Delivered the two paintings to Soheir Osman at the Faculty of Applied Arts at Helwan University. Their International Festival is Monday, Dec. 21st, the Winter Solstice. She liked these paintings a lot. Met another artist,Dr. Mostafa Kamal. Will visit his new art school in 6 October city soon.
Yesterday, the 17th of December was noteworthy for being the Roman Saturnalia and the sunset start of the Islamic New Year. As far as the New Year here in Cairo, I was told by Ali (the IT guy at Fulbright) - he had come to work on my wireless - he said people eat meat. What? OK at iftar (the breaking of the fast at each Ramadan day or else the Eid - people eat meat especially the common people. Rich people eat meat a lot and Copts each pork. My sister Liz, does turkey AND ham on Christmas day and a rib roast on Christmas Eve if she can afford. I'll say, rib roast and beef tenderloin cost a lot. I'll be missing Peggy's awesome beef tenderloin with reduced port sauce and the scalloped potatoes with mushrooms.
"The Islamic New Year is a cultural event which Muslims observe on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. Many Muslims use the day to remember the significance of this month, and the Hijra, or migration, Islamic prophet Muhammad made it to the city now known as Medina. Recently, in many areas of Muslim population, people have begun exchanging cards and gifts on this day, though this is not commonly done. For Shia Muslims, Muharram is the month grief and sorrow because they mourn the death of Imam Hussain and his companions on the day of Ashura.
Ras as-Sana (Arabic: رأس السنة ) is the Islamic celebration of the new Hijri year. The term is similarly used in the Arabic language to mark the start of the new Gregorian year. The word literally means "Head of the year," and is cognate to the Hebrew term Rosh Hashanah. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Muharram migrates throughout the seasons."
I made brownies today from a Betty Crocker mix -it was easier than homemade though we do have the ingredients to make Christmas cookies with brown suger, flour, eggs, spices, chocolate chips both milk and semi sweet and walnuts. I even found a molasses brown sugar so Dominique can try to make gingebreak cookies.
Today, I stayed at home and made some necklaces - well, as far as I could get without the necessary technique to finish them off. I spent all afternoon at the Khan el Khalili armed with my business cards for the Bedouin Shop to see Ahmed. I bought the most magnificent vintage Mosque lamp with colored glassw inserted so when the light shines through, it is gorgeous. I bought some beads and some more Bedouin stuff from Nasser brothers - he has a picture of himself with the Queen of Spain on the back wall. Tiny store. Had tea at the Pancake House and waited for traffice to die down around 7 pm.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
New Abstract paintings completed
Picked up my two paintings, framed and adhered to the foam core board today from Mr. Helmy, aka, the Framer, on Yehia Ibrahim Street in Zamalek. I had to put the four freshly painted portraits on the one and add some calligraphy and color to it as well. Just tweaked the first one and got rid of the black line beneath the Bedouin portraits at the bottom of the painting. I'm posting the photos of the paintings as well as the el Nafeza paper paintings of the Bedouin woman and children. I figured since the paintings are based on a rusty door that I saw in Al Arish in north Sinai, that Bedouin women and children were appropriate portraits to add. Also, I did a little Arabic calligraphy. Thought I was spelling Bedouin door and Mother and children but also blurred those lines with paint. The door was rusty with layers of black, white, blue and yellow paint. I'm pretty happy with it and hope that my audience likes it as well. It's for an International Group Show at the Opera House probably Al Bab Gallery next to the Modern Art Museum again.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Cocktails on Jamie's Houseboat
Sunday, yesterday, Karl, Joelle and I were invited to Jamie's houseboat in Kit Kat, Imbaba, Cairo. Just past the Zamalek bridge, is Jamie's rental - it is very rare for anyone to get one of these as they belong to families who might come to visit a few months out of the year like the Sudanese family who own his and live in the U.S. Jamie's apartment is the upper floor of a two apartment houseboat. His is enviable - he has a very large covered patio space with a two bedroom, two bath, living room, dining area, kitchen and a wrap around porch. Everything, one desires in houseboat living. True, it does get cold in the winter and there is no air conditioning but he does have a TV - it came furnished too and has internet access. His beds look as if they can sleep three people each, he says five but the Brits get cozier than Americans. Our king sized beds are only for two.
I took lots of pictures and will be there again, as he invited us for a New Year's Eve party with about 30 people. I was hoping for a good invitation - I'll bring Carla as she will be with me from that time. Jamie has worked for Oxfam for the last 17 years and is just about ready to turn over his directorship - he officially stopped working for them but wants to pass on the baton so that his replacement is properly trained.
After plied with many glasses of beer, we staggered off to get to our party in Zamalek at the Lohof's. I was worried about my inebriation but apparently, others were feeling as happy as I was. We had to say au revoir to Karl last night as he was leaving early this morning to get back to Alexandria by train. He was such a good house guest - loved our conversations. I would love to find someone as nice but he is taken. We both have to leave Cairo on the 17th of January so he will probably spend his last day or two back at our place.
Will add more soon
I took lots of pictures and will be there again, as he invited us for a New Year's Eve party with about 30 people. I was hoping for a good invitation - I'll bring Carla as she will be with me from that time. Jamie has worked for Oxfam for the last 17 years and is just about ready to turn over his directorship - he officially stopped working for them but wants to pass on the baton so that his replacement is properly trained.
After plied with many glasses of beer, we staggered off to get to our party in Zamalek at the Lohof's. I was worried about my inebriation but apparently, others were feeling as happy as I was. We had to say au revoir to Karl last night as he was leaving early this morning to get back to Alexandria by train. He was such a good house guest - loved our conversations. I would love to find someone as nice but he is taken. We both have to leave Cairo on the 17th of January so he will probably spend his last day or two back at our place.
Will add more soon
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Bedouin trinkets at Atef Wassef
Without too much trouble, I managed to get to the silversmith's store - Atef Wassef. Mona, the owner and pharmacist of Nefertari Cosmetics had told me about this store. Her jewelry is so gorgeous that I am going to try to copy the coral and silver necklace she was wearing when I met her. Atef Wassef is located downtown at 54, Kaleq Sarwat Street perpendicular to the Corniche and near the Nasser Metro stop. The store is colorfully painted on its exterior, pink, blue and white in arabesques. The store is huge, two life sized bronze horses in the front part of the store.
Mona, a new Egyptian friend I met in the White Desert and owner/entrepeneur of Neferari Cosmetics told me about Atef Wassef, whose store is downtown. He had two big baskets full of all kinds of Bedouin belts, necklaces, bits and pieces. As I and two assistants pawed through the piles, my hands turned black with tarnish. Bedouin pieces are usually 60% silver (which makes them cheaper per gram to buy around 3.5 LE). Right now I am wearing a wonderful ring with an intaglio horse carved carnelian stone with tiny turquoise stones on the sides. It could be from Turkestan (Afghanistan). For a heavy sack of things, it came to 1765 LE around $300. I have enough to make about 10-12 necklaces as I concentrated on buying pendants though I did purchase some earrings too. They are generally called zar pendants - meant to protect the wearer and attached not to the earlobe, but to a Bedouin woman, attached to her head scarf near her ears.
Mona, a new Egyptian friend I met in the White Desert and owner/entrepeneur of Neferari Cosmetics told me about Atef Wassef, whose store is downtown. He had two big baskets full of all kinds of Bedouin belts, necklaces, bits and pieces. As I and two assistants pawed through the piles, my hands turned black with tarnish. Bedouin pieces are usually 60% silver (which makes them cheaper per gram to buy around 3.5 LE). Right now I am wearing a wonderful ring with an intaglio horse carved carnelian stone with tiny turquoise stones on the sides. It could be from Turkestan (Afghanistan). For a heavy sack of things, it came to 1765 LE around $300. I have enough to make about 10-12 necklaces as I concentrated on buying pendants though I did purchase some earrings too. They are generally called zar pendants - meant to protect the wearer and attached not to the earlobe, but to a Bedouin woman, attached to her head scarf near her ears.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Another NGO in Mokkatam
Today I went downtown after the W.A.'s Christmas party. They had someone making Irish coffee with real Irish whiskey. The woman who fixed it for me (20 LE) was generous with the whiskey and there was plenty of fresh whipped cream. I bought a loaf of banana bread for 20 LE (omg, fabulously moist, redolent of bananas, no nuts but didn't miss them) and a date cake for 50 LE. Everything to benefit the W.A.'s coffers - they have charitable projects. Met a women there selling these bags made by a group of women at the Garbage Collectors Village but at St. Simon the Tanner's church there.She is Dutch (Fenneke) and has been working with the women here since May 2008. The Center there had a small training center for making clothes but they had no work and they asked her if she had work for them. After a few days, she found the cloth made in Egypt called Khayameya - it's made 100% in Egypt, 100% Egyptian cotton, colorful and very sturdy. She thought they would make good aprons and then brought the six yards of material she had purchased to the Center along with her apron as a pattern.
In August of 2008, she had the women making bags - one of which I bought for 60 LE. In one year, the women had made 2500 aprons and 4200 bags. With that, they can earn a fair trade salary, the Center was able to purchase several sewing machines and an industrial ironing board. Any profits benefit the Amalna Home which is an orphanage for 8 girls. A nursery for Sudanese refugee children in Nasr City with monthly salaries for 5 people, rent and electricity paid for as well as contributing toward Operation Smile Egypt which offers free surgeries for children born with cleft palate. I found some information by googling Amalna Home and Fenneke has given my information to Laila, a woman who now runs the organization at St. Simon's. Fenneke was going back to Nairobi and wanted to start some other NGOs but with the help of a few others as it is so much work to do it alone, she told me.
In August of 2008, she had the women making bags - one of which I bought for 60 LE. In one year, the women had made 2500 aprons and 4200 bags. With that, they can earn a fair trade salary, the Center was able to purchase several sewing machines and an industrial ironing board. Any profits benefit the Amalna Home which is an orphanage for 8 girls. A nursery for Sudanese refugee children in Nasr City with monthly salaries for 5 people, rent and electricity paid for as well as contributing toward Operation Smile Egypt which offers free surgeries for children born with cleft palate. I found some information by googling Amalna Home and Fenneke has given my information to Laila, a woman who now runs the organization at St. Simon's. Fenneke was going back to Nairobi and wanted to start some other NGOs but with the help of a few others as it is so much work to do it alone, she told me.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Nomad Store and a new phone
I thought today was the Christmas coffee party at the Women's Association in Zamalek and I got there around 11:20 but there was no one there. The party is tomorrow which is Wednesday. I just thought it was Wednesday because Dominique had school on Sunday as a make up class. Then I looked at my email and found that I had a package - it was the one mailed from Maadi - silver prayer beads that I want to use for my jewelry. I was hoping it was a package or two from Istanbul, also ebay but not. I went to the Nomad store, the big one and bought a gorgeous necklace and some earrings. I am going to redo the necklace and get two out of one once I switch the beads around. It turns out that Nomad gets different beads and amulets from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Yemen, and makes a version of the vintage pieces. Hmmm, same thing I am doing. They served me tea today as the owner was in. It was real mint tea not the usual Lipton stuff I usually get served. Mostafa, or is it Mohamed? is going to make me some neck clasps because they do that too in a shop/workroom nearby. I love shopping.
More pics tomorrow and a story
More pics tomorrow and a story
Monday, December 7, 2009
Monday, it rained in Cairo
Yes, it's true. I was walking along 26 July Street on an infrequent walk, looked up at the sky which had puffy white clouds and above them a black series of clouds that looked like the black mist in Lost. You know, the one that swallowed Echo. The rain lasted only about 10 minutes but the sky tossed down about 1/10 of an inch. So that's my weather report!
I did a survey of the sidewalks in my neighborhood and the heavily trafficked 26 July Street the other day on my way to Alpha Market. In the light of day, one can watch for mishaps waiting to happen. In the dark, forget it! Pipes sticking up randomly (at least to me though they must have some purpose other than maiming visitors and residents), square holes about 12" x 12" usually partially filled with sand and/or trash like plastic bottles and paper and missing chunks of the 6 sided cement tiles and other random holes and protuberances. Then there are the high sidewalks with depressed driveways that you have to step down into and out of to continue on your way. No wonder Cairenes walk on the blacktop streets. But then, you have to make sure a taxi or other car's driver doesn't run over your foot. And believe me, it happens. I've gotten pretty good at crossing the street but downtown, it is treacherous. I did a little photo shoot of my walk - in real life, it looks worse, the photos make it seem not so bad but that's up to you to decide.
I find foam core at the art store on Ibrahim Mohamed Street near the art school. Lots of girls carrying their black portfolios and other art supplies, more than male students. So I wondered if the young women found that art was a safe major to pursue since most will get married and have families. I had one of those days where I would see a couple - Egyptian guy dressed in western wear with his wife all covered up, head to toe, only eyes showing and got annoyed. Some days it makes me really irritable and I want to yell at the men. The argument always is that a married woman is "protected" from the eyes of other men. Yes, I can see that but why are the men who might be ogling her so 1950s construction worker like in their patriarchal male chauvinist attitudes. Oh, the argument goes, they are frustrated. So what, do what men do, no not cheat on their wives or jump on foreign women, respect your Egyptian sisters. Really!
Anyway, it made me really happy to find the foam board rather than the heavy masonite backing that Mr. Helmy used in my last framed work. I am nearly finished with the backgrounds of two large 60 x 80 cm. acrylic paintings (background of rusty door with blue, white, yellow and some black paint that I photographed in Al Arish last Thursday. Then, I'm going to do a semi Ida Applebroog thing of having three 5" x 5" portraits of Bedouin women and children using the transfer technique on the bottom. I finally got the yellow paint with substantial drips the way I wanted. I've been working on this for three days now. It will take the last treatment a day or two to fully dry before the transfer. I have to have them ready by December 15th for a December 27th International Exhibition that Helwan University is sponsoring curated by Dr. Soheir Osman.
Sunday I went to the Khan Khalili to see if I could find some old beads. Note to self: never trust anyone who takes you to a shop. Prices are inflated because they get a cut of what you buy. They are all flattery and niceness until you find that the old beads you happily chose are 40 LE a gram, Even silver isn't more than 5 LE a gram though what's his name said it was 8 LE. I ended up culling my lovely collection of coral, turquoise, lapis and amber to four small pieces which I am embarrassed to admit, were very costly. If I had bought my small pile, they were going to charge me 6700 LE. Are they insane? No they thought I was. Beads do not cost that much. So I am back to ebay buying what I want at very reasonable prices. In case you don't know, 6700 LE is over $1000. I could nearly buy an ounce of gold for that! Anyway, lesson learned.
I'll post pics of the beads, my painting and the sidewalk horrors.
I did a survey of the sidewalks in my neighborhood and the heavily trafficked 26 July Street the other day on my way to Alpha Market. In the light of day, one can watch for mishaps waiting to happen. In the dark, forget it! Pipes sticking up randomly (at least to me though they must have some purpose other than maiming visitors and residents), square holes about 12" x 12" usually partially filled with sand and/or trash like plastic bottles and paper and missing chunks of the 6 sided cement tiles and other random holes and protuberances. Then there are the high sidewalks with depressed driveways that you have to step down into and out of to continue on your way. No wonder Cairenes walk on the blacktop streets. But then, you have to make sure a taxi or other car's driver doesn't run over your foot. And believe me, it happens. I've gotten pretty good at crossing the street but downtown, it is treacherous. I did a little photo shoot of my walk - in real life, it looks worse, the photos make it seem not so bad but that's up to you to decide.
I find foam core at the art store on Ibrahim Mohamed Street near the art school. Lots of girls carrying their black portfolios and other art supplies, more than male students. So I wondered if the young women found that art was a safe major to pursue since most will get married and have families. I had one of those days where I would see a couple - Egyptian guy dressed in western wear with his wife all covered up, head to toe, only eyes showing and got annoyed. Some days it makes me really irritable and I want to yell at the men. The argument always is that a married woman is "protected" from the eyes of other men. Yes, I can see that but why are the men who might be ogling her so 1950s construction worker like in their patriarchal male chauvinist attitudes. Oh, the argument goes, they are frustrated. So what, do what men do, no not cheat on their wives or jump on foreign women, respect your Egyptian sisters. Really!
Anyway, it made me really happy to find the foam board rather than the heavy masonite backing that Mr. Helmy used in my last framed work. I am nearly finished with the backgrounds of two large 60 x 80 cm. acrylic paintings (background of rusty door with blue, white, yellow and some black paint that I photographed in Al Arish last Thursday. Then, I'm going to do a semi Ida Applebroog thing of having three 5" x 5" portraits of Bedouin women and children using the transfer technique on the bottom. I finally got the yellow paint with substantial drips the way I wanted. I've been working on this for three days now. It will take the last treatment a day or two to fully dry before the transfer. I have to have them ready by December 15th for a December 27th International Exhibition that Helwan University is sponsoring curated by Dr. Soheir Osman.
Sunday I went to the Khan Khalili to see if I could find some old beads. Note to self: never trust anyone who takes you to a shop. Prices are inflated because they get a cut of what you buy. They are all flattery and niceness until you find that the old beads you happily chose are 40 LE a gram, Even silver isn't more than 5 LE a gram though what's his name said it was 8 LE. I ended up culling my lovely collection of coral, turquoise, lapis and amber to four small pieces which I am embarrassed to admit, were very costly. If I had bought my small pile, they were going to charge me 6700 LE. Are they insane? No they thought I was. Beads do not cost that much. So I am back to ebay buying what I want at very reasonable prices. In case you don't know, 6700 LE is over $1000. I could nearly buy an ounce of gold for that! Anyway, lesson learned.
