A Little Progress

McDonald's is on the bottom level. The Nile is in the forefront.

The leak from the apartment above us continued for 2 days.  On the third day we received a call from our landlord who said he was on the case and assured us that all would be well soon.  We didn't here one "inshallah" in his conversation so we took hope that it would actually happen.

Sure enough, we began to hear a lot of thrashing above, pipes banging and water being squeegeed out off the balcony.  That was a lot of water.  I do not want to be there when the tenant returns.  Once we made sure the water pipes were indeed fixed, we began restoration mode.  Buckets were emptied for the last time, floors were mopped, and furniture was pushed back into place for the time being.  The wall will need to dry out for at least 2 weeks before we begin scraping paint, repainting, etc.  

I had a new burst of energy and decided that everything everywhere would be put away today!  I couldn't take one more day of clutter, stacks or piles.  John had enough good sense to ease away until he heard his name invoking his braun for big lifting.

We had been piling our empty totes in the guest bedroom until a later date.  I asked John to move the totes to the storage room.  He said there was a table in the way.  I said I would like that table in our bedroom.  He said that there are suitcases where the table should be.  I said that the suitcases can't be emptied until we have the closets in place.  So we worked in reverse.  Moving closets, tables, totes and more until I could exit the room, walk in again and decide that I loved it.

John laughed and said, "Call me when you need something else moved."

I took a "union break" and drank some lemonade while reviewing our work.  This will do nicely.  We concluded that a full day's work had been completed so John suggested that we walk the corniche (road along the Nile), go to McDonald's and then pick up a couple rugs and gifts.

Perfect idea to a not-so-perfect last couple of days.  (Who knew McDonald's would ever hold such magic?!)

We walked in and around the barricades trying not to make any sudden moves by the soldiers keeping watch.  We were amazed when two local teenage girls asked to have their picture in front of the tank with the soldiers and they said yes! John told me, "Don't even think about it."

It seemed a lot of people were out milling around and that is good news.  We arrived at McDonald's where I was greeted by my friend, Mona.  She is one of the managers there and we visited for a bit.  She was setting up for a birthday party so I said I would talk to her later.

We sat down to eat our meal when the electricity went out.  We all sat in the dark and continued what we were doing.  Everyone is so used to power outages that no one is affected.  We pulled out our phone and turned on the flashlight.  So romantic.

The restaurant had a generator which kicked on after 10 minutes.  We finished and decided we would make our way to the market area.  We found the lights on the streets were still out so we used our phone to light our path.  (Lots of cars with headlights were on so this helped as well.)

I found a clothing store with a generator and thought I'd stop in to see what they had.  We immediately caused a scene.  No one said anything, but we could feel the collective "freeze, turn, stare, follow" exercise that takes place whenever people who look like us walk into a place.  I try to shake it off and look through the racks, but my every move was being observed.  I decided I'd had enough and we continued to the part of the street with power.

We found some rugs that would work for now…sort of in our color scheme for $1.20 each.  Not bad.  I got into a discussion about a silverware tray with the clerk, soon 2 more men were added and I was in over my head.  I realized halfway through the conversation that they don't hardly ever use silverware and certainly wouldn't have any idea about the silverware tray I'm trying so hard to describe through Arabic, English and exaggerated gestures.  I gave up and took my rugs.

John and I got a taxi back to our neighborhood.  We were greeted by different neighbors who like to sit on their porch at night.  We went into our home, checked for drips (none!) and put our new rugs out.  John commented, "I don't feel exhausted like I normally do after a trip out."  

"Me either."

We smiled at each other and realized…We'll make it.  Some days are good.  Some days are (insert your own descriptor).  But a little progress is still progress and today we rest in that.

___________________________

Today's BOGO Blog:  The "Hallmark" Store

Delivery any way you'd like it...

Some new offerings and some standards...

Start Strong, Finish Strong

Today Emileigh and Aria begin classes for the new school year.  In their growing up years we had a tradition of going out to breakfast together on the first day and the last day of school, usually IHOP.  We called this the "Start Strong, Finish Strong Breakfast."

