Starlight

If you read my blog regularly you know that my family has an affection for cats. My sister - who was living in Egypt at the time of the revolution - was recently able to return and bring back Starlight, one of the street kitties she was feeding while living there. My mom has decided to adopt him! So now Cheezecake (aka Noot), Moo, and Starlight have all found forever homes in America. Don't you love his fuzzy black tail?

Celebration in Egypt!

Congratulations go out to the people of Egypt for their persistence and dedication to democracy over the last few weeks. Hosni Mubarak has stepped down and left office.

Their collective spirit has been there for a while. In late 2008, I visited Alexandria right after Barack Obama was elected president. The Egyptian people were crazy about him. As soon as they found out I was American (and not British which was their first guess), they would smile and greet me with "Obama!" This happened more than once and was always celebratory. During this same trip, while wandering through a shopping mall, I came across a book on Barack Obama's life. It was written in basic English and included a hand-drawn picture that showed with an arrow how Barack was born next to a vacant lot. He was a ordinary man (with an Arabic name) who was able to win the honest vote of his people, particularly meaningful after all of the hanging chads and years of corruption related to George W. Bush.

Maybe, in addition to Tunisia's success, Barack Obama was one of the many things that touched the Egyptian heart and gave them confidence that a people's voice can be heard, even in an oppressive dictatorial state like their own. Their spirit, with an assertive attitude, toppled a corrupt government without bloodshed, without assassination, and without intrigue in just under three weeks through peaceful demonstration. What an amazing thing to have witnessed in the course of history.

Communication

At long last, my sister, nieces, and the famous little Chonsy were able to board an Italian airline. I realized at that time just how exhausted I really was. But the drama wasn't over yet; they sat on the runway for another two hours before they were finally able to take off.

Text message (Sunday, 10:33am ET): hi Leslie! Hows it going? I can only send one text, im going to write alot. We are stuck on the airplane and have been for 2 hours. IT STINKS! Im so bored the crew just said we are going to move now. YAY! Gtg, to turn off phone. Bye! Lots of love! Maya

They stayed in good humor, I am sure, and upbeat as evidenced by a text received earlier that day:

Text message (Sunday, 5:43am ET):

Hi its asia.

Do you like pizza
I do
I also like pie
Dont you!!
I like
sugar!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yay!!!!!!!!
Yummy yummy sugar

I guess there wasn't a lot to do in the airport and the snack bar helped.

Without SMS, I would have been frantic but without Facebook I would have been alone. In addition to, uh, I don't know, help start a revolution, FB kept me in touch with a huge number of people over the last four days. Marek determined which flight my sister was on and tracked the plane once it was in the air. Jeanne was available, supportive, and on top of the latest news through her many connections in Egypt. We were able to read about the neighborhood patrols but she had specific details, confirmed markets were stocked with food (in case they decided to turn around), and was pro-active in sending out information about Embassy evacuations (in case that became the only option). Even without consistent contact, I felt informed and comfortable Andi and the kids were okay.

Leslie yes! I will feel so much better when they are actually in the air.

Sunday at 6:45am

Jason They'll make it. Hang tight.

Sunday at 6:52am

Wendy Keep us posted. Hang in there.

Sunday at 10:42am ·

Christine Thanks for the update. I'm really sorry to hear that they didn't fly today. :-(

Sunday at 12:27pm ·

Tony Hi Leslie. I've been keeping up the last couple of days. Andi, Maya and Asia are in my thoughts and prayers. I'm looking forward to your post that says they are in the air :-)

Sunday at 2:24pm

Jeanne Check your inbox, I just sent info. Might be good to get the ball rolling.

Sunday at 5:42pm

Roger Wonderful News!!!! Keep us up to date.

22 hours ago

Ilene Glad to hear they are making it out safely!

22 hours ago

Theodore so great to hear

21 hours ago

Wendy Wow, I guess it takes a Revolution to get Tony to post. :-P *Hi Tony!*

8 hours ago

Sonia did they make it?

3 minutes ago

Leslie yes in Turin this morning!!! and shopping because while they made it, their bags did not.

about a minute ago

And now, happily, we are back to chat, our normal means of long-distance communication:

Andi: Have landed in Turin! We're with rick. Chonsy excited

me: yay!

me: how did you manage to let chonsy use the potty throughout??

Andi: Now is maya

me: hi maya

Andi: Hi

me: bet that was a long trip!

