Thursday, June 18

It has been a very memorable and emotional last week for us here in Egypt. Sunday evening we traveled out to our favorite fish restaurant “Zypherion” with Massimo, Denny and Barb for an evening of good conversation and great food. The shrimp are really mis-named as they are far from small in size and grilled to perfection. We tried “bream” for the main fish and it was tender and flakey – almost melting in your mouth. On Tuesday, we had our final staff meeting of the year. It is customary to say “goodbye” to the departing staff and present them with gifts. This year, there are four others leaving along with Pat and I. It was a very nice presentation.

After the meeting, we were invited out to the “Fish Market” for a going away dinner primarily with local hire staff. Over the past three years, we have taught with many foreign hire staff as turnover has been somewhat high and it is local hire staff that has been our constant. Again it was another evening of great food (the mezes are the best in Alex), great company and wonderful memories of the past three years. It is very hard for us to describe or explain the impact this experience has had on us personally as well as professionally. The staff opens their hearts to us and truly make this wonderful country just like home for us. It is said that one is not the same after having seen the sunset on the other side of the world. The highest compliment that we have received is that we have become Egyptian – and those of you who have visited this wonderful country know how special that is.


Wednesday I taught my final class at school. Actually it is semester finals week and my last class is a service class in which I have one student, a young lady (Alaa) whom I have had for the past three years. To say she is a special student would be an understatement. In all of my years of education, I don’t know if I have had anyone quite like her. Towards the end of class, Pat came over along with our good friend Denny. Alaa took over (as she has often done in class) and showed a video she had made for me. In education, you often do not know what impact you have made on a student’s life but on Wednesday she gave me that opportunity. Early on when she took my class three years ago, I was the teacher and she was the student but as time passed, there were many times when she became the teacher and I became the student as she shared her fascinating culture with me. Tonight Alaa graduated along with 12 other outstanding students. Graduation at Schutz is indeed a special event. Four students give speeches and all did a wonderful job focusing in on the teamwork and togetherness that characterized this class. Although small in number, they have certainly left a lasting impact on our school. They will be missed.

Graduation is special for other reasons as well. We were reunited with several staff who retired last year and came back to celebrate the class of 2009. All of these former staff members had worked at the school for several years and truly represent all that is good about the school. I think also because we are such a small school, graduation is perhaps a little more meaningful as you really get to know the students and their parents and they are very appreciative of all that teachers do.

Monday, June 15

President Obama’s speech was well received throughout Egypt. This televised event probably was viewed by nearly as many people as who typically watch soccer matches. It is clear that the President has made a connection to the people here. While they were impressed with his words, they are anxious to see if the actions of the US government reflect the words of its leader.

Two previous Schutz staff recently returned for a visit. Last year’s first grade teacher, Barbara, and our good friend from two years ago, Denny, flew in late last week. Denny will be here for graduation while Barb has returned to teach summer school and will stay on to teach 1st grade next year. It has been quite a treat to have them here as they like to get off campus and walk and explore the sights and sounds of this wonderful city. Most of the government schools have released their students for the year and as the temperature is rising, the crowds on the Corniche and the beaches of the Mediterranean have increased dramatically. People are out cooling down from the warm weather with a stroll along the Med or a dip into the sea.

On Saturday, the movers came to pack us up for our return to the states. While we didn’t think we had purchased much (and we did send a very large suitcase home in April with our family), we ended up with 10 boxes which will be shipped home. The crew came in a U-Haul type truck with several employees – three in the cab of the truck and at least a half dozen in the back of the U-Haul. They also packed up another couple who is heading back to the states. Our apartment is pretty barren right now and it certainly seems more like we are indeed leaving.

There have been a few cases of swine flu reported in Cairo and one or two in Alexandria the past week. Parents are getting very nervous about this and in some cases are keeping their children home, especially at the lower school. We had a sleepover on Thursday and some parents would not allow their children to attend. The school is trying an outside vendor to provide food for the Canteen on a trial basis and we had a few cases of food poisoning reported as well.

