We all know that Christmas shopping is difficult. Battling lines, trying to find everything on your list, attempting to find a parking spot within the same time zone as the mall, etc....
Now while I don't have the problems of finding a parking place, I have a few added problems that I get to throw onto this list: Attempting to break the language barrier, attempting to not get cheated on the price (if you remember, the fact that I'm not from here automatically adds to my price) and attempting to find something my friends and family will actually like. I know, piece of cake right?
Well, I have almost succeeded in finishing my list, with a little help of course. I have a friend that is helping me out by picking up some things at the Khan for me and I managed to get a few items at the mall yesterday. Now all I really have left is a trip to the AUC bookstore, a stop at Diwan and possibly one more trip to the mall, and all is finished.
Oh, and I have one week to finish. Good times.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
My ballerina movements......
As many of you have heard or read from me, I miss rain. Precipitation of any kind is generally a rarity here in Egypt. That said, we have been blessed the past two nights with what can only be described as actual rain. Not sprinkles. Not mist. RAIN. The real deal.
Now oddly enough, this presents a HUGE problem. Here in Egypt, we don't have a drainage system like in the States, so where does all that rain go? Exactly right where it fell, or it drains down to the nearest low-lying place, where it just congregates, until it becomes the size of a mini-pond. It was in this terrain that I walked from the metro stop in Dokki, to meet my cell group last night. It was only a 20 minute walk, but it was insane.
Imagine if you will, myself, walking along in a grey sweater, being dripped on from every possible direction. Water falling from my bald head, flowing down the front of my face. I'm hopping around like a ballerina, going from one foot to the other on these long leaps, attempting to avoid most of the water and then balance myself on the curb that is a few feet away. Add to this, dodging cars, buses, motorcycles and scooters and you have an interesting little scene.
It's kind of funny to watch people drive in the rain. We don't get it that often, so it literally stops traffic. Any vehicle slows down to a turtle pace to cross the puddles, mostly because all of our tires are bald and we don't drive on rain that much. It's kind of like when there is an ice storm that one time every year in the South and everyone gets in an accident because they never deal with it. Awesome.
Now oddly enough, this presents a HUGE problem. Here in Egypt, we don't have a drainage system like in the States, so where does all that rain go? Exactly right where it fell, or it drains down to the nearest low-lying place, where it just congregates, until it becomes the size of a mini-pond. It was in this terrain that I walked from the metro stop in Dokki, to meet my cell group last night. It was only a 20 minute walk, but it was insane.
Imagine if you will, myself, walking along in a grey sweater, being dripped on from every possible direction. Water falling from my bald head, flowing down the front of my face. I'm hopping around like a ballerina, going from one foot to the other on these long leaps, attempting to avoid most of the water and then balance myself on the curb that is a few feet away. Add to this, dodging cars, buses, motorcycles and scooters and you have an interesting little scene.
It's kind of funny to watch people drive in the rain. We don't get it that often, so it literally stops traffic. Any vehicle slows down to a turtle pace to cross the puddles, mostly because all of our tires are bald and we don't drive on rain that much. It's kind of like when there is an ice storm that one time every year in the South and everyone gets in an accident because they never deal with it. Awesome.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
My Baklava.....
Greetings to all the wonderful readers out there, where ever you may be. As December has come upon us, I decided to try my hand at a little cooking. I've been trying to cook a little more since I've been over here and the good news is that I'm not starving to death (Pizza Hut is only a phone call away). I've been able to make quesadillas (with tortillas from scratch), cavatelli (aka baked pasta), biscuits from scratch, chips, and the occasional fried potatoes.
Well this week I tried to make baklava, a wonderful little dessert. All it takes is a lot of butter, 14 sheets of fillo (a paper thin pastry), some walnuts, sugar and cinnamon and a little bit of syrup. After almost burning the walnuts in the oven and nearly screwing up the first layers of fillo, I filled the center with a walnut, sugar & cinnamon mix. Then added the next layers of fillo. At this point, everything wasn't looking too bad.
Sadly then came the syrup, which I had made from scratch as well (sugar, water and some lemon juice-fresh of course). However, I let the syrup sit too long and it solidified. Then I re-heated it too much and it was a little burnt, but we continued to roll with the punches.
