First Real Meal

Al Azhar Park:Tuesday was an all-day orientation at the Fulbright Binational Commission in Egypt office. Most interesting report was probably that of the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Marc J. Sievers. He was there as the demonstrations began. Sievers judged the situation manageable from the beginning. He criticized the media for being so poorly informed. The situation in Cairo was different from that in Libya where the Ambassador and three consulate staff members were killed. He thinks this episode will pass as one more of the unpredictable events occurring in the region. He pointed out that we have an advantage as Fulbrighters, since we can interact with the mainstream and don't stand out as government employees. The highlight of the day was an evening dinner at Studio Misr Restaurant in Al Azhar Park. I descended several levels (decorated with beautiful Arab architecture) to a veranda that overlooks gardens with a series of fountain pools pointing towards the Citadel. Our group enjoyed an Egyptian meal out on the terrace, overlooking beautiful landscaped lawns with the lighted scene of the Citadel in the distance. Opened in 2005 with the support of the Aga Khan Foundation, Al-Azhar Park sits on top of a 500 year old garbage dump, next to a the wall marking the edge of the tenth-century palace city of the Fatimids (ancestors of the Aga Khan). The 74 acres of green, interspersed with marble plazas, a reflecting pond, and shaded gazebos, have become Cairo's version of Central Park– a green, public oasis in an otherwise urban desert. What a gift! Together with the lunch buffet on the roof of the mission, the dinner was the first real meal some of us had had in a long time.