on to cairo

it's good to be back...no, it's great to be back. stepping back into egyptian culture is fantastic. i cannot tell if i love this place more because of the people i was here with or if is the place itself. For those worried, don't be...egypt is it's same old smelling, polluted, crowded, dirty, charming, chaotic, beautiful self. While everything brings back memories, i believe smell is the best trigger. the almost constant smell of baking bread is amazing when pure; however, it rarely wafts my way without the also poignant aroma of exhaust fumes and garbage.

i've got a theory that if every car in cairo were running well, the smell of polluted air would be cut in half, but i'll spare you the intricacies. A few minutes ago i noticed a relatively new (not by my standards : ) VW golf that was spitting and sputtering - something that should not be. I have also presented a friend here (who cares little about cars) that we ought to introduce egyptians to a 50/50 diesel fuel/used veggie oil mixture because it does not relaly get cold enough here to matter and the environmental and economic impact would at least be something.

Today i walked to the Mugama which is a very large, forceful, grey, soviet-looking building that looms over the cities main square. the mugama houses the government stuff. i went to get an extended visa as well as a re-entry visa. they already have my passport for the first part of the visa, so when i went to pick it up at 10 minutes to three, i assumed they'd give it back to me. Egyptians are often not too concerned about time, so wheni heard the mugama closes at 3, i thought i was fine. I was wrong when i failed to recall that while egyptians are not concerned about time, when the clock=getting off of work, they are very concerned. needless to say, i have to go back tomorrow to battle the crowds once again - but that's O.K.

A friend and her friend are heading to palestine tonight and asked if i'd like to go...of course i'd like to go! however, i have to decide if it's feasible. it means more money, less time with friends in cairo, and two long buss rides - the buss rides are no problem. i think i'll go if i get my passport back tomorrow. if all goes well, i'll get to hang out on a kibbutz which is basically a communal farm of sorts.

While i was walking this afternoon, i had an interesting, funny, and of course educational blog post in my head. sadly, writer's block won the fight today so no exciting stories. I'll leave you with this poll (if it works). And remember, this is my face. i don't have to look at myself, you do...