All quiet on the NYC front

I guess these days it takes some sort of disaster to get me to post on this blog.  Riots, hurricanes and whatnot.

So, I survived Sandy relatively unscathed.  My neighborhood, the East Village, wasn't quite as lucky.  The EV was hit hard by the wind and the storm surge.  Currently the neighborhood has no power, no steam heat, and many buildings have no water.  More troubling is the lack of cell/4G service in the area.  I didn't realize I was cut off from the world until about 11am Tuesday after the storm, which meant that Nick and my family were getting pretty worked up about my safety since I hadn't checked in to say I was ok.  Once the morning rain passed I hopped on my bike and headed for midtown seeking power and a cell signal for my phone, although I did take a detour to survey the damage to the East Village.  It wasn't a pretty sight.  You can take a look for yourself at the flooding that occurred during the storm, as well as the massive substation explosion about 5 blocks from my house that probably caused a lot of the blackouts.  Sandy did a number to my neighborhood.

NYT: Sandy Hits the East Village (photos)



After finding power and a cell signal at a Cosi at 37th and 7th Ave, my bike ride back home took me past Sundaes & Cones, which was giving out free ice cream since it was melting anyway.  That was a nice treat on a rather grim day.  After discovering I had no hot water in my apartment and therefore no hot showers (duh, Liz, no power=no water heater), I decided to decamp from the East Village and head for the warmth/power/hot water/cell service of Brooklyn.  I can live without power, but I draw the line at ice cold showers.

Which takes me to now.  I've been hanging out with friends in the BK (which never lost power) since Tuesday afternoon.  School is canceled until Monday, and I won't have work until I have power in my apartment (the theater where I work is 2 blocks from my apartment).  But I will be braving the transit nightmare tomorrow to make my way back to my apartment.   I have a what's sure to be a very stinky fridge & freezer to clean out.  And I need clean clothes.

So....is there anyone who is reading this blog who lives in Brooklyn and needs an additional passenger to meet the 3 person minimum to get across one of the East River bridges tomorrow?

Just a test

Sorry for the interruption.  Just testing something out to see if I can link the blog to my Facebook page.

Please return to your regularly scheduled activities.  

All quiet on the Ma'adi front

So, as you all probably guessed, Nick and I have pretty much let this blog fall into hibernation.  I just don't have that much to say about my life in NYC, and Nick was never particularly into writing here.  I will probably resume regular posts when I join him in Cairo next summer, but until then expect posting to be very light, possibly non-existent.

However, I am popping back online today because my mom told me that she's fielded a number of calls this week from family and friends who aren't Facebook friends with either Nick or me, and who have been concerned about Nick's safety given the recent unrest in Cairo.

First of all, a big thanks to everyone who called or emailed or kept us in your thoughts.  Second, I am happy to report that Nick is just fine.  He's quite fortunate that the Embassy and USAID Mission in Cairo aren't co-located; the Mission is located in a "suburb" of Cairo called Ma'adi, well away from downtown.  Nick's apartment complex is also located in Ma'adi, so he's been able to maintain a safe distance from the violence going on in Tahrir Square.  In fact, he just enjoyed a rather normal weekend - boating on the Nile, a BBQ at a friend's house, and I think a bike ride out in the wadi.

We are of course both heartbroken by the deaths of Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods in Libya, as well as the growing number of victims of green-on-blue violence (trainees attacking their trainers) in Afghanistan.  We are both keeping a close eye on the situation in Egypt and throughout the region.  If the situation in Cairo escalates in the coming weeks, I will make an effort to post on this blog to update you all on Nick's situation.  PS: I'm much better at updating my Facebook page, so if you want to be guaranteed to get updates, post a comment below asking to be Facebook friends and I will probably agree to "friend" you.

I wish I had something moving or thoughtful to say about the situation to conclude this post.  Instead, I leave you all with the moving and thoughtful words of others, whose opinions and insights have touched me in the past few days.

• Our Diplomats Deserve Better
• From a Diplomat's Mother
• America's Foreign Service: Soldiers Without Guns
• And So, My Fellow Americans (The Perlman Update)
• Secretary Clinton's and President Obama's remarks at the Transfer of Remains ceremony
• Mitt Romney Needs to Make an Apology Tour (offers interesting insights about the Egyptian/Muslim understanding of the role of government, not just a criticism of Romney's response)

Not an April Fools'

I kid you not, this is what my phone says the current weather conditions are in Cairo.

Beats out my previous favorite weather condition, from somewhere in the midwest I believe: freezing fog.

Well said and true

Many of my USG-employed Facebook friends have shared this opinion piece from The Washington Post over the past few days, and I felt it my duty -- as a former USG employee and current USG dependent family member -- to pass it on.

I Work for Uncle Sam, and I'm Proud of It

The Circus is Falling Down

Holy crap, a post from Nick!

Well, I am a month into my tour and the circus is falling down and the big top is crumbling. Most of you read the news, blogs, tweets, facebook or whatever, so you all know the situation here in Egypt. So I will spare you the details. But let's just say my days in the office remind me of my time in Kabul. The situation is similar: political turmoil, a country and region with a long history of problems, corruption, anti-American sentiments, scrutiny and micromanagement from outside, and general distrust. In addition, we have Queen of Hearts and no one really knows how deep the rabbit hole goes. So, as the Madhatter, I am have returned to the same tea-party: the guests may be different, but the situation is not. All in all I am happy - I am busy and work/live in the middle of U.S. foreign policy central (at least for the time being). As such, I am not going to dedicate this post to the situation, but give you a recap of my first month living in Cairo.

