...and now I do homework…

*ugh*

I have about 4 hours now to work on an assignment due for class on Saturday. I have to analyze the Past Simple and Present Perfect verbs to contrast them, discuss their use, and talk about an example lesson. We’re only talking about 1000 words, but I’m not looking forward to it.

Thursday was unusual. In the afternoon, Darren and I went to the Khan, the big bazaar for tourists and locals. In the really touristy areas, there was a serious military/police present. We saw a few dozen Western tourists, but they were not English-speaking groups. Maybe French and German.

So, we felt fairly comfortable and I was even answering the “where are you from?” question by saying “I’m American”. One vendor had a response to that, by saying:
”America attacked Iraq today – I give you discount!” *laugh* Many of the shops had their televisions tuned to the news, so we took a peek every so often. I was looking for a silver ring, but I couldn’t find anything I liked. Darren came back with a red and white checkered head scarf and a strap of sorts to keep it on his head. I think he’ll only be wearing that around the flat, so I’ll take a picture at some point.

I felt safe all afternoon and didn’t really see any problems. We came back about mid-afternoon and then I went to a study session for class. While I was there, Craig and Karen (my CR’s from MCC) called to say that there were “violent protests” going on downtown and that I should avoid the area.

It’s a good thing they gave me a mobile phone on Tuesday! It’s really come in handy these past couple of days. There’s no charge to me when I receive calls, so that’s mostly what I’ve been doing. It gets expensive quickly to make calls, either to a regular phone or another phone.

After class, I decided to go visit the Presbyterian crew that is all living together. It’s the group that held the “green food” St. Patty’s Day dinner party. They had been asked/told by their coordinators not to leave their residence yesterday, so they called to say that they were going to watch the news, watch movies, and make cookies. I went over and Darren was there already. He made the curious choice of watching “Pearl Harbor”. Not really the movie to take your mind _off_ war, but it was good to watch it again. I watched it not long before leaving Michigan when I borrowed the tape from my sister Heather. (thanks!)

On the way home, Darren and I stopped at KFC. He needed to take care of his craving for greasy chicken, plus they were watching the news on TV. We saw footage of the protests downtown and they looked fairly peaceful. I had popcorn chicken, which I’ve never tried before. They have chicken legs, breasts, etc like you’d see in N. America, but also many sandwiches. Sadly, they do not have biscuits. I told Darren about the many times that my Dad and I shared meals together at KFC together after Detroit Tiger baseball games or on days when we went to the movies.

Today, the church service I have been attending was cancelled. It will not be held on Sunday, either. As a precautionary measure, Westerners are being asked not to gather in places as they would on a regularly-scheduled basis. So, since church is always in the same location, at 9:30 on Friday morning, we’re not meeting today.

My CR just called as I was writing this. Apparently, there were 2 protests downtown yesterday. One group was composed of American University of Cairo students and the other was members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The police tried to prevent the 2 groups from merging, but they got together and started moving toward the American Embassy. One report is that they were stopped about 100m away, but that was the Associated Press, so we’re not sure about the accuracy of that. It wasn’t really violent, but there were reports of some of the protesters being hit by the police.

And with that report, I need to start on my homework. I hope that we still play Frisbee this afternoon so that I can take a break!

War…what is it good for?
Absolutely nuthin’.

As I sat down to write this entry, those are the song lyrics that came to mind.

It’s 9:30 on Thursday morning as I write this and I’ve just learned about the beginning of the attacks on Iraq. I got up this morning, had breakfast, then went to the BBC for my news. I read through W’s speech, details of the reaction from Asia, and a summary of the first attacks.

After that, I needed to get off the phone line so that I could call and check in with my MCC Country Representatives who handle the administrative issues here. They asked that we call to check in with them once we heard that war had begun. So, I did that and they will be in touch if they hear anything from MCC in the U.S. or if anything big happens here in Egypt or neighboring countries.

Physically, we’re quite removed from Iraq so there’s little danger there but people are funny and tough to predict sometime. Just as there are “random acts of kindness”, there are also “random acts of violence”, and it’s impossible to predict what (if anything) will happen here. The government in Egypt has been effective with squashing the militant Islamic groups here over the past few years and has been known to arrest people during protest activities, so people seem hesitant to be vocal on issues.

What am I going to do today? Praying, I suppose…

While there will be some of that, I think I am going to go out and try to make myself available and not change what I had planned to do today. I want to pick up some groceries and then I need to be back here to study before going to a formal study session for my teaching class at 5pm.

Last night, I had a couple of brief conversations with Egyptians about the war. Usually, they don’t know what to say and I don’t know what to say. We end up saying that we are hoping for peace. I guess that is true now, as well.

That’s it for now. I don’t have any great insight on all of this, but I will try to keep writing my thoughts and observations.

It's Monday night and in some ways, it feels like the end of a week b/c I don't have class on Tuesday, so there's a bit of a break. But it also feels like mid-week b/c it feels like the week started on Saturday, since I've had the 3 days of class. Very weird.

Today was the first time for all of us to be on our own, teaching students. We had a 25 minute block of time. Everyone was nervous, even the people who have been teaching. Some of the people in my group have been teaching for 6 years or more and are just now getting this certification. You can definitely see a difference when the experienced people are up there.

I did ok. For what we wanted to accomplish, 25 minutes seemed like not much time at all! I felt really rushed and then I started talking too fast and then some of the class got a bit lost. I also had a bit of difficulty with explaining some directions on an exercise I was having the class do. Hopefully I'll learn from it and improve the next time I teach.

The class was big today (and will be from now on), but the room was small. We ended up with 15 students, 1 teacher, and 5 observers in the classroom. That was a lot! Some of the students came in late, so we ended up pulling in desks from other classrooms so that they could all fit. One of the techniques we were shown and talked about for monitoring was to walk behind the students and look over their shoulder as they are writing. Sounds good, right? Yeah, except that it was physically impossible to get behind the students in this room! *grin* So we were stuck at the front of the room.

The students are all in the "adult learner" category, I guess. We talked about birthdays today and a few students were born in 1978, while 1 was born in 1983. Mostly university-aged students and a few people into their 30s.

Ah well!

I guess Dad has a computer now and will probably be online soon. Cool.

I've been getting my exercise and walking lately. It's about a 25 minute walk each way at a decent pace for my teaching class. Even if I took a tram, by the time I waited for it and then rode, it would be almost the same amount of time. But this evening, I did wait a few minutes and then got on one. I mostly just wanted to see how long it would take me and if it was worth it. I'll ride sometimes, but will probably walk most times.

Looking back on the weekend and today…

Ultimate Frisbee on Friday afternoon was fun. Beautiful and warm in the afternoon, so it was good to be out in the sun and running around. I’m out of shape, but all the walking I’ve been doing has helped to strengthen my legs, at least. I don’t think I was any more out of shape than anyone else who was playing, so that’s not too bad!

Started my teaching class on Saturday. We were in class for about 6 hours, I guess. It’ll be a lot to learn very quickly.

Sat. night, the Presbyterian volunteers who my flatmate has introduced me to were having a big dinner party for St. Patrick’s Day. We were each asked to bring a dish and it had to be green! Darren and I pulled the bachelor trick. I bought canned peas (imported from the U.S.) and put them in the microwave when I got to the party (but they were quite good) and Darren brought 2 big plastic bottles of Mt. Dew. But that’s b/c those having the party asked him to bring a beverage.

It was fun. Lots of good conversation and relaxing. After dinner, they got out a guitar and a few people played songs. Mostly praise/worship songs but also a good version of “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. *laugh* It was sung in a French accent by a guy from Chile and a few of us on back-up vocals. This is the world I am living in right now. Weird stuff.

Class today was good, but long. We spent some time on methods and most of the afternoon observing one of our teachers in a class.

My first Teaching Practice is on Monday afternoon, so I need to put together some notes. It's pretty weird b/c 5 of us from my course will all be teaching the same class of students. But not at the same time -- one after the other. The first person has 25 minutes to do part of the lesson, then the next person to do more for 25 minutes, etc. I'm the last person, so hopefully we're not too far behind by that point.

We talked over it all a bit with one of our instructors this afternoon at the end of class, I'll prep some tonight, then we're getting together for 45 minutes before class tomorrow. It's our first day of teaching, so it's just to get a taste. A bit daunting, though!! All we've been doing the past 2 days is learning through observing other teachers and not getting a whole lot of formal methodology. So we'll see...

Grammar kicking my butt, I was talking all the technical names and explanations for things. Sure, I'm a native speaker but that means that I do a lot of things naturally and just learned them along the way. Once you start talking about the perfect tense of verbs, why things are continuous, and all that I get a bit lost. It's all very important when learning English as a second language but if I ever learned it at all, it was in middle school, so that's been awhile! Some of it reminds me of trying to learn the grammar for Spanish (and now for Arabic), but English is unique in many ways.

These next couple of weeks are going to be pretty hectic, so I probably won’t be emailing or doing journal entries as often as I have been lately.

Happy Birthday to my Dad!!!!

It's Saturday and I just got back from my first teaching class. But more about that later...

This is a long-overdue post from Tuesday

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Craig and I are visiting Beni Suef today. We’re checking out St. Mark school for the possibility of having a teacher here. I’m shipping Arabic class to be here! *laugh*

It’s been worth it. We saw classes of children learning at a “language school”. That means all classes except for Social Studies are taught in English. The government has a mandate for Social Studies to be in Arabic. Among other subjects, French and German are taught. So, these kids could know 4 languages before going to University. We me t a brother/sister pair with extended family in Egypt, but their parents are in Italy. So they are here to learn in school and experience Egyptian culture – Italian plus 4 other languages = 5 total!

