Well here we are, back in Cairo! Hamdulilleh, as we would say in Arabic. Connor and I flew back from Denver, although we got to travel business class, so the journey wasn't too arduous. We were pleased that the flight from Frankfurt to Cairo was surprisingly full and with a range of passengers that looked they were heading to Egypt for a variety of reasons. While we were both incredibly eager to get back home and immerse ourselves in life in Cairo again, we were slightly apprehensive about arriving back in a country with a much more sparse police force on the ground and without clarity about which laws are still on the books and functioning. Friends had informed us that Maadi felt surprisingly normal and even more positive than ever before, although there were somewhat higher incidences of petty crime reported.
Connor was disheartened to notice that outside the airport terminal, in the lane usually reserved and strictly enforced for picking people up only, was a parking lot of several cars deep. This caused a huge backup for cars trying to approach. I asked if these were abandoned cars from January, but Connor rightly realized that these were just people who didn't care what the police said, for there were very few officers around anyway, and found it that much more convenient to park right next to the terminal. That scene felt a little ominous to me, I must admit.
The Shell driver took us to Kattameya, where we picked up our car. Besides a fine coating of dust, it was otherwise in the exact same condition as five weeks before. Driving through Maadi, since it was a Friday night, the streets were crowded with merrymakers. Several members of the community had taken it upon themselves to direct traffic (which is usually a job left to the police). I was reminded of my days as an elementary school traffic patrol. Anyway, that level of community activism was wonderful to see. I spotted a group of teens walking arm-in-arm with matching 'January 25' t-shirts. As we approached our flat, we tried to guess how many scooters had permanently taken up residence in our driveway. Our doorman put a chain across the front of the driveway, though, so there was just one restaurant delivery scooter occupying space nearby. One of the security detail that always sits near our house, thankfully still there, quickly moved the motorbike, removed the chain, and welcomed us back. I asked him in Arabic, just to be chatty, if everything was alright in Egypt now. I was sort of getting at the overall ebullient mood of the people, but he interpreted my question as asking about personal safety in Maadi these days. He told me, 'mafeesh mushkila, ya madam' (no problem, ma'am!) and moved aside his jacket so I could see the handgun holstered to his belt. Oh my! I appreciated his attempt to relieve me, but I have to say it only served to increase my anxiety a little.
We did a quick trip over to the apartment of our friends who had been Saqqara's foster parents for the past two weeks. We scooped her up and brought her back to our house. Our friends were out that evening, taking advantage of a 70% discount for a night in the fanciest hotel in Cairo. Saqqara made the transition back to life in her old home smoothly. We were pleased to hear that she was a very good house guest, except for chewing through a laptop cord.
On Saturday afternoon, we attended a Shell security briefing in Kattameya. All requests that the company has made are reasonable and many are simply common sense for keeping safe during unstable times. The one place we are banned from visiting specifically is Tahrir Square. Especially seeing the few times that it spontaneously erupted into violence last week, that rule is understandable to me.
The next day I did some errands around our town. The supermarket clerks were much more smiley than usual as I checked out and a local pharmacist, whom I've never met before, told me 'Welcome back!' Sayyid, our doorman, rang the bell and enveloped both Connor and me in big hugs. He told us he didn't sleep for about 20 days during the part of the revolution when looting was a threat, instead knocking back a bunch of coffees and standing guard with his samurai sword. Nadia, our housekeeper, confirmed that she saw him at all hours when she came to check on the flat. Our place was exactly as we left it, save for one of the glass doors out to the patio is now locked. We have never managed to find the right key in a year and a half so we have no idea how it got locked or how to undo it. It's a mystery!
Egyptian youth have painted a series of murals on a long wall that runs through central Maadi. The messages are really inspiring:
I like this sign especially...
For the past week, we have been getting settled back into our routines in Egypt, as much as we can. I've been to the refugee office where I volunteer a couple of times. The staff is being very flexible and retooling what services it can offer to its clients while the UN has temporarily shut down the resettlement process. The influx of thousands of refugees from Libya into Egypt may further complicate the system. It's a pretty fascinating time to be in the Middle East. Connor's heading into work each day, although the commute feels more harrowing than ever before. He had to take an alternate route home one evening due to a large gathering of protesters on a main north-south road and the next morning drove over lots of broken glass, the remnants of horrible religious violence that occurred on that street on Tuesday night between Muslims and Christians. That incident has been one of the most disappointing events of this whole upheaval. A gathering of women in Tahrir Square to celebrate International Women's Day last week quickly turned ugly and oppressive, with a group of men swarming the square, beating and groping the women and telling them they are not their equals. I overheard a passionate political discussion in the women's carriage on the Metro the other day. So the atmosphere, especially in downtown areas, is certainly still charged. Egypt has a challenging rebuilding process ahead, there is no doubt, but the positivity and community spirit has greatly outweighed the haters so far.
It has been so wonderful to spend time with our Cairo-based friends once again. Most evacuated but were able to return before we were. If and when we move to our next posting, which we anticipate will be early summer, the loss of these great people from our everyday lives will be the hardest part. We are so fortunate to have come to Cairo at this point in our lives and be exposed to so many fascinating, generous, and thoughtful people. It will be hard to find another community quite as outstanding and supportive as the one we have here in Egypt.
Below are pictures we took with a tank that is stationed in Maadi:
