Josh in the dryer (his hiding place of choice), kids playing, our new apartment.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
pictures!!!
Pictures that are coming (either in this blog or ones to follow):
pyramids
kids playing
our new apartment
felucca ride
scenery
Monday, March 23, 2009
Spring "break" and THE PYRAMIDS
This week is Spring Break for the kids.....not sure "break" is the term I would choose for it. Kids and I sat down to discuss some options of things to do. Here is list KIDS came up with:
ride camels
ride horses
see Pyramids
ride felucca
try Egyptian sweets
go to the movies
go swimming every day
play tennis
go to playground
My list was a bit different....keep in mind we still have no car or stuff. Hint: it involved more chores and less taxi riding all over Cairo! Doesn't anyone just bake cookies anymore:)
Anyway...
We waited for Brent to finish work week and went to see Pyramids (and ride horses/camels) on Saturday. We "rented" a van and driver from the US Embassy motor pool. On way to pyramids we saw the typical egyptian ice cream truck: a young guy pushing a cart attached to his bike, painted all bright and pretty, with a little cooler attached. We saw him almost tip over, then get off his bike and start serving ice cream...no hand washing occured that I saw.
Pyramids were huge, amazing, exactly as they should be. We went into a tomb and saw ancient hieroglyphics and rode on a camel and on horses through the desert, while the Pyramids loomed overhead. We also saw the Sphinx and a dig going on, with all the empty water bottles marking the plots:) It was worth the trip and we will go back again---next time without paying a tour guide to do nothing! We also learned the "ropes" of how to avoid being hassled for money so when you all visit you won't have to have that lovely experience:)
On Wednesday we are headed to a military "resort" (meaning NO bells and whistles) that boasts traffic-free biking, open space, nice pool and tennis courts, and some green grass to play on (that really is a luxury here!) We are excited to see the desert on the drive (someone is kindly driving a van so they can take us and their family) and ride bikes that they provide. We will be back just in time for school to start again on the 29th (oh excuse me, was that sigh of relief audible?!)
Love and miss you all and thanks for the great comments:) It is great to be connected....oh and by the way---I decided that I like the apartment more than I thought I did and am grateful for the room it provides to our family (may have something to do with the gratitude lesson at church...but not sure:)
ride camels
ride horses
see Pyramids
ride felucca
try Egyptian sweets
go to the movies
go swimming every day
play tennis
go to playground
My list was a bit different....keep in mind we still have no car or stuff. Hint: it involved more chores and less taxi riding all over Cairo! Doesn't anyone just bake cookies anymore:)
Anyway...
We waited for Brent to finish work week and went to see Pyramids (and ride horses/camels) on Saturday. We "rented" a van and driver from the US Embassy motor pool. On way to pyramids we saw the typical egyptian ice cream truck: a young guy pushing a cart attached to his bike, painted all bright and pretty, with a little cooler attached. We saw him almost tip over, then get off his bike and start serving ice cream...no hand washing occured that I saw.
Pyramids were huge, amazing, exactly as they should be. We went into a tomb and saw ancient hieroglyphics and rode on a camel and on horses through the desert, while the Pyramids loomed overhead. We also saw the Sphinx and a dig going on, with all the empty water bottles marking the plots:) It was worth the trip and we will go back again---next time without paying a tour guide to do nothing! We also learned the "ropes" of how to avoid being hassled for money so when you all visit you won't have to have that lovely experience:)
On Wednesday we are headed to a military "resort" (meaning NO bells and whistles) that boasts traffic-free biking, open space, nice pool and tennis courts, and some green grass to play on (that really is a luxury here!) We are excited to see the desert on the drive (someone is kindly driving a van so they can take us and their family) and ride bikes that they provide. We will be back just in time for school to start again on the 29th (oh excuse me, was that sigh of relief audible?!)
