Day 1 -- June 10

I just arrived in Cairo.

In other news, while I was checking my luggage in JFK I had an interesting experience with the employee. The conversation went something like this:

Employee: "So where are you headed"
Me: "Cairo"
Employee: (looking at my passport) "Cross ... you know that's a Christian name ... and you're going to a Muslim country. Dangerous you know. Be careful."
Me: "Uhh, thanks..."

So, what prompted his thought? Moreover, why did he feel so compelled to share that information with me? Certainly wasn’t a funny joke. Perhaps a subtle example of xenophobia? Certainly reinforces a particular ignorance I would rather eradicate. But maybe I am reading into it too much.

Back to Cairo; right now I am sitting in our apartment flat -- which is enormous. Spanning two floors, Dylan and I have four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room, a living room, a sitting room, and a hookah room ... all to ourselves. And the view from our Garden City balcony overlooks the Nile, the Egyptian Museum, and a cornucopia of various buildings. The din of honking traffic permeates the musty atmosphere and eventually fades into the periphery. And thankfully, opening our large windows provides a cool breeze to alleviate the heat.

While Dylan and I are sharing this loft, much reminiscent of a colonial British tent, or maybe my grandmother's place, the girls are in a separate apartment building. For now, we are awaiting Prof. Lo’s arrival in Cairo, and will eventually head out to dinner and an orientation meeting. Admittedly, it has already been quite a day. The sheer chaos of the city is immediately apparent, which should make for an adventuresome two months!


More later, In Shaa Allah (God willing)
Jonathan