Saturday, August 25

It is 9:30 pm – school starts now in eleven hours and our workers are still at it. The student canteen is right next to our apartment and they began a major renovation project on that when we came 10 days ago. Of course it needs to be open tomorrow so the workers have been working 15 to 18 hour days trying to get it done and cleaned up before school begins. Finishing touches are being applied all over the campus – when we arrive it seems like there is no possible way they will be able to get everything done yet somehow they manage. In a couple of days when all the work is done, they will be able take a little break.

For the staff it is much the same – we do have 5 days of in-service but that is kind of misleading. Because we are an international school – we do a major staff development project during that time. Two whole days are set aside for that. As a result, teachers are now scrambling to get everything ready for their classes. Since turnover is high in overseas schools (many change after two years) there is a constant learning curve that takes place as new staff must get acquainted with the daily routines within a school. There are not many “veteran” staff that can come and be ready in 1 or 2 days. I’m sure I had the same frazzled look last year at this time.

We ventured out to Green Plaza today. Pat wanted to get her hair cut before school began. However her stylist (Ahmed) was busy doing a tattoo and would not have been able to work her in for three hours. So she will have to go back next Saturday. As we have said before, he is truly an artist. We decided not to drive out and took a taxi instead. The ride out was pretty peaceful – not a lot of traffic. But on the way home it was a different story. Cars, pedestrians, buses, donkey carts were everywhere. We are thankful that we did not drive. It was very hot today, the hottest since we have been here, nearly 100 degrees. There were not many at the shopping center, but I bet the beaches were packed. It is such a contrast on the streets compared to our compound. It is like riding in a car 100 miles in hour out there and then taking a peaceful stroll inside the gates. You have to see it to believe it!

Friday, August 24

We spend much of the day dealing with a recurring problem with our network switches – we have several obsolete switches that are beginning to fail. We are in the process of replacing them, but it is very difficult to get the equipment we need. Hopefully it will be resolved this fall (inshalallah). We have become so dependent on our network and of course the Internet. We can’t imagine what it was like to teach overseas twenty years ago without e-mail, blogs, Skype, etc. One would, no doubt, feel very isolated from family and friends.

This evening several of the resident staff went out to one of our favorite restaurants, Zypherion, which specializes in fresh fish. The restaurant is located in Abu Kir, once the site of a famous battle between the French, led by Napoleon, and the British. It is right on the sea – the beaches are still full as it is the holidays for most Egyptians. It is hard to describe the meal – you begin with salads and pita style bread, then fish (which you have selected) begins to arrive: calamari, clams, shrimp (6 to 8” long) and sea bass – along with rice and fries. We had a group of 10 and we ordered 2 and ½ kilo of shrimp, 2 kilo of sea bass and 1 kilo of clams. The fish is the finest that we have ever had and of course the service was very good. Once you have eaten here – it is hard to want to order fish anywhere else!

After our meal we returned to the home of one of our local “foreign” hire teachers who’s husband teaches at the University in Alex and in Cairo. We have all heard the expression, “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover, “ this is certainly the case with many Egyptian homes. Debbie and Mahmoud live on the 2^nd floor of a 10 floor apartment building. Because of the salty air near the Mediterranean, many of the buildings look a little worse for wear on the outside. Their apartment was very nice – over 1,200 square feet and nicely finished. When many move into apartments such as theirs, they are little more than walls and exposed wiring. It is up to the tenant to make the apartment livable to their needs. They virtually redid the entire apartment from replastering to putting in beautiful wood floors. It is indeed a showcase.

A very unique feature of their apartment house and many in the city is that they have a doorman (bellnap as it is pronounced) who actually lives with his family in a little room just inside the entry to the building. The room is not much larger than large closet and there are two adults and three children living there. They have one room and a bathroom. The residents all pay a little to the man to watch over things – it is not enough to live on so the family also must sell items or food on the street.

We had a wonderful time with everyone sharing stories and getting to know the new staff a little better. Some have overseas experience and it is so interesting hearing about life in other cultures. One couple taught in Saudi Arabia where public executions (beheading) were held in the market square two to three times a month!

One more day before the start of school on Sunday – the workers will be putting the finishing touches on all the building and the staff will be busy tomorrow getting their rooms ready.

Wednesday, August 22

We took our first long walk tonight down to the Mediterranean along the Cornish. Traffic was pretty heavy so we stayed on the land side. Didn’t want to risk life and limb yet – although we are planning a little drive out to Green Plaza on Friday so Pat can visit her hair stylist (Ahmed). The walk was very nice with a strong breeze off the sea. So many people are out and about. We ran into two of out incoming seniors near Starbucks. We have just a few days now before school starts. Most of the regular schools don’t start till mid-September – our kids will have to cut their “holiday” a little short. We saw our first big traffic jam on Schutz Street coming home. A car tried to pass bus on the right side (the bus was in the middle of the street stopped to let someone off as oncoming traffic was coming head on to the bus. Everyone stopped and honked on one of the drives got out to shake his fist at the bus driver. But after a little while everyone calmed down and they worked it out. The week is winding down – well be nice to have a couple of days off to recharge before school begins on Sunday.

Tuesday, August 21

We arrived safely in Alex last Wednesday (August 15^th). Our flights did not seem as long as last year. We met up with another teacher and her husband at the airport in Frankfurt – they live in Alex and had been vacationing and visiting relatives in Canada. We arrived at the school around 3:00 AM and took a little while to unpack a few items before going to bed in our new apartment.

Walking around campus the first few days is like a big homecoming. All the workers are so happy to see returning staff. They will stop whatever they are doing and welcome us with open arms and big smiles. Monday evening we walked the neighborhood and said hello to the local shopkeepers that we came to know last year.

It has taken us a little while to overcome “jetlag”. Unless we take something, we stay awake until 3 or 4 in the morning and then get back up at 7. You would think at some point soon our bodies would adjust. We are going to try to sleep tonight without anything.

We have a large number of new staff (11). Many are young and beginning their first overseas teaching assignment. The new staff is very enthusiastic and we look forward to getting to know each one better. All of the returning staff has arrived back as well. It is fun to listen to the experiences that each had over the summer. We do miss those staff members who did not return this year – they were a special group and we feel fortunate to have spent the year with them sharing many special memories. Guess that is the nature of International Education – one of attractions is the opportunity to experience teaching in many different cultures.

We have settled into our new apartment – no more 74 steps up and down!! We are in a separate little building just a stone’s throw from the main apartments. It is larger and more open than our previous apartment. We even have an extra bedroom for those of you who want to travel over to visit us! When it cools down a little we will really enjoy our little enclosed porch! We will post pictures as soon as we get everything in order.

Again this year, the campus is a buzz with various projects prior to the start of school. The cafeteria was redecorated and now it looks like a fine restaurant. Most all of the classrooms, along with the exteriors of the buildings were given a fresh coat of paint. The workers are busily finishing up a major renovation of the student canteen. When everything is finished, the school will be a sparkling showcase in the heart of Alexandria.

We began our staff orientation on Sunday. The first two days have been devoted to “Standards and Benchmarks”. Those of you in education probably remember the days of developing these fondly!! Fortunately, I was able to “duck” out a few times to deal with some technology issues while Pat has been able to get to work setting up some elementary classrooms. One teacher is not returning until September 2^nd so Pat has been getting her room ready for the start of school.