite a storm of Biblical proportions, but it was pretty close! We had to seek shelter under some kind of overhang and wait for the storm to pass.

I don't have a very good memory for things like this, but I think I am recalling this clearly.

Weighing in...

I stepped on the scales last weekend for the first time in at least a year. And the winning number is...

68.

That's kilograms.

Doing the conversion takes

68 X 2.2 = 149.6 pounds

Yeah, Egypt has been good to me b/c I was a bit heavier than that when I arrived. I was somewhere around 155-160. Thinking back, I think I've been in the 140-160 pound range for about the past 16-17 years! The scary thing is that 17 years ago, I was 14 and not nearly as tall as I am now! Let's just say that I “grew into my weight”. *smirk* Then, my senior year in high school, I decided to join our new wrestling team and needed to be down to around 140 for a few matches. Now, I didn't have to do anything scary to get to that weight, but it's definitely below where I feel comfortable.

High Prices!

Gasoline prices and tickets for the Metro in Cairo went up 30% two weeks ago. The effects are already being felt.

Last week, a taxi ride in Tanta went up by 50%

I'm no economist, but it seems that if fuel prices go up, then any goods that are transported around Egypt should also increase in price. I haven't seen it yet, but it shouldn't take too long for this “trickle-down” to happen.

I've given you the percentages, but here's what it really looks like:

The average monthly salary in Egypt is 300 Egyptian Pounds.

Previously, a liter of gasoline was 1 Egyptian Pound but now it's up to 1.30 Egyptian Pounds.

Metro tickets were ¾ of an Egyptian Pound and now they're 1 Egyptian Pound. A taxi ride in Tanta was 1 Egyptian Pound and now it's 1 ½ Egyptian Pounds.

Off to Alex

Heading to Alexandria tonight. Won't be online until I return on Saturday. I'll write then.

All your responses

Thanks to everyone for your support, following my recent outpouring of thoughts/emotions here. I really appreciate it!

Having a good weekend. Going-away party for 2 SALT volunteers tonight, then back to Tanta to teach on Monday.

More MCC news from/about Lebanon

As the situation worsens and evacuations continue, Mennonite Central Committee is providing various news stories.

When I posted this, the main news page contained several links about Lebanon. In case that changes, here are the direct links:

1) MCC workers prepare for evacuation
2) In the midst of chaos, MCC begins Lebanese response efforts

Am I nervous?

A friend asked me today, "why do you get so nervous sometimes?".

When Egyptians use the word "nervous" in English, it includes "frustrated", "agitated", "upset" and similar words.

So, why am I that way sometimes? Lately, I've been trying to blame it on the heat. But that's not all of it. I could also explain it by saying that even though I'm staying in a nice apartment right now, I feel unsettled b/c I don't know where I'll be living for my last couple of months here. Yes, that's part...

But I think that the biggest thing getting to me right now is that for most of my time here in Egypt, I put the U.S. behind me and concentrated on things here. While doing that, I didn't compare the 2 places unless people asked me specific questions.

Now...I think about America a lot. I think about being back, seeing people, going places, job-hunting, and just living. I'm trying to enjoy things here in Egypt while I am still here, but it's hard right now. It's something like a "senior slump", maybe. It's been a great few years, but now it's coming to an end.

This is bringing up lots of feelings that I've been unconsciously or subconsciously pushing down. It seems like they're starting to come out more often than they should and in negative ways. *frown* I don't like to feel this way or to act the way I do sometimes with friends/students.

I think I just need to remember that I don't have to act this way and that I can change how I express these feelings. Maybe I just need to start talking about how I feel that I am behind on so many things when it comes to American life. Of course, not everything I've missed out on was good, but I think I'm starting to understand the possibilty for a "left behind" feeling when volunteers return after being gone for an extended period of time.

410 Yes -to- 8 No

I'm not sure I even know where to begin with this one. So, I'll just let you read the article.

House overwhelmingly backs Israel in vote

Something old about Palestine and Israel

I'm a bit behind on my news, so all I can give you is an old link. This is a newspaper interview that an MCC'er gave awhile back to some newspapers in the U.S. The MCC'er is living/serving in Jerusalem and travels all around Israel/Palestine.

Palestinians, Israelis need to admit wrongs

It's a bad sign... (recent Bush comment)

It's a bad sign when Bush uses an expletive while talking about current events with Tony Blair...

I'm sure most of you have seen/heard this by now, but I needed to make sure.

Another Lebanon connection

I'm still awaiting verification on this one, but I believe that the BBC has a piece featuring a Lebanese man who works in our MCC Beirut office. The spelling of his 2nd name is different than the way I know it, but the pronunciation would be the same, he's described as being a "charity worker", and his family details match what I know.

Closer and closer -- I've met this guy a couple of times during meetings in Egypt and he's a wonderful man, devoted to peace. He's worked with MCC for over 20 years!

-- Lebanese residents 'scared to go'

MCC news via Podcast

Thought I'd share this resource. My organization, Mennonite Central Committee has some news items available via Podcast. Recent clips include interviews from volunteers in Palestine and Lebanon.

