Day 18 - I had a sleep over

I stayed over at Diana's last night because it was too late to go home. I did not feel like being stranded if the metro stopped running. I am so grateful that Diana is here and that we are friends. She has helped me so much and taught me things, I love hanging out with her.
In the morning Diana got up and went with me to the Metro station. I have only gone once before from her house and still did not feel totally comfortable getting to the metro by myself. I think after this morning I will be able to do it alone next time I stay there, which will be nice.

The metro from Helmiet el Zaitoun to Nasser, the station where I get off to go to work, is so much busier than my ride from Sadat to Nasser which is what I normally take.
Imagine cattle waiting to be let out of a corral. You know how they are, moving against each other, bumping in to each other, not much space to move around. They are all just waiting for the gate to open and be free in the open field..... That is what I imagine the metro looks like and that is how it feels. We are all just waiting for the doors to open and for more people to get off so that we can actually breathe and have some room so we are not standing on top of each other. It can get kind of hectic when people at the back need to get off. Not speaking Arabic is also a problem because these ladies are trying to talk to me and probably are asking me if I am getting off so I just say no and hope that is an appropriate answer. My first time riding that metro was kind of fun and interesting, but this time it was not so enjoyable. It was hot and sweat was pouring down my face and back. It was a struggle to not get squished by the surrounding woman. I made it off at my stop so that was all that really mattered. It was an adventure in itself, just like everything else I do.

Class was just like any other day, but there were 5 kids missing so it was a little bit more controlled. The last hour of class I had no clue what was going on. Fatem, the teacher, had left earlier and told me the kids had art. So there I was waiting in the class with the kids for the art teacher who never came. It was actually time for sports so it all was sorted out in the end but I was feeling quite helpless for a while there. I talked to the teacher I am helping about what I am doing and how I can be more of a help but she told me I was doing great and with time I would get better at teaching the kids. It was good to hear that I was being helpful from the teacher.

I had a meeting with Kathy the director and my supervisor for my practicum today. She gave me a reading to go through. It is about a protest against the United Nations High Commission for Refugees ongoing suspension of refugee status procedures which was held by Sudanese refugees here in Cairo in 2005 and ended with forced removals and demands unmet. I am half done the reading and it is very interesting. It gives a lot of background about the refugee situation here. It is good to be learning more about it.

I talked with my sisters, Cassandra and Cherilyn this evening. The connection was terrible but it was great to be able to see them and talk to them. The bad connection did make for some funny faces being captured on the screen. I can't believe it is snowing at home!! So unfortunate. I would send some of the heat here home if I could. AND I even talked with my Mom on facebook! A great way to end my day :)