Nantucket to Cairo Egypt!

KHALAS! CAIRO to NANTUCKET!!

2010-05-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

You have to hhhkkhh! when you say it! The word for finished! It is said very often here in Egypt. It sort of means - OK, that's the end of THIS conversation. OR Finally!!! OR of course - YAY! it's over! And yes, my adventure here in Egypt is over. It is 11PM and I will be picked up at 2:30 in the morning to go to the airport. Ughhhh! it is such an awful time to depart and Ughhhh! my suitcases are waaaay tooo heavy. I can do nothing about either and I am dreading dragging the luggage around . . . A LOT!! But in one day I will be home. Khalas! (See? now you are getting the hang of it!!

I will learn what this year has meant to me in the coming weeks, months, and years since I cannot truly digest it all until I am away from it. I stood on my balcony just a bit ago and felt the hot night air. It is like standing in an oven . . . with a breeze. And of course the mosque is right across the street with its ghostly green uplighting. I try to memorize it all but know that you can only be here now. So, it will all meld into a memory and I have to wait to see what that memory ends up being. For now, I know I will miss the adventure. Life will sure seem dull with traffic rules obeyed . . . no language barrier to strategize around . . and no hikes up mountains or dives into the Red Sea not to mention machine gun toting guides and police . . . Ho hum!

So, it is quiet and I am sitting in my packed up apartment glancing out at the mosque. Everyone in the villa has come to say good-bye, not without my tearing up of course. All of them are such good people and I really enjoy knowing them. The people part is my favorite and the thought of missing so many new friends is the only thing that makes me sad.

Perhaps one day I will digest the whole teaching experience. When I started this I thought for sure I would be talking about teaching in this blog all the time but . . . that would have been a lot of negativity and not much for growth so I left it out. For now, I will miss some of the kids. And, I did have a hand in the beginning of a school and that is pretty cool. I contributed quite a bit in various ways to feel positive about that.

Well, I am off to shower and get in my "airplane" outfit and . . . what?? Sleep?? for 3 hours?? possible I guess but . . . I am just a wee bit PSYCHED!! to being going Cairo to Nantucket!! so it will be hard to sleep. Next post will be from the USA and I will have to think if I have enough to say to continue . . .like I said. I will miss the adventure that was a school year in Egypt.

The Veil

2010-05-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

I had never had a conversation with a woman in a veil before I moved to Egypt. For those of you who do not know, the veil is the scarf worn on the head and around the neck. The option to cover the face also exists but here in Egypt I have seen far fewer women with the niqab, the face covering, as they observe hijab the Islamic doctrine of modest costume. My ignorance of the wearing of a veil and all that it can mean gives me an advantage as I experience Egypt. I cannot say I was opinion-free but I can say that I observe with curiosity and a desire for understanding as opposed to finding evidence for a position. In the last 6 months I have taken note of the veil in its various forms. I have certainly had conversations with veiled women. And, I have to say each day my curiosity grows and the only understanding that is confirmed for me time and again is that people are complicated.

So, what were/are my preconceived notions of the veil? Well, first off I had no idea that covering the face was an option. I never gave it a second thought. I think that I must have thought that a woman chose to put the face cover on or not depending on the situation and that explained why I would see women wearing the veil both ways on television or in magazines. I also thought that most women didn’t thoughtfully choose or refuse the veil and that accounted for what I thought of as a lot of women wearing one. I thought that a woman in a veiled family just automatically became veiled at a certain age and that there would be severe familial and social repercussions if she chose not to. However, one of my veiled friends is a twin and her sister is not veiled. She may become so in the future but for now they are very different people and this is reflected in their choices to veil. When I saw veiled women in positions of power on the television I always wondered if they wore the veil in publicized events but not others or if they wore the veil as a political move more than as a religious observvance, to show their solidarity with the more common folk. And yes, I did think the veil was worn mostly by lesser educated women, women who had fewer rights and freedoms than I did. I thought the veil was uncomfortable looking, hot, and left a lot to be desired as far as fashion goes. I associated the veil with the Middle East and Islam and certainly as a possession of the “other” not my culture, religion, geographic region etc. In other words the veil was part of an exotic, foreign religion, a curiosity but clearly, in my mind, something that other cultures had rules about. Upon arriving in Egypt I thought all I had to do was study a bit, take a moment to understand them, and it would all be made clear.

The more I learn about the wearing of the veil the more mysterious it becomes. Here are some observations:

There are many styles of veil that cover the head. Whatever the style the veil is always worn if there is a chance that a man not in the woman's family will see her. Basically, anyone who "could" marry the woman. This confuses me since the woman could be married (so, technically unavailable) and the man could be married (again, unavailable) but this rule still "counts". Some veils are colorful silk scarves like the ones we in the West would wear around the collar of a business suit. They coordinate with each outfit so one woman must have many veils. These can fit snugly around the head and are tied in a nice bow shape under the chin. Very little fabric hangs down in front or back. They are secured with just the deft knots or with a couple pins. Other scarves are made of much more fabric and while the look around the head is the same the fabric bunches up under the neck much like a cowl-necked sweater and in the back the fabric hangs freely in a point. Some of these that hang down have quite a lot of fabric and they hang over the shoulders and down to the middle of the woman’s back. Some people wear their veil in such a way that the fabric around the head is not smooth to the skull. It has some volume as thought the hair underneath is full. This gives the woman’s face the look of being framed by fabric.These remind me of a Queen Amidalla look. Some women wear a veil over hair that must be piled high underneath in something like a beehive hairdo or upsweep. These veils look positively structural! I saw one girl put her sunglasses to rest up there one time (like I do when I push them on to the top of my head) but since there was so much veil there it looked as though another cloth face with sunglasses was on top of her head. I guess I have been here long enough that I feel comfortable to judge these styles. In my mind I gave this placement of sunglasses the black Glamour “Don’t Do” rectangle.

In the grocery stores the cashiers wear the same veil color, usually white, with their uniform. In our school the matrons who take care of the children for us wear navy blue veils as part of their uniform. Our cleaning ladies on the other hand, are unveiled. At a soccer game I saw that women wore veils in red, white, and black, the colors of the Egyptian flag. I heard that when they attend the hotly contested rival national games they are not allowed to wear veils of either team’s color! Most of the veils are one color only when worn by workers. Most of the veils of the educated women seem to be multi-colored with decorations. Sometimes the bigger veils have a separate piece of fabric peaking out near the forehead for a layered look. Some schools have almost all the children in veils. I see children going to the school across the street from my villa in solid orange veils. A truly unusual color I think. The veils that cover the face seem to be all black for the most part but just last night I saw a pretty purple one. Veils worn by the Bedoiun in the Sinai are almost always a color and have shiny metal decorations. They cover their face by lifting the veil with their hand and tucking it in but I have also seen the Bedoiun wearing veils with holes cut for the eyes. I bought one of these to bring back home as a wall decoration.

Along with wearing the veil the hijab tells women to cover their arms to their wrists and their legs to their ankles (and some women wear gloves too) These rules are varied as much as the veils themselves. For me the biggest problem with this is that it is hot here in the desert!! Yes, covering your head and body with fabric does keep the sun off. I have taken to draping my head in fabric when in the direct sun more than once here. But some of the fashion solutions do not make sense. Some women wear long outfits at the beach that are made for going in the water. It can’t be comfortable although one woman told me she prefers it since it makes the water feel warmer. Some women wear what we call sundresses but with a long-sleeved leotard top underneath technically covering the skin but leaving little for the imagination regarding the shape of the woman’s body. I saw one woman dressed in such a sleeveless dress and her long sleeves were the perfect match for skin color. I did a major double take! At first I thought I was seeing a veiled woman in a spaghetti strap dress. Once the Western gym teacher in our school wore a sleeveless tennis top and I observed my fourth grade girls whispering to each other about this in amazement. So, the doctrine that dictates the wearing of the veil dictates much more about women’s bodies in public but I will stick with just the veil, it’s confusing enough.

As I write this, April 16, 2010, the news on the radio announces that Belgium may be the first European country to ban the burqa which covers the entire body of a woman. No reason why is given in the headline. I have not seen anyone here wearing a burqa. I think that most here look at the wearing of a burqa as restrictive and too conservative so – there is a hierarchy of acceptance of sorts.

One Western woman who is married to a Muslim man and has lived here for 28 years took me on a tour of the Khan with a posh group of the Egyptian upper class. In our whole group of about 60 people not one woman was veiled. I have to honestly say that I have not been in such a segregated group in Egypt before. Since I noticed it I mentioned it to my friend. She said matter of factly that we would never see a veil in this class of Egyptians. However, I have been told that the “class” of Egyptians I work for and who send their children to our school are the wealthiest of the wealthiest in Egypt. I think the moms are at least 50% veiled women. We have only one mom who wears the niqab as far as I can tell. And many teachers wear various veils. They are all highly educated and modern women. I am completely confused by my friends response . . . Later that night we are talking about a local Chinese restaurant and she says to me that her family does not go there since there are so many veiled women there. Nothing to do with the food or service or any particular interaction she had. She also dismisses an entire section of Cairo as entirely too conservative and “full” of veiled women. This woman has two daughters living in Egypt and two granddaughters. Clearly, “choosing” the veil is not an option for them and this woman does not equate the wearing of the veil with religious practice and more so with a socio-economic class. However, another veiled friend of mine is from the upper class and very highly educated as well as politically active. So, . . . there is ALWAYS an exception to every "rule" here in Egypt especially in regards to the veil.

Even though the veil seems, at first thought, so foreign to anything I know I realize that it there are veils in Western society. During a Christmas movie I see a child put on a veil in order to play Mary. I see nuns now as veiled women carrying on an ancient tradition. My hometown newspaper has photos of brides and little girls lined up to make their First Communion and they all are wearing types of veils. Wiki-pedia shows pictures of cloth coverings for paintings, statues, and even the Eucharist on an alter and reminds me that these are all veils too. Wearing a veil came, originally, from a place of honoring the female form and placing a veil to provide protection. Now . . . I am not sure what it offers. To my mind it is a confused symbol – it creates a statement but of what is not clear. It is muddy. It has the potential to honor a female but I honestly feel it oppresses females to varying degrees. To some the oppression is minimal since they are already in positions of authority and have truly made a free and thoughtful choice (or at least they feel their choice was their own). For them the veil may only offer a slight nuisance - you cannot go out in the rain (usually not a problem here in the dessert) since your veil will get wet among other logistical problems. If the veil truly created a sense of honoring women then I think the country, as a whole, would be more practiced in treating females kindly. Overall, my experience has been that females are completely objectified and treated poorly and therefore the presence of the veil has not created an enlightened society towards women. As I said, the veil, creates more questions in my mind than answers.

Friday is the new Sunday

2010-05-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Friday and one of my two final days off before I leave! We worked today (Saturday) in order to make up for some of the days we missed during the Ramadan/Swine Flu month off. Next week I only Friday off again because on Saturday we will work another time since we have to put the final play on. ANYWAY . . .I was set on going in to Ma'adi for church / breakfast somewhere / shopping / and just a little out of the house time in order to be out of the apartment for a bit before I attempted grading. I ordered a taxi and none showed up. I called and they told me the cab broke down and there were no others. I was so disappointed "all dressed up" and no where to go. I went out into the heat to see if a taxi drove by. Now it was only 9:30 AM but it must have been at least 90 by this time with no breeze whatsoever. It was also Friday morning which is the LEAST likely time to find anything outside the house at all, let alone a taxi but . . . .

So, there was not a living creature in sight. Not a human, not a bird, not a wild dog. The sprinklers from the green area across the street were not even on. It was hot, bright, and silent . . . .I waited. Nothing. It was still hot. I waited. A car or two slowly went by - no taxi. Hmmmmm, maybe I wasn't going into Ma'adi afterall. Just when I though maybe not I see what looks like a taxi coming from far away! Yes, it was driving slowly but indeed it was a taxi. I waved. They were going to have no trouble seeing me. Even though they were on the other side of the road me and the taxi were going to connect! But, darn! I saw a passenger in the back! Grrrrrrr. The taxi drove slowly around the great big rotary and I was a little sad watching it. But, here it came along towards my house and it stopped . . .right in front of me!!! Out stepped a worker type guy and he paid the driver!! He was getting dropped off right in front of my house!! I was going to Ma'adi - simple as that I hopped in said Ma'aid and we were off. Me and my older gentleman Egyptian driver who had a voice like Popeye - only in Arabic.

