We're back to life in Cairo. My birthday has passed. Thanskgiving Cairo-style has passed. Our anniversary has passed, and now I must get caught up on all my blogable moments and thoughts. Apparently, just before we got back, there was a plague of locusts that fell upon our school. We missed it by just a day. Half of the school was there, as it was the day after our long vacation. The other teachers told it to me like this - The sky suddenly got dark and red in color. The sky was dotted and the sun was muted out by the swarms of locusts that were flying through the air. Of course, this caused chaos in an already less-than-normal day at school. There was a swarm of locusts moving across Cairo. When they told me this, I almost didn't believe them. It seemed too biblical and ancient. I didn't know things like this still happened! However, I did see pictures from the computer teacher's camera, and a student actually brought me a locust he had trapped the day before. It was huge, red-colored, about the size of your palm. Very weird. I was almost disappointed we had missed such a freak occurrence.
Speaking of freak occurrences - we witnessed our first rain in Cairo. Joe and I went out to wait for our mini-bus that takes us to school. It was kind of dreary and gray, like it gets when it's about to rain a little bit in the States. We both commented on it, but then agreed maybe it was just the usual smog. On the way to school, we began to see rain drops splattering on the windshield. By the time we arrived at school, there was a steady rain. It went on and off all day. The kids, of course, wanted to play in it and spend all class period staring out the windows. They said, "It's like snow in the U.S." I laughed, and told them it would definitely not be like snow in Iowa because it's a regular thing.
One day when I was doing an analogy on the board with them we came across the words, "drizzle" and "downpour." They didn't know what these words meant! I had to explain what a downpour was because they had only seen one heavy rain in their lifetime. They started describing these strange, hard balls of rain that had come down the year before. "Hail?" I asked increduously. They had never seen the stuff before. I'm not even sure a word exists in Arabic to describe it.
As for the weather, we are shocked. It has gotten cold! It's only been 50-60's at some times. Now, that doesn't sound cold, but it actually is. My friend, Gheda, had told me that it would be bone-chilling. I didn't believe her. I thought, "Yeah, right. I've endured Iowa winters. It'll be nothing." But seriously, it is cold! The windows and doors don't shut tightly, so you have a constant draft. There isn't proper heat either. Taking a shower in the morning has been agony. We don't have proper clothes. Joe and I are going to have to shop for sweaters and coats. At school, it is very chilly because we get a cold, desert wind that whips right through the open hallways. Luckily, Joe and I get some sunlight that shines into our classrooms during the day. All of our students are wrapped in scarves and stocking caps. It's pretty cute.
These last couple of days haven't been too bad. It's warmed up a bit. We celebrated my birthday at school on Wednesday. It was also the day of our Thanksgiving dish party. This is what they call their version of a potluck. We had the potluck in the afternoon at school. Needless to say, it was chaos. Imagine nearly 100 people jammed into a school hallway with a double row of desks laden with food. So much for sitting down quietly and giving thanks. The teacher's actually got together and bought a huge turkey, so yes, Joe did get to have some turkey for Thanksgiving. As far as the kids' idea of Thanksgiving foods? Fatoush, koshary, seasoned rice with nuts, etc. All sorts of Egyptian foods. One student did bring mashed potatoes of some sort. They don't know what traditional American Thanksgiving foods are. In the afternoon, we were supposed to have a sort of carnival with the kids organizing booths. It didn't happen. After the meal, the kids just spread out and disappeared throughout the enormous school. This is what always happens, as nothing gets planned ahead of time.
Joe and I and the other American teachers set out to have the students clean up the disgusting mess they made of the hallway. They had a food fight in one of the classrooms also. Truly gross. I have never seen anyone think that manual labor was more below them. The girls looked with disdain at the rag that I presented to them so that they could wipe off desks. They would barely touch it except with their fingertips. One girl told me she wouldn't do anything disgusting. I asked another student if she ever had to clean anything. She admitted, no, the maid did everything. The most they did was pick up their room.
Our students definitely live in the upper class. They are very used to having maids and servants. I can assure you, they never have to do chores like Joe and I did when we were growing up. At school, we have three maids for the American program. At the end of our Thanksgiving party, the kids left all their plates, food, and mess and ran off to play. The "dedas," as we call the maids, came and picked up everything. Then, they proceded to take everything into the girls' bathroom. They washed all the plates and plastic silverware and cups. They picked through all the food, and kept all the leftovers. Nothing was to be wasted or lost. It's saddening when you see such a clash in class. The class system is alive and well in Egypt, that is for sure. I hate that we participate in it by default.
