2 months down. How many more to go???

We've been here in Cairo for 2 months now. Frankly, 2 months doesn't sound very long. But it seems like we've been here forever. In good ways and bad ways. It is always good to feel settled into a place and to have that feeling of a nice place to relax when you go home. You know that place where you just want to rest and recover from whatever bad stuff has gone on during your day. Our apartment here is now that place.

On the good news, we do have most of the possessions we shipped here. This being our "express" shipment. The shipment that is supposed to be here within 6 weeks. Fun to find out that it has been here for weeks, but due to some bad instructions we were giving on coming here, we couldn't get it until a week ago. This has made me a very unhappy camper.

(WARNING: You are about to enter a Bitch Session! If you don't want to hear me bitch, just skip this paragraph. I totally understand.) See in the Army, soldiers look out for one another and their families. Apparently not so in all of the other services (although Marines are awesome). Sure there are bad actors everywhere in every service but this is my bitch session so get over it. (I still love my Navy and Air Force friends. And hopefully you'll still love me too.) Let's just say that the experiences of the last two weeks made me question whether this military lifestyle is really such a good idea for us, which I never did even while Eric was deployed to Iraq and we had to live apart for 28 months straight. Yeah, Karen was very grouchy and moody and worked really hard to put on a smiley face for life outside this apartment. Really just wanted to punch a certain someone in the face, but that certain person was no longer in the country. AND I didn't even have my stuff to help put me in a better frame of mind. (Also, I really don't like to write when I am irritated, but I just sound like I am whining, no matter how much my mother emails me or calls me to ask when I am going to be posting again. Love you, Mom!)

So anyway, there have been a number of fantastic things that have happened since I last posted. I'll tell you about one today. This is more interesting than fantastic, but you get the idea. It was good or at least very different from the US. OK, let's just say it was a cultural experience. We experienced the Eid al Adha, a feast of several days that celebrates Abraham not sacrificing, in Islam, Ishmael and sacrificing a ram instead. What this means is that there is a bunch of sacrificing going on. On the streets. Fresh meat everywhere. I couldn't photograph it all. Imagine dimly lit hallways of buckets of meat and wandering through them to get to some back room "warehouse" full of papyrus in the Khan al Khalili. Fortunately, it is fresh so it didn't smell any more than lots of fresh meat smells.

Here's a picture of a fresh meat on the back of a truck. Yes, those are sides of some sort of meat. The red marker means that it has been inspected. We saw cars full of meat.

This camry-size vehicle had this in the trunk and even more in the back seat. Eric and I drove around after the big feast and saw and piles of skins lining the street sides. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture. It was, well, not gross but gory. The piles were 4-5 feet tall. It was an interesting sight. Also, a popular thing to do was put one's hands into the blood of the animal and then put bloody hand marks on walls and cars. After about an hour of driving around, we'd had enough and called it a day.

I'll tell you about my trip to the famous Khan al Khalili another day.

Time is flying

We are already well into November. How did that happen? If we're not careful, two years will have flown by and we won't have done half the things we wanted to do here!

My Arabic classes have finally started. It seemed so much easier to learn Spanish and Italian. Fortunately, Egyptians are very happy to see Americans trying to learn their language so they will practice with you. (In fact, yesterday I practiced with one of the Embassy drivers, and he fed me lunch.) In my class there are three other students: one from Italy, one from Japan, and one from Korea. Interestingly enough, I have spent a year in Italy, 10 days in Japan, and some very long hours in the airport in Seoul. It is funny to hear the Italian throw in a few words from her native language under her breath and I understand, even though it was been 20 years since I heard Italian regularly. (As a side note, she didn't think some of the hand gestures I remembered were appropriate for a grown woman to make. Go figure. Seems that the teenager in me still lives!)

Anywho, classes are started and I have learned "my name is ...", "what is your name?" (both masculine and feminine versions, my address, my telephone number (and numbers 0-10), "where are you from?", "what country/city are you from?", "what is your nationality?" An interesting array of questions to start a conversation. But honestly, it is not easy. There are all these sounds that we aren't use to making, like "ah" but pronounced from the throat. Do it over and over and you might find yourself lightheaded. And the "kh" which is pronounced without the "k" (or if it is there, I can't hear it) and is a very hard "H" sound. I have another class today.

The husband and I also started our scuba classes. This course comes with a big study book. So there is plenty of homework to go around. Last week we did our first confined water dive, which means we geared up and got into the pool and breathed under water! Many of you know that I grew up in a pool, not a house, so it should be no surprise that I love the idea of breathing underwater. And even as scary as it might seem to rely on equipment to breathe, it hardly required any faith to actually test it out; we were in 4 feet of water. When I put the regulator in my mouth and went under for the first time, it was almost underwhelming. Not sure what I was expecting -- perhaps the world was going to turn over and the sky was going to become pink -- but I could still breathe just fine, go figure. The gear does require much thinking and if you aren't used to thinking about breathing or how you breathe, learning scuba will probably change that for you. (You might also want to try mediation for a dry land experience on breath awareness.)

