International Festival, Cairo American School

Sam and I had a fun day Saturday.  We discovered that the hydrangeas have hit town and as our outdoor space is mostly shade, I couldn't wait to buy a couple to brighten the tropicals already in our garden.  Right now the flowers are b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. !  The weather is still cool so everything is looking at its peak!

Some of the flower shops along the railroad track would give Under the Sun in Tulsa, Ok a run for their money! ( I once worked at Under the Sun, a plant nursery and gift shop. We really did have some of the most beautiful plants in town.)  We found the hydrangeas in so many colors. I bought three: a light pink, a blue and a hot pink .  The geraniums were also pretty and cheap in price so I bought three knowing full well that once these blooms are gone, that I will have to give them to one of my friends with a sunny spot in their garden.  The cat that traverses the back wall and hides behind the lattice waiting to come into our garden and snatch a meat trimming off Sam's grill had uprooted one of my begonias to do his business.  Now that little spot is speckled with scattered pot shards to deter kitty from any more "deposits!"  While I was potting the flowers we just bought,  I did a shuffle and repot to some of my tropicals who were looking a little tired and lonely. Everything looks so pretty back there now!

After purchasing the plants we went to CAC (Cairo American College-the American school here) for some lunch at their international festival.  Since our church and workplace is multi-national, some of our friends were working their home-country booths. We had been invited to come sample food from Poland, South America, Canada, and South Africa.  An around-the-world food sampling sounded like a good lunch to us! We entered the CAC grounds passing through a throng of security and a couple of gates. Once inside, the scenery changes to a lovely-though-under-construction campus with green grass, blooming flower borders, and nice leafy trees!  Beautiful Arabesque Applique Tents lined the open soccer field;  their vibrant blues, yellows, greens and reds lending to the festive atmosphere. 

Music was playing on a stage to the far right, wonderful smells wafted across the field from booths with signs and decorations identifying the country within, and children ran freely and noisily from one place and one friend to another.  To make a long story....or a short story even shorter---we wound up eating lunch AND staying all afternoon to hear and see the entertainment from students, adults, and professionals portraying song, dance, mime, and other talents from their home countries. The costumes were fabulous and the music, so different from one place to another was enchanting.

Here's a little run down on what we ate: bbq wings from Canada, polish sausage from Poland, empanadas from South America, tostados from Mexico, donuts from Cameroon, samosas from India,  

dried beef called biltong from South Africa, cakes from singapore, chocolate cake from Switzerland...and that's just what I REMEMBER~  It was a lovely time. We came for lunch and stayed all day.