If Emileigh or Aria happen to be reading this right now, they are probably smiling because they know the whole speech (or rather "inspired encouragement") that would follow the title of this event.  We would remind them that starting strong is important, to give your best, to try… But equally or maybe more critical is to finish strong.  

This is a lesson that no one can escape regardless of age.  We will be asked many times through life to start something, but our character and our reputation will be built on whether or not we finish.  Many times in this "new life" of ours, I have been very tempted to pack up and call it quits.  Life just sometimes gets unbearably hard.  Thankfully God in His providence sent me a "beaver" to marry.

John is one of the most consistent people I have ever known.  Some friends and family might even affectionately call him, "Rut Man."  I call it "purposed stability."  He has taught me a lot over the years about what it means to see something through.

I love planning things, organizing and initiating.  It's the follow-through that's the killer.  But it's in the moments of "sticking it out" that I see what I'm made of…what my motives are…and how Jesus can shine through my weaknesses.

So I dedicate this post to Emileigh and Aria.  Emileigh is in her senior year of college in Missouri.  Aria is at the same university starting her sophomore year.  I would be one of "those" parents if I told you about all of their amazing attributes, but for the sake of them and their embarrassment level I think that I would like to highlight just one.

In 2009, John and I moved to Cairo, Egypt with Emileigh and Aria.  At the time, Emileigh was 17 and Aria was 15.  Can you imagine two teenage girls willing to leave the only home they've known to move to a place with no friends, no school and no English?  Before we made the decision to move, we asked each of them to take time to pray.  Either we all agreed or we didn't go.  They returned after 2 weeks declaring, "Let's do it!"

So we did.  We moved from a city of 250,000 people to a metropolis of 24 million.  We learned how to take taxis, subways and read maps.  Then they learned how to do it on their own.  They learned Arabic, ate street food and made friends with the neighbors.

They started strong, but they also finished strong.  The months in Cairo and S****n were the most difficult we had ever faced, but they persisted.  Emileigh would create art projects reminding her of God's faithfulness while Aria would sing songs of praise to Jesus on her guitar.

The time came for them to transition from their time across the pond back to the US.  Not an easy task.  It required starting again.  But they have both done so gracefully…learning how to make choices that will set them up for a good life.  This day reminds me that they once again have a chance to start strong.  

But they can also know that the days in-between when it's tough, when it's overwhelming and when it seems too long, that they have a mother and father who love them, pray for them and know that they have it in them to finish strong.  We've seen it and we trust Jesus with all their days ahead.

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. Philippians 1:3-6.

The Last Straw

Where do I begin? It's best to start at the last place we were together…our newly purchased furniture items were arriving at our flat.  While I was out with my friend finding toilet brushes and such, John waited for the delivery truck to come.  "Delivery truck" is a term loosely used because I know what you are picturing in your head when I say it.  It's not that.  "Delivery truck" here is more like whatever has a minimum of 2 wheels and can have something stacked on it.

This time it was a flat bed mini-pickup of sorts loaded with furniture and delivery guys hanging on for dear life.  John greeted them and showed them where the final destination would be.  They were not amused.  The place where they can park is a bit of a distance away from where we live in terms of carrying large wooden closets.

They carried everything in fairly quickly and with only a few dings here and there adding to the character of the furniture patina.  John had to do some quick algebraic equations to get the big closet through our bedroom door, but finally success.

I arrived home a short time after and began thinking about where each item should go.  This is the fun part.  I told John that I had already had some fun today so I would save more fun for the next day.  That statement was the beginning of the end…

In the middle of the night I began to feel nauseated.  Soon the room was spinning and I was clamping the mattress so I wouldn't be flung off.  Obviously, I had some sort of bug.  I tried to just close my eyes and sleep through it but the spinning would start again.  I stared at the ceiling and tried to be fascinated.  I listened to the sounds of the house hoping it would lull me to sleep.

I heard the hum of the a/c, the click of a nearby gecko and then periodically drip, drip, drip… We have an air cooler for the rest of the house that runs on a steady stream of water so I didn't think anything about it.  Soon I had drifted off to sleep.

