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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Western Entertainment -- gotta love it!

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

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

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

Now, the last thing on the note of entertainment.

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

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

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

*laugh*

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

More details after the actual event...

Another first for me in Tanta!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

England is becoming like California.

Scary!

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Valentine's Day!

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

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

Gas: 40
Water: 53.50
Electric: 80

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

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

Cheaper than what you're paying? *grin*

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

*smirk*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And they had a lot to cheer about!

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

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

15 minutes – no goals
another 15 – no goals

And then? Shoot-out!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crazy!

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

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

Fun, fun, fun!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My excuses? I don't really have any.

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday
5-6.30 --> Help with Conversation Class

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where will I be?

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

Check next week for details about the match.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now I'm in Cairo.

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

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

Crazy!

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

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

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

But it's all insignificant compared to this:

UN 'shocked' by violence in Cairo

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

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

I guess I should explain the pictures.

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

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

Day after Christmas...

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

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

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

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