That evening Joe and I went to the grocery store to find some ingredients for a birthday cake for me and items for Thanskgiving dinner the next day. We were able to make a pretty good German chocolate cake for my birthday. For Thanskgiving the next day, I was able to concoct a close simulation of Thanksgiving. We had mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, and cream corn. Not too shabby. Everything but the turkey and pumpkin pie. It was just the two of us. We are having a quiet evening. After our jaunt to Prague, the end of the month is necessarily boring. We figure our trip was worth our birthday, anniversary, Christmas, and Valentine's presents. It was definitely awesome.
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Friday, November 26, 2004
Prague - Day 7
The last day finally arrived and we were dreading our return to real life in Cairo. We decided to see the National Museum before we left. It was filled with natural history kinds of stuff like many different species of stuffed animals, a wide-variety of minerals, and ancient history artifacts. They had a football (a.k.a. soccer, to us) exhibit, but Joe and I walked in and then turned around and walked out. We just can't get into the rest of the world's fascination with soccer.
We did a little more shopping to find a shirt to match the skirt I bought the day before. We also looked for a couple more souvenirs. We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. On the way there, we noticed they were blocking the streets off. There were a bunch of people marching in the streets and carrying a huge banner. It was Nov. 17, their revolution day. They celebrate their independence from communism. On Nov. 17, 1989 they had their "Velvet Revolution." It was interesting seeing how they celebrated. We saw on T.V. that they all congregated at Winceslas Square where we had just been a few hours earlier.
After our not-so-Mexican dinner, we headed to meet our ride back to the airport. We really felt sad because our vacation was so great, and we didn't want to go back to Cairo. If only vacations never had to end.
Our flight was a crazy one. Before getting on the flight, we stopped to have a beer to use up our last Czech crowns. There was a really loud group of drunk people sitting nearby. Wouldn't you know it, they were on our flight to Cairo. We have never been on a flight like this before. Joe and I agreed that nothing like this would have been allowed in the U.S. The group of 20-30 people were really drunk. They were up and out of their seats almost the whole entire flight. It was like social/happy hour. The flight attendants could barely pass through the aisles. By the end of the flight, they were even throwing pillows at each other. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep. We agreed that it was the safest we ever felt on a flight. We'd like to see a terrorist try to get past 20 drunk Czechs to get to the cockpit.
We got back to Cairo, where someone was supposed to meet us to help us with our work visa processing. Big surprise, no one was there. We asked around, but they all acted like we were crazy. We were really stupid and forgot to bring the exact U.S. $15 per person for our new entry visas. We went from counter to counter being ignored and denied. We thought we might have to camp out in the airport. Finally, we bribed a guy to sneak us the stamps. We found it amazing that the Egyptian pounds we had were no good in Egypt. Thank God bribery is rampant. After a long night, we headed home to get about an hour's sleep before going to school the next day.
We did a little more shopping to find a shirt to match the skirt I bought the day before. We also looked for a couple more souvenirs. We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. On the way there, we noticed they were blocking the streets off. There were a bunch of people marching in the streets and carrying a huge banner. It was Nov. 17, their revolution day. They celebrate their independence from communism. On Nov. 17, 1989 they had their "Velvet Revolution." It was interesting seeing how they celebrated. We saw on T.V. that they all congregated at Winceslas Square where we had just been a few hours earlier.
After our not-so-Mexican dinner, we headed to meet our ride back to the airport. We really felt sad because our vacation was so great, and we didn't want to go back to Cairo. If only vacations never had to end.
Our flight was a crazy one. Before getting on the flight, we stopped to have a beer to use up our last Czech crowns. There was a really loud group of drunk people sitting nearby. Wouldn't you know it, they were on our flight to Cairo. We have never been on a flight like this before. Joe and I agreed that nothing like this would have been allowed in the U.S. The group of 20-30 people were really drunk. They were up and out of their seats almost the whole entire flight. It was like social/happy hour. The flight attendants could barely pass through the aisles. By the end of the flight, they were even throwing pillows at each other. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep. We agreed that it was the safest we ever felt on a flight. We'd like to see a terrorist try to get past 20 drunk Czechs to get to the cockpit.
