Piling UP

My apologies for not having posted anything in the last month. I have not taken a picture or a weekend trip in a while and my ideas for posts have dried up. But like the stacks of paper that we gather in the archives, so have the events of this fall become stacks of unwritten stories in my head. My days have turned common and ordinary just like that of any with a full time job, and let me thank the gods for that at least. The newest news is that I plan to stay in Cairo through the coming spring to continue my work and life as is. After the combined effort of the staff at AUC to make this job available and my friends who packed my apartment in NYC, to leave in January would be premature. There is much to be done--I say let's get to it.

On the common and ordinary note, I can try to describe what life has been like the past month. Though it is still sunny and warm during the day (highs in the 60s), the temperature drops quite a bit at night. The apartment gets chilly in the evenings, unfortunately, but in a country where woven goods are easy to access, layering is not hard to do. I must admit, however, that not having the shock of cold from a Northeastern winter has thrown me for a loop. Can it be late December without holiday decorations, snow and a sharp wind? Where are my gloves, hat and scarf? Ok, I have the scarf--but it's light cotton, not wool, and not always necessary. With daylight savings in effect (it has been since October, a month ahead of the States), I do not see as much daylight as I want, but I cannot argue with the tepid days. After having survived practically a decade of NYC winters, I welcome the warmth but still claim to be confused about what time of year it really is.

Some events of the fall which I neglected to mention:

1) The New Orleans All Star Brass Band played at AUC in the main auditorium to a crowd of mostly Egyptians whom, invited by the American Ambassador, the organizer of the event, are high ranking members of the military and Ministry of Defense. The brass band performed a Thank You for Your Support concert in gratitude of Egypt's contributions to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Apparently Egypt had planes with supplies in Arkansas before the US could coordinate their distribution in Louisiana--go figure! The concert was mucho fun--hearing live music close to my heart and from my home is like taking a long sip of a cool drink on a hot day. Though the military brass reamined stoically uneffected by the beats, the rest of the audience were quite amped by the show. There was much clapping and call-and-response participation. And, be it short and to the point, the American Ambassador's welcoming speech proved him to be well-spoken and rather interesting.

2) This fall I also attended lectures by Kofi Annan and Karen Armstrong (writer of religion and religious history). Kofi Annan gave a brief speech in honor of an Egyptian woman who worked for the UN, closely with Annan, before she was killed while working in Baghdad. His speech was only 15 minutes, and mostly dedicated to the woman being honored, but he did manage to call for a Palestinian state with a continuous border while speaking of the spirit of cooperation. Karen Armstrong, a best selling author, gave a few lectures last week as a distinguished visiting professor at AUC. Not a devout worshipper of any one religion, she is interested in monotheism, its origins and its place in the world today. I found her interesting if only because she can talk about compassion to a room of academics without making a historical argument for why we should be more compassionate.

3) Thanksgiving. As per my usual, it turned out to be a gathering of people for those who like to gather, eat, drink and play games. We had a 13 kilo bird that fed 18 people to a sit down meal. Not a morsel of food was wasted. Alhumdillulha--praise be. Thanks to those who prepared, cooked, and carved.

4) I would like to say that a simple offer of tea, at any time of day, from any one, is one of the most pleasant things about being in this country.

5) The academic semester is over and many of the students, faculty and staff are gone. I am itching to leave town for some kind of adventure myself. Plans are on the horizon, just over the dune making their own shadows in the sand. When I reach them I will be sure to tell.