When the baklava came out of the oven, I'll admit, I thought I was a hero. It looked awesome. Then I poured the partially burnt syrup on it and took a bite. It wasn't as good as it looked. While it was still edible, the burnt walnut mixed with a burnt syrup taste, isn't exactly what my tastebuds were looking for. However, after putting the leftovers in the fridge for a night, I found it tasted better!!
Hopefully soon, I'll try it again.
Well this week I tried to make baklava, a wonderful little dessert. All it takes is a lot of butter, 14 sheets of fillo (a paper thin pastry), some walnuts, sugar and cinnamon and a little bit of syrup. After almost burning the walnuts in the oven and nearly screwing up the first layers of fillo, I filled the center with a walnut, sugar & cinnamon mix. Then added the next layers of fillo. At this point, everything wasn't looking too bad.
Sadly then came the syrup, which I had made from scratch as well (sugar, water and some lemon juice-fresh of course). However, I let the syrup sit too long and it solidified. Then I re-heated it too much and it was a little burnt, but we continued to roll with the punches.
When the baklava came out of the oven, I'll admit, I thought I was a hero. It looked awesome. Then I poured the partially burnt syrup on it and took a bite. It wasn't as good as it looked. While it was still edible, the burnt walnut mixed with a burnt syrup taste, isn't exactly what my tastebuds were looking for. However, after putting the leftovers in the fridge for a night, I found it tasted better!!
Hopefully soon, I'll try it again.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
My double Turkey Days....
This year was one of the first times I spent Thanksgiving away from home. At first I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to eat turkey and taters, however, I was pleasantly surprised with what I got.
On Wednesday I was headed to meet a Bible study group that I had just be invited to. It was going to be my first meeting with the group, so I was a little excited. When I arrived, I was asked, "Do you know what we're doing tonight?"
"umm....no, not really," was my reply.
"You mean, Michael didn't tell you?"
"Nope. I've been left in the dark."
At this point I was a little nervous. I wasn't sure if we were going to be singing hymns, sharing life stories or if I had to do some sort of initiation ritual, which had me a little nervous.
"We're having Thanksgiving dinner tonight!"
I was so happy that I almost jumped with joy. Not one, but TWO Thanksgiving dinners were headed my way. How can one man be so blessed?
Dinner number 2 was also great and it reminded me of the old Schurman Family reunions that we did on Thanksgiving. Everyone brought a dish (Alex made roasted a duck....a duck!!) and everyone was able to eat till their hearts were content. Around 20 people ended up coming and we had two turkeys and a duck for the main meats. It was fantastic. Good food, good people and the night ended with me in a food coma. Awesome.
On Wednesday I was headed to meet a Bible study group that I had just be invited to. It was going to be my first meeting with the group, so I was a little excited. When I arrived, I was asked, "Do you know what we're doing tonight?"
"umm....no, not really," was my reply.
"You mean, Michael didn't tell you?"
"Nope. I've been left in the dark."
At this point I was a little nervous. I wasn't sure if we were going to be singing hymns, sharing life stories or if I had to do some sort of initiation ritual, which had me a little nervous.
"We're having Thanksgiving dinner tonight!"
I was so happy that I almost jumped with joy. Not one, but TWO Thanksgiving dinners were headed my way. How can one man be so blessed?
Dinner number 2 was also great and it reminded me of the old Schurman Family reunions that we did on Thanksgiving. Everyone brought a dish (Alex made roasted a duck....a duck!!) and everyone was able to eat till their hearts were content. Around 20 people ended up coming and we had two turkeys and a duck for the main meats. It was fantastic. Good food, good people and the night ended with me in a food coma. Awesome.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
My students' thrill
As I sent my students out for break today, I noticed that the sky was full of clouds, which doesn't happen too often. They looked a little darker than normal, but I figured, "Hey, it's Egypt. It never rains here," so I sent them on their merry way.
During the break I was standing near the window and I noticed a familiar smell, a scent I had almost forgotten. I took another wiff of it and then it hit me....moisture. Now I was never one of those folks that believed that you could smell rain, it just sounded silly to me, but today, I became a believer.
I walked outside 10 minutes later to pick up my kids for 5th period and suddenly all the students started yelling, screaming and jumping up and down.
"Mr. Bill! Mr. Bill! IT'S RAINING! IT'S RAINING!!"
You would have thought it was raining chocolate or $100 bills. It wasn't even a sprinkle to be honest, but they absolutely loved it.
To be honest, it's the little things that allow you to make it through the day.