I'll post pics of the beads, my painting and the sidewalk horrors.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Remembering Jeanette
My sister-in-law Jeanette, wife to my brother Joe in Colorado Springs, died Sunday night and I wanted to express my sadness of her death. She was diagnosed in the summer with a bilateral brain tumor which she didn't know she had until she took a nap and didn't wake up for over three weeks after her surgery. I met Jeanette when I was around 19 years old. We worked at a nursing home and she taught me how to take care of patients. Then my brother started working there, her pursued her despite objections from her mother, they married and were together for 37. They have two children, Gina (Regina) a working mother of two sons, and Ricky (Richard) who is in his second year of law school in New Mexico.
My brother Joe was such a good husband and provider. He took care of Jeanette himself with a little help from some friends and hospice at the end. A man like him is hard to find these days. Aside from her hospital stays after her two surgeries, she was at home.
Jeanette was a veteran shopper, she loved all sorts of things and kind of reminded me of myself alittle. My sister Loretta and I went to visit Joe and Jeanette this past August and helped Joe clean up a bit - all those clothes with tags still on etc. I hadn't seen my brother for many years. I got to meet my niece and nephew for the first time - they are both amazing. Joe is really close to his grandsons which will really help in the sad months to follow. Her funeral will be December 11th and she will be buried in the cathedral in the Queen of Angels side of the columbarium. Joe said she would have liked that.
Dis Manibus Jeanette, Rest in Peace.
My brother Joe was such a good husband and provider. He took care of Jeanette himself with a little help from some friends and hospice at the end. A man like him is hard to find these days. Aside from her hospital stays after her two surgeries, she was at home.
Jeanette was a veteran shopper, she loved all sorts of things and kind of reminded me of myself alittle. My sister Loretta and I went to visit Joe and Jeanette this past August and helped Joe clean up a bit - all those clothes with tags still on etc. I hadn't seen my brother for many years. I got to meet my niece and nephew for the first time - they are both amazing. Joe is really close to his grandsons which will really help in the sad months to follow. Her funeral will be December 11th and she will be buried in the cathedral in the Queen of Angels side of the columbarium. Joe said she would have liked that.
Dis Manibus Jeanette, Rest in Peace.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Camping in the White Desert
I just got back yesterday from four days, three nights camping in the White Desert. It is situated southwest of Cairo in between the Bahariya oasis (where the golden mummies were found) and the Farafra oasis. It takes quite a long time to reach Bahariya (nearly five hours) which we got to by a private Badawiya Expedition bus. We met at the British Council in Agouza just across the Nile from Zamalek. Four Fulbrighters including myself plus Jamie, a Brit who works as head honcho for Oxfam here in Cairo and Mona and Sharifa, mother and daughter. Mona is the owner of Nefertari, a natural cosmetics company now in its 10th year with stores in Zamalek and Maadi. I had made an expedition to Nefertari as I had read about it in our Cairo book; Oxfam and I have acquainted for years from my time in England and Oxford.
Once the police had copied our passports at the Bahariya oasis entrance and we looked at various handicrafts - the best of which were the sheep's wool blankets, nearly as soft as mohair or cashmere - Jamie bought a camel hair blanket which he will use as a rug on his rental apartment on a houseboat across the river from me - we changed transport to our 4 x 4 jeep. The desert road grew progressively bumpier with long long stretches of desert as far as the eye could see and beyond. It is said that there is 700,000 miles of desert and we had barely touched the fringes.
From Bahariya, we went on to our campsite, tired and hungry.
After some debate as to whether the five of us would all sleep in a large tent, we finally moved in. Jamie obtained the mattresses - thin pads of fabric covered foam and so the men were on one side of reed covered tent space while Joelle and I occupied the other side. Luckily I had brought a sheet as the blankets were scratchy camel wool. It was cold too as deserts are wont to be, warm in the daytime. We joined around 40 others - Egyptian families with rambunctious children and our Bedouin male hosts in charge of setting up tents, making our meals and driving us around. That night - Thanksgiving - we had grilled chicken on a metal grille directly over a fire, potatoes cooked in a large pot with with a tomato base, rice, chopped up tomatoes and cucumbers and assorted things to drink, nonalcoholic of course.
There was a three sided covered area to eat, again with the reed mats and the Egyptian families were at one side and we on the other. It was pretty much a quiet night and we retired fairly early. There were two porta-potties, one ostensibly for showering but really, that was an impossibility. Thankfully, I had brought facial wet wipes and body wipes and got myself ready for three more days of non-hair washing. There was a bit of snoring but I had brought ear plugs and proceeded to shiver myself to sleep.
Naturally, nature called and as the actual toilets were quite a walk in the dark - there was a 3/4 moon though - I looked around for anyone awake and nearsightedly saw none - walked or rather wobbled on the sand and saw that a 4 x 4 truck was parked conveniently not so far away from our square tent. I didn't really look into the truck but thankfully got behind it, squatted and peed with great relief. Once done, I looked up into the straw strewn night sky with too numerous to count stars, I have no idea what time it was - maybe 2 am. I'm glad I did see the sky because on the next two nights I woke up closer to dawn and couldn't see the abundance of stars as on the first night.
More later - for our second day's adventure.
Once the police had copied our passports at the Bahariya oasis entrance and we looked at various handicrafts - the best of which were the sheep's wool blankets, nearly as soft as mohair or cashmere - Jamie bought a camel hair blanket which he will use as a rug on his rental apartment on a houseboat across the river from me - we changed transport to our 4 x 4 jeep. The desert road grew progressively bumpier with long long stretches of desert as far as the eye could see and beyond. It is said that there is 700,000 miles of desert and we had barely touched the fringes.
From Bahariya, we went on to our campsite, tired and hungry.
After some debate as to whether the five of us would all sleep in a large tent, we finally moved in. Jamie obtained the mattresses - thin pads of fabric covered foam and so the men were on one side of reed covered tent space while Joelle and I occupied the other side. Luckily I had brought a sheet as the blankets were scratchy camel wool. It was cold too as deserts are wont to be, warm in the daytime. We joined around 40 others - Egyptian families with rambunctious children and our Bedouin male hosts in charge of setting up tents, making our meals and driving us around. That night - Thanksgiving - we had grilled chicken on a metal grille directly over a fire, potatoes cooked in a large pot with with a tomato base, rice, chopped up tomatoes and cucumbers and assorted things to drink, nonalcoholic of course.
There was a three sided covered area to eat, again with the reed mats and the Egyptian families were at one side and we on the other. It was pretty much a quiet night and we retired fairly early. There were two porta-potties, one ostensibly for showering but really, that was an impossibility. Thankfully, I had brought facial wet wipes and body wipes and got myself ready for three more days of non-hair washing. There was a bit of snoring but I had brought ear plugs and proceeded to shiver myself to sleep.
Naturally, nature called and as the actual toilets were quite a walk in the dark - there was a 3/4 moon though - I looked around for anyone awake and nearsightedly saw none - walked or rather wobbled on the sand and saw that a 4 x 4 truck was parked conveniently not so far away from our square tent. I didn't really look into the truck but thankfully got behind it, squatted and peed with great relief. Once done, I looked up into the straw strewn night sky with too numerous to count stars, I have no idea what time it was - maybe 2 am. I'm glad I did see the sky because on the next two nights I woke up closer to dawn and couldn't see the abundance of stars as on the first night.
More later - for our second day's adventure.
Monday, November 23, 2009
My Next International Exhibition
I met with Professor Soheir Osman today at the Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University in Dokki. She is such a wonderful woman and so generous with her time in the midst of all the work she has to do as Dean, teaching, curating an International Exhibition and her upcoming daughter's wedding. She had compiled a CD with 40-50 Egyptian women artists and their work; had an exhibition catalogue for me of women artists from Helwan University, and several other articles of information and images. I am so touched by her generosity. Dr. Taha Hussein had called her without notice when at our meeting a couple of weeks ago, I had mentioned that I was interested in interviewing and documenting women artists in Egypt. Dr. Hussein felt that my overly ambitious plan of visiting those 35+ workshops all over Egypt was a bit much for me to accomplish in 4 1/2 months. He's right - what with a whole month of Ramadan when I first arrived - and the brutally hot and humid weather - plus this new holiday tha coincides with our Thanksgiving - difficult to say the least.
However, I have an appointment with her tomorrow to drop off a CD with my c.v., photo portrait of myself and a photo of one of my paintings, I chose the Bedouin Girl who wasn't exhibited at the Al Bab Gallery at the Cairo Opera House complex. However, I am now working on a larger canvas which I sketched out in charcoal for a painting. I can exhibit two paintings so #1 is a group of three Bedouin children, two girls and a boy and the other one will be of Coptic Egyptian children but I haven't yet decided on which composition to do. I have until December 15th to bring the paintings in.
Tomorrow at 10 am I drop off the CD for the publisher - I am just under the wire for the catalogue. Did I mention that Dr. Osman asked if I were interested in exhibiting for their December 27th International Exhibition. She showed me who was exhibiting and the countries represented: Palestine, Oman, Canada, England, Australia, Holland, etc. and I (MOI) am the American participant. Wow! Dominique says that my stars are apparently lined up in the correct position for me. I will go to Soheir's studio on Sunday right after our Desert trip and take Dominique with me if she can go. We are supposed to get to Agouza at 6 pm and I thought we were getting back earlier as my appointment is 6 pm at her house/studio right on the Corniche de Nil. So I will have to tell her about the later time.
Tomorrow at noon, I will meet with Shayma to conduct interviews with the women who work on crafts at the All Saints Episcopal Church. Susie - an Egyptian woman who is a survivor of bad burns on her face as far as I could see, speaks some English and I will go to see her and the women. Finally, I have gotten more energetic (I am forcing myself and it is paying off) as the time for me in Egypt is winding down. I could do well here, I love how helpful my Egyptian friends are and I know now that I will have to apply for the WCU PASSHE grant for this coming summer. I want to study Arabic in Egypt and then I will be ready to apply for the Fulbright Hays Faculty Research Grant. So this is all for now, just wanted to catch up on today. I still have to fill in the blanks from Saturday's trip.
However, I have an appointment with her tomorrow to drop off a CD with my c.v., photo portrait of myself and a photo of one of my paintings, I chose the Bedouin Girl who wasn't exhibited at the Al Bab Gallery at the Cairo Opera House complex. However, I am now working on a larger canvas which I sketched out in charcoal for a painting. I can exhibit two paintings so #1 is a group of three Bedouin children, two girls and a boy and the other one will be of Coptic Egyptian children but I haven't yet decided on which composition to do. I have until December 15th to bring the paintings in.
Tomorrow at 10 am I drop off the CD for the publisher - I am just under the wire for the catalogue. Did I mention that Dr. Osman asked if I were interested in exhibiting for their December 27th International Exhibition. She showed me who was exhibiting and the countries represented: Palestine, Oman, Canada, England, Australia, Holland, etc. and I (MOI) am the American participant. Wow! Dominique says that my stars are apparently lined up in the correct position for me. I will go to Soheir's studio on Sunday right after our Desert trip and take Dominique with me if she can go. We are supposed to get to Agouza at 6 pm and I thought we were getting back earlier as my appointment is 6 pm at her house/studio right on the Corniche de Nil. So I will have to tell her about the later time.
Tomorrow at noon, I will meet with Shayma to conduct interviews with the women who work on crafts at the All Saints Episcopal Church. Susie - an Egyptian woman who is a survivor of bad burns on her face as far as I could see, speaks some English and I will go to see her and the women. Finally, I have gotten more energetic (I am forcing myself and it is paying off) as the time for me in Egypt is winding down. I could do well here, I love how helpful my Egyptian friends are and I know now that I will have to apply for the WCU PASSHE grant for this coming summer. I want to study Arabic in Egypt and then I will be ready to apply for the Fulbright Hays Faculty Research Grant. So this is all for now, just wanted to catch up on today. I still have to fill in the blanks from Saturday's trip.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Wadi Heitan Valley of the Whales
Saturday was an all day trip to the Valley of the Whales - a long ride by Land Cruiser 4x4s past Fayoum oasis. In 2005 skeletons of 39-43 million year old marine mammals were discovered throughout the desert floor close to Wadi Rayan. I'm not sure how truly accurate the claim is that these whales with vestigial limbs are the "missing link" between land based animals and ocean based animals. I thought it was the other way around that sea creatures gave rise to amphibians to truly land locked types which eventually became the might dinosaurs.
Well, be that as it may, it was still remarkable. What I loved were the "coins" small dime to quarter sized fossils which were once prehistoric single celled creatures around 43 million years ago. I collected a bunch of these from Wadi Ryan as there are millions of them and the geologist at the Valley of the Whales said that we could bring these home. Naturally, my over zealous collecting resulted in a little pouchful and I will have to cull my geological specimens before I go home. I was thinking that they would make interesting earrings but then, I would have to find some way to drill small holes in them - a talent beyond my capabilities at this time.
It was a very long day! We had a great lunch, albeit on the cold side, of chicken, large haunch of lamb and the usual rice with raisins, salad, etc. Our 4x4 jeeps were very axle impaired what with the bumpiness of the road but I made it home relatively intact.
Well, be that as it may, it was still remarkable. What I loved were the "coins" small dime to quarter sized fossils which were once prehistoric single celled creatures around 43 million years ago. I collected a bunch of these from Wadi Ryan as there are millions of them and the geologist at the Valley of the Whales said that we could bring these home. Naturally, my over zealous collecting resulted in a little pouchful and I will have to cull my geological specimens before I go home. I was thinking that they would make interesting earrings but then, I would have to find some way to drill small holes in them - a talent beyond my capabilities at this time.
It was a very long day! We had a great lunch, albeit on the cold side, of chicken, large haunch of lamb and the usual rice with raisins, salad, etc. Our 4x4 jeeps were very axle impaired what with the bumpiness of the road but I made it home relatively intact.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Al Bab Gallery & Cairo Symphony
Saturday night's art gallery opening was well attended even by the American Ambassador She didn't seem all that interested in me but was very courteous to my fellow Egyptian art colleagues. I got to meet Gazbia Sirry, the petite 80 something dynamo whose passion for painting has not ceased. She said her next showing of new work is slated for February 2010. Unfortunately, I won't make the opening but maybe her work will still be up when I return to Egypt for my presentation at Alexandria University March 2 to celebrate Women's History Month. I was really thrilled with the attendance of my Fulbright colleagues: Karl, Kathy and the kids, Karl Schaefer, Zohair, Dominique of course, Sussan and many others. Thank you all for coming. Shayma brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers - I felt like a rock star. Also my friends from the jewelry class of Women's Association in Zamalek. So impressed with the fact that they braved the horrendous traffic as it was the Egypt-Algeria finals. I loved seeing my friend Mounira because it's been a year and she has been so busy with with conferences in England, Austria and the U.S. just in the last couple of months.
Here are the artist's works that I felt were pretty fabulous: Gazbia Sirry, Khaled Hafez, Gamal Lamie, and Mostafa Razzaz. I have to get to the gallery tomorrow to take some photos as there were so many people there, I didn't get around to it. I want my readers to see it too. The other thing I wanted to mention was the ride home. It was difficult because all the taxis were full of people either going downtown where all the action was or from October 6 City that the U.S. Embassy issued a warning about since people get pretty worked up over soccer or football as they call it here. The rematch is tomorrow so more traffic woes. Anyway, we were finally picked up by a taxi whose wife and young daughter (with her face painted with Egypt's colors) were riding in the front seat. The photo I am posting will shock you as the mother had the baby daughter perched outside the window as if she was a dog needing air. I had given the child a few flowers from my bouquet and she, just like a femme fatate, had them in her mouth.
I just finished reading Taxi about taxi drivers in Egypt. The real life stories never cease to amaze me in terms of my own experiences. That child could have been decapitated at any time or at last made limbless as she put her little arm to pat the van next to the taxi. Sigh.
Here are the artist's works that I felt were pretty fabulous: Gazbia Sirry, Khaled Hafez, Gamal Lamie, and Mostafa Razzaz. I have to get to the gallery tomorrow to take some photos as there were so many people there, I didn't get around to it. I want my readers to see it too. The other thing I wanted to mention was the ride home. It was difficult because all the taxis were full of people either going downtown where all the action was or from October 6 City that the U.S. Embassy issued a warning about since people get pretty worked up over soccer or football as they call it here. The rematch is tomorrow so more traffic woes. Anyway, we were finally picked up by a taxi whose wife and young daughter (with her face painted with Egypt's colors) were riding in the front seat. The photo I am posting will shock you as the mother had the baby daughter perched outside the window as if she was a dog needing air. I had given the child a few flowers from my bouquet and she, just like a femme fatate, had them in her mouth.
I just finished reading Taxi about taxi drivers in Egypt. The real life stories never cease to amaze me in terms of my own experiences. That child could have been decapitated at any time or at last made limbless as she put her little arm to pat the van next to the taxi. Sigh.
Garbage Collector's Village
The Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE), Mansheyet Nasser, Mokkatam, Cairo, Egypt.
P.O. Box 32 Qal’a, Cairo, Mansheyet Nasser, Mokkatam
Telephone: Nicole Saad at 012-241-0522
Getting to the Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE) near the hills of Mokkatam, Cairo is a difficult if not impossible task with local transportation. Everyone in Egypt knows where the Garbage City location is yet few have ever visited the site. Additionally, not many residents outside of Mokkatam or visitors to Egypt know about APE though it is a model concept for recycling and for raising the esteem and livelihood of young and married Egyptian women. APE is close to the Coptic monastery chapels of St. Simon the Tanner. You should engage a driver who speaks Arabic (and who is willing to take you there) making frequent stops to ask directions, and a less than perfect sense of smell. You are, after all, going to a neighborhood where 7000 tons of garbage is dumped daily from over 20 million inhabitants of Cairo. You will know when you enter the “garbage collectors” village by the site and smell of piles of garbage, paper, styrofoam, plastic and other bits of flotsam and jetsam. Mahsheyet Nasser is home to some 30,000 zabbaleen (a name that means garbage collector) The total number of inhabitants of the whole of Mokkatam, a district within Cairo with few green trees but many shacks and jerry rigged apartments, is well over 1.2 million.
