apartment!

I got a new apartment! It's very exciting -- A1 and I will be residing in a 3-bedroom apartment in Zamalek (of course), with a 3rd roommate we have not found yet. It is in the building we wanted, which is a pretty perfect location. Some of our other friends also live in this building and across the street from it, so that was a big point in its favor. Also, there are lots of shops on the ground floor of the building, including a 24-hour dry cleaner and a 24-hour market called Metro, which I suppose is the closest thing Cairo has to ShopRite/Jewel/Publix, etc. Lots of great stuff is across the street or just down the block (Cilantro and Coffee Bean, which are two great cafes, and also some good restaurants and a place to get more cell phone minutes, etc.). We are high up, so we have a Nile view (awesome); it's rather spacious, so while the furniture is not amazing, overall we think the apartment has a lot of potential.

The apartment hunt last week was kind of miserable and soul-crushing, so I am just really relieved that the whole ordeal is over. We signed a lease through the end of June, which is when my position here ends, so that actually works out really nicely. We have planned some trips to Khan el-Khaleli to get stuff to decorate, so when it looks all nice and pretty I will post some photos. The landlord said he would get us internet in like two weeks-ish, so hopefully I will soon be able to Skype with everyone. Start reserving time slots now!

We're going to be making an extra effort to get internet this time around because this apartment is more long term, so it's worth investing in. Also, we're a bit more motivated since we can't rely on internet cafes anymore. It used to be that I could just bring my computer to a cafe, order a tea and then use the internet for free. But now all these chains have started charging for internet, and I am cheap. This is like how you now have to pay for internet in Starbucks and Barnes and Noble. Why go there when it's free elsewhere? There is one really good place in Zamalek called Cafe Arabica that still has free internet (and also really delicious fiteer and smoothies), but it's not as convenient. We'd much rather have it in our house, for obvious reasons, so hopefully we will be making that happen in the very near future.

Over the weekend it was my friend H's birthday, so he threw a big party at the British Club. Photos will be up on Facebook soon-ish, hopefully. I had also planned to start packing for the move, but that never really happened since my procrastination skills are truly spectacular. Instead, I will probably pack today and move my stuff in tonight and tomorrow.

The reason there is a rush to move in the next few days is that this weekend is Eid, a holiday that comes at the end of Ramadan, and I would like to be moved in before then. I am going away with a big group of friends (like 15 people I think) to Wadi Natrun, a small desert town between Cairo and Alex. We will be staying at a Bedouin-style eco-lodge, which also has horseback riding and a pool, and food is included as it's a sort of all-inclusive thing. And we are staying in huts. Apparently some of my friends have stayed there before and said it was really cool. I'm really looking forward to the days off, and just to having a relaxing vacation with my friends.

In other news: the first issue that I was mostly in charge of will be out next week, so I look forward to seeing copies of it around Cairo. Plus working on another freelance article, and have potentially found another magazine to write for. A friend of mine who writes a column for our site recently got a promotion at the magazine she works for, so I think she is going to let me do some writing for her magazine -- a little exchange, if you will. So job stuff looks like it's going well.

Otherwise, this week is Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish new year (5769, but who's counting?). I will hopefully be going to services at the Israeli embassy in Cairo. It's a little sad not to be at home or at Hillel, but I guess it's all part of the adventure of living in Egypt.

pretty pictures

I know I have written lots of posts about Ramadan, but a friend sent me this gallery of photos of people observing Ramadan around the world. I think they really show the best parts of this past month -- yes, there are a lot of rules and it can be frustrating sometimes, but overall there's a great spirit about this holiday. Enjoy!

Sorry for so many short posts this week -- we have a deadline this weekend and I have been pretty busy. I will post something longer next week.

reasons i will not be leaving cairo this weekend

Tourists have been kidnapped in Upper Egypt. Read about it here and here.

At first we didn't see anything about this reported in the Egyptian press (that wouldn't be a first in this country, sadly), but now it's all over the media. That second link is to The Daily News Egypt, a reliable English daily paper that comes as an insert in the International Herald Tribune.

too young for nicotine patch?

Seen in Cairo: a three year old smoking shisha. Seriously.

