March Break, Moving, and Misr

I guess it's been a few weeks since I've had a chance to write anything. Time flies when you're having fun... or in the middle of many changes. Here's a brief update.

As you can tell by the poem below, I recently returned to Canada, for a short stint visiting family and friends, and a bit of work on the side. Some of the highlights from that trip include:

- enjoying fufu and red red with some of the Ghana roomies at a Toronto restaurant blaring authentic beats... what a trip back to the good 'ol days!!
- sharing food with family (both my favourite treats from Egypt and homecooked Canadian meals around our dining room table)
- catching up with Canadian friends over coffee
- cooking deliciousness and hanging out all day with friends in London England
- stocking up on supplies (books, food, music, clothes)
- enjoying a few wonderful soft beds and pillows
- catching up on all the latest movies in the plane rides in between everything

I know these things all sound very material... most of them involve food, but really, it's just the facilitator of wonderful interactions with loved ones (which is what really mattered!!), and the things I needed to recharge my battery! And, it's good to appreciate the little things right?!

When I got back to Cairo, I felt refreshed and ready to take on the next eight months. (I guess I should mention that while in Canada I agreed to extend my contract until mid-December. I feel good about this decision, as it will give me time to see a few things through to their conclusion, learn more arabic, and really deepen in my connections here.) Truth be told, I rather missed the arabic, and many aspects of life here that I am really enjoying. Coming back, it was easy to slip into old routines, and to start creating new ones... it was like a second chance at balancing work and personal life, and making sure I'm really present in this experience. I'm grateful for this opportunity!

After a few weeks in Cairo, it was time to begin planning for a move to Aswan!! While it was hard to say goodbye to my room-mate (who will leave Egypt before I return to Cairo), I was happy to be leaving the chaos of Cairo for a few weeks... particularly for the beautiful peace of Aswan. Aswan is one of my favourite places in Egypt... if not the world! It is a gorgeous blend of desert and lush palm trees, a river afloat with feluccas, and quaint islands full of laid back Nubians who will happily show you their farmland and village. I know I'm painting the idyllic picture here, but I really love this side of the area, the slower pace of life of the town, and lack of pollution!! Of course there are lots of tourists who take the Nile cruises up to Luxor, and therefore there's lots of hassling Egyptians, but i'll take that over the physical harassment I've experienced in Cairo any day! I've now been in Aswan for half a week and am enjoying my new neighbourhood, interactions with landlords and EACID staff and locals, and the opportunity to live this as well as the Cairo life!

More soon...