Kids here want to learn and they need to learn. One thing is for placements tests for admission to University. In the U.S., it’s a new concept to teach students to do well on standardized tests like the Michigan Educational Assessment Program. Sure, there are the ACT/SAT tests, but most intense prep for that takes place outside of school. It’s just accepted here that schools teach for the tests, I think.

Many students asked about my opinion on the U.S./Iraq situation. Maybe they’re more aware/concerned than U.S. students? Not sure about that… My answer was that I prefer peace and I hope that things can be settled through diplomacy.

It’s good to see how children learn, so that when I am teaching adults, I know a bit of their background. I’m also finding that my Arabic classes and tiny understanding of grammar will help me connect the 2 languages and see/hear the difficulties my students will have.

It will be interesting to connect with the church program in Tanta. The priest we are talking with today is very educated and is speaking on many topics. We’ve had tea and snacks a total of 3 times today, plus lunch! Lots of tea. Definitely a tea-drinking culture. In the morning, we were at the school, but now we are at a “retreat center”. It’s mostly empty now, but is busy at certain times during the year.

“Real” chocolate doesn’t seem to exist here for Egyptian-made foods. Only the candies imported from England taste like chocolate. But some of the items are pretty good. My current favorite is little wafers with chocolate between different layers and then covered in chocolate.

For lunch, we had soup and then a type of stew for the main dish. It was a tomato-flavored base with potato, peas, and carrots in it. We also had spicy slices of potato as a side dish and bananas for desert. The priest complained that there weren’t any oranges, but the staff didn’t return with them until after we finished eating.

Cooking? Me? I haven't really been cooking and the topic of what I've been eating is going to be a future journal topic. But I'll write it to you first and then put it in the journal later this week.

At the flat, the extent of my cooking is PB&J sandwiches and grilled pita/cheese sandwiches. I also do scrambled eggs sometimes in the morning, or corn flakes with slices of banana.

When I eat out, the most recent thing I've discovered is "hamburger with egg". It's a fried egg done in a little circle and served on a bun with a small hamburger. One place I've had it just puts on ketchup and a slice of tomato, but tonight I also had some cucumber and green pepper at a different place.

Yes, I'm trying to eat my veggies every now and then. The vegetables and fruits are very flavorful and fresh here. I've never really liked tomato on things, but they're really good here!

I also get "tamaya" fairly often. It's pretty similar to falafel that you'd get in the states. It comes in half a pita with some shredded leafy green stuff added in. With my tamaya, I sometimes get "fuul" (pronounced like "fool". It's fava beans mushed up and served in a pita with veggies.

That stuff is fairly healthful, although pretty heavy in carbohydrates.

Unfortunately, I've also been eating lots of candy. Weird. I'm not a big candy bar person, but I've just been trying the things we don't have in the U.S. There are probably 100 different choices that fall into that category. There are also good little bakeries all around. Last week, I bought a kilo (2.2 pounds) of baklava (called baklawa or golesh here) for 8LE. So that's less than $1.50 U.S. Is there anywhere in Michigan that you could get it for that price?? *laugh* It was really good too. No, I didn't eat all of it. I shared some with classmates, with people at the office, and with Darren.

Strangely enough, I have yet to eat anything with date in it. There are little deserts with date, but I haven't felt like them. I'm really on a chocolate kick right now. (that's "shocolat" in Arabic -- seriously)

More music in my ears as I type. Right now, I’m listening to a band or a guy called “Gomez”. Has anyone heard of them? No idea where they’re from. Either the U.S. or U.K. probably. Over the past couple of days, I’ve also been listening to Robbie Williams, Morcheba, and Jennifer Paige. It’s all good stuff that my friend from Arabic class gave me.

It’s 10:30pm and I just got back from worshiping with a church in Orlando, Florida.

Confused?

Well, here’s the story. There’s an evangelical Egyptian Arabic-language church here in Cairo that has several thousand people in its congregation. They have so many people involved that they have services almost every night of the week and they fill up! Probably over 1000 people at each service. On Sunday nights, they offer headphones and someone is translating everything into English.

Tonight, they went one big step further and connected with a live audio/video link with a church called Northland in Orlando. One of the pastors from here flew there and a pastor plus a few people for the worship band came to Cairo. Over the past few days, they have been doing services for specific groups like youth and Sundanese. There was a projector and a big screen showing us the congregation/preachers in Orlando and they had the same so that they could see/hear us. It was quite a production!

Quite an interesting mix of America and Egypt. We sang contemporary songs in English and Arabic at the same time! Or at least we tried… There were only a few native English-speakers in the audience. I went by myself, but I saw Juan, Cathy, Julie, and Sherrie from the Presbyterian volunteer group, so I sat with them. They were joined by a few Egyptian friends, so it was quite fun to chat before/after the service.

The pastor who was here from Florida looked and sounded far too much like George W. *laugh* All kidding aside, he related a story about someone at their hotel here in Cairo asking him if he was the President. Weird…

There were 2 different sermons/messages given and one of themes was peace. That’s not surprising, I suppose. The messages also helped me to continue thinking about Grace and doing good acts. It’s been something I’ve thinking about the past few days.

I’ve come to a decision of sorts, or at a least a statement to make.

Grace and forgiveness is available to everyone. We just need to give up our earthly “selves” and bow down to the Lord. If we ask for Grace and forgiveness, it will be given to us. “Doing good things” has no direct connection with this. It’s not necessary in order to receive Grace.

But, “doing good things” is a way of saying thank you to God! *smile* It’s also one way of spreading His good will to others.

I surprise myself sometimes with the thoughts that run through my brain and get processed. These previous couple of paragraphs are a new understanding for me.

On other topics…

This afternoon, I got an International Student Identification Card. Yeah – now I get 50% off admission to museums/tourist locations, plus reduced rates on airfare, train/bus tickets, and at some stores/restaurants. I just needed to prove that I am a student and I did that by showing them the receipt for my Arabic classes and my upcoming teaching course. The card cost 52LE but that will quickly pay for itself!

Actually, I’ve already saved 3LE by using it. *grin* After getting the card, I went to the nearest touristy/historical spot. It happened to be the “Nilometer”. Before the building of the Aswan dam, when the water level of the Nile was controlled by nature, this was the measuring stick to see how much rainfall there had been and to predict how good the crops would be.

Now that it is not used, it’s just for tourists to look at. Unfortunately, there isn’t much posted to read about it, but the Lonely Planet guidebook gave some good info. I took some pictures, but they aren’t posted yet.

I’ll get to that in a few days, hopefully.

I haven’t been sending updates when I write in this journal, so hopefully people are still reading. Also, don’t forget to check out the archives, if you haven’t read my writings in awhile.

I finally discovered a coffee shop that's just a short walk from the flat, so I went over tonight. The worker-guy who greeted me when I walked in found me someone to play with and 2 guys taught me how to play a game they call "31". That's the score that finishes the game. You play all the way through 1 time and then if the loser has 4 disks left, then the winner gets 4 points. If the loser has 8 points, then it's 8 points, and so on. These guys play so fast! They just know where the different rolls will get you and they definitely have strategy in mind, too.

My dad taught me to play Backgammon as a child, so I was thinking about him while I was playing… Hi Dad! (I know you’ll read this at some point *smile*)

That made for a good evening, following some time at a church for singing, bible study, and chatting. This church is interesting b/c it mostly Egyptians who want to worship in English. Very nice people and good services so far.

I was a bit down on myself this afternoon.

I started thinking negatively about how it seems like I'm wasting a lot of time and not really "doing" much here right now. This afternoon, I almost went to a place called the Citadel and some museums that are there. But I was going to do it b/c I felt that I should and not b/c I really wanted to. At some point, that can be a necessary reason for doing things, but it just felt like forcing it today. So I swore that I'd go on on Sunday.

But I probably won't. Still feeling the same way about it. I hopefully can motivate myself to study Arabic for awhile.

So I guess the extent of my adventures today was going to the coffee shop. Fortunately, I'm okay with that right now. Let's see how I feel tomorrow. *smirk* It's all about little victories, I suppose. It's easy to use energy with negative thoughts, so I'm trying to practice thinking positively, instead.

Listening to the “Missundaztood” album by Pink right now. Amusing stuff. Lively, which matches my day, I guess!

Today I played Frisbee! The sun was out, I was able to wear shorts (the Egyptian men were wearing shorts, so I did too!), so it was great! We didn’t play Ultimate Frisbee b/c we only had 5 people but we’re going to make this a regular weekly thing and more people will be there next week.

I met another one of Darren’s friends from St. Andrews Church, where he is volunteering. I’m meeting lots of people through Darren, which is good. It would have been a lot harder getting connected if not for him. I should make sure to thank him sometime. Annie was the organizer of the Frisbee-playing. She’s a born/raised Californian who went to Berkley. She’s happy to have people who want to join her for Frisbee.

Annie brought 2 Sudanese guys from St. Andrews. Neither of them had ever played Frisbee before, but they both caught on really quickly! We played for a couple of hours but had to stop around 4pm so that one of the Sudanese guys could go to St. Andrews for a play that he was performing in. It’s part of the English-education program there to put on dramas and practice English by learning the English dialogue and performing.

The play was good and quite funny! It was set in the 1970’s and concerned the political situation in the Sudan. Essentially, it evolved around a woman who was wrongfully accused of a crime and was being hunted by the authorities. She asked for protection from a deacon, so he had to reconcile lying about her being in home with keeping her safe from the military. All the performers did quite well.