I awoke the next morning thinking that the worst of the virus was over.  I proceeded through my morning routine which included making our bed.  I began to put the bedspread on when I heard a more pronounced "drip" sound.  I investigated by our window and noticed water dripping in and around the frame. The paint was beginning to bubble.  This is bad.

We have a first floor apartment.  There are 2 floors above us.  Someone above us has a plumbing problem.  I flew into panic mode and began flapping through the house looking for John.  He rounded the corner holding his right arm and said, "Does this look like a bite to you?"  It was red and swollen and the size of a golf ball.  "What in the world?" I said, "That's no mosquito bite! What is that?!" He shrugged, "I don't know.  It's big though, huh?"  We agreed to keep an eye on it.

With his limbs still in tact, I pointed to the now-dripping paint bubbles above our window.  We have a big problem!  We collectively groaned.

The landlord is still away on vacation so we found the caretaker and explained the problem.  He investigated and told us that the tenant on the second floor was away.  He also mentioned that there are no spare keys for this particular flat.  John and he walked around the building to the second floor and noticed water coming out from under the door of the absent tenant.  Not good.  John also discovered a horrendous smell emitting from the water.  Really not good.

John suggested that they break the lock and investigate.  The caretaker said no.  He would get into trouble.  John tried to convince him that water knee-deep and putrified for a returning tenant would be worse.  The caretaker would not be moved.

They went hunting for the water shut-off valve and thought they had found it.  They came back to the flat and asked me if I could see water still dripping.  It was and I did.  The caretaker told John he would make a call to the plumber and find out what the problem was.  I had mistakenly thought this would be considered somewhat of an emergency. 

John returned to the flat and shut the front door.  The door knob mechanism broke when he turned it.  He sighed and said, "I'll go get a new lock while you wait for the plumber." 

"Okay," I said in my bravest voice.  The bug I had wasn't going away.  I was dizzy, nauseated and frustrated.  I returned to the bedroom to see the increasing damage.  The towels hadn't stopped the water and now a puddle had made its way to the hallway.  I mopped and cried, cried and mopped. 

"It's just a stupid drip, Pam. Get a grip!" I admonished myself.  I said a prayer to the effect, "God…This stinks."  I know.  Not my finest hour, but I believe He appreciates honesty. 

I lay on the couch after the cleanup and watched an episode of "Frasier."  I couldn't help but laugh as Frasier's brother, Niles, ordered something to drink and asked for a straw.  The waitress replied, "I'm sorry, sir.  We're all out.  That was the last one."  He paused and muttered, "Hmmmm…the last straw.  How very appropriate."

I felt the same way.  The last straw.  Some days are just like that.  You don't even see them coming, but before you know it you don't have just one challenging situation, you have four.  I continued watching the show feeling much better having laughed and gaining some much needed endorphins.

The plumber never did arrive, so in the evening John and I concocted a bucket system to collect the water.  It's definitely MacGyver-ish in its appearance.  We slept in the guest room because the dripping was too loud.  John would get up and do a "bucket check" throughout the night.  Such a good guy although I do believe I heard him muttering under his breath periodically.

So today is another day.  My initial plan was to put the new furniture into place, organize my cabinets and try to find 2 wedding presents.  However, it looks like we will wait for the plumber as he busts into the tenant's apartment and then get a plan of action.  I'll keep drinking Propel and John will apply the Neosporin to his now near normal-sized arm.

Lest you think that I am in the depths of despair, don't worry.  We all have days that leave us "strawless," making us draw from deep reserves in ways we haven't considered.  But for those who may be fellow Lamenters, I leave you with this:

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
 to the woman who diligently seeks.
 It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
 quietly hope for help from God.
 It’s a good thing when you’re young
 to stick it out through the hard times.

When life is heavy and hard to take,
 go off by yourself.  Enter the silence.
 Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
 Wait for hope to appear.
 Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
 The “worst” is never the worst.
 
Why? Because the Master won’t ever
 walk out and fail to return.

Lamentations 3:25-31

______________________

Today's BOGO Blog:  Taxi Teacher

Girls Night Out

 One of my fellow ex-pat friends called me yesterday and asked if I would like to go to the market with her to look for some household items.  I readily agreed.  Mind you John is a wonderful husband, amazing friend and overall great partner in life, however, he is not what we call a "shopping lingerer."  He is very much "search and destroy" in his approach or as my sister calls it "grab and bag."  It makes for a highly efficient experience, but does leave me wondering what I might have missed.  

