Well it's a rather hot morning actually, perhaps the temperatures are creeping, or rather zooming, back up to their 40s.
Aikaterina and her friend Elena got up super early and went to Alexandria for a short trip; they will look around the city and I put them in touch with an artist who also runs an arts organisation there.
Marte is currently pet sitting for a lady who has gone back to UK for one month. She is down the road in a 16th floor sumptious pad with dance studio and views across the city.
Two Norwegian girls arrive tomorrow for a short stay of 3 nights; they are both dancers and are here to network and absorb the place where Raqs Sharqi came from.
The balcony is pretty much done, although I still have to get cushions. I will upload new photos soon!
Other than all this I have been teaching writing class, editing for the newspaper, seeing some excellent dance over at the Egyptian Modern Dance Festival, having some very cosmic times with lovely friends and certain sages, writing some new work and feeling the full moon eclipse energy.
Time for peppermint tea I think!
Monday 28 June 2010
Monday 21 June 2010
Hipsters, Balconies and Bean Bags
Ohhhh the heat!!! It's into 45 degrees here and sometimes more and the aircon seems to flatten out to a 'just maintaining' level and blink red after a few hours and leaving the living room to get a drink and come back results in coverings of sweat. Ahhh, still it must be flushing the zillions of Cairo toxins out :-)
Yesterday I reached a point in my sofa placed repose where i couldn't imagine leaving the house again. Luckily a few hours later Aikaterina and I met Marros and saw some fantastic dance (Egyptian Modern Dance Festival til 5th July) then we went on to the last night of the Refugee Film Festival at Darb 1718 and saw a great reggae band from Sudan.
The Nile Belly Dance Festival is now over and Marte has a little bit more free time for her various other dance related projects.
I now have 3 writing classes per week which means I also have a bit more time (in theory) and I have decided that I want to start training in some physical theatre/dance and fuse my poetry with that medium.. so I will be looking for a teacher.
The balcony is taking shape and young hipster Ramy is understanding my liking for colour and slapping on the pink and orange. By the end of the week it should be finished and I can have a gin and tonic sat out on my petit terrace :-)
Aikaterina is nearly a week into her stay and is getting into it all famously whilst wearing a lovely Sudanese dress she got last night :-)
Off to Maadi now to teach class and try to find bean bags and rag rugs on the way back!
Yesterday I reached a point in my sofa placed repose where i couldn't imagine leaving the house again. Luckily a few hours later Aikaterina and I met Marros and saw some fantastic dance (Egyptian Modern Dance Festival til 5th July) then we went on to the last night of the Refugee Film Festival at Darb 1718 and saw a great reggae band from Sudan.
The Nile Belly Dance Festival is now over and Marte has a little bit more free time for her various other dance related projects.
I now have 3 writing classes per week which means I also have a bit more time (in theory) and I have decided that I want to start training in some physical theatre/dance and fuse my poetry with that medium.. so I will be looking for a teacher.
The balcony is taking shape and young hipster Ramy is understanding my liking for colour and slapping on the pink and orange. By the end of the week it should be finished and I can have a gin and tonic sat out on my petit terrace :-)
Aikaterina is nearly a week into her stay and is getting into it all famously whilst wearing a lovely Sudanese dress she got last night :-)
Off to Maadi now to teach class and try to find bean bags and rag rugs on the way back!
Saturday 12 June 2010
Whale Valley
I was in the Fayoum desert of Wadi Al Hitan at high noon in 34 celsius heat today looking at whale fossils. This was after navigating slippery stones upstream between two waterfalls in Wadi El Rayan. I reaffirmed to myself that I am not a doer.. or at least a doer of physical activity and as much as I like heat I don't like it directly upon me for hours.. however.. sunstroke and water slippages avoided I had a brilliant time :-) My zenith moment was leaving the others and walking back to 'base' alone through the desert path and hearing the earth and stones speaking; the magic came into its own.. and shortly after I saw a white fox.
On coming back to Cairo I experienced a strange feeling of disconnection; as if I was 'somewhere else' and several fuul sandwiches and a shower later this feeling is still somewhat present. Maybe getting up at 7am has also had something to do with this along with the intense sun rays upon me most of the day. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow I will once again feel like Cairo is my city.
The last few nights I have been attending ArtBeat festival at Darb 1718; this has been another tremendous success for Darb and I am sending a huge thank you to them for contributing so much to the community and arts scene. I have seen some fantastic bands and acts there these last days and the VIP rooftop lounge with complimentary beers was also very pleasant :-)
On coming back to Cairo I experienced a strange feeling of disconnection; as if I was 'somewhere else' and several fuul sandwiches and a shower later this feeling is still somewhat present. Maybe getting up at 7am has also had something to do with this along with the intense sun rays upon me most of the day. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow I will once again feel like Cairo is my city.
