New Year's Day 1917

On New Year’s Day I met Roheyia (Senedi) (my Egyptian girl from Cairo) and spent the rest of my holiday with her. She is an ideal girl and most beautiful. My departure for the desert upset her considerably and she nearly cried her eyes out. Poor girl, I shouldn’t encourage her I know, but I can’t help it. It can’t possibly end as she wants it to. She would do absolutely anything for me and the sooner I get out of Egypt the better for both of us. 
Spent New Years Night with her at the Casino. It is the custom for Egyptian women to sit by themselves in a special box so I may as well have been by myself. I enjoyed the performance immensely. They put on a tableau of the Allies United and sang the Anthems of all the Allied nations and the Frenchies were responsible for spreading a fire of enthusiasm and excitement throughout the building. 
The audience was composed of British, French, Russians, Italians, Serbs, Romanians, Greeks, Spaniards, Egyptians, etc etc and they all got so excited that they were laughing singing and talking to one another in their own national tongues. They made a most awful row and my sides simply ached and huge tears rolled down my cheeks from laughing. I shall never forget that night as long as I live. Alexandria is in wonderful spirits. At the conclusion of the programme the audience (everybody) sang several Egyptian chants and once more excitement swelled through the building. 
They seem to think in dear old Alex that the war will soon end. I hope so. Would like to live in Alexandria. 
J. A. Graham