The phenomenon that is Randall

He's the one on the right.

My room

Kitchen

More of the retro I was talking about...

Living room(s)

Here are the formal and informal living rooms in my apartment. The apartment is owned by an Armenian family and has a nice 1970's retro-vibe. It comes, as many apartments do here, pre-furnished.

Visual interest

Scene from sunset the other night. Taken from a Cairo suburb before Iftar at a friend's house.

Numbered account

Our shower head broke. Then our faucet broke. It's okay, we are handy and have a wonderful and working shower now. This episode however involved a trip to a certain house goods store. We thought we'd just pick up some cheap replacements at the grocery store but instead we were directed to this place. A man greeted us at the door to take our bags, then a woman secretary directed us to what can only be described as the concierge. We wandered back through the neat and shiny displays of gilded door knobs so that we could tell the fleet of employees what we would like. We were directed downstairs to look at the shower fixtures, many of them designer. Once we had chosen our shower head (the cheapest one they had) we were directed to a second concierge desk where they wrote us a receipt to be taken to the first concierge desk where a man would bring our newly purchased product to us. After the pomp and circumstance we collected our bags from the bag check and walked through the door that was held open for us. My theory: Swiss bank disguised as a housewares store...

Just

There is no 'just' in Egypt. Just go to the bank. Just get cell phone minutes. Just cross the street. No, no. As my dad pointed out, even in Canada basic errands are more complicated than the States. Well here what one would expect to check off their to do list in one afternoon is instead an ongoing saga not to take less than a week to accomplish. I tell you this because that way when I say I did something like I purchased an item I needed, or made it safely to the other side of the street, you know I've accomplished something with my day. A particularly amusing moment: after an afternoon of banking I was trying to link my US account with my new Egyptian one. My home bank gave me a warning that Egypt was labeled as a "Slow" country. Ha, even the computers no you can't get anything done.

That said, I had a very interesting night last night. After an outdoor concert in a tucked away corner of Old Cairo (filled with Egyptian youth and ex-pats) we ventured to one of Cairo's nice hotels on the Nile. While I enjoyed the view, what I really liked was listening to Egyptians and Palestinians discuss Egypt's upcoming presidential election. Both girls and guys debated the merits and dangers of the current president versus the only viable alternative, the Muslim Brotherhood. Some argued that if the Brotherhood was actually going to take care of their country then more power to them. Others argued that right now they were at least guaranteed some personal freedoms and with the Brotherhood promising Sharia law, they'd rather not find out what that means. The main problem is that it is hard to tell what the Brotherhood in power would actually look like. Sharia law apparently changes from group to group, so it is hard to tell what one is actually voting for. Anyways it was interesting to hear first hand what people are thinking, thoughts on women's rights, and what to do about the disparity found in the country.

I'll end with a quote about Cairo and more specifically Heliopolis, my section of town.
"It was to ancient Heliopolis, the oldest of Cairo's many avatars, that the bird of fabulous plumage was said to return every 500 years, to settle on the burning altar at the great Temple of the Sun and then to rise again from its own ashes. Time and again, Cairo too has risen from its ashes. It has survived countless invasions, booms and busts, famines, plagues and calamities. Through them all the city has ultimately remained, as in its classical Arabic name, al-Qahira - The Victorious." - Max Rodenbeck

Sam from Ohio

Today was my first day of work here in Cairo, and it was for the most part hilarious. The mini bus (no not a yellow school bus) picked us up promptly outside our door and drove us to the school which is more or less out in the dessert/near the airport. The bus ride was comforting for two reasons. First, it was air conditioned which was a pleasant surprise. The public buses are notoriously not. Second, we met a girl who will be teaching with us named Sam from Ohio. Out here it is comforting to meet people from Ohio. The school building itself is actually sort of nice. The hallways are not air conditioned, the classrooms are. We met key staff members, took a tour, and then in true Egyptian poly-chronic fashion, waited for a meeting no one ever intended on holding. We were also about to be given our assignments as to which grades and subjects we would be teaching, but just as the announcement was to be made, our fearless leader left the room and never came back. We did get a chance to chat with some of the other new teachers, one of them a mother of two whose husband decided to move to Egypt, and lets just say she was less than thrilled. The theme so far though is that the school tries to do good things for their students and their teachers but the main problem will be student discipline issues. For all their faults, American students are extremely well disciplined and hold a lot of respect for teachers and education. This is not necessarily true here. Still a couple more weeks of orientation, but then when Ramadan ends class is in session!