And they wonder why Egypt has a smoking problem.

hunting season

I spent a lot of time this weekend apartment hunting, and let me just say that I did not miss this particular activity at all. After more people needed to move around than originally thought (it's a long story), we ended up re-doing the housing situation a little, so M and H will move in with our friend K, and I will move in with A1. We know how much we want to spend and where we want to live (Zamalek is a must), so now all we have to do is...find something.

We are not overly picky, and I think our apartment wish-list is pretty reasonable.
1. mattresses (some beds come with these cot-like things...gross)
2. washing machine (there are plenty of dry cleaners in Cairo, but laundromats -- not so much)
3. air conditioning (last week in september and it is still 90+ every day. my friends claim it gets cold in the winter, but I'll believe it when I see it. and besides, I'm here through June and don't plan to move again, so it will just get hot all over again)

This does not seem unreasonable. We have called several simsars (rental agents), and some seem significantly less shady than others. One of them yesterday informed us that he had no 2-bedrooms in our price range, and then took us to see one that was about 2000 pounds over our price limit (that's like $400, also known as a ridiculous amount of money in Cairo). When we refused to pay anything near that and went to leave, he suddenly "remembered" that he actually did have something in our price range. Ohhhhh. Seeing more apartments tonight (after a company-sponsored iftar, aka FREE dinner!), so keep your fingers crossed for me.

phenomenal cosmic powers, itty-bitty living space

This has been quite the busy week for me, in a good way. My first freelance article was published this week. It's not available online (yet?), but I'll post it when/if it goes live...eventually. I like the freelancing work and I am excited for my next story.

On Tuesday night I went to an AIESEC meeting at Cairo University, and it was weird to be back on a college campus with other students but not have it be my college campus. Everyone was really nice, and I got to meet some other new interns and see all the other AIESECers I have been spending time with this summer. But still, this is back-to-school time, and it is my first year not going back to school, which is a little sad. Anyway, after that I headed over to the British Club for round 2 of the expat meet-and-greet, and this time actually succeeded in meeting people. Very exciting! Apparently they have these events once a month, so maybe last time was just an off-night since it was the summer.

Last night I had several fun Egyptian cultural experiences. I had iftar with some friends at Abu el-Seid, a really delicious restaurant in Zamalek. I had koshary, which is a kind of Egyptian peasant food. It has rice, lentils, pasta, fried onions, tomatoes, and this delicious garlicky sauce. So good. Then we all went to Khan el-Khaleli, which is a big bazaar/market/souk in downtown Cairo. In a previous post I mentioned that around Cairo there is a lot of special entertainment for Ramadan, so last night we went to one such concert; it was free, and featured Sufi music from Upper Egypt (Upper Egypt is actually the south, and it is home to Aswan, Luxor, and all these cool Pharonic sites) and whirling dervishes, an Egyptian style of dance that has men in these awesome spinny skirts twirling on stage for like 40 minutes (I would have been seriously dizzy) while doing all kinds of cool tricks. Photos below!

We also wandered around Khan el-Khaleli for a bit. We stopped and had tea and juice at El Fishawy, one of the oldest 'ahwas in Cairo. Egypt has the freshest, most delicious juices -- I have mango juice like several times a week. A particularly exciting point (for me) was a really cool antiques store where I found... an oil lamp! Like the one from Aladdin! Actually, they had a few. I tested them all, but no genies. Yet. Or maybe I'm just not a diamond in the rough?

After all that, we met up with some more people, and a group of like 12 of us went on a short felluca ride on the Nile to enjoy the breeze, then headed to Tahrir for sohour before heading home. Sometimes living in this city can be very frustrating, but other times I just look around and think, "This is so cool! I can't believe I get to live here!"

Khan el-Khaleli at night during Ramadan

Men playing traditional Sufi music at the free concert

Whirling dervishes!

YESS!! I found a lamp! Sadly it is genie-less, but don't worry, I'll keep checking.

new phone!

A couple posts ago I mentioned that my company entered a deal with a bigger corporation. Well, as a result of that deal, I got my first-ever employee benefits: a shiny new phone! My old phone is literally the cheapest phone that they had in stock in the Vodafone store when I first got here, so imagine my delight at getting a flippy phone (and I think we all know how much I love those) with free minutes and actual ringtones and a camera and other fancy things, the Arabic letters on the numbers so I can text bilingually.