Love and miss you all and thanks for the great comments:) It is great to be connected....oh and by the way---I decided that I like the apartment more than I thought I did and am grateful for the room it provides to our family (may have something to do with the gratitude lesson at church...but not sure:)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Hospital care, Egyptian style and other ramblings
Sorry so long between blogs. I have a goal to do it weekly, but we just moved into the new house/flat and we only have dial-up connection so it is VERY slow on the internet (that means no pictures for awhile!). I am waiting for the DSL man to come, but as I said before, patience seems to be a very important virtue here....plus I don't know enough Arabic to call him up and tell him to hurry!
Here is what we have been up to:
Today Sarah and I went on a tour of two local health clinics and a very large hospital in downtown Cairo. We traveled by bus with a group organized from the expat community. It was very enlightening. At all the places, they were very excited to show us their laser skin treatment options. Gives you a view into what they think of "westerners". The hospital facilities were ok, but very outdated. They are still in the 70's in some ways. I don't think I would want a major surgery here or major illness for that matter. If you are hospitalized, you need to bring your own water and toilet paper with you! Also, there is a bank in the lobby and for the most part you have to pay before they will help you....."they are a business after all" (direct quote by guest relations department giving us the tour of the hospital). There isn't really a "911" service, so you can call the private hospital and they will dispatch their ambulance with a doctor in it, depending on the seriousness of need. They do remind you that, with traffic being what it is and the fact that cars don't move out of the way of an ambulance here, they may take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to arrive! So, better to jump in a taxi and take yourself than wait for the ambulance.
The health clinics here are a group of specialists all jammed into one office building. You can get a plastic surgery consultation, pap smear, see an ENT and have some stem cells frozen (seriously) all in one place. The head of the clinic was really excited that he is the first clinic in the whole Middle East with the stem cell capability. I don't know if he is Muslim or not....I wanted to ask what Muslims believe about that issue, but didn't. After that tour, I was glad that we can go to the doctor at the US Embassy and that they will medivac you to Germany for anything major.
Sunday was spent unpacking our luggage into our new place.
Saturday I got to ride in a felucca on the Nile with the ladies in our church. That is how they celebrate the Relief Society birthday here:) It was nice, relaxing and interesting. I saw a palatial palace right along side a crumbling hovel with women and children washing their dishes in the polluted river. I saw a man cutting the reeds along the bank, hauling them on his back to a small boat, and crossing back to the other side. I also saw some big factories billowing out smoke and an old-fashioned ferry boat hauling a lot of people between the shores. There was also some purple wildflowers growing among the reeds and they were beautiful. I imagined they were the same reeds that guided Moses safely downriver to the Pharaoh’s wife.
Friday we all gave the talks in church. It was funny and so sweet to see the children each get up and take their turn. When Brent was introducing our family and got to talking about Sarah, she just started giggling like crazy and pretty soon everyone in the room was laughing. It was great. Emma knocked the microphone down with a loud "clunk" but then redeemed herself by speaking clearly and slowly. Josh noticed the microphone was a bit too high and he couldn't get it lower, so you saw him slowly rise up on his tippy toes and then at the end of his talk, you saw him slowly sink back down:) I loved watching it and I was reminded again what a great thing it is to be a mom and to be together as a family, no matter where in the world we are. Rebekah and Elisabeth talked like pros and Brent and I just followed them the best we could.
Thursday afternoon we saw our place for the first time. I like it about 80%, which I guess is livable. The 20% that I don't like is the view from the front (which literally is the front of the hotel across the street and a fairly busy road out front), the view from the side (which is concrete walls) and the amount of light, which isn't great and it has a few beams in the center of open spaces, which make it not "connected" or a great family space in some aspects.
The 70% I like is big, 12 ft. ceilings, 5 bedrooms, the views from the bedrooms, location: close to stuff, across the street from 4 restaurants, overlooks church from back windows, and is close to some of the people we have met. Also loving the washer and dryer, the upright freezer and the beautiful furniture. So---considering the pain it is to find a 5 bedroom place, all the special work the embassy does to the interior to make it safe and ready(coating the windows with latex, installing proper air filters/water filters, making a “safe” room, bringing it up to US code essentially)----I probably will just focus on enjoying the 80%, try not to be annoyed. We will see. Currently, I am giving myself a few weeks to adjust to the space and then decide if I can live with it or not:)
The biggest problem I am having is knowing that I am complaining, while I can literally look outside and see people so much worse off.....and reconciling myself with the now obvious notion that I really might be an ungrateful, hypocritical "westerner"...all the while still wishing I could magically find a way to like my house 100%.