During the break I was standing near the window and I noticed a familiar smell, a scent I had almost forgotten. I took another wiff of it and then it hit me....moisture. Now I was never one of those folks that believed that you could smell rain, it just sounded silly to me, but today, I became a believer.
I walked outside 10 minutes later to pick up my kids for 5th period and suddenly all the students started yelling, screaming and jumping up and down.
"Mr. Bill! Mr. Bill! IT'S RAINING! IT'S RAINING!!"
You would have thought it was raining chocolate or $100 bills. It wasn't even a sprinkle to be honest, but they absolutely loved it.
To be honest, it's the little things that allow you to make it through the day.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
My First Conference Day.....
So it has come and gone, my first conference day as a teacher. Praise God that it is finally over, but to be honest, it was not as bad as I was expecting.
I had to go in yesterday (Saturday) to have my first conference day. I was a little nervous, having to sit in my room for at least two hours and having parents come in every five minutes to chat with me about their child. It went by in a flash!
I didn't get my first parents until 10:10 and I didn't have a break until they finally kicked the last parents out of my room at 12:40. At one point parents had been waiting for an hour, just to be able to chat for five minutes. It was insane!
To be honest, I have roughly 60 students that I teach between 2nd and 3rd grade. Now, if you only have 2 hours of available conference space and every parent shows up, it's not possible to see everyone. So we rushed through as many as possible. The best part was that out of all my parents, I only had one that was a little upset. That's it! Praise the Lord that it's over!! The next one isn't until Jan, so that's even better.
I had to go in yesterday (Saturday) to have my first conference day. I was a little nervous, having to sit in my room for at least two hours and having parents come in every five minutes to chat with me about their child. It went by in a flash!
I didn't get my first parents until 10:10 and I didn't have a break until they finally kicked the last parents out of my room at 12:40. At one point parents had been waiting for an hour, just to be able to chat for five minutes. It was insane!
To be honest, I have roughly 60 students that I teach between 2nd and 3rd grade. Now, if you only have 2 hours of available conference space and every parent shows up, it's not possible to see everyone. So we rushed through as many as possible. The best part was that out of all my parents, I only had one that was a little upset. That's it! Praise the Lord that it's over!! The next one isn't until Jan, so that's even better.
Friday, November 10, 2006
My Movie Observation.....
I have recently seen two movies over here, neither of which I would consider a family flick. I saw World Trade Center a week ago and last night I went to The Departed. I'm sure many of you can imagine the fun filled scenes in WTC, but some of you may not be familiar with The Departed.
The Departed has a pretty good cast, although some of them struggle to keep their Bostonian accent throughout the movie. It deals with a couple of cops, one undercover and the other a detective, but both working for a mob leader (Jack Nicholson).
The movie was pretty good to be honest. I liked some of the characters. It had some interesting twists and ultimately I didn't see the ending coming. It really surprised me. However, the film had enough profanity that would possibly make a sailor blush and their was some graphic death scenes and killings. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with this as an adult. You can watch whatever you want, however I begin to question a parent when they bring a 2 year old child into the theater to watch a movie like this (or WTC).
REALLY?? You want your child to see this? I know that you might want a night out, but you're going to bring them to this movie? In the first few minutes alone two people are shot, execution style and you're letting your child see this? I can't imagine how your child is going to sleep at night. Honestly, lots of kids have enough trouble sleeping anyways, with nightmares, so this is only going to add to your problems.
I saw young children at both of these movies and I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, this is not just an Egyptian thing, because it reminds me of when I saw some youngsters at King Kong in the States. I was shocked at that one too, especially when I saw the gorilla rip the dinosaurs jaws apart, then slam it into it's head.
The Departed has a pretty good cast, although some of them struggle to keep their Bostonian accent throughout the movie. It deals with a couple of cops, one undercover and the other a detective, but both working for a mob leader (Jack Nicholson).
The movie was pretty good to be honest. I liked some of the characters. It had some interesting twists and ultimately I didn't see the ending coming. It really surprised me. However, the film had enough profanity that would possibly make a sailor blush and their was some graphic death scenes and killings. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with this as an adult. You can watch whatever you want, however I begin to question a parent when they bring a 2 year old child into the theater to watch a movie like this (or WTC).
REALLY?? You want your child to see this? I know that you might want a night out, but you're going to bring them to this movie? In the first few minutes alone two people are shot, execution style and you're letting your child see this? I can't imagine how your child is going to sleep at night. Honestly, lots of kids have enough trouble sleeping anyways, with nightmares, so this is only going to add to your problems.
