Beer, Sheesha, and New Friends!

Yesterday was our last day of "New Teacher Orientation." The most exciting part of it was seeing my classroom! I have a little stage area, and a large open working space. There are some chairs in it, but no desks (which is what I wanted... what would you do with desks in a drama classroom anyway?), and a cool CD player. And the best part is that it's mine. No one else uses it unless they need it for a special event or something. I also talked a little with the head of my department about where the drama program has been in the past and where he would like to see it go. Our goals were pretty much the same which is awesome. I'm working on developing a more concrete curriculum of what I want to do, and we're going to have a meeting next week to talk about everything! Overall, I feel great about everything... except for the fact that the students tend to be spoiled and a little out of control (from what I've heard... from everyone). But hey, it will just be an extra chellenge. I want drama class to be fun and exciting and challenging, but there also needs to be control, obviously. So we'll see what happens!

OK, quick story. This is hilarious! I met a neighbor the other night waiting for the elevator. She is Egyptian, but speaks English very well and she's a doctor. We talked for a little bit (she asked if I was married), and exchanged numbers in case I ever needed anything which I thought was very nice. Two nights later at around 10:30 she was calling me... which I thought was strange. I answered. She said she was sorry to disturb me, but that she had a gift she wanted to give me. Then she asked if I like cats. Cats? I asked... like the animal? Yes. Cats. She wanted to give me a cat as a gift. I panicked. I have nothing against cats... but I'm never really home and this isn't even my apartment and how would I get it home with me and potty train it and ohmygod what do I do? I said the first thing that came to my head. I told her I was allergic. She didn't understand. I said that cats make me sneeze a lot. I asked her if she had a lot of cats. She said yes, and she wanted to give me one. But that she would think of another gift for me. Do I feel bad for lying? Yes, because she is very nice. But I just don't want a cat. It would freak me out. Anyway, I thought it was hilarious. That's Egypt for you.

Last night was the falucca ride on the Nile! It was so relaxing and fun to be with a lot of the people from the school for a couple hours on the river. We went right at sunset, so it was beautiful! We all broke the fast of Ramadan together with dates and water, and then had dinner. Afterwards, some new teacher friends and I went out to a bar in downtown Cairo. Downtown is so much fun!!! There's buildings and people everywhere. We went to a bar (after going through a metal detector) that was on the 9th floor and sat outside. We could see all of Cairo practically! It was beautiful. I drank 2 kinds of beer: Sakara and Stella. They were okay. Oh yeah, on our way walking trying to find the bar, every guy was going crazy. It was 5 girls and 2 guys and they were ALL staring at us and saying in appropriate things in English and Arabic. I thought it was funny. We weren't even dressed skanky! And there were men in the streets playing backgammon and smoking sheesha. Everywhere. Sheesha is just like hookah in the US, flavored tobacco. So it's not illegal anywhere, it's just everywhere in Egypt. So at the bar, we smoked sheesha in an apple flavor. It was part of the cultural experience. The sheesha guy was all about us too... he wanted his picture taken with us. So we did. Again, I laughed.

After that place, we went to find the Cairo Jazz Club. Some people had left, so 5 of us squeezed in a taxi and went searching. When we finally found it, it was closed for Ramadan! So we got in another cab and went to this place called Harry's Pub. I felt like I was in the US! We even had popcorn! One thing was different though... there were definitely hookers there. I saw them leaving with guys. They were pretty high class though because it was an expensive bar. There was also a hotel attached to the bar... so yeah. Use your imagination.

We squeezed in a taxi around 2:30 in the morning to come home. Usually places stay open all night (apparently), but closed. Of course, because of Ramadan. I know it's a very special holiday... but I can't wait for it to be over. I'm sorry. Anyway... on the way home there were lights everywhere and big buildings and people everywhere on the streets still. It was cool.

I feel like I've done a lot in the week and a half that I've been here. But so far I love it. I really miss everyone from back home, but all the friends I'm making here are great. It's definitely a huge change from my life in the US and all the luxuries I had there (like all my clothes, a dryer, things to do my hair, etc.) that I don't have here yet, but I feel like I'm in the right place.

Am I really working here?