Whatever happens, we are having a grand adventure and learning a lot about ourselves and the world. I am very grateful to be here in the "near east" as they call it. And I did feel a bit like Cleopatra on the felucca ride:)
Here is what we have been up to:
Today Sarah and I went on a tour of two local health clinics and a very large hospital in downtown Cairo. We traveled by bus with a group organized from the expat community. It was very enlightening. At all the places, they were very excited to show us their laser skin treatment options. Gives you a view into what they think of "westerners". The hospital facilities were ok, but very outdated. They are still in the 70's in some ways. I don't think I would want a major surgery here or major illness for that matter. If you are hospitalized, you need to bring your own water and toilet paper with you! Also, there is a bank in the lobby and for the most part you have to pay before they will help you....."they are a business after all" (direct quote by guest relations department giving us the tour of the hospital). There isn't really a "911" service, so you can call the private hospital and they will dispatch their ambulance with a doctor in it, depending on the seriousness of need. They do remind you that, with traffic being what it is and the fact that cars don't move out of the way of an ambulance here, they may take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to arrive! So, better to jump in a taxi and take yourself than wait for the ambulance.
The health clinics here are a group of specialists all jammed into one office building. You can get a plastic surgery consultation, pap smear, see an ENT and have some stem cells frozen (seriously) all in one place. The head of the clinic was really excited that he is the first clinic in the whole Middle East with the stem cell capability. I don't know if he is Muslim or not....I wanted to ask what Muslims believe about that issue, but didn't. After that tour, I was glad that we can go to the doctor at the US Embassy and that they will medivac you to Germany for anything major.
Sunday was spent unpacking our luggage into our new place.
Saturday I got to ride in a felucca on the Nile with the ladies in our church. That is how they celebrate the Relief Society birthday here:) It was nice, relaxing and interesting. I saw a palatial palace right along side a crumbling hovel with women and children washing their dishes in the polluted river. I saw a man cutting the reeds along the bank, hauling them on his back to a small boat, and crossing back to the other side. I also saw some big factories billowing out smoke and an old-fashioned ferry boat hauling a lot of people between the shores. There was also some purple wildflowers growing among the reeds and they were beautiful. I imagined they were the same reeds that guided Moses safely downriver to the Pharaoh’s wife.
Friday we all gave the talks in church. It was funny and so sweet to see the children each get up and take their turn. When Brent was introducing our family and got to talking about Sarah, she just started giggling like crazy and pretty soon everyone in the room was laughing. It was great. Emma knocked the microphone down with a loud "clunk" but then redeemed herself by speaking clearly and slowly. Josh noticed the microphone was a bit too high and he couldn't get it lower, so you saw him slowly rise up on his tippy toes and then at the end of his talk, you saw him slowly sink back down:) I loved watching it and I was reminded again what a great thing it is to be a mom and to be together as a family, no matter where in the world we are. Rebekah and Elisabeth talked like pros and Brent and I just followed them the best we could.
Thursday afternoon we saw our place for the first time. I like it about 80%, which I guess is livable. The 20% that I don't like is the view from the front (which literally is the front of the hotel across the street and a fairly busy road out front), the view from the side (which is concrete walls) and the amount of light, which isn't great and it has a few beams in the center of open spaces, which make it not "connected" or a great family space in some aspects.
The 70% I like is big, 12 ft. ceilings, 5 bedrooms, the views from the bedrooms, location: close to stuff, across the street from 4 restaurants, overlooks church from back windows, and is close to some of the people we have met. Also loving the washer and dryer, the upright freezer and the beautiful furniture. So---considering the pain it is to find a 5 bedroom place, all the special work the embassy does to the interior to make it safe and ready(coating the windows with latex, installing proper air filters/water filters, making a “safe” room, bringing it up to US code essentially)----I probably will just focus on enjoying the 80%, try not to be annoyed. We will see. Currently, I am giving myself a few weeks to adjust to the space and then decide if I can live with it or not:)
The biggest problem I am having is knowing that I am complaining, while I can literally look outside and see people so much worse off.....and reconciling myself with the now obvious notion that I really might be an ungrateful, hypocritical "westerner"...all the while still wishing I could magically find a way to like my house 100%.