As you can see, the classy (and shiny!) flip phone on the left is proof of my semi-legitimacy in Egypt. (I have a work phone! I've never had a work phone before!) On the right is the tiny, mostly functioning phone I picked up when I got here.

Also, successfully asked for first-ever official vacation time, in December when the fam comes to visit. Overall, feeling very adult and professional this week. Scary.

je ne parle pas français

This weekend I took a little impromptu trip to Alexandria, or Al-Iskandareyya in Arabic. For those without a map of Egypt handy, Alex is about 2 1/2 hours north of Cairo, situated on the Mediterranean, and is the second biggest city in Egypt with a huge amount of history (founded by Alexander the Great, home to Cleopatra, etc).

N has a friend, L, in town for two weeks, and she wanted to visit Alex. N's roommate S3 is Egyptian and her family lives in Alex, and she invited us all to spend the weekend. S3 and L left on Thursday night, but N and I had a party we wanted to stay for so we left on Friday morning early. (Brief note about that party: it was at this guy W's apartment, he is an AIESECer I had met very briefly before, but we have several friends in common. In any case, I introduced myself at the party and it turns out...that he also went to Northwestern! I know, awesome, right? Total number of NU alums I know in Cairo: 3.)

But I digress. So, Friday morning N and I managed to drag ourselves out of bed and hustle to the train station, arriving in typical Egyptian fashion at 8:55 a.m. for a 9 a.m. train. Tickets are cheap -- LE 30 (approx. $6) buys you a seat in air-conditioned second class -- and we promptly passed out. After missing our stop (I know, it takes skill), S3 arrived in her car to pick us up from the station. We went to her apartment and met her parents, sister, and the American exchange student living with them for the semester. It turns out she is on the same program as J, and their program is very strict in that they sign a language pledge not to speak any language except Arabic, ever. Even when it's just a group of Americans. We were welcomed by S3's family, ate a quick lunch (as it is Ramadan, there would most likely not be any food available near the beach), and then headed for the beach. On the way we also stopped to pick up two French backpackers S3 and L had met on the train (L is studying in Paris so they made friends and spoke in French). We spent a lovely afternoon at the beach, and on the way out we walked around the Montazah gardens around the former palace. Beautiful. I enjoyed the Mohamed Ali pool club in Cairo over the summer, but there's nothing like the beach. It was lovely to be back on the Mediterranean, and it was a private beach so we could wear our normal bathing suits.

After the beach, the six of us (me, N, L, S3, 2 French backpackers) went back to S3's for iftar with her parents, uncle, sister, sister's friend, and exchange student. That made 12 people sitting at the table speaking a combination of English, Arabic and French (Arablish + Franbic = ?), which was interesting. I was able to make it okay in Arabic (I understood a lot and even managed to form some coherent sentences), and as for French...well, when it's similar to Spanish I can understand a bit, otherwise we would speak slowly and wait for a third party to translate. The food was good, the family was fun, and overall it was one of those hilarious "only in Egypt" types of dinners. After iftar we spent some time at an 'ahwa, then hung out at home talking until late.

On Saturday, we slept in a bit, then headed out to be tourists for the day. Five of us (minus the two Frenchies, but with S3's friend Y) went to the new library, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, but unfortunately it was closed (screwy hours due to Ramadan), so we took pictures from the outside and I will go back next time I am in Alex. We had better luck at the Alexandria National Museum, which had lots of cool stuff including a tomb with a mummy and many other interesting pharonic, Greek, Roman and Coptic artifacts. It was nice to get semi-official tours from S3 and Y, who know their way around the city. Y also speaks Arabic and French but little English, though we were able to speak a little in Arabic and some French/English, while pantomiming wildly. We all considered an elaborate game of charades, but this never quite materialized, which is probably for the best.

