Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sharm pics
Christmas at Sharm
What a week! Chloe and I had a great time in Sharm El Sheikh doing just about nothing the entire time! I couldn't have asked for better weather or company. (Well, Chloe was a typical pre-teen, but we met a lot of other nice folks while we were there, Thank God).
Our "National Lampoon's Sinai Vacation" started out a little shaky, after getting up and out of the apartment at 3:45 a.m. to get to the airport for our 5:15 flight. It was an uneventful flight, the best kind, and we made it to the Logaina Resort at 7:30 or so. I had expected the taxi ride to be expensive, compared to Cairo's dirt cheap taxis, but it still hurt to pay 60 pounds (About $10 USD) for a 5 minute ride. I paid 80 pounds for the 30 minute ride to the airport from my Cairo apartment and was peeved about that expense! The driver that all our expat friends at school use is safe and reliable, but more expensive than the taxis (We could get a taxi to get to the airport for about 60 or so, but at that hour, there was no choice but to use the driver.) So, yeah, the Sharm taxi seemed excessively expensive.
When we pulled up to the hotel, I was a little nervous. It wasn't that it looked grimy or anything, but it seemed to have a deserted look about it. Now, I knew it was going to be a "quaint" experience based on the cost and the reviews I read online, but it's still a gamble when you book a cheap hotel you've never been to before. (It was 160 pounds a night, about $27 USD).
The first thing I noticed when we walked into the lobby was the smell. It was the smell of bug spray and dust. Nice. I immediately prayed that our room wouldn't smell. But no worries. I came prepared with my Victoria's Secret body spray to mask any smells in our room. I'm very sensitive about smells, so I'm always carrying several lotions and sprays for just such occasions. The room they put us in had a nice huge refrigerator and a nice huge TV, both of which did not work. So, off I went back to the front lobby to sort it out. They immediately put us in another room, with a refrigerator that worked and a TV that worked, right up until the guy left the room. I wasn't worried about the TV, since I'd have to get pretty desperate to watch a bunch of shows in Arabic on my Christmas vacation; I was really just happy the fridge was nice and cold. I had brought a bunch of food with me because the school decided not to pay us before we left for break and money's been tight as I pay off our safari trip in the spring.
I still can't believe I made it through security with a carry on bag filled with a huge box of saltines, 6 cans of tuna fish, smoked turkey lunchmeat, a loaf of bread, a bottle of mustard, some cheese (those cute little triangles ya know), a bowl of leftover spaghetti, 2 HUGE (like mutant size) oranges, half a dozen tangerines, and a jar of homemade pickles. Oh, and a few bottles of water. The food made it through the first security scan without a problem, but when we went through the second one, the guy opened up my bag to look through everything. I immediately got nervous, like I was a big time heroin smuggler or something. I have to admit, though, it was hilarious watching him reach in and pull out each of the food products one by one. He kept a straight face until he got to the pickles. As he pulled it out, he looked at me quizzically and I said, "Homemade!," which struck him as funny, I guess, because he just laughed and put it all back in the bag and sent me on my way. Can you imagine that happening in the states? Where you can't even carry a regular size bottle of conditoner in your carry on? Much less a huge jar of homemade pickles...
Anyway, we had a working fridge, a sink, a nice size living room, a balcony, two twin size beds, 3 nice size closets, and a tiny, tiny bathroom. And it only smelled marginally musty, which I fixed in a jiffy by spraying body mist around the rooms to the point where you could taste it. I unpacked everything again and got all organized, then went down to the lobby to ask about breakfast. Our stay included breakfasts, so I was gonna make sure we got our breakfast every dang day! We had to wait just a few minutes, then headed down to the restaurant, which seemed to be deserted...until we see a guy pop out of the kitchen, who then led us to one of the tables in the absolutely empty dining area. It would be a daily ritual - Chloe and I in the restaurant eating breakfast by ourselves while one or 2 men stood silently in the wings and stared at us holding trays, waiting for us to finish so they could clean up. We had the entire place to ourselves all week. Well, I found out later that there were others staying there, but we didn't see anyone else around until the last few days. It was pretty spooky. And weird, since there were so many people running around doing all of the things you do to keep a hotel in service, but with no other paying customers in view. I think we would've seen more people if we had stuck around during the days, but most of our days were spent on the beach.
The beach!! We made it to the beach that first day at about 1 or so, after taking a nice long nap after breakfast. The area of the Red Sea where we were at is called Sharks Bay. Nice and comforting name, right? I have to say, I was pretty disappointed in our beach experience that first day. It was cold and windy and the walk seemed long (about 20 minutes) and the beach itself was mostly rocky and there was confusion about which of the beaches we were supposed to go to with the silly little tickets the guy at the hotel gave us...all in all, it was a rough start. I prayed it would be warmer the rest of the week and I was DETERMINED, I mean DETERMINED, that we were going to have a good time, no matter what, dang it! So, the next day I woke up and went to breakfast and took my time eating, while the guys stared at us, and then put on my sweater and got prepared to make the hike to the beach. (No way was I going to spent 40 pounds, 40 pounds!!, for a 2 minute taxi ride).
And it was nice. It would be another daily ritual - walking down the road to the beach and enjoying the scenery around us - the desert on both sides, with authentic mountains all around, and the Red Sea in front of us. And just one stinky, Cairo-like spot: the entrance to a garbage dump that seemed to be very busy...but whatever! We were going to the beach and we even had a real life sand castle to pass every day (We found out later it was built to be a dance club, but in typical Egyptian style, the owner found out AFTER CONSTRUCTION WAS FINISHED that the building was too tall to be in the direct line of the airplanes coming down for landings, so it was never opened).
Well, thank God, that second day was warm and beautiful and it got hotter and hotter as the week went on. (It started out around 75 degrees or so at the hottest part of the day and ended up in the 80s, I'd guess, by the end of the week). And after that first day, we knew which beach to go to, and we learned about the ticket ritual, which was freaking ridiculous, and Chloe was happy to go snorkeling all day while I laid around soaking up the sun. I probably wouldn't have even gone out snorkeling at all if it wasn't for a funny Englishman we met on our second or third day out. I had never been snorkeling, but I went scuba diving once in Cancun, so I turned up my nose at a day of swimming around right under the water with a silly mask on. And, oh, I am so happy that I finally got over it and went for it, because I was hooked the second my head went under the water...I will never, ever forgot the moment. I had jumped in the water and was thinking about how cold it was and how to use the silly mask and about how long I would have to pretend to like the experience to appease Chloe, who had been bugging me since the first day to get in the water. Then I finally put my head under the water. And was absolutely shocked at the amazing world underneath me! I can't put into words the experience because I'm just not that talented and I would feel silly doing so. But I can say that, in all seriousness, I was in complete awe every second. I went to sleep every night afterwards with those scenes in my head. Tomorrow the pictures come in (hopefully) and I can see if any actually turned out!
The funny Englishman is named Will and I can say he is one of the most interesting characters I've met in awhile. At one point I thought to start keeping track of the things he said so I wouldn't forget them later (I am not one of those people that can quote movies, even ones I've watched numerous times).
Some highlights of what I learned about Will in a week:
* He lives in the London area and sounds just like Austin Powers. He even said, "Yeah, baby" a couple of times, at which point Chloe and I made eye contact and had to bite back the laughter.
* He works in sales for a computer company, but is also a dive instructor and is trying to get into stand up comedy (He has done two performances so far).
* He says he is going to write a TV pilot in the style of "Faulty Towers" that parodies Sharks Bay and will include the old ladies that do their calisthenics on the beach every morning, as well as other people we saw throughout the week (caricatures such as the old Russian men and women in unflattering swimsuits and the leather like old woman that looked just like the landlady in Kingpin that Woody Harrelson sleeps with). But he's worried that his dyslexia will make it difficult. I suggested he record his thoughts and hire a transcriptionist.
* He was absolutely convinced one day that a little girl on the beach was an English girl named Maddy McCann, who had been kidnapped while vacationing with her family in Portugal in 2007. He even went so far as to ask her what her name was (Christina) and then later wondered aloud how a girl who had been kidnapped at 4 years old would respond to her original name.
* The lead singer of the band Placebo (his favorite band) is the only man he would ever sleep with.
* After watching numerous people continually try to walk on the coral at the off-limits part of the beach, he said, "You know, it makes me wonder if Jesus was just a wanker walking around on coral!"
* He is thankful that Russia is not a world leader thanks to "America lying about the moon landing."
There were more gems that I did not record, so are therefore lost forever thanks to my shoddy memory, but needless to say, it was nice to meet someone so refreshing and entertaining.
And now we're back in Cairo and it is actually good to be home, where everything makes sense to me, which makes me realize I've really lost my mind if Cairo's craziness has started to make sense...Or maybe I've just found somewhere that's as crazy as me! (That's probably more like it).
Not a bad way to end 2012.
Our "National Lampoon's Sinai Vacation" started out a little shaky, after getting up and out of the apartment at 3:45 a.m. to get to the airport for our 5:15 flight. It was an uneventful flight, the best kind, and we made it to the Logaina Resort at 7:30 or so. I had expected the taxi ride to be expensive, compared to Cairo's dirt cheap taxis, but it still hurt to pay 60 pounds (About $10 USD) for a 5 minute ride. I paid 80 pounds for the 30 minute ride to the airport from my Cairo apartment and was peeved about that expense! The driver that all our expat friends at school use is safe and reliable, but more expensive than the taxis (We could get a taxi to get to the airport for about 60 or so, but at that hour, there was no choice but to use the driver.) So, yeah, the Sharm taxi seemed excessively expensive.
When we pulled up to the hotel, I was a little nervous. It wasn't that it looked grimy or anything, but it seemed to have a deserted look about it. Now, I knew it was going to be a "quaint" experience based on the cost and the reviews I read online, but it's still a gamble when you book a cheap hotel you've never been to before. (It was 160 pounds a night, about $27 USD).
The first thing I noticed when we walked into the lobby was the smell. It was the smell of bug spray and dust. Nice. I immediately prayed that our room wouldn't smell. But no worries. I came prepared with my Victoria's Secret body spray to mask any smells in our room. I'm very sensitive about smells, so I'm always carrying several lotions and sprays for just such occasions. The room they put us in had a nice huge refrigerator and a nice huge TV, both of which did not work. So, off I went back to the front lobby to sort it out. They immediately put us in another room, with a refrigerator that worked and a TV that worked, right up until the guy left the room. I wasn't worried about the TV, since I'd have to get pretty desperate to watch a bunch of shows in Arabic on my Christmas vacation; I was really just happy the fridge was nice and cold. I had brought a bunch of food with me because the school decided not to pay us before we left for break and money's been tight as I pay off our safari trip in the spring.
I still can't believe I made it through security with a carry on bag filled with a huge box of saltines, 6 cans of tuna fish, smoked turkey lunchmeat, a loaf of bread, a bottle of mustard, some cheese (those cute little triangles ya know), a bowl of leftover spaghetti, 2 HUGE (like mutant size) oranges, half a dozen tangerines, and a jar of homemade pickles. Oh, and a few bottles of water. The food made it through the first security scan without a problem, but when we went through the second one, the guy opened up my bag to look through everything. I immediately got nervous, like I was a big time heroin smuggler or something. I have to admit, though, it was hilarious watching him reach in and pull out each of the food products one by one. He kept a straight face until he got to the pickles. As he pulled it out, he looked at me quizzically and I said, "Homemade!," which struck him as funny, I guess, because he just laughed and put it all back in the bag and sent me on my way. Can you imagine that happening in the states? Where you can't even carry a regular size bottle of conditoner in your carry on? Much less a huge jar of homemade pickles...
Anyway, we had a working fridge, a sink, a nice size living room, a balcony, two twin size beds, 3 nice size closets, and a tiny, tiny bathroom. And it only smelled marginally musty, which I fixed in a jiffy by spraying body mist around the rooms to the point where you could taste it. I unpacked everything again and got all organized, then went down to the lobby to ask about breakfast. Our stay included breakfasts, so I was gonna make sure we got our breakfast every dang day! We had to wait just a few minutes, then headed down to the restaurant, which seemed to be deserted...until we see a guy pop out of the kitchen, who then led us to one of the tables in the absolutely empty dining area. It would be a daily ritual - Chloe and I in the restaurant eating breakfast by ourselves while one or 2 men stood silently in the wings and stared at us holding trays, waiting for us to finish so they could clean up. We had the entire place to ourselves all week. Well, I found out later that there were others staying there, but we didn't see anyone else around until the last few days. It was pretty spooky. And weird, since there were so many people running around doing all of the things you do to keep a hotel in service, but with no other paying customers in view. I think we would've seen more people if we had stuck around during the days, but most of our days were spent on the beach.
