Living Like a Fireman

A very quiet daytime neighborhood view...

I've had a few false starts in writing this entry today.  Part of the reason may be attributed to another late night of Ramadan celebration in the neighborhood.  The 2 am show included bottle rockets, yelling crowds and a guy on a motorbike with speakers attached to each side of the wheel blaring Amr Diab.  (I actually like Amr Diab's singing so that's not too terrible.)

One of the funny (maybe funny isn't the right word) things about this is that when John and I are startled awake with these noises our first instinct is to jump up to see if this is a friendly get-together or some sort of angry demonstration.  Frankly, it's hard to tell the difference at times.  So we peer out the window watching and listening.

When we heard the popping sounds we looked at each other…gunfire?  No, bottle rockets.  People yelling?  No, just having an animated discussion.  The guy with the bike and speakers blaring?  Just obnoxious.

Once we've made our assessment, I realized I'm wide awake.  Gahhhhh!  I read for a while and drift off until the next gross of bottle rockets are secured by another neighborhood kid.  The last time I checked the clock it was coming up on 3:30 am and it seemed like everyone was preparing for their before-dawn breakfast and heading to bed.

John is a morning guy so he is always up by 8 no matter how late the entertainment goes.  I, however, am of the persuasion "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."  I roll over and sleep until 10 but don't actually look presentable until 11 or so. It was a good thing John was ready to receive guests because the electrician arrived on time at 11 to work on the flat some more.  He's Coptic so he doesn't observe the fast or reversed sleeping hours.  Good to know.

Our landlord makes appointments for work on our flat at night and then the workers begin arriving depending on their sleep schedules.  So we must be ready at all times.  I feel like a fireman on constant duty, but that's the cost of building relationships.  Yeah, we're still the new kids on the block and we're learning a little more each day.  

I mentioned yesterday on FB that the internet and electricity have been sporadic…off/on…slow/fast/none.  I'm sympathetic.  I feel the same way.  Ramadan wears us all out.  Just a few more days until Ramadan ends and then the week long holiday starts.  If you thought Ramadan caused excitement, just wait until we join in the celebrations coming…Stay tuned!  Until then, I'll just be catching a couple winks….zzzzzzzzzzzz…….

Bleary-eyed but in good spirits...

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Today's BOGO Blog:  Guide to Taxi Honks--Abridged Edition