The last few nights I have been attending ArtBeat festival at Darb 1718; this has been another tremendous success for Darb and I am sending a huge thank you to them for contributing so much to the community and arts scene. I have seen some fantastic bands and acts there these last days and the VIP rooftop lounge with complimentary beers was also very pleasant :-)
Tuesday 8 June 2010
Golden Leaves
As the summer heats up I have gone into imbuing the solar power with some Apollonian gold leaves dressing my bathroom and I also have a welcoming bunch of plastic flowers outside my flat door with little Birds of Paradise popping up and around. Yes, I am Queen of Kitsch - or on the way..
Last week was busy with a full house and two gigs; both of which went well and it was lovely to share the line up with such good writers.
The courses at Diwan have been coming to their end sessions but I am starting a new one next week as well as a short story course soon. I am also currently editing for a new travel newspaper.
Amira is having a leaving do (she will return to America after 6 months here) on a hotel roof tomorrow and then I will be having another goodbye session the night after as my dear friend Sherif is soon to be leaving for Italy for a 6 months stay. Other than this I am teaching writing class, arranging balconies, playing downtown and having a few gin and tonics but right now I think I need to go find my bawab and sort out this temperamental air conditioning!
Last week was busy with a full house and two gigs; both of which went well and it was lovely to share the line up with such good writers.
The courses at Diwan have been coming to their end sessions but I am starting a new one next week as well as a short story course soon. I am also currently editing for a new travel newspaper.
Amira is having a leaving do (she will return to America after 6 months here) on a hotel roof tomorrow and then I will be having another goodbye session the night after as my dear friend Sherif is soon to be leaving for Italy for a 6 months stay. Other than this I am teaching writing class, arranging balconies, playing downtown and having a few gin and tonics but right now I think I need to go find my bawab and sort out this temperamental air conditioning!
Monday 7 June 2010
An Article on Me in This Month's Community Times!!!
New Creative Writing Course at Diwan!!!
Creative Writing Course
By Linda Cleary
4 weeks (8 hour course)
One session per week (2 hour session) on Mondays
Starting Monday 14th June
Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm
In Diwan Maadi
Maximum 10 people per class
Price: 420 L.E
Please register in your nearest Diwan branch
The 4 week Creative Writing course will act as an extended masterclass looking at various techniques and exercises to open up and improve writing skills, work with metaphor and imagery, create texts and narratives to given themes and word counts, as well as free writing.
There is no criteria other than a willingness to open up one's writing; the course is designed that people of varying writing experience can participate and each draw their individual benefits.
On completion of the first course other short courses available such as:
Writing a short story, Monologue and short plays in various formats, Presentation of written word, Work on review and critique, and Poetry
By Linda Cleary
4 weeks (8 hour course)
One session per week (2 hour session) on Mondays
Starting Monday 14th June
Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm
In Diwan Maadi
Maximum 10 people per class
Price: 420 L.E
Please register in your nearest Diwan branch
The 4 week Creative Writing course will act as an extended masterclass looking at various techniques and exercises to open up and improve writing skills, work with metaphor and imagery, create texts and narratives to given themes and word counts, as well as free writing.
There is no criteria other than a willingness to open up one's writing; the course is designed that people of varying writing experience can participate and each draw their individual benefits.
On completion of the first course other short courses available such as:
Writing a short story, Monologue and short plays in various formats, Presentation of written word, Work on review and critique, and Poetry
Wednesday 2 June 2010
Dancing
I no longer have much of a hold on dates. I know it is June now but times and days and months do not feature so much anymore; I am regulated by metro journeys to writing classes, by the hunger for a fuul sandwich, by sweat and showers punctuating the hours. So.. the days are full of words and people; the house is a chatter of poets and dance and I am becoming OCD about home improvements. I have plans. Big plans. I am going to create a sitting area on the back balcony which is currently where the rubbish goes and is overlooked; I'll paint the doors pink, put plants there and light curtains and a table and chairs.. if I ever find any tables and chairs at a reasonable price. I just want someone to do everything for me. I hate sourcing mundane items.. yet I want them. I am also going to create a soft low sitting area by the big windows in the studio space and move the table to another part of the room. And if the price is right I might even get the lower windows there changed so that they create a floor to ceiling open space. I also might have to get a new double mattress in the second guest bedroom as Marte is seemingly sleeping in a scooped hollow :-)
Writing classes are going well and it is a joy to see and read students' work soaring, expanding and becoming coloured with expression.
Tomorrow and Friday I have the poetry readings with Seni, Amira, Marwa and Salem.. I still haven't had time to select the work I will read.. that is my mission for tonight..
For now I am dancing to Madonna and wondering what to eat :-)
Writing classes are going well and it is a joy to see and read students' work soaring, expanding and becoming coloured with expression.
Tomorrow and Friday I have the poetry readings with Seni, Amira, Marwa and Salem.. I still haven't had time to select the work I will read.. that is my mission for tonight..
For now I am dancing to Madonna and wondering what to eat :-)
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