Or subscribe to: http://www.dnnradio.com/mcc/rss/

You can also read stories and stay update by reading MCC news stories.

Lebanon Evacution

It's sinking in that I have 4 American friends who will soon be part of the evacuation from Lebanon. A country that saw war for so many years, followed by an amazing rebuilding process is now being torn apart again. What is the general opinion in America of Israel's actions? Can't people see how extreme this all is?

I've been reading all I can in the mass media, plus some internal email messages from 2 MCC volunteers who have been living in Beirut the past 2 years. They don't know when they will leave, but expect it to be in a couple of days. It seems that other countries are giving details of how they will transport people, but the U.S. has not released this yet. My friends say that from their apartment they can see "a lineup of buses for Germans".

There is also a Lebanese staff person who works closely with my friends. He lives in S. Lebanon and routinely used to come into Beirut for meetings. He says that "each day, the bombs seem to come closer and closer to his home".

Here's how my friends concluded a recent message:
"Must close. There went a few more bombs. They're at it again."

2 articles from the BBC:

UN calls for Lebanon peace force

and

Beirut families with nowhere to go

Egypt news-- 1 link

Alright, alright! I'll give you a bit of Egypt news...

From the BBC: Egypt press law 'violates rights'

Fun trip on Friday!

No links today...just a bit about my life! Imagine that!

I went on a bus trip Friday with some people from my church in Tanta. We went to 3 different monesteries, then to the beach for awhile. At the end of the trip, we went to a big mall. Some people in the group really wanted to go...and it allowed me to have good Chinese food! I also convinced my friend George to try Chinese for the first time!

We left at 7am in the morning and returned about midnight! So...I was really tired and slept in this morning before our Conversation Class.

Off now to relax with some friends...

FlyaKite OSX

FlyaKite OSX may be the coolest program (and website) that I've ever used!

Essentially, you use it to make your PC look/act like it's running Apple OSX.

Okay...I've become a teacher, but I'm still a geek!

Welcome to my newest visitor!!!

Imagine my surprise to see that yesterday someone from the Netherlands stopped by to read my Blog. Yes, I know it's silly to get excited about this and I feel like I should have gotten over things like that back in the late '90s, but it's still cool! *laugh*

But...how did this person find my Blog?

Ah, what a great free web statistics program I have! Thanks SiteMeter for helping me solve the mystery! *grin* Keep reading for the story...

Apparently, this person went to: http://search.yahoo.com and typed in:
cosmic cup coffee shop pallana

...and it returned as #9 on the list, my Blog entry from March 2002.

This was me commenting on "The Royal Tenenbaums".

Ah, the crazy links the Internet leads us to!!!! *laugh* I just wish that more people would search for this same thing and find my Blog!

A request! I want to hear from you!

In an effort to start re-connecting with people back in the U.S., I need your help. If I haven't heard from you in a long time, please email me! Tell me what's been happening in your life... Or if we do email sometimes, but you forget to mention important things, please write to tell me that.

Use any email address you have for me. I check them all and then I'll reply with my most recent one. I don't want to type it here b/c then I might start getting spam!

Off to class now! I teach 2 classes on Monday and Wednesday, so this is my busy day!

Good news for job-seekers in Michigan!

from WWJ NewsRadio:

Google Bringing New Jobs to Michigan

Running on empty

Not much in the tank today, but I'll do what I can!

1) The BBC asks: "Is al-Qaeda's 'leader' in Iraq really in an Egyptian prison?"

2) Kottke.org has gathered some links/info about "the head butt" seen 'round the world. Apparently, some newspapers hired lip-readers and translations are available of the results.

3) Fuel from the Midwest, Not the Middle East tells about biodiesel stations in Ohio (from the Toledo Blade, via Motor Trend)

4) Did you hear about the guy who made a coast-to-coast trip in a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado, powered by vegetable oil? I found information from the company that converted the truck and also the daily updates from during the trip. This seems to have been a highly-publicized thing, with sponsors, media coverage, etc.

"Dreams Must Die"

"Why Dreams Must Die if Peace is to Come" is the title of a very interesting editorial from the BBC's Middle East editor in Jerusalem, Jeremy Bowen about the thinking behind the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and what has to change. Comments?

Dental Care and the Environment

Yeah, yeah...I'm writing about the environment again! You better get used to it!

Recently at a grocery store in Tanta, I discovered 2 different types of toothbrushes with replacable heads. What a great idea! Why did it never occur to me before? One was from a German company called Fuchs and the other was from an Italian company called Silver Care. (unfortunately, the store didn't sell the replacement heads...but I'll look in Cairo)

With a bit of searching, I found an American company with similar products with an environmentally-friendly touch: Eco-Dent

You buy the toothbrush with 1 head and then buy replacements in packages of 3. Can anyone give me reasons _not_ to stop using whatever toothbrush you're using now and buy these???

I also found an interesting bit of student writing on this topic, from a student organization at Lewis and Clark College.

Diesel Racecar Wins! (can vegetable oil be next?)

From Popular Science:

Diesel Wins Respect (and Florida’s 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race)

If I'm not careful, I'm going to turn into a "car person"! *laugh*

Very Fast Food

I'm sitting here in my friend George's computer company and using his DSL connection.

