Roma, Italy 2007

Rome was amazing! Four fun-filled days with the Kim clan, sans preggres Big Mama and Big Hyunboo.

Enjoy! (you have to copy & paste the link) http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.kimj/RomaItaly2007?authkey=7l7zdXmiOZk

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Eid Holiday

I went over to one of my Egyptian team member's house for the Eid Holiday. Brief history: Eid is to celebrate the story of Ismail and Abraham when Allah called Abraham to sacrifice his son, Ismail, but when he went to kill Ismail, the knife would not break his son's skin. (Hmmm, does this story sound vaguely familiar to anyone?) Then Abraham hears Allah's voice to sacrifice a ram or sheep or some animal in place of his son. Ok, so the religious tradition is to eat meet all day for this Eid feast. The locals get freshly butchered cow, goat, sheep in the morning, give a third the poor, a third to his relatives, and keeps a third for his own family. So, anyways, on the way over to my coworker's home, we past all the butcher "shops", there are pictures to accompanying this sight, but it is not for the weak of heart - very bloody and gruesome (i almost vommitted myself). I literally walked through streets filled with animal blood, there were piles of sheep skins and all sorts of animal parts hanging and being butchered - again, i almost lost it walking thru it all and the smell is not somethin you can miss either. OK, so moving right along to the feast... i know, i kinda didn't make a good set up for the feasting part, BUT! it was sooooooooooooo frikin good! if you've ever eaten at Moby Dick's or one of those places, it was like that only home cooked and so much better! It was great! btw, my coworker is the only in her family with red hair. You'll see her entire family, she has three brothers, one of which is married with an 11 month baby girl. My camera died, so i couldn't take as many pics as i wanted to...sorry. Enjoy!

View Album

Get your own

here's the link to the butchering pics. copy and paste. not for the weak. http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.kimj/TheAftermathNotForTheWeak?authkey=obZrDgXXNMM

Just like home...kinda

my version of sang chu sam and daeng jang jigkeh with some ban chanz made in my lil' hotel kitchenette. gotta improvise sometimes. produce here, especially cucumbers, lettuce, tomotos, kiwi, pomegranent, mangos is really really FRESH.

To my peeps...

whoa! the lasttime i posted anything was Nov. 17th - my bad. But, i'm back by popular demand...can't upset the fans y'know how crazy they can get... :P
let's see, let's see...where to begin...so i found a small cell group (just to clarify, "cell" in this context refers to a religious gathering to study the Bible, nothing to do with public enemy #1, so calm down), about 5 ppl around my age: two Americans: a guy and gal, a Dutch gal, two Egyptians: a guy and gal, the Egyptian guy is Muslim...which adds a very welcomed and intriguing twist to the whole group dynamic..it's really interesting the questions he asks, makes you really dig deep into what religion, Christianity, Islam all that *ish is about...one day i'll write a book, but for now...this blog will do. it's funny, this place...Egypt...let me explain...after church in Maadi on Friday, i hung out in a coffee shop working; i had an evening engagement in Maadi and decided to spend the day there (vs. going back and forth from hotel to Maadi). So, anyways, my experience at the coffee shop was not unexpectedly very unsatisfying. the customer service in Egypt is either in your face, all up in your grill or nonexistent. For instance, in restaurants they will come by and clear your half drunken beverage, half eaten entree, even when you're not finished...very annoying. However, at this particular coffee shop, this was not the case, much rather the exact opposite. I ordered a salad and a sparkling water. (i know very bougie, but i'm gaining weight like fat Albert in a wet sweatsuit.) the salad came out after about one hour, which required multiple inquiries to the waiter "is my order coming out?" finally my salad arrives sans my water. my beverage came after the fact about the time i was taking my last bite of salad that was btw drown in dressing. Ok, Khalas! whatever. the experience just progressively worsened by the incessant smoking all around me which formed a visible smog of cigarette smoke looming right at nose and mouth level. (cough, cough....i admit at one point i too wanted a db.) then there was the couple, where the guy kept trying to force the girl to kiss him and pushing the back of her head towards him. that was kinda disturbing. then i attempted to order a latte, again, this turned out to be an hour and a half event. again, khalas! whatever. then they totally f***d up my check, so i had explain why it was wrong; this was another 20 minutes. AH!!! Seriously, i could feel myself turning into Super B-ahtch! BUT, the Spirit told me to stop getting my panties all up in a bunch. Anyways, so i left, went to my evening engagement in Maadi. Afterwards, got in a taxi around 10:30PM. here's the kicker, in the taxi ride home i thought of my return home to the States and i found myself actually missing Egypt...a lot! I even entertained the idea of extending my work here - I know it's crazy talk! anyways, needless to say, i like it here. but of course i miss you guys. Ok, sorry no pics this time, seriously, i think i look a lil' shi*tier everyday....i just blame it on the pollution. luv & miss...

