Eggs & Rice

8:45am

Ben & Frankie will appreciate this - today at breakfast there was eggs and rice! That dish used to be a staple in our house when the boys were growing up.  At home in Texas, rice was a crop that my family farmed in abundance, so we ate it three times a day.  It warmed my heart seeing it here.

Last night I received an email announcing my school placement.  I can't wait to get the details later on today.

Again I'm writing this in the restaurant.  Some of the folks in here today look like administrators.  Funny how you can usually just tell by looking, isn't it?

Side note - When I was married and we traveled a lot, it was always fascinating to "people watch" at the airport.  You know, looking at folks and trying to guess their story.  Ok.  Ok.  Maybe it was just me, but I loved doing that, which is why I never minded layovers.

Side note 2 - Women here ride in the front of the bus, and the men in the back.  The beaches are separated, too.  There is a section for women and children and a separate one for men.  Same thing in the mosques, women in one part, the men in the other.

Side note 3 - I haven't seen any pets here, no dogs or cats, except for a couple of feral cats scrounging for food the other day.

Side note 4 - I noticed a similar thing in New York City when I was there recently.  In Brooklyn where Frankie lives, I saw two dogs being walked at the park.  When we went to Manhattan, to a much more upscale part of town, there were scores of dogs being walked - several on every block.  It appeared to be a class thing as to whether or not pets were seen in the neighborhood.  Could that be?

Side note 5 - Funny the things I notice.  Oftentimes I miss the elephant in the room because I'm focusing on the gnat in the corner.

3:55pm

It was a productive day.

I went to the ADEC offices to get some info on my new school assignment.  I also needed info on opening a bank account.  I received the info about the bank business, but I'm still in the dark about my assignment.  The lady with the info was busy, and signaled she'd be right back.  After waiting for what seemed like forever, I decided to take care of opening a bank account and get back to her later.

I then proceeded to hail a cab and ask to be taken to a specific bank.  The driver asked which one.  I said the closest one, but that got lost in translation.  So just as I was about to question where he was taking me, we arrived at the party.  Yes, I said party.  The bank was in full party mode outside in the entryway, where there was live singing, food, decorative cake, senna tattoos, picture taking with bank executives, and a huge sound system blasting music that could be heard from blocks away.

Party at the bank entrance - here & below

                                       
         
                             


What's with the celebration?   Glad you asked.  It was in recognition of Founder's Day, on Dec. 2nd, which is two days away, but since the bank is closed on Fridays, they got the party started early.  Gotta love 'me!

When the banking executive was finishing up with me, he said I needed to come back in four days to get my ATM card.  But he stopped and really emphasized four WORKING days.  So, whenever the party ends, it's four days after that.

From there I went back to the cell phone store, then I asked about buying abayas and was sent to yet another mall.  Compared to the other two I've seen, I was slumming in this one.  It must be designed for all of the expats who do the manual labor in the city.  It was clean and well kept, but without the glitz.  In other words, my kinda place.

Side note 6 - The escalator at this mall was fun.  It didn't move until after it was stepped on.

Side note 7 - I saw at least six different stores in this mall that sold cloth by the yard.  It was beautiful silks and chiffons in the most vibrant colors.  There must be folks who custom make clothes, right?  What else would you do with the cloth?

Side note 8 - Stop signs are merely suggestions here.  It's rare to actually see someone stop or come close to a stop.

Note to self - don't try getting a cab on a Wednesday afternoon after 1:30 on a holiday weekend.  It took more than an hour.  Trouble was, everyone else and their brother also needed a cab and there didn't seem to be enough to go around.  I was tempted to kiss the driver when I finally got one.

It was back to ADEC to drop off the bank info and then home, three doors down.  I'm a tired puppy tonight.