Well my birthday so far has consisted of staying up very late, getting pizza hut and cake from the bakery at 4 in the morning with friends. Only in Cairo can you go to a bakery at 4 am and get cake. It was awesome and the cake was delicious. A great way to start out my birthday.
Thanx for all of the birthday wishes!!
Right now I am in the process of working out how to get to Alexandria....enshaallah it works out.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Day 81-82 - I missed posting yesterday....
I missed my first day of blogging yesterday :( I guess having fun trumped the importance of my blog last night.
Thursday was the last hurra at St. Andrew's. There was a prom held for the older students in the evening. It turned out to be an awesome time, with lots of fun and dancing. The students had a great time. This was the first time anything like this had ever been held at StARS and it was a major success. The girls were all dressed up and looking beautiful and the guys suits on and looked so sharp. It was a good way to end the term.
Today I went to Coptic Cairo with Diana and some of her students. It was interesting. Coptic Cairo is where there are like 5 churches all in the same area. It was interesting. I saw the Hanging Church which is quite famous. It was a hot but good morning. Afterwards we went for some lunch. We had Egyptian food, which was good. This evening I went on a fellucca ride with teachers and volunteers at St. Andrew's. It was a lot of fun. I love being out on the water. One of the teachers brought his family and oh my goodness his kids were absolutely adorable. There was food, song, dance and good conversation. It was also a great way to spend one last day with the teachers.
It is so strange to think that I am finished at St. Andrew's....
Thursday was the last hurra at St. Andrew's. There was a prom held for the older students in the evening. It turned out to be an awesome time, with lots of fun and dancing. The students had a great time. This was the first time anything like this had ever been held at StARS and it was a major success. The girls were all dressed up and looking beautiful and the guys suits on and looked so sharp. It was a good way to end the term.
Today I went to Coptic Cairo with Diana and some of her students. It was interesting. Coptic Cairo is where there are like 5 churches all in the same area. It was interesting. I saw the Hanging Church which is quite famous. It was a hot but good morning. Afterwards we went for some lunch. We had Egyptian food, which was good. This evening I went on a fellucca ride with teachers and volunteers at St. Andrew's. It was a lot of fun. I love being out on the water. One of the teachers brought his family and oh my goodness his kids were absolutely adorable. There was food, song, dance and good conversation. It was also a great way to spend one last day with the teachers.
It is so strange to think that I am finished at St. Andrew's....
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Day 80 - Celebrations
Today was the closing ceremonies at St. Andrew's. It was a fun, long day. We painted all the grade one's faces for their performances. It was so cute. The girls danced to Doctor Jones by Aqua and the whole class danced to a Sudanese song. It was awesome. All of the classes did something, mostly dances and the older kids rapped. They were good. Every student got a certificate. There was lots of people, and families there. It was great to meet some of the parents of my students. It was a day full of running after kids, talking with students, parents, teachers, song and dance. It was a great day to end the school year.
I am sad that I will most likely not see any of my students again. I do have my older students emails so I can still have contact with them which is nice. It is going to be so strange not to go to the center everyday now. I can hardly believe that it have almost been 3 months already. Time goes by so fast, especially when you are having a good time. For figuring out my practicum 2 months before I had to leave it worked out perfectly. Cairo was where I was meant to be...
I am sad that I will most likely not see any of my students again. I do have my older students emails so I can still have contact with them which is nice. It is going to be so strange not to go to the center everyday now. I can hardly believe that it have almost been 3 months already. Time goes by so fast, especially when you are having a good time. For figuring out my practicum 2 months before I had to leave it worked out perfectly. Cairo was where I was meant to be...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Day 79 - 80 - Back in the groove of things....sort of....
Monday Evening- After we got back I unpacked, did laundry and uploaded the 700 pictures I took in Jordan to my camera. We planned to meet the people we met on the bus back to Cairo at a local bar to talk and hang out before they all left Cairo. It was fun to see them again. There was a girl from Austria, a mother and son from Slovakia, an American and then us. It was cool to chat with them and make more friends. I was so tired by the end of the night though...
Tuesday (Today) - The 3rd last day of my time with my students at St. Andrew's. We went to a center that has a playground and arts and crafts. 4 grades came so it was crazy and overwhelming but the students had a great time, which is all that mattered. I was exhausted once we got back to the center but I got a 2nd wind when I came home so still have not napped. Malesh. I am sad me time with the students is coming to an end so quickly. It will be hard to adjust to not seeing them again. Thursday will be a sad day but I know I will enjoy every minute of my time at the center till then...