I saw young children at both of these movies and I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, this is not just an Egyptian thing, because it reminds me of when I saw some youngsters at King Kong in the States. I was shocked at that one too, especially when I saw the gorilla rip the dinosaurs jaws apart, then slam it into it's head.
My FEV....
I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted anything until my dad sent me an email telling me that my blog had gone stagnant. I got to thinking about it and realized that it had been a while since I posted ANYTHING at all. Sorry about that.
So, to make up for my laziness, I'll try to give you a couple of blogs in the next couple of days. Hopefully that will appease both of my readers.
I haven't even told you about my first Egyptian vacation!! During Eid, we went to a little resort village called Nuweiba, it's on the east side of the Sinai Peninsula. I had a good time, basically sitting on a beach and looking at the Red Sea for 3 days. The view was amazing, especially with the mountains and Saudi Arabia looking back at you from the other side of the Sea.
We had found this nice little Chinese place near the resort, so we ate their on the second day. The food was pretty good (much better than the fried fish I had the night before, which literally was a whole fish that had been thrown in a deep fryer--awesome). I remember that night I was talking to Alex about the next day and I said that I thought we had found a good horse here (i.e. the restaurant) and that we should "ride this horse till it bucks us". So we went back the next day for another round of tasty Chinese food.
The third day the food tasted good. I was pretty happy with my choice, some sort of chicken because the restaurant was out of shrimp. Little did I know, that in around 14 hours, the horse would buck me.
I awoke very early the next morning, not exactly feeling 100%. I beat the sun up and during my frequent trips to the bathroom, I managed to watch the sun rise over the mountains, which would have been a lot cooler if I was feeling better. My body did not like the chicken and decided to purge it from the system any way possible. This made for a very long morning, which culminated with me vomiting in the bathroom. Awesome.
I was still feeling ill the rest of the day. This made the 6 hour bus ride home absolutely miserable. The funny part about the bus ride was that they tried to show the movie Saw, a horror flick, on a bus full of families....good decision. If you've never seen it and are curious, just watch the first 20 minutes and you'll have a good idea why they shut that off.
Luckily I made it back without any more incidents, only wishing that God would either let me fall asleep or kill me on the spot. Neither of which happened.
So, to make up for my laziness, I'll try to give you a couple of blogs in the next couple of days. Hopefully that will appease both of my readers.
I haven't even told you about my first Egyptian vacation!! During Eid, we went to a little resort village called Nuweiba, it's on the east side of the Sinai Peninsula. I had a good time, basically sitting on a beach and looking at the Red Sea for 3 days. The view was amazing, especially with the mountains and Saudi Arabia looking back at you from the other side of the Sea.
We had found this nice little Chinese place near the resort, so we ate their on the second day. The food was pretty good (much better than the fried fish I had the night before, which literally was a whole fish that had been thrown in a deep fryer--awesome). I remember that night I was talking to Alex about the next day and I said that I thought we had found a good horse here (i.e. the restaurant) and that we should "ride this horse till it bucks us". So we went back the next day for another round of tasty Chinese food.
The third day the food tasted good. I was pretty happy with my choice, some sort of chicken because the restaurant was out of shrimp. Little did I know, that in around 14 hours, the horse would buck me.
I awoke very early the next morning, not exactly feeling 100%. I beat the sun up and during my frequent trips to the bathroom, I managed to watch the sun rise over the mountains, which would have been a lot cooler if I was feeling better. My body did not like the chicken and decided to purge it from the system any way possible. This made for a very long morning, which culminated with me vomiting in the bathroom. Awesome.
I was still feeling ill the rest of the day. This made the 6 hour bus ride home absolutely miserable. The funny part about the bus ride was that they tried to show the movie Saw, a horror flick, on a bus full of families....good decision. If you've never seen it and are curious, just watch the first 20 minutes and you'll have a good idea why they shut that off.
Luckily I made it back without any more incidents, only wishing that God would either let me fall asleep or kill me on the spot. Neither of which happened.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
My Joy....
Okay, brief post, it's raining, right now. It's around 6:30 am, there's a rainbow in the sky outside our porch and it's sprinkling. It's the first rain I've seen since August. Amazing.
Monday, October 23, 2006
My distraction......
