Saturday, October 15

I think one of my blogs never posted. I blogged after Joe arrived back, but it seems that it never showed up. Joe's quickly adjusted to being back in Cairo. I guess he had to jump right back in the next day at school, so he didn't have a lot of time to relax. I know he had a great time in the States. I got to hear most of the details of the wedding and seeing his family.

We've been hanging out a lot. The biggest thing is that it is Ramadan, the time of year when all Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. We fasted and hung in there for five days. It was really difficult, I have to admit. Not drinking any liquid is the hardest part. I can't imagine what it's like for smokers who can't smoke all day. After about five days, I decided that I was tired of getting up, eating breakfast and then trying to fall back asleep. I also decided that I'm a three-meals-a-day kinda gal. I get ornery when I don't have my meals. So, we caved and we're back to eating at regular mealtimes. We just arent' taking our lunches to school because it's really rude to eat and drink in front of people who are ravenous.

The atmosphere changes during Ramadan. They put up special latterns. Everyone rushes home and the traffic is crazy. People sleep in the afternoons in order to get through the toughest part of the day. At iftar (the time when they start eating after the sunset prayer), a strange eeriness falls all over the city. Joe and I have found that this is an excellent time for taking out the dog. Why, you might ask. Imagine Cairo, a city bustling and overbrimming with people, people constantly in the streets, hanging out on balconies, driving cars, honking horns, and then suddenly - nothing. We walk through the deserted streets and all we hear is the sound of silerware clinking against plates. It's so refreshing, but strange nonetheless.

Joe and I got good news today. We are not going to be living on the streets of Cairo afterall. I think in my blog that got deleted or maybe in my last blog, I said that we are trying to move to a different part of the city called Maadi. It's greener, nicer, more foreigners and most of the other teachers live there. We weren't sure if we would get the place we liked because a man was still living there, and the landlady wasn't sure if he was staying or going. Our current landlord had shown our place already, so we were worried we'd be out of a place. Anyway, we found out today that we will get the new place! So far, we are looking forward to it. It's small, but it has a newer washing machine, air conditioner, bathroom, and balconies (which Leia will love). I'm sure we'll find lots of weird things when we get there, but I think it will be nice to have a change of pace and new neighborhoods and businesses to explore. I think we'll miss it here a little, though, because we know our neighbors, door guy, even the guys at the supermarket pretty well. We'll just be another foreign face in Maadi.