Tuesday (Today) - The 3rd last day of my time with my students at St. Andrew's. We went to a center that has a playground and arts and crafts. 4 grades came so it was crazy and overwhelming but the students had a great time, which is all that mattered. I was exhausted once we got back to the center but I got a 2nd wind when I came home so still have not napped. Malesh. I am sad me time with the students is coming to an end so quickly. It will be hard to adjust to not seeing them again. Thursday will be a sad day but I know I will enjoy every minute of my time at the center till then...
Day 75 - 79 - Jordan in 4 Days
THURSDAY - We left on the bus (we being me, Naa anorkor, Akil and Collin) at 10pm and got to Taba, which is still in Egypt around 5:30 am. From here we walked across the Egyptian border, we had to go through the Israeli border (so now I have a stamp from Israel so hopefully that does not hinder my future travels). We waited here for about 45 minutes because Collin had a stamp from Morocco so they had to question him and such but he got through thankfully. So now we were in Eilat, Israel. We had to get a taxi to the Jordan border, which we definitely over paid for but we had no other way to get there. We walked through the Jordan border and got a taxi to take us to Aqaba. We got to Aqaba around 10 am so the whole border crossing process took us about 5 hours.
Aqaba is a nice city. Jordan is much cleaner than Cairo. We ate some lunch once we got settled. Some cops helped us get a cheap taxi and told us where to go eat. Akil has dreads so the people were absolutely fascinated with him. Asking for pictures or to touch his hair and staring hardcore. Not only were there 4 foreigners among the locals but 2 of african people with different hair. The food was great at the place the police recommended for us. Their pita bread is better than the Egyptian bread. We looked for a good deal on a hotel room at 8 different hotels. Collin and I walked from place to place pretending we were brother and sister so they would have no problems letting us all stay in the same room. We finally found a good deal at a place called Amira, with a 3 bed room for 25 denar. Collin slept on the floor with blankets. It worked out wonderfully. Once we got settled in our room we headed to the beach which was a bit disappointing. Women have to wear all clothes in. Like women were wearing their full head scarves and everything and the water was not very clean. So we ended up napping in chairs on the beach for a while in the shade. We left the beach and came and napped in our hotel room till 5:30. Then we headed out to Wadi Rum-a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southwest Jordan. We went there to watch the sunset and my goodness it was gorgeous. Definitely a good choice on our part to go out there. It was beautiful. We got back to Aqaba around 9. I was feeling quite sick so I had to go and lay down. I think I did not eat enough, drink enough and got too much sun. So I missed an evening there but malesh. We had to be up at 6:30 and gone to catch the bus at 7 to Petra.
FRIDAY - We all slept through the alarms so it was a rush to get to the station but Jordanians are like Egyptians and never leave on time so that worked good for us. The trip took about 3 hours. A hot and uncomfortable ride but we made it there.
We searched for a hotel in Wadi Musa. It took going to 4 hotels to find the best deal. 4 beds for 24 denars. Pretty good deal. We got to Petra, which was a 5 minute taxi ride, around 1pm. We bought a 2 day pass because we knew we would not see all of Petra in just on half day. We walked through Petra taking many pictures and climbing things till we got to the monastery around 5:30 or so. We were so tired once we got to the top but it was worth it. The monastery was huge and beautiful. So this was where our adventure started....we chatted with the Bedouin who were up there. They have a shop there. They invited us to eat with them and have tea. We watched one of the Bedouin free climb up the Monastery. It was crazy how fast he got up there. We went up to the look out point and watched the sunset. This is where the talk of staying up on the mountain came about. I was actually not feeling well again but there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to stay up on a mountain in Petra with local Bedouin people. So all 4 of us chilled up at the top of this peak, chatting with the Bedouin's, I slept off and on. They made food, which I didn't really eat. Earlier in the eveing they gave me some sage tea, which apparently makes you throw up, which I discovered about 2 hours later. So besides being sick it was incredible. The sky was the best thing ever. Almost better than my memories of the South African sky. We could see millions of stars, the milky way. I was shown the star the Bedouin use to direction at night. It was called Sarle or something like that. I wish I could remember the name exactly. But it was incredible. They called where we stayed the million star hotel. The Bedouin people are great and live a very interesting life. I would love to live with them for a month or something like that to experience that. So incredible. I bought a necklace down at their shop, it is beautiful.
SATURDAY - We woke up for sunrise but we half slept through it and it was too bright to watch anyways. We started down the mountain around 8:30 or so. We went quite fast because we really wanted to get back to the hotel before check out to shower. At the Treasury there was this one Bedouin man and I was so intrigued by him. I could have sat and stared at him for hours. I would have loved to take pictures of him. I did get one picture with him :) We got back to the hotel with 45 minutes to spare so we could shower and get ready to catch the bus to Amman.
