Don't You Wish You Were in the Land of King Tut?

Today has been rather quiet as it the first day of the Eid al-Fitr. The dawn call to prayer was especially long, went on at least an hour. I don't mind it because it's rather like chanting, not like those blared from loudspeakers in Turkey. Shops are closed as people celebrate the end of a month of fasting. Soaked grapes in a half-and-half mixture of white vinegar and mineral water to make them suitable for eating. Gave some "give-away" gifts to the doormen (al-bowabeen) of my building. One has traveled almost all over the United States. My apartment is on the 14th floor of a forty-story building, one of the tallest in Cairo. On cable TV, I can get the BBC World Service, otherwise it's practice Arabic time. I learned to use an Egyptian model of a Black and Decker microwave by downloading the instruction manual–a little lesson in self-sufficiency. My Internet connection in Egypt makes all script appear on the right margin. English reads the same but is all over on the right; Arabic script reads from right to left as is normal for it. My first visit to the Fulbright Binational Commission in Egypt is on August 23, when offices are open again after Eid. Until then, it's housekeeping chores and planning time.