Here is the sweet little sanctuary of St. John the Baptist Church in Ma'adi. Beautiful stained glass windows. And of course when you look at them . . . it hits you. The stories they tell happened in the very neighborhoods where we spend our days . . . along the Nile and in the dessert.

As I got out of the taxi I met my friend Maggie and her husband so my good luck continued! The service was packed since the expat high school students were being confirmed and the bishop of Northern Africa and Jerusalem and the cost there. He was very interesting to listen to, a former medical MD. He talked about the most important thing that Jesus gave to people was peace, his own peace. And that the kids there were committing themselves to a life that would open them up to that peace.

Anyway, it was a lovely service. I've been worried recently about a little girl at home so said my prayers and paid attention. So nice to see and speak with so many people from home - embassy and NGO workers. And we had some decent cake too! Very Western - like I have not had in such a looooong time! I have had quite a few cakes recently too since my kids keep bringing them in to celebrate my imminent departure, which they swear they are very sad about! I will miss this group of people and if I were to stay longer I am sure that I would rely on them as a resource for socializing much more than I did this year.

After church we were off to breakfast. Tried to go to Lucille's but ended up a Villa 55 across the way - nice!

It was time to say good-bye to Maggie and Kevin which is a little sad since each time I do this I think it is probably the last time we will see each other, at least for quite a while. Who knows where I will end up in this world in the future. But with only 8 days left I say good-bye and just leave it at that.

After lunch it is off to the local grocery mart to . . .reach up very high . . .and buy cereal!

Really high - see the man working at the cash register. And the stack . . .makes it interesting to pull a box out of . Sort of like cereal Jenga!

Afterwards . . into a taxi and home James. It was soooo hot I was glad to be in for the afternoon! Today again too and then again tomorrow.! Whew!! and 8 days left . . . . wow!

Oh, and yeah - had a fun time eating dinner with Lizza Obremski and her friend Kat who just flew in from Beruit and with the others in the villa. A good time was had by all and these kinds of days are what I will miss of Egypt.

Something is coming

2010-05-04T00:46:00.000-07:00

The Egyptian people have an exciting year ahead of them in politics (I just hope not TOO exciting). The current president has been in place for 30 years but is now in his 80s and combined with that there is a call for change. People, educated and uneducated alike, are afraid to speak out since it will cost them socially, economically etc.. But some are, there is an interesting interview that Christiane Armanpour did on CNN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly_PZxVDQrc

recently as well as this blog spot that is linked on my page:

http://www.jonjensen.com/index.htm

It is safe to say that most Americans do not fully realize the important role Egypt plays here at the edge of the Middle East. Here in Egypt most Egyptians feel as though the American government can (and does?) easily shape the politics of this area.

I did not give too much thought to the danger to Westerners that may be here in Egypt when I came. Can it be more here than anywhere else in the world? Certainly not, aside from the traffic accidents that we all risk every time we go on the roads here. I am becoming more and more interested in the way all the politics, geography, finances, and culture link and/or deteriorate the situation.

I have no answers but do feel that there is growing momentum here and that something is coming. Something big, hopefully a benevolent, giant changing the tide (I am skeptical about this being what arrives but I can hope) and maybe we, in the West, should pay more attention.

2010-04-30T02:20:00.000-07:00

A Toast

How was Egypt?

They will ask me

In a bar

In New England

Old wood floor – pungent with beer

Rolling under my feet

The Atlantic Ocean mingling in the air

And I will think of

The giant sail

Of a felucca slapping on its mast as we relax on the Nile (On the Nile!)

And I will think of

The color beige absolutely everywhere

In the desert as far as the eye can see,

on my shoes, and countertops

a colorful sunset, vibrant spring flowers, no less than miracles for the eyes

And I will think of

My many sudden and terror-summoned visions

of my sons marrying

Without me present!

As my taxi, Suzuki, Mercedes . . .

actually misses!

The other vehicle, person, donkey

And I will think of

Seeing the pyramids in the distance (the pyramids!)

Framed in a blood-red sun

an African sun bigger than life

reminding me like never before that I live on a planet

and of the passage of time

And I will think of

Listening to the echoes of bird songs

Among giant temple columns

And I will think of

Arabic, hummus, Fayrooz

And pantomiming

And being brave

And a little scared (OK terrified) sometimes

And I will take a sip of my beer (beer!)

And not know what to say

To my fellow New Englander

How long a conversation will it take

To explain?

Such a distant place

Another planet!

no one really knows what happens in a chrysalis

And I will think

And start . . .

“Let me tell you about the people,

The people I met.”

The power of the human heart, the monument, memory, artifact, lesson,

That will come home with me to stay

A universal lexicon

It is an awesome thing to know such simple things-

We are all the same – people are good

I will bring these friends, Egyptian and Western alike, in stories with me

And drink to them,

And Egypt

MaryAnn Bartlett Cairo, Egypt April 30, 2010

Teaching in Egypt . . .hmmmmm

2010-04-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, in case you haven't noticed I don't discuss my teaching much in this blog. Now THAT is a switch!! Usually I am quite strong in my positions about teaching, probably to my own detriment. And now, I am completely humble. I am not sure what exactly I have managed to accomplish here . . . recently I have collected mountains (OK, hills really) of paperwork in order to get ready to write reports and then hand it all to the kids to bring home. It is a LOT!!! I mean we have covered almost 3,000 years of human history in Social Studies alone! All in a second language which is a lot of work for the kids and the teacher! (Hey!, that's me!) This week all the students are finishing their fourth self-portrait studies with the help of our truly amazing art residents. I am pretty proud of that. The classroom looks and sounds like a studio when I walk in and they are all sketching away. Kids who say they could not possible manage a likeness of themselves are proud to show me their images. Thank God for all his help! And, we have written essays about ourselves. Looking at some I can point out significant progress and in others . . . well - fingernails on a chalkboard is all I can say. But - they are all displayed and I can't say I didn't try! I am sure the culture differences have a lot to do with it all. Managing the class and the 2 languages and how they interact with each other takes 90% of the time which leaves a frantic 10% for i-before-e-except-after-c kind of stuff. . . I just have to smile and wish them all well at this point.

Today started out strangely . . .first one girl said "Miss I have a surprise for you an I can't tell you about it. It's a cake and I got you a big card and we are all going to sign it and then eat the cake for dessert." All I could think to say was "Great! OK!" thinking - hmmm should I act surprised?? And how will we get things done??!

So they spent a good part of our time for writing and get things done working on this card and then at the end said . . . "Miss, miss! Surprise!!" It was cute and lots of lovely sentiments like "Love is in the air" were written on the envelope and in the card. I TOLD you they like their sugar here and their sentiments could NOT be more saccharin!

Well, it was all cute and adorable and the cake was tasty too. The girl who brought it got to give the pieces out to other teachers who let me know that they said, "We are celebrating that Mrs. MaryAnn is leaving." which I am not entirely sure was just an innocent type of malaprop! The whole cake thing being slightly Egyptized by not have one single butter knife or the likes in the entire building until I scrounged a plastic one from the bottom of the plastic shopping bag used to bring the "washed" plastic utensils back and forth from the house across the street where our lunch is made and to school. Such a long search for that one utensil!! And then there were no napkins or paper towels except the the few I squirreled away the first week of school when a student had a birthday in my class and even that early on I could see that saving every scrap of anything was going to be important. (Of course, I forgot I did that and only knew about these napkins because I have begun to clean out a shelf here and there!) It's NEVER easy in Egypt!! but the date cake was delicious and very, very, sweet with it's coating of pure honey all over the top.

THEN! just to make the morning weirder the next door teacher came to my class ON TIME to ask what the 5th grade should bring and then proceeded to supervise their transition from her room to mine!! First time ever!! I thought I was on candid camera truly. Usually they are told to go to my room and left completely unsupervised in the hall basically acting like zoo animals. And of course, when they came in the were dressed like this and I HAD to take a picture!

I took the the picture told them that they were all now called Erckle and to sit down. Did I ask "Why" (or Lei??) no I did not. In Egypt you don't ask - you just take a picture and keep moving.

So, that was my weird morning. I have two more Thursdays left. We are all getting pretty tired of the whole scene and reflected on the past present and future after work at my place. Complete with a delicious new hors'deouvre oreos with peanut butter and honey! Did I mention that I need to knock off the sugar a bit? Oh, and did I mention gin and tonics?? AND! Did I mention we are still finishing off the ORIGINAL gin I purchased on the plane out here 8 months ago and had to hide in the house of the Muslim woman I stayed with since I didn't know before that that even having it in the house was so bad! Ughhh - it was all fun though and I am not the only one counting the days. I feel pretty guilty leaving early but it can't be helped . . .

Of course, after all the shenanigans I am left with serious reflection and I do worry for these kids. On the one hand they are very wealthy and could be illiterate and lead a fine life full of all the material possessions they could want but on the other hand . . . They do need a school like this to prepare them for a world outside of their little insulated and very spoiled clubs. It is disconcerting to think about. I know that I was here at the beginning and gave it my best shot. At least held the door open for a bit. What comes next . . . who knows? I just have to look at all those Erckles . . . and laugh!

Bulldozers Mosques and Beaches

2010-04-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Oh the view from my balcony. Here is the gorgeous mosque - Fatma Sharbotlee. It is the only landmark around. We actually get our Chinese food and Pizzas delivered here, not to mention the taxis meet us here. We look out our balconies and if we see the take-out food delivery motorcycle, or the taxi ,we run across the street and meet them. It always makes for an amusing broken Arabic conversation when we tell them "We live in the mosque". If ONLY there were street names and numbers in this brand new city. Notice the buildings in the background, yes, they are completely unfinished as are ALLLLL the buildings within site of mine. There are some lived in but none that I can see close to me. Regardless, every Friday this mosque is jam packed. Friday is the only day of the week that Muslims must pray in the mosque. All the other days they can pray virtually anywhere - in an office - in a restaurant - in a clothing store - anywhere. It is VERY quiet at the moment in the photo. All the people visible are standing and praying and the mosque is full too. What you cannot see is that on the left side of the photo is a rotary where even more groups of people are praying together, always shoulder to shoulder. And, under the palm tree that is in the foreground. I see these groups of people praying on construction sites together. It is always a beautiful moment of peace. Of course, as soon as it breaks the Cairo chaos resumes but . . . for a bit of each Friday it is quite the site.

The unfinished buildings explain the literal PARADE of bulldozers and construction vehicles that drive by my home all day every day!! On a short 10 minute walk recently no less than 15 bulldozers went by us. They have the most obnoxious horns which have to be used every time they go by us. So friendly . . . .

I am making my final observations here. I have three weeks left. Due to fly out on May 17 which seems incredibly soon all of a sudden. But I know it is time to go. This, as I have said before, is a harsh existence. It is one that I could make the best of if I was forced to but since I know that I have the glorious beauty of Nantucket waiting for me I have little motivation or desire to continue making the best of it. I just appreciate the mosque and all that it reminds me of about hummanity's quest for meaning and peace and the complications that humans can make for themselves. I am counting the days until I am home and I wonder what, if anything, will I miss? The call to prayer? The exotic sites? As soon as I see a sunset over one of our gorgeous beaches I have serious doubts I will long for anything Egypt other than the people I have met. My experiences have been invaluable but their benefits of them will exist in me in the ways I have changed as a person and my newly evolving perception of the world. I'll be glad to observing it all from the little island in the North Atlantic

Tea Man, Tea Country

2010-04-16T05:28:00.000-07:00

They sure do love their tea here. I had thought it would be coffee, coffee, coffee but no, tea rules! That is good for me - a tea drinker. They like lots of sugar in their tea and that is just fine with me too although I think I need to take it easy on the whole sugar thing - my intake is way tooo high!

I see people walking everywhere carrying tea trays - mostly men. In the Khan - the big market there are men delivering tea to the stall workers, on construction sites men will sit on the side of the road and take some tea, in the bank there is a man in black pants and white shirt bringing a tea tray from desk to desk and even in our school I noticed a man carrying a tea tray down the hall one day. Must be a sure sign that our little school has actually arrived!

Here he is in the hallway outside my room. Apparently the administrative staff and visitors are treated to tea delivery. I just mooch off of Mrs. Farida who has a nice tea station all set up in her room next door. I think it was the in the first bag of supplies she brought to school.

Most recently I had a tea adventure in the desert of the Sinai. There is a big desert valley that runs north to south through central Sinai called Wadi Ghazela for the gazel that used to roam there. At the entrance is an older man who makes tea for tourists who stop by. This man sat by a small wood fire. The door to his one room home was carved out of a cliff wall and the trunk of a palm tree with a thick rug tossed onto it made a bench to sit on or lean against. It was all quaint and rustic, summoning visions of humans at the beginning of history. That is until his cell phone rang!

