There is definitely a party atmosphere in Cairo these days, but not during the day. The party starts at sunset and continues until the wee hours. Last night I was invited to a dinner at a friend's house. She lives in Zimalek, which is actually an island in the middle of the Nile. It is directly across the river from downtown Cairo. It normally would take about 45 minutes to get there in normal 7 p.m. traffic. It took 15 minutes, door-to-door. Everyone was inside breaking their fast! The meal that breaks the fast (I guess you could call it breakfast) is called IFTAR in Arabic. Next week I'm going to an IFTAR at an Egyptian colleague's home.
I am very impressed with the Egyptians' fasting culture. As we drove through almost empty streets last night, there were many, many folks outside offering juice and water to motorists on the road - my driver stopped and got two little bags of orange juice. I also saw several places where people were sitting outside and eating. These impromptu iftars are open to the public - anyone can go and have a full meal. The houses and stores are decorated with Ramadan lamps (they look like big Chinese lamps), colored lights, flags and banners. In the evenings, people outside are happy, strolling, friendly, holding hands. There is such a difference between Egypt Ramadan and Saudi Arabia Ramadan.
We have some important new faces at the Embassy, including a new Ambassador (whom I have yet to meet), a new management officer, and a new management counselor. In the management section, I find I am now considered an "old-timer" in terms of time at post - after only 4 months! Other newcomers are starting to pour in, keeping me and my staff hopping. HR is the first place they come when checking in.
At the end of August we will have two days off for Eid, the holiday that celebrates, uhh, the end of Ramadan. Since it comes right before the Labor Day holiday, I am thinking of going to Greece for a really long 7-day weekend/holiday/leave combination.
I've posted a new album on FACEBOOK which I'll try to link here. Otherwise not posting pictures to the blog today - maybe next time. (It took about 2 hours to get pictures from my camera AND my blackberry to the FB album. Here's the link:
Great posts mom, keep 'em coming! Gabe
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