The beach!! We made it to the beach that first day at about 1 or so, after taking a nice long nap after breakfast. The area of the Red Sea where we were at is called Sharks Bay. Nice and comforting name, right? I have to say, I was pretty disappointed in our beach experience that first day. It was cold and windy and the walk seemed long (about 20 minutes) and the beach itself was mostly rocky and there was confusion about which of the beaches we were supposed to go to with the silly little tickets the guy at the hotel gave us...all in all, it was a rough start. I prayed it would be warmer the rest of the week and I was DETERMINED, I mean DETERMINED, that we were going to have a good time, no matter what, dang it! So, the next day I woke up and went to breakfast and took my time eating, while the guys stared at us, and then put on my sweater and got prepared to make the hike to the beach. (No way was I going to spent 40 pounds, 40 pounds!!, for a 2 minute taxi ride).
And it was nice. It would be another daily ritual - walking down the road to the beach and enjoying the scenery around us - the desert on both sides, with authentic mountains all around, and the Red Sea in front of us. And just one stinky, Cairo-like spot: the entrance to a garbage dump that seemed to be very busy...but whatever! We were going to the beach and we even had a real life sand castle to pass every day (We found out later it was built to be a dance club, but in typical Egyptian style, the owner found out AFTER CONSTRUCTION WAS FINISHED that the building was too tall to be in the direct line of the airplanes coming down for landings, so it was never opened).
Well, thank God, that second day was warm and beautiful and it got hotter and hotter as the week went on. (It started out around 75 degrees or so at the hottest part of the day and ended up in the 80s, I'd guess, by the end of the week). And after that first day, we knew which beach to go to, and we learned about the ticket ritual, which was freaking ridiculous, and Chloe was happy to go snorkeling all day while I laid around soaking up the sun. I probably wouldn't have even gone out snorkeling at all if it wasn't for a funny Englishman we met on our second or third day out. I had never been snorkeling, but I went scuba diving once in Cancun, so I turned up my nose at a day of swimming around right under the water with a silly mask on. And, oh, I am so happy that I finally got over it and went for it, because I was hooked the second my head went under the water...I will never, ever forgot the moment. I had jumped in the water and was thinking about how cold it was and how to use the silly mask and about how long I would have to pretend to like the experience to appease Chloe, who had been bugging me since the first day to get in the water. Then I finally put my head under the water. And was absolutely shocked at the amazing world underneath me! I can't put into words the experience because I'm just not that talented and I would feel silly doing so. But I can say that, in all seriousness, I was in complete awe every second. I went to sleep every night afterwards with those scenes in my head. Tomorrow the pictures come in (hopefully) and I can see if any actually turned out!
The funny Englishman is named Will and I can say he is one of the most interesting characters I've met in awhile. At one point I thought to start keeping track of the things he said so I wouldn't forget them later (I am not one of those people that can quote movies, even ones I've watched numerous times).
Some highlights of what I learned about Will in a week:
* He lives in the London area and sounds just like Austin Powers. He even said, "Yeah, baby" a couple of times, at which point Chloe and I made eye contact and had to bite back the laughter.
* He works in sales for a computer company, but is also a dive instructor and is trying to get into stand up comedy (He has done two performances so far).
* He says he is going to write a TV pilot in the style of "Faulty Towers" that parodies Sharks Bay and will include the old ladies that do their calisthenics on the beach every morning, as well as other people we saw throughout the week (caricatures such as the old Russian men and women in unflattering swimsuits and the leather like old woman that looked just like the landlady in Kingpin that Woody Harrelson sleeps with). But he's worried that his dyslexia will make it difficult. I suggested he record his thoughts and hire a transcriptionist.
* He was absolutely convinced one day that a little girl on the beach was an English girl named Maddy McCann, who had been kidnapped while vacationing with her family in Portugal in 2007. He even went so far as to ask her what her name was (Christina) and then later wondered aloud how a girl who had been kidnapped at 4 years old would respond to her original name.
* The lead singer of the band Placebo (his favorite band) is the only man he would ever sleep with.
* After watching numerous people continually try to walk on the coral at the off-limits part of the beach, he said, "You know, it makes me wonder if Jesus was just a wanker walking around on coral!"
* He is thankful that Russia is not a world leader thanks to "America lying about the moon landing."
There were more gems that I did not record, so are therefore lost forever thanks to my shoddy memory, but needless to say, it was nice to meet someone so refreshing and entertaining.
And now we're back in Cairo and it is actually good to be home, where everything makes sense to me, which makes me realize I've really lost my mind if Cairo's craziness has started to make sense...Or maybe I've just found somewhere that's as crazy as me! (That's probably more like it).
Not a bad way to end 2012.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Interesting article
I totally disagree with this article and will explain when I have time!!
http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/why-you-should-date-an-expat/
http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/why-you-should-date-an-expat/
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Funny how you can get used to anything...
I've found myself not noticing a lot of things I used to notice in Cairo. I've also gotten "in the grooove," so to speak, so now it feels like I'm truly at home and am used to the small hassles of day to day living.
I need to address the following topics, which I will be doing this week and next, since the finals at school leave me lots of free time!!
--Sexual harassment
--Revolution experiences
--My extracurricular activities (Hash Harriers, rugby, etc.)
--Teaching
--Homesickness
More pics will follow as well.
For now I'm off to grade more exams! (I'm trying to space it out as much as possible to avoid boredom! There's just so much lesson planning and grading you can do at one time).
I need to address the following topics, which I will be doing this week and next, since the finals at school leave me lots of free time!!
--Sexual harassment
--Revolution experiences
--My extracurricular activities (Hash Harriers, rugby, etc.)
--Teaching
--Homesickness
More pics will follow as well.
For now I'm off to grade more exams! (I'm trying to space it out as much as possible to avoid boredom! There's just so much lesson planning and grading you can do at one time).
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Teaching in Cairo
I had the most incredible teacher moment today. The thorn-in-my-side student in my 9th grade class came up to me after class today and thanked me for the last few weeks. He said my class has been fun lately and that he felt like now I was truly listening to the students. It was one of those moments you cherish as a teacher. One, because it so rarely happens and Two, because you realize how close you came to losing an entire group of kids for the year.
I had been feeling pretty horrible about being a teacher for a bit there...waiting for each day to be over as quickly as possible, being overly sarcastic and biting to the students, just throwing work at them to shut them up. I was doing it mostly in defiance. Defiance in the face of a system that has taught their kids how to memorize and regurgitate information, but not think creatively or as an individual. A system that has taught the students to interrupt and be aggressive and argue every point (which, by the way, are actually good traits in moderation). Instead of working with what I was given and adding my own personality and voice, I rebelled and became a bad teacher. And I hated it.
And, thank God, I finally reached my limit and gave up, so to speak. Gave up trying to get into a battle of the wills every day with my students, of fighting a system that I cannot change. I finally decided that I can't change the system, but I can definitely work with it.
And it feels good. I'm finally becoming an internationally minded teacher. This job is incredibly difficult, but I'd be bored if it wasn't!! And who wants to be a teacher and not make a positive impact?
I had been feeling pretty horrible about being a teacher for a bit there...waiting for each day to be over as quickly as possible, being overly sarcastic and biting to the students, just throwing work at them to shut them up. I was doing it mostly in defiance. Defiance in the face of a system that has taught their kids how to memorize and regurgitate information, but not think creatively or as an individual. A system that has taught the students to interrupt and be aggressive and argue every point (which, by the way, are actually good traits in moderation). Instead of working with what I was given and adding my own personality and voice, I rebelled and became a bad teacher. And I hated it.
And, thank God, I finally reached my limit and gave up, so to speak. Gave up trying to get into a battle of the wills every day with my students, of fighting a system that I cannot change. I finally decided that I can't change the system, but I can definitely work with it.
And it feels good. I'm finally becoming an internationally minded teacher. This job is incredibly difficult, but I'd be bored if it wasn't!! And who wants to be a teacher and not make a positive impact?
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Sharm update
Pics from this past weekend in Sharm el Sheikh:
The pre-game huddle
Hanging with Anne and Kim, two rugby wives.
At the beach
The pre-game huddle
After the win! The two women are from Australia and tagged along on this trip. They had a good time!
Hanging with Anne and Kim, two rugby wives. 
At the beach
We were stuck on the side of the road for a couple of hours waiting for enough buses for a convoy and a military escort through Sinai (not our choice!).
So...this weekend was a lot of fun, but getting there and back was a pain in the butt!! We left Maadi at 6 on Thursday evening and did not check into the hotel until after 5 a.m. the next morning. What is supposed to be a 6 hour drive took us almost 12 hours!! There were two factors leading to this: The Egyptian military trying to look out for us foreigners and the fact that we had an idiot driver.
Factor 1: To get to Sharm El Sheikh, you drive under the Suez Canal (kinda cool) and through the Sinai Peninsula Region. I think this is correct. My geography is horrible. All I truly know for sure is it's the Sinai region and it's supposedly where the Bedouins sometimes take foreign and/or tourist hostages. Because of this, the military makes any buses carrying foreigners stop and wait for a military escort and enough buses to create a convoy. At several checkpoints we had to go through this ridiculous system. The Egyptian buses and individual cars could drive on through with no problem. I guess this makes sense if the Bedouins only stop foreign or tourist buses, but it was very, very frustrating to be parked on the side of the road for up to an hour at a time. I mean, how safe can THAT be? Not only that, but most of the guys on the bus were Egyptian. Go figure.
Factor 2: The driver ran out of gas. Even with that stupid convoy in action. We ended up having to wait about 2 hours for him to flag someone down, ride with them to the nearest petrol station, then come back with the gas. Guess who was stuck on the side of the road with no gas without a driver? In Sinai? At 2 a.m.? Talk about unsafe. And ironic. Needless to say, the driver was replaced for the way home and our bus trip that way was refunded. This was after he threw a hissy fit when one of the guys had the nerve to call him while he was out getting the gas and asked him to hurry up a bit. Such a rude guy. But I've noticed this about the Egyptian culture. They do not like to admit mistakes. Even if it's super obvious. They will argue with you and argue with you and argue with you...I see this at school and it's very frustrating. (I'm talking about at the student and adult level!!).
Since I can never get much sleep on a trip, whether it's a train or a bus or an airplane, I was pretty pooped by the time we got to the hotel. I crashed immediately, set my alarm for 9:30 to get the free breakfast (I will do anything for free food!) and then headed to the beach.It was an awesome day, just laying around watching the mostly European crowd at the beach and the rugby guys throw the ball around. I saw some risque bathing suits, including a girl wearing a thong!, a lot of Speedos, and on top of it all, I got a tan. Good day all in all.
After lazing around all day, we took a bus to the game, with the intention of going straight to the dinner and party after the game was over. The game itself started at around 7 p.m. Chloe stayed in the hotel with my computer to watch one of the many movies I've made sure to have on there. I love having movies and shows from home to go to sleep to at night. The game went by quickly as it usually does, with the Cairo Rugby team securing a win (woo hoo!). Then we all headed out to a local pub for a buffet, informal awards ceremony, and drinking games. The guys love their drinking. I believe the Cairo guys came out ahead in these games, too!
After deciding that we had better leave or get kicked out, we headed back to our area of Sharm (called Naama Bay) and went to a club that was playing mostly Gulf music, which is like Arabic Techno. It was very unusual and hard to dance to. A couple of the Egyptians were saying how much they hated the music and wanted to go back to a club in the area near the stadium. I was considering that option when my knee blew out again. Ugh. This knee is never going to heal. No more dancing for me for awhile. I had to be practically carried off to sit down and wait for the pain to go away (which it didn't that night, by the way). It was weird how much pain I was in compared to when I first injured it. When it originally happened, there was no pain. I don't know if that's good or bad. I will try to play it safer from now on and not do anymore dancing for awhile (this is my second dancing incident since I hurt it!!)
