Sweets for the sweet

I am still amazed at how Ellie is treated here. I thought she was a little spoiled back home, but she is treated like a celebrity here. She runs around with full rein and when I try to stop her, people say, "no, it's okay." Everywhere we go, people give her sweets, like candy bars, cookies, etc. She has mastered the word "cookie." I have even come to expect this, so much so that yesterday when a man randomly asked me if she liked orange juice and if I wanted some, I said sure. So, he goes and gets some, brings it back, and then asks me for money. Oops.

One of the Arabic teachers from U of A, the one that Jason and I had together, is here in Cairo and her son is taking the same classes as Jason. Her husband is Egyptian, so she has a membership at a "club" here in Zamalek (that's the neighborhood we are in). It is somewhat like a country club, but it is huge, more like a college campus. It has everything, swimming, tennis, squash, basketball, restaurants, and even a gigantic children's area. She has given me and Jason guest passes so we can come to it as well. What a relief, to have somewhere fun to take Ellie to.