I just ran out to get sandwiches for a late lunch.

How long did it take me? Well, I'm listening to the live radio feed from WRIF and when I left, a song was playing and when I came back...the same song was still on!

That's efficiency! (or a really long song *smile*)

Michigan in the Movies

Last night, I watched The Upside of Anger, with Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, and two appearance by "the Grand Poobah" (Arthur Penhallow, who's been the grand voice of Detroit's 101.1 WRIF radio for over 35 years)

It's a baseball movie.
Well...not really.

It's a movie _about_ baseball.
No, that's not right, either.

It's about what an old baseball player does after retirement.
Um, kinda.

What it's really about is a middle-aged woman with 4 daughters and their life. Costner's character is only a part of that life.

It was really fun to see the scenes set at the WRIF studios, to have lots of cars with Michigan license plates, and for several shots to be at the University of Michigan. I had to keep pausing the movie to look at details. Fortunately, I was watching alone so I could even find that they went to a Farmer Jack store for their groceries! (that's where I used to get some of my groceries when I lived in Clawson and Royal Oak)

Saturday was a big day. First, I came back to Tanta after a couple of days in Cairo. Then I helped with our Conversation class, observed while my director taught a class, and watched the World Cup 3rd/4th place match between Germany and Portugal.

Today, I'm spending a bit of time on the Internet and chatting with my nephew. After that, I'll go to substitute for one of our other teachers in her class and then go to watch the final World Cup match between France and Italy after that. I'm pulling for France to win, but I'll be sad either way b/c it's been really wonderful to watch such great matches. Now, it's back to music videos and American movies on the TVs of most cafes.

A little behind on the news

Well, it seems like I'm a bit late in "discovering" cars that burn used cooking oil. This afternoon, I did a Google search with just the really basic terms of "cooking", "oil", and "diesel". The number of results was in the thousands! Including these:

--the creator of the Diesel engine talked in 1912 about using vegetable oils in his engines
--July 1, 2006 Washington Post article: "Grease Guzzlers"
--GreaseCar.com and PlantDrive.com which sell conversion kits for various types of cars/trucks
--the BBC was reporting on this topic back in August 2002
--a local ABC station from Michigan with details about a recent Consumer Reports test of a car they converted to run on cooking oil

But my personal favorite and at the top of my "high potential for disaster list" is:

"Home mixing of used vegetable oil into fuel for diesel engines"

1 Step at a Time

Hooray!

We now have CFL in the Cairo MCC office!

Have you made the switch yet?

(more Saturday)

Still more about the environment!

I was going to leave for Cairo early this morning but changed my mind and instead I'll go later this afternoon. Not much to say, but a couple of links to keep you thinking.

25 Ways to Help Curb Climate Change (from Parade Magazine, via my boss Linda)

Linda responded positively to my email with suggestions about the environment, and it now seems that I have opened the proverbial "can of worms" on this b/c she is passionate about it as well. Or at least, she has pet peeves about several things. I guess Barrette has some concerns too, so I'll see if we can change some things...

Speaking of Barrette and Sandy, they recently added a "How to do things in Egypt" section to their website. I love these 2! They do cool stuff like this on their website, so I don't have to!

Last (long) post until Saturday

I can't believe I wrote “at the morning” instead of “in the morning”. It's a problem for Egyptians to confuse prepositions and I guess I'm doing it now, too! Time to start proofreading what I write before sending/posting!

...and the sad thing is, I can't blame it on lack of sleep!

Now, anything that I do today I can blame on that! After watching the Germany/Italy match last night with the home team losing, *sigh* I watched a movie at my friend Michael's house. Then after I came home, I couldn't sleep so I was awake until about 7am.

No problem, I'll sleep for a couple of hours, get up for a few hours, then take a short nap before class.

Um...that didn't happen.

At 10.45am, my mobile rang. It was Fady from downstairs, calling to say that the cleaning woman was here and ready to clean the apartment I'm staying in. So...I got things around and went upstairs to hang out with Fady and to have some time on the computer. I'm pretty sure that even a short nap is going to be impossible, so I may need to depend on a jolt of caffeine from Turkish coffee to get me through my classes this afternoon from 4.30 – 8.30.

After my classes, I want to watch the France/Portugal match and it won't finish until about midnight. I think that will be a struggle. I hope it's an exciting match to keep me awake!

Thursday morning, I'm planning to be on a 7.45am train leaving Tanta. If I get a decent amount of sleep tonight and then another hour on the train, I should be alright.

Just one new pic today, but check on Flickr to make sure you've looked at all my newest ones.

Here are some links about Egypt and Israel/Palestine (3 from BBC, #4 from MCC):

1) Egypt street mothers find refuge

2) Egyptians sue new church leader

3) Man-on-the-street Comments from an Israeli man about the kidnapping of the soldier and governmental/military response:

(I link to this not so much for the man's ideas, but for the background of the picture -- I was in this spot in Jerusalem a few weeks ago -- it's very near where I stayed for several nights)

4) Cooking-oil Powered Car goes Coast-to-Coast for free

Egypt in the News!

Did you see this?

