Saturday, February 24

Today we met with Lobna and her daughter and went out to the Alexandria Sporting Club. Lobna is the MS French teacher and our “buddy”. She has become a very dear friend. We enjoy being with her and her daughter. The Sporting Club is one of two in Alex and probably the most well known. Membership is approximately 500 LE per person per year (very reasonable) but there is a large membership fee (75,000 LE) that is paid when you join. The club has an 18 hole golf course, over a dozen clay tennis courts, two full-size swimming pools, two gyms with fitness areas, croquet courts, squash courts, horse back riding, polo fields, soccer fields, restaurants, cafes, shops, bank, and running track. It was initially built by the British in 1898 and was taken over by the Egyptian government in 1952. Members have special benefits such as being able to renew their driving licenses and take care of some of their bills (like utilities) there rather than going down to the city areas and having to wait long periods of time. The air was clean and there was real grass (something you hardly ever see in Alex). By the way, if you are a member, it costs 5 LE (less than a dollar) to play 18 holes of golf.

On Friday, Denny, Pat and I drove out to Green Plaza to see a movie and eat supper. Traffic was light going out but bumper to bumper coming back after 8:00 PM. You really have to be on your toes driving in the traffic here. The movie was very forgettable – the one we wanted to see was no longer playing so we got stuck seeing “Ghost Rider” – if you have seen it and liked it, hope you aren’t offended by our opinion that it was one of the worst ones we have seen in a long time. We stopped and picked up a couple of little items in a store. Lines mean nothing to most people here. If you stand back a little to wait your turn – someone will move right in and go ahead of you. Same is so when waiting to use the restroom in a mall or theater – it is like lines do not exist. Our students are much the same way in school. You can be helping one student and another comes over and just starts talking to you or asking you a question as if the student you are helping is not even there.

Mnday, February 12

On Saturday, Denny, Pat and I went to a dentist. The dentist was a former student of Schutz who received her dental training back in the states at the University of Minnesota. She has taken over the practice of a prominent long time dentist who passed away a couple of years ago. The office was located downtown on the Cornich with a beautiful view of the Med. The building, while very old, was in pretty good shape and solid as a rock. There are no dental hygienists in Egypt – the dentist does all of the cleaning. To give an indication of the cost of education and salaries in Egypt – the dentist is married to a college professor who teaches at the University in Beirut and she also teaches at the University in Alex in addition to her practice yet they cannot afford to send their two children to our school. It would cost approximately $10,000 each and that is beyond their means.

On the way down, we took a taxi and in one block not far from the campus as we drove along the tram tracks, we saw a 4 car tram loaded to the brim, of course cars bumper to bumper, a horse pulled cart, a donkey pulled cart, a man on a bike and men pushing wheeled carts filled with fruits. The word “liability” which is so prominent in the states is virtually non-existent here. There is always construction going on and building sites are not fenced off, workers are not in hard hats and everything is right out in the open. If something falls on a pedestrian, it falls – no lawsuits, things would be settled privately if any settlements are made. The same holds true for traffic accidents – things are settled without the threat of lawsuits. We usually walk on the streets and not on the sidewalks in spite of the heavy traffic. The sidewalks are often uneven and you never know what might come down from above. We saw a man recently walking on the sidewalk who was drenched with soapy water that was coming from someone’s apartment window!

The most common phrase that we hear in Alex from the native Egyptians ia "Inah-Allah" which means "God Willing." Many sentences end with that phase. For instance if I say to someone, "I'll see you tomorrow." They might answer "Yes, Insha-Allah." Another phrase that one hears frequently is "hamdulillah" or "Thanks be to God." When we ask someone how they are, the response might be "Fine, hamdulillah." It is usually the older Egyptians who use these phrases, it isn't too ofter that we hear students. There is a real sincerity when using these terms. In Egypt there is a certain acceptance to what life has to offer because of their strong religious convictions.

Friday, February 09

On Thursday evening we had a “Grill Club” outing to a local Egyptian/Syrian restaurant located in Green Plaza. The elementary library associate, Nadia, has been organizing these outings for several years as a way to bring the staff together and treat the foreign hires to authentic cuisine. Nadia is a delightful cheerful person who always manages a smile and kind word for all. She is also a cancer survivor who has remained very positive throughout the long treatment process. The restaurant she selected specialized in “sharmwa’s” -- (chicken or beef) cooked over a grill and sliced very thin. We had a very nice evening of good food and fellowship. We took a van for twelve of us and had quite an ordeal just getting out of the parking space – it took nearly 15 minutes of up and back movement before we finally got out. The ride back was bumper to bumper most of the way until we got to Schutz Street. Egyptians are very nocturnal. Most establishments (including shopping centers) are open well past midnight. It is not unusual for us to hear children’s voices out in the streets near our apartment when we go to bed around 11 PM.

One of our staff who has been here over 12 years and is married to a local told us that there are 14,000 black and yellow taxi cabs and she had taken one nearly every day to school and has never had the same driver! I guess the government has put a moratorium on the number of taxis in the city. As we drove back to the school last evening, many people looked to flag us down for a ride – guess we looked like one of the common van taxis that travel throughout the city. We joked that some evening we could supplement our salaries by driving up and down Horeya or the Cornich and pick up passengers!

Tonight we went to “Snakes on a Plane” – sure glad we didn’t see that last summer when it first came out before we flew over here. It is nice to get out and off campus. On the way home, we saw three of our favorite locals – the traffic officer who always stops traffic for us to cross Horeya – the pharmacist a couple of blocks from the school and a little shop where we go for water (at 17 cents per bottle!!). The shopkeeper introduced his wife to us as she was working with him this evening. It is so refreshing to get to know the people and experience their friendliness and hospitality.

Saturday. February 3rd

Our staff is a little short handed this week. Our headmaster is off to the states for a three week long recruiting trip. He flew into Iowa for the UNI Overseas Recruiting Fair this weekend and then is headed to Boston for one next weekend and then to San Francisco for the final one in two weeks. He is hoping to have all the positions filled quickly so he can eliminate at least one of the trips. We will have 9 positions to fill (HS Math, MS/HS Science, HS PE/AD, HS Social Studies, HS Drama/Journalism, K-8 Principal, two 6th grade teachers and one kindergarten teacher). Sure seems like a lot of staff to hire – five are returning to the states to retire or go back to their previous state-side position while the others are seeking new overseas assignments. Those four are in Waterloo this weekend for the UNI fair as well. One couple would like to go to Asia and the other couple would like to go to Saudi Arabia. It is very expensive to attend the fairs – airline tickets, registration fees, transportation, food and lodging. We wish them luck in their search, as we know this can be a very stressful time for them. Having taught overseas should be a plus for them as well as the fact that they are both teaching couples. Schools are more likely to hire teaching couples or singles rather than a couple where one of the partners is a non-teaching spouse. We have heard that those who teach in the middle east (as Egypt is considered), sometimes get “typecast” and find it easier to get a job in this area than those who have not taught in a middle eastern country. On the downside, it may limit job opportunities elsewhere. Guess it ultimately depends on contacts as it seems to in the states as well.

On Thursday evening, Pat attended a rare performance of the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Alexandria. It was the first time the orchestra has ever performed in Egypt. They performed twice in Cairo before coming to Alex. President Mubarak’s wife was instrumental in arranging these performances. Apparently there is a cultural exchange between England and Egypt but the performance of the orchestra takes it to a new level. In addition, the orchestra waived all fees and donated the receipts of the concert for the support of health care for the children of Egypt. From the opening note, Pat realized she was in for a special evening as the orchestra played flawlessly.