Checking in from Cairo

[eshe]

We crossed our fingers and hopped in a cab and went to TGI Fridays. It’s on a boat! A boat! The service here was the best we’d had in Cairo but the food was pretty bland and overcooked. The view from inside was much better than the view from on the patio. You can see a big stretch of the Nile from inside and it’s very pretty. We were there from before sunset until after sunset and it was an awesome view. Our waiter also gave us some hibiscus juice on the house.

After that we came back to the hotel. Most of the staff here are super friendly and helpful. Our favourite guy had an innocent (I think) thing going with a Japanese girl who was staying here for a month to study Arabic. We met her 2 days before she had to leave and spoke a little Japanese with her. The other morning we said “how are you?” to him and he said “A little bad, because she left today.” He invited us to watch the inter-Egypt soccer game in the lobby with him at 9:30.

9/18

I had an afternoon lesson booked with Mme. Raqia so my morning was free. We decided to go to the Agriculture Museum. It was only open until 1 and we slept in until 9:30, so we didn’t get out of the hotel until about 11. We had finally learned that unless it was a big, famous hotel or a big, famous street our taxi driver wasn’t likely to know our destination. We found the biggest intersection nearest the museum and asked for that (and still our driver had to pull over to ask for directions).

We got out of the car and started walking in the right direction (we knew that because every single building was owned by the Ministry of Agriculture). We walked for about an hour before we decided we probably weren’t going to find it and if we did find it they probably weren’t going to let us in.

[eshe]

We were on the final street when I said we should check this nameless huge white building. We walked by the entrance, but there weren’t any signs-just another large black gate only open a sliver. The building is about a block long. We walked to the exit of the building and there was a tiny gold plaque that said “Agriculture Museum.” The guard gestured that we should go back to the first door and we did.

It was only 20PT to get inside, that’s about $0.05US. We got inside and immediately a guide attached himself to us. There was no one else inside the museum. He started lifting up the guard ropes and shooing us under them then asking for our camera and telling us how to pose. I think we saw the whole first floor in about 90 seconds. It was all wax figures dressed to the period they were representing. There was a harem-ish street, but I didn’t get a good look with this guy pushing us forward. My partner was getting really, really irritated because we didn’t actually get to see more than 3 seconds of any exhibit. If we slowed down, the guy yelled at us. At the end of the floor, he turned to my partner and asked for a tip. My partner gave him 5LE, which was more than generous in my opinion. And the guy was gesturing for more, more, more. We both said no and walked upstairs.

He followed us up and tried to do the follow me routine again. We just turned away from him and stared at the exhibits. And finally he left. The second floor was all skins of animals and lots of taxidermied animals-crocs, hippos, you name it. There were also models of farming methods and tools displayed. Almost all of the info was in Arabic though. We didn’t see the mummified bull-I think that’s what the “go” man was trying to push us through to see, but we didn’t feel like following him again.

[eshe]

He followed us up and tried to do the follow me routine again. We just turned away from him and stared at the exhibits. And finally he left. The second floor was all skins of animals and lots of taxidermied animals-crocs, hippos, you name it. There were also models of farming methods and tools displayed. Almost all of the info was in Arabic though. We didn’t see the mummified bull-I think that’s what the “go” man was trying to push us through to see, but we didn’t feel like following him again.

We were walking towards the exit and another man grabbed us and grabbed some keys and started opening musty rooms that had all Arabic explanations. Some were rooms about irrigation and some were about fetal development and others were about lethal insect bites and leprosy. The pictures were pretty disturbing and I wouldn’t have gone in there if I’d known-especially because there is no explanation in English or any other language (other than Arabic). He of course asked for a tip too but politely said “Thank you” for his 3LE.

After that we thought we’d try and hit another museum. We got there at 1:30 I think and the guard told us where to buy tickets, but we decided to get some water since it was really hot first. We went to a gas station across the street and came back and the guard said “Hey! Closed!” So it’s a good thing we didn’t buy tickets to be pushed through another museum. Everything is closed an hour or so earlier than usual because of Ramadan now.

We were already very close to Mme. Raqia’s by now, so we decided just to walk down to the Cairo Zoo for another visit. Once again, as soon as we walked someone started calling for us to come to see the lions-we just kept walking. We actually missed the lions the last time we went, so we set out for them first.