Back in Cairo

So, i had a fantabulous time with my family, albeit brief, but every second of the loong ass flight back was worth it! My mom, the best chef in the whole entire world, prepared a wonderfully delicious korean feast! I spent time with my preggers sister and bro-in-law and managed to coerce my lil sis into letting me sleeping in her bed - ah, jus like when we were kids! Couldn't have asked for a better homecoming! And...we had an early thanksgiving feast at chez yesawich (aka my older sis and bro-in-laws). It was more than i could ask for.

Well, as you may know my first stop in the states was in Lake Tahoe for a 5 day conference. I think touching down in San Fran for my layover into Reno was the first time in my entire 30 years of living as an American that I felt so frikin proud to be an American! I wanted to kiss every American I saw. Truly there is no other country in the world that comes close to the good ol' U.S. of frikin A!!!! Anyways, enough of that. So, i got back Wednesday late afternoon and settled into my hotel room. (btw, i finally got a room with a kitchnette - very nice) Didn't sleep until maybe 3AM. Set both my cell phone alarm and wake up call. Didn't hear either one. woke up to my phone ringing. picked up and my manager was on the other end. Needless to say, I didn't make it into work on Thursday. I was in and out of sleep all Thursday. Friday, I missed church but made it to the small dinner gathering for all the young adults/professionals in the congregation. It was nice. We had thanksgiving dinner. The villa where this shindig was at was amazing!!! i wish i took pictures. i now know how the other side, meaning the expats, live in egypt. well, on my way to the dinner i, of course, took a cab. as the taxi made its way thru the normal traffic of buses, pedestrians, donkey drawn carts, i began to feel sharp pains in my chest. it felt like someone was poking in between my ribs and at my heart with a chilled metal chopstick. i know, it wasn't a pleasant feeling. everytime i breathed in it got worse. i seriously thought i was having a mild heart attack or something. then i realized that it was nothing. just the normal effects of carbon monoxide, street littered with refuse, and other pleasantries that make up the great Cairo air that I so love to breathe and pollute my lungs with. Ah! what it feels like to be in Cairo again.

Quick story

so, i was squatting in one of the training rooms at the client site today and one of the training coordinators comes in and says, "excuse, sorry, but training is starting soon and you have to leave." I say, "no problem." I start packing up my belongings hurriedly. He then says, "very sorry maam - but the Blacks are coming!" I do a double take and replay his comment in my head and say "excuse me?" he repeats, "the Blacks are coming!" and gestures to the hallway, where I see a group of Sudanese bankers waiting for the training class to start. OK, so, obviously, PC does not mean Politically Correct in Egypt!

4 DAYS and counting

... can't wait to get stateside!!! I'm sooo looking forward a full week in Lake Tahoe, fresh U.S. air, then kalbi, japchae, kimchi, bap,
with family in D.C. and Big Kahuna (aka my preggers sister) tells me that we're doing an early Thanksgiving feast too!
Can't Wait!!! I have it all planned out...Right when i hit US soil, I'm calling everyone in my contacts list whether they wanna hear from me or not. For those that plan to screen their calls, i'm leaving a loooooong ass message. Heeheehee...Ah!!! Unpolluted mountain air, casino, spa, FRIKIN a little piece of heaven awaits me. Just an 11 hour flight and the ocean stand in the way. Btw, HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! Needless to say, I won't be expecting any trick or treaters at my door tonight.

