Saturday, August 7

I finally have been able to get on my internet. Joe and I are suffering from an internet virus that kicks us off of our internet whenever it feels like it. Where do I begin? There is so much to tell. We have done so much in a few days. We are finally settling in to our apartment. It was very difficult at first. We were going through typical jet lag and culture shock. There is nothing worse than not knowing any language and having to find the simplest things. Luckily, Joe and I went to our school the second day we were here and another couple that will be teaching at the school met us there. Tom and Betsy have been here for about 3 weeks and live just five blocks away. They have shown us around the neighborhood. We've found the supermarket. (When I say supermarket, I mean market where we can get things similar to American. It's not nearly as large!) We've finally found an ATM where we can withdraw money. We've taken a taxi ride. It has been crazy.

There are so many differences between Egypt and America. First, Egypt is dirty. However, it isn't all that bad. Everything in our apartment has a fine layer of dirt over it, but we've come to accept it. What can you do when you live in the desert? When you go out walking, you will come home with black feet if you wear sandals. Your clothes will be dirty and so will you. It is hot. It is about as hot as San Antonio actually, but in San Antonio, it was rare that we would spend time walking around looking for shops and basic necessities.

Things are cheap here! You have to love the conversion rate. It's about 6 Egyptian pounds to 1 dollar. We bought a large glass bottle of Pepsi the other day for about 15 cents. A cab ride can be as little as 50 cents. Dinner at a "fast-food" Egyptian restaurant was 2 dollars for 5 people. The things that cost a lot are the things from back home. For example, Oreos. Very expensive!

In Egypt, we have a doorman, and we've been told that he can do whatever we need him to. We had no way of communicating with him at first, so he had someone write us a note in English. He and his family live below the building. We feel very guilty coming home with bags of groceries and stuff for the apartment when he, his wife, and his three children wear the same clothes almost daily and live in an open area beneath the building. It is amazing the combination of poverty and wealth.

We realized that our bowab (doorman) must know someone who spoke English, so we wrote a note back asking if he knew someone who might want to tutor us. He did! We have found a 26-year-old from Yemen. He is a student here, and has agreed to tutor us for 3 hours a week. We are so excited. We met with him last night. He is very sweet and a good teacher.

We have found that most of the people here are very kind. They appreciate our efforts to speak Arabic, although most speak some English. We were told by our tutor that they learn more about English in school than Arabic. When we were shopping, a woman gave us her number and said call with any questions. Our tutor did the same. They all say, "Don't worry. Call if you need anything at all." We do get many looks on the streets. I (Emily) get stared at all the time, regardless of the fact that Joe's right there. I have just decided to keep my head down and avoid the problems.

We went on our first touristic trip the other day. We went with Tom and Betsy and a friend of theirs to the Kan Khalili market. It was pretty cool. There were narrow streets with tons of stalls. We also went to our first mosque. Very interesting. There were men lying around during the afternoon, waiting until prayer time. There was a man who gave us a tour. There are always these people around, hoping to earn a little extra money. The girls all covered their heads. I'll have to include some pictures in our post.

We also went to a home that used to be a rich persons home in Cairo. It was very cool with a lot of interesting woodwork, courtyards, and screens that the women used to look out.

Leia has brought much interest in the neighborhood. Most people cross to the other side of the street. Some of the children from the building were really enjoying petting her last night, though. We even got the bowab to pet her. He and his children look at her like she might take their heads off.

It has been so interesting, but it is probably better that I am writing now, instead of in the first 3 days. We were so tired, and it was so stressful getting our bearings. Things are so much better now. We went to the British club with Tom and Betsy the other night, and met a few other expats. That was an okay time as well. We are looking forward to seeing a few more sites before school starts in a week or so.

If our virus allows, I will try to keep my blog more up-to-date. We, of course, miss everyone back home.