Mubarak 'solves girl's exam problem' (from the BBC)

My Own "Bright" Ideas

I recently wrote a message to my boss in Cairo, b/c she brought up the topic of reduce/re-use/recycle. Here is the slightly edited text of what I sent to her:

1) Refrigerators -- There are 2 things I know to do with these to reduce energy use. a) turn the temperature up so that items are kept "cool", not "cold". It's good enough for most people. b) Keep refrigerators full. It's more energy-efficient to cool a solid than it is to cool a gas (which escapes when the door is opened and then warm air must be cooled again). I'm not saying to buy more things, but something as simple as filling empty bottles with water and having them in the fridge will help with this.

2) Turn off all pieces of technology (speakers, monitors, computers) each night. If they are on power strips with small light bulbs (like one I'm using now), switch off the power strip. Also, if using a computer at night, turn off other lights in the room. Do you need more light than the monitor gives?

3) Toilets -- a couple of tips I've heard or seen in use, if you don't have a half-flush/full-flush option: (a) put a brick or something similar in the tank to take up space and reduce the amount of water used in each flush and (b) put a slight bend in the rod leading to the ball inside the tank. If you bend it down, then less water will come into the tank each time.

Also, something I'll always remember from the home of my grandmother's friends when I was a young child: "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down." In short, don't flush unless it's really necessary.

4) Read in the morning, not at night. If you read at the morning, you use natural light...but reading at night requires electricity.

5) If it's an option, change the setting on your water heater so it heats water to a lower temperature.

Do you have ideas to add to this list? Or links to articles with tips?

Happy Independence Day!

I've posted some photos (including my temporary apartment and 1 of my America-loving friend Michael in Tanta)

Plus...some links:

More about light bulbs and CFL

and a related site: Ban the Bulb!

Plus a couple of energy-related articles from the BBC:

Not an energy “crisis” yet...

and

Bright ideas to save energy/resources

A challenge to you!!!

Here's my last long entry for a couple of days. I'll try to write short things the next few days, but probably nothing with much substance.

So...I'll give you some things to keep you busy while you're waiting for me to post more good things! *laugh*

The first thing is a challenge to each of you...and I want to receive responses (and maybe pictures) about this so that I know you did it. It concerns the environment, but it also goes along with the idea of “Independence Day”.

Yesterday, I came across an article which clearly shows the major advantages of switching from traditional light bulbs to high-efficiency ones. (from the BBC)

It's not a difficult thing to do. You go to your local Target, Meijer, Sam's Club, WalMart, or similar place and buy the new bulbs. Then you go home, replace the old bulbs and immediately start getting a return on your initial investment by using electricity. Before long, the new bulbs will have more than paid for themselves.

If you search for "CFL" on the Sam's Club website, you get a list of products. You'll have to do a bit more hunting at the other places and I didn't have the time to look b/c a basic search didn't show me anything.

Now...are you going to do it? And if “no”, why not?

You might be asking yourself “so, what should I do with the old bulbs?” That's a good question and I'll try to find some practical suggestions for you. My first thought is to do something artistic, or give them to an artist friend who can paint a scene of some sort on the outside and make it into a Christmas decoration or something... Other ideas?

Anyway, that's my “Happy Independence Day” message to you. Make the switch and become less dependent on energy. *grin*

The next thing is that I cleaned up the apartment a bit this morning so that I could take some pictures. I don't have my room arranged yet, so there are no pics of that, but I did put up some of the “entry room”, the master bedroom, dining room, and kitchen. Such a beautiful place!

Last night, I didn't feel very well and could feel that I was a bit feverish. Sure enough, I battled for sleep all through the night, but woke up this morning feeling OK. I still have that yucky taste in my mouth that often goes along with me not feeling well (does anyone else get that?), but once I get moving, have a bit of lunch, and head for class I should be alright.

Today is my first meeting with 2 groups. One of these is Level 3 and I haven't taught a level this low in a long time. I'm trying to get myself mentally prepared for the size of the group (between 7 and 9 students) and to change my language so that I don't talk too quickly or with vocabulary that is over their heads. Part of the group came from Level 2 and their teacher uses quite a bit of Arabic when she explains things, so I hope they're ready for me! We even have the books, so we can start right away today with our lessons.

Level 6 has 8 students, which is a good size. At this level, we're still doing grammar (along with reading/writing/listening), but we try to push the speaking. I'll get to have both of these classes in the air conditioning, so that's a good way to start. We won't have the books until Wednesday, so I need to prepare some activities for today's class.

A few pictures

Well, I decided that I should give you a few pictures to look at, since I haven't done that in awhile... The latest ones are from a trip I took about 10 days ago with people from Tanta to a church center near Alexandria.

Wastin' Time

No class today b/c the level that I was supposed to teach doesn't have any students. So, we're going to shift things around in the schedule and move on from there. Monday I should have 2 classes. 1 group is people I taught before and the other group is all new people. It should be interesting...

This afternoon, I came to George's computer company to sit with him and use his Internet connection. I don't have a phone at my temporary apartment, so I'm trying to get lots done today (including several posts here)

I've also managed to waste a fair bit of time looking at videos on Ifilm. I blame David for this...

