Sunday, July 08, 2012

Noisy recycling in Cairo!

This morning I was woken by lots of banging going on......... at 9.30am. Now that might not seem early to you- but when my usual bedtime is somewhere between 3am and 5am, it is very early!

The building directly opposite mine is being demolished. They have made impressive progress in one day... and what is interesting is the salvaging that is going on. All the steel rods that used to hold the cement floors together and being picked out the rubble by hand and straightened by hand and set aside. I guess to be used again or sold. I can’t imagine that being done in UK, but there I guess the cost of labour might offset any value of the materials there. Egyptians are great at recycling, although not the type that involves you separating out your household waste, that all gets gathered together and some family somewhere sit around a huge mound of rubbish and separate it by hand. The amount of ‘old’ ‘broken’ things that get fixed or reused for the same or for a new purpose will never fail to impress me!

The workers ripping this building apart are wearing ship ship (flip flops!). I can’t imagine that adhering to health and safety rules either!


Seemingly all the neighbours’ biggest complaint is that their cars are covered in dust now. I would just like to point out... what’s new??!

So, from the rods used to hold the building cement together- to the techniques a dancer uses to connect her moves together... now I am sitting in a peaceful cafe (well- not very peaceful when the TV has football on, but better than drilling!) structuring some of my upcoming workshops for the UK! The gentle bubble of the sheesha pipe is making me think of shimmys!!

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