The return trip to Maadi took about 9 hours, which was pretty bad, but not as horrible as the way up (since the second driver had a can of gas on hand!). I can tell you this, though. The next day, the very next day, I booked a flight to Sharm for our Christmas holiday! There is absolutely no way I will ever take a bus again to Sharm.
On a side note, I also paid for the flights to Johannesburg for our African Safari. I am so excited!! I absolutely cannot wait till April. We are starting in Johannesburg and driving through to Kruger Park and ending in Victoria Falls. It's all camping at lodges, including a night camping at the edge of a river. In two man tents. I cannot wait to see how Chloe does on this trip. This is a link to the itinerary:
The cost is not exorbinant compared to all of the other trips I saw through other companies. It's still a lot of money. The most I've ever spent on a trip. EVER. But a safari!! An authentic camping safari. It is going to be the trip of a lifetime.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sharm!!
It can't come quick enough. I have always hated short weeks and this week is no exception. I've had fun with the kids doing Halloween projects this week, but I'm mostly just workin' for the weekend at this point!! Ready for beach and sun and rugby!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Eid, Rugby, and the Meridien
I witnessed my first slaughter/sacrifice yesterday at the school. That was an experience to remember. Talk about Old Testament sacrifice. I still can't believe I witnessed a man with a machete slit a cow's throat and then cut off its legs so it wouldn't run around with a lolling head. On a tennis court. (My students laugh as they tell me about past years when cows have run around like this at their own sacrifices). I was very much aware of my lunch as I watched. I've never really had an experience where I witnessed something that made me feel faint and dizzy. Or made me consciously work to keep from vomiting. I lost feeling in my hands and face for a minute there! I'm very thankful I was able to see this, but I don't know if I want to do it again.
I played my first rugby touch game at practice last night since my injury. I was very nervous about running around on my leg, but I made sure just to run in straight lines and I really didn't get above a trot at any point, so I feel good today! You don't realize how much "cutting" you do when you run around until you injure yourself! It's very awkward turning around and running the opposite direction when you're trying not to do any side to side motions. Everyone was very patient with me, which was good. There weren't a lot of people there, so they combined the girls and the guys together.
I can't wait to start our "staycation" at Meridien tomorrow. I had planned on having surgery right before Eid and then just laying around in bed for the break, so I had to plan something kind of last minute when I found out I wasn't going to have the surgery. There was no way I was going to sit around bored with Chloe in our apartment for almost a week!! I hear the Giza area Eid celebrations can get bloody. One of the rugby wives told me she always sees one random guy walking the streets holding a machete, covered in blood. I don't know for sure if I want to see this. Yeah, I guess I do, because it would definitely be a new experience, but it also sounds kinda...scary.
I've decided I want us to go to Sharm for Christmas. There are some really awesome deals online. Beach time, snorkeling, maybe even some kite surfing and diving...I can't think of anything better! I thought about Greece or Turkey or Cyprus, but all of those places are either too expensive or too cold during the winter. So, Sharm again it will be! (We'll see how awesome it is next weekend when we go with the team).
I played my first rugby touch game at practice last night since my injury. I was very nervous about running around on my leg, but I made sure just to run in straight lines and I really didn't get above a trot at any point, so I feel good today! You don't realize how much "cutting" you do when you run around until you injure yourself! It's very awkward turning around and running the opposite direction when you're trying not to do any side to side motions. Everyone was very patient with me, which was good. There weren't a lot of people there, so they combined the girls and the guys together.
I can't wait to start our "staycation" at Meridien tomorrow. I had planned on having surgery right before Eid and then just laying around in bed for the break, so I had to plan something kind of last minute when I found out I wasn't going to have the surgery. There was no way I was going to sit around bored with Chloe in our apartment for almost a week!! I hear the Giza area Eid celebrations can get bloody. One of the rugby wives told me she always sees one random guy walking the streets holding a machete, covered in blood. I don't know for sure if I want to see this. Yeah, I guess I do, because it would definitely be a new experience, but it also sounds kinda...scary.
I've decided I want us to go to Sharm for Christmas. There are some really awesome deals online. Beach time, snorkeling, maybe even some kite surfing and diving...I can't think of anything better! I thought about Greece or Turkey or Cyprus, but all of those places are either too expensive or too cold during the winter. So, Sharm again it will be! (We'll see how awesome it is next weekend when we go with the team).
This is after the sacrifice at school. The guy holding the cow head is one of the security guards.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Odds and ends
We had a blast the other night at the BCA's Rugby party...We sold a lot of rugby shirts and most of us bought a few things as well. Lots of dancing later as well. Of course, I overdid my knee a bit dancing and it gave out on me! I completely just fell to the floor. Kind of embarassing moment! I didn't make it to the birthday party OR the Halloween party. Best laid plans and all that.
This morning I proctored a PSAT test at the school. Egyptian students and procedures do not mix. It was a long and arduous process getting the forms filled out and bubbled. And that was before the actual test even started. But we made it through.
Now I have the rest of the day to chill; maybe go to the gym later and work my knee a bit after the other night's mishap. I thought this pic was funny from the BCA...if you didn't know this was Cairo, you would think I was back in Texas. The only thing missing is the guy's ponytail. It was longer than my hair.
This morning I proctored a PSAT test at the school. Egyptian students and procedures do not mix. It was a long and arduous process getting the forms filled out and bubbled. And that was before the actual test even started. But we made it through.
Now I have the rest of the day to chill; maybe go to the gym later and work my knee a bit after the other night's mishap. I thought this pic was funny from the BCA...if you didn't know this was Cairo, you would think I was back in Texas. The only thing missing is the guy's ponytail. It was longer than my hair.
I was just thinking of things I miss the most from home: Crest teeth whitening strips, beef jerky, dollar stores, my books, cheap nail salons (that actually do acrylic nails), Target, Aldi, and Ikea.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Much better week!
I went to the gym last night for the first time since my injury. I actually walked, instead of taking a taxi (Well, I was halfway there when a rugby friend happened to drive by and gave me a lift the rest of the way. He said I seemed pretty sad limping down the side of the road!) I did 25 minutes on the stationary bike and then did some upper body work. It felt really good to get back into the swing of things. The muscle in my left leg has detiorated a lot, but I was very nervous about putting any weight on it, considering I was getting so many conflicting reports about what my actual injury was. So I played it safe and kept using my crutch. Now I have to work the muscles back up and then get them even stronger than before to prevent something like this happening again. I'm going to go to rugby practice next week and do some light cardio with the girls and then do as much as I can during practice that doesn't involve any pivoting, tackling, etc. I'm considering wearing my big brace for this to keep my knee stable.
I went to the last few minutes of rugby this Tuesday and then to the BCA (British Community Association) with the team afterwards for some drinks. I'm pretty excited - we're going to go to the beach town of Sharm el Sheikh the weekend of November 1st. It's about a 6 hour drive, but I can't afford to buy plane tickets for both me and Chloe. I found out that guys have organized a bus road trip, but was wavering about going because they cancelled the girls games for that weekend. I found out Tuesday, though, that a few of the girls are going, as well as a couple of the guys' wives, so Chloe and I are back in on the trip! I can't wait for some beach time and cheering on of the guys, without having to worry about being sad watching the girls play.
For the EID holiday, Chloe and I are going to spend 4 days at Le Meridien, the cool hotel with the view of the Giza pyramids. A bit of a staycation. Woo hoo! Pool time, book time, the pyramid light show, watching EID festivies...it's going to be a relaxing few days Insha-Allah (God willing). (Practicing my Arabic!)
The EID holiday is an interesting one. I found a pretty good explanation of it through an Islam website. Basically, during the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims remember what Abraham went through by slaughtering an animal such as a sheep, camel, or goat. (I've heard of some richer families slaughtering cows as well). One-third of the meat is eaten by immediate family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor. The act symbolizes the Muslims' willingness to give up things in order to strengthen family, friendships, and to help those who are in need.
I have heard that there will be a sacrifice here at school. I can't wait to see that. I can't wait to see the city slaughters as well. I've heard they can be quite...bloody.
The teachers also have a chance here at the school to donate money during this time to give to the dudas and matrons. The students are also encouraged to bring certain items, such as sugar and rice, to donate to the women.
Tonight there is a rugby party/fundraiser at the BCA that I will be attending (well, actually, I'm selling tickets, but still fun). Afterwards I might go to a birthday party of a fellow expat. Depending on how I'm feeling at that point, of course. Then, Friday night a teacher friend is having an early Halloween party. The theme is dressing up as something that can be found on Road 9. (A busy street in Maadi). I'm going to go as a dirty cat. lol.
I went to the last few minutes of rugby this Tuesday and then to the BCA (British Community Association) with the team afterwards for some drinks. I'm pretty excited - we're going to go to the beach town of Sharm el Sheikh the weekend of November 1st. It's about a 6 hour drive, but I can't afford to buy plane tickets for both me and Chloe. I found out that guys have organized a bus road trip, but was wavering about going because they cancelled the girls games for that weekend. I found out Tuesday, though, that a few of the girls are going, as well as a couple of the guys' wives, so Chloe and I are back in on the trip! I can't wait for some beach time and cheering on of the guys, without having to worry about being sad watching the girls play.
For the EID holiday, Chloe and I are going to spend 4 days at Le Meridien, the cool hotel with the view of the Giza pyramids. A bit of a staycation. Woo hoo! Pool time, book time, the pyramid light show, watching EID festivies...it's going to be a relaxing few days Insha-Allah (God willing). (Practicing my Arabic!)
The EID holiday is an interesting one. I found a pretty good explanation of it through an Islam website. Basically, during the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims remember what Abraham went through by slaughtering an animal such as a sheep, camel, or goat. (I've heard of some richer families slaughtering cows as well). One-third of the meat is eaten by immediate family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor. The act symbolizes the Muslims' willingness to give up things in order to strengthen family, friendships, and to help those who are in need.
I have heard that there will be a sacrifice here at school. I can't wait to see that. I can't wait to see the city slaughters as well. I've heard they can be quite...bloody.
The teachers also have a chance here at the school to donate money during this time to give to the dudas and matrons. The students are also encouraged to bring certain items, such as sugar and rice, to donate to the women.
Tonight there is a rugby party/fundraiser at the BCA that I will be attending (well, actually, I'm selling tickets, but still fun). Afterwards I might go to a birthday party of a fellow expat. Depending on how I'm feeling at that point, of course. Then, Friday night a teacher friend is having an early Halloween party. The theme is dressing up as something that can be found on Road 9. (A busy street in Maadi). I'm going to go as a dirty cat. lol.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Whew! Rough week!
So...it really has been a rough week or so! Some of the things that have happened:
1. I went for a second opinion on my knee and the orthopedic doctor/surgeon said I need surgery on my ACL and meniscus.
2. I get a third opinion from another hospital doctor for insurance and they say I don't need surgery and it won't be covered.
3. Chloe and I are arguing on the school bus this morning and another teacher snaps at me to keep it down! (Hey, if I was young and without children, I wouldn't want to be around me and Chloe in the mornings, but it still hurt my feelings a bit).
4. Me and my English rugby player have decided to be just friends after 6 weeks of dating (too far away from each other, conflicting schedules, etc. That "etc." is a bit loaded, but isn't it always?). It's been amicable overall, and I didn't come to Cairo to date, but it's still a bit of stress in an already stressful time. I'm at least thankful I met someone nice just 2 weeks after I moved here who made the transition much easier. Getting taken out around this town has been amazing. Cairo is authentically a romantic and exotic place. I hope the next man I fall for also has a cool accent. There's just something cool about all the UK accents. Maybe Scottish?
Needless to say, what is supposed to be a happy day (Thursday, Egypt's version of Friday) was looking to be a bad day. Until I check my email at work and see an email from my sister. She's posted a pic on my Facebook page. She says my niece, Sophi, drew this without any coaxing while Christina was at a meeting. And if you knew Sophi, you'd know that girl doesn't do ANYTHING she doesn't want to do, even if you try to coax her. I know because I tried to get her and Jacki both to draw me pictures before I left to take with me and they both refused. Silly girls!
