The End is Nigh

The school year is over!

I have finished and will be moving out of a hotel and into an apartment today at 3 pm. It was a good school year, busier than most but a lot of fun. I now just get to chill...well sweat actually. The aparment that Nicholas and I got is very small. It has a tiny bathroom and kitchen, and two bedrooms. One has two small beds and the other is to me combination masterbedroom and living room. There is no separate living room dining room area that I recall. We got it for cheap, at 2000 pounds per month in a nice part of the city: Garden City.

I also went to the Mogamma today which is the governmental center of the overladened bureaucracy that is the government of Egypt. It was insane; thankfully I was in and out in an hour. Right around 1030 I noticed that the crush of people had significantly lessened. It was weird. I didn't feel the heat from the bodies behind me. I stopped boxing people out while waiting to get up to the counter (Anna you would be proud). It got quieter and less sweaty. What a wonderful thing Egyptian breakfasts are.

If you want to know what the Mogamma is like watch this movie Al Irhab wal Kabab or Terrorism and Bar.b.que. It is actually filmed at the Mogamma (you can even see my school in one shot) and depicts the chaos within this building. Upon entering, I was immediately lost in the bowels of the Mogamma amidst swarms of people eating, talking, walking, and waiting...mostly waiting.

Here are the necessary requirements for getting through the Mogamma:
1. Patience
2. Patience
3. A veteran of the Mogamma, preferably someone reliable who will tell you what you need so that when you get through all the lines to one counter, you can finish everything that one time. (I was missing one thing)
4. Arabic! (even limited)
5. Have previously viewed Al Irhab wal Kabab (it puts it all in perspective)
6. Provisions for two days in case of crowds (including first aid for falling up steps (which I saw), bribes for guards, and food for stamina. Thankfully none of this was necessary...this time.
7. Patience.

The Mogamma is worse than the MVA mostly because there aren't a million people trying to go through the MVA. It may seem like that at the MVA but there may actually be a million people going through the Mogamma in a course of a day. Hopefully I will never experience the full force of the Mogamma, as you would probably never see me again.

As for future postings things are up in the air on how regular it will be. My apartment does not have internet, but I know of an a nearby internet cafe and bakery with free wireless. Once I get settled I will be able to know for sure.

Thanks for all your help this semester in whatever form it came in! Love and miss you all.

tim