The guy who played Frisbee with us was named Hashim and he played a priest of sorts. This Hashim guy is amazing. He is very good with English, has learned Egyptian Coloquial Arabic (that’s what I have my classes in), plus his native language is one of the Sudanese dialects. Now, he’s trying to learn Spanish, French, and Italian! I guess his brain is just wired to absorb languages!

Speaking of which, I should study some of my Arabic yet tonight!

Happy New Year!

Islamic New Year, that is. Today is the first day of the new year, so major offices were closed
and I didn't have my Arabic class. That gave me time to finish "The Hobbit" and start on "Fellowship
of the Ring". Such good books!

I also stopped over at the British Community Association "clubhouse" to check out the scene there.
It's a mostly British club that has a membership fee or per visit guest fee, but they have some fun
events and facilities. There's a dartboard, billiards table, TV, and random people to chat with. I
found out about it from their magazine and also from someone suggesting that we meet there before
maybe going to a concert. So, I wanted to figure out how to get there.

They also have the occasional movie night. Coming up is "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and they just
showed the first 2 Lord of the Rings movies.

It's not really my scene, but maybe I'll go as a guest every so often with people. I guess they
have fish and chips on Thursday nights, so that might be nice sometime! *laugh* It's only 200LE
to join for the year, which isn't really that much. But then there's food/beverage on top of that.
Plus, since I'll only be in Cairo for 3-4 months, it makes sense to instead pay 5LE as a guest each
time I stop by.

I haven't gone back to that coffee shop to play games and see the group of guys I met. I thought
about going on Monday after my Arabic tutorial, but I was exhausted from studying.

I'm having trouble with getting motivated to go out in the evenings. Beyond that, I'm feeling good
but my lack of energy worries me a bit. I feel like I should be going out more, trying to meet
foreigners or Egyptians, and just going, going, going. But sometimes, I just can't do it. My
health is fine, though I'm not getting much energy beyond walking. I guess some people want to
start playing Ultimate Frisbee, so I'm definitely eager to play again!

While walking around today, I did some window shopping at computer stores. Cheap prices!! I could
get a fairly decent system put together, plus a monitor for $400-500. But I have my laptop, so I
don't need to do that. So why was I looking? Mostly b/c I was curious. While getting ready to
come here, I debated buying this laptop and I got it for convenience, mostly. I knew that I
could have a desktop computer built here for cheaper, but then it would need to be on a desk, etc
so I think I'm glad that I went with the laptop.

We're also looking at me helping out some local churches or organizations with their webpages in
the short term. But that won't come together for at least a few weeks.

I just have this week and next week left with my structured Arabic classes. After that, I am hoping
to start with my CELTA teaching-certification course. If that comes through, I will be really busy
from mid-March through mid-April. But if the class isn't offered, then I need to get some informal
training, but that would also give me more time available for other things.

As it's been all the way through the process, there are lots and lots of "maybes" floating around!
Thank God, I've been granted the patience and openness just to go with the flow and let things work
out as they are intended.

Tanta is still our thought for my assignment, but now we also might have a city called Benni-Swayf as
an option. That's a remote one, though. But, it works out that my CR, Craig, is going to visit
Benni-Swayf next Tuesday and I will be joining him. It will give me a chance to see Upper Egypt.
That's the area south of Cairo and we will be on the train about 2 1/2 hours to get there.

It also looks like most of the MCC group from Cairo will be going to Alexandria to hear a speaker
on Saturday. But that's still to be determined, as well.

It seems like planning here either happens week/months ahead of time, or it doesn't happen at all and
things just come up at the last minute. But that's ok.

Wishing you all a peaceful day,

-Jason

Quite the day...

This afternoon, Darren and I met up with John (another MCC'er) and Carmen. John wanted to
take us to see Coptic Cairo. It's the part of town that has Christian churches dating
back to the 5th century! Quite the sight to behold. There is one called the Hanging
Church b/c it is built on top of Roman pillars and there is a spot where you can look down
to see how the whole thing is supported. Odd. Great architecture and very interesting
history.

After that, Carmen and I decided to check out another one of the local churches for
worship. This one ended up being about 30 people in their 50s-70s, one 20-something, and
the 2 of us! *laugh* Not quite what I was expecting, but their music was great and the
people were really friendly! One big bonus is that there were a number of Egyptians
there who like to worship in English for practice and they just prefer it to other
services in Arabic. I guess there is worship and Bible study on Saturday nights, so
that is when a few younger people go. I'll have to check it out.

On the way back from the service, I decided that I was going to have my first coffee
shop experience. Now, this isn't what North Americans would think of when you say
"coffee shop". No latte' or espresso here! Just tea, coffee, pepsi, lots of smoking
and the sound of dominos or backgammon pieces being slapped down on the gameboard!
Up until now, I had been hesitant to go into any b/c I wanted to have a bit of Arabic in
my mind so that I didn't seem _completely_ clueless. Also, there aren't any of these
places right in the neighborhood where we live, since we're in a more upscale neighborhood,
I guess.

Anyway, I went in, ordered tea and sat for a few minutes as everyone in the place looked
at me and tried to decide what I was doing there... After a little bit, some guys
motioned me over to play dominos with them. I won't even try to explain how the playing
and scoring worked b/c I'm a little fuzzy on that. But it definitely involved dominos
and connecting them together with matching numbers. I don't know who won, but eventually
the guys switched to backgammon and I watched them play.

These weren't any backgammon rules that I've ever seen and they played 2 different ways,
so I need to try learning. The guys were really funny and kept having me order drinks.
After my tea, I had a Pepsi, and then some other kind of tea with lots of milk in it.
Some of the guys knew a bit of English, so that was helpful for explaining things but I
also got to use a lot of the Arabic that I know. I don't know that much, so I used it
pretty quickly! *smirk*

Of course, as I was getting ready to leave, the men I had been with insisted on paying
for my drinks! That's Egyptian hospitatlity!

Now for some email, studying, and then bed.

Thursday night, I went to the ballet.

Yes, ballet.

Here in Cairo, the Japanese were nice enough to donate the
money a few years ago for a beautiful opera house!

The ballet was called "Zorba" and it featured music performed
by the Cairo Opera Orchestra and A Capella Choir. I can't do
justice to summarizing the story but it was a love story,
with the usual "love triangle" plot.

Will I go back to see another ballet or for other performances
at the Opera House? You betcha! First of all, I enjoyed it and
second of all, it was cheap!!! Also, it helped that we had a
fun group there last night -- a bunch of 20-somethings who
volunteer where my roommate is working.

I paid about $2 U.S. for my ticket!! The group I went with was
buying student price tickets with their college student ID's, so
I got the same price -- 10LE. Even without the discount, it would
only have been 20LE. Still very, very cheap!!!!

Coming up in a few weeks, the Cairo Orchestra is performing Carmina
Burana, so I'm definitely going for that! Even if you don't recognize
the name, I'm sure you've heard it. It's very dramatic music that is
used in many movies.

This week was busy, with classes during the day and something happening
every night, so I didn't do much today. Just some reading and relaxing.
I've started reading "The Hobbit" in preparation for getting into the
Lord of the Rings trilogy next. A few days ago, I finished reading
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban".

Last Monday night, I met up with 2 other MCC'ers for dinner at their place.
Nothing fancy, just an excuse for me to go there and chat with them. They
are married with an infant daughter.

Tuesday night, I had my Arabic tutorial and then I had pancakes!!! North
American-style pancakes! *laugh* A friend of my tutor's just opened this
little restaurant and one of the items they offer is pancakes with pretty
decent maple syrup. That's impressive b/c I haven't even seen syrup in
a store yet, even the supermarket that has lots of "Western" items!

Wednesday, I went out with some of my classmates from my Arabic class and
our teacher. It was nice to talk with people and also see a bit more of
Cairo. We met up at one of the big hotels right on the Nile and then went
over to a restaurant from there.

One other thing about the opera on Thursday night. I met a young guy who
is here in Cairo studing to become a doctor, but he grew up in Tanta, the city
where I will hopefully be teaching. So, I have another contact to talk with
about Tanta and he volunteered to show me around, introduce me to people, etc.
The connections I have with this town just keep coming up. It's still not
certain that I will be there, so we shall see...

Today was sunny and fairly warm, so I sat out on the balcony to read and
type a few emails. Now it's 7pm and starting to get chilly outside. I
have a little spaceheater on here in my bedroom to help warm things up!
It's tiny, but it does a good job! I turned it on for a few hours the
other day before going to bed, too.

Well, it took awhile, but I've managed to upload some pictures. For all of my pictures:

login: jpics
password: easy

Here are pics from the day I arrived:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290633491

Plus, here's over 100 pictures from Luxor. Maybe I should be selective on which ones I post?
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290633453

After a bit of looking, I also found some good maps that show Cairo, where I'm living, and where I take my Arabic classes.
Here is a full map of Cairo so it takes awhile to load, but it's shows how the neighborhoods fit together:
http://home.att.net/~cairo3dmap/map.html
Below are links to area B-1 and E-1 on this big map.

and here's a zoomed-in map of my big part of the city. We're very close to where it says "Heliopolis Sporting Club" right above where it says "Heliopolis" in big letters.
Heliopolis is the name of where I'm living:
http://home.att.net/~cairo3dmap/e-1.html

Also, here's the zoomed-in map for where I'm taking Arabic classes, just above where it says "AGOUZA" is "THE BRITISH COUNCIL":
http://home.att.net/~cairo3dmap/b-1.html

[from Thursday]

Today has been a good day.

It's always good to say that. *smile* I'm definitely feeling back to normal again after 2 days of having an upset
stomach. Well, that's one way to lose a few pounds! *grin* I was feverish on Wednesday, I think but I'm certainly
better now. My appetite has returned, too.

It's now Thursday night, so the weekend is beginning. No big plans for tonight, but Friday should be busy. My
flatmate is around and we had talked about watching a DVD on my computer tonight. we shall see. Yeah, there are
many better things I could be doing in Cairo, but it's been a busy week and I just want some time for relaxation.

Every day, I realize a little more just how huge Cairo is! I fell like I commute quite a bit when I'm on public
transport 1 hr each way, but that's only getting me half-way across the city!

On both Wednesday and Thursday, I managed to make it from where I'm staying and to my arabic class without much
trouble. See, there's no such thing as a bus schedule in this city. Seriously! You just ask random people or the
busdrivers where they are going and then write down or remember which bus took you where.

When I leave the flat, I walk 5 minutes to a small Metro station. We'd think about it more as a "tram". It's
above-ground, running on rails but connected to wires up in the air. Does that make sense? Anyway, I take the
tram to one of the main bus/tram/underground stations and switch to a bus for the rest of my trip to class.

Yup, it's 7pm. I hear one of the call-to-prayers happening. We're fairly close to a mosque, so I can hear
it pretty well. I can't understand any of what they're saying, but...

Good news! I finally got around to setting up my computer to use the phoneline in the flat (the apartment where
I'm staying) to connect to the Internet. This will be my first journal update from my couch! Will this mean more
journal updates and more email. Probably not. I think I'm doing a fairly good job with that right now. Maybe
too good of a job!

What it does mean is that I should soon be uploading some of my pictures. Don't get too excited yet! I haven't
tried it yet to see how slow it is. But the internet connection is cheap. There's no monthly fee, so all you do
is pay per minute. It turns out to be something silly like 1 Egyptian pound per hour. That's about 20 cents...

Maybe I'll try now.

Not a lot to report for today.

I wasn't feeling well Tuesday night and all through Wednesday. Plus, I didn't sleep very well Tuesday night. I'm some better now, but tired. Fortunately, I get to sleep soon.

Arabic went well and I got to/from class without using a cab.

But I also started with a tutor tonight and I had to take a cab of that. Well, I'm still making progress. More tomorrow, maybe...

Went out for dinner tonight after Arabic with a couple of the guys from class. A Canadian who had been working in IT, made some cash in the UK in the late 90's at BBC Online, etc and is now bouncing around the world. The other guy is a Brit and he's just here for a few months to learn some Arabic and travel before going to university in the fall. He's just 18!

The extent of my meeting "real Egyptians" has been on the bus and metro trains. However, I did meet a really helpful guy on the bus today and he gave me all his contact information, so I can call him if I have questions about things. He was really great. I need to ask the Egyptian guy here at the office what I should do to show my gratitude.

Arabic class was better today. We have homework, too. Our teacher gave us a drawing of a bedroom with all sorts of things in it. Toothbrush, rug, bed, picture, book, etc. We have to go up to random people and ask them in Arabic, "what is the name of this object", then listen to their response and write it down. It seems like a fun and weird way to meet people in the neighborhood! I got a couple done by stopping by the gas station this evening. The rest, I'll do in the morning.

So class seems good, and the students are nice. I'm also going to have a tutor a couple of nights a week. At first, we talked about 3 nights/week, but that might be too much. It's 8-10pm in the evening, so that eliminates any potential for going out. Not that I've been doing a whole lot of that, anyway.

But everything is still so new, which means things are still coming together.

Today was a good day and I'm looking forward to some studying and relaxation tonight and Wednesday morning!

Catching up with writing about the few days in Luxor...

When we first arrived on the train, we stopped at one of the hotels that we had called a couple of days before. Of course, the price was different than what was quoted and they weren't able to get Craig, Karen, and the 2 boys all in the same room. So Craig and I went off in search of another hotel. We went to another that he had called and they were able to get their whole family in a quad room. I had a double to myself, but it still wasn't that expensive. The first place had a bad location and would have been about 30 pounds for me. To get the better location and a view of the Nile, I paid 60 pounds a night. Mind you, that's Egyptian Pounds and at the current exchange rate, 60 LE (abbreviation for Egyptian Pound) is less than $12 US.

After settling in, we took a kalesh ride to Karnak temple. A kalesh is a small carriage pulled by a single horse. So we all piled in and for about 5 LE (less than $1), we had a 20 minute tour of the area and got to Karnak temple. Everything is just so old and impressive. I need to go back again after the feeling of awe wears off! The "wow, I'm really seeing this stuff" sensation made it tough to take in much of what I was seeing. We were all tired by early evening, so we went to bed early. Even though we tried to sleep on the train, it still wasn't very restful. So, I slept a long time and was all rested for Friday!

Friday was our day to hire a car and driver for the day so that we could easily see the sights we wanted to see. Sure, we could have done it cheaper by just hopping busses, but this just made things so much more convenient and we knew that we could schedule things how we wanted.

Our first step was the Colossi of Memnon. We're pretty sure that every tourist in Luxor goes there. Sure, they are 2 huge (30 feet?) but they're also free. So, the tour guides can add them to lists of things they offer without costing themselves any money! *laugh* After that, we went to Deir al-Medina. It's a collection of tombs, but they are right within a small, active village. That meant walking past where people were living and working on our way to the historic sights. Much different than the Valley of Kings, which is isolated.

I should really provide links for some of these things, but I'm not going to. *smirk* Maybe sometime I'll pay to get on a fast connection, but for now it's just too hard with a cruddy dial-up.

Anyway, I already wrote about what we saw in the Valley of the Kings, so I won't get into that again. When we finished there and returned to the hotel, I decided that I wanted to take a felucca ride. Feluccas are small sailboats and there were hundreds of them along the Nile. Each one had an eager captain who would talk to any tourist who walked near him! Price had to be negotiated, of course! I just wanted the experience of "being on the Nile", so I only went for 1 hour. Sadly, there wasn't much wind so we went out, let the current carry us for a bit, then came back in. But the captain was friendly and we had tea. While on the water, one of his friends in another felucca came by with customers, but he didn't have tea or sugar. So, we brought both boats together and handed across our tea and sugar. Silly...

But the day wasn't over yet. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to go to Luxor Temple, but I decided that since I was there, I really should. When I'm back in Luxor sometime, maybe I'll go again? At any rate, it's all lit up at night, so most people go after it gets dark or at sunset to get some natural light and then the artificial. Hieroglyphics, hundreds of small sphynxes, a huge obelisk, and manymanymany tourists are what I remember.

And that was the Luxor trip...

Here's another one...


As of writing this, I haven't read any emails that people sent while I was in Luxor. Hopefully, I'll read them and reply back in a day or so.

I still haven't written about Luxor and don't feel like writing out the details tonight. Rest assured, it was a
great couple of days and I ate really well! *laugh* That hasn't been a problem at all, really. I have been walking quite a bit, but I need to start getting more exercise since I've been eating well! *smirk*

Tonight, I went to church. For most people, Sunday is a workday, so most Christian services are held on Fridays. That's the Muslim holy day, so everyone has the day off work. But some churches have an extra Sunday service too. I stopped by the Heliopolis Community Church, since it's just a 15 minute walk from where I'm living. Very nice service and nice people! The pastor talked about Exodus 3 and 4. He asked us to think about what God is asking us to do this week and how we respond...

Before the service, the pastor's wife introduced herself and then after the service, I spoke with the pastor and a few other people. As I was getting ready to leave, the pastor asked me to join he, his wife, and a couple of others at their place for dinner and cards. Of course, I said yes...and we went a few minutes later. It turns out that they live very close to where I do. Just a 5 minute walk, maybe less.

We had beef and vegetable soup, plus little sandwiches. Mostly me getting to know them and telling a bit about myself. After eating, we played cards. They called the game "Auctioneers Bridge", I think. Strangely enough, I learned this very game at orientation a few weeks ago. We called it "Wipe-out".

You play with a full deck of cards and deal 7 cards to each player. A card is flipped and that determines trump. Whatever suit is lead, you must play that suit. If not, you can trump or throw off. However, trump cannot be lead until played on another trick. Each person bids how many tricks they will take and you only get points if you bid accurately. So if you bid 2 and get 2 tricks, you get 2 points. But if you bid 3 and only get 2, then you get -3 points.

In the second hand, you only get 6 cards and then just 5 the next time you deal, all the way down to 1 card and then back up 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, to 7 for finishing the game.

To my card-playing friends, have you played that? Do we have a name for it?

This is taken from my hand-written journal pages...thoughts on the train back from Luxor on Saturday. More soon about the actual trip...

Beautiful scenes out the window! Palm trees, green fields, mountains on the west bank of the Nile. Sitting in 1st class b/c that's the only ticket we could buy. Supposedly, 2nd class was sold out. So nice and warm in Luxor. Short sleeves, shorts, sunglases, and lotion for our sight-seeing. We went to Karnak Temple on Feb 13 and then to Valley of the Kings and Luxor Temple on Feb. 14th. I saw the Tomb of Merneptah, the Tomb of Ramses III, and the Tomb of Tuthmosis III. They're all numbered, so these were KV (King's Valley) #8, 11, and 34. Lots of tour groups. French groups all over on Feb 14.

It's going to be a 10 hour trip today. We came all night and slept on the way to Luxor, and that was fairly restful. I'd like to nap now, but it's so pretty outside right now.

[1 hour later]

I napped anyway, and it's still pretty outside. Aside from the buildings, the landscape reminds me of Phoenix, Arizona. That makes me happy!