As for the knee, I have always said that anything I try to push through in my life never works out. So I am trying to have faith that this is how it's all supposed to be. And, if I think I may need surgery later, I can explore that option then. It's hard to know who to listen to: the surgeon who would benefit from the money he makes from the surgery, the doctors at the hospital who don't want to have to write all of this off because it was through the ER and 100% covered, or the doctor that is doing the report for the insurance company. Seems like everyone has an agenda. I will start physical therapy soon to start working on the muscles surrounding my knee. I've already started swimming because that's one of the few activities I can do that doesn't put any stress on knees and is a good cardio workout. I'm determined that I will be in better shape after this than before. Insha'allah (God willing). I love this phrase, by the way, because it's much easier to say than trying to find a piece of wood to knock on!
Since I'm a natural optimist, even if I try not to be at times because I feel foolish about it for some reason, like I'm too upbeat or something, I like to think of what I'm thankful for when I'm down.
I'm thankful for the people in my life that make it better. I know some people go their entire lives without having the type of close relationships with friends and family that I have. And even though I'm away from them all now, it's good to know they're all still there! And I'm thankful that I am here in this chaotic city with all it's craziness. Because if I wasn't here, I'd be standing around at some bar or club in Dallas looking at the same Botox-ed faces and plastic boobs, wondering why I'm still bothering with that whole scene. And I am thankful for my daughter, Chloe, who drives me completely bonkers just about every second of every day, but is still my life and the reason I'm doing all of this.
Most of all I'm thankful that I can be thankful even when I'm stressed (hey, it makes sense to me!).
1. I went for a second opinion on my knee and the orthopedic doctor/surgeon said I need surgery on my ACL and meniscus.
2. I get a third opinion from another hospital doctor for insurance and they say I don't need surgery and it won't be covered.
3. Chloe and I are arguing on the school bus this morning and another teacher snaps at me to keep it down! (Hey, if I was young and without children, I wouldn't want to be around me and Chloe in the mornings, but it still hurt my feelings a bit).
4. Me and my English rugby player have decided to be just friends after 6 weeks of dating (too far away from each other, conflicting schedules, etc. That "etc." is a bit loaded, but isn't it always?). It's been amicable overall, and I didn't come to Cairo to date, but it's still a bit of stress in an already stressful time. I'm at least thankful I met someone nice just 2 weeks after I moved here who made the transition much easier. Getting taken out around this town has been amazing. Cairo is authentically a romantic and exotic place. I hope the next man I fall for also has a cool accent. There's just something cool about all the UK accents. Maybe Scottish?
Needless to say, what is supposed to be a happy day (Thursday, Egypt's version of Friday) was looking to be a bad day. Until I check my email at work and see an email from my sister. She's posted a pic on my Facebook page. She says my niece, Sophi, drew this without any coaxing while Christina was at a meeting. And if you knew Sophi, you'd know that girl doesn't do ANYTHING she doesn't want to do, even if you try to coax her. I know because I tried to get her and Jacki both to draw me pictures before I left to take with me and they both refused. Silly girls!
This made my day! Although it also made me super homesick. I had another cry before school started. I'm glad I can get my feelings out through tears at least.
Since I'm a natural optimist, even if I try not to be at times because I feel foolish about it for some reason, like I'm too upbeat or something, I like to think of what I'm thankful for when I'm down.
I'm thankful for the people in my life that make it better. I know some people go their entire lives without having the type of close relationships with friends and family that I have. And even though I'm away from them all now, it's good to know they're all still there! And I'm thankful that I am here in this chaotic city with all it's craziness. Because if I wasn't here, I'd be standing around at some bar or club in Dallas looking at the same Botox-ed faces and plastic boobs, wondering why I'm still bothering with that whole scene. And I am thankful for my daughter, Chloe, who drives me completely bonkers just about every second of every day, but is still my life and the reason I'm doing all of this.
Most of all I'm thankful that I can be thankful even when I'm stressed (hey, it makes sense to me!).
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Construction/Rubble pics
Some pics of the ride home from school. I think they're pretty good at showing the construction issues around Cairo:
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
I'm Just Having an Egypt Day
Well, all of my posts have been relatively positive up until this point, but I haven't talked about what I'm now terming "Egypt Days." As in, "I'm just having an Egypt Day." I'm trying to find a way to refine this phrase even now...an Egypt Day is a day that this country, culture, city, EVERYTHING, just overwhelms and frustrates you to the point where you just have to sit down and have a good cry. (I'm a firm believer in having a good cry. It works wonders).
An Egypt Day is one where nothing works as planned and everyone seems to be against you. I was just telling someone the other day that it seems like Egypt lured me in with her siren song, but since I've been here, she's been trying to spit me back out! (Is this how men feel about us women? How frustrating that must be).
There are many forces at work in Cairo that, when they converge, make for a really rough day. Days when the Internet randomly stops working while you're entering grades, when every other electronic needed in the classroom or at home just randomly stop working, when all the cars seem to swerve toward you when you try to cross the street USING A CRUTCH, when you try to withdraw money from your bank only to find that you have to activate the card and no one will answer the call center, when you plug in a hair straightener and the cheap plug blows it out, never to work again, when you hobble down to the nearest ATM with a busted knee just to find that the ATM is broken, when you finally look at your paycheck online and realize it's $600 short and the accountant at school refuses to admit anything is wrong...
I found myself walking (some would indeed call it hobbling) home last night, fighting back tears and feeling very sorry for myself. Again. Then I started laughing because I know that life is good, really good, and I really don't have that much to cry about. Then I laughed even harder when I realized what a crazy person I would seem to anyone that happened to see me. And laughed even harder STILL when it happened and I passed a really pretty Egyptian woman, who seemed to look at me like I was crazy, but with a bit of compassion, too.
And then, just like that, my Egypt Day was over.
Which is another magical thing about Egypt. She'll make you cry, but not for long.
An Egypt Day is one where nothing works as planned and everyone seems to be against you. I was just telling someone the other day that it seems like Egypt lured me in with her siren song, but since I've been here, she's been trying to spit me back out! (Is this how men feel about us women? How frustrating that must be).
There are many forces at work in Cairo that, when they converge, make for a really rough day. Days when the Internet randomly stops working while you're entering grades, when every other electronic needed in the classroom or at home just randomly stop working, when all the cars seem to swerve toward you when you try to cross the street USING A CRUTCH, when you try to withdraw money from your bank only to find that you have to activate the card and no one will answer the call center, when you plug in a hair straightener and the cheap plug blows it out, never to work again, when you hobble down to the nearest ATM with a busted knee just to find that the ATM is broken, when you finally look at your paycheck online and realize it's $600 short and the accountant at school refuses to admit anything is wrong...
I found myself walking (some would indeed call it hobbling) home last night, fighting back tears and feeling very sorry for myself. Again. Then I started laughing because I know that life is good, really good, and I really don't have that much to cry about. Then I laughed even harder when I realized what a crazy person I would seem to anyone that happened to see me. And laughed even harder STILL when it happened and I passed a really pretty Egyptian woman, who seemed to look at me like I was crazy, but with a bit of compassion, too.
And then, just like that, my Egypt Day was over.
Which is another magical thing about Egypt. She'll make you cry, but not for long.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
I've earned the title of Horrible American in my building!
Well, we flooded our building. The entire building. As per Cairo life, our water was out Thursday morning, so no showers for us! No biggie. Until I got a call from my landlord at about 10:30 saying we had left a faucet on and flooded the building. I had no idea what to expect. Like, had the water seeped down the walls and ruined the walls in all the flats below us? Those kind of repairs, while cheaper in Cairo than America, made my stomach ache!
After the 30 minute bus ride to the flat, we opened the front door to the building and I saw water on the ground floor headed our way. That's when I started crying. It was horrifying. We ran the key up to the boab (well, Dalia ran; I hobbled), with water flowing down as we went up. In the floor right beneath mine, there was a woman yelling at me in Arabic, interspersed with English phrases like, "Get out!" "You leave!" Dalia and the owner told me not to worry or listen to her, she's just a crazy old lady, but I just laughed. I was very much aware that it was the first instance of someone being hateful to me here in Egypt and I also couldn't help but think that if this was the U.S., there would also be a crazy old lady screaming obsenities at me. Some things are universal and mean old ladies seem to be one of them!
When we looked into the apartment, the entire floor was covered in about an inch and a half of water! The boab and his wife used squeegies to get the water to the drain in the bathroom. They wouldn't let me help because of my knee. I got to hang out with their adorable toddler-aged daughter and hold their itty bitty baby daughter while they worked. I will be paying them 150 pounds on Sunday after I visit the bank. That equates to $25 American. Not bad considering they worked about 4 hours in the flat cleaning up everything AND there were no other damages to pay. They also mopped out the crazy lady's front hallway (That's why she was so mad at me. Some of the water had gotten into her flat through her front door.)
Very glad that is all over and very glad it wasn't worse. Hamduhlah (My best phonetic interpretation of the Arabic phrase "Praise God").
My boab's daughter drew some pictures for me as the water dried! She just found my bracelet:
The water was just about gone at this point. Notice she is trying on my bracelet. So cute:
I still can't believe the water flowed down all of these steps:
After the 30 minute bus ride to the flat, we opened the front door to the building and I saw water on the ground floor headed our way. That's when I started crying. It was horrifying. We ran the key up to the boab (well, Dalia ran; I hobbled), with water flowing down as we went up. In the floor right beneath mine, there was a woman yelling at me in Arabic, interspersed with English phrases like, "Get out!" "You leave!" Dalia and the owner told me not to worry or listen to her, she's just a crazy old lady, but I just laughed. I was very much aware that it was the first instance of someone being hateful to me here in Egypt and I also couldn't help but think that if this was the U.S., there would also be a crazy old lady screaming obsenities at me. Some things are universal and mean old ladies seem to be one of them!
When we looked into the apartment, the entire floor was covered in about an inch and a half of water! The boab and his wife used squeegies to get the water to the drain in the bathroom. They wouldn't let me help because of my knee. I got to hang out with their adorable toddler-aged daughter and hold their itty bitty baby daughter while they worked. I will be paying them 150 pounds on Sunday after I visit the bank. That equates to $25 American. Not bad considering they worked about 4 hours in the flat cleaning up everything AND there were no other damages to pay. They also mopped out the crazy lady's front hallway (That's why she was so mad at me. Some of the water had gotten into her flat through her front door.)
Very glad that is all over and very glad it wasn't worse. Hamduhlah (My best phonetic interpretation of the Arabic phrase "Praise God").
My boab's daughter drew some pictures for me as the water dried! She just found my bracelet:
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Coffee, water boilers, and other randoms
I noticed when I first moved into my flat that Dalia from the school had stocked me up with some instant coffee. My first instinct was distaste. Turns out, everyone uses instant here and it's actually quite good if you find a brand you like. It's also easier to get a good cup of coffee everytime this way, by buying the instant coffee in the single use containers, especially the ones that are 2 or 3 in 1 (coffee, creamer, sugar). Everyone uses these water boilers for their coffee and tea. It basically just boils water. Then you pour it into your cup. Now, this sounds silly, but I've never used one of these before. I've either used a kettle for the stove, a coffeemaker, or a traditional tea maker. But not a simple water boiler. I don't know why this is so neat, but it's just one of the many things that are different here. Kind of like how a lot of the doorknobs are in the middle of the doors instead of to the side. One of the other nifty uses of the water boilers is to just boil water if you're out of bottled water. Then, just let it cool and you have water that won't make you sick!
The water itself is highly chlorinated here to kill all the bacteria and the parasites that live in the Nile. When we first moved into the flat, I noticed the chlorine smell in the bathroom right away. So, what makes people sick I wondered? It seems like drinking chlorine might be gross and might eventually make you kind of queasy, but not the throwing up, diarrhea sick like everyone talks about. Turns it, it's the pipes that are gross and not the water. So, you can treat the heck out of the water, but the minute it goes through the nasty pipes, it gets contaminated. Makes perfect sense now! It's not good for your hair or skin, though. Imagine always using pool water to wash with. Which is why people, if they can afford it and want it, get the fancy ultrasonic water thingies for the faucets.
For drinking, you quickly get used to always having bottled water on hand. And you always make sure it has the plastic seal and thin plastic wrapping on the cap in place before drinking it. When you eat out, you always make sure they open it in front of you so you're not getting tap water. You are always aware of how many water bottles you have handy at home and you always buy in bulk. It becomes second nature. When we first moved here, I almost slipped up and used the tap water for my coffee and even once almost just drank it out of the tap, but I caught myself. Now, though, I always use the tap water for my coffee, since it's being boiled every time. I haven't had any problems.
