It's hot.
Air conditioners break.
Power goes out. Regularly. In fact, it went out while I was writing this. Thrice. Hence the broken AC.
When the wind blows it feels like a hair dryer on your face.
At midnight the city comes alive. It is still 35 C.
The street dogs don't have the energy to chase or bark. This is bliss.
Moving quickly from an Air Conditioned apartment to outside makes your skin tingle.
I've stopped cooking. I think that is why Middle Eastern cuisine has so many dips and spreads - most don't involve fire or cooking of any sort. And they're delicious. Hummus, baba ganough, tahina, and my personal favourite (which isn't actually egyptian) lebaneh.
The kids go into shock when they walk into a classroom where the AC is set at 21 C. Then you realize that this is more than twice as cool as it is outside. It's hard to explain to 12 year olds that the only way to combat their 'distinct odor' is to keep the AC at 21. It would help if their maids washed their uniforms more than once a week.
Leaving Cairo in 9 days.
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