Does anyone remember the game Frogger? I believe that was the name. It's an early computer game in which the object was to get your frog across the street. I think the ultimate object was to get the male frog to the female frog, but that point is unimportant. Crossing the streets in Cairo is a bit like Frogger, only the stakes are your life, not to mate with a female frog. Most streets here were built for two to three lanes of traffic going each direction, but cabs are small vehicles, so most streets are crowded with five or six lanes of cars. It's totally impossible to wait for all lanes to clear, so like in Frogger, you cross one lane or maybe two, stand very still in the middle of the street while cars are rushing past you and wait for the next couple of lanes to clear. Making any crossing is a total commitment and should be avoided at all costs if possible, especially if you're like me, who moved to Cairo from one of the most pedestrian friendly towns in America. The key is to keep an Egyptian to your right, if one is available, and move with them - they know what they're doing and have no fear. I, on the other hand, have shrieked from fear when almost getting killed by one of the million cab drivers of Cairo who certainly have nothing to lose by running you over. And I've already mentioned my two car accidents and seeing the bike rider get knocked down. It's truly amazing and almost thrilling, if you’re in to near death experiences. I don’t believe I'll ever get used to it.



Ramadan, or the Muslim fasting period, is quickly approaching and apparently one has to be extra careful when playing Frogger. Why? Imagine an entire city not eating, drinking (even water), or smoking the entire daytime. Those conditions create irritability and unclear thinking. While the idea behind Ramadan is good, I'm not looking forward at all to daily activities that are difficult as is. Some of the other foreign students are real excited about Ramadan, but I fear they don't quite understand what a trying time it is for the fasters. I have the utmost respect for anyone who takes the fasting period seriously. I was raised Roman Catholic, sort of, and no one I knew followed the rules of fasting. The first time I was introduced to Ramadan was when I taught high school and one of my colleagues was Muslim. He followed the tradition of fasting, which is done to experience what impoverished people feel. All the money he saved on food for the month he donated to a food bank - pretty amazing, huh? Apparently in Egypt Ramadan is taken pretty seriously, as well. Restaurants are closed during the day and sometimes all month, it's very difficult to buy alcohol unless you have a foreign passport, but the city is an all night party every night after sundown. I'm not real sure how I feel about the whole thing, but I'll keep you posted. The fast begins on October 4th.