Monday, August 2

After many hours we arrived in Egypt yesterday. We started out early in Chicago and arrived in New York. After waiting for the Egypt Airlines counter to open, we stepped up to the desk and were told, sorry, but you have no reservation! We impressed upon the woman that we were not sending our dog to Egypt without us, and she thankfully, gave us tickets after making us wait.

The flight went well, and when we arrived we got our visas quickly. The fight for luggage at the airport was intense, as everyone pulls their cart up close and you have to fight for a spot. Joe went looking for Leia and we got no answers about her. Finally, after an hour or so, they let us know that we had to go to cargo to get her. Two people from the school were at the airport to meet us. These two ladies were an enormous help, but they probably thought we were absolutely crazy for bringing our dog to Egypt.

It took several bribes and couple of hours and we still didn't have our dog! One man was our helpful as a go-between. He would go talk to a very stern man about our dog. The stern man would look mean, shake his head, and tell us we had to pay more. They went in and out, in and out, but nothing ever happened. Finally, we left without our dog. The school's driver came back to the airport with us later and two hours and 900 pounds later we finally got Leia. We were both at the end of our rope, but we sat quietly in the back of the bus and let Egyptian bureaucracy work its magic.

After resting last night (with the requisite waking up at 3 am), we started the day fresh today. Our apartment is nice. It is not too bad. We do not having a working refrigerator, so the landlord promised us a new one tomorrow. We are very unsure about our washing machine. It has no lid, and it seems to be made out of plastic and some strings are sticking out. The landlord also assured us that he would send his cleaning servant tomorrow and she would show us how to work it. The apartment is clean for the most part, and we felt fortunate to have a shower with a door. Joe and I will have much work to do cleaning and settling in.

So far, we have not ventured far from home. There are always many people in the streets. Our bowab, or doorman, seems nice enough. He sits outside with his family. When we took Leia outside we got many strange looks and everyone walked away from us. So far, we've only ventured to small corner markets for water and snacks.

We did go to our school today. It was nice. They are working on several areas, so it is kind of a mess right now. It should be in good shape for school, though. The director, Mrs. Bassiouni, showed us around. Another American couple has been here for about a week, and they came with us to the school. They are very nice and live just a few blocks away. They are showing us the ropes and tonight we may go get some food with them, and they will show us around the neighborhood.

We are looking forward to learning our way around. There is so much to do. It's so weird feeling totally helpless. The most basic things become difficult, going to the store, finding a cash machine, getting around. We don't even know where to find toilet paper yet. We are missing everyone from home. I will keep this webpage as updated as possible. I imagine it will mainly me (Emily) writing, as this is more my thing than Joe's. Please e-mail us. We are all hooked up!