Here is a sweet momma cat and kitten who watched us at the edge of this camp.

We drank a lot of tea that day. After hiking through a small canyon and doing some serious four-wheeling (YES! cars can go over rocks and up sand dunes like they do in the commercials on TV!) we stopped at a Bedouin oasis and had lunch and . . . of course, tea.

At the entrance to the valley (wadi) behind us. Desert, canyons, oasis and amazing views everywhere. The colors and shadows changed the landscape as the day went on.

5 different families live in this oasis. The women greeted us with their wares for sale and a man cooked us lunch. We sat in a palm frond and fabric tent to get out of the heat. The palm trees were a lush restful vision of green after all that desert.

Potatoes and carrots cooked in a thin tomato sauce, oranges, tomato and cucumber salsa/salad, rice, and bread. The basics but when you are hungry - yum!

And tea which is a sage flavor with lots and lots of sugar. Served in shot glass size portions.

At the end of the day we visited an elderly woman in another Bedouin camp. This one had a few younger mom type women and lots of children all scrapping around. I purchased some dried sage tea from her and am now the proud owner of a baggie full of a very suspicious-looking substance!! We'll see if I can get it to the States somehow . . . Regardless, taking tea will always conjur these exotic images for me.

What's it like to live in Egypt??

2010-03-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

What's it like to live and work in Egypt??

Here is just one example. Yesterday the workers made a lot of noise with drills and sheet rock in the hallway. They actually sheet rocked right over the entrance to the laundry room. One of the teachers who speaks Arabic said they said it was temporary and that even our APARTMENTS would be sheet rocked over for a few days. Ha ha very funny we all thought.

Well, here are photos of:

Saeed and the sheet rock he just took down off of the entrance to Kyera's apartment - you can still see the aluminum frame around it.

and

Hassan taking the sheet rock off of the entrance to Monica's apartment. Luckily she came home early in the day unexpectedly and discovered this . . .not sure what to call it! snafu I guess. She got on the phone and got the guys to take the walls away sooner than it would have happened if we did not discover it til 3:30 -who knows?! by then the workers may have gone home!!

Can you see where Mrs. Nasra's door used to be?? She still lives there . . . just can't get in. As I write this I am not sure if this wall is gone again . . .I assume so! And will my door be walled over tomorrow after school? And of course, the biggest question is why? why? why?

We will never know and we won't even bother to ask.

THAT'S! what it's like to live in Egypt!

Mother's Day in Egypt and Trip to Wadi Degla

2010-03-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

Got a few layers of dirt off just now in the shower. When I put my hands in my hair it felt like a wig it was soooo filled with sand and clay. Where from?? A hike in Wadi Degla of course!!

Thanks to a couple of girls in the class this heart rock was pointed out to me. Every time I see one (and this was BIG!) I think of home. Walking along a virtual wasteland with fossilized sea shells and lots and lots of wind does too. My fellow teacher A and I agree that neither will live so far from the sea ever again.

Wadi is the word for valley and Degla is a section of Ma'adi. One minute you are driving in the congested city and the next you are turning down behind some buildings and pulling into a non-descript dirt parking lot with an entranceway. Off we went walking through a very narrow valley between two tall walls of sedimentary rock. 4th and 5th grades were there to notice the desert ecosystem especially the plants with their specially adapted spiky leaves. They were also there to collect sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. Mostly we were there to walk and be outside and notice nature. It finally hit me, these are city kids!! Even though they are wealthy kids with access to so many things they are still, couch potato, city slickers and this was a brand new experience for all of them. Every tiny, tiny scrape was a HUGE deal!! There were tears every time someone tripped and lots of complaints about the heat, walking etc.. It was all coming together for me just how pampered these kids are. I found out one 5th grader does not know how to tie his shoes even!! No wonder the responsibility to get your own book and pen overwhelms the vast majority! We should have gone on this trip sooner!!

They all did soooo well and had so much fun! All their complaining turned to exclaiming of how far we walked and how high a high we climbed. It was VERY cool when they found a batch of sea shells left there from 60 million years ago when it was all the bottom of the sea. Wow!! Little shells that at home we call moon snails. That was cool. It WAS scary on the shale sided hill though! They are all very brave.

A good day for all. And on top of that Mother's Day in Egypt which is this HUGE celebration and basically every teacher at school was showered with gifts like Christmas - cool.

Sturdy desert flower of which there many if you take the time to look. Messages of many meanings . .

The lovely ladies.

Three of the guys - soooo glad to be on the way down!!

MARYANN'S BIG WEEK the Khan the ballet Mt. Sinai

2010-03-20T02:01:00.000-07:00

So, my routine is to work as hard as possible during the week. There are few down times for the kids as I try to fill their poor little heads with as much info as I can about readin', writin' and for 5th grade the social studies of the ancient world. And at the same time trying to cultivate civility among them all so we can have group discussions and other things loftier than fill-in-the-blank worksheets. The latter they actually enjoy -when I hand out such a thing it seems relief floods the room -"This is something we know!" the quiet seems to tell me. They succeed quite well but synthesizing their opinions on a subject and being able to speak about it is much more important so . . . the torture continues!!

But for me, the important thing, is to find ways to enjoy the city and learn more about all the Egypt has to offer as often as possible. I make all the motions of teaching during the week while missing my family and friends (and dog) back home and the trips I plan week-to-week give me the distraction I need and footholds to set my sight on as we get closer to June. Without keeping these footholds in view I could easily slip, make a mistake, or give up entirely. Two weeks age - I had a really "Big Week" of extra curricular activities! Probably too many but . . . when else will I be able to say - I was really busy in Egypt this week.

First, my new friend Sylvia invites me on a tour of the old homes in the Khan. I cannot refuse - what a great chance to see these attractions with local people of the upper class. This is a group organized by friends of the Opera House. We all meet in the parking lot there and I am chagrined to see that I am completely underdressed. To me, the Khan means crowds and shopping and vendors on the streets that are filled with urchins of all shapes and sizes. So, I wear capris - burkenstocks and a light linen painter's jacket. The women here are dressed for an summer evening at a posh 'Sconset cocktail party - only with waaaaaaay more jewelry! Oh well, not representing America well this evening - someone mistakes me for a Russian though and I chose not to correct her so there is hope!

We drive through the city on a big bus to the old gates of Cairo. It seems this metropolis started out inside a finite walled city. From the day the last brick of the wall was put in place until now I think the work on what is Cairo has never stopped! The wall travels along one side of the street and as we turn corners the other side changes setting depending on where we are - city buildings, small shops all lined up in rows with the workers taking their tasks (sewing, fixing cars, serving tea, selling chickens) out to the front of the shops making walking on the sidewalk impossible.Some of the cafes have their tables in the street. Cars are double parked and then their is the parade of pedestrians, donkeys and one horse being led along without a cart, and somehow our big modern bus fits along them all.We pass by a stone wall and since I am so high for once I can see, for the first time, that beyond it is is a shanty town. the corrugated metal and cardboard roofs spread into the distance. I wonder what it could possibly be like in THERE!

We get off the bus and make quite a scene blocking traffic - there are many police around and I realize, of course, this group gets police protection. Horns are honking and now the horse that I saw back a block or two is making his way through our group of course. We walk through "the gate". The gate is an arched entry way through the wall which is about 30 feet high. The wall is also about 30 feet thick so the entrance through it feels like a building with a domed ceiling. You can see how there are places for people to watch from above all the comings and goings here. It is easy to imagine the desert on the outside and the awe that a country person would have entering for the first time.

This section of the Khan was worked on for 17 years to make it look as authentic as possible. Apparently it had been filled with shops and built over etc.. It is so beautiful. Stone everywhere and very majestic feeling.

We separate into groups - English, French, and Arabic and start walking along. We take off our shoes and enter the second biggest mosque in Egypt. Al Hussein Mosque. First we go into one big building and it feels as though we are entering a church but I realize it is only a pass through area to a huge plaza. You can see 1/4 in the photo above. The woman in green is Nagwa Schwaeeb and she is "the right hand" of the president's wife. I do not write her name here as I am not sure if that is a key word best to keep out of a blog. . . . Anyway - it is austere - grand - and peaceful here and a good beginning to our tour. Named for the grandson of Mohamed Ali (NOT the fighter but the prophet) it is a revered place in Egypt. I am so used to listening to Arabic and just trying my best to make sense that I start to follow the Arabic tour group and one women remarks -"I didn't know you speak Arabic!" until then I forgot I could go with the English tour and had just resigned myself to getting bits of pieces - may be this is a step towards picking up the lingo!! I make a quick beeline to the English group this night.

A sample of the feel of all the buildings we walk by in the Khan.

Another mosque further in the center of the Khan.

This is a mausoleum. The actual tomb is behind the wooden structure on the left.

Beautiful ceiling.

One of MANY patterns on the tiled walls.

Details everywhere. I have to come back in the day time so that I can appreciate the colored glass too. When there is not an ornately decorated roof there is the beautiful sky. With only an inch of rainfall a year the roof is redundant - except for providing shade.

This is the prayer part of a mosque and madrasa - the curved column area is where the leader speaks and the curve sends his voice out. This madrasa was for soldiers.

We also visit an Ottoman Turk's home - he was a wealthy merchant and this home has 150 rooms! They are decorated in stone tile and ceramic tile large cushions and rugs and there are wooden "windows" with carvings made for the women to stand behind. With the lighting just so they can see what is going on in the rooms of the house below them but the guests cannot see the women. So interesting to think of the eyes on you as you conduct your business or meet with the owner.

The rooms and hallways are a maze and we all stoop to make our way into passageways. The guide points out the "mouth of hell" a clever wind catcher sort of architectural element. One hall has a high tower like roof. One side of the roof is open to the outdoors - facing north no doubt as that is the prevailing wind direction. There is a wooden shutter to close it if needed. The wind is "caught' and sent down the tower and dispersed through the house just like the fabric wind catchers on sailboats.

Sylvia and me in front of the fountain in the madrasa. The fountains in the center gave a place to get water but also created a kind of air conditioning.

There are many big stone buildings in this area and a couple are pointed out to us as "fountains".They are not fountains as we think of fountains. They are buildings with bowed windows. Giant bowed windows. They are 15 feet tall and are at least 5 feet wide and there are at least three in the curved bow of the building. At the base of the window are many "to-go" windows in a row. This is where a thirsty person could ask for water in ancient days. In order to honor someone this is what the very wealthy and powerful would do - make "fountains" where the water was collected beneath the building and then distributed through the windows.

I finally realize that the Khan is quiet tonight because it is Sunday and almost all the shops are closed. There is virtually no one here. Sylvia and I wonder if the place has been cleared out for our group. There are many many police officers around wherever our little parade of golf carts goes. Did I say we traveled via golf cart? We visit Shagarat El Doors first husband's tomb. She is an interesting Egyptian Queen that it seems all of Egypt loves. She hid the death of her husband so that the enemies they were fighting at the time did not know he was gone and she lead the army on to victory. She then chose between two men to marry and the one she did marry cheated on her and met with an equally unpleasant end. Strong female.

The night just kept going on! We went to yet another part of the Khan and saw and Oud concert. 25 Ouds and students of all ages studying here in Cairo. Many from Iraq. The concert is amazing. Sad sound but peaceful. Like a mandolin sort of. We have a great time listening. I return home at 11pm instead of 7:30 as I thought I would - but very happy and filled with thoughts of old Cairo inside those big walls and gates - soldiers heading to the madrasa, thirsty travelers reaching for water at the fountains and the quiet eyes of Turkish women watching it all behind the wooden cut outs that are their windows on it all.

Later that week . . .I head to the Opera House . . . again! For the Argentinian ballet - Paquita Grand Pas - and for their second Act the Tango - I like both but the Tango was far superior. We see a couple women in spaghetti strap dresses!! And someone smokes in the theater during the performance. Hmmmm.

And then!!! Off to Mt. Sinai on a 100 degree evening. Meet in Tahrir Sq. drive 6 hours climb (or camel) 6 hours then drive 4 hours to get to the beach at Sharm el Sheikk!! Nice!! (touristy and crowded but nice!)

Whew! I lived to tell the tale. Had a decent week at school. Even had a visit from an American teacher's family (and thank goodness they came! They helped me get all 16 essays for mother's day done in time - we were told to do something last minute - Taban!) And had a nice weekend THIS weekend a week later (ending today) at a beach house with Mrs. Farida in Ain Soukhna. Soooo relaxing - I needed a rest!! 9 teaching days till April vacation. Yikes!!

