Football and fish

It's been a while since I've felt this relaxed AND I can't stop smiling. I'd say it's a good night!

I'm spending a few days this week with our project in Damanhour district (more details here), which finally got off the ground about three weeks ago. We've begun surveillance for severe respiratory disease at the three main hospitals and things are off to a great - albeit hectic - start. The days are crazy while in Damanhour, so tonight we decided to drive into Alexandria (which is about an hour away) for dinner. Our driver, Khaled, who is like a big brother and guardian to all of us American girls who come up to Damanhour for work, had been going on and on about a fish restaurant in the city, so we decided to take him up on it.

We parked on a sidestreet and walked up to a large tent in the middle of a courtyard. The tent was filled with tables and as we walked up we heard a roar of excitement from a group of men who were standing huddled together. It only took a few seconds to notice the television in front of them and we soon learned that Egypt was playing Brazil in football. Just as we arrived, Egypt had scored, bringing the score to 2-1, Brazil. This was a HUGE deal, since apparently everyone in Egypt was expecting their team to be crushed in the match and lose 6-0.

We took a seat at one of the tables where we were sure we could see the game while Khaled walked up to a storefront nearby and picked five fresh fish out of a huge ice bucket. He rejoined us just before Brazil scored and made the score 3-1. Soon a waiter brought two huge plates of fresh Lebanese bread and about a dozen plates of mezza - hummus, tahina, babaganoug and many others that I can't name but know are delicious. We began stuffing ourselves and were chatting together when our fish arrived. The fish had been grilled whole, with tomatoes and onions, and was incredible. We all continued stuffing ourselves until Khaled about jumped out of his seat to cheer as Egypt scored again. The score was 3-2. Almost before he could settle back into his seat, there was another goal for Egypt; they had tied Brazil, 3-3!

By this point, we had all finished eating. Khaled, worried that his girls would be bored, cautiously asked if we wanted to take tea. We all knew immediately that he was just trying to stall so he could watch more of the game and immediately called him out on it. He blushed and laughed, and we explained that in our culture, women enjoy watching sports and so we would love to take tea and continue watching the match. I'm not entirely sure whether he believed us or not, but he ordered a round of tea for us all. And so we all sat around, relaxing in the fresh air, full of fish and mezza, watching football and drinking tea.

The match continued, tied, until, literally, the final seconds, when Brazil was awarded a penalty kick and was able to score. The game was over. Egypt had lost, 4-3. I expected the crowd to be disappointed, but there were smiles all around. I was confused until Khaled explained that losing by one point to Brazil in such a close match was a tremendous accomplishment, especially when everyone had expected Egypt to look pitiful against the South American powerhouse. My smile grew even bigger when I realized that the night didn't have to end with disappointment.

With my stomach full and my heart happy, I think I'll sleep well tonight!