I've also finally started eating fruits and veggies without worrying about contamination. I missed salad!! But now that I've made up my mind to have lettuce, it seems impossible to find in the stores (of course!). It's the end of the summer,when the pickins aren't as good. But it's good knowing I can eat a salad in a restaurant and not worry. (I had read that there is a specific type of parasite that can live in the veins of lettuce. This freaked me out. I have decided not to stress about this. If I get a parasite from lettuce, I'll just take the antibiotics and move on!) The common problem with fruits and veggies and lettuce, though, is the water. You forget how much water is absorbed into these foods. So, it's not the food itself that makes you sick, but the water! I've been here a month and a half now, so I think the small amount of water I've ingested through food, ice, and showers has made it easy to eat anything at this point.
Ugh, the amount of junk food here in Cairo is insane. I don't know why, but I envisioned Cairo as a place with lots of healthy food and no junk food. I couldn't have been more wrong!! It is even easier to live on junk HERE than in the states. Everywhere you go is junk food. (I will eventually get around to taking pics of some of the local markets and street vendors). This is one of the reasons why I see so many bad sets of teeth. The sugar in cokes and junk food, and the lack of good dental care, makes for a lot of yuck mouth.
About paying your bills...You don't get bills mailed to you in Cairo; someone hand delivers your bill. You then have a choice to pay the bill right then or later (they'll come back the next day). I will now only pay later or after I've consulted my Arabic # cheat sheet because for my first gas bill, the guy told me 30 pounds. This translates to $5 American. Super cheap, right? Well, maybe in the states, but not in Cairo terms. It was actually 7 pounds. Dude totally ripped me off! Gas runs about 7-10 pounds for a 2 bedroom flat. Electricity for this past month was 38 pounds (less than $7 USD). Of course, the guy came around looking for the electricity payment the other day while I was at the hospital and Chloe answered the door (I'm going to train that girl eventually not to answer the door when I'm gone!). Well, he asked Chloe for 100 Pounds. Uh, no. I'm glad I didn't have money around for her to give to him! So, yeah, they will try to scam you. Which is why I now always wait before paying. I thought it was weird that no one mails anything in or pays online. Just another Egyptian procedure to learn!! This one procedure is in place because the postal system is basically non existent and completely unreliable. (I will have to post pics of the mail slots at my building. I saw a bee's nest in one of the slots).
Everything in Cairo can be picked up or delivered: pharmacy products, anything from the market, food (even fast food like Burger King!), dry cleaning, clothes, etc....if you can buy it, it can be delivered. And usually for no more than about 6 pounds delivery fee. (Less than a dollar American.) Not bad if you consider it's usually some young guy on a bicycle sometimes riding 30 minutes across the city to get to you! Not to mention how dangerous it is to navigate through the traffic! There's also this really cool website called Otlob.com, which has a list of all the restaurants in Cairo that deliver (well, just about all of them. I guess some of the more hole-in-the-wall places aren't on there). You go online and register and then you can order anything you want online and it's delivered within 30 minutes to an hour. It's awesome!! Then you don't have to worry about placing your order over the phone. Whew, what a relief not to have to get through one of those conversations.
The water itself is highly chlorinated here to kill all the bacteria and the parasites that live in the Nile. When we first moved into the flat, I noticed the chlorine smell in the bathroom right away. So, what makes people sick I wondered? It seems like drinking chlorine might be gross and might eventually make you kind of queasy, but not the throwing up, diarrhea sick like everyone talks about. Turns it, it's the pipes that are gross and not the water. So, you can treat the heck out of the water, but the minute it goes through the nasty pipes, it gets contaminated. Makes perfect sense now! It's not good for your hair or skin, though. Imagine always using pool water to wash with. Which is why people, if they can afford it and want it, get the fancy ultrasonic water thingies for the faucets.
For drinking, you quickly get used to always having bottled water on hand. And you always make sure it has the plastic seal and thin plastic wrapping on the cap in place before drinking it. When you eat out, you always make sure they open it in front of you so you're not getting tap water. You are always aware of how many water bottles you have handy at home and you always buy in bulk. It becomes second nature. When we first moved here, I almost slipped up and used the tap water for my coffee and even once almost just drank it out of the tap, but I caught myself. Now, though, I always use the tap water for my coffee, since it's being boiled every time. I haven't had any problems.
I've also finally started eating fruits and veggies without worrying about contamination. I missed salad!! But now that I've made up my mind to have lettuce, it seems impossible to find in the stores (of course!). It's the end of the summer,when the pickins aren't as good. But it's good knowing I can eat a salad in a restaurant and not worry. (I had read that there is a specific type of parasite that can live in the veins of lettuce. This freaked me out. I have decided not to stress about this. If I get a parasite from lettuce, I'll just take the antibiotics and move on!) The common problem with fruits and veggies and lettuce, though, is the water. You forget how much water is absorbed into these foods. So, it's not the food itself that makes you sick, but the water! I've been here a month and a half now, so I think the small amount of water I've ingested through food, ice, and showers has made it easy to eat anything at this point.
Ugh, the amount of junk food here in Cairo is insane. I don't know why, but I envisioned Cairo as a place with lots of healthy food and no junk food. I couldn't have been more wrong!! It is even easier to live on junk HERE than in the states. Everywhere you go is junk food. (I will eventually get around to taking pics of some of the local markets and street vendors). This is one of the reasons why I see so many bad sets of teeth. The sugar in cokes and junk food, and the lack of good dental care, makes for a lot of yuck mouth.
About paying your bills...You don't get bills mailed to you in Cairo; someone hand delivers your bill. You then have a choice to pay the bill right then or later (they'll come back the next day). I will now only pay later or after I've consulted my Arabic # cheat sheet because for my first gas bill, the guy told me 30 pounds. This translates to $5 American. Super cheap, right? Well, maybe in the states, but not in Cairo terms. It was actually 7 pounds. Dude totally ripped me off! Gas runs about 7-10 pounds for a 2 bedroom flat. Electricity for this past month was 38 pounds (less than $7 USD). Of course, the guy came around looking for the electricity payment the other day while I was at the hospital and Chloe answered the door (I'm going to train that girl eventually not to answer the door when I'm gone!). Well, he asked Chloe for 100 Pounds. Uh, no. I'm glad I didn't have money around for her to give to him! So, yeah, they will try to scam you. Which is why I now always wait before paying. I thought it was weird that no one mails anything in or pays online. Just another Egyptian procedure to learn!! This one procedure is in place because the postal system is basically non existent and completely unreliable. (I will have to post pics of the mail slots at my building. I saw a bee's nest in one of the slots).
Everything in Cairo can be picked up or delivered: pharmacy products, anything from the market, food (even fast food like Burger King!), dry cleaning, clothes, etc....if you can buy it, it can be delivered. And usually for no more than about 6 pounds delivery fee. (Less than a dollar American.) Not bad if you consider it's usually some young guy on a bicycle sometimes riding 30 minutes across the city to get to you! Not to mention how dangerous it is to navigate through the traffic! There's also this really cool website called Otlob.com, which has a list of all the restaurants in Cairo that deliver (well, just about all of them. I guess some of the more hole-in-the-wall places aren't on there). You go online and register and then you can order anything you want online and it's delivered within 30 minutes to an hour. It's awesome!! Then you don't have to worry about placing your order over the phone. Whew, what a relief not to have to get through one of those conversations.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Rugby, Cairo Hospitals and ACLs
Long story short: I have some sort of sprain to my ACL or MCL or meniscus or something! I don't trust the doctors at the hospital, and have done extensive research since I've been home, but I think I've just strained my ACL, not torn it. I'll be getting a second opinion ASAP. I got my first MRI and I am in possession of the film, so getting a second opinion shouldn't be difficult. Everything's much more straightforward over here at least (in terms of health care if nothing else!)
First rugby game and boom! Twisted knee! That's life for ya, isn't it? I wasn't expecting to jump into the full contact game and twist my knee the very first time I was tackled! I've heard enough similar stories that I shouldn't feel too bad, but it's hard not feeling super foolish when it happens to you. Nicole, the teacher at my school that initially introduced me to the rugby team, actually fractured her collarbone in the same game. I hope both of us heal quickly!!
I had a super horrible day today at home. It was a big pity party...until I got a text from a certain someone telling me to work on my novel since I have the time. I have to admit, it was a quick way to bring me out of my funk. After a few minutes of being extremely angry that I had been called out, of course. I just started feeling sorry for myself thinking of all the cardio I would be missing out on and worrying about gaining weight and hoping I won't have to have surgery to fix this ACL and soon enough, it was like the end of the world at Casa Thomason.
The hospital was mildly shocking, but not as bad as expected. I had heard a couple of horror stories about Egyptian hospitals, but I didn't find it to be TOO bad. Now, do I think I got the best possible service? Not really. I practically had to throw a hissy fit to get them to give me an MRI. They took an x-ray and tried to wrap up my knee and send me home. I'm trying to be nice here, but let's just say it's a little nerve wracking to have to explain to a doctor that I need something that will look at my ligaments NOT my bones. I knew walking in there that I hadn't broken any bones, but I know they always have to do an x-ray. But I could tell there was more going on with my knee than a simple strain, so there was NO way I was walking out of there without an MRI. When I walked off the field after the game was over, my knee was moving sideways. If that makes sense. It didn't hurt and I didn't hear a pop when it happened, but it definitely did not feel right and it was frightening to see my knee wobbling around in ways it never had before.
As for the MRI, I guess I had a very vague sense of what it is. I knew it was that creepy tunnel machine that's shown in movies and the person goes in there and it's tight and claustrophobic and there's someone over the intercom asking them if they're doing okay throughout the procedure. I've always thought, "What wussies." haha. I didn't even go halfway into the machine and it was horrible. It's hard to explain the feeling of sitting through that. The nurse told me right before it started not to move my knee or we'd have to start over. Easier said than done. The magnetic field produced does something to your nerves and it took all my will power not to kick my leg. It was like the physical version of wanting to scream in a library. I can't explain it very well, but it was pretty intense. And loud! They gave me headphones with Arabic music playing - LOUDLY - and I was very thankful for that by the end of the session!
We had fun after the rugby game, though. I will be attending all the practices and games even if I can't participate, because I like the comraderie and I want to keep learning the rules and strategies.
Being silly after the huddle:
Leaving the field after the game. My knee was feeling pretty weird:
The team (not all of us made it that day, so there are a few missing):
First rugby game and boom! Twisted knee! That's life for ya, isn't it? I wasn't expecting to jump into the full contact game and twist my knee the very first time I was tackled! I've heard enough similar stories that I shouldn't feel too bad, but it's hard not feeling super foolish when it happens to you. Nicole, the teacher at my school that initially introduced me to the rugby team, actually fractured her collarbone in the same game. I hope both of us heal quickly!!
I had a super horrible day today at home. It was a big pity party...until I got a text from a certain someone telling me to work on my novel since I have the time. I have to admit, it was a quick way to bring me out of my funk. After a few minutes of being extremely angry that I had been called out, of course. I just started feeling sorry for myself thinking of all the cardio I would be missing out on and worrying about gaining weight and hoping I won't have to have surgery to fix this ACL and soon enough, it was like the end of the world at Casa Thomason.
The hospital was mildly shocking, but not as bad as expected. I had heard a couple of horror stories about Egyptian hospitals, but I didn't find it to be TOO bad. Now, do I think I got the best possible service? Not really. I practically had to throw a hissy fit to get them to give me an MRI. They took an x-ray and tried to wrap up my knee and send me home. I'm trying to be nice here, but let's just say it's a little nerve wracking to have to explain to a doctor that I need something that will look at my ligaments NOT my bones. I knew walking in there that I hadn't broken any bones, but I know they always have to do an x-ray. But I could tell there was more going on with my knee than a simple strain, so there was NO way I was walking out of there without an MRI. When I walked off the field after the game was over, my knee was moving sideways. If that makes sense. It didn't hurt and I didn't hear a pop when it happened, but it definitely did not feel right and it was frightening to see my knee wobbling around in ways it never had before.