Cool Videos of Egypt (from another Jason)

My buddy Jason made some cool videos and posted them on his website. Apparently he was also interviewed by MSNBC b/c of this! Jason was at the party yesterday and told me the story about this... You can also read his version of the story. (scroll down to the bottom)

Crazy last couple of days!

Well, I've moved! Please congratulate me via email. (that gives you a reason to write to me) *grin* I had a fun Saturday morning with my students at a retreat center just outside Tanta. We made it a short day b/c of the extreme heat, but that was probably good b/c it left me time/energy to pack and move things. I worked on that little project from about 1-6pm, then took a break to watch the Germany/Argentina soccer match.

What a match! I wouldn't say it was great b/c things got a bit sloppy for awhile there, but it was good to watch. Nice to see that the home team continues to win!

After that, I returned to packing and kept at it until 10.30 when my friend Fady came to help me carry things. We took 2 car-loads to my temporary apartment (which Fady's family owns). Now you're probably asking yourself “how did Jason accumulate that much stuff while in Egypt and how is he going to get it home?”

Now that's a fair question.

The answer is that most of what we took in the car is not mine and will not be going to the U.S. I'm talking about towels, plants, office supplies, etc. There were things that I need to have with me for the next few weeks but I won't take back in December. At the moment, most of what I want to take back fits in my suitcase and big backpack. I say “most” b/c Fady has volunteered to carry some items back this summer when he goes to the States and leave them with a friend in Chicago for me to retrieve later. I figure I can fill ½ of a suitcase and give him a carry-on without feeling like I'm asking too much.

Of course...I continue to get more stuff that I want to take back. (keep reading for details)

It was 2am by the time we finished everything, so I slept in and then hurried around to make it to Cairo for the Independence Day Party. First, I met with some friends at their apartment near the party location and then we all walked over together. This was all in Maadi, the really American suburb of Cairo. Lots of U.S. govt employees live there, highly-paid oil company people, etc.

Fun party! Tons of free food, including cans of Coke, Sprite, Fanta Orange and Fanta Apple from the Coca-Cola Corporation and slices of pizza from Pizza Hut. Sadly, the ice cream ran out early. So I can't say good things about the company who provided it. In fact, I won't even tell you the name. But I will say that it's a company that advertises having more than 30 but less than 32 flavors. *smirk* They also had burgers and hot dogs (even some with pork!).

Face-painting for kids, slides, games, etc and Bingo, Bingo, and more Bingo for everyone to play. They gave small prizes for the Bingo winners (but I didn't get anything) and bigger stuff in a free raffle. Prizes ranged from T-shirts to round-trip tickets to the U.S. from KLM. Can you guess what I won?

(I'll give you a hint, it's size Medium and says Hard Rock Cafe on it)

In addition to that, I got a free T-shirt from a travel company and a Coke water bottle for shaking my hips. There was a Hawaiian theme to the party (insert obligatory joke here) and that included a short dance lesson for those who were willing. It gave me the opportunity to put on a grass skirt (comfortable) and a clam-shell bra (too restrictive), so I was all for it!

The weather was hot, so they had big fans with mist machines to cool down the crowd. The whole party was outside under a huge tent and then smaller tents were outside of that with tables for the sponsors and additional misting areas to walk through.

I'm really glad I went. Fun to see my friends and also to see tons of Americans in 1 place. Yes, there was lots of security around! There was 1 fully veiled woman pushing a stroller around and that was definitely the exception to how people looked. Lots of people in shorts and baseball hats (including me). I kinda wish I had gone in previous years, but at least I got to attend once in my time here.

Got back to Tanta around midnight, then went out with Fady to a cafe for lemonade. Nice to help me cool down. Got cleaned up, now emailing before bed (though I won't post until later)

Missed the Brazil/France match b/c I was on my way back to Tanta. I arrived at a cafe' just as the match ended! *sigh*

More soon about where I'm staying – it's a beautiful place!!

Life and Politics

This week I've taken a bit of time in the afternoons to catch up with my news/website reading. My friend George has a computer company and he allows me to bring my laptop to use his DSL connection. If he is free, we talk while I'm online or sometimes I just have an uninterrupted stretch of a couple of hours.

What I try to do is open about 20 different windows with various websites that I enjoy. Then I disconnect and take the time to read them offline at home in the evening.

One thing I found was a lively discussion of the World Cup television coverage in the U.S. (via Kottke).

By the sounds of things, I'm lucky to be watching the Arabic broadcast. It's on a special subscription satellite sports channel, but all the cafes around Tanta have it this month so that people will come in to watch the matches and eat/drink while there. No special graphics or anything – just the bare essentials of the clock and the score and sometimes a window about the percentage of possession for each team and number or shots on goal. That's it!

As to the audio, I can't say that I follow all of it (because of my level of Arabic and because the Arabic they're using is from the Gulf, which is very different)...but it seems to be fairly plain play-by-play. People's names as they control the ball or pass, criticism when someone makes a mistake, praise for good plays and some discussion when the referees make their calls or when players flop.