We got back to Cairo, where someone was supposed to meet us to help us with our work visa processing. Big surprise, no one was there. We asked around, but they all acted like we were crazy. We were really stupid and forgot to bring the exact U.S. $15 per person for our new entry visas. We went from counter to counter being ignored and denied. We thought we might have to camp out in the airport. Finally, we bribed a guy to sneak us the stamps. We found it amazing that the Egyptian pounds we had were no good in Egypt. Thank God bribery is rampant. After a long night, we headed home to get about an hour's sleep before going to school the next day.
Prague - Day 6
We woke up and decided to go see Prague castle today. It was really chilly, and the wind was icy cold. The castle was a bit of a disappointment. We paid a lot to get in, but there really weren't that many interesting things to see. We checked out the palace, but it was kind of empty. Then, we almost fell asleep watching a movie about the history of the palace. We had hoped it would shed some light on the importance of the castle. We got up and left in the middle of it.
We saw the former convent and Golden Lane, which looks great on postcards but really wasn't as impressive after we had been to Cesky Krumlov. It was just a row of painted medieval-looking houses with touristic shops inside. We went to the Powder Tower. It was supposed to have military artifacts, but it was only a simple room with a few displays behind glass. It was a big let-down for Joe. We went to St. Vitus's Cathedral which redeemed the castle. It was very beautiful. We always enjoy the grandiosity of gothic churches. It was a bit crowed, though, with tourist groups. There were a lot of school trips that day. There was a really fascinating tomb of a national saint. It had a large canopy and lots of decorations. We also went down into the former cripts of the church. The graves have since been moved, but it was neat to see the underbelly of the church.
After the castle, we set out to find an outfit for me to wear. I, of course, wanted to drag Joe to the opera, but I had nothing to wear. We looked, but it was getting late and we just weren't finding anything that would prove useful when we were back in Cairo. We gave up on the opera idea, and just decided to shop and go out for dinner. I was feeling really bad. My cold just kept getting worse with the cold weather. It was hard shopping when I saw so many cool clothes but I knew they wouldn't be appropriate in Cairo.
We had another Czech dinner and went home a little early for the night.
We saw the former convent and Golden Lane, which looks great on postcards but really wasn't as impressive after we had been to Cesky Krumlov. It was just a row of painted medieval-looking houses with touristic shops inside. We went to the Powder Tower. It was supposed to have military artifacts, but it was only a simple room with a few displays behind glass. It was a big let-down for Joe. We went to St. Vitus's Cathedral which redeemed the castle. It was very beautiful. We always enjoy the grandiosity of gothic churches. It was a bit crowed, though, with tourist groups. There were a lot of school trips that day. There was a really fascinating tomb of a national saint. It had a large canopy and lots of decorations. We also went down into the former cripts of the church. The graves have since been moved, but it was neat to see the underbelly of the church.
After the castle, we set out to find an outfit for me to wear. I, of course, wanted to drag Joe to the opera, but I had nothing to wear. We looked, but it was getting late and we just weren't finding anything that would prove useful when we were back in Cairo. We gave up on the opera idea, and just decided to shop and go out for dinner. I was feeling really bad. My cold just kept getting worse with the cold weather. It was hard shopping when I saw so many cool clothes but I knew they wouldn't be appropriate in Cairo.
We had another Czech dinner and went home a little early for the night.
Cesky Krumlov to Prague - Day 5
We woke up for our last day in Cesky Krumlov and took a short walk around the town. It was nice because they delivered breakfast right to our room. We took a few more pictures of the town and then went to catch our bus. Our ride back to Prague was nice because it was daytime and we could actually see the towns and countryside. It was still very green. It looked a lot like Iowa, minus the corn fields. The bus driver was a little crazy. I guess it's acceptable for bus drivers to create their own lane when passing. Normally, this would have scared us, but after Cairo nothing phases us.
Back in Prague, we checked back into our first apartment. We had a craving for Italian, so we scoured the town for some Italian. We also went looking for a couple of souvenirs, but we didn't find much. We ended up eating at a pizza place because we couldn't find a good Italian restaurant. The pizza there is very European, not like Pizza Hut. It has very thin crust with little sauce.
Back in Prague, we checked back into our first apartment. We had a craving for Italian, so we scoured the town for some Italian. We also went looking for a couple of souvenirs, but we didn't find much. We ended up eating at a pizza place because we couldn't find a good Italian restaurant. The pizza there is very European, not like Pizza Hut. It has very thin crust with little sauce.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Cesky Krumlov - Day 4
We awoke at Ingrid's pension around 9:00. It was difficult to get out of bed due to the lack of a working heater. We have found the comforters in the Czech Republic to be extremely comfortable. First off, they are usually extremely thick, often with down. Also, they are two smaller blankets that equal the size of our standard blankets. This was great for keeping us from fighting over the covers on a freezing night.
