Life and our hands

My trip has sure had an impact on my life. I've realized so much that I'm not confident I could tell you about every detail skillfully that has made an impression, but I will try to tell a few.

First, it is no secret that our media and the media of the world plays such a strong role with our international relationships, our vote, our travel destinations, our money (For example, whether we buy a foreign car or American), and our minds - so many things that we probably don't even realize how tainted our attitudes towards other nations are developed by the media alone. Of course they are - to most of us that's all we have to go on, right?

Pick up a newspaper here (good luck finding English) & you will read a report about Iraq and Saddam with a completely different view point than what you'll read off of yahoo news (keep in mind, the example I read once here in Egypt was authored by a European), etc. Newspapers from all over, Nepal, India, show stories that are so horrible and unbelievable yet I've never seen reports of in the states. Who is reporting things correctly? Who's to say that the U.S. media is correct and everyone else is wrong - well, that doesn't make sense to me. In my opinion, Americans are the least universal and internationally inexperienced of all western countries. You could blame it on all the water around us but don't.

Most of the places I have visited on my trip, I had a completely different impression of prior to arriving versus during and after my stay. I thought Egypt would be unsafe when come to find out, the only thing unsafe here is crossing the street. I thought Greece would be romantic and enchanting - certainly not alone - HOT would be the first word that comes to my mind now. I thought Nepal would be wonderfully beautiful and prestine with Buddhist meditation retreats bountiful. Slightly off-key on this one; there's absolutely no fresh air except in the mountains which is usually impossible to see from Kathmandu due to the pollution and although I found other retreats to choose from, they were only for 3 days (although I will say there are lots of educational opportunities but w/o a friend informing you, you wouldn't hear about them!). However there's no lack of Tibetans including the refugee camp conveniently hidden from tourists (many of you wouldn't be able to stomach the truth about these kinds of places)! Austria I felt would be terribly expensive but quaint & beautiful. I was right on the "quaint & beautiful" but I lucked out on the "expensive" piece. India, on the other hand, I had no idea what to expect - this country threw me from the moment I stepped off the plane. In addition, I believed I would have to reserve myself from even touching any animal I see on the street for fear of rabies, dog bite, whatever! Instead with one exception (don't worry, nothing happened), I have been met with some of the kindest, gentlest (ABSOLUTELY gentle that she wouldn't eat food out of my hand - I had to set it down on the ground - Leh, India), most sweetest animals I have ever seen. I will never forget the "friends" I have met along this journey.

So many places in the world that are their own world and you know what - until you go visit for yourself and get out of your stupid tourist bus, you'll never really know what these people are like. The people on the street, in their small, tiny make-shift businesses of 5 ft X 5ft X 5ft (or smaller) selling anything from batteries, kleenex to cell phones or even copies and candy have some of the biggest smiles; they enjoy their lives and are proud of their country, proud of the neighborhood they grew up in and wouldn't leave it for anything in the world - not even a chance to see America, some have said! Nothing could tear them away from their family (because family is the single most important thing to these cultures), their homes, and their community - Nothing! It is things like this that separates us, westerners, from the rest of the world and until we can appreciate or understand their "world", we will never be able to communicate on the same level. We can never comprehend what they represent and understand their perspectives. These things hinder all of us from coming together and thus, we look down upon these creatures and ask ourselves over and over, "Why?".

Speaking of family and those around us that are special in our lives. . .
I receive emails from some of you stating that you read my blog often (if not every day). Some of you maybe even daydreaming of what it would be like to just let go of your lives - let go of those things that force you to hold your jobs in order to make a living or make you keep coming home every day because you have mouths to feed and bills to pay. I want to say this: Choice! It's all about the choices we make in our lives and the sacrifices we're willing to make in order to live our lives to their fullest because one day at any moment, all of that could be taken away. No, it WILL be taken away. We don't last forever. I thank every day when I wake up that I have another day to look forward to. One day in the future, I don't know when, that won't happen like all the rest. So it should be important to all of us to ask ourselves, "Is this what I had in mind when I was young?"

Life slips us by; it just strolls us along down the sidewalk leading us by our hand ever so gently; soothing, without us knowing. We gladly oblige her thinking to our lazy selves, "yea, this is easy"; I don't have to do anything because if I pull at her, things get more difficult. Life tells us if we react against her she will promise complications, friction & society will look down upon us. Oh, this sounds bad so happily we continue to stroll along this seemingly endless sidewalk. Life tells us we need important jobs that regardless of whether we're happy, we just need to ensure we pay our bills. Life tells us we need to go to college, get a real job and marry before 30; have kids. And Life tells us we can't fully enjoy her until we're retired! To some of you this is a joke for you have exceeded your own expectations and are enjoying life outside of this realm. Congratulations. But to others, this is reality and you may be even thinking, what the hell is Lora talking about?

Look, all I know is we have a choice. It is our choice and if we speak back at this computer and say, "No, I don't have a choice; my rent is this and my car payment is that", well, you are still mistaken for we all are guilty of putting ourselves into her hands at some level of expense. For all that I have sacrificed and given up in order to travel the world/find answers/find myself, I don't want to hear anyone else say they can't do it also, for whatever reason! Its your choice and I hope you are truly happy.