Okay, so this week we are on a break fro Eid and I've had a lot of time on my hands. We leave for Nuweiba in the morning, so in the meantime, I've been utilizing a wonderful little website to help pass the time. If you are a huge fan of the original Nintendo (or Sega, Gameboy and some others), I highly recommend that you visit this site:
http://www.everyvideogame.com/
This is the website for Everyvideogame.com It literally has hundreds of original games that you can play online for free. I've been addicted to Mike Tyson's Punch Out and Super Tecmo Bowl lately. So if you get bored at work, need help procrastinating or are just looking to finally defeat that game that gave you fits as a child (Damn you Ghosts' n Goblins!!) check it out, you may just get addicted....again.
http://www.everyvideogame.com/
This is the website for Everyvideogame.com It literally has hundreds of original games that you can play online for free. I've been addicted to Mike Tyson's Punch Out and Super Tecmo Bowl lately. So if you get bored at work, need help procrastinating or are just looking to finally defeat that game that gave you fits as a child (Damn you Ghosts' n Goblins!!) check it out, you may just get addicted....again.
My Day as a Tourist.....
For those of you that check often, you'll remember that often I'm treated as a tourist. Partially due to the color of my skin and partially due to my inability to speak Arabic. Well on Saturday Alex, Kain and myself rented a taxi for a couple of hours and were taken on a little tour of parts of Cairo. It was my first real "Tourist Day" here.
We started off by heading to a 600 years old and it even had the original key to the door! We got to go in and walk around for a little while before the noon prayer. It was pretty impressive inside. The archways were huge and impressive. We even went into a tomb, which was pretty sweet.
We also walked up to the top of the building and got to look around on the roof. The view from the tower was pretty neat. I'll be honest though, I'm not a fan of heights, so I didn't stay up there too long. There was a great view of Islamic Cairo though.
After that we taxied over to Coptic Cairo (all the different religious parts of the city in one day!!) to see a couple of churches. The driver dropped us off in an Islamic neighborhood and told us how to get there while he fixed the car (??). After a five minute walk, we got to see the Hanging Church and the Church of St. George. Both were pretty cool, but I loved the Hanging Church. It had some amazing Mosaics, and a beautiful courtyard. I'll have to go back there sometime.
The next stop on our whirlwind tour was an oil shop near the Pyramids. Just seeing the Pyramids was an amazing sight. They're huge!!! It's hard to imagine that people, PEOPLE, had to drag/pull/tug and any thing else you can think of to get them into place. I'll definitely get there again and next time I'll be able to get some closer pictures.
After visiting the oil shop, we headed back to Heliopolis. The end of the trip turned into our driver trying to convince us that Islam was the way to go. While this was very frustrating, I expected it, especially since it is the end of Ramadan and all. No need to worry though, I still love Jesus.
We started off by heading to a 600 years old and it even had the original key to the door! We got to go in and walk around for a little while before the noon prayer. It was pretty impressive inside. The archways were huge and impressive. We even went into a tomb, which was pretty sweet.
We also walked up to the top of the building and got to look around on the roof. The view from the tower was pretty neat. I'll be honest though, I'm not a fan of heights, so I didn't stay up there too long. There was a great view of Islamic Cairo though.
After that we taxied over to Coptic Cairo (all the different religious parts of the city in one day!!) to see a couple of churches. The driver dropped us off in an Islamic neighborhood and told us how to get there while he fixed the car (??). After a five minute walk, we got to see the Hanging Church and the Church of St. George. Both were pretty cool, but I loved the Hanging Church. It had some amazing Mosaics, and a beautiful courtyard. I'll have to go back there sometime.
The next stop on our whirlwind tour was an oil shop near the Pyramids. Just seeing the Pyramids was an amazing sight. They're huge!!! It's hard to imagine that people, PEOPLE, had to drag/pull/tug and any thing else you can think of to get them into place. I'll definitely get there again and next time I'll be able to get some closer pictures.
After visiting the oil shop, we headed back to Heliopolis. The end of the trip turned into our driver trying to convince us that Islam was the way to go. While this was very frustrating, I expected it, especially since it is the end of Ramadan and all. No need to worry though, I still love Jesus.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
My Hook up.....
I know that some of you will read the title to this post and be thinking bad thoughts.....but get your collective heads out of the gutter, this is not that kind of hook up.
Last week I took it upon myself to get the satellite set up. We had the TV, now we just needed something on it. So I called Showtime cable on Thursday night, in an attempt to get it set up as soon as possible. I had a man answer the phone and after a few minutes of making sure the prices were right, I told him that I would go for it. Then he asked when I wanted it installed and this is what followed:
ME: When can I get it set up?
