Pomp and Osiris

I ate kosharee for the first time ever today -- twice. Kosharee is a tasty Egyptian dish that's a mixture of macaroni noodles, rice, lentils, tomatoes, onions, chick peas and olive oil with lots of spices. My parent's cleaning lady (it seems all the expats in Egypt have them) Azza came to work today with the kosharee she had promised to make for me the last time she came and it was delicious. Absolutely yummy breakfast. It was also my dinner.

My mother hosted a going away party for her friend Cheril, a Reading Pennsylvania native that's lived in Cairo for seventeen years. It seems that people come and go a lot in the expat community. Seventeen years is unheard of. I'm not sure about the specific details, but Cheril's husband was transfered back to Reading and they have a month to pack everything up, buy all the things you can only get in Egypt and say goodbye. Anyway, the ladies that work at CSA, (which stands for Community Service Association) a non-profit organization that provides resources for expats in Cairo, threw her the party and for food, they ordered kosharee and falafel and eggplant and once again, yum!

I like Cheril a lot and I'm sad to see her go, as she seemed like a good person and a good friend for my mother. Fortunately, before she goes, we've made plans to go to the Marriott Nile River Cruise (or whatever it's called) with food, bellydancers and all! And better still, her daughter graduates from High School tomorrow and the ceremony will be at the Giza pyramids. I can't wait! It's at 8 in the morning and I'm not a morning person, but this I have got to see. My first trip to the pyramids will be for high school graduation. It's going to be the most surreal thing I've ever seen. These people are so lucky and they don't even know it! Stay tuned for pictures!