Saturday, September 29

On Thursday evening nearly 30 staff members went to the Tikkia Grill for an Iftar. There was a nice mixture of foreign hire staff and local staff attending. It is so nice when we can get together for a non-school activity and enjoy each other’s company. The Tikkia Grill is located on the Mediterranean Sea near the main downtown area of Alex. We arrived around 5:30 and the restaurant was nearly full. The people sat very patiently at the tables until 5:51 when it was time to eat (sunset). Each day during Ramadan, the time to eat the evening meal moves ahead 1 minute. When Ramadan began just over two weeks ago, the starting time for the evening meal was 6:05. We were served grilled chicken, potatoes, salads, bread, pastries, juice, and tea or coffee. The food was very good and the conversations were lively. One of our local staff persons, Nadia, has been organizing “Grill Club” events such as this for years. It gives the foreign hire staff an opportunity to taste the local foods in a variety of restaurants and all the staff who can attend enjoys an evening of fun. Ramadan is very important time of the year for Muslims to share their faith and fellowship.

Last evening Pat and I walked around the neighborhood and to San Steffano for supper. We left campus around 5:30. The streets were very quiet as most are gathering for Iftars. We walked past Fathalla (a large grocery store) where cars park on the street. They have parking attendants who help customers park their cars (usually double park). Since there were not many cars there at this time we noticed all of the rocks and chunks of cement that the attendants use to place behind the tires of the cars. People will leave their cars in neutral and then the attendants can push them as needed to let people in and out of parking spaces. It is very rare to see parking lots unless it is at one of the three major malls. Guess that is why so many people use public transportation (taxis, buses and the tram).

Saturday, September 22

We have had a full week of Ramadan with our students. This can be a very trying time for them. Here is what a typical day is like for the older students during Ramadan. They fast from sun up to sun down. They arrive at school around 8:00 am and are in classes until 3:00. During this time, there are usually two breaks for snacks plus a 45 minute lunch. Almost all of the Muslim students fast so they try to find places to go on campus where the non-Muslims aren’t likely to be so they won’t see people eating or drinking any fluids. Then they go home after school and wait until after dark before they can eat – usually they have a large “iftar” meal with many courses of food. This may last late into the evening or early morning. If they have homework to do, they work it in before the large meal or after. The students who play sports come back around 8:00 for practice. After going back home, they may spend some time in prayer before going to sleep for a couple of hours. Usually around 3:00 am or 4:00 am they get back up to eat and pray before trying to catch a couple more hours of sleep before they get ready for school. With the way traffic is here, it often takes up to an hour to get to school. It can be a very wearing time for them. Many of the younger students fast as well. It can be very hard on these students as they are fasting for the first time.

Last evening, another couple (Tony and Dellaine) and us went out to eat at the Delta (a French restaurant in the downtown area). The Delta is well known for their beef steaks, one of the few places we have found where one can find a good steak. We left the school around 5:00 and the closer it got to 6:00 pm the quieter the city became as people were settling in for Iftars. In this city of 6 million people, it became very calm. After our dinner we drove over to the fort area along the Mediterranean coast. We stopped at a drive-up ice cream place. The shop is right along the street and when customers pull up to the curb, someone comes out and takes your order (kind of like the old drive ins that were plentiful in the states in the 50’s and 60’s). When we got back to the school we played a couple of games of 500 where the men continued their dominance.

Pat hasn’t felt the best for the last couple of weeks. She has had a bad cough and has felt run down. We decided that maybe we should see a doctor. We called the school nurse to find out her recommendation of who to see and she arranged for one to come to the school to take a look. I guess this is not all that unusual for doctors here to still make house calls. Later on, we walked down to San Steffano with the intent on attending a movie. The mall closed down from 4 to 8 because of Iftars – only the food court and Metro (the large grocery store) was open. We decided to eat at Café Noir (a nice little place we have been to several times). We were the only customers and there were very few in food court area. We left around 6:00 pm and walked back to the school. Twice on the way home we were invited to gatherings of people on the street who were set up for Iftars. One man was walking along offering people fresh dates (his way of giving during this holy month). Exactly at 6:00 the prayers began and they began serving the food. It is so unique to see and experience this sharing.

Sunday, September 16

We just returned from a 3 day weekend at Almaza (a beach resort on the north coast of Egypt). 9 of us journeyed to the resort which is situated right on the Mediterranean approximately 250 km from Alex. It is located in a remote desert area and caters to European visitors (primarily from Italy and Germany). We left Thursday after school and after we got out of Alex, there was virtually no traffic. It is so odd to travel outside the city on a major highway such as this and rarely see another car.

During the weekend, we enjoyed some nice walks along the beach and around the resort. On Friday evening, we ventured into Marsa Matrouh (a clean coastal resort city) located approximately 40 km from Almaza. One of the members in our group remembered eating at a fish restaurant in Marsa Matrouh a couple of years ago and we tried to locate it but without any luck so we spotted what we thought was an authentic little open air place along the sea. The man who greeted us told us that they could serve us within 10 to 15 minutes. It was a neat little place with wicker couches set up around tables. We ordered our food and thought it was strange when 3 men near the waiter took off in a red car – later we found out, they did not prepare food there and the men went off somewhere else to possibly get the food. We are not sure if they ever brought the food back or not – we waited nearly an hour and decided that we had waited long enough and left. We ended up at McDonalds located with an open air eating section right on the sea. The streets in Marsa Matrouh had unique speed bumps with flashing lights built right into the pavement to warn drivers to slow down.