Andi: Chonsy didn't pee for like 16 hours

me: poor little puppy

Andi: Yeah

me: was he scared?

Andi: Only on the plane when we took off

Happy when we landed

me: its so loud, that's probably why

Andi: Yeah

Sent at 7:11 AM on Tuesday

It's all about what's really important when you come down to the basics.

Well, not that fast ...

With the 7-hour time difference and all of my sleepless nights, I have no idea how long my sister has been waiting to get out of Cairo but she's still at the airport and somewhere in that crowd of people you see above. The really fun part of this whole revolution business is that she was interviewed by The New York Times today and appears both in print and audio on their Web site.

Here's an excerpt:

CAIRO -- Andrea Bosch had been waiting for hours at Cairo International Airport for a flight to whisk her and her young daughters away from the maelstrom that Egypt's capital had become.

The planes were ready, but few crews could be assembled to fly them.

"They said it was a combination of people who couldn't or wouldn't come in today," Ms. Bosch, 45, an administrator of an education project of the United States Agency for International Development, said Sunday. "I don't know what it means, but that's what they said. I can imagine people are home trying to take care of their families."

and then further down:

Ms. Bosch was booked on Egypt Air with her daughters Maya, 12, and Asia, 8, and a Yorkshire terrier, Chauncey, to join her husband in Turin, Italy. Although some "random planes" were flying, she said, some passengers had been waiting for 48 hours without a flight.

and here's the best part:

"People are just wandering back and forth, and they're running out of food," she said. "People are serving pizza, but the lines are really long."

"We're kind of grumpy," she said, adding that most passengers were relieved to be off streets where the crackle of automatic gunfire was heard throughout the night.

For the complete article and audio, go here. And just for the record, Andi is 47, not 45, and it's Chonsy rather than Chauncey. I don't want it to sound like we live on Park Avenue or something. If we had that kind of money, we would have hired a private jet to whisk them away like movie stars.

Exit in a Hurry

Egypt is in chaos. The neighborhoods are being looted and gun fire is reported in Maadi. The curfew has been moved from 6pm to 4pm and tomorrow it will start at 3pm. Markets no longer have any food on their shelves. Al-Jazeera is being shut down. Americans are being advised to leave. My sister and nieces are at the airport and hopefully on their way to Italy within the next few hours.

Egypt's Day of Anger

I've spent the entire day in front of the TV and online watching Operation Egypt updates on Facebook. My sister and family are fine but staying close to home and inside during curfew. The most amazing moment was when protestors stopped rioting and lined up during the day's final prayer call. In case you've been misled by Fox News, this is not a fight between the religious extreme and the government. It's an expression of anger against government corruption, election fraud, police brutality, and poverty. Tonight Mubarak promised a new government in the morning but that's not likely to make a difference to those who want a greater change in leadership.

Photos from The New York Times.

Egypt's Cats

My friend Ahmad has just returned from a visit to Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine. I've written before about Egypt's feline population. These cats are wild, but not feral. It's not unusual for cats to enter restaurants and wait for scraps. They will eat anything. I was sitting at a similar restaurant and ordered a nicoise salad. After giving my attending cat all of my tuna, I gave her my green beans and lettuce. The mama cat ate it all. This is the life that Moo and Cheezecake escaped. If you'd like to adopt an Egyptian kitty, please let me know.

Moo - another Egyptian Kitty

Moo currently lives the good life in upstate New York with Chuck and Angie.

Cheezecake in America!

This is Cheezecake right after going through customs in the Washington Dulles Airport. As regular readers know, my sister lives in Egypt. There are huge numbers of street kitties in Cairo and most of them die young and don't do well. My sister has been feeding an entire posse of yard cats and is now finding homes for them in America. Cheezecake had an impressive 18-hour flight but arrived safely and this *fantastic* man above handed her over to Kevin who has agreed to adopt her.

And here she is settling in and telling us all about the long journey.

The Ben Ezra Synagogue

The Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo stands near the site where the pharoah’s daughter is said to have found Moses. We took this photo on our way in and then spoke to one of the men pictured on our way out and back to the metro station. He told us there were initially thousands of Jews in Egypt and now only approximately 150 are left.

Greek Orthodox Cemetery

Egyptian Christians are known as Copts, a term originating from the Arabic “qibt” derived from the Greek “aegyptios.” Many of the graves in Coptic Cairo are of recent years, some marked in the 21st century even. The area was quiet and tranquil, unusual in a vibrant city of 17 million.

