I know rumors are often misleading and false, but this was is just too excited to not buy into. Apparently, Egyptian health departments are keeping the actual number of students with swine flu like symptoms somewhat concealed, but a classmate's friend's mom (truly rumor status now) works for one of the clinics and has said that the Health Ministry is waiting until after the Eid holiday in late November (Thanksgiving time) to close international universities for the semester!
This would result in all my classes meeting in cafes, through skype, etc. All in all it doesn't eliminate any class time, but I'm sure it will once again change the workload.
But don't worrying, I'm not oinking yet!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Is that a religious beard?
My parents and I were walking to a restaurant for dinner, for some reason they attract more attention than I do from shop owners. It's probably because they look more put together than I do so they appear as a larger dollar sign. Shop owners will often randomly walk up to foreigners and speak in English and be friendly and tell you about their shop right down the street and ask you to come take a look and take a business card of theirs. The first store owner we crossed paths with tried this approach and Dad handled it well. The second one took a much different approach and it definitely threw Dad off because he talked for a while. Instead of saying hello or welcome to my country, this store owner was much more blunt and straight forward; the conversation began by him complimenting Dad's beard. I started laughing and had to turn away, I turned back just in time to hear the Egyptian ask if it was a religious beard.
The three of us were humored by the conversation and it definitely a unique approach to making a sale.
The three of us were humored by the conversation and it definitely a unique approach to making a sale.
Entertaining Cab Ride
A few weeks ago I went out with my two real estate brokers and we had one of the funniest cab rides of my life. I had just returned from Morocco earlier that day, so Yury and Hanny (my brokers) wanted to use my passport to buy from a duty free store. In Cairo there are a few duty free stores dispersed throughout the city, they are pretty popular because they are the only places that can legally sell imported alcohol. The catch is that you need to bring your passport and you had to arrived in the country within 24 hours of visiting the store.
The first one we tried we needed a taxi to get to. When we got in, the cab driver saw white people and immediately put some tissues up to his face. You must remember that my school was still closed because of the swine flu scare and since there are no pigs in Egypt the only way for swine flu to spread is through foreigners entering the country. I know it's not spread by pigs, but a majority of people here belief it to be brought in by tourist and foreign residents. Not only did the cab driver put the tissue to his face, he also started leaning out the window as he drove. We realized what was going on and began to fake cough and sneeze. Yury asked me in Arabic about AUC; when I answered that I hadn't been back to class, the cab driver leaned even further out the window.
The cab arrived at a duty free and we almost fell out laughing. We tried to enter the store, but it was closed so we headed back to the streets to find another cab and head to the next one. A cab came from around the corner, we flagged it down and got in. Much to our surprise it was the same cab driver!!! We immediately started coughing.
The first one we tried we needed a taxi to get to. When we got in, the cab driver saw white people and immediately put some tissues up to his face. You must remember that my school was still closed because of the swine flu scare and since there are no pigs in Egypt the only way for swine flu to spread is through foreigners entering the country. I know it's not spread by pigs, but a majority of people here belief it to be brought in by tourist and foreign residents. Not only did the cab driver put the tissue to his face, he also started leaning out the window as he drove. We realized what was going on and began to fake cough and sneeze. Yury asked me in Arabic about AUC; when I answered that I hadn't been back to class, the cab driver leaned even further out the window.
The cab arrived at a duty free and we almost fell out laughing. We tried to enter the store, but it was closed so we headed back to the streets to find another cab and head to the next one. A cab came from around the corner, we flagged it down and got in. Much to our surprise it was the same cab driver!!! We immediately started coughing.
A New Discovery
So you guys have read about Koshery, the somehow amazing dish made from the simplest ingredients. Well I found a dish that one ups it...Koshary Schwarma! It is the typical Koshery (noodles covered with wild rice covered in lentils covered in tomato sauce covered in fried onions and chick peas), but has an added topping of schwarma meat (either chicken or meat). It is absolutely delicious and my new favorite Egyptian meal.
Going to the Movies
So I finally saw Inglorious Bastards in it's somewhat proper form. Previously I had watched it online, but the subtitles were in Russian so they didn't help much. This time there were the English subtitles and Arabic ones as well. Tickets cost 15LE (~$3 US) and popcorn was affordable. So affordable that during intermission, yes they have intermission here too, I bought a second box. Popcorn was less than $1. It was great being able to go see a movie and buy popcorn without having to break the bank.