I finally got to see the school where I'll be teaching at today. It is about 30 minutes away from where I live in New Cairo. A bus (not like a big yellow school bus) will pick me up everyday, and drop me off near my apartment. And Holy Toledo... the school is freaking amazing. It is gated and there are 24 hour security guards. You have to give them your name and check in to even be let in to the school. It is only going into its 9th year, so it's still new. The facilities are fantastic... there is an olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, restaurants, Smart Boards, and grass!!! Which is very hard to find in the desert. There is air conditioning in every classroom, but not in the hallways.

Hayah is an international school, but it is pretty much all Egyptian students. They speak English in all their classes, except Arabic class (obviously). I kept thinking to myself... how did I get this amazing job?!?! I have no experience. And the staff is so supportive and helpful. They're communicative and actually have goals. They actually focus on the staff and support them and value them. That seems to be extremely rare to find in a school unfortunately. Of course this is only my orientation... everything could change once school starts. Oh... and my principal is wonderful. She's funny, likes it when people stop in to talk, and she's caring. I feel so blessed to be working here.

There are certainly going to be challenges. The first year teaching is ALWAYS the biggest challenge because I don't know what I'm doing yet really. I mean, I know what I'm doing, but I don't yet. You know what I mean? And I'm teaching in a completely different culture than I'm used to. Western thinking is very linear... we have steps and like them. Egyptian thinking is very... non-linear. We will see how this pans out. To be continued...

I am going to something fun tonight that I don't know the name of! Some fun market or something with some new expat teacher friends. And tomorrow night, I'm going on a falucca ride on the Nile!! I'm not sure what "falucca" means... but I think it's some kind of boat. Am I right?!?! Anyway, it sounds extremely fun!! And I'm hoping there's wine involved. And yes, this is all with fun teachers. I'm not actually looking forward to school starting and having to do work... but I guess that is why I came here. Oh yeah! And there is a TGI Friday's near the Nile. Who would have thought that?

The Only White Person in the Room

The last 24 hours have been crazy! Last night I went to my friend's house for fetar (I hope I'm spelling that right) dinner. It was an amazing cultural experience! There were about 40 people there that were all friends with her family and everyone came up to me and introduced themselves in English. Some people knew about Hayah and were very interested in what I was doing here. They even offered help if I ever needed it during my stay here. I have learned that Egyptians, as a whole, are extremely hospitable and will help you out whenever you need them.

But on to the dinner. The table was full of food. And it was all Egyptian food! Everyone grabbed a plate, got some food, stood around and talked to each other. This was a challenge for me because everyone was speaking in Arabic. Occasionally, someone would come up and talk to me in English... probably because I looked so out of place. But I loved every minute of it. I don't think I've ever been the only white person in the room before who doesn't understand what's going on. After the meal, the table was filled with dessert! My friend's mom literally took a plate for me, and filled it with dessert. I guess that is Egyptian hospitality. It was all so delicious, but don't ask me what I ate. Then we watched t.v., talked (well, they talked in Arabic and I tried to understand what was going on), and my friend drove me home. I would say that every night of fetar is like our Thanksgiving in the US times 5.

This morning I got up at 5:30 to go to the pyramids! We went as part of our orientation... I'm not even sure what to say about them. I can't upload pictures right now, but they were unbelievable. I couldn't believe I was actually seeing them up close! I also saw camels!! It was all very exciting.

Tomorrow, I am going to the school for the first time! I'm pumped to see what it looks like in person. Oh yeah... I wanted to talk about traffic. It's insane. There literally are no rules. There are no lines to stay in, they don't drive with headlights on at night, there are no stop signs, no stop signs, nothing. It's mayhem. I don't understand how it works at all... but apparently it does? Also, cars park other cars in all the time. So I asked someone once, "What does the other car do if it needs to move?" Well, the person that parked the other car in leaves the car in neutral. That way, the other person can push the car out of the way if they need to. Crazy, right? I kinda love it. And taxi drivers will honk at you when they drive by to see if you need a ride... especially because I'm foriegn. It's kinda nice of them... but extremely irritating when all I hear is honking when I'm walking down the street. Sometimes I want to yell "NO!! I don't need a f***ing taxi!!!!" But, they wouldn't understand me anyway. So I say "la" (no) and shake my head.

Wow, I kind of went on a rant there. I've almost been here a week!