All in all, we had a nice time: playing cards with the others, walking, reading and enjoying the sea and hospitality of the resort.

Wednesday, September 12

One more day and we will enjoy a 3 day holiday on the North Coast of Egypt with 7 other resident staff. We are going to a resort near Marsa Matrouh (Iberotel Almaza). We stayed there last November and had a wonderful time. The beach is pristine and the water so clear you can see the bottom. We will leave after school tomorrow and return Sunday afternoon.

The past two evenings we have had open house for the parents with students in grades 7-12 (Monday) and PreK-6 (Tuesday). This gives parents a chance to meet the teachers, visit the classrooms, sign up for Edline (my main responsibility during the event) and mingle with other parents. As is typical in Egypt, nothing starts on time. The events were to start at 7:00 – but didn’t get going until 7:10 or so and many did not arrive until 7:30. It lasts until 9 but then since several didn’t come on time, the evening drags on for another 30 minutes or so. We are getting a large number of parents signed up on Edline (this is an interactive web site where teachers can post information and progress reports for their classes and communicate with parents).

We have booked our flights for our winter holiday this week. As is the custom here, we call our travel agent who works closely with the school and then she will send a messenger over to pick up the money for the tickets (almost always in cash). It is really a cash society, credit cards are rarely used here and I don’t know if they would ever accept a check from a US bank. Payment is never sent by mail – even for services that we purchase for the school. A messenger will be sent to pick up the cash. You would think there would be robberies with such large amounts of cash floating around but it there are, it is not publicized.

Saturday, September 8

After having a couple of days off with the weekend, second week of school went by much faster. Students and staff alike are settling into a routine. Thursday evening several of us went out to Carrefour, the major shopping center in Alex west (an area on the west side of Alexandria that is growing rapidly). Carrefour is called a “hypermarket” and is based out of France and is the 2^nd largest retailer in the world behind WalMart. We made the mistake of going after supper and the crowds were very heavy. It is like the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. We basically went to the Carrefour anchor store (like a Super WalMart) and could barely navigate our cart throughout the store. The crowds are especially heavy as people are preparing for Ramadan.

Ramadan begins next week so people are stocking up on food supplies, getting ready to prepare the daily feasts. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sun up to sun down (including no beverages) and then will feast in the evening. This is hard on our Muslim students and staff because, not only are they fasting, but they stay up very late as well to take part in the feasting and prayer activities. The month of Ramadan varies from year to year with this year being much earlier than last year. This also affects the time as Daylight Savings Time ended Friday morning. It is a bit of a hassle with our computers as there is no set time from year to year like the States, so we have to go around manually and change the times.

Grocery stores are packed not only with people stocking up, but with food supplies as well. Several of the larger supermarkets have “Ramadan” bags prepared for their customers who will be donating food to those who are less fortunate. This is one of the major tenets of the Muslim faith to aid those who are less fortunate. Soon alleys along the streets will be set up with tables so that wealthy Egyptians will have meals catered for the poorer people in the neighborhoods and since our school is located in a lower working class neighborhood, there will be a large “banquet” almost nightly just down the street from the school.

Friday evening Pat and I ordered out for supper for the first time from the famous “Chicken Man” who operates an outdoor grill at the corner of Schutz Street on the tram line. If you mention the “Chicken Man” anywhere in the neighborhood, everyone would know where it is at. They are especially busy during Ramadan preparing hundreds of meals a day. Each meal comes with a half of a grilled chicken, vegetables, salad and bread all for 10 LE ($1.75). They also grill kofta and other meats as well but chicken is their specialty. After supper many of the resident staff got together for an evening of games and cards. Eight of us played Poker while the others played Catch Phrase. My poker skills are lacking so I didn’t fare too well, I didn’t know there were so many varieties of the game! Next time I think I will stick to Catch Phrase!

Saturday, September 1

We finished the first week of school – boy did it seem like a long week. Of course many of the staff have been working since the 19^th without a break getting ready for school. The students came back very enthusiastic. We have the largest enrollment in school history – from what we were told – 253 students. It varies greatly from class to class. One class may have 12 students while another has 25. We feel much more comfortable at the start of this year knowing the routine and of course knowing the staff and many of the students.

I am teaching one class this year, a high school technology class with 9 students. It is a mixture with 9^th through 12^th grade students. In addition I have one school service student, a young lady, who took my class last year and will be working a lot on the school web site. Pat is working mainly with the 3^rd through 6^th grade students. Her schedule is a little different than last year in that she is in the classroom a little more.

The teachers hosted a “Back to School” night on Thursday evening for the students. We had soccer, volleyball, table tennis, board games, swimming and basketball along with a dance. Tony (the headmaster) and I took on two of the high school basketball players in a game of two on two. Our minds were sharp and we knew what we wanted to do, but unfortunately our bodies didn’t cooperate. We ended up on the short end in a couple of games. Everyone had a fun time with all of the activities.

On Friday evening 3 of us couples and a single teacher went down to San Stefano to “The Bourne Ultimatum” and supper at a little restaurant “Café Noir”. We really enjoyed the movie; it had us on the edge of our seats throughout. Café Noir is an interesting little restaurant. The food is good but sometimes it is a little inconsistent with the delivery of the meals. They will bring it out in shifts so no one is ever eating at the same time. One couple was served than a little while later another was and finally when they were done eating, the 3^rd couple got their dinner.

Here are a couple of pictures—one is of the canteen (where students and staff can purchase food items during the school day) and the other is of our front porch.