When we lived in the US, he would make an annual pilgrimage to a store for everything he would need to wear, read, build, etc. in the coming year.  Since we've been here, he's been present for every single purchase and while he's been incredibly patient…I think he deserves a break.  So out of the sheer kindness of my heart, I decide I will give him time off and shop with my friend.  (I am very thoughtful that way…)

John did want to walk with me to our meeting point so we made our way through our neighborhood and onto the main road.  We were about to cross over when a taxi pulled in front of us and honked.  It was Sadik.  He asked what we were doing.  John told him that he was walking with me to a friend's house and then he was going to return to the flat to await the furniture delivery.

Sadik told us to hop in.  He would take us to the meeting point and then take John home.  He would not be dissuaded.  They dropped me off a the main entrance of the location we were to meet.  I called my friend and she said she would be down in just a few minutes.  I leaned against the wall and just did some people watching.  About 3 minutes later I got a call.  It was John.  They actually hadn't driven away.  They had pulled across the street to make sure I was okay.  I told him that she was coming and that they could go on.  Sadik said no.  He wouldn't leave until he knew I was safely in contact with my friend.

So I stood by the wall and they sat in the taxi across the street watching.  A few minutes later my friend arrived and they waved heading off toward our flat.  Haley* asked if I had anywhere in particular that I wanted to go.  I told her that I didn't know where anything was but if I came upon something of interest, I would give a holler.

Our first stop was a store that was known to carry a few imported food items.  It wasn't very big and in a bit of an obscure location…but oh, the gloriousness of product that I beheld!  Green beans, strawberries, soy sauce, sliced turkey!  I felt like Oliver and almost began singing, "Food, Glorious Food…"

It's not to say that we are by any means unable to get food here.  We are.  It's just that when you see something that reminds you of home or something that is actually familiar in how to prepare it…well, it's a beautiful thing.

I loaded up my little handheld basket and made my purchases.  First stop?  Successful!

We took our bags and began walking through the part of the market that is normally visited by the thousands of tourists that used to pass through this area every week.  This particular night, there were only 2 foreigners which afforded us special attention from those in the booths.

"Welcome!"  "Where are you from?"  "We have veddy nice spices!"  "Looking ees free!"

Haley had commented that the items that were normally sold in the market had changed.  Usually full of souvenirs and touristy items…the booths now held toys from China, household goods and local produce.  They had to adapt or not survive.

She took me to a place that sold cocoa by the kilo.  She said there are two kinds, the cheap and the not-so-cheap.  She said, "Take my word for it…buy the 'not-so-cheap'."  I made a mental note for future reference.

I found a toilet brush, a jar to hold my kitchen utensils, wooden spoons and a spray bottle.  It was turning into a highly successful evening.  We visited as we walked and she told me about what it's like to live life here now as opposed to pre-revolution.  She's in her late 20s, married and a mom.  She's experienced a lot of change in the last 5 years.  I listened and learned thanking the Lord for this new developing relationship.

We capped off the evening by stopping at a bakery.  Usually a bakery here would sell the local bread which is flat bread or small baguettes for sandwiches.  This bakery had that and a lot more including chocolate croissants.  I promptly purchased enough for us each one including her family and John.  

We were winding down and Haley suggested that we get a taxi for the ride back.  I agreed because I was losing circulation in my fingers from all the bags.  As we waited for one, she pointed to a paint store and said that's the place where you can get bars of baking chocolate.  

"There?" I asked pointing to the paint store.

"Yes, at the paint store." She laughed.

Apparently while your paint is getting mixed, you can also order bars of chocolate which they keep in a freezer behind the counter.  Handy.  Home Depot should think of such a thing…

We secured a taxi and he whisked us back first to her flat and then onto mine.  My first semi-solo flight.  The very simple things that a woman my age should be able to handle quite readily is now a moment to be celebrated upon her arrival home.