Amman is the capital and 2 hours away from Petra. It was another hot trip in a bus but worth it. We got there and haggled with taxi drivers till be got the best deal. We went downtown to see a roman theater which was closed when we got there. From there we went out to the Dead Sea. ABSOLUTELY incredible. We were in water maybe knee deep and we floated. We drove past Jesus' baptismal site but did not go there. But ya the Dead Sea was incredible. So beautiful. What I thought was a rock in the water was actually salt! Crazy. We tasted it and it felt like burning on the tongue it was so salty. But yes. The Dead Sea absolutely amazing.
We caught a bus from Amman to Aqaba. A 6 hour trip. I slept most of the way off and on. The buses are so uncomfortable.
MONDAY - We arrived in Aqaba around 4 am. We went back to the hotel we stayed in the night before and asked if we could sleep in the lobby until 6. The man just let us in and went back to sleeping. We left around 6:30 to catch a cab to the border. We had no problems crossing any of the borders which was great. We were in Egypt by 9, where we bargained with a mini-bus driver to give us a better price than the big bus price. We got a deal and took that instead. We met some cool people from Slovakia, Austria and the States. We made plans to go out this evening with them. It should be good times. We left Taba, the Egyptian border at 11:00 and got to Cairo around 5 or 6. It was a hot drive but expected. So ya that was my weekend in a few words...I am sure I missed something and of course there are many stories I could tell but that is just too much to type :) A lot jammed in to 4-5 days.
Jordan was more expensive than expected but definitely still worth the trip, for sure!
Aqaba is a nice city. Jordan is much cleaner than Cairo. We ate some lunch once we got settled. Some cops helped us get a cheap taxi and told us where to go eat. Akil has dreads so the people were absolutely fascinated with him. Asking for pictures or to touch his hair and staring hardcore. Not only were there 4 foreigners among the locals but 2 of african people with different hair. The food was great at the place the police recommended for us. Their pita bread is better than the Egyptian bread. We looked for a good deal on a hotel room at 8 different hotels. Collin and I walked from place to place pretending we were brother and sister so they would have no problems letting us all stay in the same room. We finally found a good deal at a place called Amira, with a 3 bed room for 25 denar. Collin slept on the floor with blankets. It worked out wonderfully. Once we got settled in our room we headed to the beach which was a bit disappointing. Women have to wear all clothes in. Like women were wearing their full head scarves and everything and the water was not very clean. So we ended up napping in chairs on the beach for a while in the shade. We left the beach and came and napped in our hotel room till 5:30. Then we headed out to Wadi Rum-a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southwest Jordan. We went there to watch the sunset and my goodness it was gorgeous. Definitely a good choice on our part to go out there. It was beautiful. We got back to Aqaba around 9. I was feeling quite sick so I had to go and lay down. I think I did not eat enough, drink enough and got too much sun. So I missed an evening there but malesh. We had to be up at 6:30 and gone to catch the bus at 7 to Petra.
FRIDAY - We all slept through the alarms so it was a rush to get to the station but Jordanians are like Egyptians and never leave on time so that worked good for us. The trip took about 3 hours. A hot and uncomfortable ride but we made it there.
We searched for a hotel in Wadi Musa. It took going to 4 hotels to find the best deal. 4 beds for 24 denars. Pretty good deal. We got to Petra, which was a 5 minute taxi ride, around 1pm. We bought a 2 day pass because we knew we would not see all of Petra in just on half day. We walked through Petra taking many pictures and climbing things till we got to the monastery around 5:30 or so. We were so tired once we got to the top but it was worth it. The monastery was huge and beautiful. So this was where our adventure started....we chatted with the Bedouin who were up there. They have a shop there. They invited us to eat with them and have tea. We watched one of the Bedouin free climb up the Monastery. It was crazy how fast he got up there. We went up to the look out point and watched the sunset. This is where the talk of staying up on the mountain came about. I was actually not feeling well again but there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to stay up on a mountain in Petra with local Bedouin people. So all 4 of us chilled up at the top of this peak, chatting with the Bedouin's, I slept off and on. They made food, which I didn't really eat. Earlier in the eveing they gave me some sage tea, which apparently makes you throw up, which I discovered about 2 hours later. So besides being sick it was incredible. The sky was the best thing ever. Almost better than my memories of the South African sky. We could see millions of stars, the milky way. I was shown the star the Bedouin use to direction at night. It was called Sarle or something like that. I wish I could remember the name exactly. But it was incredible. They called where we stayed the million star hotel. The Bedouin people are great and live a very interesting life. I would love to live with them for a month or something like that to experience that. So incredible. I bought a necklace down at their shop, it is beautiful.