Whatever happens, we are having a grand adventure and learning a lot about ourselves and the world. I am very grateful to be here in the "near east" as they call it. And I did feel a bit like Cleopatra on the felucca ride:)
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Hot in this sandy city!
Here are some pictures of the last few days, including: the Nile river, a mini “farm” in someone’s back yard right next 
to the metro tracks equipped with cow and goats, and examples of the variety of rooftop uses (construction, junk, nice garden area).
All is well with us and we just got back from swimming at the school's pool. It is in the high 80's today and we are not used to it!!! Everyone else thinks it is too cold to swim:) Sarah and I have been playing hide-n-go-seek in the hotel room, which is fun for her. Also, we have been walking lots of places still. The people are generally friendly. The men, mostly security guards and police, which are sitting along the streets here like to call Sarah, "little princess" 
as we walk by. I think it is a good term, but either way, I am going to take it that way:)
Brent is liking his work and always has an interesting time seeing crazy things on the road to and from work. Best thing about the armored cars is that a car can hit you but they get damaged and you don't feel a thing. I think that is the reason they drive them in the first place. Brent will probably start rotating as the driver in the next few weeks, so he will learn a lot that way.
We got our diplomatic id's which mean that they can process the final importation of our things:) We are supposed to really move into our apartment on the 12th, which will be nice. Also, they have mis-placed our express shipment (which is the stuff we sent the end of December so that it would be here when we arrived----hahaha and typical!!!) They will find it, but I would love it if they find it soon.
Miss and love you all. We finally got to skype with Grandma and Grandpa House and that was nice. If you have skype capability and want to set up a time to "meet" and chat,send an email our way and we will get together with you.
Love you, miss you, talk to you soon
House Crew
Friday, February 27, 2009
1 week down.......many to go:)
Here is a list of things we have seen/done/experienced in our first week in Egypt. We haven't been to pyramids and tomorrow we are walking to the shores of the Nile. This list is just the day-to-day living things.
Our hotel room is on 7th floor with excellent view of Maadi and Cairo in the distance.
There is a washer, but no dryer....just a drying rack where I hang all the clothes to dry. Kids tell me their underwear is "scratchy".
Kids have to wear PE uniforms. They like them and each grade has the same color shirt.
The doors and windows have no sealing around them, so each morning you awake to a fine coat of dust on everything inside your house.
There are men you pay monthly who wash your car, sweep the walks and water the plants in the buildings you live in. They are called boabs.
Air pollution is bad here.....it leaves a bad taste in your mouth in the morning, but blows off by early afternoon.
It is windy here a lot, especially during this time of year I am told. Sand storms blow in off the Sahara and fill the air with sand.
It rained for only 45 seconds the other day and all the kids at the school ran out of their classrooms onto the field to dance in the rain:) That was fun to watch!
The McDonalds Arabia has WAY healthier and tastier food then American McDonalds. I heard tonight that the McDonalds in the Alps have pastries and gourmet drinks:)
Everything you need/want can be delivered to your door, 24hours a day here. Fast food, pharmacy stuff (without prescriptions necessary), cases of water....pretty much whatever.
We have seen men pushing cart fulls of bananas down the road in carts, selling them. We have seen a fresh fish stand, equipped with a small boy swishing a leather "wand" to keep the flies off. We have seen a HUGE cart of garbage being pulled by an old man on a bike. There are no garbage trucks, just these guys who sort through the trash, recycle for you (for money from the government) and then haul the trash away somewhere.
Josh is learning Arabic in school and they start either Arabic, French or Spanish in the third grade and continue through high school. Rebekah will take Arabic next quarter as well.