John properly ooooo'd and aaaaah'd over my purchases and then began telling me about his evening and the furniture delivery.  That was a story all itself and that will have to wait for another day.

*Not her real name

___________________

Today's BOGO Blog:  The Great Pyramids

A Couple Days of Errands

Shopping Locally

Thursday following the furniture shopping extravaganza, I asked Sadik if he would make a quick stop and take us some place to get fresh produce.  The grocery store that we usually go to doesn't get rid it's older selections to make room for new.  He took us on a side street and stopped at a grouping of some ragged tents.  "Now we're talkin'," John said.

The three of us got out and Sadik led us to the variety of produce booths.  I stepped passed a pile of garbage and followed the path to our first vendor.  I greeted them in Arabic and began looking at their selections.  The tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers looked great so I got a kilo of each.  I found some cilantro and parsley, too.  I loved it because Sadik made sure that we paid local prices.  I've NEVER gotten such great deals before.  

Another guy had some onions so we finished up and made our way back to the taxi.  We asked him the name of the street and John made notes on his phone.  

We needed to make a final stop to pick up drinks and bread for our dinner with friends.  Sadik stopped at one of the vendors right off the Nile.  The vendor greeted me in English, "Hello!  Welcome!"  I bought what I needed and as I turned to return to the car he yelled, "You come back! Welcome!"  Then he gave Sadik a free juice box for bringing me.  Sadik handed me the juice and laughed at the guy who was treating us like tourists.

Using Arabic and hand gestures...

__________

It's Friday here which means it's the weekend.  People usually sleep in, go to mosque and visit friends.  Yesterday when we were making our furniture selections, the salesman told us that the store was open alatool (all the time).  John took him at his word and arranged for Sadik to come pick us up at 1 pm on Friday.

As we were waiting for him to arrive, John said, "Oh, wait.  Today's Friday.  We will be driving around right as mosque lets out."  Ah, yes.  I realized what he was saying.  Usually if any protests were going to take place, they begin after mosque.

He then invited me to stay home while he went to the store to make the payment.  I agreed.  I took my computer and headed up to the Internet Cafe (AKA friend's flat).  About 45 minutes later, John returned saying that "Alatool" meant every day except Friday afternoon.  A man with a business next door told him that the store would reopen in the evening.  John said that some protestors were taking to the streets when he was out so he and Sadik decided to wait until Saturday to try again.  

It wasn't a total waste though.  Sadik began to tell John about his work history.  Up until four months ago, he had been a professional driver for a government official.  He was laid off and has been trying to make ends meet through taxi work.  He drove John by the building to show him.  John listened to him, thanked him and told him he'd see him again tomorrow.

Every day…a little more life…a little more relationship…a little better prices...

_____________________________

Today's BOGO Blog:  Hormonal Transition Option

Let's Make a Deal

Deep Negotiations...

We were sitting in our living room and had just commented to our friends that the electricity and internet had been very stable over the last week.  They agreed and said that when the army is in charge, services stabilize.  I was pondering this piece of new information when ironically the lights went out.

Thankfully and gratefully our friends had brought us a housewarming gift of candles.  I found the box of matches and lit our room with little tea lights.  As we sat in the glow of the flames, we recounted to them our afternoon of furniture shopping.

Our friend and taxi driver, Sadik, had returned from his vacation in Cairo.  According to him it hadn't been much of a vacation at all due to all of the trouble on the streets.  He said he was glad to be back home and glad to see us.  John conveyed our joy to see him and told him we were interested in purchasing a closet and some other furniture.  Sadik said he knew where we should go.  

We pulled up to a small storefront that had chairs, tables and a few wardrobes.  I began to look at the selection (exactly 3) and then asked if there were others.  There were not.  These wardrobes were extremely large and very ornate.  We are more of a Zen/mission-style type of shopper so it really is a…let's call it "challenge."

Shopping Success!

Sadik knew of another place and hopped out of the car with us this time.  This place was indeed bigger and even had an upstairs.  We saw some pieces that we liked and soon we were trying to calculate Egyptian pounds to dollars to see what kind of ballpark we were in.

