Two days ago I saw cherries at the store! I bought a big bowl, soaked them in a vinegar rinse, scrubbed them with antibacterial soap & I’m now enjoying them [& will hopefully not be getting sick from them]. This the first time I’ve had cherries since Bulgaria, when Joel’s host family had trees in their yard. I don’t understand why, since Americans are so intent on planting trees & shrubs & other things in their yards that it’s not something useful like fruit trees.
Krupnik cherries
This past week has been probably the business/craziness/stressful week since I’ve been here. Thankfully, the weekend is close & hopefully I can find some time to relax, unwind & prepare myself for an awesome last 3 weeks.
I can’t believe I leave in 25 days! It’s only now thatI’m getting on my feet and getting my cultural bearings – I’m not ready to go back so soon! However, I AM ready to start running again – it does wonders for my body, my mental health & it’s a chance to be alone, enjoying nature.
This past week I’ve been lucky enough to host another guest – Mariyana, my language trainer from the Peace Corps came from Bulgaria & stayed with us for the week! It was SO amazing to see her again after two years, to help her explore Cairo & to use my Bulgarian again. She went home yesterday afternoon, but we had a great time while she was here. Bonus was the music in the cab ride to/from the airport – Elton John, Eminem, Shakira & Daft Punk. Nile.fm plays all the hits!
Melnik with Mariyana & Rozen, 2008
World Cup fever has definitely come to Egypt! Personally, I know nothing about football & I don’t much care to learn, but the excitement is contagious! Every cafe I’ve been to lately is showing the games, with all chairs facing the tv & all eyes captivated. A cafe near our house even put up flags from all different countries. Even when I’m not watching the game, I know when one’s on from the cheers coming from the cafe across the street.
Managing a Twitter account for the RBSCL has been really great, not only in terms of promoting the library & sharing information about other libraries & archives, but I’ve learned so much about from the Egyptians I follow [the tweeps, if you will]. Right now I’ve been following the story of Khaled Said – a young man who was beaten to death in a cafe in Alexandria. There’s a good summary of the story here & [quite graphic] photos & info here.
The photos make my stomach churn, but in a way I think I needed to see them – just hearing “beaten to death” sounds terrible enough, but without something to anchor my perception to, it’s hard to imagine what that really means. The photos, the face, the story – they give it gravity. The good news is that the government has agreed to a new autopsy.
Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated event in Egypt – abuse of power, torture and police brutality are a fact of life here. That’s what inspires me so much about the people I’ve come across on Twitter – they don’t stop fighting & they don’t give up. If only I had something more to contribute to this cause – I feel so inadequate & useless. As it is, I’m afraid to go to a protest because I’d probably be arrested, which I’m not opposed to, but I’d like to be able to speak Arabic first. Anyways, you can check out my “Egypt” list on Twitter & see for yourself.
I signed up for an informational webinar on research Fulbrights & have been emailing with a UM professor about auditing Arabic next year. Even if I don’t come back as a Fulbright scholar, or even at all, I think Arabic will serve me well. Also, I’m ready to be fluent in a second language [Bulgarian really isn't all that helpful].
Wow, I apologize for such an un-eloquent post…
At least tomorrow’s Thursday & then it’s the weekend, which will be full of lots of rest & possibly a trip to the beach.
Ciao!