For iftar on Saturday, S3 had plans with a group of friends at the Greek Club, a nice restaurant overlooking the port of Alexandria. We all tagged along, the food was delicious and the view was amazing. We also went and took some photos of Alexandria's Citadel and the sea. We drove around for a bit admiring the city, and then eventually headed back to Cairo on the 10 p.m. bus. (Pro: It was a double decker and we sat on the top! Con: They played an Arabic movie the entire time. REALLY loudly.)

Anyway, it might have been last minute, but it was a welcome trip. It was nice to stay with S3's extremely welcoming family (apparently we are all invited back), and it gives you a sense of what Ramadan is really about: a time for family and friends to gather. A couple times this month I have gotten to be a part of that family togetherness, and I appreciate those occasions. Plus, Alex is a lovely city; it's much quieter and cleaner than Cairo (although I think cleanliness is relative: Alex is not necessarily clean compared to Chicago, for example, but compared to Cairo it's pristine), and it's also a bit smaller. Unlike Cairo, much of the ancient history that made Alex so famous is gone now, under the sea (plans are underway for an underwater museum, apparently), or just destroyed over time. But many museums and historical sites are being renovated, so the city is going through a sort of renaissance. It feels a bit like other cities I have been to along the Mediterranean, like Marbella in Spain or Tel Aviv.

It is almost hard to believe that a lovely, understated city like Alexandria can exist so close to Cairo, which is by far the most overwhelming place I have ever lived. But in the end, it's that over-the-top nature that I love so much about Cairo; Alex is great for a weekend getaway, but it lacks the chaotic energy of Cairo. Anyway, those are my thoughts after just one weekend, but I am sure I will be back. In the meantime, enjoy some photos below!

This is the palace at the Montazah gardens:

This is the 'ahwa we went to...note all the lanes of Corniche traffic we had to cross.

Standing with some friends outside the Bibliotheca Alexandrina:

Mummy!

Port of Alex (check out the minarets in the skyline):

That's the citadel behind us:

democrats abroad

The Ramadan excitement has continued this week. My friend S2 (I think I mentioned a different S before), who is Egyptian, invited all of us over to his house for iftar. So much food, 15 hungry people, overall excellent. Plus it was cool to have a "real" Egyptian iftar experience. On Monday, T, N, H and I went to a party at a friend of T's in Mohandessin. It was on a rooftop with a nice view of satellite dishes. Just kidding, it was actually a very nice view. The weather outside is now approaching pleasant, especially at night, so it's nice to be spending time outdoors. (Fingers crossed for apartment with balcony!)

Speaking of balconies, the apartment hunt is officially underway. M and H looked at one already (I had other plans so they went without me, but I trust their opinions). Anyway, they report that it is a great apartment in a pretty perfect location, though because it is so perfect it is also quite a bit over our price range. We might try to haggle them down, or else live there anyway, but eat only ramen noodles and fuul. This is a distinct possibility. And of course, we will continue to look at more apartments.

Last night I went to City Stars to take advantage of some Ramadan sales. A1, A2 and I met up for dinner, then A2 split off to do his own shopping and A1 and I went straight for the sales. When we first got to the mall (around 5:30) we thought we'd be able to do a little shopping before dinner, but because it was before iftar everything was still closed. For some reason we thought that stores in City Stars would be open, but even in Cairo's little slice of Western paradise Ramadan is still Ramadan. We hung out in the Starbucks for a bit, then wandered around the deserted mall (seriously, it was like a ghost town) until we found the restaurant we wanted.

People showed up early to stake out their favorite restaurants before iftar, and then as soon as they heard the call that they could eat at around 6:10, everyone made a beeline for a table. And since everyone starts eating at exactly the same time, the waits are awful and the service/kitchen are overwhelmed. But overall, entertaining. Then all the stores re-opened at around 7:30-8, and stayed open really late. A1's Egyptian friend M also joined for some shopping, and after some good-natured teasing about the American girls going to the mall, she told us about a great area with cheap Egyptian shopping.

So we left City Stars (very successful shopping, by the way) and went into Heliopolis with M, who took us to this cool area with tons of cool little shops in this covered shopping area. Several of the shops had amazing knock-offs of designer purses and wallets -- like 10 times better than what I have seen on Canal St. in Chinatown. Real logos and everything -- really legit looking. And only like LE 35 (approx. $7). So if you want a good fake, let me know. Or come visit! Anyway, we had already done a lot of shopping so mostly we just looked, but we will definitely go back. It's one of the ways we can be more Egyptian and less ex-pat.