We rounded the corner and beheld a gloriously plain closet.  It was solid wood and well-made.  We knew to look no further.  The salesman tried to point us to the more ornate one next to it, but we would not be moved.  He mentioned that another one was coming just like the plain one, but it was smaller.  We told him we would take that one too…sight unseen.  He shook his head, and said we could have an ornate one made to size.  We thanked him and stuck with the less Napoleon ones.  He disagreed with our choice, but wouldn't decline a sale no matter how ridiculous the customer was.

John, Sadik and the salesman went upstairs and began to finalize the order.  I took this as my opportunity to make the rounds one more time to see if I missed anything and to also snap a few pictures.

I had finished my looking and went to check on the negotiations.  Prices, written or verbal, are a starting point.  John and the salesman were working out an appropriate "discount" when Sadik piped in to assist.  Soon they were all talking, calculating and slapping hands.  An agreement had been reached.

Maybe for the guest room...

John tried to pay for everything, but the salesman said that we should keep our money until they have gathered all the pieces which should be tomorrow.  Inshallah.

We returned to the car happy to mark yet another thing off the list.  Sadik was driving us back toward our flat when I heard him mumble something about a chair and then he just laughed and laughed.  John began laughing, too, and I knew I had missed out on something.

It seems that John and the salesman had reached an impasse about the final cost of all the furniture.  The salesman told John his bottom dollar and John told him his.  They were at a standoff.  Finally, John said, "I will give you the amount you want IF you give me another dining room chair."  The salesman thought for a moment and smiled, "It's a deal."

Sadik thought that was the funniest thing he had ever heard.  A foreigner who bartered with a salesman and got an extra chair!  I thought it was a good story, but Sadik thought it was hilarious.  He laughed all the way back to our flat and slapped John's hand a couple times when he was overcome.

Finishing our story, we asked our friends (as we continued talking in the dark) if we had made a good deal.  They smiled and said yes, but if we needed some plain items in the future they knew a carpenter.  Good to know...

___________________________

Today's BOGO Blog:  You Gotta Have Friends

We chose this piece...

Passed on the centerpiece/light fixture...

We did like the small nesting tables.

Spongebob goes international...

And our choice of chairs...

Not sure if the mirror and silver centerpiece come with the table...

Yes, We Can

I know that you probably haven't slept in anticipation of the great question, "Can Pam open a can yet?"  The answer, "Yes, she can!"

John arrived home yesterday after an hour and a half long visit to the airport to claim our luggage.  He had called our friend, Ehab, who has a larger van that could accommodate all of our bags.  Ehab and John walked to the entrance of the airport and were told they would have to enter a different way because they weren't passengers.

They complied and found the obscure door that led to a small office with a few men inside.  They immediately knew what he was there for (I wonder how?) and asked him to fill out some customs forms listing the contents of our bags and signing that he had received them.  John said that they were all quite polite.

They instructed him to go retrieve carts and pointed the direction for him to go.  He returned with 2 of them and began to load the bags, but not before they asked him to open the first tote.  He did.  They asked what he had inside and he told them household stuff.  They investigated and indeed did find dishes, sheets, etc.

He thought he was good to go, but they asked to see totes numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.  By the seventh tote, they were convinced he was being honest and told him not to worry about the 8th one.  Ehab told John that they are nervous about what's happening in the country and they are trying to be extra careful.  We certainly understand.

He called to let me know they were at the entrance of our apartment complex.  I went to meet him and began rolling the totes down the long sidewalk to our door.  I dropped off one and turned to be greeted by two girls from the village carrying another tote.

"Uh…thanks," I said.  One was probably 14 and the other around 9.  The oldest one made her way into our apartment and was going to make her way through the hallway.  I told her that she could place the tote right inside the door.  She kept walking and I thanked her again and told her that this would be fine.

She shrugged and began a long stream of Arabic.  I had no idea what she was saying.  She looked at me waiting for a response.  I just gestured for us all to go back out to retrieve more totes.  Soon another girl came with one as well as John.  The 5 of us continued to roll the bags until they were all inside the front room.  

We introduced ourselves and thanked them for their help.  The older girl began again in rapid-fire sentences.  I think she was asking if her mother could clean our apartment.  I think.  We told them all thank you once more and John walked them out to the gate.  The landlord's family was intrigued by all this so they were outside too watching everything going on.  Always a 3-ring circus with us.