30 in Cairo

My first birthday in Cairo was great! The team at work had a lil' celebration with a cake, flowers and a very nice gift at the office today. The Egyptians are very thoughtful people, especially the core team at work. I had dinner and drinks at the seafood buffet at the hotel with a few co-workers. We went down to check out the new "discotechque" that is opening today, but it was hella crowded...just like 1223 or Lima, so we said "Halas!" ...i'll probably check it out later when i get back from the states. There was a wedding going on, so we enjoyed the live Arabic drum and other instruments I didn't recognize, music. It was really great! Arabic music, i'm talking about back in the day music, is a lot of drums. You can really here the African influence. Phattie Beats like crazy! Anyways, i asked a local about the price of such an extravagant wedding, and i'm talkn crazy off the chain extravagant, and he said it's ony 10,000LE, which is roughly $2000 US - cheap - eh? Well, it's now, 2:17am, first day of being 30! Can't wait to get stateside to celebrate with friends and family! Thanks for your birthday wishes everyone! Luv & Miss

...busy, busy, busy

...apologies to those who check this blog frequently. Work has been super busy and i've had barely enough time to sleep and eat. Cranked through 16 hours of work on Monday and i'm beat! However, i got a huge deliverable knocked out, so it was worth the big sigh of relief :o) I'm really looking forward to coming home next Saturday!!! Home, meaning the frikin good 'ol U S of A!!!! My first stop is Lake Tahoe for a 5 day conference, so I won't actually be back in C'ville until the 9th. Anyways, i'm at work (big surprise) and need to get my arse back into gear. I'm completely running on coffee, water and a lot of munchies (my trunk's packn a lot of junk these days - can't wait to return to a routine of hittin the gym soon) Okay, promise to post some pics and interesting narratives after this weekend! Much luv & peace.

Cuban Camaguey Folkloric Ensemble

...at the Cairo Opera House! I was invited by a colleague and his wife, who actually turns out to be my cousin's good friend's parents - i know, small world, to an evening of Cuban culture. I didn't understand a lick of what the dancers and musicians were saying, but it was a great show. It's kinda like stomp infused with salsa. They used non-musical objects: empty bottles, metal sheets, wood, metal pipes, hammers, wooden sandals, etc... to make bumpn' beats - "WooAh! gotchya all in check ...got the head nod that'll break yo' neck (Busta)" sorry...had a one of those magical moments of hip-hop. Ok, so anyways, they were salsa dancing and banging on anything and everything, had the whistle go'n - "get ya tambourine an' grab a whistle an' (E-V-E)" ...another one of those moments....sorry. They were grinding, breakn (bad ass), had the crowd clapping. It was really fun and high energy....then I look up and I see all these women with the hijab clapping and enjoying the show...pretty cool how the Arts can do that..you know, bring two completely different cultures, lifestyles, etc...together in harmony. So, anyways, I'm gonna make every effort to go to one show at least once a month if not weekly. The tickets are hella cheap and it would just be stupid not to make the effort. Tomorrow, if I can finish some stuff for work, I'm headed to Khan El Khalili, which is a famous marketplace/area that sells gold, silver, papyrus painting and other kitschy things.