As for the MRI, I guess I had a very vague sense of what it is. I knew it was that creepy tunnel machine that's shown in movies and the person goes in there and it's tight and claustrophobic and there's someone over the intercom asking them if they're doing okay throughout the procedure. I've always thought, "What wussies." haha. I didn't even go halfway into the machine and it was horrible. It's hard to explain the feeling of sitting through that. The nurse told me right before it started not to move my knee or we'd have to start over. Easier said than done. The magnetic field produced does something to your nerves and it took all my will power not to kick my leg. It was like the physical version of wanting to scream in a library. I can't explain it very well, but it was pretty intense. And loud! They gave me headphones with Arabic music playing - LOUDLY - and I was very thankful for that by the end of the session!
We had fun after the rugby game, though. I will be attending all the practices and games even if I can't participate, because I like the comraderie and I want to keep learning the rules and strategies.
Being silly after the huddle:
Good looking guy there on the left, huh? I think so! This was at the after party. Josh and Jim:
My knee after the game. I felt silly propping it up, like I was being melodramatic, but I'm glad I did that now!:
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Endless construction
I am amazed at the endless construction in Cairo. There are very few areas of the city where the buildings are not in various levels of construction. Well, to be honest, there are no areas I've seen in Cairo that seem completely finished. You may think it's finished, but then get to the end of the street and notice a huge pile of rubble or dirt or just general trash. The other day there were guys at work at a building near our flat and I laughed at the cement they mixed up right there on the sidewalk. No silly containers getting in their way. Just a pile of wet cement and various piles of construction materials like tile and glass in the middle of the sidewalk that us pedestrians are required to just walk around or over. The materials, minus the cement, are all still sitting there a couple of weeks later actually. I trip over the tiles just about every time I walk by.
The piles of trash, debris, or rubble are huge in some areas of the city. One of the other teachers at my school joked that she was so tired the first night, she thought there was a pyramid behind her apartment building. When she woke up the next day, she realized it was just a pile of dirt! One of the roads to the mall near our flat looks straight out of Mad Max. I HAVE to take pics of this road.
There are also hundreds and hundreds of buildings around the city that look like the outer shell was built and then everyone just abandoned the project. I wonder how much of this is related to the revolution and how much of it is just Cairo. I think it's a combination of both. Our tour guide explained that there was a weird tax loop at one time involving construction that caused builders to avoid paying taxes as long as the building was still in some form of construction. So you see buildings all around that have struts coming out of the top of the building just waiting for floors to be added. Supposedly they added a law with a time limit, but that still left a lot of buildings around that seem to be just waiting for a construction crew.
The piles of trash, debris, or rubble are huge in some areas of the city. One of the other teachers at my school joked that she was so tired the first night, she thought there was a pyramid behind her apartment building. When she woke up the next day, she realized it was just a pile of dirt! One of the roads to the mall near our flat looks straight out of Mad Max. I HAVE to take pics of this road.
There are also hundreds and hundreds of buildings around the city that look like the outer shell was built and then everyone just abandoned the project. I wonder how much of this is related to the revolution and how much of it is just Cairo. I think it's a combination of both. Our tour guide explained that there was a weird tax loop at one time involving construction that caused builders to avoid paying taxes as long as the building was still in some form of construction. So you see buildings all around that have struts coming out of the top of the building just waiting for floors to be added. Supposedly they added a law with a time limit, but that still left a lot of buildings around that seem to be just waiting for a construction crew.
Beggars and tissues
I don't encourage begging or panhandling. In Cairo, the method is to try to sell you a little pack of tissues. "Why tissues?" you might wonder. I wondered the same thing. Until I was here for a few days and realized that I would now be a person who suffered from allergies after many years of being free from them (after I moved away from the pine trees in East Texas!). Along with my pharmaceutical arsenal, I now never go anywhere without tissues. They come in handy for so many things...blowing your nose, wiping your eyes, wiping your hands after washing, and as toilet paper if you happen to forget to look for the toilet paper as you sit down. I like the idea of paying someone for a product rather than just paying them to look sad, and I would rather buy the tissues from beggars than stores, so that's my new way to procure tissues!
As for my allergies, let's just say I'm currently a bit miserable. My left eye is almost swollen shut and everytime I use my eye drops, it feels like there is a big pebble rolling around on my eye. I think a piece of dust made its way under my eyelid and scratched up my eye, but I'm also feeling other allergy type symptoms, so it's an all around miserable experience! I purchased some Zyrtec from the pharmacy and that has helped, so now I have one more thing to add to my arsenal.
And that's all I have to say about that (in my best Forrest Gump voice).
As for my allergies, let's just say I'm currently a bit miserable. My left eye is almost swollen shut and everytime I use my eye drops, it feels like there is a big pebble rolling around on my eye. I think a piece of dust made its way under my eyelid and scratched up my eye, but I'm also feeling other allergy type symptoms, so it's an all around miserable experience! I purchased some Zyrtec from the pharmacy and that has helped, so now I have one more thing to add to my arsenal.
And that's all I have to say about that (in my best Forrest Gump voice).
Toilet Paper
Yes, I'm writing a blog post about toilet paper. I've never really thought about toilet paper before, but that was before I moved to Cairo. In Cairo, you must always be aware of toilet paper. It's a hot commodity in Egypt this thing called toilet paper. When we visited the pyramids, it cost a pound to get into the bathroom and then there were women standing around holding toilet paper for you to use.
You could get the toilet paper for free, no problem, but the general idea is to tip the lady giving you the toilet paper. Kind of like in the states when you go to the fancy restrooms and they have the perfumes and colognes and even cigarettes for "free."
Here, you quickly get into the habit of looking for toilet paper every time you go into a restroom. When I see paper towel dispensers now, my first thought it, "Oh, look who's fancy now! Providing limitless paper towels to anybody who walks in!"
So, yes, toilet paper. I just had a discussion about toilet paper!
You could get the toilet paper for free, no problem, but the general idea is to tip the lady giving you the toilet paper. Kind of like in the states when you go to the fancy restrooms and they have the perfumes and colognes and even cigarettes for "free."
Here, you quickly get into the habit of looking for toilet paper every time you go into a restroom. When I see paper towel dispensers now, my first thought it, "Oh, look who's fancy now! Providing limitless paper towels to anybody who walks in!"
So, yes, toilet paper. I just had a discussion about toilet paper!
GI Problems and Pharmacies
A word about intestinal issues in Egypt. The rumor is that EVERYONE will get horribly sick at least once while here. I've had only one rough night and that was the night we spent in Alexandria after being in Cairo a couple of weeks. It was horrible. I was in the bathroom all night. And that was the last time I found myself without pharmaceuticals on my person at all times! I now am a walking pharmacy. If you have ANY type of gastrointestinal issue, I have the pill for you. I'm like the corner drug dealer. "You got cramping? I've got what you need. Diarrhea? Constipation? Nausea? I got what you need. Right here. Come a little closer..." I would be creeped out a bit by my behavior except it calms me. I never have to worry about getting sick as long as I'm prepared!
I'm still in awe of this product called Antinal. It's marketed as an intestinal "antiseptic," whatever that means. I've looked up the active ingredient and I still can't figure out what it is and what makes it work, but it works for me like a charm. If I start to have any rumbling or cramping or anything even remotely resembling diarrhea, I take an Antinal and it's gone.
In all my research before coming to Egypt, I noticed that everyone has their own personal miracle drug that they use when they live here. And it's good to find that product, because normal medicines we use back in the states don't work here in Cairo. For instance, I've heard Immodium doesn't do jack for Pharaoh's Revenge. Or Pepto. Or Milk of Magnesia. So what you do is walk to your nearest pharmacy (and they are everywhere. Like Starbucks or McDonalds in the states) and you tell them your symptoms and they hand you some medicine. I did this several times (explaining the same type of symptoms) and got several different medicines, which led me to the discovery that Antinal is my drug of choice. And it's all very, very cheap. For instance, 24 capsules of Antinal is around 10 pounds, which translates to less than $2. And that will last you through at least a week's worth of belly issues.
The pharmacies themselves are as varied as...well, they're all different. (My metaphor bank is completely empty at the moment). Each one has its own charms, but you can find anything you need or want. When I bent down in rugby the other night and noticed a twinge in my knee, I was able to go to the nearest pharmacy the next morning and buy a cloth knee brace. You can find whatever you want - as long as it's not a teeth whitening kit. Ugh! Why is it that I can go and buy lube and condoms if I want in this religion-based country, but can't find a single teeth whitening kit? (Not saying I've done this, but I noticed an array of these products the other day at the corner pharmacy and thought about how very embarassing it would be to have to buy something like this in one of these small pharmacies!) It's a very interesting problem. It is now my mission to find a kit. Every pharmacy I visit, I ask for the kit. Most of the pharmacists are completely perplexed at what I'm even asking for. I have even looked in the huge supermarkets (think Walmart) and not found this. I've found these little miniature tubs of teeth powder, and got a bit excited, until I realized it was just dry toothpaste! I've been told that you have to go to your dentist to get this done, and it is very affordable, but I'd much rather just go get the kit. Ah, the kit...
On a brighter note, you can also buy what we consider prescription drugs over the counter here. When we first arrived, and the group of us were going to the big Carrefour store to stock up on household supplies, I made a list of anything I could possibly want that would normally be a doctor's visit. I knew there must be a pharmacy in the mall. I was not disappointed. I got generic Retin-A for any acne breakouts, Ibuprofen tablets for random headaches (I had to look up the brand name for it here, which is Brufen), sleep aids (because I was having a horrible time with insomnia when we first got here), the antibiotic Cipro, and Flagyl, an antiobiotic that also kills some kinds of parasites. There were more meds that I can't remember at the moment. The point is, though, that you can get just about anything without a prescription if you know the medical name for it and it's not a controlled substance like Xanax (although I hear you can get Valium and other muscle relaxers).
I'm still in awe of this product called Antinal. It's marketed as an intestinal "antiseptic," whatever that means. I've looked up the active ingredient and I still can't figure out what it is and what makes it work, but it works for me like a charm. If I start to have any rumbling or cramping or anything even remotely resembling diarrhea, I take an Antinal and it's gone.
In all my research before coming to Egypt, I noticed that everyone has their own personal miracle drug that they use when they live here. And it's good to find that product, because normal medicines we use back in the states don't work here in Cairo. For instance, I've heard Immodium doesn't do jack for Pharaoh's Revenge. Or Pepto. Or Milk of Magnesia. So what you do is walk to your nearest pharmacy (and they are everywhere. Like Starbucks or McDonalds in the states) and you tell them your symptoms and they hand you some medicine. I did this several times (explaining the same type of symptoms) and got several different medicines, which led me to the discovery that Antinal is my drug of choice. And it's all very, very cheap. For instance, 24 capsules of Antinal is around 10 pounds, which translates to less than $2. And that will last you through at least a week's worth of belly issues.
The pharmacies themselves are as varied as...well, they're all different. (My metaphor bank is completely empty at the moment). Each one has its own charms, but you can find anything you need or want. When I bent down in rugby the other night and noticed a twinge in my knee, I was able to go to the nearest pharmacy the next morning and buy a cloth knee brace. You can find whatever you want - as long as it's not a teeth whitening kit. Ugh! Why is it that I can go and buy lube and condoms if I want in this religion-based country, but can't find a single teeth whitening kit? (Not saying I've done this, but I noticed an array of these products the other day at the corner pharmacy and thought about how very embarassing it would be to have to buy something like this in one of these small pharmacies!) It's a very interesting problem. It is now my mission to find a kit. Every pharmacy I visit, I ask for the kit. Most of the pharmacists are completely perplexed at what I'm even asking for. I have even looked in the huge supermarkets (think Walmart) and not found this. I've found these little miniature tubs of teeth powder, and got a bit excited, until I realized it was just dry toothpaste! I've been told that you have to go to your dentist to get this done, and it is very affordable, but I'd much rather just go get the kit. Ah, the kit...
On a brighter note, you can also buy what we consider prescription drugs over the counter here. When we first arrived, and the group of us were going to the big Carrefour store to stock up on household supplies, I made a list of anything I could possibly want that would normally be a doctor's visit. I knew there must be a pharmacy in the mall. I was not disappointed. I got generic Retin-A for any acne breakouts, Ibuprofen tablets for random headaches (I had to look up the brand name for it here, which is Brufen), sleep aids (because I was having a horrible time with insomnia when we first got here), the antibiotic Cipro, and Flagyl, an antiobiotic that also kills some kinds of parasites. There were more meds that I can't remember at the moment. The point is, though, that you can get just about anything without a prescription if you know the medical name for it and it's not a controlled substance like Xanax (although I hear you can get Valium and other muscle relaxers).