Intermission here was much different than in Ethiopia. The film didn't just stop and the screen go blank, when the film stopped a message in Arabic appeared on the screen. The intermission was much shorter, by the time I got back from buying popcorn (there was no line) the movie had already restarted.
Inglorious Bastards was fantastic, much better with subtitles I understands.
Intermission here was much different than in Ethiopia. The film didn't just stop and the screen go blank, when the film stopped a message in Arabic appeared on the screen. The intermission was much shorter, by the time I got back from buying popcorn (there was no line) the movie had already restarted.
Inglorious Bastards was fantastic, much better with subtitles I understands.
Arrival of the Parents
So Mom and Dad are here, time to do round two of tourist attractions. So far we've done the Citadel, the market, the Egyptian Museum and the Pyramids. We also went on a dinner boat for a great all you can eat buffet and to watch Sufi, Belly and Whirling Dervish dancing. The first two types of dances were ok, the belly dancer was not a good one, she was pretty much shaking her breasts and ass and not really belly dancing so that was disappointing. The Whirling Dervish was incredible, the guy just kept spinning and spinning and the outfit was beautiful. At one point he was dancing with decorative bowls on his head and at another point he was spinning like a top completely covered by the outfit.
It's great having the parents here, perhaps the best part is that they are staying in a hotel, so for the first time in months I'm enjoying an air conditioned sleep and a shower that has consistent and forceful water pressure and hot water that doesn't disappear (I could even make it hotter). I'm just kidding about that being the best part, but it's not too far behind them being here.
Mom has surprised me in her street crossing ability, at times she's a little jumpy and nervous, but it's usually because a car is a few inches away from us. Dad is impressed by the drivers and trusts them more than American ones so he walks around like it's nothing; he did almost get hit by a motorcycle, the hairs on his arm literally blew in the wind as it whizzed by. My parents refuse to eat pigeon, but they have been good sports about trying other foods and my mom loves the juices and coffee.
At the museum Dad looked like a little kid. He was so impressed by the artifacts, both in there grandeur and the massive amounts the museum has. You could see the joy in his eyes especially when he was looking at the King Tut mask. Mom loved the jewelry and noticed the designs on many of the bottles and tables resembled the designs on objects my Great Grandfather brought back from his overseas adventures of the mid 1900s.
This trip to the Pyramids was completed on camel instead of horse. Mom has dreamed of riding camels by the Pyramids so we went one step further than just riding, we took a 2 hour tour of the area by camel. Dad was in awe by the Pyramids, at one point as we were walking up to one he joking wondered if his great-great-great-great-etc. grandfather had helped to build this one. On this tour of the Pyramids I learned two really interesting facts. 1. The three big Pyramids were built for the King, the 6 smaller ones were built for his Queen and daughters. 2. In front of the Pyramids there are excavation sites were they are uncovering new tombs. These tombs are not royal ones, but rather where the bodies of those who built the Pyramids are buried. After a Pyramid was built, all those who worked on it were slaughtered in order to prevent them from sharing the secrets about how to enter the Pyramid, etc.
The Sphinx, while in the same compound is fenced off from the rest of the Pyramids. You can see it from outside the fence, but it's much cooler when you go in. It's fenced off because it costs an additional 60LE per person to enter the fence. I told my parents not to worry, last time some kids helped us get in for free. Well this time, the kids didn't need to help, I talked to the tourist police officer and he let us in. Afterward he followed us to get a little tip, but hey a 20LE tip compared to 180LE entrance fee, I'd say it was well worth it.
This round of site seeing in Cairo is over for my parents. They're off in Luxor and Aswan doing a tour by boat down the Nile. I can't wait to see pictures. They come back to Cairo Friday night, then we're off to Alexandria for the weekend and then back to Cairo for 2 days before they head back to cold Buffalo.
It's great having the parents here, perhaps the best part is that they are staying in a hotel, so for the first time in months I'm enjoying an air conditioned sleep and a shower that has consistent and forceful water pressure and hot water that doesn't disappear (I could even make it hotter). I'm just kidding about that being the best part, but it's not too far behind them being here.