Like kids at Christmas, we began unpacking dishes, vitamins, pots, pans, candles and my photo collection.  Once the candles were lit and the frames in place, it could really begin to feel like home.

We worked like beavers for about 3 hours until the last tote had been emptied and John had them all nested in a side room.  I sat down for a "union break" and asked John if we could go into town tonight.  After all, I had been cooped up for several days now and frankly I needed out.

The Market

He smiled and said, "Let me get cleaned up and we can go."  I think he would have preferred a sharp stick in the eye rather than go out after a long day, but he has gathered wisdom over the years and has a keen sense of knowing when his wife is on the edge.  Good man.

We called our friend, Yusif, to ask his opinion about us being out for a bit.  He said that it should be fine since most people assume we're tourists.  John asked him if he should put on shorts and wear a tight t-shirt.  Yusif laughed.

We walked along the corniche (road along the Nile) and found it almost empty.  The road was still barricaded keeping cars from driving through.  Most stores were closed.  John and I wondered if anything would be open.  We walked passed one barricade that had soldiers sitting in chairs talking amongst themselves.  I diverted eye contact and kept walking.  Men were posted on tops of buildings keeping watch from above.

Two men asked us separately if we'd like a horse-drawn carriage ride.  We thanked them and declined although I thought it would have been the most awkward scenario ever riding in a carriage through the soldiers and barricades.  I appreciated their fortitude though.

Neighborhood Mosque

We rounded the corner to step into the door of McDonald's and noticed that there were no lights on and no one inside.  Bummer.  We had walked a long way in hopes of finding something open.  This was our last hope.  I went to the door just to double-check and to my happiness it was unlocked.  They just hadn't turned on the lights for evening yet.  Woo hoo!

I saw the manager who is one of my closer friends since I've met her now 3 times.  She smiled and welcomed us.  We ordered our meal and sat down to discuss what we had just seen.  (For those of you wondering, one night of dining out is permitted in my Menu Plan Writ O' Order.)

Soon a couple more families arrived and children were running and playing with their new Smurf toy that came with their Happy Meal.  (I hate Smurfs with all my being and they follow me to Africa.)

We finished up and walked to the KitKat dukon (small store) to see if they had any Coca Lights or Bebsi Diets.  They had a few Coca Lights in cans.  I nabbed those and told John that the supply was getting smaller and smaller.  I only knew of one other place in town that carried these.  Detox is coming.

It was almost dark by now so we decided to take a taxi back to our flat.  The driver was the quiet sort so after the initial greeting he slumped down in his seat and began weaving his way through the back streets to avoid the barricades.

A few cars were out but mostly the streets were still empty.  We were told our city was under curfew and then we were told it wasn't, however, most people are acting as if it is so we are following their lead.

Closed Stores

We returned to our gate and were surrounded by some of the village children who had heard about "The Great Tote Carrying" by their friends.  We had been reported as "a friendly" which gave them courage to see for themselves.  We chatted with them for a few minutes and made our way back to the flat.  It was time for everyone to be in…we think.

I went to the kitchen to pour ourselves something to drink and thought, "Will we be able to make it in this troubled place?  Can we forge friendships in difficult times like this?"  I glanced at the counter and saw a shiny new can opener that we had discovered in our luggage.  It's a small thing, but it made me smile.  If I can now open a can, then I am able to access soup, which means I can make Popover Chicken which means I can invite people over, which means…Yes, we can!

______________________________

Today's BOGO Blog:  Happy Love Feast

Empty Streets

New apartments under construction

Baggage

John just looked out the window for the fifteenth time since he talked with Ehab.  It all started on Saturday afternoon.  John has just arrived from his meeting in Cairo and began immediately to repack for another quick trip to Kenya.

When we had first arrived in Egypt, we had decided that we would only bring a minimal amount of bags until we were able to secure a longer term visa.  Now that we had a full 6 months, we were ready to move in!  