[eshe]

After passing all the sleeping zoo keepers (the sleep on the grass in front of the cages, but behind the fences of the non-dangerous animals) we found the lions. They’d just been called into their cages for dinner. I’ve never been that close to a lion before so it was pretty exciting. Most of the lions were 3-4 to a small cage though and they were eating. One of the cages had 1 male and 3 females and they were having lots and lots of fights and it seemed to me like the zoo-keeper was egging them on a bit. He’d move the male’s food away from him, or turn on the water in the back so that only 1 of the females was getting wet…anyways, the lions started fighting.

Actually, a lot of fighting in general seems to happen during Ramadan. I read that in our tour book and then I thought about it for a second and tempers do seem to be running higher this week. All the taxi drivers I’ve had this week have been screaming at other drivers and we’ve seen a bunch of fights in the street this week.

About the zoo, we still haven’t seen the reptile house-which is usually my favorite, so we’ll have to go back.

After the zoo, my partner walked me over to Mme. Hassan’s place. We were there at about 3:30 for my 4:00 lesson. It seems to be like whenever I arrive is when I start the lesson. Since she’s the only one I study with and I know how to get my own water from her kitchen and I’ve met a lot of her family, I don’t feel uncomfortable going early and if I think I’m late I don’t feel anxious either anymore. She lives near a big police station though and that’s the time when the accused are transported there in the paddywaggon-so it might not be the best time for a class if you are alone or very nervous.

[eshe]

We reviewed the finale because it really is a very important part and I went home after about an hour and forty minutes. Around 5 her family starts to drop by and I feel awkward being there any later.

We’d emailed the guy from the hotel who also arranges tours, but we hadn’t heard back from him. My partner told me he’d ran into Sam in the lobby though and they’d agreed we’d do the Pyramids the next day!!

Sam’s contact info is:
Sameh Moussa
37 Taalat Harb Street, Cairo, Egypt
Mobile (+2)010-272-8571
Email: samehmoussa21279@hotmail.com

9/19

My partner had gone out for our complimentary breakfast (3 pieces of bread, a piece of cheese and some jam with coffee or tea) at 8:30 and told me Sam was here already. Sam told us he might be the driver or it might be someone else. We went out to meet him together at 9 as we had arranged and the tour guide wasn’t there yet. We paid 250LE for the Pyramid tour (including Giza, Saqqara and Memphis) and paid the optional 50LE for a guide. The guide got there at 9:05.

While we were driving the guide gave us some info about life in Cairo we didn’t know. (I didn’t know a man can have 4 brides.) We also thought it would be nice to have some one to keep the tip man away and take our photo together plus give us info so we didn’t have to dig out our tour book while looking at things. Along the way, he explained that we had 2 options-pay extra to see the Pyramids by camel or take a car and drive around (but with the car option we would miss some sights). We got to the camel stables and the manager gave us his “no obligation” speech. Me and my partner had some kind of miscommunication with each other and ended up on camels for 200LE (EACH!! More than we paid for the whole day of touring, plus we now had a “guide” and camel steerer to pay.)

[eshe]

There were 3 types of tours we could’ve choosen: small (1.5 hours 150LE only some of pyramids) medium (all pyramids, 2 hours, 200LE not going inside the pyramids 2 hours), large (all pyramids, 2.5 hours, 250LE plus going inside 1 of the pyramids). We chose the medium tour.

After pulling out of the stables I immediately regretted not voicing strongly that I didn’t want a camel ride. My bum was sore almost right away and I could feel the back of my neck getting burned. I had brought a long-sleeved shirt to wrap around my neck though and I was wearing a hat. The manager of the stable had tried to sell us touristy white head coverings but we declined. Our guide warned us after we’d picked our tour that inside the pyramid you can’t actually see anything and you just bend in half and crawl/walk through bent over in the darkness for a “feeling” so I’m glad we didn’t pick that tour. As we left, the manager told us that he’d be paying our guide based on the smiles on our faces when we got back.

The only thing I learned from our guide was to lean forward when going uphill on a camel and lean back when going downhill. He told us nothing but the names of the Pyramids-which we already knew. After everything he said he would add “You understand what I say?” I wanted to tell him if he had to ask, he shouldn’t be a tour guide. In my experience (I’ve only been to 10 other countries and lots of cities in different cities in those 10 plus tours I’ve done in my own country) there are 2 kinds of tour guides 1- people who feel a pride for their country or a love for what they are doing while guiding (rafting, mountainbiking, canyoning, etc) 2- people who think the best way to get money out of foreigners is being a tourguide. He was of the #2 variety.