Did I just go on a date??

Where do I begin... (don't freak out mom and dad). I met this guy from Nigeria in the internet cafe. You meet people everywhere here. He's been in Cairo for 2 months, and we ended up hanging out yesterday. I thought it would be a casual thing... but we ended up taking a taxi (my first taxi experience in Cairo) to get sushi. This was also my first sushi experience... ever. I must say that it was very tasty. We ended up talking for 2 or 3 hours in this restaurant about everything... our lives, why we were in Cairo, what we wanted to do in the future. And I'm not going to say that I "like" him because we just met... but we kind of meshed. I think we might be good friends during my stay here. We have a lot of the same philosophy on life. He plays football (otherwise known as soccer), and he's very into travelling. He kept saying "life is a journey." Umm... yeah, I know. That's pretty much how I live my life. It was so nice to talk to someone that's from a completely different place than me, in a completely different part of the world, and connect with them. He also paid for everything, which made me think it was kind of a date. Well, it at least kind of turned into one. He said he wants to make me dinner (who does that?!) ... a traditional Nigerian meal. Most people reading this might be freaked out, but there's something very genuine and honest about him. I'm just happy to be making friends because it has been difficult being here and not knowing anyone or how anything is done. Anyway, I guess we'll see how it goes. Oh yeah, he had really nice arms and a hot tattoo.... I think we all know I'm into that.

In a nutshell, I want to briefly share what I've learned about Islam and the Arab culture while I've been here because I think it's fascinating. I've already shared a little about Ramadan and fasting. I learned about marriage from my friends from the school that I've become close with. In the Islam religion, people don't "date." If 2 people like each other they get engaged, and then have a period of "dating" that lasts anywhere from 2 months to 2 years, and then they get married. If they find out they don't like each other in that period, they give the ring back and every gift they got for each other, and call the wedding off. I don't think that's very common though. It's also very common in the Arab culture for people to marry first cousins. Weird, I know... but one thing I've learned being here is that everyone has a different culture. I'm in the minority here. I'm learning that just because a culture or belief is different than mine, that doesn't mean it's wrong or bad. It's just different. I wouldn't like it if someone told me that my beliefs or my culture was wrong. So I listen respectfully to other people, and hope that they will do the same to me. And they do! :)

Orientation started today and all the expat (non-Egyptian) teachers that I've met are awesome. They're friendly, funny, and willing to answer all the questions us newbies have. We went shopping today to a huge mall and I felt like I was in the US. It was a nice feeling. Tomorrow I am going to the pyramids!!! I am so excited!!

And I can't upload pictures yet because I need to buy a new camera. I don't have the proper chord to do so ... so I'm kind of waiting to get paid. I'm also waiting to get DSL in my apartment which may take until November. It is Ramadan and everything moves much slower. "If God wills it" (as they say), it will happen. This usually means "we will take our sweet time getting it done." That is another thing I've learned :) Arab time is definitely not American time.

Life in Maadi so Far

I have been in Maadi (kind of a suburb of Cairo) for about 3 days now. I have learned so much and there has been a challenge every day!! I am trying to get used to the constant noise of dogs barking outside my window (even though I live in an apartment on the 6th floor), and the calls to prayer 5 times a day. But it seems like they happen more than 5 times a day because it is Ramadan right now. Ramadan is the month of fasting for Muslims. They don't eat or drink from sunrise to sunset, or smoke, or anything "bad." It is a great time to be here because there are lights up all over the neighborhood, people are really nice to each other, and there are fireworks every night. And when I say fireworks, I mean little firecrackers :).

I have been making some great friends so far, and I'm getting out every day and exploring my neighborhood. I've especially been exploring Master's, the internet cafe, haha. Almost everyone speaks English because a lot of expats live in this neighborhood, meaning people that are not from Egypt. It is really hot!! I always carry around a bottle or water because I pretty much feel like I might pass out everywhere I go unless it's after sunset.

