We watched the inauguration of President Obama with great interest on the 20th. It was very exciting to see the enthusiasm and hope that his election has stirred. The past eight years have not been kind to America and the challenges facing the new president are huge; the war in the Middle East, the faltering economy, rising health care costs, educational issues, etc. These problems will not be easy to solve, after all it took eight years to get where we are now. The inauguration was one of the most heavily viewed events by the local Egyptians as well, even rivaling the Ahly Soccer matches. Many have commented to us how happy they are to see a change. To think that the US could elect an African-American man with a Middle Eastern sounding name to the highest office in the land gives them some hope as well. Throughout its long history it is remarkable to know that the first presidential elections in Egypt were held in 2005 and even then the outcome of the election was never in any doubt. Anyway, we wish President Obama well and hope that the branches of government and corporate America have learned their lessons and are finally going to work for the good of all Americans.
On Friday we went for an early morning walk – Fridays, of course, is the holy day for Muslims and there is barely any traffic in the early morning. The call to prayer echoed through the streets and a few shops that were opened were empty. Even the shop owners left and were on their way to the mosques. The little fruit and vegetable stands stood empty yet no one in the neighborhood would even think of going in and taking anything. We walked along the Mediterranean and enjoyed the sunrise across the sea. Crossing the Corniche, normally a terrifying experience, was a piece of cake at 6:30 in the morning.
We ventured to Chili’s on Tuesday evening for an “American” meal. Traffic was unusually heavy. It is the end of the semester for the university students as well as the public school students so people were out in droves. It is nice to have a western meal occasionally. Even here the portions are larger than they would be for a traditional Egyptian meal. Our server was a young man who teaches at an English language school. Pay is very low for teachers here and most have to supplement their income with another job or tutoring.
Our big technology expenditure this year is for new computers for all our staff. We have purchased 54 machines. We are having these built by a local company. I sent a list of components to a friend in the states who is very knowledgeable about computer components and he gave us suggestions. We are able to get a pretty decent unit built for approximately $500. The company is bringing them as they get built so we get a shipment of 10 or so a week. In the first shipment, they also brought all of the monitors, keyboards, mice and speakers. They delivered them in a private car and a regular taxi. The idea of a truck making its way up Schutz Street would be too hard. Staff are pretty excited to be getting new machines.
