Saturday, September 29

On Thursday evening nearly 30 staff members went to the Tikkia Grill for an Iftar. There was a nice mixture of foreign hire staff and local staff attending. It is so nice when we can get together for a non-school activity and enjoy each other’s company. The Tikkia Grill is located on the Mediterranean Sea near the main downtown area of Alex. We arrived around 5:30 and the restaurant was nearly full. The people sat very patiently at the tables until 5:51 when it was time to eat (sunset). Each day during Ramadan, the time to eat the evening meal moves ahead 1 minute. When Ramadan began just over two weeks ago, the starting time for the evening meal was 6:05. We were served grilled chicken, potatoes, salads, bread, pastries, juice, and tea or coffee. The food was very good and the conversations were lively. One of our local staff persons, Nadia, has been organizing “Grill Club” events such as this for years. It gives the foreign hire staff an opportunity to taste the local foods in a variety of restaurants and all the staff who can attend enjoys an evening of fun. Ramadan is very important time of the year for Muslims to share their faith and fellowship.

Last evening Pat and I walked around the neighborhood and to San Steffano for supper. We left campus around 5:30. The streets were very quiet as most are gathering for Iftars. We walked past Fathalla (a large grocery store) where cars park on the street. They have parking attendants who help customers park their cars (usually double park). Since there were not many cars there at this time we noticed all of the rocks and chunks of cement that the attendants use to place behind the tires of the cars. People will leave their cars in neutral and then the attendants can push them as needed to let people in and out of parking spaces. It is very rare to see parking lots unless it is at one of the three major malls. Guess that is why so many people use public transportation (taxis, buses and the tram).