The Road Nine Club

Look, here's the front of our building. We live on the top, the apt with the satelite (classy).

Leah, Mondro and I walked the few blocks to Lucille's for breakfast this morning. I took the opportunity to take some pictures along our street, Road 9. People are very friendly. The shopkeepers wave and smile now that they recognize us (not that it took very long). The pharmacy downstairs repeated over and over again that if there was anything we needed just let them know and they could get it for us. The electrician two blocks down the street let us take several items on I.O.U. until our payday because we are "neighbors". Living on Rd 9 often feels like you belong to a little club. The Pharmacy said "we are like family."







This morning was our first visit to Lucille's. We enjoyed fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee, and a big ol' plate of eggs, chicken fried chicken, hashbrowns and toast. It's now after 2pm and I'm nowhere near hungry.







Poor Leah has a cold. It's going around the school like an epidemic. I've had allergy problems for over a month, so maybe I'll be spared? Does it work that way?









Last night, Arthur and I went later than usual for his nightly walk. The sounds and smells of Ramadan were out in full force. Ma'adi is a quiet neighborhood, so this really just means that we see the Ramadan lanterns along the street, that we hear the occasional fire cracker, and that the shop keepers and "security guards" are breaking their fast together (iftar). Security guards is in quotes because I don't really know what these guys do. Unemployment in Egypt is quite high so there are usually 2 or 3 0r 4 people doing what 1 person could do. There is no concept of multitasking. For example, on one of our first outings Leah and I went to Radio Shack. It is a perfect example of what happens all the time here. One of the guys spoke English and was helping us pick out our phones. I guess he was in charge though, because when other customers came into the shop he would stop helping us and turn his attention to them. BUT THERE were TWO other guys working there... just smiling and standing there. I dunno. But it shines new light on the pre-Egypt advice I was given by veterans:, "you will need patience to live here." The country runs on an entirely different sense of time. Every appointment we've had with our landlord, he's been almost exactly one and a half hours late. everytime.

Alright, I'm closing now. I'll leave you with this smoggy photo of the pyramids taken from my balcony........ bye.