Three in a row . . .

Hey guys,

I tried to post this video last night, but the internet was being finicky. Egypt won the Africa Cup last night after a close victory over Ghana (1 - 0). This was actually Egypt's third Africa Cup title in a row. My friends were much better behaved during this match than the last one. Probably because they weren't playing Algeria. Anyway, after the match ended the festivities began. No flag burning this time, though.

Last time I saw a tiny bit of the festivities, then went home. But this time I decided to head to the middle of town to see what things were like. It was crazy! People were chanting, dancing, honking horns, singing, and using aerosol cans like blowtorches. Seriously. Hair spray, bug spray, anything that would burn. I had an initial moment of fear, wondering if I would get impaled by shrapnel if one of the cans exploded. But I figured that with all of the people that were there, the odds of the shrapnel actually hitting me was pretty small.

I also learned something new last night. Steel wool will burn. Well, I think "smolders" might be a better word for it. People were lighting steel wool on fire, then spinning it around really quick. Embers would fly off the end, producing pretty much the same effect as a sparkler. I think this method is a little cheaper than buying real fireworks though.

The game ended at around 8:00 pm, and the celebration was still going strong when I went to bed at about one in the morning. It was so much fun! Let me tell you, there aren't many things that will make you feel more alive than being in the middle of several hundred Arabs dancing, chanting, and lighting things on fire.