Tuesday, December 26th

Merry Christmas to all! Our son, Aaron, arrived safely from the states on Saturday. His flight was cancelled in the states due to the big storms and he had to do some rearranging in order to get here. We picked him up in Cairo around 3 PM and got back to Alex just before 7 PM. We took a little stroll of the neighborhood after supper. Sunday we showed Aaron the school and grounds and then met up with Lobna and her daughter for a tour of Montazah (where the king once had his palace) and the Bibliotech. We had a special tour and got to see several places that are not part of the regular tour. Sunday evening we attended midnight mass at Saint Marc’s, a beautiful church built in 1913. One of our business office accountants, Emad and his wife, took us to mass. Their son attends the school at Saint Marc’s. The services were in French and the music was beautiful. The church has a choir of over 50 along with a small orchestra of congregational members. One member of the choir works in our finance office and our principal, Massimo, plays in the orchestra.



On Christmas Day we spend most of the day with the family we went to mass with last evening, Emad, Eman and their two children, Jonathan and Cookie. The children are 7 and 8 years old. Jonathan goes to the French school while Cookie goes to the German school. Each child knows three languages (English, Arabic and either German or French). It seems that most of the world values knowing and speaking multiple languages more than the United States. With the international emphasis in business today, we need to realize that not everyone will speak English and model our education system accordingly.



We had a wonderful time with Emad, Eman and the kids. We visited the Citadel – a fortress that was built on the original location of the Alexandria Lighthouse (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world). It has been restored to it’s original state. Walls were nearly 3 yards in thickness. The Egyptians used this as a military outpost protecting Alex on the Mediterranean from attacks by the Turks (http://www.ask-aladdin.com/qaitbay.html). Following our visit to the Citadel we took a boat ride on the Mediterranean in the bay area by the Citadel. The sea was fairly rough so the ride was a little bumpy. On the shore where we boarded the boat was a ship builder’s shop. Here there were building yacht type boats primarily by hand. The quality of workmanship looks to be outstanding. Following the boat ride, we went to Green Plaza for an authentic Egyptian meal. We had a great time with Emad and his family. They are a fun family and offered many insights into family life in Egypt. We look forward to spending more time with them.

Today, Aaron, Pat and I went back out to Green Plaza for a little shopping and a meal. We wanted Aaron to experience a typical taxi ride. Our driver and his car was very unique. He thought we were tourists and wanted to charge us about twice what a typical fare would be, but settled for what we usually pay. His car was pretty run down. The back door on one side didn’t open and his seat back was broken and he was almost in Pat’s lap in the back seat. Aaron was rather calm throughout the ride perhaps from fear – we are not really sure. The driver was weaving in and out of traffic, honking his horn and driving in the typical Alexandrian way (no lights). He did stop once to wipe off his windshield but we couldn’t tell if that was for his benefit or ours!

We are headed for Cairo tomorrow for a couple of days, then Aaron heads home and we are off to Jordan.

Friday, December 22

We have officially begun our Winter Break. School won’t resume until the 8th of January. Yesterday we had a half day of classes then the students in PreK through 4th grade put on a concert for all of the school. A few of the songs were written by our Music teacher who also composed the music for them He is a very talented musician. After the concert the students left and we had a staff get together at the headmaster’s apartment. Our staff gets along so well and these functions are always fun. It is also a very hectic time as most all of the staff (foreign hire and local) are making last minute travel plans for the break. Here are some of the locations that our staff is off to: Munich, Germany; Amsterdam; England; Ireland; Rome, Italy; Nile River Cruises; Sharm el Shek; Spain; Canada; the US; and other locations in Egypt. Pat and I will be headed to Jordan (more later).

Last evening, a group of us went out to eat at a “Greek” fish restaurant in a city adjacent to Alexandria (much like a “suburb”). The area of this city is very poor – the taxis are carts pulled by donkeys. The restaurant is right on the sea and has a fantastic view. The fish, of course, was probably caught that day. We had grilled sea bass, grilled shrimp, clams, calamari along with fresh vegetables, rice and breads. We had a group of 13 and it seemed like they brought enough food to feed twice that many. Two of the staff members have their son and a brother and sister-in-law here now. It is such an experience to have family come and stay to see what the school and workers are like and of course to experience the culture of Alexandria as well as Egypt. We are really looking forward to the arrival of our son tomorrow. It will be pretty quiet around here for the next few days.

