Re: What do you think? -- Lafcadio T. Lion and Strawberry Sage and Friends Fun Forum

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Date Posted: 07:22:13 12/12/02 Thu
Author: conserv00
Author Host/IP: 1Cust47.tnt1.lorton.va.da.uu.net / 67.208.206.47
Subject:

Re: What do you think?
In reply to: Sage, smiling 's message, "Re: What do you think?" on 12:17:27 12/11/02 Wed

Sage and da LION,
I know it's been quite a while.

I think you guys remember that I went to Cairo for a year. It was a great year for all of us until September 11. As it was for you in the States, that day was a changing point for us overseas. I was cooking dinner when my neighbor beat on my door and told me to turn on the tv...that a plane had hit the WTC. As things unfolded, more neighbors came to sit on my couch and watch in horror.
Nobody wanted to be alone. We got the word from the Embassy that we were not to leave the building the next day, that there would be no school, that there would be no commissary shipment and that the commissary was closed until further notice. (Just a note...we lived in an apartment building leased by the Embassy to house State Dept. and DOD employees. These apartments came with an extra freezer and we were "encouraged" to keep it stocked just in case...) The unknown is a scary place as we all know. 'Course, after a bit, you just get pissed off about it. I hit that point sometime after dinner and went door to door telling folks that since we were stuck in..we should do something together. A cookout where everybody pooled their resources and where nobody was watching the tv. It wasn't a party but a deliberate "screw you, bin Laden..we're still here and we aren't hiding".
We had about 50 people...some families came from down the street so that their children could actually play outside in our courtyard playground. I think it helped..I know it helped me.

Our building had 4 or 5 Egyptian security guards inside it. These are great guys. They were very worried about how we were feeling, if we were feeling safe, if our families in the States were okay, and so on. They kept telling us that we were safe, that they would protect us and that it was a terrible thing that had happened. Over and over again, they told us how sorry they were for what had happened. That was a common theme. Throughout the next day were phone calls and visits from Egyptian friends expressing their sorrow and their concern about our families.
I guess I'm getting to a point here..(one cup of coffee..don't expect miracles..:) September 11 changed me and my perspective. It took me awhile to get my bearings again and feel okay about walking down to the Maadi main shopping street. NOT because the Egyptians had changed but because I had. It's hard to describe...we always had to have our car checked for bombs when arriving at our building or the commissary compound (about 20 minutes away), it was a very mundane thing but after the 11th, it took on a whole new meaning.
Anyway...

We are back in the Virginia area but we are moving to Camp Pendleton in June. Big Daddy was command selected and will be taking over a battalion in July. My poor son will graduate from the 4th high school he's attended.

Oh well..if that's the worst I have to deal with..life is okay..

Now....

What's new with you guys? Inquiring minds REALLY, REALLY want to know...:)

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Replies:

Re: What do you think? -- Sage, laughing, 11:41:31 12/13/02 Fri
- Re: What do you think? -- conserv00, 12:08:03 12/13/02 Fri