CG (Cable Guy): Whenever you want.
ME: Really? How about tomorrow?
CG: Um....tomorrow? But tomorrow's Friday.
ME: Yeah, I realize that.
CG: But that's the weekend.....ummm
ME: So, you don't do Fridays?
CG: That's the weekend...
ME: Okay, so I assume that means Saturday is out of the question too huh?
CG: Saturday is also the weekend.
ME: Thanks for that. Okay, no Friday or Saturday.
CG: Yes, but we can come whenever you like.
ME: Oh, okay. How late do your guys work?
CG: Ummm.....what do you mean?
ME: I mean how late can they come out? It's only 7 pm. Can they do it tonight?
CG: Ummm...but it's dark outside and it's Ramadan.
ME: Okay, so now we have the restrictions. No weekends and they have to be done before dark?CG: Well, actually, they have to be done by 3 pm, because it's Ramadan.
ME: WHAT??? But it doesn't get dark until 5!!??
After this we finally agreed on Sunday at 1 pm. They showed up to my apartment around noon and stayed until I was got home around 2 pm. Then, instead of charging it to my credit card, I had to pay cash to get it set up (which was LE 700). It was incredible.
However, now we have satellite. I can't tell you how much my attitude improved when I was able to watch a college football game and a NFL game on Sunday (even though it was Houston vs. Dallas). We even get Seinfeld and The Simpsons. Best Part--I watched Fraggle Rock for the first time in a decade on Monday. It was fantastic!!!
Last week I took it upon myself to get the satellite set up. We had the TV, now we just needed something on it. So I called Showtime cable on Thursday night, in an attempt to get it set up as soon as possible. I had a man answer the phone and after a few minutes of making sure the prices were right, I told him that I would go for it. Then he asked when I wanted it installed and this is what followed:
ME: When can I get it set up?
CG (Cable Guy): Whenever you want.
ME: Really? How about tomorrow?
CG: Um....tomorrow? But tomorrow's Friday.
ME: Yeah, I realize that.
CG: But that's the weekend.....ummm
ME: So, you don't do Fridays?
CG: That's the weekend...
ME: Okay, so I assume that means Saturday is out of the question too huh?
CG: Saturday is also the weekend.
ME: Thanks for that. Okay, no Friday or Saturday.
CG: Yes, but we can come whenever you like.
ME: Oh, okay. How late do your guys work?
CG: Ummm.....what do you mean?
ME: I mean how late can they come out? It's only 7 pm. Can they do it tonight?
CG: Ummm...but it's dark outside and it's Ramadan.
ME: Okay, so now we have the restrictions. No weekends and they have to be done before dark?CG: Well, actually, they have to be done by 3 pm, because it's Ramadan.
ME: WHAT??? But it doesn't get dark until 5!!??
After this we finally agreed on Sunday at 1 pm. They showed up to my apartment around noon and stayed until I was got home around 2 pm. Then, instead of charging it to my credit card, I had to pay cash to get it set up (which was LE 700). It was incredible.
However, now we have satellite. I can't tell you how much my attitude improved when I was able to watch a college football game and a NFL game on Sunday (even though it was Houston vs. Dallas). We even get Seinfeld and The Simpsons. Best Part--I watched Fraggle Rock for the first time in a decade on Monday. It was fantastic!!!
Friday, October 06, 2006
My Second week....
It has been a while since I last posted, so I put up two new experiences for you to check out and even a couple of pictures.
The second week of school has come and gone and it's going a little smoother. The students are beginning to understand my expectations of them and how to behave in the classroom, especially when I'm there. The only real issue is that we continue to have to bounce from room to room to see our classes. This wouldn't be that big of an issue, but when the teacher that is supposed to replace you shows up late (sometimes up to 20 minutes late) it puts you in a bit of a bad mood. Especially since time is limited anyways due to the Ramadan schedule.
I'm also trying to add a new link on here for those of you that want to check it out (probably only Jenna, but the rest of you can too). It is from a group of teachers here that are in a writing club and they have just started a blog to display some of their works. Check it out, leave a comment and enjoy the show.