Cairo: the City Victorious

Tonight was interesting and typical of my experiences in this city. After a necessary nap my friends and I set out for Iftar (the breaking of the daily fast during Ramadan) at a family's house. Our cab took us through Old Cairo just as the sun was setting. Lucky for us this is, in my opinion, the best view and the best time of day for the city. Eventually we drove past a mosque where men stood handing out packages of dates so that drivers could break their fast as well. Our cab driver made sure we each got some and then stopped and bought us water. This was very kind of him, and in line with the spirit of Ramadan. People tend to adhere more strictly to religious rules but are also extra generous and considerate of others during this time.

The meal at the Massoud's was delicious. Lots of traditional dishes homemade by an Egyptian mother. Her husband, a university professor, after a few minutes into the meal declared that while he was sure I did not understand Arabic, he was impressed with my ability to comprehend based on context. Ha, at least that's something.

After dessert (fresh mango and homemade yogurt) we set off in to the night. We made our way over to an old hotel with a rooftop bar. There we enjoyed the view, a soccer match, and as always some shisha. The ride back was eventful. We were stopped by Egyptian police after making a questionable turn. This was both infuriating and hilarious as there are virtually no lanes or crosswalks in Cairo, so that anyone cared about technical traffic violations seemed contradictory. Alas, we made it to the shwarma stand for a late night snack, and the incident was soon forgotten. All in all, not a bad night to kick off my 23rd birthday.

Cairopractic

I read an article today that described the phenomenon of cruise ship travel, referring mainly to the pre-packaged quality of it all. I noticed this description perhaps because that is maybe the complete opposite way to describe my current city. It is a large city so there are brand names here and ramen noodles at the grocery store, but there's nothing pre-packaged about it.

Today we did some errands, which was an experience in of itself. Sarah took us to the bank to open an account. The banks close at 1pm for Ramadan, so the place was packed. Good thing Sarah's cousin knows someone at that particular branch and because he recognized Sarah we were able to jump to the front of the line and receive business class attention. This is how things work here. Some things they waived for us because they felt like it, some things they insisted we must have. When it was time to deposit some cash, my bankers ushered me past the lines of waiting customers and into the back room reserved only for large deposits (not that that applied to me). I'll be back next week to follow up on paperwork.

Now waiting out the hottest part of the day indoors before more adventures tonight.

Freedom from the Known

I made it! I am now in Cairo, currently sitting in my new apartment listening to the comforting hum of the air conditioner. The trip was suspiciously smooth. It was strange to wake from my airplane slumber and remind myself where I was and what I was doing. I have a plan of course. Go to Cairo, teach English, earn money. But a lot of what scares and excites is the freedom from the known. This is also coincidentally the title of the next book I'll read (thanks Mom). Egypt is it's usual charming self, full of quirks. For example the greeting posted at the airport states that customs will "almost facilitate you." Well at least they're honest. So there is lots to set up still (bank accounts, arabic lessons, etc) but for now we are relaxing until dinner. It is Ramadan so the city comes alive at night, making it a good time to venture out and find some food. It's good to see my friend and now roommate Sarah again, she leads an amazing life and with any luck I might be able to emulate some of that this year. I've got a few more days of vacation until teacher training starts and the real work begins. Ramadan Karim, and over and out for now.

Prep

Alright folks. It's T-7 days til I'm headed off to Cairo to teach middle school English. But as always, things aren't as simple as they seem. First I'm off to Atlanta to celebrate my grandfather's 90th. Happy birthday grandaddy! (His official birthday is actually today). Then back here to Portland then to Boston, then to NY, then finally to the land of mystery and smog. Ha. Anyways, I'm excited for the adventures, and will keep you and my blog posted.