As soon as we pulled off the street and into the sand a man walked over with a “welcome drink” as a gift. He popped the top off of a bottle of pop and tried to make my partner take it. (Sam had warned us before we left not to accept gifts from anyone, because after you accept, the giver asks for money.) He kept saying “It’s for you! It’s for you!” Our guide did nothing to intercept this transaction except to keep going.

[eshe]

I think at one point at the beginning of our journey my underwear were peeking out of the back of my jeans. The guide kept falling behind my camel, which was hitched behind my partners. As soon as I pulled my t-shirt down, he started riding alongside us again.

I felt really bad for the camel guide who was walking after about 10 minutes and worried that he was going to have to walk for the whole 2 hours. At the 10 minute mark, the “tourguide” pointed to me and asked what I was to my partner-“Who is she? Just a friend? Or just a girlfriend?” My partner answered “She’s my wife.” And then the camel guide hopped in the saddle with my partner.

There were almost no people in the area we were in which was nice. We only saw 3 other tourists and a few people out on their camels or horses. About halfway through the “tour” a friend of theirs with 3 horses pulled up. The camel guide stopped walking, stopped the camels, walked over and handed the lead to the tour guide. The tour guide shook his head “no” and seemed to be telling the camel guide that he couldn’t leave in the middle of the tour.

Every 5 minutes the tourguide would ask us if we wanted to stop and take pictures. I think we stopped only 3 times. First was at the panoramic site-where you can see 7 of the 9 Giza pyramids (3 small, 3 large and the profile of the last small 3) plus the city and the Sahara Desert. Next was at the Pyramid of Khufu (the largest Pyramid in Egypt). And third at the Sphinx. Our guide obviously wanted us to stop more (I think to extend the tour) and also offered to drive us up to the pyramids so we could touch them (but we didn’t want to make the trek there and back) and was very put off if we declined. I’m sorry but I don’t need 10 views of the same set of pyramids.

It was an experience to travel to see the pyramids by camel. It was I’m sure more peaceful than lining up for one of the 300 tickets they pass out at 8 and 1:00 and being harassed by sellers. But it was more expensive than the standard rate of 25LE an hour for a camel.

[eshe]

On the way back the guide started really whipping the camels and got them going at a full run (I honestly think to hurt and punish us a little) because after 2 minutes he said “This is too fast for you?” with a nasty smile. I said I was fine and he slowed the camels. When we were 1 minute away he stopped the camels and told us to start smiling so he got paid a lot of money from the owner. He also started asking my partner for his tip. My partner told him to take us back to the stables so he could get off the camel and get his wallet out of his back pocket. It had only been an hour since we’d left (not 2 hours like it was supposed to be and we only saw 7 of the 9 pyramids but we were happy to be back).

When we got back the manager asked us how the tourguide was. The tourguide was 5 feet away so we just said “It was ok.” The manager kept saying “tell me the truth.” I’m sure our non-smiling faces said plenty.

We got in the car and Sam asked how it was. We told him “bad.” He said he could take us around again but we’d have to pay the entrance fees again. We said it was ok but asked if he could take us to the KFC to get a picture of it. One of the girls who worked at our head office in Japan asked us if we’d get a picture of the KFC at the foot of the pyramids for her. (Love you Mieko!)

We did that and then set off for the oldest pyramid in Egypt and the world’s oldest stone monument (wow moment) built in 2650BC: the Step Pyramid in Saqqara. It was 50LE each to get us plus 2LE for parking for the car. Our own tourguide gave us a 30 minute lecture about the history of the SP, the mummification process and the evolution of the pyramids (including the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid which you could see from our stone “seats” in the sun). It was very interesting.

He then gave us 20 minutes to walk around on our own. Usually we’d have more time at all of the sites, but since it’s Ramadan everything closes down at 2 or 3 so we had to hurry a little. I think pyramids are a lot like temples (once you’ve seen a few you feel like you’ve seen them all) so I felt pretty good with just seeing the Giza and Saqqara ones.

[eshe]

After that we had a stop at the Memphis Museum to see Ramses II statues. It was 30LE to get in to see the art plus 2LE for parking for the car. They were cool to see. The biggest and best piece is right after you walk in. We had another lecture from our guide about art depicting pharaohs and then had 10 minutes to wander around.

