The first week

It's been exactly one week since arriving, though it feels like four. Life in Cairo is so different from being a tourist here. It's imperative to start learning Arabic, even just survival Arabic--greetings, one's address and cross street, bargaining--since most Cairenes don't speak English save "madame" or "hello." In the tourist sector, most do--but not on the streets. Our formal lessons won't begin for 2 more weeks, but we are busy consulting our phrasebooks (none of which agree on prononciation or the sounds unique to Egyptian Arabic). It is mentally taxing but non-negotiable.

My time has been spent almost entirely doing work at AUC; keeping house takes a dim back seat. However, I did snap a few photos of our flat. You can see the alley on the side, the kitchen, living and dining areas; the bedrooms are not ready for prime time photography yet.
It is the end of Ramadan, which makes everything slower. People are tired from fasting for almost a month, and most depart work early, around noon. That means getting administrative things done is slow, though it promises to improve once the holiday is over (Ramadan is followed by Eid, a national holiday of about 5 days). One surprise to us was the absolute necessity of obtaining a certified marriage certificate since we have different last names; Harris would be deported after his tourist visas run out without it. I had to get an HIV test as part of obtaining a work permit from the ministry of health. Thankfully, the amazing people at the Fulbright office here run interference on pretty much everything, and without the help of Ranya, Hend, and Amira, both of us would have floundered. The folks at AUC are also working to help me out--I finally got an office yesterday, and with the blessing, will have a functioning ID card, AUC email, and computer there soon.

But we have a treat coming tomorrow: an AUC colleague put us in touch with the fanatical dive group in our neighborhood, and we depart tomorrow for 5 days diving on a live-aboard boat called the Reef Master on the Red Sea, with dives in Hurghada, The Brothers, and Marsa Alam. To say we are psyched is an understatement! The next entry will probably feature some Red Sea photos.

Life here is truly different. We are learning that pretty much everything can be delivered for about a dollar, from the plants and trees in the photos of the flat, to groceries, laundry, cooked food, and anything else from a store. Though our bargaining skills are barely up to local scratch, things are cheap if you can find them. Rule of thumb: if you see something you like or need, buy it then and in quantity.
We've enjoyed a felucca ride with new AUC colleagues down the Nile, accompanied by an iftar (fast-breaking) feast, and are discovering that Egyptian food is quite delicious. Last night's dinner, ordered online and delivered, included chicken with rice and a rice green leafy sauce, falafel, sesame paste, amazing grilled eggplant and tomatos, and fresh brown flat bread, enough for 2 meals for $20. Today, we will interview a potential house cleaner, get laundry and keys delivered, and have our scuba gear picked up for the 6:45 AM departure in the morning.

BTW, we've tried to keep up with the news, particularly regarding the hurricane, and we hope everyone is safe and has power. I read today that Richmond has lost power in 75% of the city. Our wonderful neighbors in New Haven, Melissa and Ken, sent us photos of our backyard fence, now listing to port about 60 degrees (it will be fixed). Our thoughts are with everyone.

First impressions

We have been here since Sunday morning, so it's only been five days. Our flat is on the third floor of a building in a nice part of Maadi (called Maadi Degla), street 200 near 210; several of the buildings on the street are owned by the US Embassy, and we are around the corner from "the" American school for K-12. Our flat has a large living and dining room facing the street, three bedrooms, one full bath and washing machine, and a powder room. Its layout is long rather than wide. As a university property, it's very beige and devoid of decorations other than rather generic "oriental" rugs in each room. We will be working on making it more attractive but it is certainly functional.
Since I started off running with new faculty orientation, we have spent little time exploring the neighborhood, but what we have seen is pretty--lots of trees (not common here), nice apartment buildings, and the villa or two between. Cairo in general is hot, seriously hot, polluted, and dusty; the traffic is beyond the imagination of the most jaded New Yorker; and walking is a blood sport since there are few sidewalks and one must walk in the streets.
The AUC campus is very different (well, still really hot) but splendid and beautiful and vast. I've spent a lot of time trotting or slogging from one end to the other, filling out forms, finding rooms, etc.  I pulled photos off their website to give you an idea. I've been so busy that taking my own photos just has not happened yet.
Despite the heat, no women wear shorts, short skirts, or sleeveless tops. On campus, the visual disjunction of girls in headscarves, lots of eye makeup, and cigarette jeans is curious. Lots of western dress as well, and on campus, anything goes--but in Cairo, I wear sleeves.

This is not a city for sissies, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan, when working hours are curtailed and stores usually closed. However, there is a French version of Wal-Mart that is open on Fridays (normally a holy day), and we are engaging in major retail therapy today. Fingers crossed that we return with a microwave, household stuff, and some nice pillows!

FYI re: time

Please recall that Egypt is 7 hours ahead of the east coast (e.g., noon in NY=7PM in Cairo). Someone called our place around 12:45AM last night, and trying to answer the phone kept me up the rest of the night. The result is being late to orientation and taking a taxi rather than the bus for an hour. Add the appropriate number of hours for Pacific, Mountain, and other time zones. If you aren't sure, google world time and put in the cities. Thanks! Your tired frieng.

We are here!

After two days of travel, we arrived last night around 1AM Cairo time, were whisked through the airport with all our luggage by AUC's elite team, and by 3AM, were unpacked and ready for bed in our new flat. More later about everything, but other than being tired, everything is excellent. Our flat phone number is: +20-2-2516-6514. We are checked in with the Fulbright office and begin AUC orientation tomorrow. A big shout out to Laura and Chuck Gordon, our AUC faculty hosts here in Maadi. Laura made sure our ducks were in a row in the morning, and both are taking us shopping this evening.

T-Minus 18 hours

Not bad for a year, 2 people...

Annie and the fowls

We are ready. All seven pieces of luggage cataloged and packed (remember, two are scuba gear!), and the house seems to be in order. Nelly and Dickens went to their new mom on Saturday, and since Annie is a Brooklyn lawyer, they are now Urban Birds. We hope the three of them are very happy together. This week has been a series of small plagues, from colds to a candle-related small fire to confusion over my teaching schedule--so getting on the plane in the morning will be a relief. We have a dive trip planned already, and not only will it be gorgeous, but evidently, diving is a lot cheaper if booked from Egypt for Egypt than from here. Both of us are looking forward to making new friends as we stay in touch and think about our friends here.

95% packed!

We depart in exactly two weeks (August 20th) and it's either a measure of organizational ability or compulsiveness that I am nearly packed. Looks like we will be checking eight bags total (British Airways allows us three each, so that's not too bad), but if all goes well, only four total when we return. Of course, the first bags packed were scuba gear.
We have heard from AUC that we will get a 3-bedroom apartment in the Maadi neighborhood of Cairo, a nice area largely populated by embassy personnel and expats. I've been in touch with lots of folks from Maadi who work for AUC, and picked up lots of tips, ranging from yoga studios to "bring a knife sharpener." We are already feeling very welcomed.