oops, Q3 ANNIVERSARY: 9 months and counting

I should have done this yesterday but I completely forgot. Maybe it's the Ramadan effect, maybe because I was too excited to blog about my teaching experience and forgot everyting else, and maybe, just maybe, because I am used to life here now that I don't think of anniversaries as much as I used to? Well, it's probably a combination of all of the above.

Anyway, I am sitting now alone in my flat, eating the fastest iftar I could prepare in the last days of Ramadan and blogging to anyone who will read this instead of talking to real people. Not exactly my idea of a typical Ramadan day. But the interesting thing about this quarterly anniversary is that it divides itself nicely into 3 phases: the first month is Cairo month, the second is conferences month, and the third is registration month. So here are the highlights:

• Best days: 1st of August as I was flying home and meeting my family at the airport (I love airport scenes with all the emotions and the tears), 19th of October when I had the official registration panel.

• Worst days: the whole last week of my vacation in Cairo culminating in the last day, the 29th of August, and the night before the first of Ramadan.

• Exciting things: attending the conference in Cambridge, attending the conference in Cumberland lodge, teaching at Middlesex.

• The people: knowing the very nice Egyptian couple Rehab and Mostafa and their cute baby Rooshy with whom I had my best days in Ramadan.

• Cairo extra: the best thing about my vacation in Cairo is, of course, spending time with my family and meeting my friends. I can't forget the Nile cruise at sunset that my bro arranged for me the very next day of my arrival. I also really enjoyed driving a lot, especially that day I was driving at night on the highway listening to loud music. Oh, and of course the excitement of seeing our new house.
  

• Ramadan extra: in the beginning I thought I could actually have iftar with people every single day, this didn't exactly work out. Although I was more active in the first half, it was inevitable that many times I had to stay home and eat all by myself. This is when it kind of stopped feeling like Ramadan at all. It was just like any other day except that I don't eat or drink or work properly before 6. The only faint Ramadanish reminder at this point were the sweet pieces of 'basbusa' or 'konafa' I had. But at least I got to see some Arabic tv at Rehab's place and, as usual, we got to trash almost all of the stupid series we watched.

• Best definition of an 'idea' I heard so far: a headache with pictures (Fry on Futarama) :)

• What I loved about this period: the fact that it literally started in a great way and ended in a great way, so whatever happened in between, I won't think about it anymore.

• What I fear in the coming period: the winter depression symptoms which already started as I look now outside the window and it feels like it's midnight, and to have nothing exciting to do during Christmas vacation.

• Best way to celebrate this anniversary: well, the eid is almost here, isn't it? :)

So, this is it. I know I could write more but I am too tired. In those last days of Ramadan I feel like I am energy-drained. Anyway, this has been an exciting period and I enjoyed a lot of things in it. Ok, it's time for coffee now and a small piece of basbusa. Actually, I have a headache, a real one ;-)

Mai