Departure and Transit

As you read in the previous blog I left on a jet plane on January 14th, bound for Frankfurt and then Cairo. The flight was uneventful...other than the sh*&!y economy class. Hey United Airlines! Six-inch LCD screens are like $50 each. Seriously, it's time to upgrade. The layover in Frankfurt consisted of the consumption of a variety of sausages, a few pints, and a hunt for the NFL playoff scores from the night before.

The next leg was short (about 4 hours). I landed in Cairo about 1500, hooked up with the expediter before immigration, picked up my luggage and met my sponsor (a real nice guy). Two hours later I was in my new home. The traffic really really sucks in Cairo: does anyone in the developing world use a blinker?

My First Night

I arrived to the 'compound' around 1900 with hopes of watching the Giants vs. Green Bay game, but I was out of luck because I did not have a satellite dish for AFN and nor internet. So I decided to unpack (yes Liz, I unpacked and put things away properly...there was nothing else to do, so I guess boredom is my motivation for doing chores). After unpacking, I went to bed in a big empty room, wondering how I am going to sleep alone for the next 15 months.

My Place

For the last 10 years I have been living in apartments in the 600-800 sq feet range. So when I arrived to my 4 bedroom and 3 bath, 1800 sq feet Cairo apartment, I was overwhelmed. I have been here a month and I still live in two rooms and rarely go into the guest bedrooms. I am sure when my HHE arrives I will start to use more of the space (i.e. an office/bike repair shop and a gym...I am also thinking about building a bar and getting a pool table, since my living room is so fracking big). All in all, the place is nice and I am adjusting slowly.

My First Week and the Late Night Call No One in the FS Wants to Get

My first week was uneventful -- I went to the office, started the check-in process, and got settled into an actual office. Woo-hoo no more cubical!

The only sad part of my first week was the unexpected passing my dear Thea. It was about 0230 in the morning on a Saturday (a Friday night state side) and I got a call from Liz saying that Thea D died. My first reaction was "what?" Liz repeated the comment and my next reaction was what..."what are you talking about?" and then it sunk in. A woman that I had loved for 32 years just died and there was nothing I could do.

This, however, was not my first experience with late night news. About a month into my tour in Kabul my Uncle D died unexpectedly. I just sat there at my computer, reading the note from my mother and tearing up because I knew there was nothing I could do. There was no one I could grieve with, there was no one I could hold or hug. This time was no different. There was nothing, I had nothing...just my memories, my loneliness, and the pains of loss. It was/is hard facing loss alone...a song, a picture, a smell, or a simple memory can set off a whirlwind of emotion. I would sit looking around for comfort only to find no one...even now I am looking for comfort, but all I have are the lonely clicks of the keys on my laptop.

The life in the FS often seems like a great adventure, but the reality is that you have left behind everyone you love, and are truly at the mercy of fate and your memories.

Integration and Parties

I am a very outgoing person, so my event calendar has been busy (except this weekend...I was sick, I had workmen coming to fix my AFN, which they could not fix, and had my UAB delivered). Everyone is very surprised to see me at various parties with people who have been at post for several months or years or did not work with the USG. There was even one night I blindly followed a new friend through the mad streets of Cairo, cerca de la manifestación, a las 0230 in the search for a cab. I am integrating well...

The Superbowl

I will finish off this post with my Superbowl Monday. In many Middle Eastern countries the work week is Sunday to Thursday. Time difference between Cairo and the East Coast is 7 hours. As such, Superbowl Sunday in Cairo was actually Monday morning at 0130. I took a nap before the game in preparation for the event. My alarm was set for 1230 so I could be out the door at 0100. I woke up, shook off the dust of sleep, and put my Chicago Bears T-Shirt on in protest. I got to the Maadi House (i.e. American Club) a few minutes before kickoff. My first priority was beer and chicken wings, because a Superbowl is not complete without these two staples.

Now, the best part of watching the Superbowl on AFN in a foreign country are the commercials. Not because they are awesome, but because they are produced by the military and are really, really terrible. But they make for some really good jokes. In general, AFN commercial teach five basic lessons: depression is the silent killer, don't abuse your spouse physically or mentally, don't sexually harass others (especially colleagues in chevrons), don't mix your ammo, and if you need to take a vacation the Eidelweiss resort is the answer. This year's commercials did not disappoint and the crowd in the bar had a gay ole time adding our own commentary. After a few hours and several beers and plates of wings (Liz editorial comment: AND A BIG FAT WIN FOR THE GIANTS!) later the game was over. It was 0500 and I had to be on the shuttle for the office at 0700.

Blurry eyed and sleepy I rolled into the office.

And he's off

After a lazy morning in bed, packing the last of Nick's clothes and eating one last Jimmy John's sandwich, we headed to the airport. Some members of the Kabul Krew gave us a lift and provided the libations we're holding in the picture below. We checked in his 107 lb bag (repacked so as not to exceed the airline's 99 lb limit, but paying $400 in excess baggage fees!) and said our goodbyes.

And then he was off. And now we're counting down 15 months until I joined him in Cairo.

I'm trying very hard not to be too sad because this separation was a voluntary choice. I chose to go to graduate school knowing full well that it meant spending time apart from Nick. He supported my decision knowing full well it meant going to Cairo without me. We haven't been forced into this separation, like we would if Nick was in the military, or like when he had to leave for Kabul before we knew whether or not I would be able to join him. The government hasn't forced this separation upon us.

But this reasoning doesn't help fill the space in my life he's left behind.

Safe travels Nick. Be safe, be healthy, be well. And know that I will never be able to thank you enough for letting me live out my dream.