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:
 

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.

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):
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.

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).

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!

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).

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!

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!

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!!