We were offered a stop at the papyrus factory but we were pretty worn out by the sun, so we just opted to come back to the hotel. We got there at 2:45 so I had a bit of time to eat something before my lesson at 4. I made a sandwich and we bought some water from the front desk and then we had a good look in our mirror at the damage done to our behinds. We both have bruising and sores (I’ve ridden camels before as well as horses and elephants and never had anything like this). We are both having trouble sitting, so I wasn’t sure how dancing was going to go.

The paddywaggon had made it’s delivery just before I got there and must’ve broken down outside the gates because about 10 cops were behind it giving it a shove.

I went upstairs and Mme. Raqia told me I had to perform the choreography twice with no mistakes and then we would move on to something else. I’d been practicing the last 2 minutes so much that I hadn’t reviewed the first 4 and a half lately, so I it about half way through and had to begin again. She only made me do it once and then we started working on another song from Ahlan Jasmin. I loooooooooooove it! I am so excited!! The song is amazing and I love the choreography. She was yelling “bravo!” at me and I was sooooooo happy with myself. I learned the first 1:30 of the song. It’s almost 9:00 so I’m not sure if we’ll get through it all the way before I leave but I hope so. I can’t describe how happy I am. It’s the track right after the last one we did, so I knew it a little which made a big difference in learning the choreo I think.

After that I came back to the hotel and laid down on the bed and didn’t get up again except to eat and brush my teeth. My partner went out for takeout and brought it back to the hotel. We were both in a lot of pain still so we didn’t go out again.

[eshe]

9/20

Wow! This is the start of our third week in Cairo. I can’t believe the time has passed so quickly. Now we are planning how we’ll spend our last 12 days.

I was even more sore in the morning than I was the night before. That camel nearly killed me. So I decided to stay in and read and rest. My lesson was planned for 4 so my partner took off to see the Train Museum. His report: “lots of trains.”

I timed myself to get to Mme. Raqia’s after the convicts, so I was there almost right at 4. We worked on the new choreo from yesterday for a bit. I still have some of the hands and arms wrong but the rest is good I think. I learned the next 30 seconds. Mme. Raqia usually rests around 5:30. Someone else has snaked my morning spot now and I’m the 4:00 girl, which is ok for me because before we could only do afternoon things and now we can do morning activities. Because almost everything shuts down in the afternoon, it’s better to have mornings free during Ramadan.

Also I can walk home at 5:30 and not worry (as much) about being harassed-everyone is breaking the fast then. Only 1 man followed me. I had headphones on though so it was even easier to ignore him. He kept asking me “Do you speak English?” but I kept walking and he gave up pretty quickly.

We had take out from Solo’s again. It’s not great but it’s close and cheap.

[eshe]

9/21

We decided in the morning to go to the Citadel. It’s a Friday and a lot of things are closed on Fridays but not the Citadel. Our taxi driver had to flag down a pedestrian to get a translation of where we wanted to go but seemed happy to take us there and didn’t demand 20LE as the other ones had. It was a pretty long drive (our book says it’s only 3km from downtown) but it seemed much longer. We gave the driver 15LE and he seemed really, really happy to get that.

We usually break our big bills at restaurants and tourist attractions. It was 40LE each to get in. So my partner handed over 200LE. As has happened before, the guy in the ticket window handed back 10LE (instead of the 120LE he was supposed to) and looked at my partner as if to say “we’re all finished here.” My partner didn’t move so the guy put down another 20LE and gave my partner another “all done” look. My partner finally said “where’s the rest of it? I gave you 200 pounds” and the guy took back the 10LE and put down two 50LE notes. It makes me sick to think that that probably does work on some tourists and I also wonder who keeps the money when it happens.

The Citadel (where the kings lived for 700 years) is one of the most expensive things to see in Cairo (maybe only next to the Pyramids). And it’s very impressive from the outside. Our book said it was over-rated and over-priced but we didn’t think so (it’s only $8 after all). We got there around lunchtime and from the top of the terraces you can hear all of the calls to prayer from all over the city at the same time. It was pretty amazing. The 3 mosques inside were also very beautiful although we obviously weren’t allowed inside because people were praying.

[eshe]

A lot of entrances to museums and sights are gated off except for a tiny opening in Cairo. There are usually no signs to say “Enter Here” or “No Entry.” So we walked through a gate opening at the top of the terrace and a guard started walking over towards us waving us out. It was the first time that’s happened in Cairo.