Mom has surprised me in her street crossing ability, at times she's a little jumpy and nervous, but it's usually because a car is a few inches away from us. Dad is impressed by the drivers and trusts them more than American ones so he walks around like it's nothing; he did almost get hit by a motorcycle, the hairs on his arm literally blew in the wind as it whizzed by. My parents refuse to eat pigeon, but they have been good sports about trying other foods and my mom loves the juices and coffee.
At the museum Dad looked like a little kid. He was so impressed by the artifacts, both in there grandeur and the massive amounts the museum has. You could see the joy in his eyes especially when he was looking at the King Tut mask. Mom loved the jewelry and noticed the designs on many of the bottles and tables resembled the designs on objects my Great Grandfather brought back from his overseas adventures of the mid 1900s.
This trip to the Pyramids was completed on camel instead of horse. Mom has dreamed of riding camels by the Pyramids so we went one step further than just riding, we took a 2 hour tour of the area by camel. Dad was in awe by the Pyramids, at one point as we were walking up to one he joking wondered if his great-great-great-great-etc. grandfather had helped to build this one. On this tour of the Pyramids I learned two really interesting facts. 1. The three big Pyramids were built for the King, the 6 smaller ones were built for his Queen and daughters. 2. In front of the Pyramids there are excavation sites were they are uncovering new tombs. These tombs are not royal ones, but rather where the bodies of those who built the Pyramids are buried. After a Pyramid was built, all those who worked on it were slaughtered in order to prevent them from sharing the secrets about how to enter the Pyramid, etc.
The Sphinx, while in the same compound is fenced off from the rest of the Pyramids. You can see it from outside the fence, but it's much cooler when you go in. It's fenced off because it costs an additional 60LE per person to enter the fence. I told my parents not to worry, last time some kids helped us get in for free. Well this time, the kids didn't need to help, I talked to the tourist police officer and he let us in. Afterward he followed us to get a little tip, but hey a 20LE tip compared to 180LE entrance fee, I'd say it was well worth it.
This round of site seeing in Cairo is over for my parents. They're off in Luxor and Aswan doing a tour by boat down the Nile. I can't wait to see pictures. They come back to Cairo Friday night, then we're off to Alexandria for the weekend and then back to Cairo for 2 days before they head back to cold Buffalo.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Micol in Cairo Part 2
We got back to Cairo and Micol had one more day left. So we ventured back to Khan-al-Khaleli. It's a huge market in Islamic Cairo. The vendors "harass" you to look in their store, it gets even worse once they see a bag in your hand; they know you're shopping then and not just looking. After a couple of hours of wandering, shopping and haggling we were done and wandered through one of the nearby neighborhoods. I learned that it is very important to use my limited Arabic in the market, one salesman was giving Micol a price and when I spoke up in Arabic he looked surprised and immediately lowered the cost - it was still more than it should be, but it was a much better starting point for haggling.
Micol ate quiet well here and experienced all of the Egyptian delicacies I have come across from koshary to baked goods and even pigeon. Yes that dirty bird is not so dirty here. They are raised on peoples' roofs and fed well and they taste delicious. A sweeter and juicier chicken, almost half way between chicken and duck.
Unfortunately it was time for Micol to head home, off to the airport we went and through the metal detectors she went - shoes on I must add. It was sad seeing Mimo go, it's been weird not having her around all the time and being on my own in a new and different place. It was time for me to head home, get some sleep for the night, wake up do some school work, go to class and then meet my parents in their hotel. It's now their turn to visit me and see Cairo!
Micol ate quiet well here and experienced all of the Egyptian delicacies I have come across from koshary to baked goods and even pigeon. Yes that dirty bird is not so dirty here. They are raised on peoples' roofs and fed well and they taste delicious. A sweeter and juicier chicken, almost half way between chicken and duck.
Unfortunately it was time for Micol to head home, off to the airport we went and through the metal detectors she went - shoes on I must add. It was sad seeing Mimo go, it's been weird not having her around all the time and being on my own in a new and different place. It was time for me to head home, get some sleep for the night, wake up do some school work, go to class and then meet my parents in their hotel. It's now their turn to visit me and see Cairo!
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