The second week of school has come and gone and it's going a little smoother. The students are beginning to understand my expectations of them and how to behave in the classroom, especially when I'm there. The only real issue is that we continue to have to bounce from room to room to see our classes. This wouldn't be that big of an issue, but when the teacher that is supposed to replace you shows up late (sometimes up to 20 minutes late) it puts you in a bit of a bad mood. Especially since time is limited anyways due to the Ramadan schedule.
I'm also trying to add a new link on here for those of you that want to check it out (probably only Jenna, but the rest of you can too). It is from a group of teachers here that are in a writing club and they have just started a blog to display some of their works. Check it out, leave a comment and enjoy the show.
My first Indy Experience....
On Wednesday night I got to have my first Indiana Jones type experience. Alex and I went with Gheda and Hollis to the Khan al-Khalili market in Islamic Cairo. It being Ramadan and going at night, we were sure to see some cool things.
The market was crowded and filled with little shops/stalls in tight alleys. It felt as though we were in a maze at first, twisting and turning this way and that, all the while looking at t-shirts, bronzed statues, stone pharoahs and sphinxes. We eventually ended up at a cafe located in side the market.
The cafe was packed and smokey. Everyone was out and smoking a little sheesha (water pipe) with their coffee, water and whatever else they decided to have. It was a great little joint. At one point Alex made the comment that it was like going to a baseball game, because as you sat there, peddlers came around with bracelets, peanuts, flowers and hena tattoos, trying to sell them to you. We even had a bread guy come along. We sat there for an hour, drinking Coke and watching the people pass by. It was a lot of fun.
We then left and wandered around the market for a little while longer. After which we went back and caught a cab back to Heliopolis. It was interesting seeing all the shops and listening to their owners trying to sell you things. You would always here, "oh, please come look here." or "Would you like a bracelet?" One man even said, "Hey Indiana". That was the best. I chuckled for a while at that one.
At one point a man tried talking to me and he followed me for a while asking where I was from. I constantly just said "No" to him until finally he asked me if I would like any hash. The final no was a little more forceful and he decided to head back to his stall.
One funny point came when we first entered the market. Some random little kid saw Alex and came up to him and started holding his hands. It was awesome! He just stood there and followed us, holding his hands. Then the kid switched and started holding Hollis' hand. After giving him a pound, he went away. Good times.
The market was crowded and filled with little shops/stalls in tight alleys. It felt as though we were in a maze at first, twisting and turning this way and that, all the while looking at t-shirts, bronzed statues, stone pharoahs and sphinxes. We eventually ended up at a cafe located in side the market.
The cafe was packed and smokey. Everyone was out and smoking a little sheesha (water pipe) with their coffee, water and whatever else they decided to have. It was a great little joint. At one point Alex made the comment that it was like going to a baseball game, because as you sat there, peddlers came around with bracelets, peanuts, flowers and hena tattoos, trying to sell them to you. We even had a bread guy come along. We sat there for an hour, drinking Coke and watching the people pass by. It was a lot of fun.
We then left and wandered around the market for a little while longer. After which we went back and caught a cab back to Heliopolis. It was interesting seeing all the shops and listening to their owners trying to sell you things. You would always here, "oh, please come look here." or "Would you like a bracelet?" One man even said, "Hey Indiana". That was the best. I chuckled for a while at that one.
At one point a man tried talking to me and he followed me for a while asking where I was from. I constantly just said "No" to him until finally he asked me if I would like any hash. The final no was a little more forceful and he decided to head back to his stall.
One funny point came when we first entered the market. Some random little kid saw Alex and came up to him and started holding his hands. It was awesome! He just stood there and followed us, holding his hands. Then the kid switched and started holding Hollis' hand. After giving him a pound, he went away. Good times.
My Twilight Zone Experience.....
Last weekend Alex and I decided to try and visit the American University in Cairo (AUC) bookstore, which is located downtown, right near the Nile. The trip started off well. We got a ride from Nader, one of our coworkers husbands. A nice man who is taking classes there. This bookstore is suppose to have one of the best collections of English books in the city. So we were pretty excited about the adventure, not to mention getting new books.
He dropped us off and gave us a direction to head in. We thought all was going well and tried to get into the AUC. We were told by a man that we had to go outside and around the corner. No worries we thought, that sounds easy enough. We followed his directions and ended up a block to far to the east. We decided to start heading back to the major square that was nearby and we would start over....then it happened.
"Hello my friend! Where are you from?" shouted a voice to our left. An older gentleman was sitting in a chair along the road. After briefly chatting with him, he invited to his store (everyone has one) and then he offered us drinks. Having read a little in the Lonely Planet guide, we had an idea where this was going....
