Sour-kraut! We lost to Germany 2-1. Natalie played great as usual and posted our only win. Claire fought a tough one but ultimately lost in 4 games. I think Helga showed up to play, NOT me. It was not a pretty squash game for me and I was entirely unfocused for the short duration of my match, going down quickly in 3 games. My opponent hit great length and I couldnt get out of my own way. It was one of those days. I was playing their #4, too. Phooey!

Natalie, with her fabulous SA accent and that piercing look, commented on my match with the universal language (language I understand and use often) and said I was benched indefintely. I told her the first place I thought I would go is the airplane..for about 13 hrs of benching. We all had a tremendous laugh. She remarked that while my basic game didn't seem to be present the real problem was that I didn't find one thing to focus on while on court. I managed to stew in my own pot. My summary not hers. It's really good advice to be sure to use one thing that works when all else seems to have disappeared. I am usually pretty good at that but today all of me got sucked down the drain. And really fast. And while I am sorry I couldn't catch hold of something, perhaps turning the tides for USA, I know that we all have no-show days. Part of being a great athlete is making good use of those experiences and memories. That said, I remain awfully proud to wear red, white and blue and be connected to this fabulous network of squash addicts and resources.

So much for adding sour-kraut to the victory dinner. Perhaps a buffet of gluten free Italian and Chinese...

Excellent. My pictures seem to have uploaded. The top picture is Karim and me standing in the Sonesta lobby after yesterday morning of bazaar shopping. Let me inform ALL of you that while I speak of Karim, I could speak equally affectionately of Mohamed and Mahmood. I think being sidelined more than playing as well as being afraid to go outside alone for the first 3 days enabled me to share in the Egyptian hospitality more than others have been. I also think they (our male Egyptian hosts) have never seen gray hair (or any woman's hair for that matter!) so I think they are intrigued. Fact is, it's very safe to walk around here when we do, but it's different than Groton so I exercised caution.

One picture I have put up is just a glimpse of the traffic. It's truly hard to have you know this aspect of Cairo without visiting. Trust me, there are too many cars for too few roads AND why, why, WHY do they even bother to paint white lines delineating lanes? I think it's to appease some international law firm or insurance agency. They do not use the lines at ALL, unless maybe to straddle them. Oh, they throw their trash INTO the streets. No, not into trash cans for collection somewhere, but rather into the streets. It's rather unsightly and most assuredly unsanitary.

One of the pics here is me just outside the gift shop in the hotel where there is a large leather elephant. I posted it for dear Lyle who would want to know where every elephant is. Sorry I cant bring THAT one home.

One of the pics is the view from my hotel room. Yup, buildings, high rise, smog.

Another is a picture of the strip where there are clothing shops and a butcher, complete with 5 hanging bleeding cows, ready for a passerby to pick up a loin or flank. They'll cut it right off for you. Nevermind that there are 10,000 flies circling...and the butcher shop stands next to the crafts, like perhaps a tourist might like some rib eye to go...

Another picture is my new friend Siyole, (See-Yole-Ay) a South African gem. The USTeam went to the hotel Lebanese restaurant last night (my nth order of felafel this week) and we were joined by a few members of the awesome SA team. You see, Natalie is originally from SA and Claire's got roots there as well. Her Dad is SA. And me, I WANT to be SA, so the evening was a gift. SA's have incredibly generous, fun, and spirited personalities and we all enjoyed ourselves so much that we missed the Egypt v. Malaysia match. Then we hit the hotel nightclub and yes, I sang my 3rd consecutive night of Karaoke. We packed the place and everyone went home late. Last night's offerings were Diana Ross, Elton John and LeAnn Rimes.

Today we play Germany at 3pm Cairo time. Playing order is #1,3 and then 2. Think of us as we wage war for 13th place. I am in today's line-up and I am over the moon. I think bageling Italy yesterday helped secure my spot for today. You will hear more of this from me but I didnt think I could love squash more than when I got on the plane - and in fact, I do. There is so much more to learn about the game and so many great people to get to know. Squash has helped make this big bad world a lot smaller and safer.

I have spent my last Egyptian pounds (on purpose at the hotel gift shop) and after the event party this evening, I will be packing up for my long trip home. I have a few email addresses to collect, a few more pictures to take and maybe a few more felafels to eat. Barring any unforeseen changes, I should be back to a virus free home Sunday evening. Salam!

I hope that as I write this at 11:30 am Cairo time, noone I know is awake throwing up or cleaning up! I hear the stomach bug has hit!

I THINK I have uploaded a few pictures and I will repost about them once I see they are there.

Sorry its been a dry spell on the blog front. Been way too busy with karaoke, shopping in the bazaar, dealing with the Egyptian press, etc...oh, and playing squash. This afternoon, USA played Italy (again!) and we won 2-1. Claire, my roommate who I have brainwashed into using eucalyptus essential oil to clear her sinuses, played her heart out, but lost a tough 3-2 match. I was so proud of her - she fights soooo hard, runs like a tiger (yes, she went to Princeton!) and at the #2 spot, is a model athlete in every way. Natalie went on and did her business in 3 quick games and then it was my turn. A nervous first game, but I won it, then I hit my stride, taking the second game 9-0 and the third game, jeez, cant remember. All I know is that my match was the deciding one for USA. Yeah, baby! I am thinking of my large Italian gluten free pasta dish in celebration! I will post the picture of me and my opponent later - back at the hotel where I have my USB cord. Internet is free at the squash stadium so I try to use it here then do only what's necessary at the hotel.