Mar Girgis

My next great adventure was to ride Egypt's metro system to Mar Girgis to see the Coptic section of Old Cairo. Mar Girgis translated = St. George. This relief is from a church dedicated to the soldier who was executed AD 303 for resisting Diocletian's decree that outlawed the practice of Christianity. The metro station is also called Mar Girgis. It looks like there's the St George myth and the St George martyr, combining here the symbolism of the story with the actions of the man.

Starbucks in Alexandria (Egypt)

My sis and I headed next to the San Stefano mall where we shopped at the Spanish-owned MANGO and then after a quick latte, everyone rushed off to the train station for the three-hour trip back to Cairo. When I told the barista "shukran" (thank you), he replied with "you're welcome" (aafwaan). It's a cosmopolitan world in Alex.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

After a lovely night at the elegant Le Metropole, a hotel with impossibly tall doors and ceilings, we took a walk along the corniche and then stopped at the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina. This ambitious library and modern conference center has been built close to the original site where Alexander the Great’s famous library once stood. The statue posted is one representing knowledge. The link here will take you to a small selection of Shadi Abdel Salam’s costume design currently on display.

Mediterranean Fishermen

Eid al-Adha (Tuesday)

We spent the second night of Eid in Alexandria. Thousands of people were out on the street walking, socializing, and riding horse-drawn wagons. Our lighter hair and fairer skin made us immediately recognizable as different. Many stopped to ask us in English, "What's your name?" This was followed by smiles and introductions: "My name is Noor, Mustafa, Mohamad." It was a great celebration on the Mediterranean corniche. (Maya and Asia in the lower photo; everyone else, locals who were more than willing to pose for the photos.)

Eid al-Adha (Monday)

We woke up early this morning but didn't get up for hours. The 5 a.m. prayer was like a megaphone right inside the house for at least 45 minutes. It sounded like the mike was passed around from one man to the next and the same phrases were repeated over and over again: God is Great. There is only one God.

Yesterday after dinner at Evelyn's house, we came home and a neighbor was unloading two quiet passive lambs. I have done some online research to try and better understand the sacrificial part of this holiday and am comforted to learn that the halal method is at least quick and relatively painless. I have to admit that Americans kill millions of turkeys for Thanksgiving and while we don't watch the process, I would be naive to think the execution doesn't occur. And I have to admit with shame that American slaughterhouse methods are some of the worst in the world.

While today is meant to be about community, we declined invitations to watch the event. I'm a bit nervous about what we may see when we go outside.

(It was fine. It was a beautiful day. Everyone was in good spirits and we saw nothing unpleasant.)

Eid al-Adha (Sunday)

Today Egyptians are at home with their families preparing for the Eid al-Adha celebration tomorrow (عيد الأضحى or the Festival of Sacrifice). This is a feast day in commemoration of Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. At the last minute, God intervenes and provides a lamb instead.

Tomorrow morning Muslims around the world will attend morning prayer and exchange gifts. A sheep or goat will be slaughtered (viewed by all) and the meat will be distributed to members of the community including those too poor to afford meat on a regular basis.

Last night, on the airport ride to my sister's house, we saw large groups of animals gathered throughout the city ready for sacrifice. A little upsetting to think about ...

For more information, go here.

The Pyramids at Giza

Here in America we live very much in the 21st century. In Egypt, however, the modern day prayer calls of Islam coexist with a respect for the Holy Family of 2,000 years ago and the ancient pharoahs of 5,000. The passage of time doesn't feel linear to me and as a result the ages seem to have relevance and the universe feels bigger than ourselves.

During my first trip, I did all of the "must do" things to include visiting the mummies in the Egyptian Museum and horseback riding at the pyramids. Since I was lucky enough to have an insider view, Jimmie, whose family owns the stables, led us through the non-tourist side. Afterwards, we drank tea and fed carrots to the horses.

The Holy Family

This photo was take during a school field trip. After a stay in Old Cairo, the Holy Family moved in a southerly direction where they boarded a sailing-boat that carried them up the Nile. This Church was build on the site where they stopped to rest.

According to Asia, the Holy Family then knew they could leave Egypt because the angel Gabriel came down and whispered in Joseph's ear through a dream that the King was dead and now it was safe to go back to freedom.

Info from www.middleeast.com/holyfamily.