We moved about the pool with all our gear on and were underwater for about a total of 30 minutes, in just a few minute increments. It is pretty amazing. There are a total of 5 in our class, another couple and a single man. The other woman was told to relax. A lot. And I thought I could get tense about things like breathing. Anyway, our second class is tonight!

Let's see what else has been going on. I went to the general's house last night with a bunch of spouses (including a husband) from the husband's unit. Met some new people. Heard what the general views as the issues that might be concerning the spouses and listened to the issues the spouses had. Not many complaints at all. There is a pregnant woman who is getting the run around from the insurance people about where she needs to go to give birth. Apparently someone thinks she should go to Germany to give birth because it is closer than going to the US. (Uhhh, where is she going to live Germany? What kind of support system would she have there while she waits to get her child a passport so she can bring him/her back to Egypt? I don't think someone thought that through all the way.) At least the general is now aware that this is an issue and hopefully she can get what she needs.

Our neighbors at the Coptic Church continue to have lots of celebrations. This past Tuesday the music was blaring and then the traditional wedding recessional music came on so I peeked out the window. Then traditional Egyptian music, think fiddle, started up and we saw the bride and groom going into the church. She was all in white and the groom was in a black suit. When the car horns started to call out into the evening, the wedding was over. But each night since there has been some sort of celebration next door at the church community center. Ululating. Music (at a reasonable volume). Car horns. It is already beginning to blend into the background noise of the neighborhood.

Well, that's it for now. Gotta go to a bazaar at the local expat community center and then Arabic. And I need to instruct the maid on cleaning the bathroom mirror.

Filling the Days, Filling the Calendar

When you have a full-time job, a good chunk of your day is scheduled for you. You get up, you go to work, you come home, spend time with family, go to bed. Repeat. Your time at the office probably is filled with various tasks to be accomplished in a timely manner. And you usually see and talk to other people during the day. So when you don't have that day-filling, time-filling, social-functioning job, but you are a person who has those needs, you must look elsewhere to be fulfilled as a human being. Right? Well, I am one of those people who needs places to go and people to see. Go figure.

This morning I met a woman for coffee. We wound up talking for quite a length of time, and she asked if I wanted to hang out while she had her tennis lesson so we could have lunch together. It was a beautiful day so I hanged. Lunch was lovely and the company was great.

But what I realized the most is that I really do not only need to be out and about, but out and about and interacting with people. And not just a "hello" "how much?" "only looking" kind of interaction. But that getting-to-know-you thing or potential friend-building kind of socializing. I don't really think of myself as an easy socializer, but I do need it so I make myself do it. It's like taking a pill: it doesn't actually hurt, just need to remember to do it, and it is in fact good for you. If I forget? There are long-term consequences, like anxiety and depression and that's not good.

So as we were winding up our lunch time today, I decided to see what I could learn about Scuba classes. The Red Sea is supposed to be great!fantasticals!bestest! for Scuba. And I have always wanted to learn. (On a side note, when we honeymooned in Saint Lucia, I would have loved to learn but I wore thick glasses at the time and was concerned that I wouldn't be able to see much without my glasses and I didn't invest in a prescription mask just for the one time. We went snorkeling instead and LOVED it. They practically had to drag me out of the water. Since then I've had LASIK so the eye balls are functioning in HD now.) And now we have a wonderful opportunity to learn and a great chance to go diving multiple times while here in Egypt. The first part of the class starts .... TOMORROW! Good timing, eh? Tomorrow we'll get fitted (I'm assuming that's for masks, etc.) and then into the pool on Wednesday. Sweet! Something to do and it will be with other people who are interested in the same thing. Time-filling and social-functioning!

Also tomorrow, we are having a maid start coming. Labor is cheap in Egypt and everyone, EVERYONE, has a maid. We wound up hiring a Filipina. It is well known, "apparently," that Filipina maids are of a much higher standard than Egyptian maids, and will work much harder and pay more attention to details. The word is that they also cost more. Well, turns out that the Egyptian maid we interviewed wants about the same amount as the Filipina we interviewed. Once we took into account references and the language level, it was a no-brainer. So tomorrow morning I am supervising someone cleaning my apartment. (And I'm going to need to figure out what to get for cleaning since I don't have much yet.)

And I am scheduled to start Arabic classes soon. And I am meeting people and doing social-functioning time-filling fun-filled activities. And apparently that is what I need to do.

I just want to do my grocery shopping

"I want my car!" I think I must whine for my car all day everyday now. Yes, I am feeling majorly whiny, which is why I haven't written for several days.