Mount Sinai

I spent the weekend trekking up the very same mountain Moses did...frikin UH-MAZE-ING!!!! My calves, butt, and thighs hurt like heck, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Here's some history for you Bible study hookies: Mount Sinai is the Biblical holy place where Moses was called by God and gave him the 10 commandments. This happened after Moses led the Israelites out from the wilderness and let me tell you, after spending a day out in the desert surrounded by nothing, you really appreciate and respect the meaning of "wilderness" and the amazing Biblical journey through it. Ok, moving on...at the base of Mt. Sinai is St. Katherine's, the oldest functioning monastery in the world! So much history - crazy! Mt. Sinai's roughly 2,300 meters high and it takes about 3,500 steps to climb to the summit, which we did. We started the hike up at 1:30am and made it to the top at 3:45ish. Along the way, Bedouins (Arab nomadic pastoralists - i know, pretty cool) are busy ushering people up the mountain atop camels or trying to get you to ride one of their camels. It's funny, cuz they're like "nak tah?, nak tah?", which is the Korean word for camel. (I tell ya, Korean tourists will soon one day take over the world.) Side bar: Camels teeth are really sharp and most of them are pissed off from carrying tourists up and down the mountain all day long; it's kinda sad...almost bit my friend's hand. At the top, we waited for the sun to rise, again, this was UH-MAZE-ING!!! Thoughts of a white-haired, long bearded, grandfather with staff in one hand and holy tablets in the other with both arms raised up to the heavens flashed through my lil' mind and I couldn't help but feel the overwhelming presence of something supernatural, powerful and pure. Yes, I fought back a few tears, but I bet some of you would too. The feeling is just indescribable! Ok, so anyways, moving right along...We trekked back down the mountain, which was also UH-MAZE-ING! I swear my friend was about to kill me, cuz every five steps I was either taking a picture of the scenery, asking him to take a picture of me, taking a picture of him or stopping to say "Ooooo! Look at that!" "Wow!" "Cool!" etc... I admit, I was annoying. I didn't post all the pictures, but as a fair warning there's still like 170 pictures!!! Well, I hope you guys enjoy! You'll also see pics of the church group I went with, pics of Kala Canyon (UH-MAZE-ING!), and of the Red Sea. Enjoy!!! Miss everyone! (btw, I'm watching the 2007 Grammy Awards. Yes, the same one that broadcasted in the States in the summer; the 2006 American Music Awards was last night - ah! a piece of home.) Here's the link. Copy & Paste. http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.kimj/Sinai?authkey=uoyG7-B5ywQ

Taxi Ride from H-E-double hockey stix...

Well, actually any taxi ride in Cairo is a taxi ride from hell, but yesterday evenings journey from my hotel to the Nile Hilton was even moreso... So, I was meeting a friend for dinner and drinks at this place called "Mojito" at the Nile Hilton, which is ~35 minutes away. So, I grabbed a local black n white taxi, of course negotiating the price before I got in, and I was on my way. I was so looking forward to an evening of normalcy, with good company and normal conversation sans work, so I was in a great mood. So, I get in the front seat of the taxi - BIG MISTAKE! - ladies, never sit in the front. I say good evening in Arabic and so we begin the whole, "You speak Arabic?" "Just a little" and so on...exchanging broken Arabic phrases with him and then he's like "Ok, I teach you Arabic" and this is the usual convo with all my taxi rides, only this guy was such a pervert. It started innocently, then he starts asking what's the name for this, pointing to his chest, and then he says "For woman, what is this called". I totally knew where this was going so I played dumb (insert your joo-won joke here - haha, not funny) and he keeps saying things in Arabic like "your beautiful"...yes, yes, of course stating the obvious but coming from this freak, it was gross!!! and he continues with I like you and then pointing to his eyes, then his butt and says "beautiful" EWWWW!!! Normal protocol would be to get out of the taxi, but we were in traffic going over a huge bridge. Well, I finally made it to the Hilton, verbally violated, but in one piece. The good thing was that I had a great time with my friend. I actually had wine for the first time since I've been here at the hotel and then we went to another Bar/Restaurant called "La Bodega" - it's where all the expats hang out and they serve alcohol and food was great!!!! Kinda funny because it's located inside a nondescript apartment building with no signs. It's one of those places that you know about through the expat grapevine. Ok, that's it for now. Going to Mount Sinai for the long Eid Holiday weekend. I'll post pics when I return on Monday! Luv everyone!

Bigger isn't always better...

You know...I opened my blog today and scrolled down to the pictures and was like "D-D-D-D-Damn!" I really have a big ass nose. I tried convincing myself that it's because the picture resolution is so huge on the page, which is true, but in actual size, the nose is still pretty damn big. (just take another look yourself) Just a self-realization I never made in the 29 years of my life until now. I suppose...had I followed the strange habits of F.O.Bs and taken daily, actually make that hourly frame-by-frame pictures whenever I could with my cell phone camera and posted them to my facebook or whatever, I would've come to this realization sooner. However, i never understood the infatuation with self photography and as a result have found myself discovering things about myself that I never realized in 29 years of living...with myself. Bottomline: I apologize if I've assaulted anyone with the big nose pictures. I can only imagine, for those purusing my blog at the workplace, it must've been like opening one of those prank emails, only instead of the loud music, or lewd pic, you got a huge ass nose taking over your screen. Kinda funny, actually. Your co-workers must've been like "Damn! never knew you asians had noses like that." ....Going along with the magnified body parts, I sincerely advise people NOT to purchase one of those magnifying cosmetic mirrors. There's one in my hotel bathroom and I'm realizing things that I never would have realized without the aid of a 8x magnifying mirror. It almost makes me want to adopt the hejab and veil! ...almost. :P