SATURDAY - We woke up for sunrise but we half slept through it and it was too bright to watch anyways. We started down the mountain around 8:30 or so. We went quite fast because we really wanted to get back to the hotel before check out to shower. At the Treasury there was this one Bedouin man and I was so intrigued by him. I could have sat and stared at him for hours. I would have loved to take pictures of him. I did get one picture with him :) We got back to the hotel with 45 minutes to spare so we could shower and get ready to catch the bus to Amman.
Amman is the capital and 2 hours away from Petra. It was another hot trip in a bus but worth it. We got there and haggled with taxi drivers till be got the best deal. We went downtown to see a roman theater which was closed when we got there. From there we went out to the Dead Sea. ABSOLUTELY incredible. We were in water maybe knee deep and we floated. We drove past Jesus' baptismal site but did not go there. But ya the Dead Sea was incredible. So beautiful. What I thought was a rock in the water was actually salt! Crazy. We tasted it and it felt like burning on the tongue it was so salty. But yes. The Dead Sea absolutely amazing.
We caught a bus from Amman to Aqaba. A 6 hour trip. I slept most of the way off and on. The buses are so uncomfortable.
MONDAY - We arrived in Aqaba around 4 am. We went back to the hotel we stayed in the night before and asked if we could sleep in the lobby until 6. The man just let us in and went back to sleeping. We left around 6:30 to catch a cab to the border. We had no problems crossing any of the borders which was great. We were in Egypt by 9, where we bargained with a mini-bus driver to give us a better price than the big bus price. We got a deal and took that instead. We met some cool people from Slovakia, Austria and the States. We made plans to go out this evening with them. It should be good times. We left Taba, the Egyptian border at 11:00 and got to Cairo around 5 or 6. It was a hot drive but expected. So ya that was my weekend in a few words...I am sure I missed something and of course there are many stories I could tell but that is just too much to type :) A lot jammed in to 4-5 days.
Jordan was more expensive than expected but definitely still worth the trip, for sure!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Day 75 - Off to Jordan
Today was the last day of classes at St. Andrew's. Sad. But it was a great day so that made up for it.
Yet another adventure is in my future. I am leaving with 3 other friends to go to Jordan for the weekend. It is going to be a quick and probably tiring trip but I am so excited. You will read all about it when I get back.
Now I must pack or I will not be ready to go...
Yet another adventure is in my future. I am leaving with 3 other friends to go to Jordan for the weekend. It is going to be a quick and probably tiring trip but I am so excited. You will read all about it when I get back.
Now I must pack or I will not be ready to go...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Day 74 - Coming to an end...
I found out that this was the last week of classes for the students at St. Andrew's. It was a bit of a shock to learn this. I was not expecting the term to be done yet. So next week there are some trips for the students and celebrations and prom. It should be a great week. I am sad that the term will be over after next week because I will not see the students anymore. This is a sad, sad thought. I am just happy I still have time with them even if it is less than what I thought I had...
I made my last trip to the Mogamma today to pick up my passport. Brand new stickers saying I can be in the country till December and that I am allowed to re-enter Egypt when I come back from Jordan this weekend. Ya that's right, I am going to Jordan for the weekend. It is going to be an adventure and a half, for sure. I am excited.
I made my last trip to the Mogamma today to pick up my passport. Brand new stickers saying I can be in the country till December and that I am allowed to re-enter Egypt when I come back from Jordan this weekend. Ya that's right, I am going to Jordan for the weekend. It is going to be an adventure and a half, for sure. I am excited.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Day 73 - El Mogamma
I now have a valid visa but still do not have my passport. I have to go back to the Mogamma to get it. The place closed before they could process my re-entry visa. I need a re-entry visa because I am planning on going to Jordan this weekend. Now I have to go back again tomorrow to get all the information needed. Hopefully it will be the last time I have to go there. It is a zoo of people.
I also went a picture walk this evening. I got off at one of the metro stops and just walked around taking pictures. It was fun. I hope I got some good ones.
Naa anorkor and I got asked today if we were married and how long had we been married. It was stupid. I just said why are you asking us this, there is no point. The guy left after that. So ridiculous.
I also went a picture walk this evening. I got off at one of the metro stops and just walked around taking pictures. It was fun. I hope I got some good ones.
Naa anorkor and I got asked today if we were married and how long had we been married. It was stupid. I just said why are you asking us this, there is no point. The guy left after that. So ridiculous.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Day 72 - The Wind Stole My T-Shirt
I forgot to mention that last night I met a guy from New Zealand who played for the Maori All Blacks which is a great rugby team. It was awesome.