There are 4 museums inside the Citadel too. First we went to the Police Museum, but it was closed so we walked around their open-air exhibit the prison. Then we went to the Military Museum.

When we went (around lunchtime) there were no tour groups there, only a few scattered tourists and a few Egyptian families. As we were walking around the open-air military exhibits (planes, tanks, etc) a man walked over to us to ask where we were from. He told us he was a government worker from Aswan and his wife would love a picture of us. He also said the Military Museum was closed and we should come and sit in the shade of this lovely gift stand. We declined and my partner said one of the things he really hates about Egypt is not being able to meet new people because you always have your guard up and that usually the people who talk to you just want something from you. I agreed. It’s not a nice way to feel. The Military Museum didn’t seem to be closed to an Egyptian family who walked in so we decided to try our luck. Imagine our surprise when it was open. There was no charge to go inside but if you wanted to take pictures you had to pay 1LE.

The Military Museum is huge. It’s almost all made up of busts of military personnel. There are also a lot of painted pictures. They have the world’s first cannon. And some of their slogans and the way they tell stories might give you more insight into Egypt. Walking through we could also hear all the staff in all the rooms reading from their prayers.

[eshe]

After that we walked over to the Carriage Museum which was as about exciting as it sounds! There was no charge to get in. They have about 6 carriages from various time periods. And there are strictly no photos!

The Seized Antiquities Museum was closed too that day. And soon after that we were signaled by the park employees to start heading back the way we’d come. It was time for them to do their laundry-in the park fountains! So we started walking back.

We thought we’d try the Police Museum one last time. When we walked back the doors were open so we went in. There were some interesting pieces in here. They have collections of old weapons and uniforms. Their crime and assassination rooms were pretty unique. I’d never heard about the 2 women who helped lure and kill over 30 women and girls (I think in Alexandria?). They also had pictures of people with unusual hands and some of their hand prints as well as foot casts. It was by far the best museum in the place.

After that we went outside to the taxi stand. We had only 20LE notes and the 5LE notes I needed to catch a cab to Mme. Raqia’s so we agreed we’d pay a driver 20LE because we had no choice and they don’t give change. A man at the taxi-stand asked us where we were going and we told him Taalat Harb Square. He said 20LE. We said ok. He said get in this cab and called over to one of the drivers to tell him where we were going and how much. The driver got in and said “where are you going?” as if he didn’t know. We told him and he said “ok 25LE.” I said “No, 20LE.” He said “No 25LE.” I said “Stop the cab. We’re getting out.” He said “Ok, ok, 22.” I said “All you’re getting is 20LE” and that was the end of that.

We went back to the room, I ate a sandwich and got my dance stuff together. Then I flagged a taxi to Mme. Raqia’s. I must’ve been looking green because on the way he starts pointing out the sights “There’s the Eygptian Museum.” I got out and put 5LE on the seat and the driver turns to me and says “No, ma’am to here is 7 pounds.” I’d had enough with taxi drivers-at this point I would usually just get out and walk away but I sat in the cab and explained to him that I take this route every single day twice a day and every single day I pay 5 pounds and every single day every other driver is more than happy with 5 pounds and that’s all he was getting and then I got out.

[eshe]

I got to Mme. Raqia’s and started my rehearsal alone (as usual). I go there a little before 4 because she disappears at 5 usually unless someone rings the door bell. She told me today we’d be learning more of the new routine and she wanted to see me do the old one to make sure I wasn’t forgetting it. I ran through both and she came in ½ way through the old one to have a look. The new parts of the new choreo are killing me. It’s really, really fast and almost everything is a one-count move. So we only did about 30 new seconds.

After that I walked home again and showered to go out for the Nile dinner cruise and dance show we’d booked. I decided I’d wear my hair down since we were getting picked up and dropped off at the hotel and we were going to be with tourists all night. Our guide was supposed to be there at 6:45 so naturally he strolled up around 7:05 and interrupted our conversation with “Are you ready yet?” We were talking to one of the front desk guys who used to be the darbuka player in a band. He was telling us stories about weddings. One wedding the groom and bride got divorced at the party with both sides of the family using the cake in a huge food fight and they left without pay because they couldn’t find anyone to pay them. Another time everyone was smoking hasish and the dancer became so out of it she got stuck halfway through a hip circle and couldn’t move. He also played a little for us.