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
My Egyptian Students!
What a sweet group of kiddos. They are very rambunctious and interrupt frequently, but you couldn't find a more sweet natured group of kids anywhere. I guess maybe I became bitter working in the U.S. because of the students' disrespectful behavior. So...this is completely new and different for me!
One of the differences I've noticed is that the students worry a lot about their grades here and want LOTS of direction on every task. That can get annoying, but I'd much rather deal with that issue than disrespect!
One of the differences I've noticed is that the students worry a lot about their grades here and want LOTS of direction on every task. That can get annoying, but I'd much rather deal with that issue than disrespect!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Preparing to Teach in Egypt
Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks, getting into my new school and meeting everyone. It's funny how things can be identical in some ways and so absolutely bizarre in others. For instance, meetings. Egyptian teachers are as bad as teachers in the states. They talk over each other, ask inane questions, drag things out, etc. We also have a lot of the same programs, iniatives, and pedagogical strategies that I'm used to hearing about. I like that I can go across the world and still hear about Marzano teaching strategies and talk about MAP scores and data, etc.
Then there are the procedures that blow my mind. For instance, there are matrons and dadas (I think that's how you say it!). The matrons take care of copying and they watch the kids on the buses on the way to school and back home. The dadas are like the janitors. They clean and do all the "gopher" type things around, as well as manual labor. You're not supposed to do ANYTHING for yourself around here or they will get upset. So...instead of doing something quickly for yourself, you have to go get one of the ladies to do it for you and it might or might not get done in the time frame you're wanting!
A word about copies. You can't just go to the copy room and make quick copies around here. There are copy requisition forms that have to be filled out. 48 hours in advance. haha. A couple of us teachers are sharing a printer and taking turns buying ink so that we can always print out last minute copies if we need to!
Also, supplies. Ugh. You have to go down to the basement and get a form to fill out for supplies. Then, you go to your head of department and have them sign it. Then you take it back to the supply room and give it to the guy in there. Then...you wait for the supplies to be delivered to your room. Oh, the red tape!
Then there are the procedures that blow my mind. For instance, there are matrons and dadas (I think that's how you say it!). The matrons take care of copying and they watch the kids on the buses on the way to school and back home. The dadas are like the janitors. They clean and do all the "gopher" type things around, as well as manual labor. You're not supposed to do ANYTHING for yourself around here or they will get upset. So...instead of doing something quickly for yourself, you have to go get one of the ladies to do it for you and it might or might not get done in the time frame you're wanting!
A word about copies. You can't just go to the copy room and make quick copies around here. There are copy requisition forms that have to be filled out. 48 hours in advance. haha. A couple of us teachers are sharing a printer and taking turns buying ink so that we can always print out last minute copies if we need to!
Also, supplies. Ugh. You have to go down to the basement and get a form to fill out for supplies. Then, you go to your head of department and have them sign it. Then you take it back to the supply room and give it to the guy in there. Then...you wait for the supplies to be delivered to your room. Oh, the red tape!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Rugby, the Red Sea, and cute Englishmen!
So I joined rugby last week and just completed the second practice of the season. I'm just adding bruises unto bruises at this point! Last week's practice was more conditioning than this week, so that was a bit of a relief! I'm also a lot more comfortable with the rules of the game now. It's really difficult to get used to throwing the ball behind you, but once you get over that, it starts coming more naturally. This time, a couple of the guys talked me into joining the informal touch game that starts every practice. I get so nervous! But I jumped in there and at least tried, so that must count for something, right? On Sundays, they have conditioning at the field, so I'm going to start doing that as well. What a great way to get exercise. And I love all the French girls on the team. Their accents are so awesome!! Me and accents. I am fascinated by them all.
Speaking of accents, at the first practice last week, I noticed a handsome player and was very happy to see him at the after practice hang out. We started up a conversation and I'm just a sucker for his Manchester accent. I could listen to him all day. Especially when all the other Brits get to talking quickly and you can't understand ANYTHING they say. They have so many different idioms and phrases and words! He's been in Cairo for 5 years, so he also speaks Arabic, which is pretty awesome and very useful around here. Anyway, I met a lot of other fun people that night and had a blast! My Texas accent is pretty thick, so I think I was a sort of mascot that night for all things Southern. Turns out my new friend is a golf pro and manages hotels around here. He invited me down to the Red Sea this past Thursday to check out one of the resorts there and get some sunbathing in. What a magical day that was! The spa was absolutely amazing. I got a massage while I was there and, as usual, was amazed at the very affordable pricing. An hour massage comes to $55 American dollars. At a spa. Not bad at all!! I also visited the sauna and heated pool and private beach. The food was also great. It wasn't as "Egyptian" as a lot of the places around here. And I went into the Red Sea for the first time!! I just can't help but think of Biblical stories when I visit places like this and they are everywhere. It's truly amazing. What was really cool about the Red Sea was how shallow it is for so far out. And I was able to wear my bikini again, which is just so exciting for some reason!
All in all, I'd say I'm very glad I joined rugby for the camaraderie of a team sport and also to meet people from so many different walks of life. Next week is a pub crawl downtown with the team and there are cool t-shirts available afterwards, so I can't wait!!
Speaking of accents, at the first practice last week, I noticed a handsome player and was very happy to see him at the after practice hang out. We started up a conversation and I'm just a sucker for his Manchester accent. I could listen to him all day. Especially when all the other Brits get to talking quickly and you can't understand ANYTHING they say. They have so many different idioms and phrases and words! He's been in Cairo for 5 years, so he also speaks Arabic, which is pretty awesome and very useful around here. Anyway, I met a lot of other fun people that night and had a blast! My Texas accent is pretty thick, so I think I was a sort of mascot that night for all things Southern. Turns out my new friend is a golf pro and manages hotels around here. He invited me down to the Red Sea this past Thursday to check out one of the resorts there and get some sunbathing in. What a magical day that was! The spa was absolutely amazing. I got a massage while I was there and, as usual, was amazed at the very affordable pricing. An hour massage comes to $55 American dollars. At a spa. Not bad at all!! I also visited the sauna and heated pool and private beach. The food was also great. It wasn't as "Egyptian" as a lot of the places around here. And I went into the Red Sea for the first time!! I just can't help but think of Biblical stories when I visit places like this and they are everywhere. It's truly amazing. What was really cool about the Red Sea was how shallow it is for so far out. And I was able to wear my bikini again, which is just so exciting for some reason!
All in all, I'd say I'm very glad I joined rugby for the camaraderie of a team sport and also to meet people from so many different walks of life. Next week is a pub crawl downtown with the team and there are cool t-shirts available afterwards, so I can't wait!!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
A very succinct pictorial review of Egypt so far
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Thursday, August 16, 2012
Cairo - The first 3 weeks
So, we've been here for 3 weeks now and it's been a crazy adventure so far. The school where I'm working, Global Paradigm, was very kind and set us up with an AMAZING Egyptologist/tour guide for 3 days. We checked out the pyramids at Giza, the Cairo Museum, several mosques, including the Muhammad Ali Mosque, the Coptic Christian churches, one synagogue, and even went and checked out the market.
It's hard to know where I should start, but I guess the first thing everyone always wants to do in Cairo is see the pyramids. Wow. That about covers it, I'd say. The thought that kept coming to me, and metaphorically slamming me down, was that I am one of the few people in my family for generations and generations, going back further than we even can track, that has seen and touched the pyramids. The pyramids that were here when Jesus walked the Earth. Every world leader I've ever learned about in school has either visited or heard about this site. It's a humbling experience.
Afterwards, all of us teachers took a short ride on camels. I think the only surprise was how gentle and calm the camels were and also HOW TALL! I'm so scared of heights, like scared to climb a small ladder type of phobia, and it was a little freaky when the camel stood up and sat down. But other than that, it was a very smooth and calming experience! I'd like to do this again for a longer trek through the desert.
We also toured the Cairo Museum or Egyptian Museum as it's called. Again, Wow. The tour guide was absolutely amazing; I don't know what we would have done without him. He took us on a 3 hour tour of the museum and was able to hit all the "good" exhibits in the museum and explain them in detail. I was very impressed with his knowledge. I was also in continual amazement that I was looking at artifacts IN PERSON that I have seen on documentaries! The King Tut exhibit was awe inspiring, as well as the mummy room. I was shocked at how much STUFF was packed into this place. You could go there every day for a month and still not see everything. Who knows how much other stuff in hidden around there, waiting to be put out on display. I'm pretty sure I cried a bit when I was in the jewelry room of King Tut. It was extremely hot in the museum, too, though. No air conditioners except for a few rooms. Very stifling. That was a surprise for me.
The mosques and churches were amazing structures with interesting backgrounds, but I'll admit I wasn't as excited about this part of the tour. Maybe if I was into architecture or was Muslim, I would be very fascinated. I think we all enjoyed the market, however, even if some of us got ripped off! That was the day I learned that having blonde hair in Egypt is anything but positive. I had to haggle 2 times longer than anyone else, just to get to the starting price for the others. But I am glad we got to do this, if just to learn that the market is a rip off!!!!
The taxis and their honking. It's an art form around here. It's used for several reasons: to honk at the blonde American walking in the street so as to avoid the Mad Max type sidewalks that offer zero protection and are usually crumbly and trash-filled, they honk at you just to say, "Hey, there, mate, I have this car that you call a taxi. I can take you anywhere you want." "Are you sure you don't need a taxi?" "Come on, American, get a taxi." In other words, I'm always getting honked at for one reason or another. I can tell the honk of a taxi before I even see it, because the taxis will honk numerous times and slow down and stare as they near you. They honk at each other, too, though. I totally get it now after just a few weeks. There are no street lights, stop signs, or even lane lines in most places, so you have to honk to let the other drivers know you're there and to let them know you really don't want to lose your side mirror, to let everyone know you're driving up to an intersection, just for the heck of it while crossing four lanes of traffic in a diagonal direction, or while driving up on the sidewalk to park your car. There are literally no rules on the road in Cairo!
Thank God for the Ace Club. It is one of several expat clubs around the Maadi area of Cairo. It's funny how people will tell you one or the other is the better place to hang out. For me, it doesn't matter if there are shady Sudanese women with their OLD oil and gas Western "husbands" or if the entertainment is better somewhere else. To me, just being around people that speak English well and don't stare at me constantly is a little slice of heaven. The food is what I'm used to, the drinks are reasonably priced, they have karaoke nights and dance nights and plenty of TVs playing English speaking shows all around. It's just nice. And I love all the accents! British, Australian, Welsh, Scottish...as a Texan, I love them all! I love Cairo, don't get me wrong, but you'd have to be thrown into this chaos to understand how nice it is to sit in quiet peace for a few minutes with the smell of barbecue or pizza in the background and 80s MTV videos playing, around people who don't care if you take off your cardigan and are wearing a tank top underneath!
There are many day-to-day issues of living in Cairo that I've been trying to get used to. The wild cats and dogs are everywhere!! This is the first place I've ever been where the cats will beg for food. It's very odd. And where you see packs of dogs and, for the most part, you are safe because the dogs around here are not treated well and you know they won't bother you because they're scared of you (it's sad, but true). The call to prayer 5 times a day will probably eventually get on my nerves or maybe I will just start not hearing it at all, but I still love hearing it when it comes blaring through the very loud speaker systems throughout the city. It's very haunting and beautiful and completely exotic to me.
Hardly anyone has dryers around here. It would be ridiculous in this dry heat to sit around waiting for a dryer to dry your clothes. And wasting all that electricity, too! (The Egyptians are very aware of saving $ by not turning on lights, A/Cs, etc. I dig it). The first time I realized I had to hang out sheets from my 4th story balcony was truly horrifying, but I've gotten used to it. I also inherited a clothes drying rack, which I put out on the balcony and use for all the clothes. Everything dries here very quickly! Coming from the heat and steam of Texas, it's very refreshing. But the first time I put out my clothes to dry, I realized I would have to get used to everything always being just slightly dirty around here. The dust is insane. And we aren't even in the dust storm season yet.
