Cairo VI: The Cool of the Nile

-Early Friday morning, 9/4/2011

Last night, I couldn't sleep. We spent all day watching downloaded movies and trying to pick up internet. It really bugs me that we have no idea what's going on out there, but it's our fault for being so cheap and using everyone else's wi-fi before the riots. When I emerged from my room around 3 AM I found the boys still awake and watching anime. They're so adorable, I thought. So I curled up next to L and tried to fixate my thoughts on Spirited Away.

After sunrise I woke up again. Everyone else was asleep as I walked the perimeter of our terrace, unsuccessfully trying to pick up internet. Today we are going to get L's guitar from our houseboat, the one we got kicked out of before the riots. I picked up Al Jazeera Arabic for a few moments. It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn they said "aywama," which is the Arabic word for houseboat. In Cairo the houseboats are known to be a place where foreigners live. In the 1960s, however, they were a place for prostitution and it's still somewhat of a stigma. We were kicked out of our houseboat, and it was our fault, but at the same time our bowab (doorman) had it out for us from the very beginning. We had parties and he yelled at us for almost sinking the boat. We were messy and loud and made no excuses for our lifestyle. However, what the bowab hated most of all was that we simultaneously housed our Egyptian and Palestinian friends on numerous occasions.

When L left Cairo to hitchhike through Europe, I was left alone to deal with this guy who would say "Anti mish quayas" (You are not good) and "Amarika mish quayas" (America is not good). What an asshole. He took all the money he possibly could from us and forced us to leave. When L came back from Europe, we already had a new place in Dokki with landlords and bowabs who understood where we were coming from. Our houseboat landlords were supposed to give us our deposits back, but they fled the country and we have no idea what became of our former bowab. Even now I'm more terrified of this man than I am of any of the people I've encountered in Tahrir.

Our old aywama is located on the Nile, across the street from an area called Embaba. On the other side of the Nile is an area called Zamalek, a place where foreigners and the Egyptian elite live. Embaba is probably the coolest place in Cairo. In the 1970s it was known as the Republic of Embaba, and was considered to be a separate entity from the rest of Cairo. It was the place for criminals, lower class Egyptians, and other people who refused to answer to anyone. Europeans tend to steer clear of this area for safety reasons, but we love Embaba for its character, people, and cheap food. The plan is to get T in Agouza, go to the aywama to get L's guitar, and then have fatir (Egyptian pizza) with our friends in Embaba. Little Lew has also requested that we go to Muqattam, where his family is located, to get some clothes and basic necessities. I don't know what his deal is with his family, but I tend to think that he either got kicked out or left on his own accord. We will leave tomorrow.

-Morning-Afternoon 2/4/11

It's the morning and Merc is making Nigerian stew. T showed up for our meal. We heard a Greek journalist died yesterday. I guess it's a good thing I'm not a journalist. A little earlier I went out to walk my dog and ran into a German journalist who said he was leaving today. He was shitting his pants, and I wasn't feeling very social.

Two million people are again gathering in Tahrir today. Yesterday, when I was on Tahrir street, people were marching behind me chanting, "Hosni Mubarak!" The kids on the street were more afraid of my little dog than the angry protesters.

Back at the apartment Lucy called: "You guys want me to pick up booze on the way?"

"Now?" I asked. "Do you know there are Mubarak supporters outside?"

Little Lew was playing Justin Timberlake and rocking out.

"Why did he cheat on Jessica Biel?" I asked. "I don't get it."

I could see helicopters from my window. "What goes around comes around," I thought. Next L and I left for our old aywama. Everyone else decided to stay put. We got in a cab and on our ride saw people gathered around the bridge and lots of tanks. "Mish katir murmur," the cab driver said with a laugh. There is no traffic. My Arabic has improved substantially since the beginning of the revolution.

We made it to the aywama and the cab driver waited outside. There was no bowab, but he had left his dog behind. We knocked on the door. No one answered, so we let ourselves in. It was deserted. I found our friend Malte's paintings and a picture I painted during a trip to Gaza. I thought about throwing the painting into the Nile but decided to take it instead. We rooted around the apartments and discovered that someone left all of their shit in one. Ours was totally empty except for a few items. L couldn't find his mixer at first, but we found it hidden away in a cabinet.

"I love this boat," I said as the cab driver helped us load all of our things into the car.

"Doesn't this feel weird, breaking and entering into our own place?" L asked.

"We paid," I said. "It's still our place."

When we got back to our new apartment L gave me a huge hug. "Thank you," he said.

Then my dad texted: "Any thoughts on leaving the country?"

"Not really," I replied.

"Take this vitamin," I said to Little Lew. "It's from my brother. He's a pro baseball player. You know baseball? He's famous." Little Lew grinned. He has really taken to my dog. After trying with both T and I, he has decided that Petey the dog is his girlfriend.

We sat down to eat stew. "Why do we eat so well during the revolution?" I thought before my mind drifted to my Palestinian friend who was arrested yesterday along with his Italian girlfriend. No one knows where they are.

After our meal I heard Lucy say "Oxim bill!" over the phone. All four of us ran to the door. It was Ahmed. I've never hugged anyone so hard in my life. We celebrated his return with beers.

RACHEL POLLOCK

Also by Rachel Pollock:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MUHAMMAD
RIDDLIN' WITH DA SPHINX
I ❤ MY TWO MILLION NEW EGYPTIAN FRIENDS
LAST DAYS OF CAIRO
THESE CAIRO PROTESTS ARE A PAIN IN THE ASS