We're stopping frequently over the first half of the trip. After that, it's more like an express. Maybe part of
my "everything is great here" feeling is over. I'm noticing how bad some people smell -- b.o.! *laugh*

The day goes on...now 2:20pm. Many men with guns on the train. I suppose it makes me feel secure, yet it also reminds me of the possibility for trouble. If not, then why have the protection?

Everything crumbles into dust. Tops of buildings, sidewalks, people? No, people seem generally cheerful and hearty.

We're now along to 4pm. Mountains are still in view. Dark smoke rises from the fields. These are sugar cane fields and after the harvest, the fields are burned to clear them for a future crop. Small fires, not huge. Just each little farmer burning his individual field.

Some observations on Egypt...

Cats, cats -- everywhere! Not pets, just in the streets looking for food. Some dogs too, but many more cats. Some look ok, but a few look just 1 step away from mummification!

Things are falling apart, but it's also that buildings are just left unfinished. Potential for more stories on top, or lack of funds? I'm not sure, but many buildings are like that.

Almost 5pm and the sun is starting to set. It will feel cool in Cairo, especially tonight, after being so warm in Luxor.

I just saw a full-sized soccer field, with grass. Not professional, but it must have been a high-priced club where people have memberships. Mostly, kids just play in the streets.

Getting ready to leave for Luxor tonight. My bag isn't packed, but almost everything
is out on my bed.

It rained early this morning!!!!

Unfortunately, it was before I woke up, so I didn't get to see it. Apparently,
this is very unusual to have any rain in February. But I suppose the timing
was good, as the streets were somewhat messy from Tuesday's events.

I should note that people did a very good job of washing out the sidewalks
and streets with water Tuesday evening, but the rain certainly washed
everything away.

Tuesday night, I found a good place for fuul and tamaya. Fuul is sort of a
bean paste put into pita bread with veggies to eat as a sandwich. Tamaya
is very similar to falafel and also served with veggies in a pita. It's
really cheap stuff, yet tasty. For the 2 sandwiches, I paid 1 Egyptian pound
(abbreviated LE). At current exchange rates, that's less than 20 cents!

But the cheap stuff won't be available in Luxor, where I'll be for the next
couple of days. That's definitely a tourist location, with the prices to
match! *sigh* Oh well, it'll be good to be away for a couple of days.
Supposedly, it's warm and sunny during the day. I was told to bring a hat
to block sun, sunglasses, and sunscreen. I'm also taking lip balm with
sunscreen that my Mom got me for Christmas. Thanks Mom!

Not sure what I'll do in Luxor, but I have a guidebook and I'm kinda going
along with my 2 bosses and their young boys. Both boys are around 10. We're
going/coming back on the same train so that'll be good. My language skills
are still lacking, even for asking directions so their help will be nice.

Arabic classes are tough! The tutor I've had the past couple of days is good,
but she didn't waste any time. She introduced all 28 letters in their basic
form on the first day and then went on to how they change when combine with
other letters on day 2. We've gotten into conjugation and conversation, now
as we're up to day 4.

Hopefully my class will be good. It will start on Monday, if enough people
are registered.

Well, battery power is getting low and I don't feel like plugging in
right now so I should go.

WARNING: This entry is R rated for mature content. Those with a queasy stomach
might want to skip it.


My strongest memory of Tuesday is of gunpowder and blood.





Gunpowder from firecrackers and blood from sheep, that is...

Tuesday was the beginning of Eid el Adha celebrating the ram that was
sacrificed instead of Abraham's son . The holiday actually goes all week,
but Tuesday was the day of slaughter and now Wednesday is the day of
feasting.

So, Tuesday there was blood flowing in the streets. All day, the butchers
went about their appointed rounds. House-to-house, slaughtering the animals.
At some locations, this was done on the roof. At others, inside a garage area,
but with many it was right out on the sidewalk. It becomes quite a spectacle
and small crowds gather.

As timing would have it, I never quite saw the butchers at the beginning of the
process. I just saw the cuts of meat being made and the blood flowing down the
street.

The smell mixed with gunpowder as children and adults began setting off firecrackers.
Not the ladyfinger type, mind you. Pretty big stuff, and loud!

So many things are strange or unusual here, yet it feels somewhat normal at
the same time. It's difficult to explain. Perhaps I can think more and write
about this later.

Very long post here. Most was destined for my mom, but it's pretty much all that's been going on. Well, except for all that happened on Sunday, but I haven't written that down yet...

Sitting in the flat on Saturday evening, it’s about 9pm. I should probably wander out for some groceries and a meal at some point… Today’s been fairly busy. I met Craig and Carmen at the MCC office this morning. It’s a very close walk from where I’m living right now. They were supposed to be there at 10am but got caught up and didn’t arrive until about 11am. I had time to read, though. There’s an English-language newspaper called Al-Ahram weekly that I read a bit on the web before I got here but at the office they had the printed version. Lots about current events, politics, and some about local events.

We were at the office for our financial orientation. Instructions on how we fill out paperwork for expenses, how we request cash advances, when forms are due, etc. Not exciting, by any means, but necessary and it will help to have this structure and routine to do. That took a few hours, so we went for a meal around 2:30. By the time we were finished, it was close to 5 and Craig was going to drive Carmen home, as she’s a bit of a distance from here and is still getting used to the trams, metro, busses, and cabs. In what I’ve done so far, I haven’t needed to use any of those. Not sure if that’s good or bad. It’s made things easier just to walk a couple of places or have Craig pick me up, but in the long run I’ll need to figure out the mass transit system.

On Sunday morning, I’m meeting Craig again so that I can go register for my Arabic class. This upcoming week is a holiday, so I won’t have class until a week from Monday. But I’ll be in Luxor at the end of the week. Craig, Karen, and their boys were going on a quick trip and invited me. We’re taking the train and it’s not really that expensive, I guess, but it’ll be a chunk of my personal spending money for the month. But I have the money, so I might as well use it on little trips like this! It’s an overnight train on the way there and then an early morning one on the way back. Something like 10 or 12 hours, I think. We leave on the 12th and come back the 15th so we’ll have all day on the 13th and 14th to do things. Not sure what they have in mind, but I’ll probably do some things on my own and maybe a few things with them. We’re going to figure out some relatively cheap hotel once we get there.

It’s quiet here right now because the other guy staying in the flat (Darren) is on a short trip with a friend of his who is visiting from S. Africa. He’s working with a Christian group there. Anyway, they went somewhere up on the Sinai Peninsula. Not sure how to spell it or what they’re doing there. I’ll hear about it when they get back on Monday.

I’m learning bits and pieces of Arabic just from being on the street, but not much yet. I’ve been trying to pick up some vocabulary from the books around so I just need to go into some shops to practice.

Church on Friday was good. A fairly traditional service and communion, but the pastor was vibrant and evangelical. Mostly foreigners and African refugees at the service, so I had some good conversations after the service was over. Not sure if I’ll make this “my church”. Probably not. I want to check out a couple of others. There are some “younger” places, from what I’ve heard. Mostly a matter of deciding to go and then finding them, which shouldn’t be too bad. I can’t really tell you right now what the message is about. However, we did do some Bible discussion here at the flat on Friday night. Darren and his friend were going to read/discuss, so they invited me to join. We looked at 2 Timothy 2:14-end. Interesting to think about!

I guess I’m jumping all around on topics here. Just kinda letting my mind go. The flat I’m staying at is really big. It’s definitely upper-middle class, by Egyptian standards. There’s a bathroom with tub/shower combo, sink, toilet, and the washing machine. I haven’t tried the washing machine yet. It’s European style, so you load it from the side, there’s no agitation, and I haven’t tried it yet. For drying, there are drying racks and a clothesline on the balcony.

Yes, there’s a balcony that looks out on a small street. We’re up 2 levels above the ground floor so it’s fairly quiet. I’ve heard the prayer calls from a nearby mosque this evening, but in the mornings, I’ve been sleeping through them. There are 3 bedrooms in the flat, but 1 is mostly storage. Lots of stuff around, like things people have left here instead of selling or taking back with them. There’s a little attic above the bathroom that I need to explore, but it’s really dusty. I want to ask Craig about it to see if it’s worth going up there. I saw a list of the items stored there, but it’s dated 1997! *laugh* Maybe I’ll create an updated list or something. Sometime when I want to get really dirty!

So each bedroom has a door going out to the balcony. We’re in the corner of the building, so the balcony makes a “L” around the 3 bedrooms. Mine is the corner bedroom. At some point, I’ll take pictures and try to send them or put them up on a website. I haven’t tried connecting from the flat yet. Plenty of time for that! I’ve been sending messages from Craig/Karen’s and now from the office.

High ceilings in this place. Probably a bit over 10 feet tall with a big, open sitting/dining room, plus a fairly big living room with 2 couches, a few soft chairs, and a coffee table. It’s a little chilly sitting here so I think I might toss on my coat and go walking/shopping/eating. My bed is probably queen size and pretty comfortable. I have a couple of light blankets on it which keep me warm at night. It’s a bit chilly stepping out of the shower in the morning, though! *smirk* Good, hot water but then cool air!

Speaking of water, I started drinking tap water the first night I was here… No ill effects so far! Actually, it’s filtered tap water, so it could still have upset my stomach, but I’m doing well with it. The food has been sitting well too. Good news about all that!

I love you both and I’ll try to start writing more personal things too. I’m in good spirits, but I do feel overwhelmed and unprepared at times. Well, most of the time I feel unprepared but that’s to be expected! *Grin* I’m in Egypt! Good to remind myself of that every now and then.

Writing from Cairo on Friday afternoon. I got to my flat last night and was able to wander the streets for awhile. Today was church in the morning, a good lunch out, and now a meal with the MCC'ers this afternoon.

