Sugar Cane Juice- about as fresh as it gets!
As I was taking a picture of a mosque in the city of Tanta (1 hour north of Cairo), locals asked me to take their picture. And if you take one, you end up being swarmed by a whole group of people who for some reason want me to take home photos of them. This is a very common thing to happen here among poorer communities, they also take pictures of or with us if they have cameras. Once a man told me to wait a moment in Arabic and I wasn't quite sure why except that he had something about his child, and all of a sudden he brought his son and asked for a picture.
Some more blatant anti-semitism (varying from usual swastika I see) in my neighborhood's graffiti, however this time I was shocked to see "עם ישראל חי " on the following wall, a very popular slogan found in Israeli graffiti meaning "the people/nation of Israel live"
Went to Tanta for a night...
The Train (third class has no airconditioning.... and tourists aren't even allowed to take it).
Loving the Desert
I was invited to a BBQ with Israelis at a very beautiful desert park right on the edge of Cairo (and we all thought I wouldn't get kosher meat in Egypt :) :) !!)
Yalla Masr!! (go egypt!!)
October 6th is an Egyptian national holiday celebrating the supposed Egyptian victory during the Yom Kippur war. When I asked my roommate, "isn't it weird that Egypt celebrates a war it didn't win?" She was very confused and said, "no, Egypt won." Just another reminder that history can be told many ways.
(hardcore fan)So anyways... I went to the Fifa U-20 soccer match on October 6th, a day of extreme Egyptian nationalism displayed best at a soccer match Egypt vs Costa Rica. There were so many flags, so much cheering and a red, black and white dress code strictly enforced. Driving towards the stadium, every car honked in harmony with each other. Unfortunately this match ended on a somber note when Egypt lost 2-0 to Costa Rica, and I learned the word "a-ha".. "shit"
חגים בקהיר Holidays in Cairo الأعياد بالقاهرة Les fêtes au Caire
My head was swimming with languages as I switched between Hebrew, English, Arabic and French each time I went to shul here.
- Yom Kippur- I went to a synagogue in the neighborhood where the Israeli embassy workers live. It was a veryy hot day for fasting! I met many Israelis, working Americans and other students, it was very nice to unearth the secret community here. The security was very tight, there were Israeli security guards who spoke to us in Hebrew as a quick way to see that we were Jewish, the police blocked off all of the surrounding streets, and as we walked away they followed us until we were in a restaurant breaking the fast to make sure we were safe and no one else was following us. It was a little strange to be followed, but I was very grateful for the protection.
-Sukkot- A few friends and I went to a sukkot party where we met older Egyptian Jews who mostly speak French (which was fun for me). One woman told us her whole life story about how Nasser's regime took all of her families assets to use in the wars against Israel. Her family fled to Switzerland, but she remained in Egypt with her husband because they felt it was their home, and for health reasons she needed to live in warm temperatures. When we asked if she had ever been to Israel she said she had no interest and that Israel was to blame for all of the hardships she bore throughout her life. Besides from the interesting individuals, the party itself was quite a sukkot shock for me. There was no lulav, no etrog, unkosher meat, an albino guy with a guitar singing folksy American songs and no one ate in the sukkah.
- Simchat Torah- This time the service took place in the only remaining synagogue in the heart of downtown Cairo. The security this time was a swat team with helmets and huge guns. The synagogue had very impressive stained glass windows covered with metal bars. Sitting in the shul, I imagined what the services used to be like, as this synagogue was the largest and most ornate I had ever been to and was shocked with the contrast of what was; about 25 people total, many on cell phones, some taking pictures. However everthing changed when the Torahs were taken out. Although the Egyptian Jews had been indifferent about services at the sukkot party, asking why there was a want for a service, the mood on simchat torah was very different. As the Torahs were paraded throughout the synagogue, the congregants kissed the Torahs with love, respect and honor. The Torah, the book that connects Jews from all over the world, was the one piece of connection that the Cairian congregants held onto.
and because videos are fun...
A firebreather preforming at my favorite outdoor tea and shisha place.
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