Today I went to the Mogamma to get my visa's figured out so that I can go to Jordan this weekend and be able to get back in to Egypt. It turns out the visa I had was expired so I had to pay to re-new it. It was so confusing. Naa anorkor was with me as well as a friend from the center. If Albino had not been there I am not sure what we would have done. It was confusing so Arabic is a must there. I have to go back tomorrow to actually get my visa put in my passport because they closed half way through the processing of my visa. We took Albino for lunch to thank him for coming and helping us at the Mogamma. It was good. I had some Egyptian food, foul and falafel.
For about a week now we have been having problems with our water. We go half the day without it so it is very annoying when you need to shower, do dishes, anything, and there is no water. I did get a shower in today. The water stopped just as I finished rinsing conditioner out of my hair.
I woke up from my nap today and there was water on the floor up to the bedroom doors. I have not clue where it came from but it took me forever to clean up. Nothing like having water issues then to have to wade through it on the floor. ...
THE WIND STOLE MY CMUTT T-SHIRT! I am so sad. It is my first thing to lose off the clothes line. Bah. I can't afford to lose any clothes and I liked that shirt a lot :( Malesh. It was only a t-shirt. I will get over it sooner or later. At least is wasn't my jeans. That would have been even worse.
Today I went to the Mogamma to get my visa's figured out so that I can go to Jordan this weekend and be able to get back in to Egypt. It turns out the visa I had was expired so I had to pay to re-new it. It was so confusing. Naa anorkor was with me as well as a friend from the center. If Albino had not been there I am not sure what we would have done. It was confusing so Arabic is a must there. I have to go back tomorrow to actually get my visa put in my passport because they closed half way through the processing of my visa. We took Albino for lunch to thank him for coming and helping us at the Mogamma. It was good. I had some Egyptian food, foul and falafel.
For about a week now we have been having problems with our water. We go half the day without it so it is very annoying when you need to shower, do dishes, anything, and there is no water. I did get a shower in today. The water stopped just as I finished rinsing conditioner out of my hair.
I woke up from my nap today and there was water on the floor up to the bedroom doors. I have not clue where it came from but it took me forever to clean up. Nothing like having water issues then to have to wade through it on the floor. ...
THE WIND STOLE MY CMUTT T-SHIRT! I am so sad. It is my first thing to lose off the clothes line. Bah. I can't afford to lose any clothes and I liked that shirt a lot :( Malesh. It was only a t-shirt. I will get over it sooner or later. At least is wasn't my jeans. That would have been even worse.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Day 69-71 - Dahab....one the the best places ever.
Friday: We went to a restaurant called Yalla for some lunch. It was a great place. Right on the water and the servers were very nice. We sat there for over 2 hours just relaxing. It was so nice and the view was absolutely gorgeous. We walked around and went into shops for a while. We decided we wanted to go quading. We had to be ready to go at 5. It turned out that there were 3 other people going who just happened to be Canadian, from Edmonton and Calgary. One of then was actually Michelle Gerwing's (I went to school with her) roommate. Small small world. So yes we went quading in the desert mountains and along the sea. It was incredible and so much fun. We had only planned on going 2 hours, but then ended up being out for almost 4 hours. A very long time but worth it. Our guide Mohamed was great. We were absolutely covered from head to toe in dust once we were done. We returned at 9pm, giving us 2 hours before we had to leave for Mt.Sinai. We got in the micro-bus with our French friends at 11pm. It was a 2 hour drive to St. Catherine's so we slept most of the way there....
Saturday: We arrived at St. Catherine's at 12:30 or so and started climbing at 2:15 am. We had a group of 9 of us. Our guide, Faosi turned out to be the best guide we could have ever had. It turns out that my friend Naa anorkor is super afraid of heights so going along the path with the drop off made her super nervous. Our guide helped her the whole way up the mountain. We made it up to the steps at 4:30, taking breaks along the way at the little shops they had. There was one every 15-25 minutes. We climbed the 750 steps in about a half hour or less and made it to the top before sunrise. It was amazing...it was hard to think that Moses once climbed the same mountain we just did to recieve the 10 Commandments from God. The amount of people at the top kind of took away from the moment of being on top of Mt.Sinai but it was still amazing. The sunrise was incredible. The colors were so beautiful with the mountainous view and when the sun actually began to rise it was so amazing. It came up so fast. We started our decent at 6:30 or so. It took a while because it was steps all the way down so that made Naa anorkor very nervous but we made it. Just in time for the opening of the Monestary. By this time we were on quite tired so I do not think I appreciated the Monestary as much as I could have. We headed back home at 10am. I slept so deeply in the micro-bus on the way home, which if you have ever been in one is quite difficult. They are cramped and very uncomfortable. We had to be out of our hotel room an hour after we got back so we showered and packed, then left our stuff at the front desk so we didn't have to carry it around. We went to a new place to eat but they tried to rip us off so we went back to Yalla. I got Egyptian salads and some fish. It was really good. The Canadians ended up joining us half way through. At 5pm we left for the Blue Hole to go snorkeling. I went out in the water with Sam and Elza (our new friends) and snorkeled. It was incredible. There were not very many big fish but we did see a lot of schools of small fish. I saw a nemo fish and dori fish, and some cool other ones. I only paniced a few times. But the depth of the water was incredible. The reef on one side and the dark depths of the sea on the other side. After around 2 hours we left for Dahab to get ready to go back to Cairo. We shopped for about an hour...It was nice to walk in the cool of the night. Our bus left at 10pm so we had to be at the bus station at 9:30pm. We caught a taxi with our new friends and we were on our way home. It was an incredible weekend and I did not want to leave the beach...
