Parties!!!

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Greetings all:
I'm still having fun in the crazy polluted city of Cairo! The next month might be more low key, as Ramadan begins tomorrow. I've been told to expect that my students here at the Canadian school will be very sleepy as they will be fasting from sunrise until sunset, and then partying at night, eating and eating. I'm looking forward to seeing exactly what happens during Ramadan in a Muslim country.
So, as the title suggests, I have been to a few parties. I attended an Egyptian engagement party a couple of weeks ago. It seemed more like a wedding reception, though! The bride-to-be looked stunning in a gold beaded, sparkly dress, and the groom-to-be was in a suit. As they entered the hall, men with flaming swords did a display before the bride and groom. Then they took seats on a small raised stage at the front. There was dancing and food (mostly dessert) and of course, no alcohol. They also showed around the gifts of gold jewlery that the groom would be presenting to the bride (I don't think he gives her any kind of ring when the initially get engaged). So, she got rings, and necklaces, and bracelets. Quite an interesting event overall.
Then there last weekend. On Thursday, I attended a pub night at the Canadian Embassy along with lots of people from the school (and many other Canadians!). This was not some fancy hob-nob with diplomats event; this was a night to drink Canadian beer (if you like beer, which I don't) and to eat pork (hard to find in regular stores here as Muslims eat no pork). To get in, you have to check your cell phone at the door, show your passport, go through a metal detector and then you are in.
After partying here, we went to the American Embassy for a club-style night. There were American marines and fine-looking Egyptian men here, and all of the R&B, hip-hop and reggae music that I miss from clubbing back home. Fun if you like to dance and don't want to talk to people. And we were on the roof! To get in, you had to show ID outside, go in and show ID again and sign in, get your phone checked for photo capabilities (but you could bring it in), go through a metal detector, get your bag searched, and then get escorted up to the roof by elevator. Whew! I got home around 2 :30 AM, sort of early for me, but then I had been working all day.
The next day, Friday, I saw an Arabic play put on in a smaller theatre at the opera house. Even though I didn't understand what was said, I got the basics of the plot. Plus, no matter what the language, you can tell good acting when you see it, and the two main male performers were wonderful.
The next day, Saturday, I trooped to the Pyramids with a few people from school. This was my 4th time there (I was there 3 times over the course of my vacation here in March 2004). This was fun - again - a nice outing for an afternoon, to see a 5000 year old structure, the ONLY surviving of the original 7 wonders of the world ----what did YOU all do on the weekend back in Canada :-)
Ma'as salama.

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Photos

From the other side
This is what the pyramids look like from the Autostrad, on the other side away from the desert area.

Straight Up
This is a view straight up the side of the Great Pyramid, the only surviving wonder of the world.