{"id":3389,"date":"2011-10-18T14:25:04","date_gmt":"2011-10-18T21:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=3389"},"modified":"2011-10-18T14:25:04","modified_gmt":"2011-10-18T21:25:04","slug":"leyla-cairo-2-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/10\/18\/leyla-cairo-2-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"A Month in Cairo, Egypt, Report #2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Housekeeping, Internet, Costume Shopping, Reconnecting with More Friends<\/h2>\n

\"Leyla\"<\/p>\n

by Leyla Lanty<\/a>
\nFrom the Field June 14 \u2013 July 1 5, 2011
\nposted October 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

Taking a day to catch up:<\/p>\n

During a month\u2019s stay in Cairo it\u2019s necessary to stay home for a day now and then in order to catch up on some tasks, such as doing laundry, catching up on email, writing a new report or \u201cresting up\u201d for the week-long excitement of an event like the week-long Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival. <\/span><\/p>\n

Many, if not most, households have clothes washers.\u00a0 This one doesn\u2019t and there are no self-serve laundries in the neighborhood, so I hand wash everything, using an over-sized cooking pot as a wash basin.\u00a0 The wash is now hanging on the balcony from the backs of the two folding chairs that \u201clive\u201d there and on my stretch clothesline anchored on the iron railing perched on top of the concrete balcony wall.\u00a0 Very few apartments have clothes driers.\u00a0 Most people hang their wash on clotheslines permanently mounted on the balcony, hanging over the sidewalk.\u00a0 When walking along the streets close to the buildings, you need to watch for telltale puddles on the ground so you can step sideways to avoid getting a free shower of drips from newly washed clothes, blankets, sheets, towels, and sometimes drip-hoses from air conditioners!<\/p>\n

\nIn the photo is a typical street scene.\u00a0 Notice the wash hanging from the balcony over the green grocer\u2019s shop.\u00a0 To the right is the women\u2019s entrance to the neighborhood mosque.\u00a0 To the left is a meat store.<\/p>\n

\"In\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\nAhmed<\/span>\u2019s Internet savvy son, Karim<\/span>, got an Internet USB stick and set it up for me so now I\u2019m connected wherever I want to be connected in Cairo.\u00a0 It\u2019s very easy to use.\u00a0 It runs a bit faster than telephone hookup but not as fast as a high speed connection.\u00a0 It\u2019s more than adequate for my needs \u2013 email, Facebook, web surfing \u2013 as long as I don\u2019t try to download any YouTube videos or other huge files that take a seem to take an interminable amount of time to complete.<\/p>\n

When I think of my first trip here in 1977, I can see what amazing changes have occurred since then – most of them for the better.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I came then, I had to carry travelers’ checks for the full amount of money I would need for my whole trip.\u00a0 I could get money from my checking account but only because I had an American Express card.\u00a0 I could go to their office, write them a check and they would give me cash in return.\u00a0 Of course, there was no Internet, no email.\u00a0 I wrote my trip diary on the pages of a notebook with a pen!\u00a0 I called home by dialing a local number for AT&T and giving them my home number along with the number I wanted to call and a password!\u00a0 It was expensive.<\/p>\n

One afternoon, I visited Mahmoud Abd al Ghaffar<\/span> at his costume atelier \u201cAl Wikalah\u201d<\/span> in Khan el Khalili (old market area).\u00a0 When I arrived, it was prayer time.\u00a0 At his assistant\u2019s suggestion, I looked around the ground floor and checked out the cases full of gorgeous scarves and other accessories.\u00a0 After Mahmoud had finished praying, we sat and talked for a few minutes until some other customers arrived.\u00a0 I went upstairs and found a gorgeous gown with my name on it!\u00a0 It fit perfectly!\u00a0 It is vivid red with black and red beading and sequins in all the right places.\u00a0 It has detached bell sleeves and a matching draped scarf-like belt.\u00a0 The skirt has godets (triangular insets from hemline to knees) of black tulle with red and black beading on them \u2013 lovely!\u00a0 The belt and sleeves are trimmed with beaded black tulle, matching the skirt.\u00a0 I can\u2019t wait to wear it when I dance at the festival!<\/p>\n

After costume shopping, I spent two evenings visiting with old friends, first with a woman I\u2019ve known for four years and the other with Houda al Artist<\/span>, the composer for two songs on my CD, \u201cGolden Days Enchanting Nights\u201d at the studio he owns with his brother, the famous drummer Said al Artist<\/span>.\u00a0 Two other musicians were there hanging out and drinking tea, Arabic (Turkish) coffee or yansoon<\/em> (anise tea) and playing backgammon. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s little work for musicians these days other than special parties, engagements, weddings.\u00a0 Many of the Haram (Pyramid) Street night clubs<\/a> were looted and torched during the revolutions. (Don\u2019t ask me; I don\u2019t know why.)\u00a0 Consequently, the musicians often meet for casual conversation, tea, sheesha <\/em>(water pipe) and a few rounds of backgammon or other board or card games.\u00a0 Backgammon is extremely popular with many variations on the game.\u00a0 Another popular game is poker and there\u2019s some interest in chess too.\u00a0 When going to one of the \u2018ahwat <\/em>(coffee\/tea houses) in the evening, you hear the bubbling sound of the sheesha <\/em>and the clickety-clack of the dice hitting the boards on the tables.\u00a0 The coffee\/tea houses are considered to be \u201cmen\u2019s places\u201d and women are usually expected to be accompanied by a male if they want to sit in one and have tea or coffee and, maybe, smoke a sheesha<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Zizi<\/span>, my woman friend, is a lot of fun and, lucky for me, speaks English fluently.\u00a0 While we visited, she took some time to help me with the Arabic language.\u00a0 First we had a great time catching up on our news.\u00a0 Then we watched some dancers on her computer and discussed many things about Egypt and its culture.\u00a0 She and her husband have a new \u201cson\u201d \u2013 a beautiful two month old long-haired yellow tiger kitten with a sweet personality.\u00a0 I missed my kitty at home so I got my "kitty fix" by petting and playing with him.\u00a0 She decided to call him \u201cTiger\u201d, using the English word.\u00a0 She told me that pets cannot have human names but must be named by animal names like \u201cTiger,\u201d \u201cKitty,\u201d or \u201cDoggie,\u201d or nonsense sounds or something inanimate like \u201cBouncy Ball.\u201d\u00a0 In the photo, \u201cTiger wants you<\/strong>!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Tiger!\"<\/p>\n

Next Up:\u00a0 Ahlan Wa Sahlan festival and more\u2026<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\"use<\/p>\n

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