Camels! gamels!

2010-03-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

Camel at rest. These are truly strange creatures. Today is March 19, 2010 and it has been two months since I took these photos but I have been on camels a few times since then. Last week, at Mt. Sinai the second time was the most recent. Look at how the front legs fold and the back legs are even stranger. The day God made camels he also decided how to have road maps fold up. And look at this guys head. I mean, there is no extra flesh - the skull is just below the surface and it is as lumpy as a walnut. The eye sockets bulge out and then . . .where to put the ears?? Oh - just stick them on near the back of the head. I watch the handlers around them and when a camel's head swings toward them they always seem wary - no comfort to me as a tourist!! But, I have never witnessed a camel spitting or biting or whatever you may have heard. Mostly they seem like giant eyeore's resigned to their beast-of-burden lot in life lumbering along. I worry for the humane treatment of the ones that I interact with. Of course, I want no part of mistreating animals but I have no way to tell what's what. The last time I rode a camel the owner kissed his nose and told me he was very happy.

I hope so.

When you are on a camel you cannot believe how high up they are! And the back legs go up first while the front legs are still down -so - the human gets thrown forward for a precarious moment! Their necks are so long - very dinosaur like - and they are attached too low it seems - as though they come out of what should be the camel chest.

They are kinda cute. See the distance between the saddle horns? This is a roomy pyramid saddle. VERY unlike the ones used on the Sinai trek. Those are measured to fit as snugly as humanly possible. I can only imagine that during a two-hour trek up the mountain during a midnight trek some tourists are lulled to sleep and then kerPLUNK! off they go onto their cabeza onto the trail!! So - they get locked in between the saddle horns. Very uncomfortable . . .and going DOWNhill I learned is very painful - even for a girl and for a boy . . .whew! I cannot imagine.

My camel guide said that when Obama came to Egypt they closed down everything as far as the eye could see and the Obama's had a photo shoot next to the camels. No camel riding for Barack!

Russell's camel liked my camel! and Rasha's camel was laughing at us all!

For some reason Russell and Rasha got to drive their camels by themselves but I still had a guide - maybe my camel was not so hungry to go home and would have taken off!

Camels at night. Notice the back hand on the saddle horn. This is a FUTILE maneuver to prevent pain on the rocky road! The guides do not like it when people use flashes and they yell in Arabic when people do. This is what I notice the FIRST time we go up Sinai - me and Russell on little Christmas 1/7/ 09 the day after his 20th birthday. The second time I go up I figure out why. For some reason MANY people choose to shine flashlights towards my camel and my guide shouts to them nervously. Too late - like a moth to a flame my camel quickly ambles over to the light! Of course, in order to keep an eye on the beast the person holding the light keeps shining it on the camel and the whole camel approach is reinforced complete with the guide yelling even more feverishly. At first I am compelled to yell in useless English something about shutting off the light and in poor Arabic mafeesh nur!! to no avail. Soon I give up and just sit there - an unwitting -passenger thinking ohhhh , this is the part where my giant camel squashes some poor tourist . . . oh well . .. .

Here I am on a camel for the second time up Mt. Sinai - I had no idea my camel was so unhappy! He looks hungover at least. And Katja's camel smiled the whole time!! At one point on the trek my guy wanted to go home. The shortest route was going to be off a small cliff and down the the trail below!!! We all held our breaths during a tense moment as he decided at the edge - my guide anxiously speaking Arabic to convince him otherwise . . "Please don't kill the tourist - please, please please . . ." He turned around and my blood pressure started to go back down. What a beautiful night this was with a crescent moon rising over the black black peaks and then the sky turning charcoal right before dawn

Russell with camel in the background - Tabba Sinai - a couple miles from Israeli border.

I have another camel at the beach photo that I cannot find right now. Can't get enough of camels at the beach!!

All for now from camelland!

Russell's Birthday!

2010-03-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Taboola in Garden City. Lebonese food -Shisha and just good all around fun times!! And! Russell's 20th birthday!! What with the trip to Egypt and all it seems redundant to celebrate with a dinner on top but of course we do and have a good evening complete with plenty of purple, pickled vegetables! The table has a sunken tray that spins in the center where they put plenty of small appetizers -each one better than the next. Russell has some sort of bananas with cream dessert. No candles but still yummy and a memorable evening for us both.

Russell, Dawn Paige, Mr. David, Kyera, Rasha, Farida, and her sister Aziza the math wonder who figures out the check for us Mesh'Allah!!

Cairo Opera House

2010-02-27T02:22:00.000-08:00

The view of the beautiful Cairo Opera House. They love their up lighting here! This is a real pearl of the city and I am so surprised that on this holiday evening (it is the prophet Mohamed's birthday) that it is not more crowded. I am here on a whim to see an artist I have read about online Fathy Salama. I come hoping for the best but not exactly sure what I will see. It is great to be out in the evening and to see this city buzzing under lights. There is little traffic on the way in and my taxi is a new vehicle - smooth ride - I am learning to really appreciate this any time I get one!

Here is the view from my cafe table at the Opera House. This is the Cairo Tower. It starts to light up at 7pm - just in time for me to sit and have the most expensive cup of tea ever - 10LE! Oh well - the view was worth it. The lights on the tower change from purple to blue to pink to green and it is quite the show. The Opera House has a lovely courtyard entrance to the Main Hall and my seat provided a good people watching vantage point. In the main hall there is a celebration show for the prophet's birthday. Many people are coming and are very nicely dressed (Jacket and tie are required) I notice that almost all the women, young and old, are veiled meaning they are wearing a head scarf. The whole night I never see a woman with a veil covering her face. I wonder about this and the socio implications. The class system and the religious - political implications. I imagine that people who cover their face think music is haram - forbidden or shameful - so that may be why they are not represented here? No answers for me just lots of questions. I do want to say that veiled women seem to "hang out" with unveiled women. Some even are in the same family. This is the case tonight - I see veiled and the few unveiled arriving together. At one point - out of my site - a woman's raised voice punctuates the murmurs of the crowd. Without translation I can tell she is pissed! Yikes! She is laying someone out but for what I do not know. The others who CAN see her stop and watch. I wait to see their reactions. If they duck and cover I am diving under my marble top table. But . . .they all break out in smiles. I see security guards scurry around and talking into their walkie talkies and still the woman is yelling. I am comforted by the smiles on the bystanders - no weapons visible I presume. However, I have seen what I would deem a completely inappropriate response to a person in need in my own students. They will laugh. At first I would indignantly correct them but I have seen it so often I chalk it up to a cultural difference that I cannot comprehend and should not try to Westernize. This woman is seriously upset and her compatriots chose to smile gleefully about it. It is what it is. I can continue to sip my tea and do so. The yelling fades and people stop gawking and continue inside. I decide to make my way to the "Small Hall" where I will see Fathy.

Two statues of Sekmet flank the entrance to the Cairo Opera House. She is dramatically lit in each of her niches. The complex has many buildings and plaza filled with an eclectic collection of statues. My taxi rides to and from will cost 100LE but my ticket to the show is 20LE. So, in one way it is completely affordable but if you do not have the luxury of getting here somehow then . . . it is not accessible to all.

Here is a large iron statue of a man playing the traditional two stringed instrument.

Even the trees are part of the art. It is lovely to walk around in this well manicured part of Cairo. A real showcase for what could be in this city. A rest for the eyes and mind.

Night before a full moon.

I love looking at all the statues. One is of Jesus on the cross made of many machine-looking bits of metal - a dramatic collage of course and perfectly portraying complexity and somehow pain. One is a white slab of a woman lying - a naked woman I am curious to see. It reminds me of the plaster casts of the empty spaces made in the lava of Pompeii where the bodies of the victims were covered and later left cavities that perfectly describe the person who tried to escape. There is modern art as well. At first I think I am looking at a large metal octopus but then see it is an abstract. As I walk along one statue moves - stands up! and I realize I have come upon a security guard at rest. Yikes! Time to go to the theater.

Looking at the ticket (sorry it's sideways I can't figure it out!) I see that this complex is more Islamic looking than ancient Egypt looking. It has the feel of a mosque. As I wait to go in the small hall I realize that in complete reverse of the crowd headed to the main hall the women here are unveiled. There are VERY few veiled women and the ones who are veiled are ALL young. What this means I do not know but it cannot be a coincidence. I just observe it. A man sits next to me and we chat. He is traveling here from Stockholm and his opinions are soooo typical. He likes the ancient history and is completely turned off by the pollution - filth in the streets - and aggressive hawking and begging found at every turn here in Egypt. He agrees that the people themselves are some of the nicest, most friendly people of any country ever. He, like me, wonders aloud how can Egypt survive itself? It seems to us both that a change has to happen - just what change will it be? I almost tear up when his response to my telling him my plans to be here to June is a shocked - "Well, that's toooo long!!" My sentiment more and more at this point but . . . a commitment is a commitment.

Luckily we are treated to one of the best evenings I have had in Cairo! A wonderful 2 hour - no intermission show of Asian / African / fusion jazz I don't know what. One keyboard player - one accordion player - one electric base and no less than FIVE percussionists! WOW! and one tiny little female singer with a giant voice. So great. They spoke and sang in Arabic and French so I understood very little. But appreciated it all. I will go again and am happy to have one more thing on my list of things to look forward to these next 4 months - Insha'Allah.

Cairo Opera House

Fathy Salama

Karima Nayt

Unusual Rain in Cairo on a Typical day

2010-02-27T01:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a view of Tahrir Square on an unusual rainy day. I think this might be a magnolia tree but it seems too tall! Whatever it is the red leaves are dramatic. A loud cry to observe a little nature in this metropolis where, unfortunately, I think most people are too busy paying attention to the traffic so that they are not killed by a speeding car to look up for a moment an appreciate this gift a testimony to the tenacity (an audacity?) of nature.

The architecture hints at Egypt's hey days.

These remind me of Boston somehow.

View from the entrance of the ministry building where we got our visa renewed. So many billboards! And of course, the ubiquitous M for MacDonald's. In this old city it seems it should be carved in stone! Very unusual rainy day. I was completely under dressed and cold! I never remember to check the weather as it usually only fluctuates by a few degrees. Well, I was caught out this day. We went to a local coffee shop while we waited for the paperwork and I had a hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks. Yum.

We found out about having to go to the ministry the evening before. It is always hurry up and wait and then rush ! when we get something done around here. I have to rearrange a carefully planned day at school once again. I wish I had a chart with a mark on it for every day that I planned that went according to plan. There would be very few checks! Today is an important day for my children - we have a big assembly and one test. There is a plan in place for my students to have additional Arabic lessons but this I only learn as I am going out the door after I have carefully made sure my classes are covered. I throw my hands up and leave my children to the fates - I will find out what they accomplish during the day when I get back. Our principal thinks we will be back by 10:30!! Her view of reality is so skewed it boggles my mind. The earliest we could have made it back was 12:45 but we stop at the bank in order to get paid - a necessary trip every month that we Americans plan for ourselves ( the other Americans will not get paid 'til Sunday now since we had the bus and driver - everybody for themselves around here!) But back to the visa. We need this sticker in our passport or else we are A. and illegal alien, and B. cannot travel from Egypt. We Americans remind the administration that this needs to be done - not the other way around. We are sent on this important errand with a man who works at the school and a driver - both of whom speak English pretty well but neither of whom can explain this whole visa process to us. A lawyer meets us but both A. and I have seen him at work before and we are skeptical. So, A. calls a woman at school who speaks English better and she translates our questions and requests via phone for us. I am getting used to surrendering. It is not a pleasant situation but it is what it is. We want to be in control and understand what is happening and we never will. We are like children at the mercy and the whims of today's officials and our guides - some of whom appear to be far less particular with details that we ever would be. In order to express ourselves completely we have to be obnoxious - which is also very tiring. All in all - the last minute rush - rain - cold- confusion - translation difficulties -and our having to communicate aggressively - it is an annoying and too typical day. I wish I was somewhere else where everything is clear and I am in charge of myself. Shoveling out of the fifth snowstorm in a row seems like heaven! Later this night we have a big storm with Lightening and thunder and I see on the internet some people in Ma'adi get hail! It suits my mood just fine.

The happy ending is that we do get our visas. They are 6th month visas - but as you can see mine ends in September which is 7 months. Egyptian math? We do not question a thing! Love the pyramids in my passport. Work is not permitted. Again, no questions - this is the best they can do for us and the most security that our employers will offer. I have a visa and a beautiful photo of those brilliant red leaves - the sun comes out for a bit in the afternoon and the assembly and test take place - chaotic all around - but the are completed so there is that - time to look to the next day.