Cairo reminds me of Phoenix, Arizona. At least what I remember of Phoenix from when I used to be there during Christmas time growing up. Dry with desert plants, some grass but not much. Polution isn't too bad so far. I'm wearing my contacts today and that's working out alright even though I only got about 6 hours of sleep last night. But I was so tired that I even slept through prayer call! *laugh* I'll hear it at some point!

Well, I have a pepsi here to enjoy, ,so I should disconnect. Internet cafes are cheap here, so sometime when I have an hour free I'll go and spend my 80 cents to use one! *laugh*

Well, we've made it to Frankfurt! All is well, except that some of the keys are in odd places on the keyboard! The y key is down by my left pinky and I keep messing up!

But thanks to the free Internet kiosks offered by Samsung, I'm able to write this.

It's 9am local time here and I'm not sure what time it feels like to me. Saw the Banger Sisters movie on the plane and slept a little bit. Now here until our 10:30am flight. To get out here to the kiosks, we had to go through Passport Control, so I now have a Germany stamp in my passport!

Not much else to report, really. Things are going well for now and it's just another 4 hours on the plane. Well, maybe. On the way here, there was a tailwind, so we cut nearly an hour off our flight time!

People are waiting to use the computer, so I probably should go now...

More in a few dazs.

And away we go...

Time for lunch and taking some bags over, then leaving at 1pm.

Until later....

-J

More pictures!

These are all that I took while in Akron, PA for Mennonite Central Committee orientation:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290717627

Username: jpics
Password: easy

Alrighty...

I've scrapped using Yahoo for my pictures and I've gone back to Imagestation. You need to sign-in to see the pictures, but I've created a generic account that all of you should be able to use:

Username: jpics
Password: easy

So here are pictures from Rob's birthday party in January: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290721577

and from Halloween at Rob and Beth's: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291151571

of New Year's with the Covel Family: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290720963

finally, of my good friend Andy, his wife Carrie, and their little boy Owen: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290720987

Please let me know if you were able to get into the album and view the pics ok. I tried to test things to make sure, so it should be fine.

Free, free, free!!!! At least soon. It's just after lunch and we only have a couple of formal sessions left for this afternoon. Dinner is the last "planned event", then it's all packing, chatting, phone calls, laundry etc. for the evening.

My roommate leaves early Wed. morning, so I might get up then and make it a long day so that I can sleep on the plane.

UPDATE: I will not be having the month-long teaching course when I first get to Egypt. Not sure what I'll be doing, but we'll figure it out!

I'm leaving at 6pm on Wednesday. I had been procrastinating on checking, but I finally did.

Not sure what I'll be up to on Wednesday, as most people will be gone by that point. Maybe movies and web stuff during the day! We leave Philadelphia at 6pm, but with getting there a couple of hours early and around 2 hours travel time, it'll be early afternoon when we start out.

At 8am Thursday, I'll be in Frankfurt and then a 2 hour layover, then to Cairo about 3:30. If I can stay up through the evening, I'll have a good start on getting over the jetlag.

After the talent show, I said goodbye to the grandparents in our group, Nick and June. Such wonderful people! Tuesday will seem odd without having them here. I took more pictures and maybe Wednesday I'll post them!

Well, I was going to point you to some of my other pictures in my Yahoo briefcase, but it seems that you now have to pay them if you want people to be able to access those files. *grumble*

Any suggestions for good free places to upload pics and have them publically available?

So we had our talent show tonight. I decided to write a little something...

It's a game too -- name that tune!

Just sit right there and you'll hear these words,
Details of this small group
Beginning lives all ‘round the world
Now in this tiny town
Their leader she sure smiles a lot
The prez he knows all names
This motley crew is leaving soon for many things unknown
Many things unknown

The weather started getting cold
Like showers in the morn
If not for the heating in the flooring tiles
Their footsies would be cold
Their footsies would be cold

The group’s now set to leave this place
With new friends in mind
For Bangladesh, Rwanda too
Kentucky, and Brazil
To Egypt, Bolivia and Vietnam
And other places new

--it's the Gilligan's Island Theme Song-- *laugh*

Kids all around today! What fun! Right now, most of the kids are surrounding me. Almost. Getting ready to start a movie now...

So this morning escaped me, as far as getting phone calls. I ended up going shopping and then the space shuttle blew up. So things were a bit crazy! People were also on the phone most of the morning.

Anyway, feel free to call me Sunday morning until about noon or Sunday evening. I left my phone at home and won't be taking it with me, but made the mistake of not getting the numbers off it first. So I don't have many people's phone numbers!!

But hopefully I get to talk with a few people before I go. Tuesday night might also be good, since most of the orientation group will be gone by then.

So I've been trying to think about my feelings -- about going to Egypt, now that my flight is 4 days away and also about leaving.

A wise friend told me recently that it's easier to be the one leaving than it is to be those left behind. I'm still processing this statement, but when I shared it with the other volunteers in my orientation group, they seemed to agree.

Last week, I cried when 2 people from my orientation group left to go home. These weren't people that I got really close to, but they were the people who shared of themselves and really brought something unique to the group. One young woman was always smiling, joking, talking about her husband, how happy she was, etc. She felt like a sister, the way we goofed around. This young guy Will was a punk. Literally. He's into the music scene, the hair, and everything. But here's doing amazing work with kids in North Carolina. Kids in leather, kids with piercings, kids who don't have enough people to care about them and care for them.

I feel a sense of loss in being separated from these people who I knew for just a few days...

Think how I must feel about leaving those of you who are reading this...

Hiya...

Friday morning here. Not really much going on. Lots of people are gone for good, or leaving for the weekend. Today is also a quiet day with just some tours of the facilities around here and nothing with the "heavy topics" that we've been having lately. Sexism, racism, finance, and culture in the past 2 days has been pretty intense!

It looks like a bunch of us are getting together to cook on Sunday evening and before that, I'l be going to a birthday party for Carmen, the other English teacher going to Egypt. Tonight we're going to dinner at the home of our new Country Representatives (CR's) who will join us in Egypt this June. We have been emailing the current CR's, but it's good to get to know these folks too.

Saturday looks free. Still trying to figure out what's going on there.

But if anyone wants to reach me by phone this weekend, call:

717-859-1152 x104

I think it goes to a voice system when you first dial the number and then you do the extension when prompted. This will ring at the house where I'm staying, then if anyone is around, they'll answer and take a message. As of now, Saturday morning is probably the best time to try. 9-11:30 or so. I think that I'll try to have a nice, quiet morning...

Well, our first session is about to begin.

Culture shock! That's what we've been talking about today. This morning, it was the ways we've dealt with it before and now this afternoon we're going to get some strategies for coping I guess.

Next Monday we have a talent show. I'm having trouble thinking of things that I should do. Any ideas? I guess I could write some poems this weekend... Other suggestions?

I was just in a snowball fight. It was with this guy Roger and 2 of his young sons. Roger was born in India, but was in Laos the past 3 years. Before that, he was in California. So, the boys are having so much fun in the snow! There are now a few inches of snow on the ground and it's above freezing today. Perfect for having lots of packable snow!

Hmmm...4 minutes until the next session.

I haven't really been writing much about my feelings here, have I? Mostly just things that have been going on, eh? I guess I should get some thoughts together and write something meaningful here in the next few days.

More acronym help:

CELTA is a certification course I'll be taking at some point. I'm not actually sure what it stands for and I don't have the time to look it up right now. Essentially, it's through Cambridge University but I will take the course in Egypt. It's intensive preparation for teaching English as a Second Language.

More tomorrow, hopefully. Off to dinner now!

About Saturday and Sunday:

This weekend has been somewhat busy but unstructured. We had a definite break from our learning activities and had more "free time". Saturday we took short trips to a chocolate museum and store plus "Ten Thousand Villages". That's a business connected with my volunteer organization that pays fair labor prices in foreign countries for goods, imports them, and sells them here. The big store is here, but they have them in other states, too.

Last night, we all (30+) of us had dinner at an Amish house. Very intersting to hear stories and do questions/answers.

Sunday morning/afternoon, I was with my aunt, uncle, and their 3 boys. Fun to be with them for church and then for lunch and birthday cake! *grin* This evening, I watched the beginning of the Super Bowl, then most of the orientation group went to a reception at the home of the president (?) of MCC and his wife. They like to have the orienation groups in so they can meet everyone and talk with them. This guy is named Ron Mathies and he is notorious for remembering the name of everyone he meets. Even if he doesn't see any of us again for 10 years, he will remember our name!

Wow! It snowed a few inches here today. Very cool for the 4 little boys who were born in Long Beach, spent their last 3 years in Laos, and now are heading to Bangladesh!

So I just received this email from the "country representatives" in Egypt. They're the closest thing I'll have to supervisors while I'm there. It pretty well describes what is in store for me once I get there, so I'll just past it here.

Some acronym help -- "MCC" stands for "Mennonite Central Committee". That's the organization I am volunteering with.
Oh... and "Tanta" is a city in Egypt. It's the 5th largest in terms of population and is about 1 1/2 hours away from both Cairo and Alexandria.

------------------------------

It is still our plan "A" for you to go to Tanta. Their English program
has been dormant. In our most recent meetings there it was decided to
wait until summer to start it up again with a bang. In Spring it might
just limp along because so many of the potential students are university
students and the period between Easter and university final exams is
not long enough to have a full session. Though everyone that we have
spoken to is very enthusiastic about your coming, words will have to be
accompanied by actions and between now and the summer the church in Tanta
will either demonstrate or not that it really wants to have an English
program. They would of course love you (and MCC) to come and take
charge, but we have learned from experience that that is not the best
situation. The program has to really belong to the church (albeit with us
supplying an extremely important piece, a full time native speaking
foreign teacher). We are optimistic that things are coming together. If not,
there are programs in Cairo that would like to have you help them.