Bangs & Fiber

So...I got out of the shower today and decided I needed a change. snip, snip, snip and wahlah ...BANGS! take a look below. i already regret them. oh well, hopefully, by the time i get state side in November, they'll grow back. But, on the brighter side of today...i found fiber cereal! YaY! For those of you who don't know, I am a Cheerios fanatic, thanks to my bro-in-law. Of course, the one thing I didn't bring to Cairo and the one thing Cairo does not have is...yup! you guessed it Cheerios. So, you can imagine how much i've suffered for the past three weeks. However, I came upon Temmy's, a terrible substitute, but it'll suffice for now.

Just wanted to drop a line....

[CHECK OUT NEW PICS below] it's been mad hectic at work, but it's now the weekend here so i'm takin a lil' time to chill and regroup before i get back to the grind. went to Heliopolos Community Church today; the majority of the congregation is expats. there's another church i'm gonna check out on Sunday ~inshallah(God willing). it's supposed to be really nice and big and in Arabic with English translation should be interesting. i have a couple hours of work to do today, but first i'm taking a loooooong nap. Sunday (the beginning of the work week here) is a holiday to commemorate the war with Israel, but unfortunately BearingPoint is still working - go figure. But, just confirmed that i'll be coming home for a couple of days early November, so I'm looking forward to that!!!! Hmmmm....let's see what else. Next week is the Eid holiday here so i'm going to take a 3 day trip to Mount Sinai - should be fun! It's funny...work is really challenging and there's a *ish load of it to do everyday including the weekends, but i'm really enjoying all of it. i've learned more in the past three weeks here than in my entire 3 1/2 career at BearingPoint. It's mind blowing! I know, i'm a big dork, but that's nothing you guys didn't already know :P
Well, I miss everyone at home. Hope everyone is doing well and hope some of youz get a chance to visit this great city! Hey to my foolioz! Have fun at CDR!!! wish i was there! (Btw, anyone run into any good music lately? I love the new Alicia Keys, which really isn't that new and the one from the head pussy cat doll, Nicole....any recommendations? My ipod needs new muzak!)

Sakkara Pyramids Pics

You too can experience the Pyramids of Egypt....
Cut and paste into browser:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.kimj/PyramidsAtSakkara?authkey=yjVGquBytQc

In the words of Ice Cube...

t'day was a good day...tried to hit the "Africa Live" worship service at the community church in Maadi (30 minutes away), but missed it because the following occurred: hailed a yellow taxi from my hotel, which is recommended because they have A/C, speak enough English and they're metered, meaning the driver can't jack the price up. This is usually what the black & white local taxis do (usually no A/C, no english, really busted up car). So, we're truckin down the usual long stretch of highway, then the guy takes an unfamiliar exit...i'm thinking, "uh...can't read Arabic, but this is not the right exit", once we get off the exit ramp landscape is all desert with huge condo developments (kinda live NoVa, but not) - it was a bit twilight zone-ish. Then we hit a wall of brake lights. Creeping up, honking, sirens behind us, get up on the scene and one of those gravel trucks turned over and gravel all across the highway!!! Detour. Tour bus in front of us, we're flanked by a 750Li and two black&white taxis, everyone's honking like UMd just won a Bowl game. Tour bus can't maneuver around a boulder sitting in the middle of the detour. Bus passengers file out to roll the boulder aside. Success! Traffic begins to move. By this time 30 minutes has passed, I ask: "how much longer?" Driver replies: "10 minutes" - Keep in mind this journey should only take 30 minutes and cost 25 Egyptian pounds (LE). At this point the meter reads 35.45LE. 10 minutes pass, still not at church, 20 minutes pass still not at church, etc...Get to church way too late and had to pay 50LE!!! Not happy. But...what made it a good day was that I spent the rest of the day chilln out with the Korean International student I met last weekend at church at a coffee shop, then ate a big bowl of dol sot bi bim bap (Michael Jackson's favorite Korean food) at GAYA, a popular Korean restaurant. Good convo, good food, and made it safely back to my hotel in a black&white taxi for 30LE. Tomorrow: going to explore the Pyramids in Giza and the Sphinx.

