Loooong Weekends....

Last night I was sad that my four day weekend was over already, but then I remembered that this week is only two days and this weekend is also a  long one...Thursday is Labour day in Egypt!  YAY! 

I had a relaxing few days with my parents and dropped them off on Sunday night at a {sketchy!!} hotel to meet the rest of their tour group,  who all seemed really nice. They are on their way to Luxor as we speak/type on an overnight train and will start a 7 day Nile cruise tomorrow morning... I will see them again at the end of their tour for a few days before they head to Sardinia (I KNOW, I'm jealous too!!!). In the meantime, I'm heading to Sharm again, this time with Zoomie and Chris, for a few days of swimming, snorkeling and generally doing nothing in the sun.  

I hear last Sunday was the TC 10K....I wish I could have done it- it's one of my favourite races (it's a tie between that one and the Royal Victoria 8K...oh wait, and the tri of compassion...and the Sri). I see from the website that my buddy Jim had a great time and came 2nd.... nice work JF!!!!!  :)

This week I have a lot to be thankful for, you might have heard about a terrible accident on the weekend- the floor collapsed at a concert at a church in Abbotsford and a lot of people fell about 5 metres.  My cousin Tabitha was there...thankfully she and her friends were all safe, and  although about 40 people were injured, miraculously, nobody was killed.  

I am also thankful that I have so many great friends, friends who apparently read this blog (who knew!!!)- thank you so much to everyone who has been so supportive after my post about feeling a little down about not being able to maintain the same standard of exercise I'm used to... your words have really helped me put everything into perspective :)

Okay I should get going, it's nearly midnight and I still have to pack for sharm!

miss you all!

xo C

PS: what do you think of my new look??

Doug and Angela's blogging debut!

A special treat for catincairo readers....a guest post from my parents on their first impressions in Cairo: 

To begin with, a quote from the Imaginative Traveller trip dossier....

"When you arrive in Cairo you are thrown headlong into the hustle and bustle of this wonderful city.  As you wander the streets your senses will be assaulted on all levels - an endless cacophony of noise with cars tooting, donkeys braying and the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer; ... cars vying for space on the crowded roads.  " and so it goes on.

Our reality was similar in some respects, but also different.  When we arrived we were whisked through immigration and customs by a hotel rep, met by Catherine and her driver, Abdou, and driven to Catherine's apartment, a shower, a nap, and a walk to a pleasant neighbourhood restaurant.  The next night entertained by Catherine's GM at a lovely Lebanese restaurant, followed by drinks on the stunning roof of a neighbouring hotel's outdoor lounge with spectacular views over Cairo.... thousands of years of history below you as you sip your Sakara beer and gaze at the stars and the passing hubub beneath you.

 The next night dinner at the hotel in Heliopolis in a lovely setting in a huge glass atrium.  A

city of 22 million people and many of these delighted to see Miss Catherine. 

Abdou is a wonderful driver, but still it is a bit terrifying at times.  There are vast amounts of traffic driving very fast, traffic signals are limited and lines on the road are suggestions at best. Our local muezzin, at the next door mosque, begins his loudspeaker enhanced call to prayer at 4:45 a.m. followed by a wrap up at 5:15 a.m.  Actually, two mosques, one further away, not syncchronized.  Five calls to prayer a day, in case you were wondering.

Looking forward to our two week adventure around Egypt and will give you an update when we return.

Mum and Dad in Cairo...

As you know, Mum & Dad arrived in Cairo on Thursday-- we've been mostly catching up and relaxing the last few days, which has been great....oh, and eating.... Last night we went with some people from the hotel for Lebanese food, and tonight we went to our hotel in Heliopolis for dinner- I had lamb, which was really good. I am trying to convince one (or both of them) to do a post as a guest correspondent to give their first impressions of cairo, so stay tuned! Bye for now, C

I used to be an athlete.....

The above has been on my mind for the last little while, but I've been trying not to focus on it because it makes me really upset and it's easier not to think about.....but the reality of the situation occurred to me yesterday when my parents arrived (yes, it's great to see them!! I'll talk more about that in a few paragraphs) and brought out some issues of Runners' World that had arrived for me in the last few months, as well as a brand new pair of Mizuno Mustangs (the shoe I've been running in for years) that I bought in January and left with them, with instructions to bring when they came. 