Sunday: We arrived in Cairo at 7:30am after a not so good sleep on the bus. I came home and slept for about 5 hours. So nice. It was a friends birthday today so we went out for supper at the Greek Club here. It was nice. Good greek salad. It was a relaxing day.
Saturday: We arrived at St. Catherine's at 12:30 or so and started climbing at 2:15 am. We had a group of 9 of us. Our guide, Faosi turned out to be the best guide we could have ever had. It turns out that my friend Naa anorkor is super afraid of heights so going along the path with the drop off made her super nervous. Our guide helped her the whole way up the mountain. We made it up to the steps at 4:30, taking breaks along the way at the little shops they had. There was one every 15-25 minutes. We climbed the 750 steps in about a half hour or less and made it to the top before sunrise. It was amazing...it was hard to think that Moses once climbed the same mountain we just did to recieve the 10 Commandments from God. The amount of people at the top kind of took away from the moment of being on top of Mt.Sinai but it was still amazing. The sunrise was incredible. The colors were so beautiful with the mountainous view and when the sun actually began to rise it was so amazing. It came up so fast. We started our decent at 6:30 or so. It took a while because it was steps all the way down so that made Naa anorkor very nervous but we made it. Just in time for the opening of the Monestary. By this time we were on quite tired so I do not think I appreciated the Monestary as much as I could have. We headed back home at 10am. I slept so deeply in the micro-bus on the way home, which if you have ever been in one is quite difficult. They are cramped and very uncomfortable. We had to be out of our hotel room an hour after we got back so we showered and packed, then left our stuff at the front desk so we didn't have to carry it around. We went to a new place to eat but they tried to rip us off so we went back to Yalla. I got Egyptian salads and some fish. It was really good. The Canadians ended up joining us half way through. At 5pm we left for the Blue Hole to go snorkeling. I went out in the water with Sam and Elza (our new friends) and snorkeled. It was incredible. There were not very many big fish but we did see a lot of schools of small fish. I saw a nemo fish and dori fish, and some cool other ones. I only paniced a few times. But the depth of the water was incredible. The reef on one side and the dark depths of the sea on the other side. After around 2 hours we left for Dahab to get ready to go back to Cairo. We shopped for about an hour...It was nice to walk in the cool of the night. Our bus left at 10pm so we had to be at the bus station at 9:30pm. We caught a taxi with our new friends and we were on our way home. It was an incredible weekend and I did not want to leave the beach...
Sunday: We arrived in Cairo at 7:30am after a not so good sleep on the bus. I came home and slept for about 5 hours. So nice. It was a friends birthday today so we went out for supper at the Greek Club here. It was nice. Good greek salad. It was a relaxing day.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Day 68-69 - Dahab
It took us 2 hours to find the place to buy our bus tickets. Once we finally found it we only had an hour before we had to get back to the bus station. It was a bit of a rush but we made it.
I am in Dahab now, which is on the Red Sea. My friend, Naa Anorkor and I left on the bus at 8pm last night. The trip was 9 1/2 hours, on a cold air conditioned bus. Besides the fact that I was cold the whole way, the drive went by quickly. Sleeping helped pass the time. Once we arrived good and sleepy, we were immediately bombarded with "taxi miss, do you want a taxi". There were some English/French/Arabic speaking people who also got off the bus so we decided it would be best to ask them where they were staying. We tagged along with them, which was good. The taxi driver would have ripped us off if we had not been with them. The taxi by the way was a truck and we sat in the back. We are staying at a place called Alaska camp and hotel. It is nice. One of the owners is I think Austrailian so it is good that we can talk to her and ask questions of how we can go and do things. We are only paying $10 a night for the both of us and it is like 1 minute walk from the sea. We slept all morning and then went and got some lunch. The view was so gorgeous, we could have sat there for hours. It was crazy to think that across the sea is Saudi Arabia. This afternoon we are planning to go snorkling at Blue Hole (look it up) with our new found friends and this evening we are going to climb Mt.Sinai. The day is just getting better and better.