It's fun to be watching in public places b/c I can get a sense for who people want to win here. For example, there was no question on Tuesday that the crowd was rooting for France to beat Spain. I don't there were any Spain fans in the place where I was watching. Or maybe they were just keeping quiet b/c of the energy of the France fans? *laugh*

As some of you may know, the environment has become a topic that I spend quite a bit of time thinking about here in Egypt. I think there are 2 reason: 1 is that I see what a mess Tanta is – trash everywhere, mostly disposable items (cups, spoons, bottles, etc) and it comes from economics and lack of awareness. Last night, I tried to convince a friend that it's cheaper in the long run for him and better for the environment to buy a Gillette Sensor razor and then just replace the head when he's finished (after using the blade for a month or more), instead of getting cheap plastic razors that he only uses 2 or 3 times and then throws away the whole thing, handle and all.

Not sure if I succeeded. I may have to make the purchase myself and give it to him as a gift.

On this note of the environment, I came across an interesting suggestion about the U.S. government implementing a lightbulb exchange program and how much money/energy it would save each year to eliminate inefficient bulbs. Have you changed all your bulbs yet?
(via Kottke)

Now, to politics...I won't comment much about these b/c I think the articles speak for themselves.

1. Sane comments about war in Iraq (from the Detroit Free Press):

2. 1 Israeli soldier kidnapped, bombings result in loss of electricity for nearly 1 million Palestinians in Gaza strip: (from AP): The Story

What kind of person am I?

(edited, as requested)

I'm not very nice to my students sometimes. *frown*

But they forgive me.

If only I could so easily forgive them for the small things that agitate me and make it hard for me to enjoy my time with them.

I had a great, fun group of students these past 10 weeks. They loved to talk with each other in class, gathered outside after to talk more, and were just great people. But I just let the little problems bug me and ruin our days sometimes. The heat was difficult and I was not sympathetic. I need to “let things roll off my back” more, but I seem to hold onto little things. A few of the students came in late and I always made some comment or gave them some look of disapproval. It's a small thing, but it's important and some of the students never quite “get it”.

B/c it's summer and this last course was difficult, most/all of these students will take a break and then come back to our courses in the fall (I hope) Maybe that's a good thing. I want to encourage them to come to our once-a-week Conversation course on Saturday nights and then hang out sometimes after that class. I hope they like the idea.

Tuesday night was our final class and I wanted it to be really nice. Yet from the beginning, I was upset. See...the new air conditioners weren't working yet b/c the electrician hadn't finished his work. I had been looking forward to using them and having a nice, comfortable class. The students were thinking the same thing. So it was a big disappointment when we couldn't do that. They let it go. I didn't. *sigh* It's one of those frustrating things that I've never gotten accustomed to in Egypt – work of low quality, unreliable schedule/appointments, people not respecting time.

But...even after all that, we had an OK class and then we went out for a simple dinner and cold drinks after class to celebrate and to see the 2^nd half of the Brazil/Ghana World Cup match. Not much of a match, but nice to all be together.

Then I came back to my neighborhood to see people at church and then continue a long conversation with a friend. I've known this friend for a long time, but we really don't have anything in common. Anytime we talk about life/religion/politics, we clash and neither of us really changes our view of things.

Yesterday, the best way I can describe our talk is to say that it was about “personal safety and violence”. To make a long story short, a strange man came to my friend's apartment at midnight on Monday and talked with my friend's adult sister and wife while my friend was in the bathroom. The man left, but then my friend chased after him with a gun and then hit him repeatedly.

*frown*

My friend's view is that he did this to teach the man a lesson and now the man will never come to the building again to bother people. My friend thinks that the man was knocking on every door to see if people were home and then was going to break in and rob apartments if he found them vacant.

Maybe this was the case, but I tried to get my friend to see past this and to see that there were other options in this situation and things that can be done to protect yourself. He has a peekhole in his door so that you can look out to see who is at your door. But his sister didn't use it. He has a chain on the door too, but she just opened the door. His explanation is that she was expecting her husband to return, so she was opening the door for him in a natural way. I tried to get my friend to see that it's each person's responsibility to do these basic things to protect themselves.

I'm not sure he was convinced.

At one point, my friend said “you sound like a monk”. (this has been a comment from him in the past, also)

My response: “thank you”.

I've been thinking about this conversation and about why I'm friends with this person. I'm praying for God to work on both our hearts, that I may learn patience and perspective from him and the he sees a way to peace and satisfaction. Please pray for this.

Blog Visitors

Hmmm...fun to see who visits the Blog.

Now I'm really curious who the people are that go with these locations from yesterday:

Bloomington, IN
Rochester, MI
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA

I have some guesses, but I'd like to hear from you to say "it was me". Who are you???

Please comment on the Blog or send me email.

Statistics!!!

Finally got around to adding SiteMeter to the Blog here. (thanks to David for pointing me to that site).

What that means is that I can now get statistics about visitors to my Blog. It shows all sorts of things, including where you are connecting from in the world, what pages you visit, etc.

Check out Jason's Stats.

Food, Glorious (?) Food

One thing about my Palestine/Israel trip. There's a lot to be said, and maybe it's better if people write me with question. Then I'll try to respond here with answers.