The zabbaleen are mainly Christian Copts, the Sai’idi from Upper Egypt. Sai’idis in Cairo are former fellahin who subsisted on farming for landlords in southern Egypt akin to the sharecroppers of the American dustbowl and south. They were landless peasants whose only available place to live was on the outskirts of Cairo once they severed ties with family and friends in the district of Badari, home to them for countless generations. As Cairo grew, they faced many evictions and relocations to places further and further away from the metropolitan center. The farmers had hoped that urban Cairo would allow them a new start, a better situation for themselves and their families. Unemployment is extremely high in Cairo, moreover, the fellahin were illiterate and unable to compete in the main job market of tourism and services. With their insufficient education and lack of established relationships in Cairo they took over the only job they were remotely qualified to do - the odious task of garbage collection run by middlemen living in Cairo and known to the urban households to which they had access. The middlemen established themselves in Cairo around the late 1920s and are known as waahi, a name for a dweller of the oases in Egypt. The zabbaleen coming from the Nile valley (Assiut province) paid for the privilege of collecting garbage on specified routes and turned over all paper products for recycling to their sponsors who made a good profit. Additionally, they had to rent the rooms they were assigned with the profits they made from all non-paper garbage. Organic refuse from the carts full of mixed rubbish was collected by their wives and daughters to feed the pigs which the family raised for their landlord. When mature, the pigs were sold for slaughter to the four main Coptic pork brokers; Muslims are forbidden from contact or even merchandizing pig related products. The pigsty was in back of the rental with waste piling up each day until it was removed (for a price) and sold by the dealer to farmers in the Delta area as uncomposted and bacteria laden fertilizer. With this kind of unhygienic work, the farmer and his family were hosts for disease and illness yet they persevered with long hours and back-breaking labor. Profits were made with items retrieved from the garbage of wealthier clients in the city such as electrical appliances, copper, tin, plastic and cloth. Rent money was obtained, pigsty and pig ownership was slowly gained and even some luxuries such as dowries for daughters and money for school for the sons were set aside.
P.O. Box 32 Qal’a, Cairo, Mansheyet Nasser, Mokkatam
Telephone: Nicole Saad at 012-241-0522
Getting to the Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE) near the hills of Mokkatam, Cairo is a difficult if not impossible task with local transportation. Everyone in Egypt knows where the Garbage City location is yet few have ever visited the site. Additionally, not many residents outside of Mokkatam or visitors to Egypt know about APE though it is a model concept for recycling and for raising the esteem and livelihood of young and married Egyptian women. APE is close to the Coptic monastery chapels of St. Simon the Tanner. You should engage a driver who speaks Arabic (and who is willing to take you there) making frequent stops to ask directions, and a less than perfect sense of smell. You are, after all, going to a neighborhood where 7000 tons of garbage is dumped daily from over 20 million inhabitants of Cairo. You will know when you enter the “garbage collectors” village by the site and smell of piles of garbage, paper, styrofoam, plastic and other bits of flotsam and jetsam. Mahsheyet Nasser is home to some 30,000 zabbaleen (a name that means garbage collector) The total number of inhabitants of the whole of Mokkatam, a district within Cairo with few green trees but many shacks and jerry rigged apartments, is well over 1.2 million.
The zabbaleen are mainly Christian Copts, the Sai’idi from Upper Egypt. Sai’idis in Cairo are former fellahin who subsisted on farming for landlords in southern Egypt akin to the sharecroppers of the American dustbowl and south. They were landless peasants whose only available place to live was on the outskirts of Cairo once they severed ties with family and friends in the district of Badari, home to them for countless generations. As Cairo grew, they faced many evictions and relocations to places further and further away from the metropolitan center. The farmers had hoped that urban Cairo would allow them a new start, a better situation for themselves and their families. Unemployment is extremely high in Cairo, moreover, the fellahin were illiterate and unable to compete in the main job market of tourism and services. With their insufficient education and lack of established relationships in Cairo they took over the only job they were remotely qualified to do - the odious task of garbage collection run by middlemen living in Cairo and known to the urban households to which they had access. The middlemen established themselves in Cairo around the late 1920s and are known as waahi, a name for a dweller of the oases in Egypt. The zabbaleen coming from the Nile valley (Assiut province) paid for the privilege of collecting garbage on specified routes and turned over all paper products for recycling to their sponsors who made a good profit. Additionally, they had to rent the rooms they were assigned with the profits they made from all non-paper garbage. Organic refuse from the carts full of mixed rubbish was collected by their wives and daughters to feed the pigs which the family raised for their landlord. When mature, the pigs were sold for slaughter to the four main Coptic pork brokers; Muslims are forbidden from contact or even merchandizing pig related products. The pigsty was in back of the rental with waste piling up each day until it was removed (for a price) and sold by the dealer to farmers in the Delta area as uncomposted and bacteria laden fertilizer. With this kind of unhygienic work, the farmer and his family were hosts for disease and illness yet they persevered with long hours and back-breaking labor. Profits were made with items retrieved from the garbage of wealthier clients in the city such as electrical appliances, copper, tin, plastic and cloth. Rent money was obtained, pigsty and pig ownership was slowly gained and even some luxuries such as dowries for daughters and money for school for the sons were set aside.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Markaz Foundation, Maadi
Markaz Crafts Revival & Development Center
1B, Road 199 (Entrance on Road 233)
Degla, Maadi
Telephone: 02 2754 7026 / 010 240 5858
Opening hours: Daily 10:00am - 7:00pm
Fridays & Holidays 1:00pm – 7:00pm
The beautifully designed Markaz showroom is not only a shop, it also functions as an organization which supports local crafts from all over Egypt, raising public awareness about the women who make their livelihoods from traditional handicrafts. Now of course, with shopping being a women’s pastime all over the more affluent nations of the world, Markaz puts together in one place, the finest products which are tailored to contemporary aesthetics. One would have to travel considerably and with some discomfort (dusty and bumpy roads, deserts, mountains and tiny Bedouin villages) within the many regions of Egypt to find these products if indeed, this were possible to the casual tourist. Many Bedouin women work at home, one rarely sees them at all in the marketplaces plying their goods as their husbands, brothers and sons bring their work to places like the Thursday Market in Al Arish. The items bought there might be one third the price that you find at Markaz, but in the end, one stop shopping when one has limited time, is priceless. Additionally, craft quality such as the silk embroidered bags from Fansina in South Sinai and the glorious textiles of Akhmin in the Sohag Protectorate is unrivalled amongst other shops in Cairo where the owners buy from similar NGOs and private groups.
The unique quality of the pillows, bedspreads, handbags and even dolls at Markaz is that the showroom employs designers who take individual pieces from tassels to beading and textiles and create truly gorgeous and one of a kind items as one can see from the photos above. The Markaz Foundation is dedicated toward the documentation of local and regional craft traditions and, as much as possible, their continuation. Different crafts produced in Egypt include baskets, pottery, embroidery, textile and carpet weaving, brass and leather work, papermaking, quilting and jewelry. Many contemporary Egyptian artists use traditional crafts or aesthetics in their own fine art.
Mohamed Amin is the founder and owner of Markaz Crafts Revival & Development Center in Maadi. He chose the name Markaz because it means center and his is a center of craft from production to education. He is passionate about the concept and the continuation of preserving Egypt’s most precious traditions from the 11-13 Bedouin tribes as well as regional Nubian, Sai’idi and even Sudanese artisans who have immigrated to Egypt. I first became interested in local crafts two years ago while on a Fulbright Hays Summer Seminar to Egypt. I had found several craft stores in Cairo such as Nomad and Fair Trade Egypt’s Craft Store but until now, had not discovered additional centers such as Markaz. I had learned about Fansina Crafts in South Sinai which employs Bedouin women from local villages in 2007 as well and found the project there to be enlightening and beautiful. Then in the summer of 2008, I returned to Cairo and visited around seven NGOs such as APE, Basheyer, El Nafeza and others. It wasn’t until last week that I found Markaz with the help of Sussan, who lives in Maadi.
Markaz was actually conceived on a smaller scale by Mohamed Amin in 1996 and then started in a small way, in 1999. Foundations such as Markaz are not a handout but a hand up to bring dignity, economic freedom, and appreciation to the artisans. In Egypt, associations are based on kinship and honor among friends. It is nearly impossible for a foreigner to truly understand and take part directly in such working relationships. The ability of women to create such astonishingly beautiful handmade products has escaped the notice of most tourists to Egypt. Traditional wedding dresses and headpieces are often showcased but are not really practical as purchases for most. Ethnic Bedouin and Nubian jewelry is sold at high prices over the Internet on eBay and other African craft marketplaces and even in the Khan el Khalili when one can find them. Each piece is unique and savvy Egyptian and European collectors have all but cornered that market. However, the documentation of these crafts and new marketing to target an appreciative audience through publications like the AUC’s plan to publish fourteen books on crafts through a project run by Professor Robert Jones in his Community based Learning Project will provide a wonderful resource and economic freedom for the workers employed not only by Markaz but other NGOs with similar objectives.
The most important life-giving aspect to the craft tradition is a gradual switch from function to the decorative arts. An appreciation of artisan crafts brings a different sort of awareness to us all from the mass consumption of cheaply made objects toward a love of beauty, nature, handmade and unique pieces. Even if every type of weaving pattern and embroidered stitching types fall along the wayside and exist only in books, at least the continuation of some will ensure their survival and appreciation for the people as cultural treasures. Young people often leave their villages to go into the city for education and jobs. Unemployment is high even with a university degree. For the Bedouin and Nubian younger generation a sense of family may be lost along with a sense of belonging and being proud of their culture. There is still a chance for a reversal of fortune not just economically but aesthetically when people like Mohamed Amin and others like him use their talents to revive a nation so rich in history and cultural traditions.
copyright V. M. da Costa
1B, Road 199 (Entrance on Road 233)
Degla, Maadi
Telephone: 02 2754 7026 / 010 240 5858
Opening hours: Daily 10:00am - 7:00pm
Fridays & Holidays 1:00pm – 7:00pm
The beautifully designed Markaz showroom is not only a shop, it also functions as an organization which supports local crafts from all over Egypt, raising public awareness about the women who make their livelihoods from traditional handicrafts. Now of course, with shopping being a women’s pastime all over the more affluent nations of the world, Markaz puts together in one place, the finest products which are tailored to contemporary aesthetics. One would have to travel considerably and with some discomfort (dusty and bumpy roads, deserts, mountains and tiny Bedouin villages) within the many regions of Egypt to find these products if indeed, this were possible to the casual tourist. Many Bedouin women work at home, one rarely sees them at all in the marketplaces plying their goods as their husbands, brothers and sons bring their work to places like the Thursday Market in Al Arish. The items bought there might be one third the price that you find at Markaz, but in the end, one stop shopping when one has limited time, is priceless. Additionally, craft quality such as the silk embroidered bags from Fansina in South Sinai and the glorious textiles of Akhmin in the Sohag Protectorate is unrivalled amongst other shops in Cairo where the owners buy from similar NGOs and private groups.
The unique quality of the pillows, bedspreads, handbags and even dolls at Markaz is that the showroom employs designers who take individual pieces from tassels to beading and textiles and create truly gorgeous and one of a kind items as one can see from the photos above. The Markaz Foundation is dedicated toward the documentation of local and regional craft traditions and, as much as possible, their continuation. Different crafts produced in Egypt include baskets, pottery, embroidery, textile and carpet weaving, brass and leather work, papermaking, quilting and jewelry. Many contemporary Egyptian artists use traditional crafts or aesthetics in their own fine art.
Mohamed Amin is the founder and owner of Markaz Crafts Revival & Development Center in Maadi. He chose the name Markaz because it means center and his is a center of craft from production to education. He is passionate about the concept and the continuation of preserving Egypt’s most precious traditions from the 11-13 Bedouin tribes as well as regional Nubian, Sai’idi and even Sudanese artisans who have immigrated to Egypt. I first became interested in local crafts two years ago while on a Fulbright Hays Summer Seminar to Egypt. I had found several craft stores in Cairo such as Nomad and Fair Trade Egypt’s Craft Store but until now, had not discovered additional centers such as Markaz. I had learned about Fansina Crafts in South Sinai which employs Bedouin women from local villages in 2007 as well and found the project there to be enlightening and beautiful. Then in the summer of 2008, I returned to Cairo and visited around seven NGOs such as APE, Basheyer, El Nafeza and others. It wasn’t until last week that I found Markaz with the help of Sussan, who lives in Maadi.
Markaz was actually conceived on a smaller scale by Mohamed Amin in 1996 and then started in a small way, in 1999. Foundations such as Markaz are not a handout but a hand up to bring dignity, economic freedom, and appreciation to the artisans. In Egypt, associations are based on kinship and honor among friends. It is nearly impossible for a foreigner to truly understand and take part directly in such working relationships. The ability of women to create such astonishingly beautiful handmade products has escaped the notice of most tourists to Egypt. Traditional wedding dresses and headpieces are often showcased but are not really practical as purchases for most. Ethnic Bedouin and Nubian jewelry is sold at high prices over the Internet on eBay and other African craft marketplaces and even in the Khan el Khalili when one can find them. Each piece is unique and savvy Egyptian and European collectors have all but cornered that market. However, the documentation of these crafts and new marketing to target an appreciative audience through publications like the AUC’s plan to publish fourteen books on crafts through a project run by Professor Robert Jones in his Community based Learning Project will provide a wonderful resource and economic freedom for the workers employed not only by Markaz but other NGOs with similar objectives.
The most important life-giving aspect to the craft tradition is a gradual switch from function to the decorative arts. An appreciation of artisan crafts brings a different sort of awareness to us all from the mass consumption of cheaply made objects toward a love of beauty, nature, handmade and unique pieces. Even if every type of weaving pattern and embroidered stitching types fall along the wayside and exist only in books, at least the continuation of some will ensure their survival and appreciation for the people as cultural treasures. Young people often leave their villages to go into the city for education and jobs. Unemployment is high even with a university degree. For the Bedouin and Nubian younger generation a sense of family may be lost along with a sense of belonging and being proud of their culture. There is still a chance for a reversal of fortune not just economically but aesthetically when people like Mohamed Amin and others like him use their talents to revive a nation so rich in history and cultural traditions.
copyright V. M. da Costa
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Coptic Christianity in Egypt
In the 1st century CE, Egypt was evangelized by St. Mark who came to Alexandria two times c. 50 CE to found a School of Theology. The Romans considered St. Mark to be a threat to their authority and he was martyred in Alexandria c. 60 CE. By the 3rd century CE or so all Egyptians were Christians. By the same token, the Christians who had persecuted the Egyptian temple priests were themselves now persecuted. How was this massive Christianization accomplished? Purgatory, Heaven and Hell were all incorporated into ancient Egyptian beliefs despite the fact that their religion was polytheistic in nature. The Romans who had conquered Egypt in 30 BCE had mistreated the indigenous population so they turned to the new religion which was similar to the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead (the Book of Going Forth by Day) with its promise of immortality in the next life.
In 284 CE, the Emperor Diocletian's persecutions of Christians were the most brutal. The Coptic calendar begins with the year 284. The Emperor Constantine became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity on his deathbed and declared toleration of the religion. Two churches were developed: 1) the Church of Alexandria and 2) the Church in Rome. After the persecutions, the two Churches parted. The Aryan controversy which focused on the nature of Jesus Christ gave rise to theological discussions which met in Ephesus. There were two interpretations: One was the Monophysite which said that one cannot separate the divine nature of Christ from his human nature and that Mary was the Mother of God (Orthodox Egyptian religion); the Diophysite emphasized the divinity of Jesus Christ versus the humanity of Jesus Christ which stated that Mary was the mother of the human Jesus. Sound confusing?
The 4th Council of 451 CE decided on the Diophysite interpretation but Egypt refused this branch of theology and thus began the Egyptian Coptic Church. The literal meaning of Copt is Egyptian. When the Muslims came to Egypt, the word Coptic meant religion. The Byzantine Church tried to bring the Egyptian Church back and a second wave of persecutions developed this time, Christians against Christians. The Muslims helped the Egyptian Copts and the Egyptian Copts helped the Muslims fight against the Byzantine empire and the Crusaders.
Architectural differences in Coptic versus Byzantine style - The Coptic Church is rectangular with three chapels which harkens back to the Pharaonic Temple style (Temple of Isis,Philae). For Egyptian Copts, art and architecture was a cry for identity. An example is thelate 7th century CE Coptic Church also known as the Hanging Church (also known as El Muallaqa) because it rests between two towers. There may have been an earlier 4th century church built in the vicinity but archaeological eremains have not been identified. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and a local female martyr. The Copts have their own popes (Patriarchs); however Coptic priests can marry while Roman Catholic priests cannot. In a Coptic Church the vaulted roof is meant to remind the faithful of Noah's Ark. The Iconostasis is separate and divides the main chapel from the church.
Coptic language was the last development of ancient Egyptian language. Hieroglyphic, Hieratic and Demotic. There are many archaeologists who claim that with Christianity, the Egyptian priests were killed or driven out and the knowledge of hieroglypics was eventually lost. While this is true, the rest of the Egyptians spoke Demotic and the Coptic language is a direct descendant giving us a linguistic link to ancient Egyptian language.
For Copts, the relics of martyrs and icons are important (as they are in Catholicism but in a different way). Saint worship is extremely significant and worship of the Virgin Mary is of the highest degree of worship and respect.There are 110 icons in the Hanging Church of the Virgin Mary.
