Our guest today is Mary
Ellen Siegford, an American teacher living in Cairo, Egypt. When she isn't volunteering at animal shelters, riding horses or caring for her myriad pets, Mary Ellen can often be found with her nose in a book. Or, as we learn today, in her ebook reader.
My
family and I packed our bags and left Aurora, Colorado, for Cairo,
Egypt, in June 2009. Cairo is my husband's hometown, but I'd only
been there a few times to visit my in-laws. I imagined our life in
Egypt would be a chance for me to learn a new language and help
people less privileged than myself. Plus, it would be character
building. My parents and siblings had reservations but my husband
and daughter were ready to go.
Before I
stepped on the plane my sister gave me a going-away present, a Sony eReader. She said that she wasn’t sure how easy it would be for
me to get my hands on books in Egypt and since she knew I was an avid
reader she thought I should have an e-book reader so I could download
novels as often as I liked. I was thrilled at this generous gift but
wasn’t aware of how valuable the reader would prove in the months
ahead.
We
arrived before my daughter's school year started and so got to spend
a month at the beach along the northern coast of Egypt. It was
glorious. The sand is made of sea shells finely ground into tiny
white beads and the Mediterranean sea is such a brilliant blue that
the sky looks pale and dull in comparison. We stayed in a chalet
that had a 180-degree view of the sea and gorged ourselves on
mangoes. I walked along the beach a lot and read a bit of the
Twilight Saga on my eReader as I sat on the beach sipping lemonade
and listening to the crashing waves. However, it wasn’t until I
was settled into Cairo and I started work at a nearby school that the eReader became my best friend.
Life in
Cairo wasn’t easy and my reactions to the cultural differences were
much stronger than I expected. I found myself reacting badly in
situations that made me uncomfortable, and then embarrassed in front
of those who had witnessed my discomfort and bad behavior. My
eReader became my escape. I jumped into Julia Quinn romances like
onto a life raft, reading one a day for a break from the overly
exotic world around me. A co-worker recommended Downtown Owl
or the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but I couldn’t handle
anything weightier than the chick lit novels of Sophie Kinsella and
Marian Keyes.
Luckily
summer came, classes were finished and I went to the USA to
rejuvenate and reassess myself and Egypt. I gave my reader a break
and got active with many outdoor activities. Heading back to Egypt
in August I was sure I would do better. My job was going much
better; I was interacting with people more and reading less--and then
the Revolution happened.
People
like to say “you are living in exciting times,” but exciting
times can be quite boring when you look at it closely. Yes, there
was the debate “do I stay or do I go” that occupied a bit of
time. However, the question of leaving Egypt was kicked out the
window when I realized I wouldn’t have the funds to stay abroad for
an extended period of time and couldn’t get home because the east
coast of the US was being slammed by winter storms. The Egyptian
Revolution for me was a period of house arrest. I did not live near
enough to colleagues from work to join them and the most I got out
was to get groceries. The TV was on constantly, showing news
stations that repeated themselves ad nauseum and my reader was
back in my hands. I read The Marriage Bureau for Rich People,
and the Empire Trilogy by Raymond Feist, and some P.D. James--but
still the schools didn’t reopen. I read some Sue Monk Kid and
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell--and still no school.
Eventually
things calmed down and school resumed. I emerged from my home (pasty
white despite the Egyptian sun) and finished up the school year. We
are now in Egypt for the third year. I am expecting more ‘exciting
times’ ahead as Egypt works toward transitioning from a military
dictatorship to a democracy. I have graduated from light fluff and
chick lit and am now reading a bit tougher stuff. My ebook reader has on
it Jed Rubenfeld’s two books, Water For Elephants, The
Game of Thrones, City of God, and finally I have read The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
The culture shock that I struggled
with still pops its head in now and again to say hi but for the most
part I get by okay. I thank my sister for the foresight to buy the eReader for me and I thank the manufacturers for the brilliant
machine--and I also love the brown leather case that holds it
so that, whether what I am reading is a schmucky romance or a New
York Times Best Seller, nobody knows but me!
Oh my, what an amazing story, Mary Ellen! I'm reading Liberation Square about the recent Egyptian revolution (hard copy, not ebook), but the last thing I thought you'd be doing at that time was using your ereader. But come to think of it, what else could you be doing when it wasn't safe going out? This post was just fascinating. I'm dying to hear so much more about your experiences in that part of the world (in part, because I'm writing a novel based in pre-revolution Cairo). Hope you'll consider sharing more of your adventures with us. In the meantime, you will love Water for Elephants.
ReplyDeleteHappy to answer questions about my time in Egypt and yes I enjoyed Water for Elephants! Thanks for your comments!
DeleteI agree, what a great experience you are having in Egypt, although I can see that it's not all fun and games, either. I always take an eReader with me on trips to Iran. I never stay there as long as you've been in Cairo, but it saves extra weight in the suitcase (especially now that the airlines don't let you take much). And I need plenty of reading material for that first jet-lagged week when I can't sleep.
ReplyDeleteI often miss the feel and ease of flipping through a real book but the reader is a great savior when weight restrictions on airlines keep getting stricter!
DeleteMary Ellen, thanks for the reply and for the offer---but be forewarned, I'm seriously planning to take you up on it!
ReplyDeleteIt occurred to me that as much as e-readers can be maligned, I know a number of people who didn't much like to read before but who have become avid readers through this innovative technology.
Now watch Water for Elephants on your iPad. Just don't compare it to the book, but enjoy it just as another interpretation. It's a quiet little epic, with vivid cinematography. I love seeing a book through a filmmaker's eyes....like a mini-book club, how they saw the book vs how I did.