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Wednesday 30 May 2012

A few thoughts on my 'kidnap'

Yesterday's blog post about my brief kidnapping attracted a lot of attention. Most reactions were good, but I also got a lot of flack for supposedly being 'irresponsible' and 'naive', which I don't think is fair. 


As I posted as a reply to one of the comments on the original post, I don't think there would have been a much safer way to go about it. 

Tuesday 29 May 2012

What I learned today (8): reporting can be dangerous


So, I got into a bit of a gnarly situation, trying to do some reporting...

The big news last night was that protesters had broken into (and later supposedly tried to burn down) the headquarters of Ahmed Shafiq, one of the two presidential candidates competing in the run-off for the Egyptian elections.

I had kept myself updated on the situation throughout the evening via Twitter, and had briefly attempted to take some photos of a small protest in Tahrir with a friend.

On my way home, I start thinking.

Friday 25 May 2012

Picture post (10): Day two of the presidential elections in Egypt

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Presidential elections in Egypt, day 2, a set on Flickr.

On the second day of the presidential elections in Egypt we went to a polling station in Muqattam, also known as Garbage City, and one on Zamalek.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Picture post (9): At the polling stations

Abul-Fotouh billboard on Sharia TahrirMorsi billboard on Sharia DoqqiShafiq billboard on Sharia TahrirAmr Moussa billboard on Sharia TahrirEgyptian Presidential Elections 2012Egyptian Presidential Elections 2012
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Presidential elections Egypt 2012, a set on Flickr.

We visited a few polling stations in Imbaba today. People appeared very happy to be voting and in general the atmosphere seemed a lot more relaxed than during the parliamentary elections a few months ago.

Election day!

Amr Moussa billboard on Sharia Tahrir
Banners for Amr Moussa (above) and Mohammed Morsi, on Sharia Tahrir in Doqqi.

Today and tomorrow, the 23rd and the 24th of May, Egyptians get to choose their first democratically elected president.

Monday 21 May 2012

What I saw today (16): staircase

Staircase
Most apartment buildings in Cairo come with their own outdoor staircase, to dump your trash bags (and other stuff you no longer need) on for the garbageman.

Sunday 20 May 2012

Picture post (8): Al Azhar park

View from Al Azhar park by Ester Meerman
View from Al Azhar park, a photo by Ester Meerman on Flickr.
Had a nice relaxing afternoon in Al Azhar park this weekend, with friends, food and a nice sunset.

Saturday 19 May 2012

What I saw today (15): The janitor's house

The janitor's house by Ester Meerman
The janitor's house, a photo by Ester Meerman on Flickr.
Well, today, and every other day. This is what I see when I look out of my bedroom window. 

Thursday 17 May 2012

Working on my Photoshop skills...

Kitty drinking down town by Ester Meerman
Kitty drinking down town, a photo by Ester Meerman on Flickr.
So expect more picture posts (hopefully of other, perhaps more journalistically interesting things than cats...) soon.

Wednesday 16 May 2012

What I saw today (14): More flowers

Flowers by Ester Meerman
Flowers, a photo by Ester Meerman on Flickr.
I'll go easy on the flowers for a while now, I''m just very excited to finally have a decent camera that can focus on specific details.

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Teaching in Egypt (10): those shite Shiites

I had my students read an article on the current situation in Syria. The word Shiite occurred in it several times.

Monday 14 May 2012

What I saw today (13): Footprints on a dirty balcony

I got woken up by the sound of rain this morning. When I walked out onto my balcony to have a look, I left these footprints.

Wednesday 9 May 2012

What I saw today (10): Lamp post

Lamp post by Ester Meerman
Lamp post, a photo by Ester Meerman on Flickr.
Wondering around Cairo one comes across many old and run-down things.

Tuesday 8 May 2012

What I learned today (7) - S is for Football

Our internet connection has been a massive bitch lately, causing me to have to call those lovely people at the LinkDotNet helpdesk many times this week.

Monday 7 May 2012

Why I won't be going to Afghanistan

A few weeks ago I was offered a job in Afghanistan. This rather bizarre article in Time Magazine neatly sums up why I declined to go.

Extreme Tourism: Couch Surfing Comes to Afghanistan

Friday 4 May 2012

Learning Arabic (2): Flickr doesn't speak Arabic

Hala? In what Arabic country do they greet each other with 'hala'? I've never heard anyone use that, anywhere. According to my dictionary 'hala' means 'sweet' or 'delicious'. Flickr #fail? 

Thursday 3 May 2012

Learning Arabic (1): Teacher becomes student

Arabic by Ester Meerman
Arabic, a photo by Ester Meerman on Flickr.
As of two days ago I started Arabic lessons again. The teacher becomes student.

Wednesday 2 May 2012

What I saw today (9): Big eyed kitty

Big eyed kittie by Ester Meerman
Big eyed kittie, a photo by Ester Meerman on Flickr.
This kitty came to check us out last night at a cafe in down town Cairo. Unfortunately I only had my iPhone with me and not the 600D, so this grainy image is the best I could do. From now on I'll always carry my camera around with me, everywhere.