Wednesday, June 3

During the past week we have taken part in several events and activities which have been thoroughly enjoyable. Last Friday we had our regular movie outing with Debbie and Mahmoud. We saw “Angels and Demons”, the new Tom Hanks movie. As we were waiting outside at Green Plaza for Debbie and Mahmoud before the movie, a man from Malaysia who spoke very good English came over, introduced himself and began talking to us. He is an engineer working on a project at the Alexandria Power Station. The hours are very long and he has only one day off a week. Because of the traffic in Alex, he is very hesitant to use taxis so he hasn’t gotten out much and certainly hasn’t met hardly any ex-pats who speak English. He joined us after the movie for supper and we enjoyed talking with him as he told us much about the Oriental culture that we will be joining in August. We tried to convince him to venture out in taxis to see the sights of Alec, but I don’t think we were able to .

On Saturday, we were invited over to one of our student’s home to meet with her and her fiancée. Her fiancée is hoping to get a fellowship at Harvard Medical and they plan to marry in a year. They wanted to talk to us about life in the States as well as things they need to consider financially when they live there. While the marriage is not arranged, it is a very traditional Islamic courtship. They were introduced by mutual friends with the intent to find a suitable marriage partner. They do not “date” in the Western sense as they always have a chaperone and family members around. Outing usually take place in family settings and they focus on conversations and making sure they are compatible. They became engaged late last summer and now are planning the rest of their lives together. They plan to marry after he goes to the States for the first year of his fellowship – but would like to be married before he leaves on paper and then live together as man and wife after his first year. Both families are in the upper class and are very traditional. The young lady lives in a “villa-mansion” that the family purchased 17 years ago in an area by the British Consulate. It took them nearly 7 years to renovate the home before they moved in. The home took up nearly a block with the yard and was completely surrounded by a high wall. The interior was decorated in a French provincial theme. We enjoyed a lunch that seemed more like a banquet in a large dining room with a table that seated probably 15 guests. It was a very pleasant and entertaining afternoon.

On Monday, we were invited to a birthday party for the two children of my assistant, Islam. Our friend Bev, who has been visiting Egypt, returned from a trip to Cairo and jointed us. The birthday was much like one we had attended earlier this spring except it there more family members present. Both sets of grandparents and the sisters of the parents were present with their children. Islam and his wife have two children (Adam, age 3 and Farida, age 1). It was really only Adam’s birthday, but Farida missed having a party a month earlier because of the chicken pox. It was really neat meeting all of the family members and learning about their everyday lives. Families are so close knit. Many live in close proximity to one another. In the States, young people often leave home and go off to other parts of the state or country for a variety of reasons – one of which is to make their own mark on the world. In this culture, if you want to make your own mark, you often do it in the confines of the neighborhood you grew up in.

On Tuesday, the resident teaching staff held an appreciation supper for all of the workers who make our lives here so worry free. The workers and their families were invited and it was such fun to go around to each table and meet the families of the workers. Everyone was dressed in the “Sunday” or in this culture “Friday” best. The workers were so proud to introduce their family members to us and for both Pat and I this was a real highlight of the evening as we were given the opportunity to show our gratitude to the workers and their wonderful families. Many of our workers have young children and both Pat and I were able to hold very young babies so their parents could eat their meals. For those of you who have never been here, the workers include cleaners, cooks, drivers, gardeners, security workers, painters, electricians, carpenters, etc. They are very special to us.

As you may know, President Obama is coming to Egypt on Thursday to present a major speech to the Arab World. He will be speaking in Cairo at one of the universities. Bev, our friend, was in Cairo last week and told us that many steps were undertaken to clean up the city. The people here are very anxious and excited to hear what the President will say. Needless to say, the current President of the US is far more popular than the previous President was.