We made it...now the culture shock can begin:)

We left DC on Wednesday at 5 pm. Flight went well (we gave all the kids Benadryl) and we arrived in Frankfurt Germany around 7 am. We got off the 1st plane, went through 2 security checks, rode a train and finally got to the gate, only to be told we had to wait to enter the gate. Here is a picture of us "hanging out" on the floor, eating German breakfast pastry, drinking German juice and being glad we don't have to live on euros (only the pastry and drinks cost almost $20 US).


We got back on a plane, after boarding a bus out the gate door and riding it for a LONG way (Frankfurt airport is HUGE) and headed 4 hours down to Cairo. We arrived at 3 pm on Thursday. The airport was dirty, old (one could almost say "crumbling") and reeked of smoke, but an Egyptian gentleman was waiting for us and quickly ushered us to a bank in the airport to get some Egyptians pounds (LE) and then hurried us through customs (we didn't even have to wait in line like all the other people) and out into the sandy air (they just had a sand storm before we landed so the air was still a bit beige in color and we couldn't see the pyramids in the distance) to 2 large vans....one to carry us and one to carry the luggage.


The drive was a bit of a scary ride ---almost better than a roller coaster! It was rush-hour Cairo style and I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. NO rules of the road, just fit in where you can and try to beat the other person....oh, and the biggest vehicle rules the road. I closed my eyes multiple times, prayed for safety and laughed to myself that the driver and our sponsor (who drives all the time here) didn't even flinch as we passed within inches of other cars and people. The pedestrians were crazy---just walking in between cars on the freeway. It was like the old game frogger, come to life with no sidewalks anywhere!!!We did see the "city of the dead" on the drive, which is the biggest cemetary in the world. Made out of clay/brick, it was amazing, made even more so by that fact that a lot of people live in houses fashioned amidst the tombs.

We got to the hotel( a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom with kitchen and living room kind of hotel), I went to the commissary grocery store (thanks goodness for American food that we are familiar with) and then we crashed into bed. We all slept for about 12 hours, which was great and then awoke to a beautiful day. Our sponsor, Barry, and his wife Jennifer came over with breakfast and a dinner for us to cook later. They have been so great to us---taking their time to set things up for us (like get us a temporary cell phone) and drive us around, walk us around Maadi so we can find the school on Sunday. The holy day is Friday here (so we have church then) and school is from Sunday-Thursday.
Here is some pictures of the road we will live on when we move into our permanent "flat", which happens to be directly across the street from the hotel we are in now, and right around the corner from the villa they use for the church here. Thursday night we were all a bit culture-shocked, especially about driving and the rampant poverty, but Maadi is a nice place and safer and there are a lot of expats really near by. Now that we have food, know how to walk to some places and know a few people (including having a branch Family Home Evening this Monday with a general authority) we are feeling a lot better. We will keep you updated.