The packing is finished. The boxes have been taken away – to be air freighted to the US in time to meet us there. The pick-up was at 5:30 this morning. Nineteen boxes, 603 kilos – our life in Cairo. We are out of our flat – paranoid fear of getting locked in again has… Continue reading Going, going…
Finally free
It is just before 8am on Monday, June 15th, and the doors of the Zamalek dorm are unlocked, finally. People are coming and going in a nearly festive mood. Outsiders are coming in and greeting some of the “inmates” as though they have just been rescued and released from the Somali pirates – happy to… Continue reading Finally free
Kubla-Ross
MAJOR WHINE BELOW – YOU’VE BEEN WARNED I thought I’d managed to make it thru all stages to “Acceptance” – I was wrong. Maybe it is just cabin-fever. Maybe it is PMS. Maybe it is the fact that this “quarantine” is a joke – as the students are congregating in large groups, the dorm sponsored… Continue reading Kubla-Ross
Quarantine doesn’t suck so bad…
if you have friends like ours. We have been locked up for 3 days, and our insane, wonderful friends have made it bearable. We have been the recipients of numerous, generous care packages. We have received movies, books, homemade chocolate chip cookies, NewYorker and Gourmet magazines, wine, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit, and even knitting supplies… Continue reading Quarantine doesn’t suck so bad…
Lockdown Limbo
Yes – we are still locked in. Every time we ask about WHEN we will know what is going on for the quarantine, we get a vague – “We don’t know”, “Mumkin in one hour”, “Soon, insha’allah“. Of course, if you READ and have looked at any of a dozen articles published by the international… Continue reading Lockdown Limbo
More on TRAPPED!!!
No, that is not moron although I wonder…. So… Since our first post at about 9:30 this morning, there have been many ups and downs. Mostly downs – total, in the dumps, downs. As I said in the previous post, we “did experiments”. We went downstairs and attempted to get out of the building. We… Continue reading More on TRAPPED!!!
TRAPPED!!!
Last night, at 3:30am, there was a knock on the door to our flat. A few minutes later, another knock. Insomnia has been my constant companion, especially around that time, for the last few weeks, so I noticed the knock, but I CERTAINLY was not going to answer it at that ungodly time! This morning,… Continue reading TRAPPED!!!
Obama in Cairo
Unless you’ve been under a rock lately, you know that President Obama spoke in Cairo yesterday. It was an historic and yet uneventful day for those of us who live here. My reflections on all this: IMNSHO – his speech was quite good. His oratory skills, ability to exude compassion and understanding, and general “public-speaking-manner”… Continue reading Obama in Cairo
Don’t eat the food
I’m not talking about ALL Egyptian food, or even all street food in Cairo. I am actually referring to a recent Institution dinner that I attended. Here’s the story: There has been a tradition at AUC for many years in regards to the departing faculty each semester. The administration hosts a dinner in honor of… Continue reading Don’t eat the food
Spinning – out of control
Most of you, who know me, know that I have a tendancy to be anal-hyphen-retentive about things. I like to, at least give the appearance of, be in control. Mostly this works well for me (and gozi – since HE benefits from my control issues). In the run-up to departing Egypt, this is turning out… Continue reading Spinning – out of control