Baby update for everyone - he's really very cute and obviously and of course growing fast
Saturday night
I found it amusing when I opened my iGoogle just now and the picture for today’s “Places to See Before You Die” on my computer is the Pyramids.
Anyway, hello and how are you? Time seems to be flying by, I only just realized it’s now over a week since I wrote last (not, mind you, that I’ve had a letter from ANYONE) and that I should be sitting and typing another posting.
We are up on the roof – me with my computer and Mohamed with his phone, pacing up and down. It’s been so hot since I got back, even though I knew it would be, day after day at around 40 degrees or plus means that you take any possible opportunity to get some fresh, cooler air. And the roof is very pleasant tonight. Of course we have the air conditioners, thank goodness, but we got last month’s electricity bill (first month with the aircon going very much) and Mohamed is now very much on a power-saving kick. Must say we still sleep with it on all night however.
The one in the bedroom had developed a leak inside and we got the man to come and fix it and it still leaked so we got him to come again and he made it worse than it was before and so we couldn’t use it at all. That was Tuesday and he said he would come back on Saturday and fix it.
We therefore had one night without the bedroom air conditioner and Hagar staying with us so we couldn’t use the spare room. At 4.00 am Mohamed rang the air-conditioner man (we had had about 30 minutes sleep by then) but didn’t get an answer (I did protest but he told me "I am not sleeping, he is not sleeping!"). However, he rang enough times the next day that 3 men came at 2.30 in the afternoon and it has been fixed temporarily – they are supposed to be coming back in a week to finish it off. But at least we are sleeping OK again.
We had Hagar staying most of the week but she went back to Rania’s on Thursday night. It was great to have her here even though I get really worried at how bored she must get. She is not a great one for TV and doesn’t read, or didn’t have anything here to read anyway. We can’t do housework all day and Mohamed was out all day basically. Hagar has the most English of the sisters but still not a huge amount so conversation is not exactly easy.
Back down into the air-conditioning – it got too hot for Mohamed on the roof.
On Thursday night Mohamed told me around seven that we were having guests for an evening meal – his friend Mohamed Elkardy (a policeman, his best friend) and also his wife and two children, little boy about 4 and baby boy, who has been born since I’ve been living in Egypt. I was quite excited at the thought of meeting another woman. Anyway, we took Hagar to Rania’s and I went to the supermarket and got a few things and got organized when we got home – Mohamed also helping to clean and tidy.
As you might expect, it's all quite different, entertaining in Egypt. There are foods that are acceptable in the day or the night, and ways of serving and eating that are all so different to what I'm used to in Oz, and it's really easy for me to make a mistake. So the evening meal was lots of different sorts of cheese, fresh bread, mashed potatoes, hot chips, packet chips, salad of tomato, cucumber, onion, little grated carrot with lime juice, honey, white cheese mixed with chopped tomato and cucumber (it’s both salty and peppery – Istanboli - very soft white cheese), lettuce and then some grapes and bananas after. They didn’t arrive until about 11.30 so we ate around midnight. Still it was nice to meet another woman and she has a little English and seemed very nice.
It's not suitable to have meat at an evening meal, and Mohamed thought not beans either, so we had what he thought would be the right thing. All food goes into commuity bowls, you cover the table with plastic sheeting (you buy it specially) and you use the table as a plate or your bread as a plate. Most food is retrieved with a piece of bread held in the fingers or with your own spoon. Yes, everyone dips their bread or spoon into the one big bowl. Not what we are used to. Not just double dipping... I'm sort of getting used to it. I have explained this to Mohamed but he tells me when he's in Australia he will have to have his own bowl becase he will never remember to use a serving spoon.
However, I brought the bananas to the table in my hand and Mohamed tells me that is very bad. All food and drink must be presented on a tray or in a bowl, never in the hand. Now I understand why Hagar took one glass of water to the airconditioner man on a tray (I used to think they used a tray to serve drinks just because if you were serving a few people it was easier). I made a faux pas with the bananas. But it seems so back to front to me - everyone eats from the same bowl (and there's no hand washing ritual or anything before a meal) but you must serve food not in your hand even when it has a skin on it or is in a cup.... Different strokes I guess...
