{"id":3162,"date":"2011-09-18T15:29:52","date_gmt":"2011-09-18T22:29:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=3162"},"modified":"2011-09-18T15:38:25","modified_gmt":"2011-09-18T22:38:25","slug":"leyla-cairo-diary-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/09\/18\/leyla-cairo-diary-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"A Month in Cairo, Egypt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Report No. 1: Settling In, Post-revolution Egypt, Reconnecting to Life in Cairo<\/h2>\n

\"Leyla<\/p>\n

by Leyla Lanty<\/a>
\nFrom the Field June 14 \u2013 July 1 5, 2011
\nposted September 18, 2011<\/span><\/h3>\n

On June 14, 2011, I left home for a month long stay in Cairo, Egypt, my home away from home.\u00a0 The purpose of this trip, one of many I’ve made there, was to attend Ahlan Wa Sahlan<\/a> 2011<\/strong> as well as visit with old friends, make new ones and most important of all this year, to see and experience some of the changes taking place after Egypt’s revolution in January.\u00a0 What follows is a six-part recounting of what I saw, did and felt, based on a diary I kept while I was there. <\/em><\/p>\n

Feels like home!\u00a0 Over the last 20-plus years, I’ve been coming here often, and every time I arrive, it feels like home – almost as if I never left.\u00a0 After being here 6 days, I\u2019m somewhat over the jet lag.\u00a0 My brain has almost adjusted to the new time zone, 9 hours later than California.\u00a0 The time difference is usually 10 hours, but this year, Egypt did not change to daylight savings time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like a lot of Egyptians, I stay up a good part of the night and don\u2019t get up until noon, or sometimes even later, in order to avoid the heat.\u00a0 Those who can, go to bed between 6 and 8 a.m. and get up in the late afternoon.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to have to mend my ways by Monday when Ahlan Wa Sahlan<\/span> begins.\u00a0Even if I only take afternoon classes, they start at 1 and 4 p.m.\u00a0 I\u2019m not too far from the Mena House Oberoi Hotel<\/a><\/span>,<\/a> where the festival takes place, but it takes about an hour to get there, chat with people, get into the classroom (after showing my ticket), change shoes, and get ready to learn.\u00a0 No more sleeping in if I sign up for a 1 p.m. class, or (Heaven forbid!) something earlier.\u00a0 Watch for more about Ahlan Wa Sahlan 2011 in a later report.<\/p>\n

I have moved into the flat I rented in both 2009 and 2010.\u00a0 It\u2019s a clean, somewhat larger than I really need, well-furnished place with more than adequate air conditioning in all rooms.\u00a0 Writing this, I’m in the living room with the balcony door open and the a\/c off.\u00a0 It’s 1:30 pm, bright and sunny and probably in the high 80s Fahrenheit.\u00a0 Inside, it feels like the high 70s.\u00a0 I have dish TV so I can watch the BBC news and another channel that carries world news.\u00a0 There are lots of movie and music channels so I don’t lack for entertainment at home.\u00a0 In the first photo is the reception\/dining area.\u00a0 The second photo shows the living room where I wrote this blog.<\/p>\n

\"Dining<\/p>\n

\"Living<\/p>\n

On my 2nd day here, I went with my friend, Ahmed<\/span>, who always helps me when I\u2019m here, and his family to the Dandy Mall<\/span> on the outskirts of Cairo along the Desert Road that goes to Alexandria.\u00a0 It\u2019s a large indoor shopping mall where the anchor store is Carrefour<\/span>, a large place that is very much like a super Wal-mart crossed with Costco.\u00a0 We stocked up on supplies for the next month for all of us.\u00a0 It was exhausting but necessary!\u00a0 In the photo, Karim unloading the shopping carts at Carrefour.<\/p>\n

\"Store\"<\/p>\n

A few words about conditions here after the January 25 revolution:<\/p>\n

In most ways, Cairo is the same old Cairo \u2013 noisy and crazy traffic, friendly and warm people.\u00a0 However there\u2019s something new in the air.\u00a0 It\u2019s the freedom to talk openly about government, social and economic conditions and just about anything anyone wants to talk about.\u00a0 Everyone has told me about this, and I can feel it in the air.\u00a0 People are having a really rough time economically, but when they talk about sociopolitical issues, their smiles are radiant (with their newly found freedom to say what they think).\u00a0 There are many signs that Egypt is coming back and that it will be better than ever. <\/p>\n