2010-02-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'm a terrible blogger. How can it be almost a month since my last posting? Well, I have done a lot and need to catch up!

Went on a Nile cruise with Russell that I will catch up on later.

For now it is February here and my mind is at home on Nantucket. Even though it is warm enough to wear sandals and shorts I spend my days thinking of snow drifts and long walks on the rare days without wind on the moors. A visit from Jess and Adam no doubt has much to do with this. They have breathed some ACK life into this apartment and it is a good thing! Finally I have Jess to compare good rock finds with (what is it about us islanders? we like our rocks) and I can joke with both without explaining - or editing! Again seeing Egypt through the eyes of newer visitors - the traffic - the money - the cats! and of course there is bravery in numbers and I have sat down at the pigeon restaurant. I had tea while they ate the stuffed pigeon. Apparently I ordered it correctly even though I usually mispronounce pigeon and get bathroom (and vice versa).

So, let me tell you about the pigeon eating - it is in an alley in "the khan" which is local short for Khan el Khalil which I canNOT pronounce! lots of back of the throat hhhhks. The khan is thousands of little shops all smushed together in a crowded little warren of ancient buildings.

Farrahat, the "restaurant" is literally in one of the many allies. The alley is about 8 feet wide and has shops on both sides. The tables are snug against one side and business is brisk! We are told to "have a sit" in the plastic waiting chairs tucked inside . . .a shop? I think. But we only wait a few minutes before we are seated. The table is snug against the corrugated metal wall of another shop. It has a vinyl cloth that is quickly wiped. The crowds keep passing by as we give our order and take all our touristy photos. The food comes surprisingly quickly! Plates of hummus, pickled vegetables, and glasses of soup! A very unique presentation of soup. Of course there is a basket of baladi the local pita like bread. When the birds are served it is unglamorous. One golden brown, headless, stuffed pigeon per plate - pick it up and eat it with your hands! Jess and Adam said it was good and tasted somewhere between chicken and duck. I loved my tea. There were lots of locals there - very dressed up! Go figure.

The real fun is below the table where feral cats swarm looking for the bones to be tossed to them - very aggressive little guys! We decided to leave when it got to be too much. They looked like they wanted to jump on the table but didn't!

Afterwards we walked around the corner to a more conventional looking cafe with outdoor seating for Egyptian Pancakes or fatir. Yum! Two please! One savory - pizza and one sweet with cream, honey, and cinnamon. Good people watching as well!

After that we walked through the tunnel that goes under the traffic of the main road into an even older and narrower allied area in order to see the sufi dancers. They were mesmerizing. We did not want the drumming, chanting, and spinning to end. . . .but it did and we "enjoyed" a classic death-defying taxi ride home. Our amazement of the sufis still swam in our heads and blended with our amazement at the taxi fitting through impossibly small spaces between the vehicles in front of us on the highway! Mind over matter on both counts!

Wow!

Now as I write this I listen to both the call to prayer coming through my open window and the school closings announcements on MVY radio. Strange world . . . strange strange world . . .

Mt. Sinai Part II

2010-01-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

It's hard to walk after riding a camel for almost two hours believe me. And the "saddles" they have at the pyramids are roomy unlike the ones at Mr. Sinai which have horns that are snug up against you in front and back. My lower back still has a tender spot where the horn in back rubbed. Don't you hate when that happens?

Anyway - we were on our own from the time we got off the camel. We knew the rest of the group was a ways behind so we decide to head up the rest of the way on our own - myself -T. and M.. I know there are a lot of people on this mountain but it does not feel crowded. We see some folks ahead and behind and can hear the voices of people speaking around us. Camels are along the path still waiting to go back down later. Even though it is still very dark we can see how far we have come by looking below and seeing the lights from flashlights marching along in little lines.

We walk quietly along the path. Now we have to concentrate and use our flashlights to make our way over the rocks in the path and around the turns. The time for star gazing is over except for little rests. We go inside one of the huts and sit for a cup of coffee and some warmth. It feels goooood! The chill of the night is starting to get to us an I am wondering how I am going to do for the rest of the evening. People come in to the hut speaking all sorts of languages but all of us feeling pretty excited about nearing the top now. We all forget that it is 3in the morning and we should be sleeping.

We head out of the hut and begin the direct ascent up a path/stairway made of rocks stacked on top of one another. I am glad it is dark and that I cannot see how truly frightening this is (I see it on the way down in a few hours). We are very very out of breath and need to stop every 10 steps or so. As we go up we pass our fellow climbers resting on the sides - a kind of hiking leap frog. I am astounded that there is more and more to climb every time we take a turn. More little huts and more path to climb! We notice animal droppings on the steps. No camel could come here so we surmise that little donkeys must bring the supplies up the stairs. Finally, we get to what they promise us is the very last group of huts. I look up and see the flashlights of those ahead of us snaking up very high in a single file. We continue.

Finally - we make it to the top - there is a small structure there - I was not expecting it to be built on! A cement balcony type structure. Everyone looks for places to sit or stand. And of course there are Bedouin selling things and renting blankets and small pads for sitting on. They are relentless in their hawking! I imagine a good joke - to wait until we are heading down and going up to one of them saying, "You had blankets for rent?!! Why didn't you TELL us??" But it is just a thought and everyone tolerates their noise quite well.

Russell and the rest of the group arrive just as the sky turns from pitch black to dark gray lined with dusty rose.It is quiet. Singing begins and I recognize one of the songs - "How Great Thou Art" but the words are different. Then I realize it is in English and French and the little nuns are singing in their language and maybe even another one or two languages. All simultaneously. Beautiful! Everyone claps and cheers at the end! Amazing Grace is sung and a few others.

The sky turns red, orange, blue and the shadows of the mountain stretch out in back of us.

I am looking forward to the warmth! There are about 300 of us all facing East and waiting for the marvelous gift of a new day. Something we all take for granted every day. A cheer goes up when the first ray reaches out from around the corner of a peak in the distance. The day has begun and we all start it together on top of Mt. Sinai.

2010-01-15T09:32:00.000-08:00

Mt Sinai. We arrive in the late afternoon and are pleasantly surprised that the “hotel” is very ski lodge-esque without the snow of course. It is toasty around the large pool so we all relax and soak up some sun and marvel at the clean air! All around us are the mountains that make up the interior of the Sinai peninsula; ghosts of those in exile sit on the ridges and contemplate our presence.

We want to see the ‘town” so the 12 of us pile into the small bus and take the 5 minute drive down the road to the tiny town – think Sconset for size (after Armageddon as far as the look of the place goes). Of course we see some boys playing a soccer game as we do almost everywhere we go in

Egypt

. We are told to buy flashlights if we want to have them on the mountain later on. Some of the group wonder if we could have been told to bring these from our homes (I did bring mine) but I am well past wondering anything about the lack of organization or logic here in Egypt. I have my own hypothesis of the effects of sleep depravation, stress, and malnourishment on intelligence. After a few futile complaints people purchase the flashlights. We walk the one and only block to a café in a tent.

There is a couple hours before dinner. It is not too cold in the tent and there are a couple pool tables and a shisha area so we stay. Some order dinner Russell and I play pool with Brianna and Steve. Rasha joins us and plays pool for the first time. Now she can say, “I learned how to play pool on Mt. Sinai” which is pretty damn cool if I don’t say. The manager comes to play with us and I get worried when he calls to a boy standing by and some special pool playing gloves are fetched for him. Luckily we are not playing for money and it is all friendly!! I have to tell you about the tables. They have seen better days. We are about 6 hours from any form of civilization of course. If the tables could tell their stories they would probably be best sellers! They have the name Riley in leather on each mesh pocket. And little brass plates with the Arabic name of the pool table supplier on one end. They must have come from some hotel is all I can come up with. And how did they make it to this little town on Mt. Sinai?? One table has such a list that it is impossible to set the balls up and take the triangle off! I can’t imagine playing on it. The other has a serious list but we decide it is the same for everyone and have fun playing. The green is stapled to the table and some of the wooden edges are stapled too. A Frankenstein table! It is good to us though and we all have fun.

After a couple of us eat some dinner a pretty cake appears complete with pineapple slices arranged on top. We are all served a piece and it is delicious. It is free we think but we are not sure. Unwisely no one asks. And the whole story about how the cake came to be is contemplated out loud by some of us. But this is such a typical confusion of translation that I have to describe it. We are told that our group leader ordered it for a guy who works there and is having a birthday. This is in English – sort of. When we ask Karim – the group leader – he knows nothing. We all sing to the man whose birthday it is and then belly dancing music is put on. The men dance together for a bit which is the custom here. Then they invite the girls to dance and it occurs to me that the whole scene is a ruse! I ask to leave ASAP. Our Egyptian guides say it is fine to leave and we do. People are cold and those of us who have not eaten anything yet want to go to the lodge for our included meal. As per Egypt there was not a time or plan for this stop so we just say what we want when we want it. I am still not sure exactly what was going on there at the café at the end and no one attempted to clarify the whole scene etc.. Very typical. I am tired of not knowing the language. I try to rely on my instincts and then think I am paranoid . . . but what else can I do?

When we arrive back at the lodge we are surprised to see MANY people. It was positively sleepy in the afternoon when we got there. Now there are very large groups milling about and heading to the large dining hall. The food is ok – a big buffet and too much Egyptian glop for my taste but plenty of starchy rolls and pasta so we eat. Then off to bed setting our alarms for 12:45 so that we can be in the lobby by 1AM! For all of us the alarms come MUCH too soon and we all remark that it was pretty hard to understand where we were when they woke us up! We all bundle ourselves up as best we can and meet in the hallway ready or not!!

There is an assortment of improvised cold weather gear. I am worried about my feet in my sneaker/water shoes. Not sure if they were made for 6 hours of hiking on rocky terrain. I have yoga pants on under my jeans and I am grateful that Russell brought a polypropylene shirt and a wool sweater. I have my black winter cap and a skinny scarf accessory. One of the guys is wearing a business type wool car coat! All he needs is his briefcase! A couple of the girls have just piled on t-shirts and sweatshirts and are well padded. A woman my age has pants and a skirt on but she has a head lamp. Off we go!

Outside there are busses loading with many people. So much for a peaceful commune with nature! We can’t help but feel like sheep. When we get to the base of the mountain we are anxious to get started – we are one of the last groups to head up and it feels as though we have been left behind. After only 15 minutes of walking my plan to ride a camel up most of the mountain is confirmed with shortness of breath and pain in my lungs. I feel as though I have developed instant pneumonia. I had been hoping to walk the whole way with Russell, and save money, . . . and not experience the fright of getting on a camel again but it is not to be. Our group and Egyptian guide melds into a group of Bedouin men who appear out of the darkness. There is a lot of harsh Arabic and I surmise that the men are haggling over who will guide our group. I am glad that I am not negotiating with them! Our Egyptian guide is a tiny young woman who shows some tenacity and finally we are introduced to Mahmoud who will guide us. I, and two others, are introduced to another man and instantly led off into the dark – in search of camels. All of a sudden I feel sad that I did not say good-bye to Russell and my friends!!

I am feeling better about my choice of taking a camel since a young 23-year old guy (wearing the wool business coat) has also taken this option as well as a woman almost as old as I am. Wherever I go there are no age mates for me!! We saw plenty of folks at the lodge who were in the 40s and up including an entire gaggle of Korean nuns in their sensible gray wool habits and their sturdy black shoes.

So, in the dim half-moon light we make our way on the path lined with boulders. I can hear the deep gurgly rumbling of the camels a short ways away, truly an unusual and otherworldly sound especially as a chorus!!! The boulders got quite large and then one moved!! My eyes and brain instantly adjusted and I realized they were CAMELS! Yikes ! Lots of camels! Finally I am led to mine and climb on. He complains mightily but is finally brought to his feet and we are off.

The stars are out!! Our joy at the fresh air of the afternoon turns to wonder at the deep velvet night sky and all the stars. I have not seen them since our last trip to the Sinai in October and this display is far more fantastic. The rugged slopes of the mountains reach down to our path and I can see an occasional fire lit up above us. Positively biblical.