Bling

So, I never understood the fascination with diamonds. Yes, they're beautiful. Yes, they're the hardest natural material (whoopdeedoo). Yes, they're one of the most envied jewels, if not the most. Yes, they possess incomparable aesthetic qualities in any form or fashion. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera (in a French accent)...But, none of these characteristics really resonated with me to the point that I would day dream or marvel at a Diamond. I think the monetary value I associate with a diamond depending on its size is what really awes me; not the actual jewel. However, recently, my perspective has changed. Before I left for Cairo, my sister gave me a diamond band as a daily reminder of her love and support - i know very sweet (thanks, Big Kahuna!) Surprisingly, whenever I look down at my hand, the lil' ring sparkles with all its might, and projects a huge dazzling smile at me and that in turn makes me smile. Sometimes, I just sit there and stare at the lil' ring; yes, b/c it reminds me of my sister and family, but moreso, just the undeniable BLING that smiles at me throughout the day. I can only imagine the joy a bigger and more BLINGY diamond would bring me. Yes, this all sounds very superficial - I'd have to agree. But, I've realized the value of a quality diamond, or diamonds (plural!!!). Think what you may about me now, but hey, try on a diamond ring, earrings, necklace, grill...I'm sure you'll see my point. Just a thought i wanted to share... (Holla to the Hot Boyz...BLING BLING!)

A close call...

So, i went to a cycling class today thinking it would be better than the "kickboxing" class i took last week. I mean, really, how could a cycling class be mucked up? So, after eating a kabob from Fatoosh (lebanese fast food) and doing a few hours of work, i gear up to join the cycling class offered at the hotel gym. So, I'm feeling all pumped up by my Jammie Jam mix on my nano and I enter the class. There's one lady, already on a bike. No instructor yet. I stretch and get on the bike to warm up. Instructor shows up 15 minutes late. We begin...of course, to some house/trance (E, couldn't decipher between the two.), which I believe is the national genre of music. Hamees, that's the Instructor, is cut, tall, good english and everything; unfortunately, i don't think he's ever rode on a cycling bike for more than 20 minutes consecutively. Enter big fat Greek man <>. He takes the last bike between me and the lady. So, we're riding, riding, faster, slower, up, down, push ups (yes, on the bike), up, down...etc. (Hamees looks like he's about to die; keeps getting off the bike to mess around with the music.) Then ...i hear a rumble, rumble; unfortunately, Slick Rick is not playing and there's no mirror, mirror on the wall, it's my stomach...dun, dun, DUN! I ease off pedaling, stretch my arms out casually, proceed to go in the crouching position, as if I'm trying to pick up speed. I'm sweating, although, i don't think it was from the cycling. Can't ...hold...much ...longer....trying all sorts of things to alleviate the stressful situation. Breathing, crouching, ...(the Greek man stank is not helping at this point). Rumble, rumble...and then, i did what anyone would do...i dismounted, penguin stepped to retrieve my things, then penguin stepped quickly to the exit (mind you there's only four ppl in the class, including myself) and didn't look back...phew! what a frickin workout!

New Pics & Videos

Ok, because i'm completely incompetent when it comes to technology and the like, i can't figure out how to post pics and videos within my blog postings; hence, the absence of pics and videos... I did, however, find a way to imbed a link to my pics and videos...hope it works! http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.kimj/Egypt?authkey=yoa4mDxy2P4

Frogger

Does anyone remember the beloved video game Frogger? Did you ever want to be that lil' froggy and hop from moving log to moving log risking your lil' green life? Well, if you ever wanna play real life Frogger, come to Cairo and try to cross a street. I believe the only time Egyptians feel real empowerment is driving in their lil' Daewoos, Hyundais, and Peugeots. They will try to run you over just for the sport of it. There's a hand gesture (if you can imagine an Italian saying "bellisimo" with the hand kiss action - its similar) pedestrians use that's supposed to mean "slow down i'm crossing", but to some drivers i swear it means "speed up and yell at me loudly". I learned the word "Jax" which means a**hole, taxis and pedestrians alike use that one a lot. (Un & John, another reason not to name your zygote "Jack".)

