Name that tune

[wayfaringwordhack]

One month ago,* while grocery shopping in one of the biggest supermarkets in St Jean de Luz, my cellphone rings and the following conversation with J ensues:

J:  Hey, Quela, can you help me with something?  Can you tell me who sings this?  You probably know...

J plays this song:

 

M: Easy. That's "Walk Like an Egyptian" by the Bangles.
J: Do you ever walk like an Egyptian?
M: Sometimes. It's been awhile.
J: Would you like to do it in Cairo?
M:  Are you serious?**
J: Yes.
M: NO!?!
J: YES! We've been taken [for the next open embassy post there].  It's not 100% sure yet, but we are first in line!
M: When?
J: December.***
M:  Christmas in Cairo! Ok, get ready for it; I'm going to walk like an Egyptian in the supermarket.
M does the "sand dance" down the exotic foods aisle, with the Sprout looking on like her mom has lost it.

So, here we go: four years in Egypt. Very much looking forward to it. :D
_________________
* I didn't say anything earlier because with J's job, it is better to wait until things are more official.  We still don't have the plane tickets in hand, but things are looking great.

** I immediately knew what he was talking about because Egypt was our second choice for the embassies, Congo being first.

*** The departure date has now been moved up to 24 October, Julien's birthday, meaning that things are very serious indeed and I shouldn't have to post a retraction. :P

Comments

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Do you mind telling me what you think about Egypt and Jewish beliefs in general in Egypt's direction? My uncle and his family and my brother and his wife recently converted to Judaism and they were quite distraught about us going to Cairo. I tried to have a discussion with them about Egypt and their faith, but sadly there wasn't much discussion, just a lot of quoting at me. :(

If you prefer, you can email me at tangerinetanglefish at yahoo dot com.

[sunflower-sky.livejournal.com]

Weird. There's nothing inherent in Judaism against Egypt or Egyptians. The only issue for me is safety, both as a Jew and as an Israeli. Back before the revolution, Egypt was a popular vacation spot for young Israelis, particularly the beaches of the Sinai. Rabbis like to make cynical jokes about Israelis vacationing in Egypt during the Passover holiday (the one commemorating our freedom from slavery in Egypt...), but there's no actual issue with physically being there or interacting with modern Egyptians (who have nothing whatsoever to do with the Egyptians of the Bible, and even if they did it wouldn't be a problem; King Solomon, for one, had a great relationship with Egypt during his reign). I'm curious what they were quoting at you...

Also, I don't know what kind of Judaism your family members practice, but many of the rules in the Torah that apply to Jews don't apply to non-Jews. Jews have 613 commandments to follow. Non-Jews are only required to follow the Seven Noahide Laws according to the Torah, making us the only major religion that does not actively encourage conversion and in fact makes it purposely difficult. (That is, at least in Orthodoxy...) We believe the other nations have their own purpose and mission in the world.

~D