Recently…

This is just a “stream-of-consciousness” update. I’ve been horribly remiss in my postings, mostly due to being extremely busy.

So – The Bank fiasco. This is still in full swing. Jack and I still have no ATM cards, the e-banking that I’d applied for 2 weeks ago still doesn’t work, and the people at the bank give me enigmatic stares and say “Insha’allah” when I ask when these things will get fixed. Tomorrow I have no classes to teach, so I will be at the bank when it opens to continue the “squeaky wheel” approach to getting my way. 🙂

Last weekend we went to the Pyramids. We were on another “bus tour” organized by AUC. We had a very knowledgable guide, but it was still a bus tour. (Think – “OK, you have 10 minutes here to take pictures then you need to be back on the bus so we can get to [blah].”) Jack and I have figured out that these organized tours are merely reconnaissance missions for us. They allow us to taste the places that we go, but do not allow for us to savor them. The savoring will be left to the two of us at a later date. With this outlook, even the bus tours can seem useful!

The trip to the pyramids was actually kinda fun. To see these Wonders of the Ancient World with one’s own eyes is quite breath-taking (as is the smell of the camels that everyone wants you to ride!). We poked around the Great Pyramid for a few minutes/pictures, then went to the Panorama. This is a hill near the pyramids that gives you a beautiful view of all three large pyramids, and the three small pyramids (which I didn’t previously know existed). Mostly a photo op, but not a bad “lay of the land”.

What I considered the most interesting part of the trip, was going into the Solar Boat Museum. This museum houses a completely reconstructed, “mummy boat” that had its own tomb beside the pyramid. The wood that comprises the bulk of the boat is around 3500 or 4000 years old! ??Where did the ancient Egyptians GET wood for a boat?? These boats were literal and figurative carriers of the bodies of the pharoahs. Literally, the boats brought the bodies to the tombs, figuratively they carried the souls and possessions to the next life. The boats were entombed in limestone burial chambers just like thier owners. These boats had narry a nail to hold them together. They were “stitched” together with ropes. The technical achievement that built these vessels is impressive!

We also went to see the Sphinx. It was very impressive, but being rushed thru the viewpoint, while a short history of pharoanic sphinxes is being chattered at you is not a proper way to experience this site.

Since our trip to the pyramids, it has been Ramadan. This is the Muslim month of fasting. I knew a bit about Ramadan from my students at Highline, however my experiences before coming to Cairo did not fully prepare me for the pervasiveness of Ramadan’s effects on life. The ENTIRE schedule of classes at AUC is changed during Ramadan. All classes start and end earlier. Classes now begin at 7am and there are no classes between 3pm and 6:30pm so that people can break the fast at Iftar. My students are virtually all fasting, so they can barely stay awake during class, and their brains are not running at normal speed due to low blood sugar and lack of sleep. Many of the services on campus have restricted hours or are completely closed. The one advantage is that I HAVE TO come home by 4pm, otherwise I can’t get a taxi or the shuttle until nearly 7pm. Live, learn, work less, live more.