A trip downtown for paperwork reasons

I used to be the sole person in our family responsible for anything having to do with paperwork, finances or administration. I mastered the language perfectly, and whenever anything had to be done, I set out, often during a lunch break, to take care of everything. This was fully acceptable in Europe. Here in Egypt, things are a bit different. Not only do I find that the husband is expected to take care of these things, but the professor is also ‘the main employee’, and hence he is more involved in any public affairs than I am. He is also the one going to campus several times every week (where most administration or financial business would be taken care of), while I have little reason to leave our Maadi haven.

Occasionally, however, I still have to venture out and take care of certain necessities, and tomorrow is such a day. During our last trip, my passport – which was already 9 years old – fell apart, and I had a bit of trouble explaining my way from Indiana to Massachusetts to Frankfurt to Cairo. Safely here, however, I can’t risk any more travelling abroad until I’ve got a new passport (which for a person of my nationality takes six weeks), and since we would like to travel during the Abraham feast, I’m making my way to the embassy tomorrow. It’s a small embassy, not like the American one, and the opening hours are, for passport applications, very limited (two hours/week). Good news is though, that I neither have to bring a photo, since the picture is taken at the embassy and electronically processed, nor any other paperwork; just myself and a hefty sum of money. I will have to bring the boys though, since the limited embassy hours coincide with the professor’s classes, and they’re not very happy about it, knowing that it will entail unpleasant subway rides, taxis (one of the few times here I envy people with cars and drivers), a stressful downtown, and several moments of having to be still and quiet at a boring embassy. I will bring treats and something to do, so it will probably be all right; still, I’m glad we only have to go every five years. Wish me luck.