On I went, out of the wood, passing the man leading without knowing I was going to do so. Flip-flap, flip-flap, jog-trot, jog-trot, curnchslap-crunchslap, across the middle of a broad field again, rhythmically running in my greyhound effortless fashion, knowing I had won the race though it wasn't half over, won it if I wanted it, could go on for ten or fifteen or twenty miles if I had to and drop dead at the finish of it, which would be the same, in the end, as living an honest life like the governor wanted me to. -Alan Sillitoe, "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I'm okay!

Nothing about running; just a short note to say that I'm safe and sound.  If you've been following the international news, you've probably heard about the riots in Cairo.

The first time I lived in Cairo and most of the times since, I've stayed in the neighborhood of Zamalek. Zamalek is a lovely, tree-lined island in the middle of the Nile populated almost exclusively by rich Egyptians, embassies/ambassadors, and expats. Or, in the words of the Egyptastic mug:


The word on the street is that the protests have stopped - for now - but are expected to continue, although Al Jazeera is saying that an "uneasy calm prevails in Egypt," although more protests are planned. Things are shut down today - schools, my former funding agency downtown, loads of businesses. But in Zamalek? It's quiet. Also, going to Luxor this weekend will further isolate me from the protests.

Expect updates on the race soon! I forgot to pack my Garmin and I can't find my shotblocks in my suitcase, so it's for the best that I'm not doing the full.

I bought a very pretty, very colorful, very cheap scarf in the Khan el-Khalili. Does anyone want a souvenir from China via Egypt?
Posted by at

4 comments:

  1. Silly Girl RunningWed Jan 26, 07:52:00 AM EST

    OK, that quote about Zamalek is hilarious. :) Glad to hear that you're okay.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MWed Jan 26, 09:13:00 AM EST

    So glad you are doing okay!! And I still think it is so super awesome that you are running ANY race in Egypt. Just very super awesome. Enjoy enjoy! And if you could find a camel statute wearing a fez, that would be awesome :p

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnnieWed Jan 26, 09:46:00 PM EST

    i was worried about you! thank you for the update :) glad you are safe

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousFri Jan 28, 11:08:00 AM EST

    Eep. I keep watching your twitter/here for updates. Both for the race/because of the craziness.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)