Unlike the Roman's love of colored marble, it wasn't in strong usage in Egypt until the 11th century. Columns in a Coptic church often have one black column to symbolized Judas. The star pattern is a Mamluke innovation with a tongue and groove technique employing ivory and wood. The representation of the fish is Coptic but it was also used in Pharaonic Egypt. Baptism in the Coptic religion takes place in a font where the infant is dipped into the water three times to symbolize the Trinity.
In 284 CE, the Emperor Diocletian's persecutions of Christians were the most brutal. The Coptic calendar begins with the year 284. The Emperor Constantine became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity on his deathbed and declared toleration of the religion. Two churches were developed: 1) the Church of Alexandria and 2) the Church in Rome. After the persecutions, the two Churches parted. The Aryan controversy which focused on the nature of Jesus Christ gave rise to theological discussions which met in Ephesus. There were two interpretations: One was the Monophysite which said that one cannot separate the divine nature of Christ from his human nature and that Mary was the Mother of God (Orthodox Egyptian religion); the Diophysite emphasized the divinity of Jesus Christ versus the humanity of Jesus Christ which stated that Mary was the mother of the human Jesus. Sound confusing?
The 4th Council of 451 CE decided on the Diophysite interpretation but Egypt refused this branch of theology and thus began the Egyptian Coptic Church. The literal meaning of Copt is Egyptian. When the Muslims came to Egypt, the word Coptic meant religion. The Byzantine Church tried to bring the Egyptian Church back and a second wave of persecutions developed this time, Christians against Christians. The Muslims helped the Egyptian Copts and the Egyptian Copts helped the Muslims fight against the Byzantine empire and the Crusaders.
Architectural differences in Coptic versus Byzantine style - The Coptic Church is rectangular with three chapels which harkens back to the Pharaonic Temple style (Temple of Isis,Philae). For Egyptian Copts, art and architecture was a cry for identity. An example is thelate 7th century CE Coptic Church also known as the Hanging Church (also known as El Muallaqa) because it rests between two towers. There may have been an earlier 4th century church built in the vicinity but archaeological eremains have not been identified. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and a local female martyr. The Copts have their own popes (Patriarchs); however Coptic priests can marry while Roman Catholic priests cannot. In a Coptic Church the vaulted roof is meant to remind the faithful of Noah's Ark. The Iconostasis is separate and divides the main chapel from the church.
Coptic language was the last development of ancient Egyptian language. Hieroglyphic, Hieratic and Demotic. There are many archaeologists who claim that with Christianity, the Egyptian priests were killed or driven out and the knowledge of hieroglypics was eventually lost. While this is true, the rest of the Egyptians spoke Demotic and the Coptic language is a direct descendant giving us a linguistic link to ancient Egyptian language.
For Copts, the relics of martyrs and icons are important (as they are in Catholicism but in a different way). Saint worship is extremely significant and worship of the Virgin Mary is of the highest degree of worship and respect.There are 110 icons in the Hanging Church of the Virgin Mary.
Unlike the Roman's love of colored marble, it wasn't in strong usage in Egypt until the 11th century. Columns in a Coptic church often have one black column to symbolized Judas. The star pattern is a Mamluke innovation with a tongue and groove technique employing ivory and wood. The representation of the fish is Coptic but it was also used in Pharaonic Egypt. Baptism in the Coptic religion takes place in a font where the infant is dipped into the water three times to symbolize the Trinity.
Nothing is so strange as a stranger in a strange land - Camus
To watch and to wait,
To hear but miss nuances of conversation
Is to be alien and left alone
To draw conclusions that may be false.
To begin at the beginning because there is no end,
Sometimes adrift without worry,
Tossed in a small boat in stormy seas
Or floating without movement in still water.
Splashes of color along dusty roads,
Faces seared by the sun,
Flicking away flies and ants
Intruders in the small niches of calm.
Never fully here but certainly not there,
Never lost, yet neither fully found.
In the vast sea that is my universe,
I find small islands with clear water
Seek and find in the desert oases,
Heavy dates hanging from the palms
I snatch these stolen sweets and greedily eat
Ever aware, I tread lightly in the dark
And find my way, nourished and alone.
My colors are the greens and blues of the Nile
Oxidized copper and tarnished silver
I find beauty in the most ordinary things
And seek within my soul, the seeds of serenity.
To hear but miss nuances of conversation
Is to be alien and left alone
To draw conclusions that may be false.
To begin at the beginning because there is no end,
Sometimes adrift without worry,
Tossed in a small boat in stormy seas
Or floating without movement in still water.
Splashes of color along dusty roads,
Faces seared by the sun,
Flicking away flies and ants
Intruders in the small niches of calm.
Never fully here but certainly not there,
Never lost, yet neither fully found.
In the vast sea that is my universe,
I find small islands with clear water
Seek and find in the desert oases,
Heavy dates hanging from the palms
I snatch these stolen sweets and greedily eat
Ever aware, I tread lightly in the dark
And find my way, nourished and alone.
My colors are the greens and blues of the Nile
Oxidized copper and tarnished silver
I find beauty in the most ordinary things
And seek within my soul, the seeds of serenity.
Alexandria Poem
The setting sun on leaving Alexandria
Was on fire as if it would burn the earth
When it reached the horizon.
A deep vermillion pyridoxine orange
I expected to see at any moment
Flames bursting forth from its fiery surface.
They say the brilliant colors of a sunset
Are most spectacular when airborne pollutants
Fill the city skies at dusk.
A big price to pay but a spot of beauty nonetheless
Do the poor on the rooftops of Cairo
Look up at day's end to admire
The color so sacred to Buddha who they know nothing about?
Is their world affected by the sun as in ancient times
When the sun god Ra was all important?
In the lifeblood of its people
The Nile and the Sun once ruled supreme.
Though the Nile no longer floods in summer
The sun still rises in the east each dawn
And boats still sail.
The poor are still farmers as in ancient times
The Pharaoh is now president of the Republic
And Nubian soldiers are now police of every category.
Was on fire as if it would burn the earth
When it reached the horizon.
A deep vermillion pyridoxine orange
I expected to see at any moment
Flames bursting forth from its fiery surface.
They say the brilliant colors of a sunset
Are most spectacular when airborne pollutants
Fill the city skies at dusk.
A big price to pay but a spot of beauty nonetheless
Do the poor on the rooftops of Cairo
Look up at day's end to admire
The color so sacred to Buddha who they know nothing about?
Is their world affected by the sun as in ancient times
When the sun god Ra was all important?
In the lifeblood of its people
The Nile and the Sun once ruled supreme.
Though the Nile no longer floods in summer
The sun still rises in the east each dawn
And boats still sail.
The poor are still farmers as in ancient times
The Pharaoh is now president of the Republic
And Nubian soldiers are now police of every category.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Only Book Binder in Cairo
I made it finally to the book binder's shop behind Al-Azhar Mosque across the street from the Khan Khalili. He is so amazing. Love the hand bound books. So thought I would post a few pictures. Of course I made it out of the store with two gift bags full of books with Fabriano paper stamped with my initials in gold and other items.
I've been working on more portraits but it is going a bit slower. I did get my Costa Rica March 8-12, 2010 application finished but must work on the bigger grant proposal for the Fulbright Hays grant. I'm shooting for a three month grant during the summer of 2011. Finally, I have loads of stuff to plan ahead for and I'm still here in Cairo for another two months or so.
Picked up my framed portraits from Helmy the framer - oak, gallery frames with matting, back board, wire and glass for 180 LE which is around $36 each. I took a cab to the Abiba Gallery which is in the Cairo Opera Complex that also houses the Museum of Egyptian Modern Art - chose the four that would be in the exhibition and set off with the other two back to my place. It was really hard to choose. I am nearly finished with Maria's portrait and also with Shayma holding Safety. I'm rather proud of my ability to make that black cat look like a cat. Still having trouble with her hand holding him and a little ackward part between her hand, turquoise shirt and the bottom of the cat. Still, I'm happy with the rest. I have trouble with necks sometimes fitting the anatomically correct position under the head and joining with the shoulders. I also have a sketch prepared of this wonderful sweet old lady who was quite arthritic but still managed to smile a bit in her wheelchair. And Ranya's portrait is halfway done. I was in near despair over how it was turning out. I can't even remember how many times I painted her eyes in and out and back in as well as her lips which are so distinctive. I think the trouble comes with painting people you want to impress. I wonder if Velasquez suffered the same doubts? I have to get that distinctive individual gleam in the eye. I was pretty pleased to hear that Helmy was having a conversation with the people I painted as he was framing "them." Sweet!
Thursday, was our jewelry class day for the Khan and picking out strands of beads, silver beads in jars,Bedouin remnants,etc. I ended up staying longer so I could seekout the Bedouin shop again and it paid off. First I had lunch at Naguib Mafouz again and then fortified, it was off to my favorite shop. I have started a necklace with an old silver Bedouin piece from the Spanish jewelry dealer who has old stuff beneath his showcase. The rest is old glass beads from my cannibalizing old pieces from the Bedouin shop with mostly copper jewelry and low grade silver. I bought three old pieces with dangling pseudo-coins and the glass beads that he had made into keychains. Plus, I asked if he had any more glass beads - he only had light and dark amber colored ones so 12 each for me. My "keychains" had green, blue, clear, turquoise, cobalt. The only thing is, is that I want to redo the necklace that you will see posted so that I have old silver beads all the same interspersed with the glass beads. And I now have four medallion pieces which I shined up with Oxy-Clean. Oxy-Clean, I learned from personal experience, gets hot when water is added which surprised me!
My felucca ride for tonight had to be postponed as I have not been feeling my best for a couple of days. Sunday is a Fulbright guest lecture on human rights in Islam from 5:00-6:30 pm. So enough for now. Promise to blog more!
I've been working on more portraits but it is going a bit slower. I did get my Costa Rica March 8-12, 2010 application finished but must work on the bigger grant proposal for the Fulbright Hays grant. I'm shooting for a three month grant during the summer of 2011. Finally, I have loads of stuff to plan ahead for and I'm still here in Cairo for another two months or so.
Picked up my framed portraits from Helmy the framer - oak, gallery frames with matting, back board, wire and glass for 180 LE which is around $36 each. I took a cab to the Abiba Gallery which is in the Cairo Opera Complex that also houses the Museum of Egyptian Modern Art - chose the four that would be in the exhibition and set off with the other two back to my place. It was really hard to choose. I am nearly finished with Maria's portrait and also with Shayma holding Safety. I'm rather proud of my ability to make that black cat look like a cat. Still having trouble with her hand holding him and a little ackward part between her hand, turquoise shirt and the bottom of the cat. Still, I'm happy with the rest. I have trouble with necks sometimes fitting the anatomically correct position under the head and joining with the shoulders. I also have a sketch prepared of this wonderful sweet old lady who was quite arthritic but still managed to smile a bit in her wheelchair. And Ranya's portrait is halfway done. I was in near despair over how it was turning out. I can't even remember how many times I painted her eyes in and out and back in as well as her lips which are so distinctive. I think the trouble comes with painting people you want to impress. I wonder if Velasquez suffered the same doubts? I have to get that distinctive individual gleam in the eye. I was pretty pleased to hear that Helmy was having a conversation with the people I painted as he was framing "them." Sweet!
Thursday, was our jewelry class day for the Khan and picking out strands of beads, silver beads in jars,Bedouin remnants,etc. I ended up staying longer so I could seekout the Bedouin shop again and it paid off. First I had lunch at Naguib Mafouz again and then fortified, it was off to my favorite shop. I have started a necklace with an old silver Bedouin piece from the Spanish jewelry dealer who has old stuff beneath his showcase. The rest is old glass beads from my cannibalizing old pieces from the Bedouin shop with mostly copper jewelry and low grade silver. I bought three old pieces with dangling pseudo-coins and the glass beads that he had made into keychains. Plus, I asked if he had any more glass beads - he only had light and dark amber colored ones so 12 each for me. My "keychains" had green, blue, clear, turquoise, cobalt. The only thing is, is that I want to redo the necklace that you will see posted so that I have old silver beads all the same interspersed with the glass beads. And I now have four medallion pieces which I shined up with Oxy-Clean. Oxy-Clean, I learned from personal experience, gets hot when water is added which surprised me!
My felucca ride for tonight had to be postponed as I have not been feeling my best for a couple of days. Sunday is a Fulbright guest lecture on human rights in Islam from 5:00-6:30 pm. So enough for now. Promise to blog more!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
So Far Behind in my Blogs
It's not that I have done nothing this past week, I have done loads of things. Yet, I feel so guilty! Anyway, the coolest thing this week was the Blues Concert funded by the American Embassy at the Pyramids on Friday. The Embassy sponsored this for free and I had already missed the previous two earlier in the week. A friend of Kathy's at AUC who teaches math got a van together and there was a spare seat. So for 25 LE which included our driver's tip, it was off to Giza for the 4 pm concert. And once again, it was raining but not bad. You would scoff at what we called rain in PA or DC. A few cold fat raindrops for 30 minutes but after the concert, we could flashes of lightening.
Anyway, I came armed with my camera and got some photos of two little Egyptian girls selling postcards - they had blonde hair and hazel eyes. Dominique has seen them before - I guess that is their job. I swear they are only around 10 years old or so. And yes, blond kinky curly hair. One of the girls gave me a postcard of Nefertiti and Prince Ranofer and Nofret. I took her picture with her sister and yes, another portrait. So a boy with THE MOST beautiful eyes asked me to take a picture of him. Just for the sake of his gorgeous eyes, I couldn't resist - he must have been around 13 or 14. Kids seem smaller here too especially the poorer ones. Imagine Peggy having little Sarah selling postcards to help feed your family! So sad really. They were really cute and street savvy but still innocent. I wanted to save them and educate them.
Then once the music started, some older boys were jammin' and dancing' Chris and Katie would have been there in front of the stage too. I decided after a while to dance with some little Egyptian teen girls. A couple less shy danced with me. At one point we were surrounded by a gaggle of teaming teenage testosterone. I guess I was the hot foreigner, ha ha. After a while, our hostess Kathy asked me if I would dance with other girls. Apparently, most of the teeneage boys and girls had come to Giza on a big bus -from Fayoum, Beni Suef south of Fayoum and Minya whichis about 4 hours away and south. The teacher who asked was a male teacher from Minya. He told me that the girls from Minya are shy. So I did a Marshall Becker impression taking individual girls by the hand, twirling them around for a couple of minutes and then to another girl. I would say around four girls out of twenty wouldn't dance. I kind of felt like a fairy godmother of dancing. One petite girl said she loved me. And of course, no one else was dancing with the girls. They certainly wouldn't be comfortable dancing with thei male classmates.
Also, the music was incredible. The Blues Band was from the U.S. they had us singing along for the chorus of certain songs. It was truly magical with the sun setting behind the pyramids right in front of us. After that, I was so exhausted that I couldn't even manage going upstairs for dinner with the Lorenz family. I collapsed in my bed, tired and happy and astonished at what had occurred. It was a pharaonic moment - I think I was chanelling a dancing girl for the god Amun-Ra - a noble position in ancient Egypt!
Anyway, I came armed with my camera and got some photos of two little Egyptian girls selling postcards - they had blonde hair and hazel eyes. Dominique has seen them before - I guess that is their job. I swear they are only around 10 years old or so. And yes, blond kinky curly hair. One of the girls gave me a postcard of Nefertiti and Prince Ranofer and Nofret. I took her picture with her sister and yes, another portrait. So a boy with THE MOST beautiful eyes asked me to take a picture of him. Just for the sake of his gorgeous eyes, I couldn't resist - he must have been around 13 or 14. Kids seem smaller here too especially the poorer ones. Imagine Peggy having little Sarah selling postcards to help feed your family! So sad really. They were really cute and street savvy but still innocent. I wanted to save them and educate them.
Then once the music started, some older boys were jammin' and dancing' Chris and Katie would have been there in front of the stage too. I decided after a while to dance with some little Egyptian teen girls. A couple less shy danced with me. At one point we were surrounded by a gaggle of teaming teenage testosterone. I guess I was the hot foreigner, ha ha. After a while, our hostess Kathy asked me if I would dance with other girls. Apparently, most of the teeneage boys and girls had come to Giza on a big bus -from Fayoum, Beni Suef south of Fayoum and Minya whichis about 4 hours away and south. The teacher who asked was a male teacher from Minya. He told me that the girls from Minya are shy. So I did a Marshall Becker impression taking individual girls by the hand, twirling them around for a couple of minutes and then to another girl. I would say around four girls out of twenty wouldn't dance. I kind of felt like a fairy godmother of dancing. One petite girl said she loved me. And of course, no one else was dancing with the girls. They certainly wouldn't be comfortable dancing with thei male classmates.
Also, the music was incredible. The Blues Band was from the U.S. they had us singing along for the chorus of certain songs. It was truly magical with the sun setting behind the pyramids right in front of us. After that, I was so exhausted that I couldn't even manage going upstairs for dinner with the Lorenz family. I collapsed in my bed, tired and happy and astonished at what had occurred. It was a pharaonic moment - I think I was chanelling a dancing girl for the god Amun-Ra - a noble position in ancient Egypt!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Rain and Scalloped Potatoes in Cairo
Yes, it did rain today - I felt drops that kept falling on my head but sadly, it wasn't much in the way of real rain like we get in Delaware and Chester county. Just enough to make a little bit of acid rain and add to the 0.07 inches that fall in the Cairo area per year.
I did go out on a two hour walk, not planned to be so long but it took me a while to check out a couple of stores I had wanted to see. One of these was And Company where my jewelry teacher designs earrings and necklaces and bracelets. I looked at the price tags of a few necklaces and they were around 300-350 LE. Not bad if you consider the workmanship and unique beads - it's around $60. Of course, making the necklaces myself in class and buying the beads of semi-previous stones and silver is around 1/3 of the store price which is nothing. We will learn more techniques and get more practice this Thursday and NEXT WEEK get to go with teach' to the bead stores of the Khan. I still remember dipping my hands into the huge bowls of silver and coral and lapis in Rabat, Morocco.
