Iftar

This was on September 6....I am so mixed up with time, days posts, blogs...how I've gotten so far behind with this one I don't know.
I have been writing some posts for Mondoweiss, my friend Philip Weiss's blog. He just posted one today...I wasn't finished but he loved the ending and put it up. When I write for Mondoweiss I write and then can put it in draft, on hold or submit for approval and posting. He has access to all the drafts, etc. I had left the post in draft and this morning he emailed saying he wanted to post it. I thought I wasn't finished but what do I know?

OK...it's time to visit the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministry draws up a list of people who are approved to enter Gaza at the Rafah border crossing. Somehow I missed that I needed to make contact with them. All my documentation needs to be processed by them for me to be "on the list" however before, someone with power and position could call and have your name "put forward" So I went off to the Ministry thinking I was a few steps away from entering Gaza.

The taxi dropped me off in front of a very impressive gate in a very impressive wall; inside the wall were very lush plants, flowers and grass. I went to the nearest gate; it looked very important and had a number of men in tan suits milling around it. I asked if anyone spoke English and was looked at with blank stares. Finally the man closest to me asked who I was looking for. After listening to me explain I needed the person who reviews documentation of people wishing to enter Gaza; he told me the Foreign Ministry had nothing to do with that. Again I explained, asserting I was certain from high Egyptian sources this was the proper place, I heard oh yes and was refereed to gate three. I mistook gate two for gate three; found gate three and was told gate one was where I belonged.


This quest, getting in to Gaza, is designed to wear a person down! When I return to gate one the suits have disappeared and I am met by a friendly security person who leads me to a small room with chairs, windows, a fan and a very helpful man who has the patients of a saint. He spoke no English but in fifteen minutes had me on the phone with the woman who process requests to enter Gaza. Sadly, I learn she has a new boss and there are new procedures. All requests and documents must be sent to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry by an Embassy, as in the US Embassy, which does not want me going to Gaza in the first place. They no longer deal with individuals....please, I plead my case..she agrees to speak to the new boss and see if under the circumstances an exception can be made. NO EXCEPTIONS!

So, I drag myself back to my hotel and computer...google the US Embassy Cairo...the site for appointments. The first available one is on September 14. I don't know whether to cry or scream...I take the appointment.
Two or three days later I google again and find an appointment available on Sept. 9 at 9 am...I sign up for it.

There have been many bright spots, lovely experiences, just plain fun. The hotel staff, and they are numerous, are all young men,most in their early to mid twenties... similar to having a whole group of Matthews surrounding me...they're my pretend grandsons. They keep my spirits up...the one day I was quite down and discouraged they were visibly concerned and as relieved as I was when I perked up.

The manager, age 23, invited me to join him and three friends as they celebrated Iftar. I was surprised... flattered and accepted without hesitation. We went by taxi to an area of Cairo called in English "the lady"
There was a very large intersection with most of the cars, trucks, donkey carts and a man leading two camels headed down the same small street. It was lined on both sides by small restaurants with outdoor tables filled to capacity with patrons. The tables were covered with food...meat, salad, pasta, chicken, every possible dish an Egyptian would want to eat in celebration to break the Ramadan fast. At exactly 6:30 everyone tool their first bite.

We had to wait for the 6:30 "seating" to finish; which was in many ways best...my escorts said the food later in the evening was better than that fixed for the 6:30 rush and for me, I was delighted to people watch. I wanted to take pictures but was without camera so I was loaned a camera phone with the explanation that none of them could take pictures because people would suspect they were from the government. As I was clicking away I was tapped on the shoulder with a request from a group of "mature" men wanting me to take a picture of their table. I wish I'd gotten a picture of the man with the camels...they walked along so calmly, oblivious to the blaring horns, screeching breaks and wild vehicles. They ignored the entire scene.

I've finally taken to exploring my neighborhood; walking for an hour or two, depending on the heat and time of day. Night is the best time to go out. The streets are full of people, lots of families, young women in their 20s usually in groups of three for some reason, mothers and children, men tend to hang on the sidelines in small groups. Few people seem to walk by themselves after 7:30 or 8:00. As I've said before...stores are wide open and doing business at midnight.

Most of the time I am the only person who doesn't appear to be Egyptian or Middle Eastern...once I passed a woman who looked as though she was from the Andes...(clothing and hat) People are always apologetic for their lack of English...which they have no need to be. I'm the one who should be speaking Arabic...I'm insulted by my own lack of expertise...I can understand very little and don't seem to be making any headway at figuring out what's being said. I do fairly well here in the hotel because we are used to our sign language. Put me on the street and I'm lost. I carry a card with the hotel's address...it's with me every time I leave the building.

Tomorrow I visit the US Embassy...hopefully I will receive good news. I realized today that the Muslim celebration of Eid begins on Friday....Egyptian government closes for the three day holiday...this would mean the Foreign Ministry won't be open to process my documents if the US Embassy approves their being forwarded. That takes me into next week....................

This is an adventure even if it's not the one I had looked forward to having.

Today I went to the bakery which was filled with male customers...pushing, shoving, making their selections. Cookies were displayed in various assortments packaged in the bottom of a box. When your selection is paid for you receive a small piece of paper, move from the cashier to someone who puts the top on the box and ties it up with ribbon, he takes your paper. When I returned to the hotel...where I was the only one able to eat them before 6:30, I was told that men buy them for their wives of fiancé. hence all the men shopping.

The manager here in the hotel commented on how difficult it was to shop there when many women buying sweets, My thought, women look at everything, take their time and more than their space before they make their purchase. NO...not the reason, the young men cannot bump up against a woman...she may start screaming,this man is touching me, bothering me, etc There is no way you can enter that store with out bumping into people...no wonder all the men were there at one time...I guess they knew I wasn't going to scream and make accusations.