So, even if the February CELTA is a go, the current plan would be for
you to remain in Cairo for about three months after that. We would want
you to teach EFL part time in a Cairo program and give a major emphasis
to learning Arabic.

If there is not an immediate CELTA (or similar) training opportunity,
we would ask our current MCC teachers in Cairo to put together some
training for you. There would be a mix of observation and practice. That
might sound scary but do know that in the past many MCC EFL teachers have
started cold (but alone with a "full" load!) and only later picked up
the CELTA to help them round out their skills. It isn't easy but I think
you might be surprised at how well it would go. Of course it is even
more ideal for the CELTA to happen first and that is still our hope.

Everything should look mostly how I want it here now.

Off to check out a chocolate factory...yummy...

(not Hershey, but a place that supplies to Godiva)

Right now, I'm getting ready to call Egypt and I
needed to get the phone number from an email message.
It's Sat. morning and it would have been nice to sleep
in, but that didn't happen!

This week, we had different sessions each morning and
afternoon for about 2 - 2 1/2 hrs each. Some of it
has been learning about Mennonite Central Committee
which is the organization doing all the planning for
our assignments. We also had a brief overview of what
is going on in our part of the world one afternoon.

Thursday morning and afternoon we had sessions on the
"theology of peacemaking and service". Those are 2
areas very important to the Mennonite church and I
learned quite a bit. It's also good to note that not
all the volunteers in this orientation are Mennonite
-- it's not a requirement. Christians who want to
serve and share values with the organization are
eligible, regardless of their denominational
association.

A couple of the mornings, we have had an opening
"devotional" time with a very dynamic African-American
pastor. That's good for waking us up! The first day
he came in and started us thinking about how we are
more like pilgrims on a journey into the unknown than
we are missionaries.

Friday morning, we discussed "power relationships",
but I was tired. It was good, but just very low key.
Lots about how if you have power, you need to
recognize that fact so that you can use it to help
people and/or keep it in check and not harm people.

That's been the official stuff so far. Beyond that,
I've been trying to meet and talk with lots of the
people here. There's definitely a "20-something"
group with 5 or 6 of us, but the older adults are
great too. More on that in my journal. I'm going to
post there later this afternoon and hopefully send out
the link.

Wow, I'm caught up on posts, now I just need to email out that I'm writing here again... Hopefully I can get a different picture to come up on the page too!

Today is the 2nd full day of orientation! What a
process! About 35 of us here, including children.
People heading all over the place. All around the
U.S. and Canada, plus various spots around the world.

It's a time for learning, thinking, and even a bit of
second guessing. My thoughts all along were that I
wanted to go far away to serve, but now I see all the
great things people are involved with closer to home.
Oh well, maybe on a future assignment!

Many people are preparing for their first assignment,
with just a few people who have gone places before.

I was able to see Alonna, Michael, and the boys on
Monday evening when I came in and then spent most of
Tuesday at the house and running errands with Alonna,
the boys, and 3 of their cousins!

Things are busy during the days and our free time
begins around 8:30 in the evening. That will change a
bit this weekend, as we have optional trips and more
choices in how we spend our time.

Thoughts from the first full day:

---------------------------------------------

Things are wacky here. That's my best description
right now. There are about 30 of us, including kids
whose parents will be volunteers. It's people from
all over the world (but mostly Canada and US) getting
ready to leave for all sorts of places...

A bit overwhelming at times, but a great positive
experience so far. Today is the first full day and
it's going to be a long one, but we have nice breaks
every now and then.

The story of my train trip:

-------------------------------------------

And so it begins…

Slowly.

After a weekend of goodbyes including the Birthday Bash in Ann Arbor, time with Rob and Beth, plus my friends Andy and Carrie, I stayed up all Sunday night packing. Of course, I still forgot some things. Well, I didn’t forget things entirely. I just didn’t bring enough of some things that I should have. But I’ll be fine.

At some point, Sunday ended and Monday began. Around 3am, I think. That’s about when I started getting a bit frantic that I was running out of time and wasn’t going to get everything done. That turned out to be the case, but I cut my losses and made it to Dad’s house a bit after 5am. I was getting ready for a 7:10am train out of Toledo, so that still gave us enough time to get there.

Note: if riding Amtrak, call ahead to see if anything unusual has happened…like say a train derailment…before you leave for the station. *laugh* So you see where this is going, don’t you?

We got to the station around 6:40am and then they announced that a freight train had derailed east of Toledo, blocking tracks in both directions with hazardous materials. *sigh* They sent a bus to take people from Chicago to Cleveland, stopping at all the stations along the way. On the plus side, this gave us time to get breakfast at Denny’s!

Eventually, at about 9am, the charter (mini-)bus picked us up in Toledo. Most of the seats were filled when we got on, which made it really interesting when 5 additional people got on at a later stop! *grin* From that ride, I now know some of the secret, inner-workings of Amtrak. *bwahahaha* For all their routes, with the exception of the east coast corridor, Amtrak leases the tracks from a freight company. So, Amtrak customers are at their mercy. Thankfully, the Amtrak staff were very helpful and apologetic about the problems. Lunch was even provided for free. *burp*

It’s now nearly 7pm and the train is bumping along. Maybe around 8:15, we will be in Harrisburg, which puts us in Lancaster about 9pm. Not bad, considering that we were scheduled to be there at 7:45 and there have been all these problems! Nice people on the train. The 2 amish couples and their children that we picked up on the bus are on the train too. Young mothers and young babies, but very cute (kids) and friendly (their parents).

I’m definitely not traveling light! My big backpack is stuffed full of stuff, a suitcase on wheels is near capacity, my small backpack holds my laptop and some other goodies, plus I have another shoulder bag for books, camera, etc. I’ve managed fairly well so far but I wonder how it will work with my flight in 2 weeks… Well, by that point I should have finished at least 1 of the books to leave behind, eaten some of my snacks, and resituated things a bit.

Another bit of advice about riding Amtrak. Don’t both to pay extra for “business class” like I did. I thought that the advantages would be a reserved seat and maybe a bit of extra space. Nope. For some bizarre reason, the seats are significantly smaller in business class than in coach. Plus, there was no one sitting there, which would have been very boring. So, I stayed in coach. No big loss, though I may give Amtrak my opinion on the matter and on the delays.

We just pulled in somewhere. Definitely not in Harrisburg yet. Oh well, writing all this town is keeping me occupied for now. I’ve also read about 100 pages in a book and taken about a 2 hour nap. *ZZZ*

That’s all for now, unless something eventful happens. I think I’m going to eat dinner. *woo woo*

In 2 weeks, I will be in Pennsylvania.
After 2 weeks of orientation, I'll be in Egypt!

The holidays have been good, but my procrastination is catching up with me. Fortunately, I took care of lots of phone calls today. I have been able to visit with lots of my friends and much of my family these past few months. Now, the first goodbyes have begun. I was at church on Sunday night and saw some good friends for the last time...

Well, for a few years, at least!!

Still no idea where I will be teaching. When I first get to Egypt, I will be in Cairo for at least a few days, possibly up to 5 weeks, then maybe moving somewhere else. God willing, it will happen...

In these last couple of weeks, I'm going to be doing lots of emailing. If you're reading this, you probably are on the list. I'll be sending out my contact info for while I am at orientation in Pennsylvania and some goodbye wishes.

For New Year's eve, I was with friends in Ypsilanti, then to Covel's in Jackson for New Years Day. Christmas almost didn't happen on the 25th due to lots of illness, but things turned out well. This past Saturday was Rob B's 30th birthday!!! Many familiar faces, plus lots of fun and video games! I also played hours of Bond on GameCube with Andy last week, then more Bond and NFL Football with Chris on Saturday.

So who wants to visit Egypt while I'm there? The list is beginning and reservations will be taken after that. Give me about a year to start figuring things out and then I'll be eager to have visitors!

More soon, I promise!

Nearly 3 months since writing here. I'm fairly sure that no one reads anymore, if they ever did. So is this like talking to myself? (edited: my friend Matt Covel told me that he checked here recently...)

Probably not, because even if this isn't read within a few days of me writing it, then it still could be read by people (like you) who visit later, after I send out an email reminder.

I guess the "big announcement" to put here is that I'm going to Egypt in February. I will return (theoretically) in 2006. Yeah, that's 3 years.
But most of my friends know that.

I'm hoping to do some writing on this journal and also for a newspaper while I'm there. My volunteer position will be teaching English to adults, but that will leave me "free time" for other endeavors.

In the meantime, I am spending my time with family and friends. Thanksgiving was a joyous holiday, spent with my loving family.

My friend Mark VanDyke, who I've known for 20 years was killed in a car accident on the Saturday night of Labor Day weekend.
It's been 2 months since I've written in here, but the last time was right after I went camping with Mark and some other old friends.

At the visitation tonight, Mark's wife told me how he always enjoyed checking my journal to see what I was putting out here. I feel like I let him down by not writing for so long. I never even shared the pictures that I took on the camping weekend...

For anyone reading this, don't take life for granted. Don't take the time you have with your friends and loved ones for granted. Make the most of every minute! That's what Mark did. My image of him is always with a grin on his face...

Never forget...

Ah, the places I've gone...the people I've seen...

Being in/on/near the water this past week really makes it tough to be on a computer.
Oh well! Yeah, that doesn't give me much of an excuse but it's the best one I could come up with.

