Cats, Bats and Automobiles

1. Stray cats abound. We have two rather pathetic ones that haunt our back stairs (I believe I've mentioned them before, or at least the orange kitten). They tear our trash bags apart within five minutes of our taking garbage out, but this does not always serve them well. Case in point, the other day the larger cat had its neck stuck in a plastic bag. I was worried that this would choke the cat as we elementary school kids were told happens to various sea creatures, so I tried to pull off the bag. Cat was not happy with this and let out various terrifying yowls before I gave up. I'd rather not have rabies.

Happily, today the cat was still alive and now bag-free. Luckily cats are more intelligent than seagulls.

2. Many of my roommates have now seen bats whilst filling their lungs with cancerous tar on our various balconies. I wish I had seen bats as well, but I suppose I have time to find them and take their pictures.

The word for bat, according to my alphabet-animal poster, is something like waat-waat, which is fantastically fun to repeat in silly voices.

Someday, I will have a waat-waat of my very own.

3. So, you know when someone parks all selfishly, takes up two spaces, and is generally very automobile-inconsiderate? At home we simply glower and, if pressed, leave nasty notes (white truck in front of my parents' house, I'm looking at you!), but in Cairo they've a novel solution to the problem. They simply hop out of their cars and push the offending vehicle into a better position. I've seen this all over, and the various guards and soldiers that are on every corner not only support it, sometimes (for a bribe, I'm sure) they join in.

Soldiers can also be bribed to allow double and triple parking. Last night, I had the exciting experience of a trip to Alpha Market in my friend H's chauffeured car, and when a soldier told the driver he couldn't double park blocking the corner, he merely waved him off. Then, when we were finished with our purchasing extravaganza, he driver gave the soldier some cash and a smile.

Having a driver is not so unusual here, for the classy folk at least. Some families own cars but then employ drivers, others hire drivers with cars. Either way, I want one! Not that I go that many places (I can walk to school, unlike many people I know, the unlucky ducks), but it sounds awfully nice that, were I to have a craving for graham crackers and peanut butter at five a.m., I could simply summon the driver to take me to the market.

Then again, I could also just call up the market and get delivery from them, but the fantasy stands. Roommate 7 has just had a McDelivery from McDonald's. She could have also got KFC, Hardees, and many in the same culinary genre.

Isn't globalization awesome?

Speaking of the globe, here is the map I bought yesterday from a street vendor. It has both English and Arabic: