Sabaah il-kheer! (Good morning) We arrived last Tuesday, and have been in accelerated settling in mode ever since. The AUC orientation began on Sunday (Yes, Sunday is the start of the work week in the Muslim world). We have been inundated with information for the last 4 days. My tote bag weighs about 15 pounds,… Continue reading WHEW – One week!
The Recap
Here are some photos Well – I’ve been going thru a lot of the photos on my camera and found a few that kinda summed up the last few months. They are random, not-so-good, and those pictured have not given their permission. Oh well! You’ll have to come to Cairo to get me. 🙂 Hope… Continue reading The Recap
Matt – our friendly “settling in” helper
As we were sitting in our brand new apartment, drinking scotch and physically and mentally collapsing, our doorbell rang. It was Matt. He is faculty at AUC and a volunteer mentor/friend for those just arriving. He lives in our neighborhood and knew we were scheduled to arrive Tuesday evening, so he stopped by to say… Continue reading Matt – our friendly “settling in” helper
Travelling
Sunday, August 20th – We finished packing/organizing/moving our stuff in the house – thanks to Pat, we managed to keep our king size mattress in storage. Jack and I had “disagreed” frequently about this. I won. 🙂 We had an outstanding dinner at one our favorite restaurants – Harvest Vine. Many plates of tapas (Sardine… Continue reading Travelling
Send the Envoy!
Warren Zevon has been Jack’s and my hero for a long time. This trip is no different. After much craziness with flights thru Heathrow and trying to get to Cairo on time, we got rerouted through Frankfurt. OUr tickets were booked SOOOOO late, that we could not get seat assignments until the day we flew.… Continue reading Send the Envoy!
The time has come
It is FINALLY here. Departure time. Not the actual, “OMG, the plane is taking off” departure, but we are stripping the bed, doing the last load of laundry, cleaning out the last bits of personal minutia. We will be off for dinner and the airport this evening. This long-awaited moment arrives, bittersweet, as all departures… Continue reading The time has come
It has come to this
Today, the last pieces of our shipment were purchased, and are making their way into the boxes, to leave us tomorrow. The cats move to a new home to live happily ever after. I am drinking a lovely $25 dollar wine out of a plastic cup because all of our non-essential possessions have been purged… Continue reading It has come to this
9 containers – 68,000 cubic inches
Yes, in fact, this is what our lives have been reduced to for the next few years. Of course, this is ONLY worldly belongings. Life is, after all, about the experiences that you can’t put in a box, and yet are always with you. The freight forwarding company picks up “our life” on Friday. At… Continue reading 9 containers – 68,000 cubic inches
Relativity of Time
You know how, in horror movies, something will be happening and the character is trying to run somewhere, but the world seems to be in slow motion? And then suddenly, the slow motion (“running in molasses”) ends, and real-life speed ensues? At that moment, real-life speed seems REALLY fast! I seem to be living that… Continue reading Relativity of Time
Turning in the keys
Today I finished packing up my office, throwing away files and giving away crap. Today I turned in all 8 keys that I’d accrued in the last 7 years, and my electronic key card. I no longer have access outside of “normal” business hours. How distinctly odd, and scary, and (MOSTLY) liberating. I have found… Continue reading Turning in the keys