In other news, I got a most excellent e-mail on Cairo Scholars yesterday. It is the link to a Web site entitled the Overseas Vote Foundation, they had all kinds of cool stuff. I have been missing the election coverage here (last summer we watched all the debates), so it will be nice to get updates. I have the paperwork filled out for my absentee ballot, I just need to get it to the post office. And I have been encouraging other American friends to do the same (even the Republicans!), so I am pleased that there are sites like this that make it so easy. Then, just to make my day even better, someone replied to that e-mail with the link to Democrats Abroad, which I obviously joined. After joining, they forward your information to the chapter in your country, so hopefully I will get to hear from the other Democrats in Cairo soon. Now all I can is wait... and cross my fingers that the American Embassy has an election party.

ramadan party: shisha yes, beer no

It's been an interesting first week of Ramadan, and I am sorry I have not had a chance to write about it until now. I have not posted for a few days because of my shorter work hours (still have things to get done, less hours to do them). Still, I am really enjoying the schedule.

After iftar at around 6:30 p.m., people generally stay up reeeeaaally late (or take a short nap), and then eat again for sohour, the meal before fasting again that can take place anytime between midnight-4 a.m. After this meal, some people go directly to the mosques for prayer (mosques have a call at around 4 telling people to stop eating and come pray). Work is from around 9-2, then home for a nap. Most of the people I work with are Muslim, so even though I am not fasting for Ramadan I still want to be respectful and not eat or drink in front of them when I know they can't.

Since people tend to be up late, there is a lot of special entertainment around the city -- tents of traditional Egyptian music, all kinds of special food for sale, etc. This is seen as a time to be generous, so we often see big tables set up outdoors where people have donated food for the less fortunate to be able to have iftar as well. The atmosphere all around the city is quite festive; I was walking around downtown with some friends on Friday night and everything around Tahrir Square in downtown was all lit up. People go to 'ahwas (kind of like baladi coffee shops) and sit drinking tea and smoking shisha in the streets, stores and restaurants are open late, and there are many people out walking after iftar. It might seem odd to have much of the daytime pass and the nighttime so vibrant, but I think it's kind of fun; it's part of the reason the month feels so special, I guess. I certainly enjoy the shorter working hours, though I am sad that I have to wake up earlier and then can't have coffee. Do you see the inherent problem?

My company recently entered into a partnership with a large corporation in Egypt, and that bigger company invited us to attend a large sohour party they were throwing for their employees. It was at this gorgeous place a little outside the city called the Arabella Country Club, and they had the whole outdoor courtyard all done up so that different areas of the party were decorated like the different cities of Egypt, each with its own theme and food. You could eat shawerma, koshary or fiteer in the Cairo and Giza section, have mango juice in Luxor, or get bowls of nuts and dates in Sinai. I have not had the opportunity to visit a lot of these places yet, but I am certainly looking forward to it. The party also had dance performances, belly-dancing puppets (yes, they were awesome), live sufi music from Upper Egypt, plenty of shisha, and lots of areas to sit and lounge. But since it was Ramadan, no alcohol.

I have spent most of the week doing wholesome things to pass the evening hours until sohour, including shisha on a rooftop bar (foreigners could buy alcohol but not Egyptians, and yes they checked IDs), poker night (won a few hands, ultimately lost...luckily no actual money was gambled away), many movies, etc. A1, N and I cooked an iftar together one night (we did the legit fast for the day and then called it girls iftar), which was good, and my flatmates have made sobya, a sweet Ramadan drink that looks like milk. H, who is quite the prankster, told me it was goat's milk. I am so gullible that I actually believed this (I know, I know... gullible is written on the ceiling, hardy har har), decided to try it anyway (I figured I like goat cheese, so why not), and then promptly realized that it was not, in fact, milk of any kind. So H and M had a good laugh, but at least I got to enjoy plenty of sobya.

So that's been my Cairene Ramadan so far, I will try to post more updates this week. Hopefully with photos!