Did You See That?

Hmmm.... I wonder what it is like in there? Occasionally I will find some signs in english that just make you wonder who wrote/made the sign to begin with.

Habibi

Habibi means darling or dear. The joke is that Mayumi is my habibi. When her mom asks, "who is your habibi?" She usually responds, "kevin" Sometimes we are fighting and she says someone else.;) Now it is on a whole new level because not only are we dating but now, but(as you can see in the picture) we are sleeping together too. :)

All Hallow's Eve

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while. Nothing much has been going on, or rather I have had little money because I am saving for an freinds upcoming visit. Since the last time I posted I have booked a flight to Rome for Christmas. I will be flying to Rome, then to Basel to meet with family. I will stay with the family for Christmas and then go back to Rome for a few days with my cousins before I fly out of Rome. So some time in early January I should have some neat pictures of that trip. I am really excited to go and it will be very nice to spend the holidays with family!

Last night I went to a Halloween party with a few freinds. It was pretty fun although I don't really remember the last hour or so before I went to bed! In a last minute effort to get a costume I threw on some sheets and sandals and went as a Roman. There were a couple of other toga clad peoples but I think that mine was the best, or at least I made it look the best. ;)

Suicide Bomber... Just Kidding!!

I have removed this post because the content was too dark for certain viewers.

Moonlight

Alexandria certainly is an interesting and beautiful place. It is much smaller than Cairo ( about six million) and it shows. The Mediterranean is beautiful. When we first arrived we parked the car and walked to the beach, which is right next to the apartment. Upon seeing the sea it reminded me very much of home. That sea smell, blowing winds, and the sand between my toes. A place where the sky meets the earth in an infinite way. It is moments like these that remind me how large the world really is. How small we are in comparison to it.

This is the first time that I have really felt home sick. It makes me realize all of the people that are watching me from home. Waiting to see how I am or what adventure I will have next. In the same breadth it occurs to me that I may never really be home. I am always thinking of what the next step is. There are many things that come to mind, but none of them are returning to the place I have left.

Teaching here is frustrating and, as my roommate says, “Doing a good job here is like peeing your pants in a dark suite, you get a warm feeling but no one notices.” There are only a handful of kids that really make it worth it to go to the school everyday. Students who actually want to learn are nice to have. It is those students that keep my spirits up.

Interim reports came out this week and students got to see their mid-quarter grades and some comments from teachers. I had a lot of students complain, but the last one I talked to made my day, week, month worth it. She came to thank me for giving her nice comments, tell me that she really enjoyed my class, and that I was a good teacher. I told her that she was an excellent student and should consider going to a school where her talents would be better developed. We had a short discussion that ended with me saying, “This school does not deserve you, you are wasting your time here, and you should go somewhere that will appreciate your talent.” To which she replied, “Mr. Hurley, this school does not deserve you, you are wasting your time here, and you should go somewhere that will appreciate your talent.”… hmmm Alexandria next year?

Welcome To Alexandria

Beware The Jelly Fish

Alexandria Harbor

Fishing Off The Med

Ramadan

During Ramadan tents like the one pictured are set up around every street corner. People who have money set up the tents to feed the poor, or whoever wanders by at the time.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today, October 4th, is the first day of Ramadan. All the kids in school were sluggish as was I. I have decided to keep in tradition with Ramadan and fast all day. This means nothing passes the lips from sun up to sundown. I have also started to read the Koran. There is some pretty interesting stuff in there. However, it is hard to read a translation becaue some of the meaning gets lost. Sort of like taking a Latin bible and translating it into english. Some words do not carry over.

This weekend I will be going up too Alexandria where a I will take lots of pictures and swim in the Mediteranean. It is a good thing too because the kids are starting to get to me. It is hard to explain, but the kids have no problem solving skills. I gave a quiz the other day and one answer I got went like this.

1. In what year was Martin Luther King shot and killed?

He was shot in 2057.

I mean seriously!! That year hasn't even happened yet! The student just didn't think. That seems to be the case on all fronts. If I put a bucket of water at the front of the room and then lit the room on fire they wouldn't be able to figure it out.

Moonset...Sunset

Fun Facts About the Nile

I often have to remind myself that I live next to one of the largest geographical features in the world. The name comes from the Greek word Neilos, meaning river valley. The Nile River is the largest in the world, beating out it's nearest competitor the Amazon.

There are two major tributaries to the Nile, the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile flows through Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt. The Blue Nile flows through Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Barundi. Together they form what we know as the Nile, which stretches for roughly 4,200 miles.
The amount of water that flows through the river on an average day is enormous. Take into consideration Niagra Falls. On an average day it passes about 13 billion gallons of water. The Nile passes about 79.5 billion gallons on an average day.

Here in Egypt most of the people, 95%, live "along the Nile". Meaning that they use the water from the Nile in some way to sustain themselves. If you see a geographical map the Nile river looks like a lush green snake slithering through the desert.

It is things like these that really amaze me about being here. Not to mention I also live in the biggest city in Africa, but that is another future fun fact. Years from now when I have my children at the table I can tell them stories about when I lived in Africa along the Nile.