And the plastic sheeting - well you put all your food rubbish, like olive pits or other scraps, plus of course all your crumbs, onto the plastic and at the end of the meal you roll it up and put it in the bin. Perhaps not the most elegant but certainly practical.
The El Kardys brought a traditional "congratulations" gift - a wrapped tray of sweets and sweet biscuits, it's a very nice touch and gives us a huge sugar fix - they are always so sweet.
We tentatively arranged to go to Sokhana together next week but I don’t know what that will mean in terms of me going swimming – or maybe me not swimming, at least not in my Aussie cossie…. I thought it was all arranged but Mohamed tells me that Elkardy has been posted to Sharm El Sheikh for a month beginning today so not now at least. I eventually found out the wife’s name – Sabah. There was a strange moment when I introduced myself and she didn’t tell me her name. Mohamed didn’t know it - he had only met her twice before. But about an hour later at the table she did tell me here name, so not sure what that was about… Yet anoather social something I don't really understand.
Then on Friday we had Rania, Allaa and Hagar and the boys. I hadn’t seen Rania since I had arrived back and I was anxious to do so. Mohamed had decided they would have ringaa – that really smelly fermented fish I talked about before – so eating was on the roof, not in the house. The meal was pretty simple and seemed to be standard – the fish, fresh bread, an onion quartered and in a little vinegar. That’s it. I sat at a separate table (felt like I was at the kid’s table) coz the smell is nearly enough to make me vomit, and I had cheese and salad. Mohamed brought them back after he’d been to the mosque and the barber so lunch was around 4 pm again. Each day during the week we’d had lunch around 5 pm, waiting for Mohamed. I guess we’re almost getting into practice for Ramadan which begins on 1st September. No food or drink from sunrise until sunset. Apparently we get up around 4.00 am and have something to eat before the time of first prayer at 5.00 and then that’s it. Not even water until sunset (fourth prayer) which will be about 6.30 - 7.00 pm. Ramadan lasts for a month but I guess the first week or so is the hardest as you try to get used to it.
Went to the movies today and saw Hancock which was about 2 1/2 stars I guess. Not one of Will Smith’s best. We also ordered the bathroom cabinet and mirror for the big bathroom today, will take about a week I think and then we need to find a plumber to put it in. The rest of the week has been very quiet – just at home with Hagar and doing the house work with a couple of quick visits to the supermarket, otherwise watching the Olympics whenever I can, although I tried not to watch them all day when Hagar was here because I don’t think she was terribly interested. Occasionally yes but not always. Mind you it was very nice having help with the housework. Hagar also showed me a couple more dishes to cook and I tried a casserole recipe from one of the cookbooks I brought over and they both seemed to like it. That's one point for Aussie food.
What have you all been up to? How’s work for everyone? Are you all well and happy?
Anyway, it’s quarter to 11 and I need a little food and then bed probably although I was so tired last night – I slept for 12 hours. Mohamed actually woke me up at 11 am this morning; I was still very sound asleep. He says hello to everyone. He’s currently driving the Xbox time trial demo with which he has a great deal of fun. So did Rania's two oldest boys - they were very good at it too.
Looking forward to the closing ceremony of the Olympics - the opening ceremony certainly had its spectacular moments. We get a couple of stations with commentary in Arabic and otherwise mostly New Zealand commentary although we did have some Australian commentators, for the diving I particularly remember. We were lucky, Al Jezeerah had a high definition broadcast in English for the whole games. Didn't see all sports of course and missed some really good performances in order to see popular Middle East sports like wrestling (Egypt's only medal was a bronze in wrestling) but all in all it was pretty good.
So will write more soon, until then
lots of love
Lyndall
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