It's a very odd thing living abroad. No matter how much time passes, things never seem to get less stressful. I'm not losing my mind or anything like that, but the underlying notion that everything is still so unpredictable when you are in a new place will always impart a certain stress and pressure both emotionally and physically. On the uplifting side of things, I was very productive at work today. I am almost done with my 4th crate (which i was supposed to have done by the 4th week and I haven't even been working 3 weeks yet). This last bag I am sorting though is loaded and should really take me the next couple of days to get through. i am getting really good at dental analysis though. So, it still appears as though I will get done early and will get to work half days at the lab, and the rest at the apartments (which will be really nice because of the air conditioning).
Some not so great stuff...I am coming down with a cough. Everyone around here has been sick and it really is only a matter of time before I fall victim to the germ spread. However it is hard to tell whether or not it is a sickness cough or if it is what my professor calls, "The Cairo Cough" a natural body reaction to the air pollution. Cairo is the most polluted city in Africa, and one of the most polluted cities in the world. The traffic is one factor....when at any given point in time the streets are packed with running vehicles (except during Fridays when people are at the mosques) one can only imagine how much exhaust is filling the air. Additionally there aren't any regulations in terms of garbage burning and what not. Air pollution to this degree is really something that should be expected overall in a city housing 25 million. So again, my cough could really just be my body telling me how unhappy it is that I am putting it through such unhappy times. There's not a whole lot I can really do about it though, just tough it out.
Other not so fun stuff. This morning I was drinking coffee and doing my crossword puzzle, ignoring the flies that buzz around me, trying to get access to any moist part of my skin or eyes. So nonchalantly, one of the grad students, Foy says, "What do you think this one is?" And I look...a pale belly dancing bug twisting itself about the table. I felt myself grow just as pale...I knew what it was...I just didn't want to be right. Someone voices, "Oh is it just some sort of worm?"....Disgusted still I can't look away, I find myself trying not to squirm and mock its very motions...Worm..yes a worm, please let it be a worm...Richard walks by and takes a look, and verifies what I knew the whole time, "Ohh yeah, that's a maggot." Glance around the table and there's another one....I look at my coffee cup and make sure it's clear, Richard mentioned something about them coming from the ceiling...I tossed out the coffee either way...he then went through the fruit bowl which sits as the centerpiece of the table and got rid of a molded out peach that had been sitting there. He said that that could have been why they were there. So add that to the list....I now don't eat the fruit here. Maggots...yes that one I am still trying to get over. I was glad I had decided not to eat anything for breakfast otherwise I probably would have felt very ill. But I'm still gonna go down to dinner, and just put it out of mind. I wonder if my dad accidently ever consumed maggots during his travels. Richard has many stories about maggot infested foods.
If only I were this guy:
tomorrow is my roommate's last night here. The professor she works with is giving a lecture on his dissertation work. She is going to be baysitting for his kids while he does that and I told her I would help. I suppose i could go to the lecture...but half of it is going to be in japanese with a translator...and I think I would rather just hang out with my roommate and watch some cinderella. Tuesday nights are usually movie nights around here, though I doubt that will keep up since everyone is pretty much leaving this week. Last week we watched layer cake, a movie I enjoyed a lot. the week before we watched Lucky number Slevin, which was also good, but I was able to figure out a lot of it well before the end.
I'm hoping to get some reading done tonight. I haven't been good about doing more work in the evening mainly because I hate being at my computer, and I hate reading this text book. Every day I toy with the idea of putting my computer away and abstaining from it completely but I know it helps for you to all read this, and most days it helps me too.
I leave you with a picture of this contemplative archaeologist:
Have a good day everyone. Will someone please tell me if my brother is alive? It occured to me the other day that I don't think I have seen him since january, and that's absurd. that cutiepie actually told Cedar point that he couldn't work until after May 12th because he had to see me before I left, but unfortunately I wound up leaving much earlier and he wasn't done with school yet. Man I love that kid...sometimes...no all the time.
Thank you to those that e-mail me and message me, it really helps to get personal responses and support while I am here.
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