I don't want to be a whiny girl. But it is just that much more difficult to settle in when I can't go where and when I want to go. OK. So, "can't" is a bit of an exaggeration. I could get a cab to go most any place. Not everywhere, but most places. Mind you there is the language barrier with most cab drivers. Our first venture out in a cab it took us asking for different cab drivers before one understood where we wanted to go. Actually, he took the time to figure it out. We live close to a square (why is it called a square when it is clearly a circle?) and it was one of the first things I learned to say properly. Still drivers pretend like they can't possibly understand me. I was lucky the other night, the first cab I flagged down understood where I want to go. So now I feel comfortable that I can get home. Maybe it is time to test the getting out part. *Sneer* (That means I know I need to do it but I really don't want to.)

One of the things I can't do by myself until I get my car is go to the commissary. Taxis aren't allowed into the compound where the commissary and PX are located. Basically, I am (nearly) at the complete mercy of new friends. There is a shuttle that I could take. It runs once a week, on Friday mornings. Right at the same time as church. Food vs. spiritual food. Just another challenge to overcome.

There are local grocery and food specialty stores. And getting into a taxi isn't the only way to get food. They deliver. Every place delivers. Even McDonald's delivers. I've heard about three places so far that I need to have regular access to: Gourmet Egypt, La Fromagerie, and Fino. Gourmet Egypt imports Australian beef, Italian pastas and cheeses, and a variety of other goodies. La Fromagerie specializes in French cheese, and Fino is a bakery with fresh breads and sweets. And I heard there is an Italian grocer around here, too. Now, don't these places sound like getting out to?

Maybe it is time to hire a driver for a morning and run around and check these places out.

Connections

Even as the population of the planet expands, technology shrinks the size of the world dramatically. Today I had met a fantastic woman. Three months ago I had no idea who she was and had no reason to know her. We had exchanged a few email messages before I arrived so today we met for lunch. But no one I knew back in Arizona knew this woman. I find it fascinating how easy it is to connect with through various technology.

In Arizona, a woman (#1) in my Bible study group knows a woman (#2) who just came back from a tour in Egypt. Woman #1 put me in touch with Woman #2 through Facebook. Woman #2 put me in touch with a couple of her friends still in Egypt, including the wonderful woman I lunch with today. Woohoo for technology, making the world a smaller place, everyday.

Of course, many of you who are reading this haven't seen me in years or have never met me in person. But I still consider you my friends.

The Sounds of Maadi

New places are full of new sights, sounds, and smells, things that you might have been able to imagine before arrival but have a deeper level of impact once you are in the middle of them. While sights are easy enough to describe with a few photographs, the sounds and especially the smells of a place require a little more written description.

The sounds of Maadi are not that much different from what you might expect. The early morning hours are quite on the streets, this must be the only time Egyptians sleep. But by 7 AM the construction on the building outside my front door begins. Hammers and power tools, bricks being dumped out of wheel barrows begin their familiar rhythm. How can I hear these things so clearly from inside my apartment is a question that I might not have asked. But you see, our bathrooms all back up against the outside wall facing the construction site. Above each toilet, there is a fan that vents into a dead space, except that the dead space is covered by vents. This gives visual privacy but not any sound privacy. (I'd hate to think who could easily be walking by those spots and gets an ear-full.) Its a little odd.

By 8 AM the honking is in full swing and the busy street 5 floors below is definitely awake. Honking here is not rude; it is a normal way drivers communicate. A little honk to get the attention of a passerby who might be looking for a taxi. A little honk going around a blind corner to let whoever might be there know you are coming. A little when two men are standing in the middle of the road having a conversation and a smoke to get them to move 3 inches out of the way. A little honk if the driver in front of you stops to let someone out it is taking too much time. A little honk if your car is now less than 2 inches from me and I don't think you see that I am here. Long honks appear to mean you are pushing my patience.

Multiple honks can be for celebrations. We live near a Coptic church. Five floors up all of our windows look out over their community center. Last weekend -- Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings -- we heard what we assume to be a wedding celebration. Thursday night it was just a bunch people talking until late in the evening. Friday it was a music and more talking late. Saturday it was as if we'd been transported into Fiddle on the Roof. The violin was clearly hooked up to an amp. Oh, and the ululating! Don't think I'd ever heard it anywhere other than TV, but it sure is distinctive. Every 5 minutes, a single voice would start and soon be joined by more. All we could do as we laid in bed trying to fall asleep was laugh. Clearly we are some place different from southern AZ! Then as the festivities wound down, and the music lowered, and the talking diminished, the cars drove honking in short staccatos around the traffic circle fronting the church and community center and then that sound, too, faded into the night.

