The Greatest Show on the Nile!

Dear Ellie,

Eid Mubarak!

This week was "Eid al-Adha," one of the biggest holidays in Egypt. The holiday itself lasts four whole days! Like our Christmas Vacations, students get a long break from school and Mommys and Daddys can stay home from work. Because of this, most markets and shops and neighborhood restaurants are closed during the day so that people can spend time at home with their families. On the first day they have a feast with lots and lots of meat, something many people don't get to eat here very often. And like Christmas, people save up their money the entire year in order to celebrate with rich foods, luxurious sweets, and new clothes.

People also use this time to take their families and friends out for a night on the town. The streets may be quiet and deserted during the day, but at night they come alive, bursting with excited patrons. Hundreds of teens gather outside the cinema, waiting for the ticket booths to open so they can be the first to see the newest release. Families flock to the malls, eating at fancy American chain restaurants and trying to take advantage of the best sales. Parents take their kids out for ice cream and juice. And over 15,000 people go to the zoo in the first two days of Eid alone!

For the first night of Eid, Moe and I celebrated with our closest friends. We all wore our Eid best and ate at a fancy restaurant, which we followed with milkshakes and fruit cocktails at our favorite neighborhood juice stand. On the second night, though, we--along with hundreds of Egyptian parents and kids--went to what is sure to be the greatest show on the Nile: The Cairo Circus!

After squeezing our way through the masses of excitement, we found ourselves inside the circus grounds. Outside the big, blue and red striped tent, colored lights connected the trees while old men sat and drank tea underneath. We shared a scoop of chocolate ice cream (on a Nanna cone!) and a box of popcorn before heading to our seats inside.


Candy vendors, balloon sellers, and tea boys circled around the tent as we waited for the overhead lights to dim and the show to begin. Parents bought their kids flashing light-up sticks and sweets while teenagers posed in front of digital cameras, demanding to see the picture on the tiny screen immediately after the bright, white flash flashed. Two men walked towards our plastic seats--one holding an old fashioned looking camera and the other a baby lion! I turned down the chance to get my picture taken with the sedated cub, but I'm sure it won't be my only chance.

All this bumbling and flashing and sugar would have satisfied our cravings, but then the show actually began! We sat for an hour and a half with Omar, a five year old there with his family, our eyes glued to the circus ring.The band jammed and the spotlights swirled. Men juggled. Little girls climbed ladders balancing on the bottom of a man's feet. Ladies swung on rings high in the air. Teenage boys clad in black satin and rhinestones jump roped to 90s techno. A girl in a white wig winked as her doves hovered above her head and her cocker spaniels leapt over one another. A magician and his assistant wooed the crowd. And the ringleader fed a thin but nonetheless royal looking lion raw meat from his mouth as two other lions and three tigers--each looking equally as hungry--calmly looked on. It was amazing.

I hope your Eid was just as exciting!

Love,

Aunt Em

Moe and a Train

Dear Ellie,

What is it you like about Thomas the Tank Engine? Is it because of his big, friendly smile? His bright blue body with red trim? The way he his wheels glide along the smooth, steel tracks, safely sending him along his way in the great, open air? Or is it his eager attitude? His willingness to help, to have an important job and role in the lives of others? Is that why you always want to show him to Maurice?



Well guess what? Maurice and I get to ride a train everyday! Unlike Thomas, it does not have a big, friendly smile. Nor is it painted blue with red trim. And it rarely runs in the open air! Our train, painted gray with pink and purple stripes, is located a few levels underground. Instead of gliding throughout the countryside, it reliably chugs below the cluster and chaos of the city, booming through tunnels and crowded platforms. It works hard to send passengers from their homes to their places of work, from their schools to their churches and mosques, from the busyness of Tahrir Square to the tranquility of quiet gardens and parks, from the east bank of the Nile to the west, or even from the airport all the way to the Great Pyramids at Giza!



The Cairo Metro is an essential piece of the public transportation puzzle for a city of 20 million people. It's true that a lot of people ride the public busses, especially students for their daily commute to University. Most of these busses, however, are old, hot, dusty, and slow. And with the endless traffic, it's a wonder they are not always hours behind schedule. It's also true that many people drive cars. But the cars are much smaller and older here than they are in Michigan, and unlike those in the US, it's as if they are able to change size! Always squeezing in and out of tight spots, making a fifth or sixth traffic lane on a road built for three, and piling more people inside than what seems to be possible, they seem to shrink and swell as needed, like the shoreline ebbs and flows. There are just as many motor bikes as there are personal cars. A few nights ago, walking along a bridge that crosses the Nile, Maurice and I saw a family of four comfortably riding one bike, constantly weaving in and out of the congestion composed of pedestrians and machines. Even more people take taxis, but unless you are lucky enough to hop into a newer cab with a meter, you have to haggle with the driver, predetermining the worth of your ride before you even sit inside.

Luckily, Maurice and I live just a short walk away from the Metro! And for less than twenty cents, we can travel from the new, modern sections of Cairo to the old, traditional neighborhoods; we can explore the city like tourists; we can ride to the library or universities like students; we can commute to work, visit friends, or go out for the best fiteer (Egyptian pizza) on the other side of the Nile. It's amazing. I wish Moe could show you this train.

Love,

Aunt Em