We went immediately to the other pension that we had reserved for the night before. We told our sob story of how we missed our bus and got into town late. Luckily, they allowed us to credit our missed night's payment to the next day. This apartment was similar to the one in Prague. Lots of stained wood. Very nice!
On the walk into the center we heard the church bells ringing for the start of services. The gothic church was old, large and very beautiful. Unfortunately, they decided to keep it so much in it's medieval state that there was no heat of any kind. It made for a long and cold hour.
That afternoon, we went to the castle; however, it was closed for the winter. We could go up into the tower though. This gave us the opportunity to take some scenic pictures of the town. The climb was very long and even became a bit perilous. Emily lost her nerve about three-fourths of the way up and had to stop. Joe, however, passed the barricades and climbed into the very top into the bell-tower. The view was absolutely amazing from the top. You could see for miles and miles. Descending the tower, we began to explore the outside areas of the castle. In what used to be the moat, they now have two brown bears. We had seen postcards of some cubs, but we never saw them ourselves. The castle was very impressive, outside. Too bad we couldn't get inside.
After the castle, we were very hungry. After four days of being surrounded by meat, Emily was ready for some good vegetarian food. Surprisingly, there were numerous vegetarian restaraunts in both Cesky Krumlov and Prague. We went to a nice veg-restaraunt that offered more than your usual cheese pasta or salad. Emily had a mixture of the house specialties while I had lentil curry. I still find it amazing the types of food I have learned to enjoy due to Emily.
After dinner, we did some souvenir shopping. I was trying to decide between a stein or a marionette. Nothing really struck me as, "Had to have" though. Emily got a nice garnet ring from a local jewerly store. Garnet is heavily mined in the Czech Republic so it seemed like an appropriate souvenir.
Later, we went to a cozy pub/restaurant for some beers. Nice atmosphere. I ended up speaking to some of the locals. They were surprised when I spoke Czech to them. Mistakingly, I told them that I don't speak Czech just a little Russian, but that I think the languages are very similar. They found this insulting so I kinda goofed there. I guess they are still a little bitter about the whole Soviet occupation for the better part of a century thing. At any rate, they were still very friendly.
We went immediately to the other pension that we had reserved for the night before. We told our sob story of how we missed our bus and got into town late. Luckily, they allowed us to credit our missed night's payment to the next day. This apartment was similar to the one in Prague. Lots of stained wood. Very nice!
On the walk into the center we heard the church bells ringing for the start of services. The gothic church was old, large and very beautiful. Unfortunately, they decided to keep it so much in it's medieval state that there was no heat of any kind. It made for a long and cold hour.
That afternoon, we went to the castle; however, it was closed for the winter. We could go up into the tower though. This gave us the opportunity to take some scenic pictures of the town. The climb was very long and even became a bit perilous. Emily lost her nerve about three-fourths of the way up and had to stop. Joe, however, passed the barricades and climbed into the very top into the bell-tower. The view was absolutely amazing from the top. You could see for miles and miles. Descending the tower, we began to explore the outside areas of the castle. In what used to be the moat, they now have two brown bears. We had seen postcards of some cubs, but we never saw them ourselves. The castle was very impressive, outside. Too bad we couldn't get inside.
After the castle, we were very hungry. After four days of being surrounded by meat, Emily was ready for some good vegetarian food. Surprisingly, there were numerous vegetarian restaraunts in both Cesky Krumlov and Prague. We went to a nice veg-restaraunt that offered more than your usual cheese pasta or salad. Emily had a mixture of the house specialties while I had lentil curry. I still find it amazing the types of food I have learned to enjoy due to Emily.
After dinner, we did some souvenir shopping. I was trying to decide between a stein or a marionette. Nothing really struck me as, "Had to have" though. Emily got a nice garnet ring from a local jewerly store. Garnet is heavily mined in the Czech Republic so it seemed like an appropriate souvenir.
Later, we went to a cozy pub/restaurant for some beers. Nice atmosphere. I ended up speaking to some of the locals. They were surprised when I spoke Czech to them. Mistakingly, I told them that I don't speak Czech just a little Russian, but that I think the languages are very similar. They found this insulting so I kinda goofed there. I guess they are still a little bitter about the whole Soviet occupation for the better part of a century thing. At any rate, they were still very friendly.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
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