Elisabeth is doing a MLKjr. play in her class.
Emma tied her own shoes for the first time this week....she was so proud of herself:)
Sarah and I are spending A LOT of time together and I am trying to enjoy that. We have walked many different places together and are learning a lot together. The local people are very open and kind to her. They really love children.
Patience and humor seem very important values to possess here.
Kids and I all burst out laughing when walking home from school because a city bus (smaller than ones we are used to) was absolutely BURSTING with people. It was about ready to tip over when they went around the corner. We all just randomly started laughing at the sight of it.
There are TONS of stray cats and dogs....mostly cats....everywhere.
The small shops, not the bigger stores, jack the price up for us "rich" Americans, but give the Egyptian in line behind you a much lower price:)
Most things are pretty cheap, but NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, is free. Even the toilet paper in a public place costs. Even asking for directions in the street prompts someone asking you for "basheesh" which is a tip.
I wish I knew Arabic better. Brent and I are still learning by cd, but we will probably take some classes or hire a tutor to come in the evenings a couple nights a week.
Cars here honk as a form of communication, instead of using blinkers for example.
The call for prayer for the Islamic people echos from loud speakers 5 times a day. The schedule varies, but some days it starts at 4:30 am!!
The steering wheels are on the same side as in America in the cars, but they drive on all sides of the street, even against oncoming traffic.
Animals we have seen so far: birds, stray dogs and cats, pet dogs and cats, pigeons, goats, a donkey pulling a cart, and a wild ferret-looking thing. No rodents---probably because of all the stray cats!
A lot of the bathrooms have toilet and what the kids call a "bum cleaner". I haven't tried using it yet. I can't figure it out!
Builders mix their own concrete, so their are piles of sand and buckets of water and they make a pile, add some "glue" and mix in water and then mix it. Walls are all concrete and floors are either wood or marble.
Some roofs are covered in garden terraces, other are used for tossing junk, and other are used for construction sites.
We aren't drinking the tap water, though most people say it is safe. We are brushing our teeth and drinking with bottled water (luckily very cheap) and using tap water for bathing, washing dishes and laundry. Kids have gotten very used to that already. And no one has gotten sick yet (knock on wood).
You could eat a large, traditional Egyptian breakfast (pita bread with hummus like spread and tomatoe) for about 1 egyptian pound, which is about .22 cents US.
In the local market, a package of Oreos cost $10 US! Glad we have commissary for grocery shopping, though some things are cheaper on local market if you don't mind Egyptian brand name.
I bought a cell phone and turned it on and it was all in Arabic. I had to have hotel desk help me switch it to English because I couldn't read instructions on how to do that myself.
We are having fun, learning a lot and just trying to be open and patient. Things are going good here, but we miss you all very much! The transition to living here has been smoother because the people, from many differnt countries, have been very welcoming to us. I am not used to being so dependent on people (we have no car, no stuff besides our suitcases) and people have been offering to take me to the store or feed us or let kids come over and play with some toys for awhile (I should have packed some toys in the checked luggage on the plane....lesson to all you out there who do this sometime in your life!).
People from the school, the church and the Navy lab have been wonderful, so we feel blessed and watched over by a kind Father in Heaven.
Love to you all and miss you all so much. Keep in touch!
Our hotel room is on 7th floor with excellent view of Maadi and Cairo in the distance.
There is a washer, but no dryer....just a drying rack where I hang all the clothes to dry. Kids tell me their underwear is "scratchy".
Kids have to wear PE uniforms. They like them and each grade has the same color shirt.
The doors and windows have no sealing around them, so each morning you awake to a fine coat of dust on everything inside your house.
There are men you pay monthly who wash your car, sweep the walks and water the plants in the buildings you live in. They are called boabs.
Air pollution is bad here.....it leaves a bad taste in your mouth in the morning, but blows off by early afternoon.
It is windy here a lot, especially during this time of year I am told. Sand storms blow in off the Sahara and fill the air with sand.
It rained for only 45 seconds the other day and all the kids at the school ran out of their classrooms onto the field to dance in the rain:) That was fun to watch!