The man chatted with us briefly. A little talk about family and where we were from. His family apparently has a farm outside of town where they grow crops. These crops are then turned into oils...which oddly enough he just happened to sell in his store. My roommate is a fan of the oils, so he ended up buying a few from the gentleman. We didn't feel bad because he was nice and it looked as if he could have used the money. So we were alright with this. We then told him where we were headed and he got us back on the right path. Turns out we were to go back where we came....off we went.
We had only walked half a block and we were talking about the recent turn of events when all of a sudden....
"Hello! Where are you from? What are you looking for?" Another person along the street has kindly stopped to help us out. This one was a little different though...."Oh, yes the bookstore. It's straight ahead and then turn right. Wait, I can show you another one too, come..." He proceeded to talk us another block in the wrong direction. He constantly said, "No baksheesh (tip). I no want. This is for friendship. Friendship important."
The next coincidence came when his store just happened to be on the way to the other bookshop. We went in and chatted. He showed us a picture of the boxer Mohammed Ali, who had once visited the store. Then, seconds later, he was asking us if we liked oils and he began to get them out. Then he asked if we liked papyrus and his son brought out a huge stack of these things. He could tell I was not please because he kept asking me, "What's wrong? Why you no smile? This is about friendship not money...but if you like, We give you good price....you a lucky man!"
It was very difficult to bite my tongue and not lash out at this man. Once he heard the English, he saw us as $$ and went for the kill. Alex did end up buying some oil, but we managed to escape shortly after.
Eventually we stopped in a Costa Coffee shop near the AUC. I asked of the workers there where the bookshop was and he finally pointed us in the right direction. We found it 5 minutes later. The bookshop was everything we thought it would be with a great collection of Political, fiction and classic works, as well as anything you could ever want on Egyptian History.
It was a crazy, crazy day. 2 oil shops, hours in a 4 block area and eventually, we found our target.
He dropped us off and gave us a direction to head in. We thought all was going well and tried to get into the AUC. We were told by a man that we had to go outside and around the corner. No worries we thought, that sounds easy enough. We followed his directions and ended up a block to far to the east. We decided to start heading back to the major square that was nearby and we would start over....then it happened.
"Hello my friend! Where are you from?" shouted a voice to our left. An older gentleman was sitting in a chair along the road. After briefly chatting with him, he invited to his store (everyone has one) and then he offered us drinks. Having read a little in the Lonely Planet guide, we had an idea where this was going....
The man chatted with us briefly. A little talk about family and where we were from. His family apparently has a farm outside of town where they grow crops. These crops are then turned into oils...which oddly enough he just happened to sell in his store. My roommate is a fan of the oils, so he ended up buying a few from the gentleman. We didn't feel bad because he was nice and it looked as if he could have used the money. So we were alright with this. We then told him where we were headed and he got us back on the right path. Turns out we were to go back where we came....off we went.
We had only walked half a block and we were talking about the recent turn of events when all of a sudden....
"Hello! Where are you from? What are you looking for?" Another person along the street has kindly stopped to help us out. This one was a little different though...."Oh, yes the bookstore. It's straight ahead and then turn right. Wait, I can show you another one too, come..." He proceeded to talk us another block in the wrong direction. He constantly said, "No baksheesh (tip). I no want. This is for friendship. Friendship important."
The next coincidence came when his store just happened to be on the way to the other bookshop. We went in and chatted. He showed us a picture of the boxer Mohammed Ali, who had once visited the store. Then, seconds later, he was asking us if we liked oils and he began to get them out. Then he asked if we liked papyrus and his son brought out a huge stack of these things. He could tell I was not please because he kept asking me, "What's wrong? Why you no smile? This is about friendship not money...but if you like, We give you good price....you a lucky man!"
It was very difficult to bite my tongue and not lash out at this man. Once he heard the English, he saw us as $$ and went for the kill. Alex did end up buying some oil, but we managed to escape shortly after.
Eventually we stopped in a Costa Coffee shop near the AUC. I asked of the workers there where the bookshop was and he finally pointed us in the right direction. We found it 5 minutes later. The bookshop was everything we thought it would be with a great collection of Political, fiction and classic works, as well as anything you could ever want on Egyptian History.
It was a crazy, crazy day. 2 oil shops, hours in a 4 block area and eventually, we found our target.
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