Public safety has been a concern for foreigners, most of whom canceled their trips to Egypt since the revolution in late January, early February.\u00a0 Things have definitely changed since the early days.\u00a0 The police force is back but has been reorganized.\u00a0 Their commission is to maintain public safety, not to be the political police that they were, and they are no longer authorized to shake down citizens on suspicion of being dissidents, looking for bribes like they used to do.\u00a0 Many new people are being trained as police.\u00a0 They have a visible presence in every place that\u2019s popular with tourists that I\u2019ve visited so far.<\/p>\n

Probably, you have been hearing about continuing demonstrations in Tahrir Square, the main square in downtown Cairo.\u00a0 There are sometimes political protests as well as striking workers demanding better working conditions and pay.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

In the evenings when there are no strikes or protests, families and groups of friends come out and enjoy the grassy areas and the snacks and drinks offered by street vendors who gather there.\u00a0 No one has ever seen the square being used in any of these ways over the last 30-some years.\u00a0 Everyone has remarked about this and is happy about it.<\/p>\n

The biggest concern I\u2019ve heard is that the Egyptian people, most of whom have never experienced such freedom, have to sort out where freedom ends and responsibility to others begins.\u00a0 It will take some time, but I\u2019m sure they will do it.<\/p>\n

One day while Ahmed\u2019s son, Karim, was driving me somewhere, we traveled along Pyramid Street (Al Haram Street) where many night clubs are located.\u00a0 He told me about watching a hotel and \u201call\u201d the night clubs on Haram St. being looted and burned after the revolution.\u00a0 He said it was the criminals that had somehow broken out of jail who did it.\u00a0 He said that, to him, it was the worst day in Egypt\u2019s history \u2013 Egyptians looting and burning, fueled by greed and extremism.\u00a0 Two nightclubs are now back in operation, El Leil<\/span> and El Andelus<\/span>.\u00a0 One or two others show the beginning signs of reconstruction.<\/p>\n

My perception is that travel to and inside of Egypt is now safe.\u00a0 All the tourist destinations are open, operating and anticipating the return of tourism to the country.\u00a0 The tourists are beginning to trickle in, but Egypt needs more \u2013 the economy depends heavily on them!<\/p>\n

While talking with a young Egyptian woman about the revolution and coming changes in Egypt, I said it would be a \u201cbumpy ride.\u201d\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know what \u201cbumpy\u201d meant so I explained it would be like riding in a hantour <\/em>(horse carriage) and she laughed, gave me a high five and said, \u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hall<\/p>\n

Reconnecting:<\/p>\n

On my first night out, I enjoyed an evening at my favorite coffee house with live music, seeing and greeting all the familiar regulars and, of course, the band and the singers.\u00a0 In the course of the evening, the owner invited me to do a \u201cperformance\u201d to \u201cInta Omri\u201d.\u00a0 Wow, what an experience,– like something out of an old black and white Egyptian movie in which a dancer performs to an enthusiastic coffee house crowd.\u00a0 The music of the band:\u00a0 keyboard, oud (ancestor to the lute), riq (tambourine), dohola (bass drum) and tabla (goblet-shaped drum) along with the beautiful voice of the female singer were inspirational!<\/p>\n

Next day, I had lunch with Raqia Hassan<\/span>, director of the Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival (at which I taught 2006-2009<\/a>) and had a far-ranging talk with her.\u00a0 She\u2019s looking forward to the festival, beginning on the 27th, and so am I.\u00a0 It will be smaller this year because of uncertainties following the revolution and the world wide economy, but I\u2019m sure it will be great!<\/p>\n

Another little tale is of \u201cmy\u201d hall kitty; she\u2019s a feral who had kittens outside my door last year, to whom I fed table scraps.\u00a0 She seemed to remember me the first time she saw me.\u00a0 She was the only one of the feral cats who make this building their home who didn\u2019t bolt when I took a step or two toward them.\u00a0 I got some cheap luncheon meat, sort of like bologna, to feed to her.\u00a0 Last night when I got off the elevator, I went and looked down the stairwell and saw her.\u00a0 I called to her and she came running up the stairs!\u00a0 I went inside and got a slice of bologna, ripped it into little pieces and took it out to her.\u00a0 She meowed to have it and gobbled it down.\u00a0 I guess I have a little friend.\u00a0 A few days after this, I saw that she has 2 kittens about 2 months old so I\u2019m now feeding all of them, including two other adults, one of which has loudest voice I\u2019ve ever heard on a cat.\u00a0 In the photo, center cat is \u201cmy\u201d kitty, left one of the kittens, right the loud kitty.<\/p>\n

Coming up:\u00a0<\/em>Housekeeping, Costume Shopping and some changes observed over many years.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\"use<\/p>\n

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