January 26, 2008

Jan 26_08 Fully moved it today. Spent all morning washing and cleaning all the dishes. Went to the market to get more food. Bought locally grown orange type fruit with loose skins. The bananas they grow here are tiny but good. Also bought strawberries, about a basket and a half for 8 pounds that is about 1.50. Lots of interesting food in the store. It poured rain and thundered today, there are huge puddles everywhere. Very unusual. My landlord is excellent. He had a washer delivered today. There were two men to carry it up to my place and install it, one more to boss, 2 others to offer moral support plus a gofer. All my floors are tile so in the process the floor got quite dirty so as soon as they left I mopped the whole apartment. Just as I finished, my apartment caretaker (Bowap) came in and proceeded to clean the whole thing all over again although I tried to tell him I had just finished. He only understands Arabic. Every apartment has a caretaker. They do any odd jobs you want (expecting tips) and are upset if you do them yourself. You can see them out washing and polishing the cars of people in their apartment complex. They are often very poor and live on the unfinished basement of the building. They are considered lucky to have such a good place . In fact when construction of a building begins a family will often set up residency in the building basement in hopes they can get the Bowap job. Went in my bedroom and something scurried away, a bit bigger that a cellar bug and longer legs. Hope it doesn’t like beds. If you go to Google earth and put in Maadi “Grand Mall, Egypt” I live in that general vicinity but down to the right. Note all the traffic circles. There are stop signs but no one stops, the lights flash orange because no one obeys the traffic lights. Driving is a free for all. Many of the cars are very old and many of the vehicles are spewing out black smoke. But……….the people are very, very kind and agreeable.