So, last night, after dinner, I went back to the hotel to the karaoke machine and sang. I just couldnt stay away, but the karoake machine was malfunctioning. It was Karim's 21st birthday so I sang him an a capella round of HB. Then, this morning, he took me (cuz I was the only one who wanted to go shopping at the bazaar) to the Egyptian marketplace where you can barter for everything. And we did. Karim worked it for me and I picked up a few mementos. What I really want though are Egyptian cotton sheets - like 1200 thread. Didn't find those at the bazaar. Maybe duty-free tomorrow or the next day when I begin coming home.

I think we play Germany tomorrow and I am not sure what the playing order or lineup will be. We are headed out for an early dinner tonight then back to the courts to watch the Egypt vs. Malaysia match. What a treat!

I have occasionally been able to check email yet I cant respond so for those of you that read this, if you hear anyone slamming my name for not returning their email, or anything else, please let them know that I am OOC (out of commission) until Monday.

As for Cairo, the pollution remains nearly unbearable. Almost everyone smokes cigarettes. Taxi drivers should be committed. But, the Egyptian people that we have interfaced with have been out of this world. There is no way I could enjoy Egypt as much if it weren't for the bonds of squash. I am incredibly lucky to see Egypt from this perspective. And, I am grateful to the teams present here because I couldn't learn as much about squash if it weren't for their shining examples. Our time in Cairo is coming to an end and I know I am really glad to have come. Stay tuned! More pics later...

So, I sat down at the computer to enter this blog and my entire site was translated into Arabic. Hhmm...It took me a few tries to login but thanks go to Karim, my Egyptian friend, who helped me find the drop down bar to translate. Surely, had Kathy Doody been with me, she could have translated. The keyboard has arabic characters so I am relying on keyboard muscle memory (Goodness knows, I have had some practice!)

Well, USA suffered a tough 2-1 loss to Japan this afternoon. They were very sharp. I did my job well though - making noise! Who, but my friends, know I could make so much noise? This was new to my team. Thursday - and they are finally getting to know me! Seriously, they have been great and it's been tons of fun to experience this with them. Not sure yet what tomorrow holds but I will attempt to post later this evening with some pictures of today - much of it spent indoors at the squash stadium. While our team played at noon, I had the distinct priviledge of playing an 8:30 am showdown against the New Zealand coach, a 40 something, mother of 4 and 8 time British Open Champion, who was also world #1 for 10 freakin years! During the week, we have bonded over parenting, achy aging body parts and a shared passion for squash. She is a remarkable woman and an inspiring athlete. I don't think anyone else in the world had the encounter I had today. And, I am apt to see her later in the hotel bar, beer in her hand, karaoke mic in mine.

I am proud to say I have graduated from the minibus transportation of 1/2 mile to the stadium and I have begun walking it. I wear my sunglasses and NOT my USA sweat suit, keep a low profile and move briskly. Haven't heard guns so far. Salam!

Today (Wednesday) was an incredible day - Pyramids, Camels, Sphinx and Felucca. You can see from the pictures that its breathtaking. Definitely desert-like. Hot, dry, dusty. Perfect for a camel. I am riding Mickey Mouse in this picture. I didnt go inside the big pyramid because I was told the air quality was worse than the streets - and I can barely take the streets here. Surely, I now have some CO (Carbon Monoxide) overload to add to the host of other things! The sphinx reminded me of Mayzie. We enjoyed fresh squeezed mango juice at a cafe overlooking pyramids and Sphinx and then had to pay 2 Egyptian pounds to use the loo. Then the taxi took us to the Felucca (100 year old sailboats on the Nile that seat 15 for a 1 hr ride) and while we could have walked the distance faster, we rode in the taxi, me in the front seat, holding my non-functional seatbelt across my lap, just to appease police if they stopped us. Back at the hotel now, I am trying to detox a massive traffic headache and refuel and water. I dont know how camels do it. Tomorrow is Japan at noon. Oh, perhaps I should tell you all about last night - before you see it on YouTube...someone threatened to post as MANY people were videoing it. I wore my new Egyptian dress and sang Karaoke to Hotel California and Happy Birthday to Shelley Kitchen, New Zealand #1. When I was asked, I said I was "Natalie Grainger" - USA #1. The place went nuts. So, let me upload a few pics here and stay tuned for tomorrow's news...

USA just took Italy 2-1, with wins at the number 1 and 3 positions. Claire, at #2, had a tough go against the sharpest 42 year old I have ever seen. YIKES! So, I am not the oldest here, but pretty close. I played a friendly (doesn't count for the team) today against South Africa and I am pleased to report that I prevailed. Granted it was a friendly, but I will take a win anyday. And, I was glad to have a match! I am making friends, especially with the SA's with hopes of catching their delicious accent, which I love, and also getting some good tips on travel there..hint, hint, wink, wink!

I am disappointed that my email doesnt seem to be working at all so sorry for not replying to those of you who have written. Fact is, I have replied, and to my kids, I have replied at length, but I hit send and there is no record of the email ever having been written. So, after a few tries and frustrated, I turned to the blog.

It's incredible to be surrounded by these amazing athletes and their coaches. All of the best women in the world are here (duh!) and I can get a front row seat for any of their matches. What a gift! I am just soaking it all up, hoping to add a few weapons to my squash arsenal. Two things that will make a huge difference in my game will be to have really powerful leg strength and also to make really smart choices about which shots to hit and when. I realize I play at one pace and the really good players have several speeds and seem to be doing things with the ball, like almost in a thoughtful way. I, on the other hand, realize that much of my play has been reactive, rather than proactive. Wheras they make the court so big with their tremendous shot selection and execution, I seem to make the court smaller but just blasting the ball time and time again. Gotta fly!!