Pretty typical workday here. Woke up, walked to campus, spent the morning in my office doing some reading and writing connected to the cross-cultural literacy research. For lunch, walked to Kadche on Bliss Street and had two falafel sandwiches (total cost: 4,000 ll, or about $2.50 U.S.). Now, reading a stack of student papers and prepping for class tomorrow. Later, will work out and then meet the director of writing program at Cafe Younis.
Those of you following this blog will recall that last weekend Nicole and I attended the Saturday Vigil Mass at the Franciscan-Capuchin church in Hamra with about fifteen parishioners. We hit the English-language Sunday Mass yesterday and it was standing room only. Must have been two-hundred people and perhaps 95 percent were Filipino women. Very nice community, and the Mass experience there is interesting on many levels. Much of the music, for example, is recorded Filipino music with lyrics that are projected onto a big white sheet from a scratchy overhead machine.
Speaking of the immigrant population here, I've noticed travel agents advertising one-way plane tickets "for your domestic helpers" from Kathmandu, Addis Ababa, and other cities in South Asia, Africa and Pacific islands. Even modestly priveleged families (more or less, the equivalent of the [shrinking] group we call "middle class" in the States) often employ such laborers.
Shout out to everybody back home who enjoyed "Apple Butter" fest at Chez DeGenaro on Saturday. I saw lots of nice pictures, as well as a video of Mazin piloting a too-fast hayride. Looks like fun. Already looking forward to being at next fall's fest, Insha'Allah. Now, back to work.
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