The McDonalds Arabia has WAY healthier and tastier food then American McDonalds. I heard tonight that the McDonalds in the Alps have pastries and gourmet drinks:)
Everything you need/want can be delivered to your door, 24hours a day here. Fast food, pharmacy stuff (without prescriptions necessary), cases of water....pretty much whatever.
We have seen men pushing cart fulls of bananas down the road in carts, selling them. We have seen a fresh fish stand, equipped with a small boy swishing a leather "wand" to keep the flies off. We have seen a HUGE cart of garbage being pulled by an old man on a bike. There are no garbage trucks, just these guys who sort through the trash, recycle for you (for money from the government) and then haul the trash away somewhere.
Josh is learning Arabic in school and they start either Arabic, French or Spanish in the third grade and continue through high school. Rebekah will take Arabic next quarter as well.
Elisabeth is doing a MLKjr. play in her class.
Emma tied her own shoes for the first time this week....she was so proud of herself:)
Sarah and I are spending A LOT of time together and I am trying to enjoy that. We have walked many different places together and are learning a lot together. The local people are very open and kind to her. They really love children.
Patience and humor seem very important values to possess here.
Kids and I all burst out laughing when walking home from school because a city bus (smaller than ones we are used to) was absolutely BURSTING with people. It was about ready to tip over when they went around the corner. We all just randomly started laughing at the sight of it.
There are TONS of stray cats and dogs....mostly cats....everywhere.
The small shops, not the bigger stores, jack the price up for us "rich" Americans, but give the Egyptian in line behind you a much lower price:)
Most things are pretty cheap, but NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, is free. Even the toilet paper in a public place costs. Even asking for directions in the street prompts someone asking you for "basheesh" which is a tip.
I wish I knew Arabic better. Brent and I are still learning by cd, but we will probably take some classes or hire a tutor to come in the evenings a couple nights a week.
Cars here honk as a form of communication, instead of using blinkers for example.
The call for prayer for the Islamic people echos from loud speakers 5 times a day. The schedule varies, but some days it starts at 4:30 am!!
The steering wheels are on the same side as in America in the cars, but they drive on all sides of the street, even against oncoming traffic.
Animals we have seen so far: birds, stray dogs and cats, pet dogs and cats, pigeons, goats, a donkey pulling a cart, and a wild ferret-looking thing. No rodents---probably because of all the stray cats!
A lot of the bathrooms have toilet and what the kids call a "bum cleaner". I haven't tried using it yet. I can't figure it out!
Builders mix their own concrete, so their are piles of sand and buckets of water and they make a pile, add some "glue" and mix in water and then mix it. Walls are all concrete and floors are either wood or marble.
Some roofs are covered in garden terraces, other are used for tossing junk, and other are used for construction sites.
We aren't drinking the tap water, though most people say it is safe. We are brushing our teeth and drinking with bottled water (luckily very cheap) and using tap water for bathing, washing dishes and laundry. Kids have gotten very used to that already. And no one has gotten sick yet (knock on wood).
You could eat a large, traditional Egyptian breakfast (pita bread with hummus like spread and tomatoe) for about 1 egyptian pound, which is about .22 cents US.
In the local market, a package of Oreos cost $10 US! Glad we have commissary for grocery shopping, though some things are cheaper on local market if you don't mind Egyptian brand name.
I bought a cell phone and turned it on and it was all in Arabic. I had to have hotel desk help me switch it to English because I couldn't read instructions on how to do that myself.
We are having fun, learning a lot and just trying to be open and patient. Things are going good here, but we miss you all very much! The transition to living here has been smoother because the people, from many differnt countries, have been very welcoming to us. I am not used to being so dependent on people (we have no car, no stuff besides our suitcases) and people have been offering to take me to the store or feed us or let kids come over and play with some toys for awhile (I should have packed some toys in the checked luggage on the plane....lesson to all you out there who do this sometime in your life!).
People from the school, the church and the Navy lab have been wonderful, so we feel blessed and watched over by a kind Father in Heaven.
Love to you all and miss you all so much. Keep in touch!
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