When Aaron arrives we will tour the Bibliotech and Alex with our “buddy” Lobna and her daughters on Sunday. Either on Monday or Tuesday, Emad (from the finance office) plans to show us around Alex to some other sights. Both are very proud of their city. Then on Wednesday we are off to Cairo for two days. Here are our plans for those two days: Citadel, M. Ali Mosque, Khan El Khalil Bazaar, Egyptian Museum, Saqarra, Memphis, Giza Pyramids and Sphinx. It will be a busy two days – we arranged for a driver and guide as this time of year Cairo would chaos trying to get around without help.

Tuesday, December 19

Last evening was our resident Christmas dinner. Much like Thanksgiving, our kitchen staff went above and beyond to prepare a feast fit for a king. Our menu consisted of turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, scalloped potatoes, salads, buns, walnut pie, strawberry pie, wine, soda and apple cider. We have come to learn that Schutz is indeed a family atmosphere and while we may have minor spats every once in while, everyone is there for each other.

After supper, Pat and I joined another couple for our weekly 500 card game – it has been quite a lively game. This week, the men triumphed after a stiff battle. Later in the evening, along with another staff member, we ventured back downtown to the Gem store we had visited on Friday evening to pick up a setting Pat had order (handmade) from a jeweler. It is so interesting how business in these little shops is conducted. We had paid when we ordered it – but didn’t receive any receipt nor was anything written down. Yet when we picked it up – it was ready and even though the gentleman who had waited on us wasn’t there, they took our word that we had paid and gave us the setting. Trust and relationships are very important to people here.

Sunday, December 17

One of my students turned 16 this week. She was excited because at 16, you receive your national identification card. There has been a bit of a controversy here about the cards. They contain identification items and also will list the person’s religion. There are only three choices: Muslim, Christian, or Jew. The cards resemble a driver’s license and people are to carry them at all times.

Speaking of drivers licenses, we are now official licensed drivers in the Arab Republic of Egypt. Our license is good for the next ten years, our head master joked (at least we thought he was joking) that our contracts have now been extended for ten years. The whole experience was quite unique. The tests consist of a sign test (some are ones we have yet to see on any streets) and a driving test through cones both forward and backwards. Six of us decided to take the challenge of driving. We studied our signs for quite a while (at least a day or two). We left Saturday morning around 9:30 and arrived at one of the driving testing stations only to discover that we couldn’t take them there as there was some kind of mix-up with our paperwork. Our government liaison official (Fifi) had been working on this for about 6 weeks completing all the paperwork and making sure that the suitable background checks had been preformed. So we took off to another station to try there. Fifi led us into one high ranking official’s office who greeted us with “God Bless America” and after some negotiation with Fifi told us that we could get out licenses without having to take any tests (sign or driving) if we could show our license from the states and have it translated into Arabic. Se 4 of us had to hop back into the van with the driver and come back to school to get our licenses. When we got back, Fifi translated the licenses on school stationary and we were able to get them. All of this took about 5 hours. Nothing in Egypt ever goes quickly. Lines are not orderly, people budge and push but somehow it all gets done. It will be a real hoot when we get back to the states and someone asks to see some identification and we whip out our Arab Republic of Egypt Driver’s License. It will be awhile before either of us ventures out into traffic.

Friday evening Pat and I joined another couple for a night on the town. We rode the tram downtown, shopped for gems, ate at a nice restaurant and than walked in a busy shopping area of Alex. The tram is always an experience. Obviously we look different than the locals so we still attract some stares and the customary “Welcome to Egypt.” The gem store was interesting. It is a local shop where all of the jewelry is handmade. The owners have an extensive collection of a variety of gems and then will custom make whatever you want. Prices for these items vary considerably. That is why it is good to develop a relationship with the local stores as they will give you some good prices if they feel you will come back. Pat found a pretty “Alexandrite” which is local to the area (it is man-made) and is having it made into a necklace. From the gem store we headed to the Delta Hotel to eat in their French restaurant. They specialize in beef and some of best deserts you can imagine. From there we went exploring, visiting all kinds of shops. Alex is very “alive” during the evenings with people of all ages.

Saturday evening we had a little Christmas get-together “Gift Grab” for the residents. We played a guessing game, ate and then had the “Gift Grab”. Pat came away with chocolates and I got an alabaster dish. It was a fun time for all.