Shipping around this area of the world is a bit tricky.  Before, we were not able to ship our items in a container because of the large tax they imposed upon arrival in the country.  So we took what we could in suitcases.  In Egypt, we considered once again how to ship any of our belongings and concluded that excess baggage was our only real option.

Once we had our long-term visa, John booked a flight to Kenya to go retrieve our bags.  He would leave on Saturday night and return Monday morning.  Sort of a "Grab and Go" plan.  I would hold down the fort in his absence.  (Maybe "fort" is not a good term under the current circumstances.)  

He left so I began plotting and planning exciting activities for myself.  We want to get ourselves into a good routine of exercise, eating healthy, etc. so this would be the perfect time for me to do some research.  I listed all of the current items that I can find at the market and began to plan meal menus for the next two weeks.  NOT an easy task when my "Healthy Meal Recipe" search on Google lists things like, "Multi-grain, gluten-free, soy-based, organically grown, chemically-free oatmeal" as a staple ingredient.

I thought I should maybe look under "Amish Living."  It's closer to what I have available here.  I sorted and searched and came up with 42 wonderful meals plus snacking.  A work of art indeed. 

Next, I found my Zumba kit that I had purchased right before we had left the US.  Yes, I will Zumba my way to good health and have a salsa good time trying to keep up.  (Of course, I will ask John to join in the fun and he will roll his eyes and then go for a walk.)

I organized the few items in our kitchen again and thought, "Won't it be glorious when the can opener arrives?"  I looked at my perfectly stacked cans and said, "Your days are numbered…"

John was pleasantly surprised when he arrived at the Kenya airport.  Just 3 weeks ago a large portion of the airport had burned down.  The first week of flight travel for anyone coming or going had been nightmarish, but now they had organized themselves quite well into different tents around the area.

He met with some of our friends who met him with hugs, good conversation and great food. He gathered 8 bags and made his way back to the airport.  I was simultaneously clearing the front room in anticipation of their arrival.

It was later morning and I had finished all my immediate tasks.  I sat down to work on my computer when I noticed the landlord's nieces and nephews running around by our flat.  That's nothing unusual.  Sometimes they will tap on the window and wave and I wave back.  Other times they are just exploring the area.  As I was typing, I looked over at the window and noticed that they were investigating the frame.  Now mind you, they range in ages 5-12 years so I'm not fearful of what they are doing.  The little boy was trying his best to see if the window would open.  Finally, I walked over and knocked on the window.

They screamed collectively and went running away as fast as they could.  Apparently when I had waved earlier they hadn't seen me.  I scared them all quite a bit.  They ran into their uncle's flat and hid there for a long time.  I couldn't stop laughing.  

A couple hours later, John arrived…alone...with no bags.  He began to tell me that the flight in Nairobi was late which made his layover in Cairo short which made it impossible for the bags to get transferred in time.

A man at the local airport took his number and said that the bags would be on the next flight.  He would call him when they arrived.  We ate lunch and then waited…waited…waited.  

Finally at 10 pm John said he was too tired to wait up any longer.  He joked and said, "I'll probably get a call at midnight."

Sure enough at 12:17 am, he received a call letting him know that the bags had indeed arrived.  John told them that he would come get them in the morning.  They said that would be fine.

Knowing that morning for most Egyptians really doesn't start until 10:00 am, John waited to call our transport friend, Ehab.  Ehab assured John that he was coming "alatool," (straightaway).  And true to his word, he arrived an hour later.

John is gone now with him to pick up the luggage.  We're hoping that the Customs Officer doesn't want to look through too many of our bags.  We had a hard time explaining a bird-shaped napkin holder last time.

This afternoon will be spent unpacking our goods like it's Christmas morning.  Then if things seem a bit more normal in town, we'll go searching for closets.  (They don't build closets here.  You have to buy wardrobes.)  Little by little…life is being built.

We don't take our days for granted here though.  We understand that each day allowed is a gift.  We also know that we might have to pack our belongings at a moment's notice.  But I'm choosing to accept what this day offers.  I'm not letting the "What ifs" consume my actions and my thoughts.  This is the day that Jesus has given me.  I will celebrate [my can opener] and be happy!  

_________________________

Today's BOGO Blog:  A Series of Unfortunate Events