Saturday, July 14, 2007

Same Old Same Old

It's like I never left.

The guys who work at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf didn't even go back to shortchanging me. They probably thought I'd been in just a few weeks ago instead of in April.

The Bodum travel coffee press at Alfa Market was right where it was in spring. Good thing too, since the glass one I've had since Spain 2004 was smashed to bits in my luggage.

My Egypt SIM card supposedly expires after three months. I must have gotten back just in time, and had enough funds left to text Muneer that I was here along with his Maya textbooks.

My office was empty and waiting for me. I taped up some notes to the white wall that is really a sticky film covering a mirror. I could still see the adhesive residue from my last notes.

The internet still went off in the morning, like it often does. I fought stupidly with it for a while before realizing that no amount of restarting was going to fix the phone lines. Like I always do.

Still, no one understands my inept Arabic.

And on the way home, the taxi driver asked if he could kiss me.

It's like I never left.

6 comments:

Marie Javins said...

Made you look.

Don Hudson said...

I looked! Got me.

Marie Javins said...

At least he asked, right? That's kind of polite, in a borderline sort of way.

Matt Hollingsworth said...

Yeah. At least he didn't whip his cock out and start going at it like that other guy who followed you.

Welcome back to Egypt.

Croatia is also the same as it was when you were in Cairo before, except a lot warmer. Supposed to hit 34 today. How's the summer weather there?

Marie Javins said...

So far, it's been surprisingly mild. But I'm sure the scorching heat will catch up with me soon enough.

Anonymous said...

good grief! not again