A question came from my mother and she asked: “What kinds of foods did you eat while you were there?”

Answer:

Palestine – the only similar food to what they eat in Egypt that I had was falafel. I say similar b/c it's made in a different way and with some different ingredients, but then the process of frying in oil and putting in a sandwich with some veggies and sauce is the same.

Beyond that, the food of Palestine is much like that of Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. By that, I mean it's much, much better than what we eat in Egypt! *laugh* Garlic and yogurt go along with sandwiches, which is a nice addition. They also have small 8” pieces of bread that are baked and covered with cheese. Great for any meal!

I had sweets just 1 time b/c they were really expensive and most things were the same as in Egypt.

Israel – the only real meal I had there in a restaurant was Thai food. Kosher Thai, of course!

I also had 2 meals in a home when I stayed with a Jewish guy in Tel Aviv. Of all things, he had an Indian-style Chutney from his cousin to have with bread, along with fish. For breakfast, we had omelets.

Aside from that, I ate from the bakeries I talked about in an earlier ent

On a related note, I had the same food for 3 different meals yesterday. Sad, but true! The dish was fuul, which is a very cheap bean in Egypt. You mash them up and eat with bread/veggies, or in a sandwich. For breakfast and lunch, I had bowls of the stuff and then a sandwich for dinner.

And more tonight for dinner. I think I'll take a break tomorrow and get something different!

But this evening, I made a special treat. In my continuing effort to use things up from my apartment before I move (t-minus 5 days), I made a cake from a mix that I brought back from America. I found this nice white cake mix on sale for $.47 and brought back 2 boxes. At that price, it's probably about the same price as what I would pay at my local bakery for a few small cupcakes, but they are a bit heavy and this cake is nice and light. Yummy!

Off to bed. I have to be awake in about 5 hours to play tennis with a friend. He's just learning, so I'll be trying to help him with a couple of things. Mostly it's social. He's someone I met a long time ago, but never really became friends with. Recently, we talked at church and he invited me to play tennis. I'm looking forward to it!

Back from Alexandria!

Ah, Coptic Christian weekend trips -- gotta love 'em!

Basically, you go off for a couple of days in some sort of "retreat center", have meetings, praying, fun/games, talking, visiting monasteries, and then not much sleep!

Got back Sat. night and slept a lot to catch up on my rest.

Class, quiz, and party tonight!

World Cup, cleaning, teaching, thinking

I've been doing lots of all those things! The current round of matches doesn't fit my schedule very well. I can't see any of the early match and then I have a couple of hours to kill after class until the late match (10pm here). With that said, I was able to watch a great Sweden/England match on Tuesday night and a very exciting Spain/Tunisia match on Monday.

I'll be on a trip to Alexandria with a group of 20-something Egyptians from my church in Tanta from Thurs-Sat, so I probably won't get to see any of the matches. *sigh* But maybe there will be some real football nuts and we'll find somewhere to watch. In any event, it should be a nice trip and hopefully my first of many trips to Alex this summer!

Cleaning: As mentioned previously, I move out of my current apartment at the end of June. (very soon!) So, I've been trying to clean out old papers and junk that I don't need/use and throw them out. I've been taking a bit of time each morning to do that and I think I'm making progress.

To update you, I do have a place to live after leaving this apartment. During the gap between leaving my old place and getting into my new place, I will be staying at a friend's apartment. His parents and sister are in the U.S. for his sister's wedding, so their place is empty. What great timing! My buddy will be there, so it'll be fun. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the furniture during that time. Maybe that's something my current landlord will have to deal with!

Teaching: It's been good to be back in class. We've been doing some new topics and also had Quiz 2 this week. Next week, we will finish this level and have the exam. Then new courses for summer start in July. I don't know my schedule yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Thinking: My future, jobs, the past, my time in Palestine/Israel...all of these things have been on my mind. Ideas are coming together from my trip and I will try to post them soon.

My Wacky Nephew

Just finished chatting with my nephew in Michigan. What a funny kid! He's really growing up and his sense of humor is really great! He also likes computer role-playing games! What a kid!

(I really love him and all my family, so I just wanted to share about him)

First full day back in Tanta

Back in Tanta. Met with my students for a welcome back/refresher class yesterday and then we'll get back to classes as usual on Tuesday. Last night I watched the 2^nd half of the Brazil match and most of the France/S. Korea match. Exciting stuff!

I really need to keep better track of the schedule. If one of my students hadn't left class early to watch Brazil play, I wouldn't have known about it! *laugh*

Today, I've been sorting things out in my apartment. I have to move at the end of the month, so I'm taking the time to throw out old papers and things that I don't need. I'd do this before leaving Egypt in December anyway, so it's better to do it now and not move it with me to my new place.

Not quite sure where that's going to be... *smirk* At present, my new place will be available on July 20, so there's a gap of 3 weeks when I'm not sure where I'll be living. That's my mission for this week – talk with friends and see what options are for staying with them or possibly in an empty flat for that short time. Crazy!

I bought a bunch of fruit yesterday. The grape season started while I was gone, plus a new crop of bananas. I ate lots of yummy stuff in Israel and Palestine, but not much fruit. I wanted to try things that were different from what I could get in Egypt, so fruit wasn't on that list!

