What I Will Miss...

I leave here in a few days and have been thinking a lot about being home lately... in fact, I think I'm mentally somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic right now. Still, there's much about Cairo/Egypt that I have just begun to experience and so I will be sad to say goodbye. Some of what I will miss most:

• Fresh juice, available in every conceivable variety and on nearly every street corner for mere pennies.
• The view of the Nile at night. During the day, the river looks polluted and gross, but at night when everything is dark, save for the lights of the boats and the bridges, it's really beautiful.
• Horseback riding... in the desert... with the pyramids as a backdrop. Hard to beat.
• Koshari and the guy who makes it for me. This is typical Egyptian fare and excellent vegetarian fodder; it's made from rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, fried onions, and tomato sauce. The man who prepares it at my neighborhood shop has this amazing toothless smile that always puts me in a good mood.
• Conversations with Egyptians (neither interested in my money nor my hand in marriage, but) who are friendly, kind, and curious.
• My Arabic teacher. She has shown me a lot about the language, about herself, and about Egypt.

And a few of the things I won't miss:

• Traffic (and the pollution that accompanies it). By now, I'm accustomed to the way Cairines drive--and there really is a system to it, albeit not one governed by traffic signals or lane divides. Rather, it is the sheer volume of cars (and assorted farm animals) on the road that is incredible. [Sidenote: also incredible is the way in which people/animals are transported. It's not uncommon for an entire family--mom, dad, two kids--to ride on a single moped. I'm also amazed by the Egyptian version of a horse trailer--this requires only a flatbed truck and some rope. The horse then stands in the back and is secured to the sides of the truck.]
• Stray cats. They are mangy, pitiful, and everywhere. (Bob Barker, have you considered taking your show to Egypt?)
• Weird cheese. The variety of bad-tasting, soft, white cheese in the grocery confounds me.
• Having all-eyes-on-me whenever I walk down the street.