Dragging my feet and sweaty despite the slightly lower temperature, I stopped at Mandarine Koueder for a lemon ice gulping it down to try and cool myself. Then once at home, those two cans of orange soda Mirinda worked like a charm.
Before coming home though, I wandered around trying to find the natural cosmetics shop called Nefertari. The street I was looking for was parallel to And Company but it had a different name, hence the senseless wandering. Just about ready to give up, it appeared. And then there was another one after I had purchased some things at the first one. They specialize in oils, soaps, Egyptian cotton robes and towels, scrubs and other fun things. Without much thought, I grabbed a wooden container of Egyptian kohl for the eyes (my unadorned eyes are looking so plain, I need help), Moroccan liquid soap in a mason jar. The directions say to soak in a hot tub covering the body. They haven't seen my reduced size tub! Hope I can get out of it. I also hope that my makeshift stopper works - my sister Loretta gave me a jar opener and hey, it's plastic and rubbery and just might work. The directions also said you needed a Moroccan scrub mitten and they had them. I bought one for Dominique too as she had been looking for one. They are NOT like loofahs but not quite like brillo pads. Kind of like the stuff you scrub your pots with! I guess that's why you have to soak first to loosen the dead skin. I may have to use the plunger again.
Now I'm cooking scallop potatoes with mushrooms, a bunch of butter, a combination of left over Egyptian soft cheese and will top it off with some shredded mystery cheese and roasted garlic. One half hour and voila! Vegetarian dinner. It won't be as good as Peggy's fabulous scallop potatoes but it will satisfy me and Dominique anyway. I used two packages of mushrooms and sauteed them in butter and layered them in with the thinly sliced potatoes. After this weekend's staring fish for lunch it will be a welcome change.
I did go out on a two hour walk, not planned to be so long but it took me a while to check out a couple of stores I had wanted to see. One of these was And Company where my jewelry teacher designs earrings and necklaces and bracelets. I looked at the price tags of a few necklaces and they were around 300-350 LE. Not bad if you consider the workmanship and unique beads - it's around $60. Of course, making the necklaces myself in class and buying the beads of semi-previous stones and silver is around 1/3 of the store price which is nothing. We will learn more techniques and get more practice this Thursday and NEXT WEEK get to go with teach' to the bead stores of the Khan. I still remember dipping my hands into the huge bowls of silver and coral and lapis in Rabat, Morocco.
Dragging my feet and sweaty despite the slightly lower temperature, I stopped at Mandarine Koueder for a lemon ice gulping it down to try and cool myself. Then once at home, those two cans of orange soda Mirinda worked like a charm.
Before coming home though, I wandered around trying to find the natural cosmetics shop called Nefertari. The street I was looking for was parallel to And Company but it had a different name, hence the senseless wandering. Just about ready to give up, it appeared. And then there was another one after I had purchased some things at the first one. They specialize in oils, soaps, Egyptian cotton robes and towels, scrubs and other fun things. Without much thought, I grabbed a wooden container of Egyptian kohl for the eyes (my unadorned eyes are looking so plain, I need help), Moroccan liquid soap in a mason jar. The directions say to soak in a hot tub covering the body. They haven't seen my reduced size tub! Hope I can get out of it. I also hope that my makeshift stopper works - my sister Loretta gave me a jar opener and hey, it's plastic and rubbery and just might work. The directions also said you needed a Moroccan scrub mitten and they had them. I bought one for Dominique too as she had been looking for one. They are NOT like loofahs but not quite like brillo pads. Kind of like the stuff you scrub your pots with! I guess that's why you have to soak first to loosen the dead skin. I may have to use the plunger again.
Now I'm cooking scallop potatoes with mushrooms, a bunch of butter, a combination of left over Egyptian soft cheese and will top it off with some shredded mystery cheese and roasted garlic. One half hour and voila! Vegetarian dinner. It won't be as good as Peggy's fabulous scallop potatoes but it will satisfy me and Dominique anyway. I used two packages of mushrooms and sauteed them in butter and layered them in with the thinly sliced potatoes. After this weekend's staring fish for lunch it will be a welcome change.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Alexandria Trip
We just got back from a Fulbright overnight trip to Alexandria - a whole busload of us. Fulbright paid for everything - a room in a nice hotel overlooking the Mediterranean sea, all of our meals and sightseeing. Our meals featured seafood and I thought of Nancy, who when we traveled, would take off the legs of my shrimp. Our first lunch was three shrimp with their legs and heads on!! And the worst was the whole fish we each got which wasn't that well cooked. I was feeling queasy? but was OK but Ranya who works in the office had to leave the sightseeing early and was violently ill. Luckily she made it to the hotel in time. Maria the 14 year old was horrified at the face and could barely eat her rice. The ice cream with pomegranate sauce was good. That night we had beef slices in a kind of sauce and chocolate mousse - the salad with feta cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes was excellent. Then our last lunch was, you may be guessing this, another whole fish but cooked a bit more.
We toured the Jewish Synagogue in Alexandria and got to take pictures - there are only 18 women and 4 men left. Our guide was the youngest at 54 years old, the rest of the men are in their 80s or 90s. The women are pretty old too and taken care of in a special rest home. There used to be 35,000 Jews but with the war of the 40s and 50s in Egypt, most moved to Israel and Europe and the US. They had always gotten along with the Muslims and Christians but things changed drastically mostly American meddling in politics as usual.
We then went to St. Marks church - a Coptic church in Alexandria. They are the proud owners of the head of St. Mark. We went down into the crypt of the church - had to take our shoes off to walk down the concrete stairs to peer into a glassed in window, except for a hole where people would write their prayers and drop them in. No head visible unfortunately as I had hoped - just lots of dried up flowers and pieces of paper. In the time of the Crusades, St. Mark's body was smuggled out - the story I know is that they covered the body in its container with large pieces of pork which the Muslims would not have disturbed and so didn't stop the merchants on their way to Venice where his body is. How did Alexandria get his head? Oh through later negotiations with the Pope in Rome and the Patriarch in Alexandria. Kind of like the way St. Catherine of Siena is divided up. In Siena they have her head and one pinky finger and the rest of the body is in Rome. Weird but so fascinating.
We drove through a district called the Atarine where lots of reproduction antique furniture was made and sold and, sold as real antiques. Stuff from the 19th century. Pretty nice furniture ornate, covered in gold ormulu which is the embellishments on wood furniture. We passed one antique store (we only had a bus view) that looked promising with lots of old silver and metal things. Unfortuntely this trip was a whirlwind.
Up early the next morning in time for a lavish buffet breakfast where Dominique and I had omelettes made to order. I was admiring the omelette maker's skill in flipping the eggs and he offered to let me do it but I declined as the eggs would have landed on the floor. So he flipped mine again. Oh the things men do when they are complimented!! Tiny croissants were on my plate too. I was waiting for the new batch of crepes but we didn't have enough time. Just enough time to get a French press cup of coffee. Then off on the bus for a tour of the Biblioteca Alexandrina where one of the Fulbright scholars who is a librarian is working.
Our final lunch after the very fast tour of 3 hours at the library was lunch and this time with some of the Fulbright alumni (the Egyptian ones). I met one of the artists who is exhibiting at the CairoOpera House and found that I am one of about 10artists and the only non Egyptian. Wow, I really fell into something pretty cool. I am ready to start painting again. Gamal, the artist was so funny, we sat next to each other and then an Egyptian physicist, Wegdan - a woman - sat with us too. She was so animated and traveled all over the US and Europe. Her next trip is to Boston and she asked me if I needed anything from Boston, how cute. Then she is probably going to Seattle next to collaborate on a project. It's so nice to meet the professors they are so charming, women and most men (well the artists I have met anyway).
I slept late today. I had gotten up really early with a headache and took a Fiorinal then heard Dominique leave at 8:30 and I went back to sleep until 11 or so. Had some coffee and rice pudding for breakfast. I have been eating too much what with the Chris and Katie visit and the Fulbright food fests so back on the wagon. Our shower was still clogged when we got home with standing water so we had to rouse ourselves at 9 pm to walk to the Alfa Market to try to find a plunger and draino. We found both and I plunged the shower successfully. It was gross but I was happy it worked, used the shower attachment to send boiling water down the drain then had to use my makeshift cleanser - oxyclean to clean the tub and now it is in good shape.
Must get it together today and get some work done. I meet with my Helwan professor Dr. Taha Hussein in Applied Arts on Tuesday and I want to print out my research schedule to show him. I'm tired already.
We toured the Jewish Synagogue in Alexandria and got to take pictures - there are only 18 women and 4 men left. Our guide was the youngest at 54 years old, the rest of the men are in their 80s or 90s. The women are pretty old too and taken care of in a special rest home. There used to be 35,000 Jews but with the war of the 40s and 50s in Egypt, most moved to Israel and Europe and the US. They had always gotten along with the Muslims and Christians but things changed drastically mostly American meddling in politics as usual.
We then went to St. Marks church - a Coptic church in Alexandria. They are the proud owners of the head of St. Mark. We went down into the crypt of the church - had to take our shoes off to walk down the concrete stairs to peer into a glassed in window, except for a hole where people would write their prayers and drop them in. No head visible unfortunately as I had hoped - just lots of dried up flowers and pieces of paper. In the time of the Crusades, St. Mark's body was smuggled out - the story I know is that they covered the body in its container with large pieces of pork which the Muslims would not have disturbed and so didn't stop the merchants on their way to Venice where his body is. How did Alexandria get his head? Oh through later negotiations with the Pope in Rome and the Patriarch in Alexandria. Kind of like the way St. Catherine of Siena is divided up. In Siena they have her head and one pinky finger and the rest of the body is in Rome. Weird but so fascinating.
We drove through a district called the Atarine where lots of reproduction antique furniture was made and sold and, sold as real antiques. Stuff from the 19th century. Pretty nice furniture ornate, covered in gold ormulu which is the embellishments on wood furniture. We passed one antique store (we only had a bus view) that looked promising with lots of old silver and metal things. Unfortuntely this trip was a whirlwind.
Up early the next morning in time for a lavish buffet breakfast where Dominique and I had omelettes made to order. I was admiring the omelette maker's skill in flipping the eggs and he offered to let me do it but I declined as the eggs would have landed on the floor. So he flipped mine again. Oh the things men do when they are complimented!! Tiny croissants were on my plate too. I was waiting for the new batch of crepes but we didn't have enough time. Just enough time to get a French press cup of coffee. Then off on the bus for a tour of the Biblioteca Alexandrina where one of the Fulbright scholars who is a librarian is working.
Our final lunch after the very fast tour of 3 hours at the library was lunch and this time with some of the Fulbright alumni (the Egyptian ones). I met one of the artists who is exhibiting at the CairoOpera House and found that I am one of about 10artists and the only non Egyptian. Wow, I really fell into something pretty cool. I am ready to start painting again. Gamal, the artist was so funny, we sat next to each other and then an Egyptian physicist, Wegdan - a woman - sat with us too. She was so animated and traveled all over the US and Europe. Her next trip is to Boston and she asked me if I needed anything from Boston, how cute. Then she is probably going to Seattle next to collaborate on a project. It's so nice to meet the professors they are so charming, women and most men (well the artists I have met anyway).
I slept late today. I had gotten up really early with a headache and took a Fiorinal then heard Dominique leave at 8:30 and I went back to sleep until 11 or so. Had some coffee and rice pudding for breakfast. I have been eating too much what with the Chris and Katie visit and the Fulbright food fests so back on the wagon. Our shower was still clogged when we got home with standing water so we had to rouse ourselves at 9 pm to walk to the Alfa Market to try to find a plunger and draino. We found both and I plunged the shower successfully. It was gross but I was happy it worked, used the shower attachment to send boiling water down the drain then had to use my makeshift cleanser - oxyclean to clean the tub and now it is in good shape.
Must get it together today and get some work done. I meet with my Helwan professor Dr. Taha Hussein in Applied Arts on Tuesday and I want to print out my research schedule to show him. I'm tired already.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Beading class, Women's Association
Today was my first beading/jewelry class at WA headquarters on 11 Yehia Ibrahim Street in Zamalek, Cairo. Our teacher has been making jewelry for 15 years and is part of a shop in my section of Cairo called And Company. She gave us the basics with tools which we didn't really need today but there were beads and wire to string them on. She also brought the book on Crystals and their Healing Power which I have a version of at home. I was going back and forth between fondling the jasper and the carnelian/agate then placing the beads and replacing others until I found a combination of them that I was pretty happy with. In two weeks, we go on a field trip to the Khan to a huge bead shop where we can choose our own silver spacers and beads, stones, etc. which will be much better.
I ended up making a carnelian and pearl necklace which I think looks pretty good. Our teacher helped us with making the clasp and voila! My necklace was worn home. I'll post the picture of the necklace soon. So now you know what I will be giving out as gifts this year - earrings and necklaces made in Egypt. That's all for now. Off to Alexandria tomorrow for a Fulbright trip
I ended up making a carnelian and pearl necklace which I think looks pretty good. Our teacher helped us with making the clasp and voila! My necklace was worn home. I'll post the picture of the necklace soon. So now you know what I will be giving out as gifts this year - earrings and necklaces made in Egypt. That's all for now. Off to Alexandria tomorrow for a Fulbright trip
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Shahira Mehrez Fashion Show
10:00 am bus trip to the Fostat Souk to see a fashion show of Bedouin and other Egyptian traditional dress by collector Dr. Shahira Mehrez. This trip was sponsored by the Women's Association of Cairo of which I am a new member. I sat next to a wonderful Egyptian woman, Edna from Heliopolis who was at least 75 years old. She was a wonderful and lively woman in spite of her having a headache. She told me she has, first thing in the morning, a cup of Turkish coffee and two cigarettes plus breakfast and she is set for the day. Only two cigarettes per day, she says it makes her calm and ready for anything. I rubbed her neck and told her to massage it to alleviate the headache since she doesn't like to take any kind of pills beyond the one she takes for high blood pressure and something else for her osteoporosis. The women were saying "how do you know about this?" I said I was a healer and an artist. Just simple things. Lots of Egyptian women, American women, French etc. who live in Cairo and are English speaking belong to this association. There are a lot of activities sponsored as I may have mentioned in a previous blog.
The fashion show started at 11:30 am and was an hour with countless examples of dress from Siwa to Upper Egypt and Nubia. I bought a Bedouin bracelet and earrings later on at one of the shops there. I also have contact information for Shahira who has a grand opening of her collection and shop on the 27th in Dokki.
All in all, a great day. I had the chance to speak to so many women. We took the bus back to the Cairo Marriott and I exalted in the cool air conditioned palace of a hotel. It's my place to get money from the ATM and today, the bank clerk at the Bank of Alexandria there gave me change for 400 LE in all the bills I could desire. It is sooo hard to get change here and so helpful to have small bills. Imagine walking around with $100 bills and you want to ride the bus and purchase a ticket with one. That's what it is like here.
Well, must go now. Tomorrow is jewelry class at the Women's Association in Zamalek very close to me at 11 Yehia Ibrahim Street.
The fashion show started at 11:30 am and was an hour with countless examples of dress from Siwa to Upper Egypt and Nubia. I bought a Bedouin bracelet and earrings later on at one of the shops there. I also have contact information for Shahira who has a grand opening of her collection and shop on the 27th in Dokki.
All in all, a great day. I had the chance to speak to so many women. We took the bus back to the Cairo Marriott and I exalted in the cool air conditioned palace of a hotel. It's my place to get money from the ATM and today, the bank clerk at the Bank of Alexandria there gave me change for 400 LE in all the bills I could desire. It is sooo hard to get change here and so helpful to have small bills. Imagine walking around with $100 bills and you want to ride the bus and purchase a ticket with one. That's what it is like here.
Well, must go now. Tomorrow is jewelry class at the Women's Association in Zamalek very close to me at 11 Yehia Ibrahim Street.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday means Saqqara
Today was our day to visit Saqqara and Dashur. I had called Mohamed, our taxi driver for pur taxi tour appointment last night and our agreed upon time was 10:00 am. He called this morning to tell me he was running fifteen minutes late. While waiting at the garage, we got an earful from his brother in law about the magnetic qualities of the pyramid at Dashur. He was trying to tell us that you go into the pyramid, it smells like ammonia (ugh, like the worst collection of cat pee ever) and then you go to the top chamber and go into a yoga pose and meditate for 15-30 minutes. He said you would feel tired but three days later, would have amazing energy. Hmmm. We couldn't get past the nasty cat pee smell. We couldn't wait to get out of there. Somehow, I don't remember it smelling that bad before but then it was at least ten years that I was there. We saw the Bent Pyramid from a distance and got back into our taxi. Katie was suffering from acute ammonia poisoning and then we went to Saqqara.
The best part of Saqqara is the limited number of people who go there. It was much cheaper than Giza which you can see in the distance. First we paid to get in, 15 LE for students and teachers. Katie must have batted her eyelashes and swung her blonde hair because she didnt have a student card but got the student price. Chris had to pay 30 LE. When we got in the area, I saw that admission to the New tombs was extra and the guard let us pay 50 LE for all three. A guy took us dowm to the tomb area which was discovered in 1954 but only open to the public for the past 5 years. He gave us a nice little introduction then called for the guard to open the tombs. Of course, I had to see them. The usual "no cameras, no photos" but still it was worth a look.
Our guard came clad in a dark blue gallabiya with grizzled face and sprouting facial hairs. He immediately launched into who the men were - two twin brothers who were high priests at Abu Sir and also the pharaoh's manicurists. You see, no ordinary person could touch the pharaoh because he was considered to be a god so it was a good side job for priests apparently. Here's where the fun began. Our guard said, it's OK for photos. Yessiree, I took lots. The boys are there holding hands, with baskets of food before them, there are men butchering cows, milking cows, calves being born all in super graphic detail. It was exciting because I had never seen them before and because I got to photograph the forbidden images. Plus, I tipped our guard 20 LE for the privilege. Then we went to another tomb with more scenes. The last tomb was not as colorfully painted but there were scenes of grape picking, graphe smashing and wine making. Now there's an article for a wine magazine or blog! Another 20 LE tip and our guard was quite happy. I took a picture of Chris with him and then Chris took a picture of me with him. Oh yeah, part of the tip was a pen which he asked me for. No problem, happy to oblige. I think he said he had six children, he may have been charged up by my proximity to make number seven - was that a compliment?
We walked to the Pyramid of Unas just up the causeway of Dynasty 5 which had covered over the tombs we had just visited. I had been in Unas House of Eternity before but this time it was closed. Too bad as there were the first pyramid texts on the inner walls of the tomb. they were bringing in camera equipment and it was closed to the public. We also asked about getting into the Pyramid of Djoser but that too was closed as it often is. There was a flurry of activity setting in new limestone blocks apparently to shore up the very first stone pyramid albeit in stepped mastaba form. some of the stones seemed to be in mid avalanche down the six steps. I told Katie and Chris about the heb sed festival of revealing the strength of the pharaoh. we made our way down to Mohamed and the taxi - tore into our turkey and cheddar sandwiches and decided to skip the Mastaba tomb of Mereruka. It was enough for the day which was very very smoggy with the rice straw burning and heat of the day. It was overcast but not in a good way.
Last stop, Nomad store on the Corniche Nil - larger than the small store in the Cairo Marriott - so Katie could buy a small pillow case with a camel on it. We got home, I opened a Stella Egyptian beer and went to bed promising the three kids that I would order pizza for dinner. Mohamed is taking them to the airport at 10:00 pm tonight so they have plenty of time for their flight back to Prague where the rest of their journey continues. The end for now. Pizza was great - I also got a small apple pie and a small lemon meringue.
The best part of Saqqara is the limited number of people who go there. It was much cheaper than Giza which you can see in the distance. First we paid to get in, 15 LE for students and teachers. Katie must have batted her eyelashes and swung her blonde hair because she didnt have a student card but got the student price. Chris had to pay 30 LE. When we got in the area, I saw that admission to the New tombs was extra and the guard let us pay 50 LE for all three. A guy took us dowm to the tomb area which was discovered in 1954 but only open to the public for the past 5 years. He gave us a nice little introduction then called for the guard to open the tombs. Of course, I had to see them. The usual "no cameras, no photos" but still it was worth a look.
Our guard came clad in a dark blue gallabiya with grizzled face and sprouting facial hairs. He immediately launched into who the men were - two twin brothers who were high priests at Abu Sir and also the pharaoh's manicurists. You see, no ordinary person could touch the pharaoh because he was considered to be a god so it was a good side job for priests apparently. Here's where the fun began. Our guard said, it's OK for photos. Yessiree, I took lots. The boys are there holding hands, with baskets of food before them, there are men butchering cows, milking cows, calves being born all in super graphic detail. It was exciting because I had never seen them before and because I got to photograph the forbidden images. Plus, I tipped our guard 20 LE for the privilege. Then we went to another tomb with more scenes. The last tomb was not as colorfully painted but there were scenes of grape picking, graphe smashing and wine making. Now there's an article for a wine magazine or blog! Another 20 LE tip and our guard was quite happy. I took a picture of Chris with him and then Chris took a picture of me with him. Oh yeah, part of the tip was a pen which he asked me for. No problem, happy to oblige. I think he said he had six children, he may have been charged up by my proximity to make number seven - was that a compliment?
We walked to the Pyramid of Unas just up the causeway of Dynasty 5 which had covered over the tombs we had just visited. I had been in Unas House of Eternity before but this time it was closed. Too bad as there were the first pyramid texts on the inner walls of the tomb. they were bringing in camera equipment and it was closed to the public. We also asked about getting into the Pyramid of Djoser but that too was closed as it often is. There was a flurry of activity setting in new limestone blocks apparently to shore up the very first stone pyramid albeit in stepped mastaba form. some of the stones seemed to be in mid avalanche down the six steps. I told Katie and Chris about the heb sed festival of revealing the strength of the pharaoh. we made our way down to Mohamed and the taxi - tore into our turkey and cheddar sandwiches and decided to skip the Mastaba tomb of Mereruka. It was enough for the day which was very very smoggy with the rice straw burning and heat of the day. It was overcast but not in a good way.
Last stop, Nomad store on the Corniche Nil - larger than the small store in the Cairo Marriott - so Katie could buy a small pillow case with a camel on it. We got home, I opened a Stella Egyptian beer and went to bed promising the three kids that I would order pizza for dinner. Mohamed is taking them to the airport at 10:00 pm tonight so they have plenty of time for their flight back to Prague where the rest of their journey continues. The end for now. Pizza was great - I also got a small apple pie and a small lemon meringue.
Sunday, Nafeza and Khan Khalili
Waking up LATE, we join up with Shayma (Chris, Katie, Dominique and Ginger)and take the metro to Fostat to visit the workshop of el Nafeza. Since we had Chris with us, we couldn't take the women's carriage in the metro and had to be crammed together in the everyone but God carriage, stinky men, brave women, and more stinky men. We did meet a Bulgarian group who were part of an experimental theater troupe who were performing that night and they invited us to come see their performance. We waited until the first metro had left as it was jam packed with the same mix of people. Ugh. So with the second car, we got on and stood the entire time. That's what happens at the Sadat station as it is the main place to change for other metros.
El Nafeza is in the same complex of studios and workshops as Darb 17 18 which we also visited. Enas was there, the wife of Mohamed el Nagy who is in charge of the workshop that mainly trains deaf/mute young men and women. Everyone was working that day on colored vats of paper pulp making magenta, royal blue, turquoise and green paper. We observed the entire process from the cleaning of the straw bales to the boiling of the straw which seemed to be releasing some rather toxic fumes. Upon arrival, Enas took us around and explained the process. She had working with her in the workshop, a French women who is helping to get them more business. She said that just now, Diwan's book shop was making an order to have in their bookstore which is across the street from where I live across 26 July Street. The finished materials have changed somewhat beyond the packets of paper, lampshades, and scrapbooks, to more embossed paper which they were fashioning into magazine holders and other items.
Immediately on going outside to where the paper was being macerated and then dumped into tanks where screens accepted the slurry of rice paper pulp, we met little Akhmed the small son of one of the deaf mute workers. His father is also deaf as is Akhmed. He would scream with delight when I would show him a photo I had taken of him. He wanted me to take photos of everything! So I will post some of Akhmed posing next to ultramarine blue sheets of paper adhering to the stone walls; Akhmed lifting up a chair, Akhmed posing, etc. Just recently, the shop obtained a paper press which they use to make smoother versions of the rougher rice paper.
I purchased six larger sheets and a pack of 20 sheets around the size of my portraits. I thought I would use it in the same way for painting portraits in my series. With the day's photos and from Saturday's as well, I have several more choices for my Faces in Egypt. Chris and Katie each bought some items and somehow I have been roped into taking Chris's scrapbook and a few papyrus paintings home with my stuff. Hmmm.
It is actually Monday now but I wanted to keep the day's activities in order. After Nafeza, we went back downtown via metro and this time, I told Chris to go in the men's car and how many stops (four) and we women went into the all girl car. It was pretty crowded in ours but no stinkiness. Chris was treated to a lot of armpit odors. He's a good sport. From there, both Shayma and Dominique were too tired to acompany us to the Tentmaker's area or Khan Khalili. We took a taxi to the Bab Zuweila right at the entrance to the clothing district. For the life of me, I couldn't find the place where they made tents. We needed Shayma with us but she was under the weather. After a truck backing up nearby ran over a woman's foot - Chris said he heard an audible crunch - and the woman was screaming in pain. We decided, actually, I decided to hightail it out of there with the kids in tow.
We decided next to get to the Khan Khalili and Naguib Mafouz cafe so off we went. The day then turned around for the better. After a great "light" lunch around 4:00 pm or so, we were well fueled for some last minute shopping. Katie needed scarabs in different colors for the boys she babysat and Chris wanted some papyrus as well as some small stuffed camels at the bargain price of 45 LE for three of them. Katie got her small scarabs in turquoise, ultramarine blue, lime green and light blue for 2 LE each. We found a nice guy in his shop who took us directly to the Bedouin shop. I couldn't have found it on my own and there was Ahmed who I had met last year. We browsed around the shop and went upstairs too where he has stacks of old Bedouin costumes, face veils and other assorted Bedouin items. I bought an Eye charm with dangling chains and beads on it, a set of silver and amber earrings, a Siwa ring for a perfect price. I think Ahmed has a crush on me but not in an icky way. I got several of his business cards so that I would never lose his shop again. I intend to take Carla there when she comes to visit December 31.
El Nafeza is in the same complex of studios and workshops as Darb 17 18 which we also visited. Enas was there, the wife of Mohamed el Nagy who is in charge of the workshop that mainly trains deaf/mute young men and women. Everyone was working that day on colored vats of paper pulp making magenta, royal blue, turquoise and green paper. We observed the entire process from the cleaning of the straw bales to the boiling of the straw which seemed to be releasing some rather toxic fumes. Upon arrival, Enas took us around and explained the process. She had working with her in the workshop, a French women who is helping to get them more business. She said that just now, Diwan's book shop was making an order to have in their bookstore which is across the street from where I live across 26 July Street. The finished materials have changed somewhat beyond the packets of paper, lampshades, and scrapbooks, to more embossed paper which they were fashioning into magazine holders and other items.
Immediately on going outside to where the paper was being macerated and then dumped into tanks where screens accepted the slurry of rice paper pulp, we met little Akhmed the small son of one of the deaf mute workers. His father is also deaf as is Akhmed. He would scream with delight when I would show him a photo I had taken of him. He wanted me to take photos of everything! So I will post some of Akhmed posing next to ultramarine blue sheets of paper adhering to the stone walls; Akhmed lifting up a chair, Akhmed posing, etc. Just recently, the shop obtained a paper press which they use to make smoother versions of the rougher rice paper.
I purchased six larger sheets and a pack of 20 sheets around the size of my portraits. I thought I would use it in the same way for painting portraits in my series. With the day's photos and from Saturday's as well, I have several more choices for my Faces in Egypt. Chris and Katie each bought some items and somehow I have been roped into taking Chris's scrapbook and a few papyrus paintings home with my stuff. Hmmm.
It is actually Monday now but I wanted to keep the day's activities in order. After Nafeza, we went back downtown via metro and this time, I told Chris to go in the men's car and how many stops (four) and we women went into the all girl car. It was pretty crowded in ours but no stinkiness. Chris was treated to a lot of armpit odors. He's a good sport. From there, both Shayma and Dominique were too tired to acompany us to the Tentmaker's area or Khan Khalili. We took a taxi to the Bab Zuweila right at the entrance to the clothing district. For the life of me, I couldn't find the place where they made tents. We needed Shayma with us but she was under the weather. After a truck backing up nearby ran over a woman's foot - Chris said he heard an audible crunch - and the woman was screaming in pain. We decided, actually, I decided to hightail it out of there with the kids in tow.
We decided next to get to the Khan Khalili and Naguib Mafouz cafe so off we went. The day then turned around for the better. After a great "light" lunch around 4:00 pm or so, we were well fueled for some last minute shopping. Katie needed scarabs in different colors for the boys she babysat and Chris wanted some papyrus as well as some small stuffed camels at the bargain price of 45 LE for three of them. Katie got her small scarabs in turquoise, ultramarine blue, lime green and light blue for 2 LE each. We found a nice guy in his shop who took us directly to the Bedouin shop. I couldn't have found it on my own and there was Ahmed who I had met last year. We browsed around the shop and went upstairs too where he has stacks of old Bedouin costumes, face veils and other assorted Bedouin items. I bought an Eye charm with dangling chains and beads on it, a set of silver and amber earrings, a Siwa ring for a perfect price. I think Ahmed has a crush on me but not in an icky way. I got several of his business cards so that I would never lose his shop again. I intend to take Carla there when she comes to visit December 31.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Saturday, October 17
Today we woke up late! We did make our way out of the apartment to see the Ibn Tulun Mosque, the oldest mosque in Cairo. It was an incredible space. I gave the foot cover man 5 LE and off we shuffled off. The place was huge.Not really used extensively as a mosque but WOW, what a place. We got to climb the minaret, the only one of its kind with the spiraling form. And that was an experience. While there, we met a young girl Salema and her father visiting Egypt from Saudi Arabia. He was a mechanical engineer. We talked about the problem with the black cloud of Cairo and pollution and the possible solutions. Salema was so cute, in her last year of high school. She wants to pursue a degree in art but her father is into medicine or engineering. Her sister is a pharmacist and her mother's side of the family have some artists. I took her email address down so I can help advise her and her father thanked me. I seem to be adopting more and more children these days. Spreading goodwill around the world.
Again,the photos from today were really good. We were hungry but I wanted to take the kids into the Khan Tulun - a shop where there are good prices, lots of handicrafts and less insane than the Khan Khalili. Chris and Katie managed to buy some presents and even Dominique got some things, postcards mainly. Earlier today, I bought a fold old laminated map of the Western desert from the mini Diwan's bookshop at the Marriott Hotel. The kids needed more money and I figured I would take out a little more.
We have vowed to get up early tomorrow at least by 9 am so we can go to Nafeza papermaking shop in the Fostat area, from there to the Tentmakers Bazaar and then finally to Khan Khalili. Also tomorrow night is the boat ride down the Nile. So many things to see, too little time. Monday is the day to go to Saqqara for the Stepped Pyramid and tombs of Nobles as well as maybe Dashur for the Red pyramid. I have to call Mohamed the taxi driver to remind him. More bargaining for the drive. But so worth it. Signing off for now as I want to get to Diwan's. I had Katie go with Dominique and Chris and I will follow.
Again,the photos from today were really good. We were hungry but I wanted to take the kids into the Khan Tulun - a shop where there are good prices, lots of handicrafts and less insane than the Khan Khalili. Chris and Katie managed to buy some presents and even Dominique got some things, postcards mainly. Earlier today, I bought a fold old laminated map of the Western desert from the mini Diwan's bookshop at the Marriott Hotel. The kids needed more money and I figured I would take out a little more.
We have vowed to get up early tomorrow at least by 9 am so we can go to Nafeza papermaking shop in the Fostat area, from there to the Tentmakers Bazaar and then finally to Khan Khalili. Also tomorrow night is the boat ride down the Nile. So many things to see, too little time. Monday is the day to go to Saqqara for the Stepped Pyramid and tombs of Nobles as well as maybe Dashur for the Red pyramid. I have to call Mohamed the taxi driver to remind him. More bargaining for the drive. But so worth it. Signing off for now as I want to get to Diwan's. I had Katie go with Dominique and Chris and I will follow.
Yesterday, Pyramids
Waking up pretty late yesterday, 12:30 pm to be exact with Chris' knocking on my bedroom door saying Ginger, get up, we got ourselves together for a trip to the pyramids. My original plan was to go to the Metro and ride to Giza then a short taxi to the 7th ancient wonder of the world. However, with our time constraints, I switched to plan B. This was to find the taxi driver in the underpass who I had ridden with before somewhere. He spoke good English and I learned his name was Mohamed. I had lost his card before but got another one. Bargaining began with the starting price of 200 LE but oh no, I said 100 LE and he said 150 LE, it's a long way and finally, we agreed on 100 LE with waiting for us in addition to taking us to a restaurant called Andrea.
As we were nearly there, I asked how much a camel ride would be and so straight away, we were wisked to the stable area - THE place to get the horses and camels that one rides around the pyramids and sphinx. We had to give 100 LE each for the camels - yes, I know, I had said never again for a camel ride. But I was assured that these particular camels were safe, their owners were good and didn't maltreat their animals. Apprehensive, I agreed since the 100 LE would cover a 45 minute tour around the pyramids. Of course, we had to pay to get into the pyramid area - 30 LE with my ITIC and 60 for Chris and Katie who didn't have one. Katie forgot hers at home, silly girl! The discounts you can get with an ISIC is very good here in Egypt, Turkey and other places, not so much in Europe.
Anyway, we had some intermediary guy who made me promise to visit his "papyrus and perfume" shop. Yadda yadda yadda. Our camels were brought to us in the stable parking lot by Omar, our guide and little Akmed who is in training to learn English. I got to ride Ali Baba, Chris had Mr. Lover, Katie on California. All were boy camels I learned after inquiring. Omar said the girl camels are not allowed for tourists because they cry all the time, no not the tourists but the camels. The tourists cry the next day with inner thigh pain! I was a little apprehensive naturally because of my experience two years ago. Ali Baba was such a nice camel - all white and well behaved. As soon as we got into the pyramid enclosure, Omar got on my camel with me, in front and little Akhmed leapt on the camel in front of Chris. Katie went solo. Those 45 minutes turned into nearly two hours while we slowly made our way around the smaller pyramid of a queen and then were shown a small opening which Zahi Hawass had discovered last year.
There are many many tombs which have been excavated by Hawass, all new since I was here in 2007. Along the way, Omar paid a bit of money to the guards to allow us to climb a little way on the pyramid of Menkaure for photo ops. And the pictures are great. We didn't have time to go into any of the pyramids and that was OK. We also ran out of time to actually get close to the Sphinx and that was OK too. The poor Sphinx is deteriorating before my eyes from the inside with rising groundwater seaping inside and pollution eating away at the limesone surfaces. The face of the Sphinx is definitely less sharp than I noticed only two years ago. I will be posting some great pics soon so stay tuned.