I think back to how big a part sports played in my life even just a few months ago- how I would plan my errands around swim practices, or decide not to go away for the weekend because there was a triathlon or a swim meet I wanted to be at-  and how much things have changed since then, and it makes me really sad.  Before I came I expected that it would be hard to keep an active lifestyle here, but I don't think I realized just how difficult it would be.

 Any type of exercise in Cairo is a huge struggle- the heat certainly plays a part (it was 45C a few days ago)- so you have to get up reallllly early so you can finish whatever activity you're doing before the sun gets really hot,  but even the culture is simply not one that values exercise, especially in women -who are, of course primarily for cooking and reproduction-- okay, okay, I might be exaggerating a little, but I'm constantly being told to eat more because I'm too thin (and believe me, at the moment, I am NOT thin- I even had to buy a new pair of pants because some of the jeans I brought with me are getting a little snug!)- if I was reading this 4 months ago, I would say "jeez, fatty, stop whining and get out there and run", but it's really not that simple-- the traffic and pollution here are insane (18M people, remember....) and the streets in most places are so uneven, a person could easily break an ankle... it's just not safe.

I can't lay all the blame on Cairo itself- working 11 hours a day has a lot to do with it as well- there is a running club in my neighbourhood that runs on a track at one of the high schools here, but I can never leave work in time to actually make it to the practices.   If nothing else, it's really made me appreciate how lucky we are in BC to have unlimited access to oceanside roads and bike paths to run and ride along and public pools and swim teams train with.  

Don't worry, I haven't completely given up-- I have my bike and windtrainer in my living room, and Nassiba (aka Zoomie) Chris and I have joined a gym near work that is open 24 hrs, so hopefully I'll at least be able to run on a treadmill a few times and get a few cycling workouts in, but the pool is too warm and is kidney-shaped, so not really practical for laps...... I knew I would have to make some sacrifices for this career opp, and I suppose this is one of them. Sorry, I don't mean to be so whiny, but I can't help feeling that I've given up a huge part of my identity... hopefully only temporarily... 

Okay, the pity party (I can't believe I just used that expression- what am I, 90?) is done now... as I mentioned earlier my parents arrived yesterday-- tired after their 23 hour journey, but safe and in one piece (well two pieces actually!). This weekend is 4 days!! Coptic easter and Sham El Nessim {a celebration dating back to pharonic times celebrating Spring-  apparently it is customary to have a picnic and enjoy the "fresh air" (HA!!!)} so I have some days off to spend with them before they head off on a 2 week Egyptian adventure. Next weekend Zoomie, Chris and I are off to Sharm, but this time for longer, and with no pesky mountain to climb!!

Okay, I should get going, but  I hope you're all doing well, and that you have a fab Coptic Easter, and a very happy Sham El Nessim!  Over and out from Cairo, ! xoxo C

First and last ever sheisha...

snow in BC, eh!?

So......I heard a rumour that BC got a little snow recently... I thought you might like to see what I was up to on my day off today....

(it's okay, you'll be laughing at ME in a few months when it's 45C here...)

C

settled...sort of...

As you know, my weekend is fri/sat, so I spent most of today trying to get the apartment organized....and...and.....I FINALLY set up my bike!!!! I was reluctant to take it out of the case until I knew I was somewhere a little more permanent just in case I couldn't take it apart again (it took Cam @ Fort St Cycles about an hour to do it and he's got a lot more experience than I do!)... but anyway it's set up now, and I even assembled the windtrainer...(all by my self!)-- thankfully when he was here, Gus bought me a little toolkit, because I needed a screwdriver  and I thought all I had was allen keys until I remembered Gus' gift (thanks Gus!!!!). I put it in front of the tv so I can ride while I'm watching one of the 5 english channels and catching up on such syndicated 90's favourites as: Blossom, Ellen and Sabrina the teenage Witch.

