it's only the next day, but

Well today I saw my school for the first time. All the teachers that live in Maadi gathered at the ACE club to wait for the school bus. Eight teachers from this area. Four American, one Canadian, one Filipino, one French, and one I think Czech. The ride took about 30 minutes and was not nice. I am not sure if it will be like this every morning, but the pollution was hanging low and it was very smoky and sickening. It is a big problem here. I said before that you can see the Citadel from my balcony. Which is true, if the dust and the pollution are not hanging low. Otherwise it is just fog in the horizon.

I arrived at the school around nine. First impressions were very strange. I thought it looked a little like a prison or some kind of fortress. In a way I guess it is and was built that way on purpose. The entire area of Kettamaya is filled with new foreign schools and as such could potentially be a hot spot for not nice activity. It was basically a square-ish sand colored building four stories tall. In the center is a large open area for lunch time play. That is where it struck me that it was kind of like a prison, the playground looked like “the yard” surrounded by tall turrets and dulled colored walls.

Most of the day we spent getting to know the school, other teachers, and what the school year will look like. I have a school calendar that can be changed at any moment because this is Egypt after all and nothing is for sure until it has already happened and even then is not always the truth.

I have a long weekend from Oct 6th to the 9th and also October is Ramadan so I have one less hour of school each day. November 3rd to 6th. November 10th to 13th. November 24th to 27th are all long weekends. In December I have Off for Christmas from December 23 through January 2nd. Long weekend from January 6th to the 9th. Somewhere in February I will have a long break like I had for Christmas but the ministry of education hasn’t decided yet when that will be. March 17-19 is along weekend. April 14th-16 is a long weekend. Then at the end of April another large break from the 21st-May 2nd. Then a straight shot til school ends on June 15th, but I have to hang around Cairo until the 30th because of contractual obligation.

I hope that is perfectly unclear and Egyptian for you. Maybe some of you will eye some of that time and decide to come. I think in November I am going to Beirut for a hash. I would also like to go to Turkey for some time but I am not sure when, maybe the break in April. Also I still plan to come to Germany for Christmas. So keep all of that in mind as well.

Of course I still don’t know exactly what I am teaching and the new building we are teaching in is still under construction so I don’t have a room yet either. I have a phone number now so I will send that number to anyone who wants it. The phone here is crap so don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to reach each other by phone. It is really funny and frustrating here. Anything you can think of, if you want it, multiply normal time allowance but three and Insh Allah (God willing) you will get what you need.

I have made some really good friends here and think that I have am on my way to establishing a good network to keep me sane. The strange thing is that I have no friends here who are under 27? except my roommate. Singles, male and female, are not too common. Most people are older men and younger women who are attached. Oh… another fun fact. I thought that Cairo was just under 20 million people. This is true, sort of. There are 20 million that are registered and pay tax. It is estimated that with the population that is unknown it probably reaches more like 40 million. That just blows my mind, but not entirely. I will say this a million….or 40 million times. Cairo is a giant beast of a city. Construction on housing and sewage cannot keep up with the growth. I really have to go to bed. I only slept 3 hours last night and I have to get up in about six to go to school again. Hope all is well at home. I have a funny story about a burning tire to tell, but next time. Although one parting thought. A truck load of soldiers with AK’s pulled up to the ACE club as I was waiting for the bus this morning and it occurred to me that seeing that is becoming normal. Almost everywhere you go there are soldiers with AK’s and tire strips at the ready. It is unsettling yet reassuring at the same time.
Much Love