In about 2 weeks, the Muslims here in Alex will be celebrating Eid – a time of feasting. To prepare for this, sheep are brought in (we have some just down the street), fattened up and then sold in the neighborhood to be butchered. We will be out of country when this takes place but we have been told that several of the neighborhood streets will be red with the blood of the sheep.

We have 4 more days of school and then winter break begins. Our son Aaron will be visiting for a week then it is off to Jordan to see Amman, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and Petra. We are looking forward to a fun time.

Saturday, December 09

Our JV Boys and Girls Soccer Teams took off Wednesday for their big tournament competition at Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. These students are in 5th through 9th grade. For many, it is their first trip outside Egypt without their families. They will compete through Sunday and fly home late Sunday. It will give many of them a chance to shop in Dubai where they will be able to find a wide array of electronic equipment and western clothes.

Thursday evening Pat and I, along with another couple went out to Green Plaza (a large outdoor mall) for supper and a movie (the new James Bond flick, “Casino Royale”). The movie was out around 9:30 and the mall was packed and full of activity. Most of the stores are open until midnight and people of all ages are out and about.

Friday evening, I went with another couple and colleague to the PC Club for the monthly “Quiz Night.” This is an event put on for ex-pat teachers (and anyone else who wants to come). Our team didn’t fare too well, coming in 5th (out of five teams). But it was a lot of fun as was the drive to and from the club. We saw many Alexandria left turns. This occurs when a vehicle moves into the oncoming traffic lane in hopes of making left turn before a rush of traffic appears. Usually cars will slow down to allow the turns to be made. Once in a while they won’t and everything comes to a standstill with people honking at each other – sometimes the drivers will get out and gesture at each other then get back into their cars and wait until one backs down

Today we went shopping out to Carrefour to pick up some supplies and a couple of Christmas gifts for a party next weekend. It is odd going to a mall this time of year and not see everything decorated up for Christmas and Santa and the elves in the courtyard. When we came home, a delivery man had come to the school to deliver groceries to one of the staff who prefers to cook her meals rather than eat in the cafeteria. We wanted to help the man with the groceries but he would only let us carry one bag each while he carried the other eight. Unemployment is very high here and he wants to do his job as best he can and wouldn’t want it to get back to his employers that he needed help delivering the groceries.

Saturday, December 1

On Tuesday, Pat accompanied the First and Second Grade classes to a chocolate candy factory here in Alex. The factory is owned by one of the families who send their children to school here. There are no machines. All of the chocolate is hand wrapped and packaged by women dressed in pink with pink masks and pink hats. There was one man working at a single desk putting nuts in a tray before the chocolate was poured on. As we have mentioned before, labor is so plentiful and inexpensive here, there is little push to mechanize. This factory is famous throughout Egypt for their fine chocolate candies. Of course the children and staff were able to bring some samples home!

On Wednesday evening the residents (the foreign hire staff who live on campus) decorated the cafeteria for the Christmas holidays. The kitchen staff baked 3 dozen cookies for each resident and provided the frosting and decorations so we could decorate our cookies. They provided hot chocolate, popcorn and music while we decorated


The staff really goes above and beyond to make our stay here enjoyable. Last night when I came home from school, I was using some chap stick for my lips as I walked in the apartment building and Tony, the evening operator, asked what that was (he had not seen chap stick before). When I told him my lips were a bit chapped and this would soothe them he asked if he could call a doctor for me. Tony has worked at the school for many years – he is a very unique person. He is fluent in at least 4 languages (Arabic, English, French and Russian). One day when we wanted to go to the Carrefour (one of the large shopping areas) he wrote a note that we could give to the taxi driver to take us there safely and to charge Mr. Mark and Miss. Pat only a small amount because we are nice people!!.

Last night we went to the movie “Two for the Money” at San Steffano. It was one of 4 English speaking movies. The mall was packed, especially when the movie got out around 9:00 pm. Thursday evenings is similar to Friday in the states – it’s the beginning of the weekend and everyone is out on the town (or so it seems). The streets are very busy then as well. Sidewalks are usually up 12 to 15 inches above the streets. We have been told this is done so that cars don’t park on the sidewalks. In some areas where they are not so high, there will be cars parked on the sidewalk right next to the buildings.

My 5th and 6th grade students that I teach in InfoTech are doing an E-pal project with 5th grade students in West Des Moines and 6th grade students in East Buchanan. They are really enjoying the project and can’t wait to check their e-mail to learn more about what children their age do in the states. They always have many questions for me when they read the e-mail. We hope to continue this throughout the year.