 Speaking of tv shows  {....actually I can't believe I'm writing this}... but one new show I've become hooked on lately is "Hannah Montana" on the Disney chanel... I don't remember it in Canada (maybe because I only paid for basic cable) but it stars Billy Ray Cyrus (yes, the achey breaky heart guy!) and his real life daughter, Miley, who, on the show, has a secret, double life as a teenaged country music star- the family moved from Tennessee to California and you can just imagine the hi-jinx and hilarity that ensues!! Yes, it is as bad as it sounds, but for some reason it cracks me up....Okay, now you know my secret.

I don't think I can really say anything to recover from that, so I'm just going to post a couple of pics of my new pad. The bedrooms are still a mess, so this is the living room.

Hope you all have a great weekend! xoxo C

land of pharoahs, sand and OTC antibiotics...

So, there's a flu/cold going around the hotel, and it's starting to hit Stephanie and me. We went to the pharmacy in the mall attached to the hotel and asked the "pharmacist" what we should use-- she asked us to describe our symptoms, disappeared for a few minutes and reappeared with a few packages... one of them was antibiotics...no prescription or anything! Apparently I can get OTC Viagara here as well, so just send me your orders ;)

Muhammed Ali Mosque and the Citadel

So, I finally moved into my new apartment- since I've been in cairo I've logged about 55 hotel nights so I am VERY glad to have my own place again! It was especially annoying since word got out at the hotel about which company we worked for, so we had people approaching us all the time about their applications, openly, in front of their leaders and co-workers. It was actually rather uncomfortable...

Once my place is set up I'll post some pictures, but it's a bit of a mess right now.... so I'll post some pics from a few weeks ago when Moses, Stephanie and I went to the citadel and the mosque of  Muhammed Ali and the Citadel.  

Work is getting busier and busier- we've got most of the leaders in place now, and we'll have line staff joining us in about 

a month. It's getting hotter here now too, yesterday it was up to 33C, which is but a glimpse of what's to come this summer....speaking of summer, I think I'll be back in Victoria for a visit in June :)

I'm eating fresh dates so I better go or I'll get the macbook all sticky.... miss you all!

C

Adventures on the Sinai Peninsula...

So, this weekend I escaped from cairo and explored a little bit of the rest of egypt. A group of us (initially 10 but for one reason or another -including a broken foot and a bad case of the flu- it ended up only being 5) rented a van and headed to the Sinai Peninsula... for those of you who aren't up on your Egyptian geography- the sinai is the part that sticks out into the red sea, between mainland egypt and saudi arabia... it also borders Jordan and Israel (or Palestine, depending on who you ask!). We left right after work on Thursday and drove straight to Mt. Sinai- we got there about 2:30am and started climbing. We reached the top at around 5:15am, about 20 minutes before sunrise. The climb wasn't too bad, but definitely hard work (sort of like the Grouse grind, but longer and more drawn out...), but the view from the top was definitely worth the effort- the scenery was unreal- sort of like a cross between Utah and mars (not that I've been there...). On the way up, we passsed two "camel stations" -apparently a lot of people can't walk up all the way so they can ride a camel instead- since it was dark, the first one took us by surprise, suddenly we were confronted with a really strong camely smell- I don't know if you've ever smelled a goat in heat (those of you who worked at camp with me will remember Tarva) and a lot of strange noises... once our eyes adjusted the light (or lack thereof) we noticed there were camels EVERYWHERE...thankfully they were friendly...and if you look past the smell, they are actually pretty cute. We had been warned to dress warmly, but it's hard to really believe it will be that cold when the temperature at the bottom is about 25C in the middle of the night, but they were right! It was absolutely freezing at the top- I could hardly get my fingers moving enough to take a photo of the sunrise. We finally made it to the bottom of the mountain at about 8am, covered in dust, stinking of camels and completely exhausted. At the base of the mountain there is a famous monestery called St. Catherine's, but the day we were there, it was only open between 11am-12pm, so we decided not to wait.

We got back in the van and drove about 2 hours to a resort town on the Red Sea called Sharm El Sheikh in time for a nap, lunch and some much needed R&R on the beach. Sharm is known worldwide for its scuba diving and I can see why- even standing in water up to my knees, I saw lots of amazing sealife- lots of little Nemos and an incredible foot long blue and yellow guy...one night was definitely not enough- a few of us are already planning a trip back. On the way home we even stopped at a real egyptian truck stop (pictured above). I will leave you with that and some other photos from the weekend...I think most of them are self explanatory.

