So for the first time in my life I feel tear gas burning my eyes, nostrils and throat. My flatmate and me just stepped out on the balcony to smoke a cigarette and decided within a minute to break with the no-smoking-inside for this evening. We live about ten minutes away from Midan Tahrir where protest intensify since the peaceful demonstration last Friday but did not hear or smell anything during the last four days. At the moment I am not sure why we can feel it now, if because of the massive use of tear gas against the protesters (some say it may even be CS gas or worse, but until now this rumors are not approved) or because additionally the wind changed direction. And this happens just after the Field Marshall Tantawi stepped in front of the cameras and assured (coverage by the English edition of state-owned Al-Ahram, scroll to 19.46) that the military would not hurt any Egyptian, adding that the military felt insulted by the protests but would patiently cling to power. Hilarious! And obviously meant as a warning against continuing the protests. 
edit: Well, I just now listen to an interview on Al-Jazeera about it being definitely a more intense gas then usual tear gas and that it is used unbearable extensively. The people try to find out what kind of gas it is to be able to fight the symptoms.

Still I feel save where I live and do not expect the battle raging in the streets off Midan Tahrir to expand into my area. And still I would like to support the protests but do not dare to go to the Square myself for several reasons. It would feel like a kind of war tourism, I would not be very helpful still having problems to understand the local dialect especially when spoken fast and I fearing all the time to be run over by a stampede. So, what I can do is keeping my friends updated and buy medical and other supplies for the field hospitals.

So please do not worry! I am fine - especially in contrast to the ones who are fighting on the streets - and a I will not change my habit to avoid Midan Tahrir and the protesting masses when heading to school or get my other stuff done.

My main information (English) sources: Al-Jazeera, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Twitter #Tahrir

just in case, you're worried: I am safe and secure, avoiding Midan al-Tahrir and the Downtown area although skimming Twitter and media coverage all the time instead of doing my homework...

If you want to follow I recommend: Al-Jazeera-Blog and the daily al-Masry al-Youm or the hashtag #Tahrir

They do much better then I could at the moment. I just hold my breath...

Good news, very good news!

I got the scholarship granted by the DAAD. I just opened the e-mail expecting it to be a refusal because they decided so fast. So they will pay me money to do my field research here in Cairo and certainly support me by other means too.

Happy!

=)

ungeduldig wie ich bin, konnte mir die Wohnungssuche gar nicht schnell genug gehen. Dabei habe ich diverse Wohnungen gesehen, über die ich nun mit einigem Abstand auch wieder lachen kann.

Es ging mit einem winzigen Zimmer in einer Wohnung los, in der die Inhaberin quasi auf dem Flur schlief, mit einem Vorhang abgetrennt, und die von ihren zwei Mitbewohnerinnen so viel Geld nahm, dass sie am Ende quasi gar keine Miete bezahlte. Es ging weiter mit einem echt süßen Ägypter, der mir vom Broker in der ersten Minute unseres ersten Gesprächs als Schwuler vorgestellt wurde, und der sich selbst als überzeugten Feministen beschrieb. In der Wohnung gab es kaum Möbel, ein Loch im Fußboden sollte mit einem Papierkorb getarnt werden, über den ich prompt erst mal stolperte und die Straße kannte ich bereits als mehr als laut und vielbefahren - tags und nachts... Höhepunkt war aber eigentlich die Wohnung, vor der ich als erstes angebettelt wurde, kaum hatte ich die Metro verlassen, im Fahrstuhl glitzerten Blutstropfen auf dem Boden vom gerade stattfindenden Eid al-Adha und in der Küche huschten mit dem Betätigen des Lichtschalters diverse Kakerlaken verschreckt zwischen die Schränke.

Drei Wohnungen habe ich insgesamt gesehen, in die ich gerne eingezogen wäre, die Wohnung in Garden City ist es nun geworden, weil die anderen potenziellen Mitbewohner nicht schnell genug entschieden haben.

Mein Zimmer:

Blick in den Flur - neben dem Balkon befinden sich das Zimmer meiner kanadischen Mitbewohnerin und rechts die Küche. Zwischen unseren Zimmern ist das Wohnzimmer.

Und der Blick aus dem Fenster:

schon wieder ein Geburtstag in der Ferne. Diesmal sogar ganz ohne Party.

Dafür morgendlicher Sprachtest mit erfreulichem Ausgang, ein herziges Skype-Gespräch, zig Glückwünsche per Facebook, libanesisches Essen auf einem Nil-Dampfer.

Und ein Blumenstrauß:

Danke für alles! :)

Friends, lovers, sweethearts!

I arrived safely in Egypt, was picked up at the airport in time, met old friends and made new ones, bought a bunch of books and after visiting three flats also seem to have found a good place to stay for the next months already. I will see two more flats tomorrow and then decide for one, but honestly the one I saw today seems to be perfect. In the heart of the city but in a quiet street, in an old-fashioned but clean building, with an Egyptian and an Italian flatmate and at a very reasonable price.

Because I ignored the happening of a big Islamic feast, Eid al-Adha, I have to wait for my language lessons one more week. But this certainly will turn out as something good because this way I will not force myself to hurry too much. I will just move out of the hotel, stroll around, meet friends and read newspapers. Should be enough to do...

So hope with me for more good news and a lot of pictures, for example of sheep, cows and cats :)

P.S. And I have to thank you again for the wonderful Goodbye you celebrated with me. I really loved it! So much, that I was still singing and dancing when I cleaned the flat the day after :)