The saga continues and today I have two thoughts. Our bathtub was draining very slowly so I went to the store to get some drain-o type product. The label only had directions in Arabic, so I just poured the powder down the drain and left it to sit for a while. When I returned an hour later, I broke the cardinal rule of chemistry and breathed while leaning over the drain. Choking from the pain of a very minor chemical burn in my throat, I decided to wash my face and brush my teeth in the kitchen. No worries - my throat felt fine the next day. However, I learned a good lesson. Other nations do no have laws against using hydrochloric acid in household products. In that sense, America is great. My second thought comes from an incident, or rather series of incidents last night. Some friends from school invited me to a party at the pyramids hosted by Heinekin Beer Company. There was to be a good music, dancing, and promises of a good time. My gut instinct told me not to go - tickets were expensive and it was pretty far from my home in Mohandassin. Nevertheless, I went.

As we drove towards the party at midnight, I saw the Giza Pyramids for the first time not from a plane window. They are so close to the city! Practically right in the city! Every photo I ever saw of them was taken at such an angle that made them seem way out in the Sahara. There are apartment buildings 1/4 mile away! My jaw dropped from the sight of the ancient stones lit up with purple and green lights. By then I was quite excited I decided to attend the party. That excitement quickly faded when we arrived at the entrance gates where a riot promptly ensued. I guess the police presence was high and they weren't letting in about 1,000 people waiting outside the gates. It was pretty crazy how people were behaving. The attendees were mostly young Egyptians and many more men than women. They were so angry and violent. I ran and hid near some police that didn't have their baton sticks drawn. Was this mob mentality I was experiencing? But I marched with 1/2 million people in San Francisco for an anti-war rally and it never turned violent. After the rioters forced the police to open the gates, there was another entrance to pass through with metal detectors. After waiting about 10 minutes, the crowd tore down the 4 metal detectors and stormed the final gate. I couldn't believe my eyes! And once inside no one was held accountable for the violence - the crowd just began to party. After I recovered from my initial shock, I began to mingle with the crowd. I was distraught by the drug use, and it wasn't just hash smoking. Apparently there is a big heroin problem among the wealthy youth here. It was quite sad. Another observation - the only people dancing real close and nasty were the Americans! I thought that was funny.

When the music ended, the dancers attacked the stage and began ripping down the speakers. It was an appalling sight and I was sorry for these rich brats of Egypt who have too much testosterone and anger in their hearts.