So we left with our prompt and kind driver and drove to Giza. The cruise goes from Giza to downtown and back. You are supposed to be there for 7:30. I think we got there around 7:10 and the boat leaves around 8 for a two hour journey.

It’s a buffet style dinner but you have to pay for drinks. There was spaghetti, potatoes, cinnamon rice and some kind of fish. For dessert there was chocolate cake, vanilla cake and some other pastries. There was also a small salad bar and bread stand. I think a bottle of wine was 120LE but we got a large mineral water to split for 10LE. There were 2 large, full tables of Japanese tourists and 2 large, full tables with an Egyptian family and the rest were tables of 2-4 guests.

[eshe]

Soon after we set off a lounge singer came out. I love cheese and he was cheesy. He sang some Bailamos and New York, New York and some others. The Egyptian family was there to celebrate an anniversary I think. So the couple got up and danced while the singer sang that Eric Clapton song Wonderful Tonight. Then he sang some traditional songs and the whole family got up to dance. It was great to see. Plus they all zargarooted.

After that the band came out and then the dancer. She was wearing a white and pink dress with no straps (mermaid style). She was totally covered with white or pink nylon. Under the blacklight the costume looked bright orange and white. She came out wearing a tiara with a veil hooked in to the sides and she looked super angry about something. There was no dancing through the audience she just walked up to the stage and twirled a little holding the veil limply. Then she started pulling the tables around her one by one and of course there was an official photographer there snapping photos while she did “wacky” things that tourists love. I could (and want to but I’m spending too much time on my journal :) write for a long time about the dancer. She just shimmied with everyone for 15-30 seconds. They of course couldn’t shimmy and everyone thought she was just super. She pulled me up for her last song (after checking her watch) and kept me up there the whole song. I just followed whatever she did. The Japanese tables loved it and were kindly cheering me on.

Then she stormed off and the band didn’t appear to know where she had gone. Everyone was looking to see where she was and the singer eventually left the stage.

Next up was sufi which was a nice surprise. This guy was very, very happy to be dancing in his cowboy boots for us. He was super energetic and was mugging for the customer’s cameras and not the professional guy’s camera which was nice. His set was very good but of course rushed. For his last song he twirled his (I don’t know the proper terminology) skirt over his head and walked around to get pictures with everyone in the audience. It was really fun and I felt like he was having a great time. He finished and the belly dancer returned in a Nancy Ajram baladi dress with hip scarf.

[eshe]

She danced for about 30 seconds and then walked over to me and gestured “come on get up” and I danced the whole set with her. I think it was only 1 or 2 songs. My partner was disappointed with me because I didn’t dance I just tried to follow whatever she was doing (proper belly dance etiquette at someone else’s show I think).

As soon as I was off the stage our driver came over and said “Can we go now? The boat is stopped.” We got off the boat. I shook hands with some of the Japanese guests and then he drove us home. We gave him 20LE as a tip, even though we didn’t really like him or feel like he did anything to deserve it and went to sleep.

[amity]

Thank-you so much for posting. I want to go in Dec and this is very helpful!

Thanks so so much Eshe I just loved reading your journal.

[eshe]

9/22

We’re moving to Korea in November so today we spent a lot of time on the internet. We have our laptop and a flash drive with us, so we type up cover letters, resumes and emails in our room so that we don’t have to pay for internet for a long time. It still took up a fair amount of time yesterday though so we didn’t really get out to do much.

On a girlier note our other mission for the day was picking up feminine products. I’d read that getting pads and tampons was sometimes difficult but had no trouble finding either. (Though pads were stocked at more places than tampons it seemed.)

After those adventures it was off to my 4:00 at Mme. Raqia’s. There were tools outside her apartment and she seemed to be in a meeting with 4 men, so I just walked through to the studio. I got there before 4 and ran through the whole first choreography and the 2nd up to the part that I knew and then kept rehearsing the 2nd. I started to think it was past the time when she usually checks in on me. I checked my watch at 4:10, 4:19, 4:25, and she finally came in some time after 4:32 and immediately said “I’m so sorry!”

The next 10 seconds of the choreography are 1 count moves took me a while to get. So she taught me them, gave me about 10 minutes, retaught me them and when she came to correct them the 2nd time taught me the next 20 seconds. ThatR