The main thing I discovered was the wonder of Jewish bakeries. *grin* Oh, my goodness!!! The first day I paid full price in the morning for sweets, but then I discovered that at the end of the day (around 9pm), prices are slashed in half and everything is still really fresh. Full price for 1 kilogram was about $5 which was worth it for the great stuff, but $2.50 was even better for the day-old goodies!

Tonight, I'm hoping to see some friends to catch up on things and watch whatever matches are on. Yup, it's a football-crazy place!

Somewhere Different Adventure Villa Holidays

Very scatterbrained at the moment. I need to get off the computer, but DSL is such a wonderful thing (as opposed to my Tanta dial-in) .

While sorting through ticket stubs, receipts, etc from my Israel/Palestine trip, I found something I'd forgotten about.

On my trip to Siwa Oasis over Easter, I met some Brits with a very interesting business concept called "Somewhere Different Adventure Villa Holidays". The basic idea is for former backpackers who now have lots of money, but not much time to rent villas in cool, out-of-the-way places for a few weeks (and pay a premium price for it). The locations are:

Egypt
Croatia
Romania
Sri Lanka

I like the idea and want to keep tabs on it...

CouchSurfing!

I don't feel inspired to write about my trip right now, but I'll tell you a bit about the people I stayed with and how that all came about.

This fall, I learned about something called CouchSurfing.com through a visitor to Cairo. The basic premise is that if you have an extra bed/couch in your home and want to host a tourist, you register with a profile and people can email you. So, being the adventurous sort that I am, I decided to try it for my Israel/Palestine trip. I already had a place to stay in Palestine, so what I needed to do was find somewhere in Israel. I mostly looked at Jerusalem b/c that's where I was going to spend most of my time.

I found a few people and exchanged emails. The best option looked like Shahar and Roni. I told them my possible dates and then called a couple of times once I got to Israel. They told me that by chance, they were going to have 3 other people there at the same time but said I could still come if I wanted!

Around midnight, after coming back from Tel Aviv and then finding their place, I met Shahar. At first, we were going to bring up an extra mattress from their downstairs neighbors, but then I suggested that I literally "surf their couch", so we moved the couch cushions to the floor of Shahar's room. That's where I slept for a total of 5 nights.

Amazing, amazing guys. Both Israeli, but not practicing Jews. It turned out that one of the other visitors was a Mormon, and the guys didn't have a problem with us having lots of religion-related discussions.

The link I put in before are to pictures of Sharar, Roni, and their friends. We all hung out in one way or another most of the nights I was there. One day, Roni carried the 35" TV downstairs to watch World Cup with his friends b/c people went to sleep early in the place I was staying. Another night, we went to a coffee house with live music, performed by friends of Roni/Shahar.

More soon about my adventures with this crew and the rest of my time around Israel/Palestine.

Made it back!

Well, after many, many hours on buses and in taxis...I've made it back to Cairo.

Mostly it's my fault, but it seems like it all happened for a reason. For fun and for the experience, I tried hitchhiking on Friday morning from Jerusalem to the border (4 hours away). After about 2 hours of waiting and even getting help from security guys, I finally gave up and raced to the bus station for a 10am bus.

I barely made it there in time, but was too late to get a seat so I stood or sat on the floor, along with several others. Crazy!

Unfortunately, this all made me too late to catch a bus to Cairo, or anywhere else in Egypt. So, I gathered together some other tourists who were in the same situation and we got in a mini-van together and headed for Dahab.

As it turns out, on this part of the "journey", I met up with a 70-year old women who I had heard about from an MCC friend in Jerusalem. She is traveling around promoting peace and working on development projects (noble work), but comes across as a bit senile. I'm not sure what her story is, but it seemed like beyond coincidence. So...it seemed like I should help her out as much as possible, so that's what I did! We left her in a small beach town and she's hoping to go into Gaza on Sunday. God be with her!

So, I made it to Dahab, which is my favorite beach spot in Egypt. I was interested to see the changes since my last tri in Jan. 2005 and also since the bombings in April. It seems like things are going better than ever and this was confirmed by a restaurant guy I talked to. But I only had enough time to walk along the promenade and then have a nice dinner while watching a World Cup match before getting a 10pm bus to Cairo.

Uneventful ride and actually quite comfortable. I managed to get quite a bit of sleep! It's 8am as I write this and I want to spend some time online and uploading pics to share, then maybe a short nap and laundry before going to the American University in Cairo for a World Refugee Day celebration at 5pm.

Sunday morning, I'll head for Tanta and get back to teaching in the afternoon.

Memorial for those who died in the attack:

Maybe 4 hours sleep?

Trying to spend as much time awake as I can during my last day in Jerusalem. *sigh* I have to leave around 7am Friday morning for Cairo. It's now 2.40am and I'm packed, showered, and ready for bed. Hungry b/c my Thai food dinner was 6 hours ago, but that's all right...

So much to write about and there just hasn't been time since leaving Bethlehem. I have so much to say/show and I will really try to do that from Tanta this week.

Thanks to those of you who have emailed -- keep it up!

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*