Then there is the call to prayer. As you might know, Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country. The neighborhood of Maadi is a mix of ex-pats from around the world and Egyptians. The closest mosque is not nearby so it is difficult to hear the call from inside the apartment, unless of course, you are in the bathroom. There seems to be more than one mosque that I can hear and I think they use different clocks, as shortly after one finishes another begins. It is not annoying, it is just another layer of sound the city makes.

Our air conditioning units (yes, plural) seem to run without ever stopping. The sound is white noise inside the apartment just like any other home I've lived in. Outside it is LOUD. Walking past the units behind the vented dead spaces it is difficult to carry on a conversation at normal volume. Even down in the "dog waste area", the sound makes you speak up. The generator has come on only once since we've been here. And that makes the whole world a little noisier.

Add in the occasional international flight coming into the Cairo airport to the north of us, and you have most of the sounds I hear on a daily basis.

P.S. Just as I was about to it "publish" a siren went by. Hear that about once every other day. Not sure what they are going to.

Out of the neighborhood

Today was the big first trip into the Embassy. This morning the alarm went off at 5:30 AM. I hit snooze at least 4 times. (Why?!?) After finally getting up and sneering at the husband because it is so early and on general principles, I quickly got showered and dressed.

"It's 6:50. We need to leave," the husband called out. He is such a task master. More sneering followed, especially when I tried to point out that the time on the stove was only 6:40. Lesson #1 of the Cairo Kitchen: Don't trust the time on the stove; clearly it can't keep the time.

Anyway, we made the shuttle with time to spare. Go figure. I was planning to take some pictures along the way to show what the greater Cairo area and traffic are like, but I didn't get the seat I wanted so I would have just taken a bunch of pictures that looked like the inside of a van. But along the way, I did get to see the Nile. After being here a week. (I suppose I could actually walk to the river from our apartment, but I haven't tried that yet. A walk for another day.)

The traffic was intense and I was very glad that someone else was driving. I mostly chatted with my seat-mate about life in Cairo, trips she'd taken, etc. The time at the Embassy was go here, go there, sit, wait, listen, wait, eat, wait, catch the shuttle home. I did come away with my new ID so now I can go to the commissary compound -- yes, it is a compound and a topic unto itself, which means another day for discussion -- without getting an "escort" badge; I just hate being labeled as an "escort."

The trip home was more relaxed with just one other passenger on the shuttle. We chatted a bit. There was noticeable less traffic, which means the van can go faster, so less opportunities to snap pictures with my point and shoot. A couple of highlights though: donkey pulling a cart on this very busy road (going the wrong way nonetheless; no picture since we were moving too fast) and the Supreme Constitutional Court (see below; not my picture, borrowed from Wikipedia, still can't find my own cords to download). Of course, the Supreme Constitutional Court would be of interest to us law types. We're just weird -- or is it wired -- that way. But very interesting building. Not sure that we are supposed to take pictures of it since anything security related is supposed to be left unphotographed. They are ansty about taking pictures of "sensitive" stuff. Might hurt the stuff's feelings, I guess. On the other hand, there is a military area in Maadi with a BIG sign that says "NO PHOTOS" in 1-foot lettering. I should get a picture of the sign. But I digress.

On an administrative note, I do plan to make this blog "pretty" and add some more features and do all that blogging extra stuff as time allows and as I remember how to do it.

Establishing a routine

Having been in country for a week now, and seemingly cured of jetlag, it is time to settle into a routine. So I decided to actually get up when I set the alarm. At 6 A trill of the guitar strum alarm of my iPhone -- well, it is not functioning as an iPhone for now; let's just pretend it is now an iPod Touch -- went off and I hit snooze. Not a good start to the new routine. The husband was already up and getting busy with his day, shower, dress, breakfast, email. After me hitting snooze for the third time and still splayed out on the bed, the husband comes in and reminds me that I will need to moving the following morning to catch the ride to his work with him. Sneer.

After pulling myself out of bed and showering and breakfasting (which seems to be an actual word), I decided to see where I live. I'll write about my meandering adventures afoot another time. But for now, I will tell you that I came home soaking wet. Isn't this supposed to be a desert? What's with all this humidity? It was drier in southern Arizona with all the greenery and a whole lot less dust.

While I was out, I gathered info on exercise classes in the area. Again, more info another time. But for now, I will tell you that apparently all the ex-pat wives work out. I was, by far, the heaviest woman I encountered (did I encounter myself?) while out. Anywho, I will be adding working out to my daily routine. Just need to wait for a few other details to work themselves out. The idea is to get up, walk to the exercise place, workout, walk home. Sounds like a good morning routine. Once I get used to this, I'll try adding in some local photo scouting in the early morning when the light is nice and the sky is actually blue.

Afternoons will be filled with stuff, like blogging, uploading photos, learning to be a better photographer, straightening up, etc. Evening will be dinner, talking, and a little Netflix (we are currently watching Season 3 of Burn Notice on the computer).

Nothing riveting to the routine. Just need to establish one.