Yes, we did make our way into the papyrus shop with the horrendously and luridly painted Pharaonic scenes. I did my typical art critic evaluation and spouted off all the places I have been on one of the maps painted on the prepared reed plant surface. We drank our cokes provided by the shop and I managed to get us out of there in time. Right before, I asked Omar to get our driver Mohamed so we could make a quick getaway. I to think my way out of a box before the lid closes if you know what I mean. Before we got off our camels and dismounted in view of the intermediary, I had pulled out 110 LE for Omar. Katie and Chris ended up giving little Akhmed around 30 LE. Omar asked me to say I only gave him 20 LE in case anyone asked but no one did. He was a nice guy, around 31 years old. We had the chance to talk about a number of things. He is kind, hates cruelty to animals and despises anyone who is judgmental in a religious way. not your usual touchy grabby sort. And he took really photos of us. So different from when Katie Nemec, Stacie Kranzley, Cathy Holskin and I had our tour from Pack2Egypt hell.
Tired, sweaty and smelling of camels, we showered and got ready to go to our party on the rooftop with artist's studios as part of the Townhouse Gallery initiative. Artists put in an application for a two to three month residency. Jennifer was turning 23, a British artist who has a studio there now. She had a slide show of her work going on. Lots of people were there, one was a belly dancer from Libya named Fatma - she was fabulous, beautiful, young and I took many pictures. The studio managers had lots of beer for sale for 10 LE and food there too. There was dancing and really good music - they even played the Bangles, Walk Like an Egyptian! We made our way home around 2:00 am but Dominique and Shayma stayed there until 5:00 am.
As we were nearly there, I asked how much a camel ride would be and so straight away, we were wisked to the stable area - THE place to get the horses and camels that one rides around the pyramids and sphinx. We had to give 100 LE each for the camels - yes, I know, I had said never again for a camel ride. But I was assured that these particular camels were safe, their owners were good and didn't maltreat their animals. Apprehensive, I agreed since the 100 LE would cover a 45 minute tour around the pyramids. Of course, we had to pay to get into the pyramid area - 30 LE with my ITIC and 60 for Chris and Katie who didn't have one. Katie forgot hers at home, silly girl! The discounts you can get with an ISIC is very good here in Egypt, Turkey and other places, not so much in Europe.
Anyway, we had some intermediary guy who made me promise to visit his "papyrus and perfume" shop. Yadda yadda yadda. Our camels were brought to us in the stable parking lot by Omar, our guide and little Akmed who is in training to learn English. I got to ride Ali Baba, Chris had Mr. Lover, Katie on California. All were boy camels I learned after inquiring. Omar said the girl camels are not allowed for tourists because they cry all the time, no not the tourists but the camels. The tourists cry the next day with inner thigh pain! I was a little apprehensive naturally because of my experience two years ago. Ali Baba was such a nice camel - all white and well behaved. As soon as we got into the pyramid enclosure, Omar got on my camel with me, in front and little Akhmed leapt on the camel in front of Chris. Katie went solo. Those 45 minutes turned into nearly two hours while we slowly made our way around the smaller pyramid of a queen and then were shown a small opening which Zahi Hawass had discovered last year.
There are many many tombs which have been excavated by Hawass, all new since I was here in 2007. Along the way, Omar paid a bit of money to the guards to allow us to climb a little way on the pyramid of Menkaure for photo ops. And the pictures are great. We didn't have time to go into any of the pyramids and that was OK. We also ran out of time to actually get close to the Sphinx and that was OK too. The poor Sphinx is deteriorating before my eyes from the inside with rising groundwater seaping inside and pollution eating away at the limesone surfaces. The face of the Sphinx is definitely less sharp than I noticed only two years ago. I will be posting some great pics soon so stay tuned.
Yes, we did make our way into the papyrus shop with the horrendously and luridly painted Pharaonic scenes. I did my typical art critic evaluation and spouted off all the places I have been on one of the maps painted on the prepared reed plant surface. We drank our cokes provided by the shop and I managed to get us out of there in time. Right before, I asked Omar to get our driver Mohamed so we could make a quick getaway. I to think my way out of a box before the lid closes if you know what I mean. Before we got off our camels and dismounted in view of the intermediary, I had pulled out 110 LE for Omar. Katie and Chris ended up giving little Akhmed around 30 LE. Omar asked me to say I only gave him 20 LE in case anyone asked but no one did. He was a nice guy, around 31 years old. We had the chance to talk about a number of things. He is kind, hates cruelty to animals and despises anyone who is judgmental in a religious way. not your usual touchy grabby sort. And he took really photos of us. So different from when Katie Nemec, Stacie Kranzley, Cathy Holskin and I had our tour from Pack2Egypt hell.
Tired, sweaty and smelling of camels, we showered and got ready to go to our party on the rooftop with artist's studios as part of the Townhouse Gallery initiative. Artists put in an application for a two to three month residency. Jennifer was turning 23, a British artist who has a studio there now. She had a slide show of her work going on. Lots of people were there, one was a belly dancer from Libya named Fatma - she was fabulous, beautiful, young and I took many pictures. The studio managers had lots of beer for sale for 10 LE and food there too. There was dancing and really good music - they even played the Bangles, Walk Like an Egyptian! We made our way home around 2:00 am but Dominique and Shayma stayed there until 5:00 am.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Dinner at Aubergine in Zamalek
I joined Dominique and her Arab class buddies at Aubergine where I ate a couple of times last year. It is right in Zamalek and boasts a menu of primarily vegetarian dishes. Everything looked good. Carnivore that I am, I had one of two well done hamburgers. Sometimes, you just miss good old American style food. I'll be good tomorrow. Sitting next to me was a petite French nurse who works all over France and decided to learn Arabic in a five week course before traveling to Luxor. She likes the variety of work and places and as a nurse, it is a great opportunity. Brianna was there as well, a Fulbright student who I think I have mentioned before. She is an anthropology student studying migration and refugees. One of the best conversations with a man from Montreal, Canada who is Persian and loves film. We talked about Turtles Can Fly which I had shown my students and he wrote down a number of other films he thought I might like. He is a writer and will be staying in Egypt for a full year, he came in July. I told him that I was writing a book as well. There were probably a dozen different people from all nations who had come to Egypt to learn Arabic for various reasons. Christoffe, German, I believe unless he is Swiss, said that he likes to be in a place and learn the language and the customs. After his Arabic classes, he will travel to Syria and Jordan and may return to Egypt. Europeans really know how to travel. I don't know how they can leave their jobs but like the nurse, she has a built in ability to work and travel wherever she pleases. And of course, in Europe it is standard to be paid for at least six weeks per year regardless of whether you have worked at a company for one year or longer. Not the miserly two weeks that Americans give after a whole year of working. My brother Tom, was afraid to even take off a couple of days from his new job of six months to come for a long weekend to visit me in Media. No wonder Americans are full of stress and neuroses. Not enough time off to see other cultures. Of course, in Europe countries are smaller and closer together but still, Australians are far from anywhere and they travel like the French and Dutch too.
Click for Free Mammorgrams
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
Please click daily to help provide free mammograms for needy women. When detected early, breast cancer fatalities can be alleviated. This site also has links to Free Hunger, Child Health, Literacy (which helps children and adults to free themselves of ignorance, creates better job opportunities and raises esteem), Save the Rainforest, Assist Animal Rescue.By clicking every day, you can help and it doesn't cost you anything. The mark of a true humanitarian is one who does not say I can't do anything to alleviate world hunger, sickness and untimely death. She says,it is only a moment of my time to help others every day. That act will allow you to think of other ways to put a smile on a child's face, a cup of rice into a struggling widow's stomach, a few trees saved to help our ozone layer not become depleted by the cutting down of rainforests.
I am nearly finished with all six paintings and need to take a break from portraits and perhaps record some other intimate scenes of city life here in Cairo - the colorful array of lights caused by speeding cars, the glimpse of buildings when I look up at the sky, washing hanging out a window, a Fauve landscape created by small rooftop gardens. Even if you can't be here, think of ways to colorize your world. Have your children make art everyday even if all it is, is a scribble of colors across a plain sheet of paper. Encourage it in yourself, put on some dangling earrings, a touch of color on your lips, and breathe the fresh air of your neighborhood. Talk to animals, from the birds on the trees to the squirrels running up and down and around the lawn of your apartment or house, to the meowing cats and barking dogs that you encounter. Most of you will not see donkeys on the streets or horses pulling carts like I do, or camels spitting and blinking their huge fringed eyelashes - I will provide that for you in this blog. Delight in the colors around you, the orange hues of the fall trees. Love who you are. You are fabulously talented men and women!
Well, I'm on a high from getting money at the HSBC ATM at the Marriott in preparation for my hosting Chris and Katie. I had a cappucchino and crossant at Simonds and got a merci beaucoup from the older barista when I gave my 1 LE tip. I went to the Women's Association of Cairo on 11 Yehia Ibrahim Street just a few blocks away and joined as a member for 200 LE. This now entitles me to discounts for their excursions like the one I will be on Tuesday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for the Traditional Bedouin costume fashion show at Fustat. We meet at the Gezira parking lot at the Marriott and then take an air conditioned bus. It will be the chance to meet other women in the area - this "club" is for English speaking women. You never know who I will meet through them.
Then walked to Alfa Market for the usual shopping, bread, tomatoes, 1/2 kilos of sliced turkey and cheddar cheese (sheedar), croissants, loaf of freshly baked French bread, chocolate. So will have lots of food for my guests. Now it's time to relax a bit - think about writing something scholarly - I finished my article interview with Shayma which I had forgotten about. There is still the one on origins of beauty: women, wisdom, fear and desire in art.
Please click daily to help provide free mammograms for needy women. When detected early, breast cancer fatalities can be alleviated. This site also has links to Free Hunger, Child Health, Literacy (which helps children and adults to free themselves of ignorance, creates better job opportunities and raises esteem), Save the Rainforest, Assist Animal Rescue.By clicking every day, you can help and it doesn't cost you anything. The mark of a true humanitarian is one who does not say I can't do anything to alleviate world hunger, sickness and untimely death. She says,it is only a moment of my time to help others every day. That act will allow you to think of other ways to put a smile on a child's face, a cup of rice into a struggling widow's stomach, a few trees saved to help our ozone layer not become depleted by the cutting down of rainforests.
I am nearly finished with all six paintings and need to take a break from portraits and perhaps record some other intimate scenes of city life here in Cairo - the colorful array of lights caused by speeding cars, the glimpse of buildings when I look up at the sky, washing hanging out a window, a Fauve landscape created by small rooftop gardens. Even if you can't be here, think of ways to colorize your world. Have your children make art everyday even if all it is, is a scribble of colors across a plain sheet of paper. Encourage it in yourself, put on some dangling earrings, a touch of color on your lips, and breathe the fresh air of your neighborhood. Talk to animals, from the birds on the trees to the squirrels running up and down and around the lawn of your apartment or house, to the meowing cats and barking dogs that you encounter. Most of you will not see donkeys on the streets or horses pulling carts like I do, or camels spitting and blinking their huge fringed eyelashes - I will provide that for you in this blog. Delight in the colors around you, the orange hues of the fall trees. Love who you are. You are fabulously talented men and women!
Well, I'm on a high from getting money at the HSBC ATM at the Marriott in preparation for my hosting Chris and Katie. I had a cappucchino and crossant at Simonds and got a merci beaucoup from the older barista when I gave my 1 LE tip. I went to the Women's Association of Cairo on 11 Yehia Ibrahim Street just a few blocks away and joined as a member for 200 LE. This now entitles me to discounts for their excursions like the one I will be on Tuesday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for the Traditional Bedouin costume fashion show at Fustat. We meet at the Gezira parking lot at the Marriott and then take an air conditioned bus. It will be the chance to meet other women in the area - this "club" is for English speaking women. You never know who I will meet through them.
Then walked to Alfa Market for the usual shopping, bread, tomatoes, 1/2 kilos of sliced turkey and cheddar cheese (sheedar), croissants, loaf of freshly baked French bread, chocolate. So will have lots of food for my guests. Now it's time to relax a bit - think about writing something scholarly - I finished my article interview with Shayma which I had forgotten about. There is still the one on origins of beauty: women, wisdom, fear and desire in art.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Two more paintings for the series
Can't believe how active I was today painting. I felt the need to complete the ones I had started so I could post them! I love the Little Coptic Girl - she was the sweetest little thing, one of the zabaleen - the garbage collector's at Moqqatam - the hills above Cairo. Garbage is delivered there and by 2 pm, it has disappeared into various areas - paper, cans, organic stuff. The smell is pretty terrible on the hot days and most of the garbage people are Coptic Christians. The monastery is a little oasis full of children who go to school there and all ages, very friendly children too. Though the families collect and sort garbage, surprisingly, most little girls have gold earrings. Actually, if there is any money left, the women - Muslim, Christian wear gold and 22 or 24 K gold at that. Silver means you aren't very well off and is disdained.
The other portrait is of Amira, the journalist for the English weekly version of Al Ahram newspaper. I got the idea to include a few of the letters of the Newspaper in the portrait partly from Picasso's use of the Parisian paper in his cubist collage works. It's only 7:00 pm here but I feel like I have been working all day. I woke up and stayed up from 9:15 am. I never hear Dominique leave - she is so quiet. Only if I ask her to wake me up do I get up earlier. Anyway, it is so hot here as I stated earlier in the 10 day weather forecast for Cairo.
The other portrait is of Amira, the journalist for the English weekly version of Al Ahram newspaper. I got the idea to include a few of the letters of the Newspaper in the portrait partly from Picasso's use of the Parisian paper in his cubist collage works. It's only 7:00 pm here but I feel like I have been working all day. I woke up and stayed up from 9:15 am. I never hear Dominique leave - she is so quiet. Only if I ask her to wake me up do I get up earlier. Anyway, it is so hot here as I stated earlier in the 10 day weather forecast for Cairo.
10 Day Weather Forecast for Cairo
Chance of precipitation - 0%. Temperatures ranging from 90 degrees to a high of 95 degrees on Saturday. Temperature is finally 89 degrees on the 21st of October - the official Autumn equinox. Humidity is rather high too.
Birthday part for Jennifer on October 16 on the rooftop studios downtown.
Birthday part for Jennifer on October 16 on the rooftop studios downtown.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
New Paintings and Food Delivery
This morning, yes 11:00 am is still morning for me, I was on a roll and started two new paintings and one new charcoal sketch. One is my friend Amira el Naqueb who writes forAl Ahram. It is just blocked out color and shape wise but I have her expression well defined. Then I started on a little Coptic girl from the church in Moqqatam hills. She is barely four years old, wispy hair big wooden cross on a leather string around her neck. Her big eyes reminded me of how I used to look. I made some adjustments to the little St. Catherine's girl especially her left eye. Somehow the left eyes are too high up. I thibk it's because I am drawing flat when I should have an easel. Acrylics are easy enough to correct though. I like the way they are going on the watercolor paper. Once the 12 are finished of this size, I want to work on the larger size canvases I bought for a group portrait.
I had to stop the paintings because I don't want to get mechanical about them - no paint by numbers - the scourge of the wanna be artist - I want the spark, the expression intact, coming out from within the paint and the sitter's eyes and mouth. Needing a break, I suggested to Dominique that we get out. It is so easy to stay in the air conditioned apartment! It is still humid outside and I heard that Nebraska is having the first snow storms and West Chester is getting chilly. Needed to stock up on mundane stuff like t.p. and desperately in need of bottled water so off we went to Alpha Market.
As our shopping cart ended up with more and more items, I figured, we should see about delivery and that way, I could get two boxes of water - this time the Nesle brand which is way better than Baraka, I also saw Siwa water but Nesle is tried and true. I was down to the last one at home. We each got chocolate - I had bought a variety of bars last week and Dominique liked a certain Hershey's and I am a great fan of Galaxy chocolate bars, so creamy. Just for comparative purposes, I also bought one Cadbury my ultimate favorite. We bought some stuff for stir fry, the tricolored peppers and mushrooms that Dominique will cook - veggies!! I will also eat tomatoes but no lettuce or other hard to clean items.
We made ourway home, hands free except for the two dozen country roses I bought for less than $3. They are pink but there were maybe three red roses mixed in. They even smelled faintly of roses. We got home, thrilled with the air conditioning, and I got the roses trimmed and put into the water pitcher - not the Brita - that water is for making tea and coffee. I'm now drinking some hibiscus tea (I had snitched a bunch of tea bags while in Costa Rica). I also am typing this on my mini Dell laptop. I finally figured out how to connect wirelessly about I bought a cord for direct connection to the modem. I had tried the wireless before on this b ut I guess I am better at pushing the right buttons now. I also had some kind of security on it which asked for a password each time another web site was accessed which was really annoying. Took care of that problem too. So now I sit on my green hard backed loveseat, sipping tea and typing on this lovely lightweight mini.
Well, that's all for niow, two young boys from the market delivered the groceries and I tipped them each 5 LE and they were happy. Me too. I love having lots of water.
I had to stop the paintings because I don't want to get mechanical about them - no paint by numbers - the scourge of the wanna be artist - I want the spark, the expression intact, coming out from within the paint and the sitter's eyes and mouth. Needing a break, I suggested to Dominique that we get out. It is so easy to stay in the air conditioned apartment! It is still humid outside and I heard that Nebraska is having the first snow storms and West Chester is getting chilly. Needed to stock up on mundane stuff like t.p. and desperately in need of bottled water so off we went to Alpha Market.
As our shopping cart ended up with more and more items, I figured, we should see about delivery and that way, I could get two boxes of water - this time the Nesle brand which is way better than Baraka, I also saw Siwa water but Nesle is tried and true. I was down to the last one at home. We each got chocolate - I had bought a variety of bars last week and Dominique liked a certain Hershey's and I am a great fan of Galaxy chocolate bars, so creamy. Just for comparative purposes, I also bought one Cadbury my ultimate favorite. We bought some stuff for stir fry, the tricolored peppers and mushrooms that Dominique will cook - veggies!! I will also eat tomatoes but no lettuce or other hard to clean items.