Which is why I've also hired a maid. A maid. I mean, really? I'm not one to be able to afford a maid. Or even agree with the concept. But, I've made the plunge and I am very happy about it! I just can't keep up with the dust. One thing you notice in every business building you go into in Cairo is that there are workers that sweep all day long. All day long. It's truly remarkable how dusty it is. But, back to the maid...she had great references and I'm helping support her family while her family is here (her husband is earning his degree). So...it's a good cause, it's cheap, and I get some help staying on top of the cleaning!!
Overall, it seems that as a teacher in Cairo, I have the option of living a very comfortable life, which is something very new to me. Everything is very affordable here. For instance, my maid costs 100 LE a week, which includes a tip. You always divide the Egyptian pounds by 6 to figure out how many American dollars that converts to. So, to have a good maid come and clean for 3 hours costs me about $17 a week. An "expensive" shellac (nail service) costs me 100 LE (again, about $17). I had a pedicure the other day that was 40, which is less than $7 American. The list can go on and on...The only thing that is generally more expensive is clothing. At least compared to the deals I am used to finding in the states. But even then, most pants or shirts will not be more than 120 LE. And the styles are not Western in the least bit, so if I buy anything for myself or Chloe, it's going to be an American or European store, which is going to cost a bit more. For instance, I've been looking for all cotton shirts and I found a couple of cute t-shirts at the Converse store the other day. They were on sale for 150, which is $25 American. Not bad, but that's also on sale. The shoes were crazy expensive. The regular canvas Converse styles were going for 400 and up. The Nike shoes were way up there in the 500+ range.
Two weekends ago, Chloe and I and two other new GP teachers took the train to Alexandria to soak up the sun at the beach. I've never seen the Mediterranean Sea and I had been missing wearing a bikini, so I was very excited. The train trip itself was a challenge, as everything seems to be here until you know the procedures. We hired a driver through the company that the school recommends, who took us to the train station in the downtown area. When we got there, the driver was kind enough to take us to the ticket windows to purchase our tickets. Unfortunately, the next bus (at 9 a.m.) was completely full and we couldn't purchase tickets. However, it's Egypt, so no fear. We were told to get on the train and then pay the ticket collector once we were on the way. Kind of like a standby ticket. Before we boarded, we met a very nice Scottish tour guide and an Egyptian boy (I guessed him to be about 20 years old), who helped us find seats and then checked with us throughout the trip (Egyptians are VERY helpful in general!). We ended up being 2 seats short, so we alternated who sat and who stood during the 2 1/2 hour train trip. We went ahead and bought our first class tickets for the return trip at the ticket window so we could avoid all of that again! The tickets were 50 LE per person (less than $10 American). Not bad! Alexandria itself was not what I expected in a beach town. Turns out, Alex is the Egyptian beach destination, so we were literally the only Westerners out and about for miles. Not a super big deal for me, except for the fact that I was really looking forward to some sunbathing! The Muslim women were all swimming in either all-body suits (kind of like wetsuits with skirts) or in their normal clothes. Ugh! So, we went with the flow and had our Mediterranean beach weekend fully clothed. Very odd. The city was also less friendly than Cairo to me and not as clean as I would expect a resort type town to be. There was soooo much trash in the sea!! Very shocking. I was cleaning out the trash myself that second morning, until I noticed a hotel employee going around with a net picking out the trash. We stayed at the Sheraton, so we had access to the hotel's private beach, which was much better than hanging out at the very packed and very Egyptian local beach!! The trash seemed to be coming mostly from that public beach from what I could tell.
The next day, Chloe and I spent the day at Le Meridien hotel with a few of the other teachers. Now, THAT was a good day!! We were able to spend the day sunbathing in our Western bathing suits at a very posh hotel literally NEXT DOOR to the Giza pyramids. Talk about an awesome view!!
It's hard to know where I should start, but I guess the first thing everyone always wants to do in Cairo is see the pyramids. Wow. That about covers it, I'd say. The thought that kept coming to me, and metaphorically slamming me down, was that I am one of the few people in my family for generations and generations, going back further than we even can track, that has seen and touched the pyramids. The pyramids that were here when Jesus walked the Earth. Every world leader I've ever learned about in school has either visited or heard about this site. It's a humbling experience.
Afterwards, all of us teachers took a short ride on camels. I think the only surprise was how gentle and calm the camels were and also HOW TALL! I'm so scared of heights, like scared to climb a small ladder type of phobia, and it was a little freaky when the camel stood up and sat down. But other than that, it was a very smooth and calming experience! I'd like to do this again for a longer trek through the desert.
We also toured the Cairo Museum or Egyptian Museum as it's called. Again, Wow. The tour guide was absolutely amazing; I don't know what we would have done without him. He took us on a 3 hour tour of the museum and was able to hit all the "good" exhibits in the museum and explain them in detail. I was very impressed with his knowledge. I was also in continual amazement that I was looking at artifacts IN PERSON that I have seen on documentaries! The King Tut exhibit was awe inspiring, as well as the mummy room. I was shocked at how much STUFF was packed into this place. You could go there every day for a month and still not see everything. Who knows how much other stuff in hidden around there, waiting to be put out on display. I'm pretty sure I cried a bit when I was in the jewelry room of King Tut. It was extremely hot in the museum, too, though. No air conditioners except for a few rooms. Very stifling. That was a surprise for me.
The mosques and churches were amazing structures with interesting backgrounds, but I'll admit I wasn't as excited about this part of the tour. Maybe if I was into architecture or was Muslim, I would be very fascinated. I think we all enjoyed the market, however, even if some of us got ripped off! That was the day I learned that having blonde hair in Egypt is anything but positive. I had to haggle 2 times longer than anyone else, just to get to the starting price for the others. But I am glad we got to do this, if just to learn that the market is a rip off!!!!
The taxis and their honking. It's an art form around here. It's used for several reasons: to honk at the blonde American walking in the street so as to avoid the Mad Max type sidewalks that offer zero protection and are usually crumbly and trash-filled, they honk at you just to say, "Hey, there, mate, I have this car that you call a taxi. I can take you anywhere you want." "Are you sure you don't need a taxi?" "Come on, American, get a taxi." In other words, I'm always getting honked at for one reason or another. I can tell the honk of a taxi before I even see it, because the taxis will honk numerous times and slow down and stare as they near you. They honk at each other, too, though. I totally get it now after just a few weeks. There are no street lights, stop signs, or even lane lines in most places, so you have to honk to let the other drivers know you're there and to let them know you really don't want to lose your side mirror, to let everyone know you're driving up to an intersection, just for the heck of it while crossing four lanes of traffic in a diagonal direction, or while driving up on the sidewalk to park your car. There are literally no rules on the road in Cairo!
Thank God for the Ace Club. It is one of several expat clubs around the Maadi area of Cairo. It's funny how people will tell you one or the other is the better place to hang out. For me, it doesn't matter if there are shady Sudanese women with their OLD oil and gas Western "husbands" or if the entertainment is better somewhere else. To me, just being around people that speak English well and don't stare at me constantly is a little slice of heaven. The food is what I'm used to, the drinks are reasonably priced, they have karaoke nights and dance nights and plenty of TVs playing English speaking shows all around. It's just nice. And I love all the accents! British, Australian, Welsh, Scottish...as a Texan, I love them all! I love Cairo, don't get me wrong, but you'd have to be thrown into this chaos to understand how nice it is to sit in quiet peace for a few minutes with the smell of barbecue or pizza in the background and 80s MTV videos playing, around people who don't care if you take off your cardigan and are wearing a tank top underneath!
There are many day-to-day issues of living in Cairo that I've been trying to get used to. The wild cats and dogs are everywhere!! This is the first place I've ever been where the cats will beg for food. It's very odd. And where you see packs of dogs and, for the most part, you are safe because the dogs around here are not treated well and you know they won't bother you because they're scared of you (it's sad, but true). The call to prayer 5 times a day will probably eventually get on my nerves or maybe I will just start not hearing it at all, but I still love hearing it when it comes blaring through the very loud speaker systems throughout the city. It's very haunting and beautiful and completely exotic to me.
Hardly anyone has dryers around here. It would be ridiculous in this dry heat to sit around waiting for a dryer to dry your clothes. And wasting all that electricity, too! (The Egyptians are very aware of saving $ by not turning on lights, A/Cs, etc. I dig it). The first time I realized I had to hang out sheets from my 4th story balcony was truly horrifying, but I've gotten used to it. I also inherited a clothes drying rack, which I put out on the balcony and use for all the clothes. Everything dries here very quickly! Coming from the heat and steam of Texas, it's very refreshing. But the first time I put out my clothes to dry, I realized I would have to get used to everything always being just slightly dirty around here. The dust is insane. And we aren't even in the dust storm season yet.
Which is why I've also hired a maid. A maid. I mean, really? I'm not one to be able to afford a maid. Or even agree with the concept. But, I've made the plunge and I am very happy about it! I just can't keep up with the dust. One thing you notice in every business building you go into in Cairo is that there are workers that sweep all day long. All day long. It's truly remarkable how dusty it is. But, back to the maid...she had great references and I'm helping support her family while her family is here (her husband is earning his degree). So...it's a good cause, it's cheap, and I get some help staying on top of the cleaning!!
Overall, it seems that as a teacher in Cairo, I have the option of living a very comfortable life, which is something very new to me. Everything is very affordable here. For instance, my maid costs 100 LE a week, which includes a tip. You always divide the Egyptian pounds by 6 to figure out how many American dollars that converts to. So, to have a good maid come and clean for 3 hours costs me about $17 a week. An "expensive" shellac (nail service) costs me 100 LE (again, about $17). I had a pedicure the other day that was 40, which is less than $7 American. The list can go on and on...The only thing that is generally more expensive is clothing. At least compared to the deals I am used to finding in the states. But even then, most pants or shirts will not be more than 120 LE. And the styles are not Western in the least bit, so if I buy anything for myself or Chloe, it's going to be an American or European store, which is going to cost a bit more. For instance, I've been looking for all cotton shirts and I found a couple of cute t-shirts at the Converse store the other day. They were on sale for 150, which is $25 American. Not bad, but that's also on sale. The shoes were crazy expensive. The regular canvas Converse styles were going for 400 and up. The Nike shoes were way up there in the 500+ range.
Two weekends ago, Chloe and I and two other new GP teachers took the train to Alexandria to soak up the sun at the beach. I've never seen the Mediterranean Sea and I had been missing wearing a bikini, so I was very excited. The train trip itself was a challenge, as everything seems to be here until you know the procedures. We hired a driver through the company that the school recommends, who took us to the train station in the downtown area. When we got there, the driver was kind enough to take us to the ticket windows to purchase our tickets. Unfortunately, the next bus (at 9 a.m.) was completely full and we couldn't purchase tickets. However, it's Egypt, so no fear. We were told to get on the train and then pay the ticket collector once we were on the way. Kind of like a standby ticket. Before we boarded, we met a very nice Scottish tour guide and an Egyptian boy (I guessed him to be about 20 years old), who helped us find seats and then checked with us throughout the trip (Egyptians are VERY helpful in general!). We ended up being 2 seats short, so we alternated who sat and who stood during the 2 1/2 hour train trip. We went ahead and bought our first class tickets for the return trip at the ticket window so we could avoid all of that again! The tickets were 50 LE per person (less than $10 American). Not bad! Alexandria itself was not what I expected in a beach town. Turns out, Alex is the Egyptian beach destination, so we were literally the only Westerners out and about for miles. Not a super big deal for me, except for the fact that I was really looking forward to some sunbathing! The Muslim women were all swimming in either all-body suits (kind of like wetsuits with skirts) or in their normal clothes. Ugh! So, we went with the flow and had our Mediterranean beach weekend fully clothed. Very odd. The city was also less friendly than Cairo to me and not as clean as I would expect a resort type town to be. There was soooo much trash in the sea!! Very shocking. I was cleaning out the trash myself that second morning, until I noticed a hotel employee going around with a net picking out the trash. We stayed at the Sheraton, so we had access to the hotel's private beach, which was much better than hanging out at the very packed and very Egyptian local beach!! The trash seemed to be coming mostly from that public beach from what I could tell.
The next day, Chloe and I spent the day at Le Meridien hotel with a few of the other teachers. Now, THAT was a good day!! We were able to spend the day sunbathing in our Western bathing suits at a very posh hotel literally NEXT DOOR to the Giza pyramids. Talk about an awesome view!!
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