Impermanence

This word has done much for me during my travels. It has both assisted me with many realities of life that plague our minds AND immediately dealing with things that come up for me while I travel.

I was introduced to this word in Nepal, first while attending the Buddhist philosophy classes at Shedra in Boudha and yet more in depth at the Kopan monastery retreat there in Kathmandu. It is strongly referred to in Buddhist philosophy and has such great importance to all of mankind yet for some reason, we tend to ignore this concept. The definition relates to "impermanent" which is defined as "not permanent". Easy enough.

Impermanence has many implications most of which we all don't like to think about. In fact at this point some of you reading this might switch over to

Personally I find great relief in accepting impermanence. Facing reality and realizing that yes, nothing IS permanent in this world; nothing will last forever and so, what more can I do but give up on it. If I fight it, I won't win. That moment in which I feel like I accept this idea I feel more at ease with my ailments or sufferings. I won't be on this Earth forever, these buildings won't be here forever, dinosaurs didn't last, our Sun has already exhausted half of it's life and some day, that too will burn out and thus, Earth will freeze - wait, I will die some day. Yes, I will cease to exist. And so will she, and he, and that person, and all of us. . . We will all die and then our children will die. I mean, we all know about this concept. We all realize that our day will come but yet, we still ignore it and we don't talk about it nor do we even think about it. We just wait for something to come along. We sit around, drink coffee, smoke, laugh, drive around, work our jobs assuming that tomorrow we will wake up just like we did today. . . And the next day, and the next. Until what?

Creatures of habit. We like comfortability too much. I know I do. Nothing bad will happen to us.

Maybe some of us can stop one day and observe. Just stop for a moment. Allow yourself to feel things, feel thoughts, let them come up but don't do anything - just sit with them and watch - become aware.
What is it all for?
Ask yourself why.
Everything we do is for something. We dont just do nothing.
We are doing Something.
What is it?
Do we need something?
And if so, once we have that something are we satisfied?
If not, then what do we want, something else.
Are we ever satisfied?
Something.
Is there enough money for us?
Something.
Do we want things we can't ever obtain?
When we think about all this, observe how we feel and see if you might then feel freedom?
Something.
Are we all separate people living here on Earth?
Or are we all one.
Is this reality?
Something.
What is it?
It.

Mad about Gad

No, not the plastic wrap. This place rocks and is a major food chain here. There's nothing else like it - here's why:

The food is great but even more so, the variety of food is really good for Cairo. Move over falafel, back seat fuul, Gad offers all kinds of eats such as pizza, shwarmas in a toasted bun, rice plates including fish, variety sizzling meat dish on top of fries, kibda (liver) sandwich, desserts made in front of you and my favorite, Sherpa Kudor (Vegetable Soup) with limon!

What's crazy about this place is it's always busy - I mean, back to back people all the time. There's no organized way of getting the food; you press your way towards the cashier first, tell him what you want, pay, then take your ticket to the next long counter to order your food; soup is a quick lesson at a different counter in the back. People are always lined up at the counters, arm stretched far and long to show their ticket to the food preparer in hopes theirs will be next. If you're short, forget it - you're better off with the cats as they find better luck on the floor. People crowd out in front too - it looks like a night club just let out!

People eat in a frenzy there too. Taste your food? I highly doubt it for as fast as they eat, they have no idea how to explain it. With that in mind, these places have tiny spots for people to eat. Oh you can sit upstairs but for a hefty price, apparently. Taxes (if you sit down to eat) are too much for most Egyptians to care about sitting down while eating. So instead they take to the 3, yes 3, small 2 ft. diameter round plastic bar tables that center the joint and they stand at them, not without an ocassional bump, while throwing down their delicious chow. If you don't fancy that, you can sit outside on the sidewalk curbes (you know the ones, the tall ones) on the busy thoroughfare, 26th of July - yea, nice and quiet (I'm joking!).

However, the food smells amazing, is certainly fresh and fast. The price is special too - two hearty meals for no more than 20 EL ($4).

Miscellaneous crazy tidbits of interest

Below are a few miscellaneous items you might find interesting:

It can rain in Cairo.
The subway runs every 3 minutes, is packed until 10 p.m. at night and is still hot in the winter.
Some cats here look the size of small dogs but more vicious.
Not many theives here because if caught, the public beat the hell out of the person BEFORE they even make it to the police station.
Yes, it can get cold here.
I believe cats rule this country.
I can't find baking soda - ANYWHERE.
Ignorance IS bliss.
Divorce rate here is approx. equal to USA.
There are less commercials on TV here than in USA - can someone tell me why?
Quality of clothing here sucks.
If Egyptians are going to copy brand names, the least they could do is spell them correctly; ex. Disel, Adiddas!
To a taxi driver, Egyptian + foreigner = 2 foreigners.
Egypts answer for comedy = Adel Imam; this guy is hilarious even if I can't understand Arabic.
Most Egyptians have never seen snow.
When visiting the US Embassy here, don't expect to see an American.
Christmas is on January 7th (Coptic) - still no lights though.
I still need to figure out what Sufism is and how it relates to India and Buddhism.
The sidewalk curbs here are at least one foot high (certainly not for heavy rain waters).
Mediterranean cultures seem to like loud noises a lot.
I finally saw my first postman delivering mail in Egypt and I've been here over 2 months.
Health standards are lacking at best - my friend took me to one of the best juice stands here in Doqqi; while taking my first sip I noticed that all 3 guys behind the counter serving juice had cigarettes dangling out of their mouths.
The marble here in these buildings is amazingly beautiful and vast!
The Chinese sell door to door here too!
Absolutely no road rage here - everyone takes advantage of a space w/o ego.
Queue? What's that?
They deliver anything you want here - anywhere & anytime.
Mopeds with cracked, blown but loud car speakers abound.
Napolean got around - and so did the English!
I still can't read Arabic.
The kids here are brats.
I've concluded that it is impossible to do more than one thing per day due to such things as traffic, most everything is recorded or maintained on paper - not computer, business and govt. slim hours and holidays, and absolutely no logic regarding organization.
Almost every man's name here is Ahmed, Mohamed or Mostafa.

Moving on Up

Cold weather hit (cold for Egypt, all things in perspective) in mid December and I decided my cement roof-top hotel was no longer adequate. Things hadn't changed much at Dahab hotel since I last stayed there. The same staff, same cats but new litter, same dingy rooms and part-time clean, shared bathrooms (this time with hot water) , and the same long-timers still taking up residence and staying up late drinking liquour/watching movies on Adam Katz's (www.geekeasy.com) Apple computer (now complete with speakers). I've decided to take up a shared residence with 2 other roommates near the area of Cairo University. It's nice compared to where I just came from, has a bit of sunlight, my own bathroom (with scalding hot water) & a small, unorganized kitchen. So nice to be able to make my very own cup of tea any time I like. Ah, the luxuries we take for granted. And you'll never guess what was the first thing I went out and bought. . . nice computer speakers encased in wood for my Ipod - now I have a home even if temporary.

The apartment search prior to finding this place was certainly an adventure; quite different to what we're accustomed to in the states. Couldn't seem to get ahold of a newspaper in English and there's no way of reading Arabic. So using advertisements was nearly void for me. I don't know many people here yet and had exhausted that idea within a day. Sitting around waiting for something to come to me definitely felt like waiting for paint to dry so I decided to go out on my own and conduct my own search, person to person.

If you could have watched me you would have laughed all afternoon. There are a few ways of looking for apartments and one day, I decided to use the more difficult, albeit, adventurous! Although one could hire a real estate type of individual which incurs a commision(sp?), I felt I could do this on my own or at least give it a try. I mean really, I have loads of time so why not see what that's all about. This type of search here entails going from apartment building to building and asking the doormen if they have anything available. I had a good friend help me with my Arabic phrases like stating what I'm looking for, explaining that I want something not expensive and I want it furnished and if they have nothing, where could I go to find this ( many of the doormen know the others in the neighborhood since they talk alot so it's common for them to keep up on what's available), locate the area I wanted to search and off I went. What a learning experience it was.

I hopped on the subway, got off in Doqqi (a fairly nice quiet area on the other side of the Nile from downtown) and set off for my prospective area. I quickly learned that the phrase I had learned regarding "not expensive" didn't get across to these people as the first place I looked at was 5,000EL/month. It was entirely too big at 3 bedrooms but definitely very nice. Although worth the look, this guy saw me and dollar signs walking down the street before I even reached him. I quickly learned that studio apartments just don't really exist here. Most flats are 3 bedrooms housing an entire family through most of their lives. Egyptians don't move - at all, during their life! In fact because of Nasserism, most families prefer their original flat handed down through the family because the rent is so cheap, if any at all. I've heard some are as low as 50EL/mo. however, I don't know this for certain. But it makes sense; jobs are low and pay is even lower. In Egypt you're either poor or very rich - there's not much in between.

As my search continued, my Arabic phrases resumed and I was met with smiles, helpfulness & an occasional "helwa Arabi" or "nice Arabic" phrase. It was surprising to see that no one had difficulty understanding me but of course, I could not understand much of what they said or asked me in return so although I walked up and down that neighborhood, I didn't find much to look at. I learned how these places operate though and learned that these doormen (boabs) live in a tiny room near the entrance to the buildings or maybe in the garage. These rooms are nothing nice and on a few occasions I sneaked a peak and saw a family with 2 kids, small room and perhaps small stove to cook on (just heard food being cooked). Others looked like just a tiny room with a mattress on the floor, boap sleeping, floor & walls dirty - that's it. How can they live like that? Free rent I suppose. Sometimes when looking for these guys they seem unrecognizable and most need a good yell in order to get their attention. Not my style of communication thus most of the buildings I walked by I didn't approach. All these guys seem to wear Galabea's (long gown worn by men which reminds me of a house coat) and if you see them outdoors near a building or washing a car, you just go over and ask them about a flat. Pretty strange but so is an American blonde walking around Doqqi on her own looking for a small studio apartment for rent!