Home Sweet Home

Now this blog can officially be called Adventures in Aswan because I moved in Thursday night! It was a bit of an adventure getting here, our plane had technical difficulties so we got to sit in a hot airplane for almost an hour past our departure time. After we finally got in the air things went smoothly, but it is a little strange arriving in a new city in the middle of the night…I didn’t leave the airport until a little after 1 am. The director of EACID met me at the airport and took me to my new flat. It feels really big for one person so it’s good that I’ll have visitors now and then. It’s right downtown and when standing on my balcony the is in front and to the right, and on the left is the Nile! I’m also only a couple streets over from the main market street and about a 15 minute walk to the office.

Yesterday was fairly uneventful. I tried to sleep in but my window faces east and needless to say I’m going to need to figure out a better way of blocking out the sun than the tissue paper like covers the windows have right now. I spent most of today cleaning, not that the place was dirty but it hasn’t been lived in in the last little while and since the is pretty much in the dessert things can get a little dusty. So after sweeping and moping the whole place I decided I need a few essentials so I took a walk around the block and came back with a case of bottled water and toilet paper. Very exciting I know, but I go through water like crazy here. My next task was the kitchen which I figured I should wipe down before starting to keep food in. one I had finished that I needed some food so I went looking for that next. It’s a little more difficult than walking into a grocery store…no one stop shopping here. And I think I’m the only non-Egyptian buying things other than souvenirs so I’ve been getting some funny looks.

Today i was able to sleep in a little...till 9:30 as opposed to 6...so I guess I just needed to get used to a new place. Had a shower and was please to find out that the water heater works, and I've got great water pressure. I then went out to find some more food, things like sugar, pepper, salt, etc...it's amazing how much there is to buy when you're starting from nothing. I also found a good fruit stand and bought mangos, pomegranate, and apples.
Right now I’m thankful for less traffic, air conditioning in my bedroom, living by the water, and the Arabic lessons I took in Cairo…they’re already coming in handy. I feel some how that I belong here a little more now that I can communicate without needing someone else to speak English. I actually understand Egyptians better than the foreigners around here who are mostly European.

And finally for those of you who are interested some pictures of my new abode...