The sounds are quiet ones. Scrabbling rocks under the camels’ feet. They can skid a bit as they try to make their way – a nerve wracking sound when it’s your camel skidding but I got used to it . . . sort of. Our guide walked along side and talked to himself in a hoarse whispery voice. I was not sure what exactly he was saying – it had a prayer like quality to it whatever it was and oddly comforting. Every once in a while he would call to the camels each a different name or three different commands. And my camel was pretty reluctant! Once he tried to turn around and a couple times the guide had to pull on his leash a bit. Each time we went by other camels the guide also led him by his harness – seems that my camel liked hanging out with other camels – a sociable fellow!! We also had to stop to adjust the saddle which I take had come loose and was in danger of slipping around the camel’s waist – with me in it! We stopped on the side of the mountain and a wide point in the trail although noone passed us. Just me, the camel, and two cigarette smoking guides chatting away in Arabic. Seemed just like a couple guys changing a tire! It was sooo quiet.

At the higher hairpin turns there were little huts selling stuff of course! Water, coffee, tea. And every time we turned I would look up and there would still be sooo much more mountain left to go! I was so grateful for the camel! People had told me about taking the camel when I mentioned going and I am glad I was psyched on taking it from the get-go. So, if you ever go to Mt. Sinai – take the camel!!

Finally we had to get off – we were at the end of the civilized part of the journey. Now for the 700 steps. Next blog entry!!

Time to think about the great time I had with Russell!

2010-01-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

Spending the day today, Friday Jan 15, inside writing and hanging out. My travels with Russell were amazing and I want a chance to reflect on them for a bit. Will do my heart good.

As for the birds and the water dish (see below) it was a no go. They are too timid and never came to it. Plus it fills with dirt very quickly! I am sooooo worried for my lungs here!! I rearranged my posters this week and all around the edges are dark grey outlines. This is inside my house in just a month with the windows shut! Ughhhh! I am so curious to know if the lung cancer rate here is high (it HAS to be!) but of course there is a lot of smoking too. We see that the kids become out of breath quite quickly for the most part. I have always thought it was because they sit inside with all their video games all the time since Egypt is NOT really the kind of place where you encourage your child to go outside! Now I am thinking they may all be slightly asthmatic!!

OK, update coming! Off to write!

Vacation with Russell begins

2009-12-30T04:32:00.000-08:00

Ahhh contentment. It feels as though Russell has been here all along and it hasn’t even been 24 hours yet! So strange to have him here finally - I cannot stop smiling!

As I expected he was up at 5am this morning! I told him my theory on jet lag – it is your STOMACH that keeps the old clock and makes it hard to adjust. So, of course, by 5 am (the equivalent of 10 PM the night before) your stomach is saying –“Hey! Didn’t we miss dinner? Where’s dinner?” and it wakes you up.

Even though I was sleepy I got up too around 7 ish. After a small breakfast we took what we thought would be a short walk (10 min) to the local gas station / grocery store. Got to show him the laundry hanging out at the unfinished buildings where people live - even one laundry stretch that had a rooster walking along the clothes - not sure how clean THAT laundry was! That is when I found out the little grocery store is not open at 9am so we went further (20 min) to the “big” mall and grocery store. This building is not full with stores but has about 5 restaurants including Chinese and Italian plus some fast food ones and does have a modern, almost all English, grocery store in the sub ground basement level. How we were gong to ascend the elevator with our grocery carts was a mystery to me the first time we shopped there until a couple of grocery workers came and grabbed all our bags and went up with us. We tip them a pound each and it is all good. The amount of people here in Egypt makes the impossible possible – and for some reason always reminds me of the catering world back home!

We toured around the grocery store and I think Russell was a little disappointed at its Westernization. (Have I mentioned that we are not know as the “American teachers” but as the “Westerners? ‘Git along little doggie!) But it is still fun to look around! On our way home the driver for the director of the school drove up to us to give us a ride back. At first I was shaking my head “No thank you.” for the ride since we get a lot of beeps from the taxis and Suzukis that are for the public who want to know if we need them. I thought that Houssein was one of them at first and was really happy to see his smiling face behind the wheel of the Mercedes SUV.

On the way home he told us his wife had a baby girl yesterday! This cleared up something he told me on Christmas Eve which I did not understand at the time and he must have mixed up his usually excellent English. He had told me that his wife was giving a baby to the mosque! Now I even knew what to say – “Mubarak!” I think that means Happy or Congratulations – but have yet to look it up and check. Either way I think it is acceptable. He will go to see his family tomorrow he said. I hope he is right since I know that the director of the school is very busy and does not drive. So, she cannot get things done if he is not around and I have heard him say he was going to see his family and then noticed that he did not go. The most I could do was say “Humdi la le” (thank God!) and congratulations! and silently hope he gets to see them tomorrow.

The lack of clear communication affects everyone here! It is very frustrating for us “Westerners” who demand a lot of communication on a regular basis. So, I can only imagine what it is like for the other classes who are just told what will happen – as it is happening. We go through phases where we completely give up trying to ascertain what is going on – with everything from what our students' abilities and needs are to what are these exam days on the calendar (still do NOT know the answer to that one) to– is anyone working on the water today? But, if we go too long in that mode of not asking and not knowing we realize we have to make the effort to open some dialogue up and then go right back to making little questioning moments in the hallway or emails etc. and then share info amongst ourselves back at the residence. It is completely foreign to us to be in such an unprofessional situation! We all shake our heads and just muddle along as best we can. Of course, on the best days, when we can get information about ANYTHING it is also futile because often the best info they can give us is “We don’t know.” It is so ingrained in our culture to be as efficient as possible and as informative as possible that this one culture clash causes the most unhappiness. It is too bad since it does not cost any money to fix and would improve things in many directions. Oh well, Egypt.

So, now Russell is sound asleep but he must get up! We want to go explore Ma’adi – take a felucca ride, buy cookies from the fun cookie store, and have dinner at a restaurant that is on a patio under a BIIIIIG tent! Fun! And of course, a few days after you arrive in Egypt you can use your passport to buy liquor so that will be a fun mother-son activity too. In the usual liquor stores you can only buy beer or wine but in the duty free you can get other flavors too. And he needs a haircut! First one since he shaved his head last May.

It is strange – I want Russell to see all the amazing and wonderful parts of Egypt – the Nile – the history – meet the friendly people. But I do NOT want him to see the layer that also makes this place a virtual dystopia – the poor – the pollution – the mistreated animals. But, here in Egypt you have to take the good with the bad. It is a lesson for everywhere but one that is harshly taught here. Now I get to see Egypt again – with his eyes and my showing him what I know so far. It will illuminate much for us both and I know we will be happy together whatever we do. Wish us luck!

Birds - Driving - Poetry!!

2009-12-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

In an effort to update this more frequently than I did in November I am not going to worry about grouping similar info together! So, here is a disjointed collection of thoughts from Egypt!

I am really enjoying the chirping birds that occasionally sit on my balcony. I have put out a tray of water and hope it ends up being a visiting spot for them. Of course, this reminds me of working at NCC on Nantucket and the bird feeders and bird baths in S.'s back yard. The quiet yard might be white and covered with snow or gray on a drizzly day - the visits from the MANY birds would be a highlight during our lunch breaks. I have not seen colorful birds here yet. They all seem to be tern like birds. With darker markings. Black heads, small black bibs on their chests and some sort of stripey pattern when their wings are out. And they love to chirp!! The only other bird I saw was a big surprise. It flew down to the dirt road in front of me and at first looked like a larger version of the above. Then it's head totally changed shape as it displayed a good-sized red crest! Cool! we don't get that much on Nantucket! At the time my elderly brain could only come up with . . "Look, that bird has a . . . dinosaur thing on its head!"

Will keep you posted on the water dish for the birds.

Now, about the driving on the highway. So, yes, I think that 70 miles and hour is slow now! I have serious worries about my driving habits when I get home! Here is one more driving instruction for you all in case you have to drive in Egypt any time soon. .

On the way through the Sinai you drive on very rudimentary two-lane "highway" (think 'Sconset Road without ANY vegetation for as far as the eye can see and then even farther!). And sometimes you cannot see up ahead very well due to a hill or curve. There are NO turns off this road - either you are going East or West - that's it. So, we were following a bus and it had it's right blinker on and I said "He forgot to turn off his blinker." and our driver Ahmad said "No, he is talking to me!".

The right blinker on the bus ahead of us was telling A. to stay to the right - or behind the bus - because the bus driver could see a car coming in the distance. Sure enough a couple cars whizzed by shortly afterwards. Then his blinker on the right shut off and on the left turned on. A. said it was now safe to go by the slower moving bus and we did! As we passed we beeped a one-beep "thanks" and the bus beeped a one-beep "your welcome!". And that is how you pass a bus on the highway in the Sinai!

We are working on planning Poetry Month for February in our school. I think the quest to be excellent observers, more keenly aware of feelings, and better interpreters of words and phrases will benefit us all - students and teachers alike and I hope the whole experience adds a layer of integrity to our teaching and just our BEING at school. We American teachers brace ourselves while hoping for such lofty accomplishments - the soufle could fall!! but, better to try a soufle that to just eat crackers allll the time! We are using Georgia Heard's Awakening the Heart as a guide and I am so grateful to R., my fellow in-the-know teacher, for bringing it to my attention. You should check it out too if you want to see some of the activities we hope to encourage at school for the month ( forever?) A wonderful map and compass for us to refer to - I will keep you posted on how the journey goes and what our eventual destination is!

OK - gotta go! Birds - Driving - Poetry that's enough for one entry! Next time - How IS my Arabic learning coming and WHY is it so hard!!!

Off to some Art Galleries - Grocery Shopping - meeting with the Principal - yay! A little over 24 hours til Russell comes!!!

Vacation December 2009

2009-12-26T04:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Day After Christmas!

Spent a nice day yesterday with the other two teachers who remained here during vacation. Made a nice “soccer team” brunch ala Whaler soccer! French toast casserole, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, YUM! Then went to Maggie’s (she is from Fiji but lived in VT for 8 years a while ago) beautiful home in Ma’adi with her wonderful family. Turkey dinner! Her husband and his 3 siblings (Americans) lived in Cairo as children and now they live with their spouses all over the world. Their mom lives in DC now but basically lived everywhere in the world and still travels all over. One in India, on family in Columbia, one in California and then Maggie’s in Egypt I think their 9^th country?? Lovely, kind, and interesting family and we were so grateful to be included in their celebration.

Of course, the highlight of MY day was SKYPING in to my home in Nantucket. Casey, Russell, Geoff, Becca, Charles, and Friday were all there – and I got to say hello to everyone. AND! See the snow!! Nice!

Funny story about Maggie and me. We have a mutual friend of course! Her friend from Fiji – Annette – and I met at Harvard when I was doing my masters in 96. Small world!!

Here in Egypt I am getting used to the new apartment and the neighborhood. Checking the water/electricity/internet service is like the weather for the day “Spotty hot water in the AM changing over to completely steaming and no cold by evening – excellent internet reception throughout the day followed by a complete electricity blackout during the early evening. For those of you staying up late enough you will be able to see the lights on in the residence through the use of the generator and the only other light visible in the night sky will be the red flashing light at the top of the fake palm tree/cell tower.” Today – right now – all the elements of the universe are aligned and we have it all! And I am grateful!

Even though every building I can see from my balcony is empty we went for a walk and found that there is a more (relatively speaking) established area just behind the mosque. There is a large school – looks pretty traditional ie poor – complete with busted glass windews - and more inhabited houses. We also found a huge construction supply “mall” so if we need to buy a sink – or gallons of paint which is more likely – we are allll set!

here is a google earh view of the school from a year or so ago - not much around us has changed but the school is more finished.

We also timed the walk to school – 22 minutes - and then continued past it to time the walk to the local gas station (gas stations seem to always have a small market AND coffee shop and therefor is a HANGOUT!! Yes, I am beginning to hang out at gas stations! Every time I do I think – If they could see me now . . . ) which only added another 10 minutes. Also there is a new McDonald’s!! Of course!! Then we kept walking through MAJOR construction area (complete with many folks in hard hats and BIG machinery unlike around the school and residence where manual labor is building everything one stick and one brick at a time) to time the walk to the bank – 45 minutes total! Doable now when it is not hot! but I am afraid that by early-mid April will be impossible.

A bonus of this trip was our finally checking out an “eatery” we have always wondered about that is visible from the way we approach the bank. It is called the “Time Out” on its sign written in English. We all have a good chuckle at the irony of teachers going to Time Out. We never rushed over there to check it out as it is literally up against some piles of fill near our bank since it is an unfinished office building and there are many in this strip. The “roof” of the “Time Out” is tent like and looks really, really local i.e. we thought probably a little too rustic and a little too much risk for tummy trouble if we went. R. and I were VERY pleasantly surprised!! That is the back door entrance to the group of FOUR different outdoor restaurants!! And the front door side is very complete and modern looking. YAY! Seating at all of them is on comfy couches and they have big screen TVs too so now we know where to watch soccer – VERY important. One had wireless interent (we think! The English was Shway shway. One had Shisha and one had a beautiful setting with each table under its own little tent (getting addicted to my own little tents!) but a more expensive menu. And the people there were all dressed in Western fashion and style so more comfortable for us. We are here for the exotic experience but every so often it is nice to take a break! So, “meet you at “Time Out” may become an oft used message – we’ll see!