Everyone is super nice. The first full day I was here, I thought I would be cool and go explore my neighborhood a little bit. On my way back to my apartment, however, I realized that they all look the same!! Also, all the signs are in Arabic... I can't read Arabic (yet). So while I was looking for my apartment, i walked right past it. Three people stopped me, and told me turn around. At least, I assued that's what they were saying. They were speaking Arabic and just kept pointing back. Then a nice lady was explaining to me where I lived in Arabic and pointing. I just kept saying "shokran" meaning thank you, one of the few Arabic words I know, and went inside. Oh yeah, I also tripped on my way in. So I'm pretty much the new American girl in the neighborhood who doesn't know where she lives!! I'm making a great impression.

The next big thing on my list of things to do is to go to the market. This is a daunting task to me and sounds very scary because not only am I shopping in a different country, I'm paying in pounds, and then I have to carry all the stuff back to my apartment. I should explain that people don't walk on the sidewalk here... everyone walks in the street. And cars expect you to get out of their way. But I'm going to do it. Oh yeah! My big thing I did yesterday was light my stove! It was very exciting and my new friends from the school helped me... well kind of forced me to do it. But I was grateful.

That was the longest blog post in the world. I have been writing my journal that the lovely Casey Clark bought for me for graduation. It has my favorite quote on the front... "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterly." (In case you were wondering, I also have a magnet and a coffee mug with the same quote). That's kind of my mantra for this trip. Anyway... at the end of each journal entry (and I've been forcing myself to write daily), I say that tomorrow I will struggle more, and learn more about myself. So that is how I will leave this blog.

Good Omens Turned Ugly

Yesterday was an amazing day with my parents. I spent the morning finishing packing, getting one last tanning session in, and we left for Chicago around noon. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express at I decided that it would would be awful to try to get around the airport with 2 suitcases and a carry-on... I could barely make it in the hotel!! So, I decided to take one suitcase and one carry-on with me to Cairo to live on for two years. Yes, I cried when deciding what I had to leave behind. It was the only stuff I had that I knew that was coming with me... if that makes any sense. But I sucked it up and decided it would make me a better person.

There were 2 omens of the night... omens that I believed to be good. We had "Wheel of Fortune" on in the background, and one of the puzzles was "Final Boarding Call." Weird, right?! And, we stayed in room 522. My address in Viroqua with my parents is 522 S. Washington Ave. Again, weird. My last American meal was at TGI Friday's.

I woke up at 4:00 AM this morning, and we got to the aiport a little after 7:00. But, not only was my flight different... I didn't have a ticket number with either of them!! My flight was changed from American Airlines to Delta, which is fine. But neither of them had a ticket number. Delta had be booked on their flight, but no number. Then I had a panic attack. I had no way of getting on the plane and getting to Cairo. I called the only number I had... the superintendent of the school. I finally got ahold of her and she called people in Egypt. She called me back around 9:00 AM and told me to have my dad buy me a new ticket, and the school would reimburse them. So my dad charged a round-trip flight to Cairo for $2700. But I had a ticket number and a flight! The only kind of bad thing is that the flight changed, so I am currently sitting in JFK airport on my 7-hour layover. It was VERY dramatic. I didn't think I was actually going to make it to Cairo.

My goodbye with my parents was very fast. We suddenly realized that they couldn't come past the security checkpoint, and we said a quick goodbye. I was also frantically telling them to call the superintendent and tell her that my flight had changed so someone would be in Cairo at the aiport to pick me up! When I walked past security to find my terminal, it was a strange feeling of being on my own. I realized that I wouldn't see a face that I knew for the next 10 months or talk to a familiar friend in person. I felt incredibly sad and alone, but also like I was starting an amazing adventure and changing already.

Let's hope there's no more airport drama because I want everything else to go smoothly! I'm currently reading more about Cairo, my school, and listening to Arabic. Keep good thoughts!

Tomorrow...

I can't believe I'm leaving for Chicago tomorrow and flying out Tuesday morning for Cairo. I have been a big bucket of emotion today... and the last week really. It's been so hard saying "goodbye" to so many of my close friends and family, but I know it's not goodbye forever. It's just hard to leave all of my family, friends, and my old life behind. Tonight is the first time I can truly say that I feel confident and ready to experience what Egypt has to offer me, and to start my first teaching job. I will miss everything/everyone that is here, but I'm ready to embrace the future and live my life doing what I love.

My emotions have been a roller coaster, so who knows how I'll feel tomorrow. All I know is that I'm doing what's right for me... and that's a nice feeling to have. By this time in 3 days I will be in Cairo!!