There is a ring in my fuul

I just have time for a quick update before I leave for "Ein Sokna" a small town on the coast of the Red Sea.The AIESEC group are going to take us tonight so we can spend tomorrow at the beach relaxing. I have had a great week since the Luxor trip, spending a lot of time up late in the cafes with friends. However, the least enjoyable moment of this past week relates to the title of this post. "Us" foreigners do have to be careful with what foods we eat here as our stomachs are not as strong as the locals. However, fuul (the national dish of fava beans in a pita style bread) is something I eat regulary and quite enjoy as it is lighter and less risky than some other foods here. Nonetheless, this week while eating my fuul in the office I happened to bite down on a ring. Yes, a ring! Needless to say I did not eat much else that day and the incident left me feeling a little bit ill, but it does make me chuckle now. My coworkers response was "try again... maybe you'll get a bracelet!"
The temperature this week has been high and the air conditioning units across the city are working overtime to compensate so the electricity has been cutting out in the office on a daily basis. Usually around 2 or 3 in the afternoon it will flicker and then go out for a while then eventually it returns. An added bonus to this predicament was that yesterday the electricians came to do some major repair work and they cut off the power for most of the day. So, instead of working I went with Miriam and Mahmoud to Coptic Cairo, or Old Cairo, to see some of the oldest churches in the city. This was a wonderful, unexpected outing and we toured 4 or 5 of the main churches including The Hanging (Muallaqa), Abu Sergah, Mar Guirguis, the Coptic Museum, and Ben Ezra Synagogue. Miriam did her best to explain some of the history to me, but there was some struggle due to language so I will need to go online to read in more detail about the places we visited.
I did gather some information though including that Coptic Christians refers only to Egyptians, not any other nationality, and this group established many monasteries throughout the region from the 2nd to the 7th century. Basically, their dominance was between the Pharonic and the Islamic periods and their churches and artifacts reveal that they were excellent weavers and artisans. The Hanging Church gets its name because it was built over a Roman Fortress and it appears to be literally hanging in the air. Parts of the church have no foundation and are only held up by pillars. It has a magnificent arc like ceiling said to represent Noah and the arc and 7 exquisite alters built with bone and ivory. Beyond this is Abu Sergah Church, which was built on the site where the Holy Family was supposed to have rested during their exile in Egypt. And finally the Ben Ezra synagogue is still standing and is believed to be the site where baby Moses was found in this basket. So, it was obviously a really special tour of some incredibly significant places.
Miriam was really pleased to show me this area of the city and we plan to go back for mass on an upcoming weekend. I think for Mahmoud, a Muslim, it was an interesting experience as he has little background in Christianity and the history from this time. He said they were not taught much about Christianity in school and so I enjoyed filling him in on some important people and events. This really satisfying day was topped off with a visit to the Cultural Wheel, a center for music and the arts in Zamalek. An Iraqi lute player was performing some famous Egyptican songs and so we banded a group together and made it but not in time for seats as the place was packed. The music was truly oriental and performed to the highest standard as I observed from the crowds reaction, they loved it and as we left my friends commented that this was a really great show. It was difficult for me to judge how his playing compares, but I hope to catch some more shows before I leave.
For now I am going to pack up my stuff and go meet the group back at City Stars. Got to get some food for the BBQ at the beach! I was there all day hosting at the restaurant, which is extremely boring to be honest, but I was told today that my Arabic has improved in the past few weeks. This made my day and I realize I shouldn't complain about hosting as it is the time spent talking with the other staff that helps me expand my vocabulary. Looking forward to the coast and the cooler weather... even if it is only for 24 hrs.