I think one of the best things about being here besides the beautiful surroundings, is being able to wear shorts and a tank top. It feels sooooo good. I love it!
I am in Dahab now, which is on the Red Sea. My friend, Naa Anorkor and I left on the bus at 8pm last night. The trip was 9 1/2 hours, on a cold air conditioned bus. Besides the fact that I was cold the whole way, the drive went by quickly. Sleeping helped pass the time. Once we arrived good and sleepy, we were immediately bombarded with "taxi miss, do you want a taxi". There were some English/French/Arabic speaking people who also got off the bus so we decided it would be best to ask them where they were staying. We tagged along with them, which was good. The taxi driver would have ripped us off if we had not been with them. The taxi by the way was a truck and we sat in the back. We are staying at a place called Alaska camp and hotel. It is nice. One of the owners is I think Austrailian so it is good that we can talk to her and ask questions of how we can go and do things. We are only paying $10 a night for the both of us and it is like 1 minute walk from the sea. We slept all morning and then went and got some lunch. The view was so gorgeous, we could have sat there for hours. It was crazy to think that across the sea is Saudi Arabia. This afternoon we are planning to go snorkling at Blue Hole (look it up) with our new found friends and this evening we are going to climb Mt.Sinai. The day is just getting better and better.
I think one of the best things about being here besides the beautiful surroundings, is being able to wear shorts and a tank top. It feels sooooo good. I love it!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Day 67 - My cat is driving me nuts
Sitting at my desk, balcony doors open letting the breeze and noise in, borrowing someone's wireless internet....what gets better than this? Many things are better than this yes, but the breeze is glorious.
The internet just stopped working yesterday and me and my roommate, Ammanuel (that's for you Uncle Al) don't know who to call about it. Malesh. At least I can borrow internet from some kind person who doesn't feel the need to put a password on their wireless :)
I bought flip flops today for $2. I hope they are a better cheap purchase than my tank tops. They seem like nice enough ones.
I slept for 3 hours this afternoon. It is shocking when you wake up, look at the clock and realize it is 3 hours later than when you first laid down to sleep.
The internet just stopped working yesterday and me and my roommate, Ammanuel (that's for you Uncle Al) don't know who to call about it. Malesh. At least I can borrow internet from some kind person who doesn't feel the need to put a password on their wireless :)
I bought flip flops today for $2. I hope they are a better cheap purchase than my tank tops. They seem like nice enough ones.
I slept for 3 hours this afternoon. It is shocking when you wake up, look at the clock and realize it is 3 hours later than when you first laid down to sleep.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Day 66 - Level 5
Well I am now finished teaching for Diana. Class went very well yesterday and I knew like half the class so that was nice. I think that helped with my nerves. I just hope they actually understood what I attempted to teach them. Class today started off a bit rocky. The class almost convinced me I had spelt psychiatrist wrong but I was pretty positive I was correct and turns out I was right :)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Day 65 - New Job
So I have a new job for 2 days...well one now because I finished the one class today. I think it went fine. I knew a lot of the students because they were in Diana's English class that I attended before. It was nice to see familiar faces. Tomorrow I teach a new class, one that I probably know no one in. That is fine. I took the metro home with students today. It was nice not have to walk by myself.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Day 64 - It's July
Today was enjoyable. There was a very nice breeze so it did not feel so super hot out. I didn't go outside till this evening so it did not matter too much. I was working on lesson plans and writing up a test this afternoon. With distractions of course.
This evening a friend and I went for some dessert. It had fruit, mango juice, cream and custard on the bottom. Very interesting and decent tasting. After this we went and played pool for a while. I lost all 6 of the games we played. I kept getting worse the more games we played. Quite brutal, haha. Except my friend told me I am better than some of his friends. I thought that was funny. It was a nice evening.
I am starting to enjoy having a nap in the afternoon and staying up later in the cool evening. So much nicer. I am becoming Egyptian, haha. But if I don't have a nap it is hard for me to survive past midnight....like right now :)
This evening a friend and I went for some dessert. It had fruit, mango juice, cream and custard on the bottom. Very interesting and decent tasting. After this we went and played pool for a while. I lost all 6 of the games we played. I kept getting worse the more games we played. Quite brutal, haha. Except my friend told me I am better than some of his friends. I thought that was funny. It was a nice evening.