I move into my new apartment tomorrow, just in time for my parents' visit in just about 10 days!

Bye for now everyone, I hope you're all well! xo C

The voice of the chicken...

This week has been busy...lots and lots of interviews. I saw the Kite Runner last night- I've heard the book is better, but the movie is also worth seeing. Sad. but hopeful at the same time. 

My favourite amusing moment this week was during an interview. I was interviewing a guy on the phone and a rooster kept crowing (this is actually common as a lot of people seem to have livestock living with them, even in the middle of the city) and the applicant finally said totally seriously... "Miss Catherine, I am very sorry for the voice of the chicken". I was laughing my head off (silently of course...)

Tomorrow I'm off to mt sinai and sharm el sheik... I'll give a report when I get back.

Hope you're all doing  well! miss you! C

Time flies when you're having....fun!???

So, somehow it's the first week in april already, which means I've been in cairo for almost 2.5 months!! Although the time went slowly at first, the last month and a bit has actually flown by and I realize (partly in spite of myself!) that I am actually really starting to like it here. I think my problem initially was that I was trying to impose Canadian/western ideals on a place that is so completely at odds with the way things work...well.... anywhere else actually! Once I started accepting this crazy city (and its inhabitants!) for what it is, and what it has to offer, things became much more fun! After re-reading some of my whiny culture-shock posts I decided to give myself a good talking to, which basically went like this: "okay self, if you wanted things to be exactly the same as they are at home, then you should have stayed there. You are here to learn and experience new things, so you'd better stop being such a baby and make the most of this experience." {I know, I can be a real jerk sometimes....} Of course some things still annoy the heck out of me, but I think now I just approach everything with a sense of humour and even the tough things become much more manageable......

Stuff at work is getting really exciting- the hotel is due to open in about a month and a half so our team is getting bigger every day- we have about 75% of the leadership team in place now (including Sparticus and Troy, two turtles belonging to one of our admin assistants) and our offices are getting pretty cramped....we usually work about 11 hours a day, but the team is great and things constantly happen that keep me amused, so it's usually fairly enjoyable. I thought I would share a few stories with you....

-We are still receiving about 200 resumes/day...going through them is often very entertaining...most of them come with a wallet sized picture that looks nothing like the real person and there are usually a few spelling mistakes- some of them a little worse than others... for example, our director of rooms had a fellow the other day whose resume proudly announced: " Manager, I sex people" (we think he managed 'six' people), but my personal fav is the resume where the "hobbies" section simply said: CHEESE

-In Egypt, hotels provide medical treatment for their employees on-site, of course this falls under the compensation and benefits umbrella, so I have been meeting with our hotel doctor (who happens to have a VERY impressive comb-over, it starts about an inch above his right ear and swooshes right over to the other side of his head!) to set up our medical clinic. He is also responsible for conducting the pre-employment medical checks for staff, so the other day Rachel and I met with him to talk about this process and I think he was trying to impress us with how thorough the examinations would be, because he started telling us about exactly which body parts he would examine and casually mentioned that "you can tell a lot from a man's testicles" .... of course we were both nodding along trying to look very serious and professional, but of course the second he left, we were both killing ourselves laughing....the whole scenario wasn't helped by the fact that every time he said the word "genitals", he gestured to his own!!!! Needless to say, this is now an office joke!

-Last weekend I ended up at a Coptic christian church with the architect from the hotel- it was his family's church so he was really excited about showing me everything. Then we got to a room where there was a picture of a really old guy with a white beard...he explained that this was the former priest at this church and he was much loved by everyone but sadly, he'd passed away in 2003... And then he explained that he was still there. "Yes," I said, smiling, "he'll always be in your hearts and memories..."

And he said, "no, no, he's right here!!"

and he pointed through a little piece of glass at about knee level, so I looked through, and there was a COFFIN!!!! um yeah..... I got out of there pretty quickly!

Those are only a few of the amusing things that happen every day.... if you want another perspective, you should visit a cairo post on this blog written by Chris, another recent BC hotel industry import...(lots of cool hotel articles there too!)

Okay my hour of net time is almost up so I should sign off, but I hope you're all doing well and having as many laughs as I am.

miss you all!!!!!

C