Here's some pics

...Going to check out the churches tomorrow, but here's some pics in the meantime. Enjoy!

Walk like an Egyptian

I made it safe and sound! Flight was great! I flew business the first 9 hours to Frankfurt, which was the shortest long flight I've every taken. I ate dinner, watched Ocean's 13, fell asleep and I woke up as we were preparing for landing. Btw, my opinion about Germans in Germany have not changed from my last visit in April. I try not to generalize a whole population based on a few rude encounters, but it's challenging not to do that since everyone (i mean every service person: at the cafe at Fraport; ticketing people; flight attendants...) was sooooooooo rude, cold, unhelpful...why do the service people, e.g., ticketing counter person, act like they don't understand or speak English? Do I look menacing? Anyways, whatever, i'll give 'em another chance. Then the last 4 hours from Frankfurt to Cairo I flew economy, but the flight was hella empty and I sprawled across the four middle seats and slept the whole way - NICE! So, on the way to the hotel, we were sharing the road with an X5, S500, pre-1985 vehicles, donkey and cart, and random people just loitering in the streets. No lines on the roads. People drive both ways on one road with no lines! For instance, to get to the club building from the main tower of the hotel, the bell hop drove me in a golf cart against the flow of traffic (assuming there is a flow of traffic). So, if you can imagine, a golf cart on Fairfax County Parkway going North and traffic on either side going South - cray-G!I think traffic patterns will take a bit of time to get used to. However, I'm looking forward to the eats! All the locals are telling me about the feasts and fireworks at dusk for Ramadan, so I'm looking forward to that tonight (~if I can stay up). Much luv from your one & only Joo in Cairo.

A little piece of heaven

Church was a real blessing today. Three people were baptized. Yes, I cried. Not to get all existential on you, but I was sitting next to an Indian guy, a Black woman and her teenage son, behind me were some Asians, you get the point...It just made me think that this is how heaven's gonna be...praising with everyone no matter the color, language, culture, or smell (indian brother left me jones'n for some curry rice - no joke!) and Yes, I cried. A lot of crying goin on in my life right now...and I'm not even pregnant...I must be experiencing sympathy emotions because of Sandra. Oh! btw, for those of you who know my pregger sister, check out her blog via the link on this posting. Anyways, for those of you who believe, please pray that I can get plugged into a good church group quickly and that I will adapt quickly to the work and new team. ...oh, and of course, minimal GI issues. I was reminded after dinner today of how painful and disabling GI issues can be...I could go on, but I'll save the best for when I get to Cairo. LoL! :P (Btw, Fleming's Chocalate Lava Cake - Ah-Maze-Zing!)

Last weekend in DC

It was so frikin nice this weekend. Perfect football watching weather and perfect jacket weather. Sandra (aka Big Kahuna), Kath (aka lil'ddong) and I spent the afternoon at the Edward Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. It was a special pre-showing for Booz Allen employees and guests. Ok, so I admit, when Kath suggested that we go to this art show I thought to myself, "Hmmm...I didn't know Hopper did art too? And so prolific to be recognized by high society curators and showcased at the National Gallery of Art. He was good in Speed, but this is major." Of course, San & Kath set me straight: "your thinking of Dennis Hopper, you dork!!!"

The exhibit was amazing! For those in the DC area, I highly recommend it! I must say the Hopper experience was very timely for me. His stark depictions of a derelict home or streetside, an awkward meeting in a cafe, the eerie tension captured in a barren room, all elicit that undeniable, gut-tugging, sometimes searing feeling of complete loneliness. Funny because he once commented that, "...loneliness is so overdone." Let me just tell you, it was a loner's sanctuary!!! I could've spent the entire day there.

Eek!

Friday 9:22pm...doing everything and anything conceivable that will keep me from packing. The reality of it hasn't hit me yet, but I'll undoubtedly be bum rushed (as will McNabb - haha!) by it all Monday night. I'll be sitting at the gate, fighting back tears as I torment myself by flipping through the photo gallery on my nano...so predictable & pathetic. But! one good teary session and i'll be ready to get back on that camel and rock it out in Cairo! :)