I am starting to enjoy having a nap in the afternoon and staying up later in the cool evening. So much nicer. I am becoming Egyptian, haha. But if I don't have a nap it is hard for me to survive past midnight....like right now :)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Day 63 - Bagels
I just experienced a living in the desert shower. It was not too fun. I really wanted to wash my hair but alas there was only a trickle of water. I managed to clean myself but that was pretty difficult. When you don't shower here you feel so gross and sticky and dirty. I am just happy there was enough water to get myself clean. Oh and to top the no water thing, I had no towel because it was hanging out on the line so I had to use a wash cloth to dry myself. Malesh, it did the job.
I made bagels today, well I helped make bagels today, and they were delicious. They took all afternoon to make though. Diana did most of the stuff but I helped. It was fun and worth it when we ate them fresh with cream cheese :) I had a good time with them last night and today.
I am teaching 2 of Diana's classes this next week for her because she is going to the Red Sea with the orphanage she works at. This will be interesting but I think it will be fine. I also have to write up a test for my students. Tomorrow will be a day of lesson plans that is for sure. I haven't done anything yet this weekend...
Oh ya and for all you American's out there...Happy 4th of July. I think I heard fireworks a little while ago...I am sure it was American's in the area firing them off.
I made bagels today, well I helped make bagels today, and they were delicious. They took all afternoon to make though. Diana did most of the stuff but I helped. It was fun and worth it when we ate them fresh with cream cheese :) I had a good time with them last night and today.
I am teaching 2 of Diana's classes this next week for her because she is going to the Red Sea with the orphanage she works at. This will be interesting but I think it will be fine. I also have to write up a test for my students. Tomorrow will be a day of lesson plans that is for sure. I haven't done anything yet this weekend...
Oh ya and for all you American's out there...Happy 4th of July. I think I heard fireworks a little while ago...I am sure it was American's in the area firing them off.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Day 62 - Holedays
So I celebrated Canada Day with Diana, Josh, Maggie and 2 Egyptian friends today at a restaurant in Heliopolis called Holedays (Holidays). It was really more of just a get together with friends but was originally to be our C-Day celebration. We had sheesh ta wook, which is chicken and some Egyptian salads. It was really good. We had a good time.
Josh and his friend left after we ate and Diana, Maggie and Radwa and I did a little shopping then came back to Diana's. I am spending the night here.
Josh and his friend left after we ate and Diana, Maggie and Radwa and I did a little shopping then came back to Diana's. I am spending the night here.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Day 61 - Teacher Caryn
Today I was given an attendance sheet with 'Teacher Caryn Wheeler' written on the top. It was strange but fun to see what I am called everyday by the students in writing. I had a meeting with Kathy, the director today, to talk about my time at StARS so far. I had to write a mid-term report, which I think is actually late. Malesh. It was a good meeting. It was great to talk to her about how much I am enjoying myself here and how much I love StARS. I also got some of my questions about the actual running of the organization answered so that was nice. Now I just have to write everything up that we talked about.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Day 60 - Happy Canada Day!
I met my first neighbor. She just happens to be volunteering at St. Andrew's. She is very nice, very easy to talk with and I like hearing her perspective on the kids at St. Andrew's. She had never walked home from the center so we got some fresh mango juice to go and walked home. It was nice. The mango juice was delicious. They have shops here, that only sell fresh juice. They have quite a few choices. Sugar cane juice is so good. So sweet but tasty. I wish they had places like this back home...
My butt got grabbed for the first time on my way home today. I was kinda delayed in my reaction because it was so smooth. He walked past and gave my right butt cheek a quick squeeze. Once I realized what happened I turned around and yelled "Eh da" meaning "What is this?" and shook my fist at him. Of course he was like sorry sorry. Ya right you are sorry you disrespectful person....so yes 2 months in Egypt and only once have I had my butt grabbed. Thank goodness.
Canada Day in Cairo has been just a normal day. I went to the center, came home and napped. And I am going for supper at the best place in Cairo to get Egyptian food according to my roommate. So really I am doing nothing Canadian like, but Diana and I are going to get together and 'celebrate' on Friday. It should be a good time.
My butt got grabbed for the first time on my way home today. I was kinda delayed in my reaction because it was so smooth. He walked past and gave my right butt cheek a quick squeeze. Once I realized what happened I turned around and yelled "Eh da" meaning "What is this?" and shook my fist at him. Of course he was like sorry sorry. Ya right you are sorry you disrespectful person....so yes 2 months in Egypt and only once have I had my butt grabbed. Thank goodness.
Canada Day in Cairo has been just a normal day. I went to the center, came home and napped. And I am going for supper at the best place in Cairo to get Egyptian food according to my roommate. So really I am doing nothing Canadian like, but Diana and I are going to get together and 'celebrate' on Friday. It should be a good time.
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