In addition to exploring the neighborhood this week I am also thinking a lot about teaching. It is interesting to be “learning” about Christmas and the lessons it teaches us all during this week off when I am also supposed to be regrouping for this next term at ISE. Not that I mean to compare my teaching with that of Jesus and/or any of the prophets but I am just thinking about teaching and “lessons” and their multiple layers all the time this week.

(There is so much to learn about the Christian faith here! I thought I was a pretty well-schooled Catholic but by adding all the authentic Middle Eastern themes and traditions to the stories they have become fuller, richer stories. The multiple layers of cultural references that I knew nothing about before and their metaphor and symbolism also continue to intrigue me.)

So, I find myself wondering what are we REALLY accomplishing here in our little school? Some of us wish we could just have a class that would come in to the room, find a seat, get out their supplies, and be ready for some interesting dialogue and practice! That is a looooong list of wishes here since we think that these children have only been ordered around like trained circus animals in their past schools. We have tried to give them the freedom to operate independently and for the sake of getting to learn (which they DO want!) but it seems to be too much freedom too soon. So, there are many trials and tribulations and sometimes by the time everyone is sitting and ready and not fussing 15 minutes or MORE have gone by. We shake our heads wondering if it is worth it but I know it is. If we can get through this year getting the kids to respect the idea of “This School is for You!” will we have accomplished much. Then next year there will be a core of students who know the ropes and will be able to show the new students (who will no doubt experience the same shock at not being ordered around every step of the way) how to participate.

So, classroom management has taken up a majority of the teaching time here and that causes frustration but I think I will have to remind everyone that it is OK to be teaching that – in as kind and gentle a way as we possibly can. It will mean a lot for the future of the school! And if there is less social studies learning then so be it! They will catch up later.

The MAJOR classroom management challenge here is the volume of the classroom and the amount of talking out of turn and off-topic that occurs. It is partly because of their complete lack of training in the last few years but also it is partly cultural. The Egyptians here do talk over each other and they are loud! It is impossible to run our classrooms this way though so we are retraining a new culture to adopt at school. This is pervasive through all the grades and even with some of the Egyptian teachers. So! If the teacher is loud then the classroom is loud! Walking down the hall some days I am sure you would see my eyeballs popping out of my head when I hear just the type of sound coming from a room!! WOW! We each seem to have a story of shame where we cannot believe the words that have left our lips in order to maintain some sense of order! That is very frustrating and for the most part we are left on our own in this wilderness to cope without any help from the admin. They are too busy trying to put out fires to possibly notice any details such as “What is getting taught here?” Luckily this group is completely dedicated to the ART of teaching even though there are many who have little experience and are still learning what that means. So, we fumble along and support each other as best we can. It may be the effect of vacation and distance from the classroom, but today I have confidence. I hope it lasts for a little while at least once we are back in session – for myself and others.

We had parent conferences recently and here a few tid bits:

Most parents say there is toooo much homework. Something I suspected from the get-go and have asked for help with coordinating among the EIGHT! Teachers that the children see! We have yet to coordinate though! My homework is minimal reading each night and practice spelling for the most part. We do not use the 5^th Grade social studies book much since it is written for accomplished American 6-8^th grade students who speak English. There is so much wrong with using this particular text with my ESL Egyptian 5^th grade students that I cannot go into it. However, I think other teachers ARE using their Textbooks-That-Shouldn’t-Be-Used and forcing the students to pour over them for a couple hours each night with their parents. These students, for the most part, are pretty high strung as are their parents and I cannot bear to add this stress on to their evenings!

One parent asked if I could add more competitions to the week’s work. Her son, she said, would do better if I made it all a contest. This is a VERY common theme and one that the Egyptian teachers respond to. They have competitions all the time and give prizes – small toys and candy – to the best students. The students are obsessed with points and scores etc.. BUT! If I say “Do your best work.” When I hand out an assignment – they all ask what it means and how can they tell if they are doing it right!! This dichotomy in the school is extremely frustrating for us American teachers. We do have to deal with it eventually but it is so embedded in the system that we are stymied as how to go about changing. Again, no voice from the admin. We do not have a teaching hand book etc.. and it already feels as though the Egyptian teachers are feeling undervalued so cannot choose this battle yet.

For now, I do not grade! Ever! I will correct – using my trusty red pen – so children can see where they need to work on skills or redo something. They are getting used to the idea that few red marks means they did pretty well! BUT! Every once in a while I will say “You will get extra points if you do this!”. Of course, they do not get ANY points in the first place but every time I get more effort out of them after announcing this! More head shaking on my part!! I had to explain that I did not need a grade on a paper in order to know if they are “good” at reading, writing, spelling, speaking, and understanding. I have done this a few times and I THINK they are getting the idea that I can observe their skills accurately just by how well they read, write, and speak as they are before me in the classroom and that numbers on their papers cannot tell me any more. We are getting there!! Now if the E. teachers could join in!

For the parent who asked for a competition in order for her son to learn I answered without skipping a beat. I told her there IS a competition in my classroom EVERY day! She seemed incredulous. Of course, the language barrier makes all of us second guess what we are hearing so incredulous looks are pretty common here! I told her that each student is expected to do better than they did the day before every time they walk in my classroom.They compete with their own performance each day! I told her that I take note of everything they do from how they walk, sit, get ready, turn in homework, take turns speaking, take turns reading, etc. etc.. And judge how much better they are doing from the day before. She was silent and thoughtful and then smiled. I am not sure if she really got it but am chalking it up to the first of many conversations. I can just imagine the phone calls between parents that night. “Did you hear what Mrs. MaryAnn said?”, “She has competitions every day!” and “She even counts how well the kids SIT!” I hope they are all amazed!! I can only wonder if my students are practicing walking and sitting with their parents during this vacation!! (probably!)

I am going to wrap this up now. I have to go read about Sumer and then the Hebrew kingdoms. The more I know about the view of Jews here the more I am curious about how teaching that unit will go! And we all want to study poetry school-wide for the month of February and we actually want to PREPARE beforehand!! And we want to include the observation of ART with this study at the risk of worrying the parents that the children will learn nothing during this month - MORE education to do! So lots for ME to learn as well in absolutely every direction! I will keep you posted. And I have to say MY students ARE getting it – 4^th and 5^th seem to be mostly civilized (4^th more so than 5^th) so I have a handle on things and hope it just gets better and better.

AND! Russell comes in three days!! Today is Saturday and he arrives on Tuesday at 5ish! Can’t wait! And we will explore Egypt together so that will be fun to report back to you on as well. Can’t wait to share it with him – and you all!

2009-12-19T03:30:00.001-08:00

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for more blog on our Christmas time adventures!

Merry Christmas From Egypt!

2009-12-19T02:26:00.000-08:00

Here I am sitting in the sun streaming through the window of an elementary school in New Cairo, Egypt sending well wishes to friends and family. Truly a surreal activity! I hope you are all enjoying the festivities and peace and love of the holiday season.

What is Christmas like in

Egypt

? Well, there is little notice of it really although even Moslems observe the holiday with a family dinner since they revere Jesus as a prophet. Some stores have American holiday tunes in the background but most don’t. When we ride in taxis they play only the local music. Stores with Christmas decorations are few and far between but we have been finding them! There is a small cluster of Christmas items on one shelf in each grocery store. Honestly, half of me misses all the hoopla and hustle and bustle but half of me is glad to have one December free from all that craziness and focus on consumerism.

I have to say the Christmas decorations here range from pretty ordinary, to strange, to downright bizarre! You may find some round shiny ornaments, OR a Santa shaped tissue box holder (I think that’s what it was), to a wreath made of peacock feathers and purple sparkles or black feathers and gold sparkles. There are a few buildings decorated with lights here too. Very few. The lights are strung willy-nilly from the top of the buildings down to the street level and are always blinking and multi-colored. (many opportunities to use the adjective garish here) There were some actual live Christmas trees on a sidewalk I drove by one day. There were about 10 or so. They seemed to be in decent shape. In some stores I have seen fake trees but they look as though they were made with pipe cleaners (old, used, pipe cleaners) and they looked as if the tree making project was not finished . . . and then run over by a car! The string decorations are just lumped onto one branch as though someone forgot to spread them out, and then there are two randomly placed “ornaments”. These ornaments could be just about anything, an actual ornament or maybe a clock or maybe a hat. VERY flexible decoration ideas here! So, in my apartment I have cut a tree out of sparkly silver paper and decorated it with origami. Just fine by me. Of course, I have a small nativity scene from home on one table and a nice Egyptian style nativity scene painting that I just purchased at a holiday fair. It’s all good – very minimalist and each day the apartment feels a little more like home and cozy. Next week – vacation – will help me to get more into making this my home and then of course Russell will be arriving on the 29^th! And that will help make it feel like home too.

I do plan on baking. I just don’t know when. I have an oven in my new apartment that I have to get used to. It is a regular and convection oven combo. Unfortunately I cannot figure out the manual even though it is written in English! And one setting never gets warm for some reason . . . should be interesting!! I can use it to make toast though so that works for breakfast! Christmas cookies will be an adventure all around since it will not only include learning about the oven but will also require adventures in grocery shopping! I go from interested in exploring the stores to just wishing the whole grocery shopping thing was a lot easier! But can’t let it stop me from making Christmas cookies now can I?

I found a nice little Episcopal church in Ma’adi to attend on Christmas Eve – if I can stay up that late – midnight service! Actually, Alicia, another American teacher found it and got me to go – thank goodness! I felt completely at home there. The service is done by Paul, an American pastor in his 7^th year here, and almost all the congregants are from America, or other countries, although many of them lived abroad for many years. The church itself is a beautiful domed sanctuary with a few very small, but very beautiful, stained glass windows set into the stucco walls. Lovely. The other day I was driving by and saw three camels with men dressed as kings sitting on them on the patio entrance to the church. Taban!! There were also some sheep lined up eating hay! I guess if we had access to camels in Nantucket they would be invited to a Christmas pageant too! This church is interesting also because it serves 12 different languages each week! Amazing!

The little stained glass is from this church and is of the flight into Egypt. So beautiful. Follow this link if you want to learn more about the church (interesting!) and their little bit of info on Ma’adi is good. I learned that ma’adi is Arabic for ferry boat and that ma’adi was a major Nile crossover point for caravans. Wow! http://www.maadichurch.org/background.html

I went to the children’s service complete with the reenactment of the Nativity a week ago. They have this service so early in December because all the families of foreigners head out of Egypt so early. It was such a cute little service and it just amazed me to see the story told here in Egypt as I have seen it done so often at home – the same story – the same families – the same nervous Sunday school teachers . . . They had some nice twists – the narrator told us the holy family had to travel and were only slightly delayed by all the camels, traffic, and pollution! - Caesar Augustus was portrayed as a schmarmy business exec on a cell phone . “Yeah . . . I um, yeah, I um want to have a census . . . you know, like of all the people . . .” and best of all the “star” was worn on the back of a baby while his dad carried him to the front with the three wise men following. Cute!

So, church will be an activity in the coming week! I hope I stay awake late enough to attend the Christmas Eve Service. My midnight will be Nantucket’s 5PM so I will imagine everyone down on Main Street at the drawing!

Meanwhile, this week is the last week of school. Last day December 17. Then 4 of the teachers go home! (sniff!) for vacation and three of us will be left banging around in the residence. Before they leave we have to figure out what to tip our Bowab or houseman. He lives in an empty apartment and keeps and eye on things. He comes out to greet us every time we arrive or depart and makes sure strangers do not come in the building. He has very few possessions but is considered very lucky to have a job and live in a finished building. Many bowabs’ live with their whole families including young children in unfinished shells of buildings. We can see their fires and silhouettes as we drive by the endless construction at night. They light these fires in old metal cans on the first floors of the buildings. During the day we see their laundry draped over the half-built brick walls. I cannot describe the feeling I have when I see the little baby clothes among them. I wonder what it is like to grow up in such a situation, camping in an unfinished building. And, of course, we Americans complain when we have no hot water or electricity . . . . It is all strange here. I cannot think about it all too much as I know I am powerless. This mindset must take over all the Egyptian psyches as well, and this must explain much of what we see as the cultural differences between us.

So next week we will make do and enjoy the quiet – and try to go out and about to a movie or such as well! I am sure I will find some baking and writing to entertain myself. Not to mention reviving my study of the Arabic language which has stopped completely. Last night we were sitting around and decided that perhaps watching Sesame Street might help. It comes on around 4PM so coincides nicely with cocktail hour!

There are lots of things to miss from home – baked goods, gatherings with friends, finding all the family ornaments and reminiscing while decorating and all the beautiful scenery but I know it all waits for me in 2010 and that will be soon enough! For now I am content to see images from home via the internet. There is a blizzard on the East coast today - it is warm and sunny here!

I will have to update this blog in January with the adventures Russell and I will have! Can’t wait! He arrives on Dec 29. We’ll take it easy for a couple days (visit Ma’adi and go for a felucca ride/out to dinner day one and visit the pyramids day 2) and then we fly early on Jan 1, 2010 to Aswan and get on a cruise ship for a 3-day 2-night tour of all the ancient sites! Awesome! I cannot wait! We are lucky to be joining a first rate cruise ship. It will have a tour group from Sienna college on board! I am so psyched that Russell will not spend the time with retirees as I was worried we would! He’ll come to school with me a couple days and then I hope we make it to the Sinai for a Bedouin experience too! insh’Allah we will be there for his 20^th birthday!!Mrs. L. wants to take us to dinner and I hope we get in to see the Sufi dancers too. Wow! Russell is a sophomore at Emerson this year and enjoying all it has to offer. He joined a fraternity and is a beat boxer in an a capella group in addition to working on the occasional film set and . . .oh yeah! Studies!

Casey has been working for IBM since he graduated from Boston University in May. And he just recently got accepted into BU’s doctoral program as a teaching fellow. So, right now he is busy apartment hunting and making the move from Connecticut. We are so proud of him!

Teaching here started out very challenging but has smoothed out somewhat and for that I am grateful. Some days I shake my head quite a bit! I hope to comment on the whole experience and may be able to do so as this vacation will give me some distance and therefore perspective. My students are wonderful and they amaze me every day with how smart they are! They speak English and Arabic and also take French here. I am learning a lot about teaching and a lot about myself which makes this all worth it.

Here is a little donkey eating his lunch on the side of a very busy street. We passed by as we went into Ma'adi yesterday to do a little shopping. This sight is so common I almost did not bother to take a photo. But he reminded me, on this warm sunny day, of the beast of burden that the holy family may have used to travel here so many many years ago. It was a different time then but in essence much of all we know is exactly the same.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Giving Thanks from Cairo to Nantucket

2009-11-27T02:11:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhh, some time off. (we should only have a 4-day long weekend due to Eid but they gave us 10 days in order to ward of H1N1 from hitting after everyone travels and sharing germs) We are also sort of stuck inside today as I strongly wish to avoid seeing any of the slaughtering of animals that is going on –literally in the streets – today for the Islamic holiday, Eid. I am not a vegetarian but . . . . did see many of the animals alive tied inside the stores and even two cows tied to a street light outside the liquor store the other night. . . I will be glad that this is over as the sights of all these animals in vehicles etc. . . has been hard this week. So I am entertaining myself at the computer today which is just fine by me. Free time! Precious!

There are so many things to write about but since it is the morning after Thanksgiving, November 27, 2009, I am compelled to write about gratitude. I have always thought of myself as a grateful person in general but there is nothing like being without all the comforts of home to refocus you on what is important. And of course, there is much here in Egypt that I see through my American visitors eyes that remind me daily how lucky my family, friends, and I am.

Last night five of us American teachers got together for a damn fine meal. The only turkey we could have gotten would have been 25 pounds! Too big and it would never have even fit in our little half-oven! So, chicken it was. Mashed potatoes but of course at the last minute we realized we had no potato masher! So, the meat mallet? . . the whisk? . . . a couple small forks ? . . . nope! We used the hand-crank egg beater! Worked fine and they were delicious. We actually found two cans of cranberry sauce! Ocean Spray! I think I heard that all the ACK cranberries go into juice products but maybe, somehow I ate some ACK cranberries. On some packages the cranberries are referred to as “famous American cranberries”. We only had two proper bowls but somehow that was enough after we pulled various and sundry containers of other sorts from the cabinets of our rental apartment to use for mixing – a little like camping. K. brought some delicious homemade stuffing a la Egypt with kofta instead of sausage. D. manned the oven roasting two 1 kilo chickens AND made gravy too! I was soooo glad to not have to think about that! YAY! I was completely impressed since she is only 23 and this was her first time making such a dinner. A. made a delicious salad (my first in Egypt as I was afraid to eat the lettuce but A. said she washes the leaves with soap and water which is how to do it) tangerine segments were subbed for mandarin oranges, the SMALLEST celery I have ever seen – like 1/8 of an inch wide! gave a good crunch and candied almond slivers gave it a sweet delicious taste!. Thanks to A. we also had a veggie – green beans roasted with lime and almonds and a dressing. This was an awesome meal.

Degla and the Corniche (that is how we refer to ourselves here as the teachers are split between two locations in the city of Ma’adi – like the teams on “Survivor”!) splurged and bought wine too – the liquor store in Ma’adi has about 6 flavors total! Small, small store. D.W. was only caught drinking out of the bottle of red once! : ) as he was on his best behavior for the occasion . . .

We set up K.’s delicious appetizers – REAL cheese! YUM! And olives and almonds – on the ironing board! Worked perfectly! And later it also held the pies – one apple – one sweet potato – one pumpkin (found Libby’s pumpkin filling too! It was two weeks ago and I shudder to think we actually contemplated coming back to buy it some other time! Whew! That was a close one! I have heard that in the states there is a pumpkin shortage – who knew!) homemade pie crusts (turned out pretty well considering I cut the butter in with two butter knives! – no food processor here!) that I made - complete with whipped cream.

So, we all talked of home and Thanksgivings Past (the ones I mentioned were the Tuckernuck adventure with the Kellers and last year’s trip to see The Eagles in concert and my cousins – good memories!) and our traditions. I might try K.’s family tradition of prosecco in the morning – viva Italia! And D.W.’s family tradition of picking a Scrabble letter and saying something about what you are thankful for with that letter. We did that with our initials and of course I cried JUST A LITTLE! Saying I was thankful for My new friends and My family. . . All of us excused ourselves for SKYPE or phone sessions during the evening too. My Casey has a beard! I got to see Friday! And toured the apartment and the Nile at night with Charles, Jess, and Russell. Russell and I tried to count the days until he comes but that involved math and, well . . . .soon! That made it fun as well. And, of course there are all the email and Facebook well wishes that I received and sent! Can’t say enough how much they mean to all of us teachers here. I was thinking about and being grateful for all the support I get from home – the electronic messages and the gifts I was sent with from little paper cranes that hang in the center of my room, the pretty cards that decorate my walls, to a film festival bag I use daily to carry my books – to earrings I wear daily – all reminders and talismans of friends and family back home! Couldn’t do it without! But couldn’t do it without the teachers here as well – so it is a team effort. I always wonder if my Nantucket “team” will ever meet my “Egypt” team. I hope so! One day, Insh’Allah!

So, you can see I have so much to be thankful for. And I am. But we also talked yesterday about how we Americans forget what a privilege it is to be able to travel! We have one teacher here who does not want to live in the country where she is from and is having trouble getting a visa to live here in Misr and cannot go back to the states. Oh! And, there are Egyptians here who are not allowed to leave their country (as there are people in other places in the world as well). Strange to think of all the travel opportunities offered to Americans and yet we do not take advantage of them. And, some of us remain so unknowledgeable about the world.

Here along the Nile, even in the posh expat part of the city of Ma’adi the poverty of the country is clearly evident. People live where they can and I imagine they are grateful for whatever that may be. If we go across the street to the TGIFriday’s there are usually small children who beg for whatever when we come out. I am saddened to say that the reality is that I do not give them money . . . . It’s a hard one. There is a garage that we pass on the way to work and there are two ramps built where I imagine a car can be driven and then worked on from underneath. Some mornings there is a man sleeping under a blackened blanked right on that ramp. His plastic water bottle’s blue label the only bit of color indicating that a human is under the fabric. A little further down is another man sitting up on his piece of cardboard and folding his blanket – with a cigarette in one hand of course! These streets and sidewalks ar TEAMING with people! Think Jetties Beach after the fireworks get out. Along the highway we see soooo many people! I wonder how many faces I see on the way to school if we counted all in the crowded cars and busses and walking on the sides of the road? . . . Two thousand? One thousand? Less? More? A lot!! A man has stopped his rustic donkey cart loaded sky high with what? Cardboard?. His little boy (four years old maybe? And covered in dirt) quietly sits on the cement highway barrier. The man, in a long gallabaya, stares off into space. I think of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. A very small truck goes by loaded well above the cab with cauliflower. I see that it is not covered with a blanket as I first think. There is a man lying on top of it all going 100 miles an hour down the highway. Busses and micro busses slow to about 5 miles per hour along the sides of highway and the men and women standing there run to jump on – whoever makes it makes it and the rest wait again. Groups of 3 or 10 or 20 people wait at the cement barrier median and at some unknown signal run like hell as a group across the four lane (but it is always at least 5 -7 cars across – lines are just a suggestion) highway as there are no ways to cross the highways but this. Our driver never slows down – it always seems as though we will hit them – we miss some by inches. This goes on all the way to school and back again – usually a 30 minute ride but sometimes as long as an hour. I never mind traffic slowing us down . . . it means so many less near misses!

I did enjoy a cup of tea at TGIFriday’s last week after work. We get home just before sunset and it seems ashame to waste the nice sunset sitting in the apartment and tea is cheap enough. Friday’s has a patio outside on the edge of the water and you can watch the Falucca’s, the ferry for the local workers (with all of 8 inches of freeboard! Loaded to the max and a TINY dory on the back for . . .rescuing one person??), an occasional barge of sorts, and small power boats. The power boats I think are mostly for people with money out to enjoy the river but on this day I get a closer look at one of the handful of small skiff type boats we see from our apartment each day.

These boats are about 15 feet long. They are narrow with an outboard and a thin 2-bar frame probably for putting a tarp over amidships in cold weather, or for the rare rain. One floated close to shore and I could see what looked to be a mom, a dad, and two small children going about their chores. I think there were two bench seats across the beam of the boat. The mom seemed to be cleaning the side of the boat by dipping a bucket in the river and rubbing the sides with the water. (If I put my hands in the river I would soak them in Hydrogen peroxide for hours afterward.) The dad seemed to be moving stuff around a bit. Soon enough I saw a small fire lit in the center of the boat!– so he had been readying a fire pit of sorts. The flames dancing brightly against the darkening water as the sunset was taken over by the city night. No smell or signs of cooking were happening so maybe this was for warmth? We can see these small boats with their fires from our apartment above. When I first arrived my thoughts were – “THERE’S a FIRE! On that BOAT!” imagining that I was witnessing some sort of disaster. But now I think, “Oh, there is a family around a fire on that boat.” This evening one youngster was just standing around near the stern where all sorts of cushions were piled. I am pretty sure that these are sleeping cushions that get spread around the floor of the boat at night. One other youngster was sitting atop these cushions. Soon another boat appeared and the couple- three occupants of that boat got into the first boat. I wondered if maybe they did not have a fire . . . But anyway they rafted up. The next thing I knew I could see a TV screen lit up in Boat One and the silhouettes of all the boat people huddled around! People are people. I thought that if I were a poor person here in Cairo I would chose being one of these people. The image of these two boat families on the River Nile gives me hope for us all to make our ways - somehow.

But of course, I am so thankful for the bounties with which I and my family and friends are blessed. And the last two items in this list are truly awesome gifts! – the sound of pouring rain hitting the windows last night – what a sound to wake to! I was not sure what I was hearing at first. I have only seen two rain “moments” for lack of better words in the last two months, sort of the liquid equivalence of spitting snow. The sound of pouring rain in the middle of the night was amazing. I was transported home for just a bit lying there listening to that particular water-on-glass percussion –beautiful. 15-20 minutes too which is a looong time here for rain to go on. The roads were even still wet this am and I wonder how the vegetation may be visibly changed in the next two days by such an occurrence. . . . . AND! Amazingly enough – this morning we went to light the gas stove to heat the left over pie (Hey! It’s a breakfast/Thanksgiving thing!) and learned we were out of gas! We cooked all day yesterday and did not run out – never knowing how close we were coming. Blissfully ignorant – as Americans are want to do! But, today very, very grateful!

Amen.