We made ourway home, hands free except for the two dozen country roses I bought for less than $3. They are pink but there were maybe three red roses mixed in. They even smelled faintly of roses. We got home, thrilled with the air conditioning, and I got the roses trimmed and put into the water pitcher - not the Brita - that water is for making tea and coffee. I'm now drinking some hibiscus tea (I had snitched a bunch of tea bags while in Costa Rica). I also am typing this on my mini Dell laptop. I finally figured out how to connect wirelessly about I bought a cord for direct connection to the modem. I had tried the wireless before on this b ut I guess I am better at pushing the right buttons now. I also had some kind of security on it which asked for a password each time another web site was accessed which was really annoying. Took care of that problem too. So now I sit on my green hard backed loveseat, sipping tea and typing on this lovely lightweight mini.
Well, that's all for niow, two young boys from the market delivered the groceries and I tipped them each 5 LE and they were happy. Me too. I love having lots of water.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
1:00 am
As you can see by the title of this blog, it is past midnight. I just read a note from my sister, Liz and was inspired to post the unfinished next two paintings I worked on today. The preteen boy I met on top of Mount Sinai - he showed me some crystals he had found on some of the other nearby mountains. All kinds of prophets like Elijah climbed upwards in their quest for godliness or something. It's a tough climb as I've stated previously. Walking upwards for hours does make you lightheaded and full of serotonin releasing into the blood stream, the runner's high. Add to that, the three hours of stomach cramps I had, well, getting to the top and being able to rest supine was akin to a religious experience in my mind. Well, OK, that and finding out that there was actually a toilet of a sort modestly closed off with branches.
OK, back to the boy - I just had to have those crystals - kind of a smoky quartz - which I gave him about 40 LE for. I told him that he should find more to sell to tourists. A really sweet kid, reminded of me of my nephew John so open and honest. Well, I decided to have his right hand showing clasping a crystal and I think I have achieved that bright eyed look that he had though this painting needs another day of work. The little girl, too is in progress. She had these pouting cherry red lips, big brown eyes that did not light up - a solemn little girl of around 5 or 6, not exactly trusting me. Bedouin women are cautious, do not often have anything to do with strangers and foreigners. But there is something so exotic and mysterious. Now the Berber women in Morocco seem much more forthright and powerful. I hope this little girl from Saint Catherine's monastery area continues to be feisty with that "I dare you to make me smile, I won't you know" look. I don't quite have that in the portrait yet. Again, another day or so.
As for what women wear in the villages, I would have to say it varies. Most wear scarves or hijab on their heads with no hair showing. In Tunis village, garments were rather drab amongst the potters. Clay colored long gallabiya to match the clay from which they fashioned vessels, plates, tiles. I saw one of the girls later come swimming in the pool of Evelyne and she was breathtakingly beautiful with thick dark brown hair, dark lashes, nubile in a one piece black swimsuit. No wonder they cover up! But other women had on some colors, reds and blues but very plain. Some wore skirts and a long sleeved long tunic. The fashion is functional - show no curves. Preteens and children are different with uncovered hair and limbs allowable.
Among other women, sometimes even face coverings exist - this particular "fashion" comes from Saudi Arabia - where women are swathed in black from head to toe. Some even wear black gloves of all things which I witnessed on the metro women's car. No where in the Quran, I am told by my Muslim girl friends, does it say that women are to be covered up with no hair showing. In Iran, a man walks around with a stick to hit women who have an errant wrist or ankle showing or a wisp of hair. Bedouin women are covered but their clothing, at least the traditional clothing is jubilantly embroidered with shell buttons forming part of the design. Sadly, polyester fabrics have entered - they never should have been allowed to keep living after the disastrous introduction of them in the 70s. Cotton, was and still is, the fabric of choice. I have tried to find out what happened to the linen of the ancient Egyptians without a satisfactory answer as of yet.
As for the feet, ugly half croc type shoes to flap in down the street or shuffle really. Villages are entirely different from the more fashionable Cairo. Even here though, amongst the western tight jeans and form fitting shirts of the girly girls of Cairo, I have snapped many a picture of a black clad woman wearing Nikes next to a motocycle. Incongruity reigns supreme in the city. Brightly coordinated double scarves match the outfit that no self respecting What Not to Wear guru would don. And it's amazing how closely the colors match. I would like to see the factory where they put together the outfits. I wonder what a fashion show would be like here. The farmers though in the villages have no time for fashion. They do wear gold earrings 22K no less and sometimes gold bangles too. I will add to my fashion commentaries as I travel. The next medium length trip will not be until October 26th.
OK, back to the boy - I just had to have those crystals - kind of a smoky quartz - which I gave him about 40 LE for. I told him that he should find more to sell to tourists. A really sweet kid, reminded of me of my nephew John so open and honest. Well, I decided to have his right hand showing clasping a crystal and I think I have achieved that bright eyed look that he had though this painting needs another day of work. The little girl, too is in progress. She had these pouting cherry red lips, big brown eyes that did not light up - a solemn little girl of around 5 or 6, not exactly trusting me. Bedouin women are cautious, do not often have anything to do with strangers and foreigners. But there is something so exotic and mysterious. Now the Berber women in Morocco seem much more forthright and powerful. I hope this little girl from Saint Catherine's monastery area continues to be feisty with that "I dare you to make me smile, I won't you know" look. I don't quite have that in the portrait yet. Again, another day or so.
As for what women wear in the villages, I would have to say it varies. Most wear scarves or hijab on their heads with no hair showing. In Tunis village, garments were rather drab amongst the potters. Clay colored long gallabiya to match the clay from which they fashioned vessels, plates, tiles. I saw one of the girls later come swimming in the pool of Evelyne and she was breathtakingly beautiful with thick dark brown hair, dark lashes, nubile in a one piece black swimsuit. No wonder they cover up! But other women had on some colors, reds and blues but very plain. Some wore skirts and a long sleeved long tunic. The fashion is functional - show no curves. Preteens and children are different with uncovered hair and limbs allowable.
Among other women, sometimes even face coverings exist - this particular "fashion" comes from Saudi Arabia - where women are swathed in black from head to toe. Some even wear black gloves of all things which I witnessed on the metro women's car. No where in the Quran, I am told by my Muslim girl friends, does it say that women are to be covered up with no hair showing. In Iran, a man walks around with a stick to hit women who have an errant wrist or ankle showing or a wisp of hair. Bedouin women are covered but their clothing, at least the traditional clothing is jubilantly embroidered with shell buttons forming part of the design. Sadly, polyester fabrics have entered - they never should have been allowed to keep living after the disastrous introduction of them in the 70s. Cotton, was and still is, the fabric of choice. I have tried to find out what happened to the linen of the ancient Egyptians without a satisfactory answer as of yet.
As for the feet, ugly half croc type shoes to flap in down the street or shuffle really. Villages are entirely different from the more fashionable Cairo. Even here though, amongst the western tight jeans and form fitting shirts of the girly girls of Cairo, I have snapped many a picture of a black clad woman wearing Nikes next to a motocycle. Incongruity reigns supreme in the city. Brightly coordinated double scarves match the outfit that no self respecting What Not to Wear guru would don. And it's amazing how closely the colors match. I would like to see the factory where they put together the outfits. I wonder what a fashion show would be like here. The farmers though in the villages have no time for fashion. They do wear gold earrings 22K no less and sometimes gold bangles too. I will add to my fashion commentaries as I travel. The next medium length trip will not be until October 26th.
Friday, October 9, 2009
A smile from the barista
Since last summer when I was here in Zamalek, I vowed that I would find a way to make the barista at Simond's cafe smile. Today that wish came true. It was the last cappucchino of the day for him - he is on the early shift apparently. It was Dominique's first time there and I really needed a good jolt of caffeine to jumpstart my painting. I paid the 7 LE, took the receipt to him - he asked what I wanted and I assumed correctly that's what he asked. Dominique brought her receipt to him as well. I am calling him Mohamed for now, it is a safe guess for a man's name around here. We parked ourselves at the new marble counter and drank our coffees. When he brought his small bowl of change - 25 piaster bill with a few little coins to the young, veiled female cashier, I jumped up and put a 1 LE note in his hand and I got my big smile and a Merci beaucoup Madame as well. I was as pleased as I could be. Next time, or the time after that, I will ask for a photo. The man is a legend and Simond's is written about in most guidebooks - it has been around for over 100 years. The clientele is generally made up of Egyptian men. There is a big non-smoking sign on the counter which most seem to ignore. Today though, we were blessed with no indoor pollution in the nicely air conditioned cafe. I never thought I would be graced with a smile since last year, he only seemed to favor his old cronies with a hello and to me, Simond's was like an old boys club. Maybe I have changed. I wore a purple tea shirt with the requisite scarf wound about my neck and decollete. I've decided that tipping someone who makes the best cappucchino in Cairo with a 1 LE note is a small favor, well earned. If we did this in America, a 20 cent tip would get us a sneer or a round of expletives. This is what I love about Egypt, days like this.
Perusing the glass cases, we looked at the enormous birthday cakes and other treats and I decided to buy what smelled like a pound cake, a small one the size of Nancy's shoe was 5.5 LE. Something nice to have with our afternoon tea.
On returning home, I cleaned my palette peeling off the dried acrylic paint with ease, and settled in for an afternoon of painting. I am halfway finished with two more portraits - a young teenaged boy (around 13 or 14 years old) from Mount Sinai and a little Bedouin girl from St. Catherine's. I drew in his hand holding a crystal - I paid him a few dollars for a large smoky quartz crystal which he had found in the nearby mountains and wanted to add it to the portrait. I feel that I've captured their expressions well and blocked in the colors. They are a little different from my first two but then I am only in the middle of the painting - I like seeing my progress and have them propped up against the wall in front of me. By the time the beginning of November rolls around, I would love to have a dozen completed. I'll be painting the little girl from Tunis village that I have posted here with more planned.
Dominique just made tea and I cut the tea bread - pound cake with golden Egyptian raisins. Not too sweet with soft raisins, just right for tea time. More later
Perusing the glass cases, we looked at the enormous birthday cakes and other treats and I decided to buy what smelled like a pound cake, a small one the size of Nancy's shoe was 5.5 LE. Something nice to have with our afternoon tea.
On returning home, I cleaned my palette peeling off the dried acrylic paint with ease, and settled in for an afternoon of painting. I am halfway finished with two more portraits - a young teenaged boy (around 13 or 14 years old) from Mount Sinai and a little Bedouin girl from St. Catherine's. I drew in his hand holding a crystal - I paid him a few dollars for a large smoky quartz crystal which he had found in the nearby mountains and wanted to add it to the portrait. I feel that I've captured their expressions well and blocked in the colors. They are a little different from my first two but then I am only in the middle of the painting - I like seeing my progress and have them propped up against the wall in front of me. By the time the beginning of November rolls around, I would love to have a dozen completed. I'll be painting the little girl from Tunis village that I have posted here with more planned.
Dominique just made tea and I cut the tea bread - pound cake with golden Egyptian raisins. Not too sweet with soft raisins, just right for tea time. More later
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Homework
Today I'm catching up on what I call homework - no, not housework - you all know me as the limited domestic goddess! I did get the laundry done. Did I mention before that my washing cycle takes at least 1 1/2 hours for a small load? Drying is quicker.
At any rate, I contacted Ghada who manages a women's sewing coop or workshop for women and girls near Maadi. We will meet Saturday at 11:30 am at the metro station and then go from there. On Friday is an art exhibition called "Bread" at Darb 17 18 with contemporary art by 12 artists. Egypt is the world's greatest consumer of bread and this is nothing new. In Pharaonic times, the farmers and workers existed on rations of bread and beer - not your Wonder bread and Yuengling but greasy thick flat loaves and very soupy almost chewable beer full of vitamins. I still don't understand how one can work after drinking beer. I would fall asleep. But if you slept, you didn't work and if you didn't work, no survival for you or your family. The Egyptian government subsidizes bread and petrol. Gas prices are around 85 cents per liter here. Egypt is the only Middle Eastern country who sells oil to Israel.
I was stressing out about getting my ten line artist biography for the Cairo Opera House exhibition translated into Arabic. Finally, this afternoon, the light bulb went on. I used Google to find an English to Arabic translation site for free and plugged in my bio and voila! - Standard Arabic translation. Then I remembered something that Karl upstairs had told me that I should check the translation as it sometimes turns out pretty funny. Boy, was he right. One of the online sources was nearly unintelligible. Yikes! So went back and forth from Arabic to English and vice versa, simplifying my English words until the final product was not embarrassingly stupid in context. Now why didn't these translation tools exist when I was working on my Master's degree or PhD? Technology can be a very good thing for the smaller problems like this. If you want to see what it looks like here it is:
السيرة الذاتية
الدكتور فرجينيا M. دا كوستا ، وهو بحاثة بمنحة من فولبرايت (2009-2010) وأستاذ مشارك في تاريخ الفن في جامعة وست تشيستر في بنسلفانيا منذ عام 1998. حصل على درجة الماجستير في الفن (1990) في جامعة ولاية كاليفورنيا ، لونغ بيتش في الرسم وتاريخ الفن ، ودكتوراه (1997) في جامعة كاليفورنيا في سانتا باربرا. كما غرامة الفنان ومؤرخ الفن ، أستاذ دا كوستا ينظر إلى المرأة بوصفها الفنانين والعباد.
منهج دراسي جديد للمرأة في الشرق الأوسط : الفن والسينما والأدب التي أنشأتها دا كوستا بعد فولبرايت هايس الحلقة الدراسية الصيفية في مصر (2007). أستاذ دا كوستا قد سافر على نطاق واسع -- تركيا وسوريا والأردن وتونس والمغرب ومصر منذ عام 1992
الأبحاث الحالية على المرأة في مصر والحرف والفنانين الذين يستخدمون الفنون التقليدية في عملها سيؤدي في منشور. هذا سيضيف إلى مناقشات عالمية حول الفنون التقليدية في الشرق الأوسط من قبل النساء. لوحات بورتريه في هذا المعرض : وجوه من مصر تعكس التعبيرات الفريدة والثقافة من الرجال والنساء والأطفال انها اجتمعت هنا.
Of course, you can pick out the years and remember, it reads from right to left. This is modern standard Arabic which is more formal than colloquial Egyptian Arabic.
I want to paint another portrait today so will post when I do. First though, I have some proofing to do for my friend Sally, something pretty easy for me. She is a wonderful artist and deserves her promotion and tenure.
I also caught up on numerous emails --more later.
At any rate, I contacted Ghada who manages a women's sewing coop or workshop for women and girls near Maadi. We will meet Saturday at 11:30 am at the metro station and then go from there. On Friday is an art exhibition called "Bread" at Darb 17 18 with contemporary art by 12 artists. Egypt is the world's greatest consumer of bread and this is nothing new. In Pharaonic times, the farmers and workers existed on rations of bread and beer - not your Wonder bread and Yuengling but greasy thick flat loaves and very soupy almost chewable beer full of vitamins. I still don't understand how one can work after drinking beer. I would fall asleep. But if you slept, you didn't work and if you didn't work, no survival for you or your family. The Egyptian government subsidizes bread and petrol. Gas prices are around 85 cents per liter here. Egypt is the only Middle Eastern country who sells oil to Israel.
I was stressing out about getting my ten line artist biography for the Cairo Opera House exhibition translated into Arabic. Finally, this afternoon, the light bulb went on. I used Google to find an English to Arabic translation site for free and plugged in my bio and voila! - Standard Arabic translation. Then I remembered something that Karl upstairs had told me that I should check the translation as it sometimes turns out pretty funny. Boy, was he right. One of the online sources was nearly unintelligible. Yikes! So went back and forth from Arabic to English and vice versa, simplifying my English words until the final product was not embarrassingly stupid in context. Now why didn't these translation tools exist when I was working on my Master's degree or PhD? Technology can be a very good thing for the smaller problems like this. If you want to see what it looks like here it is:
السيرة الذاتية
الدكتور فرجينيا M. دا كوستا ، وهو بحاثة بمنحة من فولبرايت (2009-2010) وأستاذ مشارك في تاريخ الفن في جامعة وست تشيستر في بنسلفانيا منذ عام 1998. حصل على درجة الماجستير في الفن (1990) في جامعة ولاية كاليفورنيا ، لونغ بيتش في الرسم وتاريخ الفن ، ودكتوراه (1997) في جامعة كاليفورنيا في سانتا باربرا. كما غرامة الفنان ومؤرخ الفن ، أستاذ دا كوستا ينظر إلى المرأة بوصفها الفنانين والعباد.
منهج دراسي جديد للمرأة في الشرق الأوسط : الفن والسينما والأدب التي أنشأتها دا كوستا بعد فولبرايت هايس الحلقة الدراسية الصيفية في مصر (2007). أستاذ دا كوستا قد سافر على نطاق واسع -- تركيا وسوريا والأردن وتونس والمغرب ومصر منذ عام 1992
الأبحاث الحالية على المرأة في مصر والحرف والفنانين الذين يستخدمون الفنون التقليدية في عملها سيؤدي في منشور. هذا سيضيف إلى مناقشات عالمية حول الفنون التقليدية في الشرق الأوسط من قبل النساء. لوحات بورتريه في هذا المعرض : وجوه من مصر تعكس التعبيرات الفريدة والثقافة من الرجال والنساء والأطفال انها اجتمعت هنا.
Of course, you can pick out the years and remember, it reads from right to left. This is modern standard Arabic which is more formal than colloquial Egyptian Arabic.
I want to paint another portrait today so will post when I do. First though, I have some proofing to do for my friend Sally, something pretty easy for me. She is a wonderful artist and deserves her promotion and tenure.
I also caught up on numerous emails --more later.
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