8-31-09
I’m having trouble focusing.

My mind is moving too fast with this new language to understand any of what’s going on around me. I’m curious about Egyptian life, as any good anthropologist living in Egypt would be, and am attempting to talk like, eat like and, perhaps even, walk like, an Egyptian. I’ve been wanting to make that joke for days. I know, awful, but when that song comes in and out of your head all day, you have to think of not so clever ways to broadcast it to the world. Sorry blog readers.

Seriously though, I’m trying to work on my proposal for Liberia, my application for HRW and all of the AUC stuff that I still have to do (medical forms and in a week, student visa), but instead I’m blogging. Procrastination meet your new friend: blog. You two will hit it off.

I’ve met a former Egyptian social worker who has mentioned an English language book about social work in Egypt. He’s going to bring it tomorrow or the next day. I can’t wait. I know, nerd! I feel just like Hermione Granger. Wow, I’m really digging myself into this nerd thing, aren’t I. Well…to be less nerdy, I’m going to go ride on a sail boat tonight, after having some socially stigmatized alcohol (I hope). The boat is called something…but it’s in Arabic and my memory is crap. The alcohol may or may not happen, when someone invites you out for drinks, what does that mean? In the US, it means alcohol, but it’s Ramadan and alcohol is extremely hard to come by. So drinks probably means tea and sheesha. That’s ok. A month without booze could do me good.

So in Liberia, I blogged about all sorts of human rights issues and I've been hearing stories that maybe I shouldn't do that here. Especially if I had Egyptian citizenship. More on that later.

Ok, seriously now, back to the grind. Signing out from the afterlife –