Let's see...in the past 2 weeks, here's what's been going on:

June 19th I went to Cedar Point with Stephanie and met up with a bunch of my relatives, after that Steph and I went to the Alive Christian Music Festival in Ohio for the 20th and part of the 21st, then to Pokagon State Park in Indiana for a weekend of camping with some of my old high school friends.

I made it back here for about a day and then went to my parent's house at the lake for the 25th to help with watching my niece and nephew on the 26th, played a bit of volleyball, and then went to a Toledo Mud Hens baseball game on the 27th.

Lucky me, I got to be on the big screen in the stadium! How?

Well...

While walking around the stadium before the game, I entered a drawing to play the "Roll the Dice" game. As luck would have it, the promotions people drew my name, so during the middle of the 2nd inning, they took me out to the 1st base line and I started rolling these big, foam dice. If I got all 5 the same, then I would win cash or a car.

I was lucky, but not _that_ lucky! *smirk* I won a $20 certificate for the merchandise shop so I now have a nifty Mud Hens T-shirt and my nephews have a hackey-sack with the Mud Hens logo on it.

Fun to be out there, but I also got to talk with some of the summer promotions interns about what they do, see Muddy (team mascot in huge outfit), and stand underground beside the visitor's dugout for an inning. Very cool to see the game from there!

Back to the lake for part of the 28th, then back here to meet up with Chris and Brian for a trip to Lake Erie for the weekend. Chris' parents have a great condo and boat there and it was good, relaxing fun!

Now, it's hot. Very, very hot. Trying to walk a bit in the early evenings and looking forward to some fireworks too!

Looking back, the winner of the bonus points from my "this is Jack's long-awaited update" is my friend Mel! Congratulations, Mel! She knew that the reference was to "Fight Club". A No-Prize to Erik Eid for his guess of "The Shining". Nice try, Erik.

6 days since my last update.

Not bad, since I was away for most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

I went with my friends Matt, Mark, Chris, and Eric to canoe on the Pine River, near Manistee, MI.
Good fun and good companions! We stayed at Chris' family cabin that was really close to the river, like just a few miles.

Back in Clawson this week and trying to beat the heat! It's been gorgeous and in the 80s which is a bit of an adjustment to make! I've been going to the gym in the mornings, so that's good to be in the A/C even if I am working out and sweating!

Monday night, my church (Genesis) hosted a dinner at the local BBQ place in Royal Oak. The idea was to bring our friends, hang out, meet people, and also be visible in the community. I think it worked! The Wings game was on at 8pm so people stayed to watch that, too.

Not much on the job front. It's tough -- nothing is really jumping out at me as something I'd enjoy all that much and with unemployment coming in, I can just coast this summer and enjoy myself.

Watched a DVD today -- Full Metal Jacket (review by Roger Ebert, 1987). Stanley Kubrick, yeah!

Not sure what's up for this evening -- both my roommate and I seem to be stuck at the house. I was going to catch some music, but this cool Coffee House called Xhedos Cafe in Ferndale changed their Tuesday nights for the summer, so there's nothing good there tonight.

I am Jack's long-awaited update.

My friend Shane just reminded me that I should write in here. It's been nearly a month.

Ah...and all the things that have happened in that time!

The internet connection is back and working fine.
I'm at full strength again after my injury and only twitch funny every once in awhile.
My job has gone *poof*

How's that for a short summary?

So I'm looking into different options for a new job but enjoying some time for relaxation now.

Hmmm...I guess I should get around to sending an email to my extended family with this information since I've been procrastinating on that!

(bonus points for those who identify the movie reference from the first line of this update)

Feeling good, going to a Jack Johnson concert tonite.

Internet connection at home is still down but a repair guy will be there Friday morning to swap out the cable modem (hopefully)

Getting back to work on Monday, probably full days. Appointment with my facial surgeon went well today and he continues to say that things are going well. Need to talk with my opthalmologist on Friday to get the ok from him too.

Lots of ideas bouncing around my brain these past few days about future plans. More on that later...

The bad news:

Our cable modem access through Comcast is still down so I can't check email from home. It's been down for a week now and we have no estimate about when it will be fixed. So that's the reason for the lack of updates to the journal.



The good news:

I'm definitely feeling better after my surgery. That was on Friday, 4/19 so it has been 11 days. My face is still a bit swollen and that makes it so I can't fully close my right eye. As a result, the eye itself dries out and has become irritated. I saw my opthalmologist on Monday and he prescribed an ointment for me to apply at night which is a lubricant and an antibiotic. That, plus drops throughout the day is helping.

But the eye is still bothering me and it is sore and blurry at times. I am not back at work yet and will not be until sometime after Thursday, May 9th. That is the next time I see my cranio-facial surgeon.

So I've been relaxing and not accomplishing much. For the first few days after surgery, I was very tired and slept a lot. I was at home with my parents, so I went to church with them and also got to see my sisters, their husbands, and children. After a few days, I had a bit more energy, so my big celebration was to spend a few hours at a high school track meet where my friend Jake was coaching and Toya, the exchange student my parents are hosting, was participating.

That's all for now.

I'm back!

Well, since I last wrote I'm a bit heavier from the screws and stitches but a bit lighter since all I ate on Friday was a small bowl of jello! I was supposed to be on soft foods while at the hospital but they brought me frosted mini-wheats, toast, and scrambled eggs for breakfast! Oh well, it tasted good! *smirk*

Yes, hospital food was good. Yet another reason Beaumont hospital is ranked as the best in SE Michigan.

Everyone has been so supportive and I am incredibly thankful for that. I'm feeling pretty good now, but it will still be a few weeks before I'm really feeling right again.

My girlfriend Stephanie was with me before the surgery and then my friends Rob and Kevin were there when I came out and woke up. My mom was there for most of the evening and then I occupied myself after she left by listening to the Red Wings lose their 2nd playoff game! *grrrr*

Mom and Kevin are headed here now to pick me up and take me to their house for a few days of relaxation. I'm looking forward to that.

Well, CCR rocked last night. Pretty much, they did all the songs off "Chronicle" and did 2 encores. The crowd was thin at the beginning, but the place was pretty packed by about 1/3 of the way through their set.

For those of you in the Detroit area and craving donuts, I have a secret for you.
If you go to any of the Krispy Kreme locations (stand-alone, not gas stations) between now and April 21, you can get free donuts. (locations in Warren, Livonia, Roseville, and Dearborn Heights)

Yes, I said free. If you walk in and say "Hot donuts now!" then order a dozen, you get a dozen free!
This is according to 96.3 DVD radio. Krispy Kreme was voted the best donuts in Michigan, so they are celebrating!

Unfortunately, there will be no donuts (or anything else) for me this morning. My surgery is at 11:30am (2 hours from when I write this) so I can't eat, drink, or even chew gum!

I won't be posting here for at least a few days, so let me leave you with some things to occupy your time.
The captions aren't finished but the pictures from my Seattle trip are available to view...

Well, I'm hoping to take a walk around the neighborhood before we leave for the hospital so I'll leave it at that...

I'm back on the Internet at home after the purchase and installation of a router/hub yesterday.

So that meant that this afternoon I was able to chat with Michael and post some pictures.
You may have noticed that the picture on the right side of the page has changed. That was me, at about 11pm on the day of the injury. Other pictures are available in the "Jason's Accident" gallery.

On Friday, Stephanie is taking me to the hospital at 10:30 and then I go into surgery at 11:30. Please keep me in your prayers and also think of my friend Shelby out in California who on Wednesday had a pacemaker-type device implanted.

UPDATE: I'll be at the hospital for "23 hours" starting Friday morning.

Why 23 hours?

*shrug*

Apparently, there is a distinct difference between an "overnight stay" and a "23 hour stay" which happens to include a person being in the hospital overnight.

The difference?
Probably price and I'm hoping that 23 hours is cheaper than overnight...

I get to leave the hospital at around 9am on Saturday morning.

So, more changing as a result of finding that. Basically the doctor wanted one thing (the 23 hour stay) but the administrative staff booked another.
But all is well and I'm heading out to see the sunshine!

Surgery = Friday, April 19th "in the morning".

Unfortunately, I won't know until Thursday what time the surgery will actually take place, what time I need to be there to check in, etc.

My doctor had been talking with me all along about having me stay the night after the surgery but now it appears that we are doing it out-patient. Just 5-6 hours from check-in to check-out time!

As one of my last "I'm still feeling good events", I'm going to a Creedence Clearwater Revisited concert on Thursday night at the Palace. Yes, for those of you keeping score, that name is "Revisited" while the original band was called Creedence Clearwater Revival. Why the difference? Well, of the 5 people in this band only 2 are still around from the original CCR. Doug "Cosmo" Clifford (drums) and Stu Cook (bass) brought in 3 other guys to fill in for John Fogerty and Tom Fogerty. Yes, that's 3 people filling the spots of 2 and they still can't quite do it! *laugh*

More about the original CCR can be found on this page...

I just have to make sure that I don't eat or drink anything after midnight that night!! That's one of the requirements for having the anesthesia for the surgery.

While doing a google search for my cranial facial surgeon (Dr. Jefrey Fishman), I only come up with 2 results. Is that a bad sign? One is saying that he is a faculty member in a plastic surgery program. That's good. The other tells me that he is a bit of a car enthusiast and really likes his '96 Chevy Impala SS. *smirk*

Imagine his surprise when I mention that one to him!

This is good homework though because after my surgery, I'm going to talk with Dr. Fishman about setting up a website for him. It's what I do every day and I've never really gotten very active in doing independent projects so this seems like the perfect time! I'm still looking for the things I am supposed to learn/change from this experience and I think maybe that is one of them!

More later (maybe).