Saturday, August 29, 2009

Camels, Pyramids, and Ramadan

Yesterday and today have been interesting days. Actually I guess it has been the past 3 days already. 3 days ago, I was standing on street corner waiting to cross. Out of nowhere I hear "hey!" and there stands my friend whom I lived above in Poland. I knew she was coming, but I didn't expect her to be standing with 2 other people waiting for a cab on a random street corner in downtown. In a city as big as Cairo, one does not really expect to just randomly meet someone who has just arrived from the US five hours before!

Later that night, we went out with an Egyptian guy to a sisha place to have tea and so they could talk and smoke. It wasn't all that great of a place, but this boy who was selling tissue stopped at our table. He seemed to like the hat and spent almost 10 minutes playing with my head and trying to talk with me. It was really kind of cool to make such a connection.

Yesterday, I went to the Cairo Tower and saw the view of Cairo from above. It was a great sight. It was interesting that they tried to tell me that I couldn't go with just a regular Egyptian friend; I was required to go with a tour guide. I found this to be quite strange...but they let me and my friend through anyway.

Today was a long day. I went on a tour, with a tour guide I had said I didn't want. I visited a perfume shop, a papyrus factory, a carpet school, and the pyramids where I went on a camel ride. The camel ride was bumpy and the desert was sandy and the pyramids actually were pyramids in shape...all in all not a very enlightening experience...but fun nonetheless.

Then I came back home and got a message that I was invited to an evening meal with some Egyptians. We are to meet for this meal at around 11:30pm..it is definitely going to be a late one. Ramadan really messes with people's schedules I guess.

I really have more to write, but I don't have time.. My allotment of time on this computer is about to run out, so I am typing fast, and trying to think even quicker...not working to well.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Is everyone in this city related?

Today I decided not to go to class. I am having a hard time retaining the information they have given me, so I am going to take the day today and this weekend to attempt to process all of that. I went to the American University - Cairo to see about a program I am interested in, but they moved their campus and the guards at the old campus were anything but helpful.

On my way to the university, I was met by a man who said he worked for a travel agency and did adventure travels here in Egypt. He took me back to his shop which was a family owned papyrus shop. They apparently also do actually do adventure tours, but they offered me that only after they showed me all of their papyrus and gave me a brief history of how it is made and where it came from. It was quite educational and interesting actually. I did end up buying some a couple of postcards and some odds and ends...it ended up coming up to 115 pounds (about $23), which I thought was kind of expensive, but I paid it grudginly and started on my way. The guy who sold me the stuff took me to their perfume shop on the next street, and I managed to get out of there without too much trouble after listening to him for only 5 or 10 minutes.

On the way back from the university, I happend by the store at which I returned some things. The person who helped my get my money back was sitting outside. He came up, walked with me, and wanted me to give him money for helping me. He also wanted to take me to his perfume shop. I went with him to his shop, and what would you know: it was the same shop as the one I was taken to that morning! When I told him I didn't want perfume, he offered to take me to his papyrus shop, to which I didn't go. It would have been the same one I had went to that morning.

Then he tried once again to really guilt me into giving him money for helping me. What is it with people using Ramadan as a way of insuing guilt? And when someone helps someone, if they are doing it for the money, then it is not something they are doing to help; it is something they are doing for payment. I do not like to be made to feel guilty about not giving money, so I am less likely to give it if that is the case. I felt bad about it, but I refused to give him money.

Now I find out that my evening plans are not going to happen either. I hate when days go like this. Perhaps my friend will contact me, and we will be able to get together. I know she will be tired after traveling, so this is probably not going to happen...but who knows, perhaps I could get lucky.

Monday, August 24, 2009

More fabulous adventures on the microbus!

It seems that the adventures for me never seem to stop. Yesterday on my way home from class, I got into a microbus that was going to my destination. Unfortunately this person was also very happy for Ramadan and it being the night time. As the driver of the bus, one would expect him to be somewhat level headed, but this just was not the case. He was deliberately swerving in the road and blowing his horn in celebration! He also turned the music up loud so that everyone in the bus could hear and clap to it. I must admit that it was a lot of fun, but it was certainly scary as well.

All the while this was happening, he was trying to talk to me. He didn't know any English, so the converstaion was not what we would call extremely enlightening, but he did offer me some figs and he wore my hat for most of the trip home. All in all it was an experience I would definitely repeat again, though I am not sure how safe it was :)

This morning was another experience. It seems that the first time I was on a microbus and the tire blew out, this could be considered a fluke. I was told that these things never happen, so I was just lucky. Well, I must be doubly lucky because it happened once again! At least this time the driver had a spare and we only had to wait for him to change it and not for another crowded bus to come by. I guess that is what I get for taking a bus that I knew went that direction, but was not my usual bus to take! See, change is dangerous!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Another change in time!

I must say that as adaptable as I may be, I am not really happy about all the changes that have been going on since I have been here. My class started with minimal difficulties, but as the group class consisted of me and one other person who has a background in Arabic, this was a little tough. Yes, he can speak it; he is just attempting to lessen the Sudanese accent he has. Also they were already 25 - 30 hours ahead of me, so a lot of what was being done in the book was with vocabulary I hadn't gotten too yet.

They decided to put me in a class by myself. This is often what people think of me, but this is the first time they have actually physically done it. This makes hiding way more difficult than even with one other person. Have you ever tried to let your mind wonder in class when you were the only one there? It is not an easy task. In fact, I would say it is a lot less work just to pay attention! This change in class also caused a change in time. Unfortunately they didn't tell me this until two hours after I showed up for class the next day. I was sitting in the school waiting for the teacher, and finally someone came up and told me that my class wouldn't start until 2pm and it would go until 7pm. 5 hours is probably better than 6, but it is still a lot of work and very intensive. I am not sure if I am going to be able to handle this for a month or not. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

I am in the process of meeting many people here, however. I met up with one person two nights ago after class, and I was supposed to meet up with her again last night, but for some reason I didn't hear from her. Perhaps she was scared away by my rather odd demeanor ;) . On Saturday I will meet up with a British woman who is living here in Cairo. She wants to hear all about my life in Kurdistan, Iraq. I am sure she will be terribly disappointed to learn that it is just like anywhere else, but the company will be good nonetheless. And after hearing her voice on the phone when she called, the accent will be an interesting thing to work through as well.

Yesterday I took a random microbus home from class. I know what number I take to get there, but that bus apparently doesn't come by very often. The driver hollered out the destination near where I wanted to go, so I got in, paid, and hoped for the best. When we pulled into the bus station (beyond where I was told to take the bus to), he attempted to ask where I wanted to go. There was a passenger who spoke English, so the translation worked. I showed the address of my hostel, and they said "you should have gotten off back there at Ramses. You are now lost. You can take anyone of these busses and tell them you want to go to Ramses." Well, I would have none of this. I just started to walk and follow the signs toward Ramses. All of the sudden I realized where I was: I was at the same bus station that I take the bus from in the morning! To think, I went from being lost to being exactly where I wanted to be. Now how often does that happen?

Hopefully today will be a good day as well. I am not sure how long it is going to take to get to the school because I don't know the schedule for the bus or how traffic is at this time. It has been fairly bad, so getting on here at the beginning saves me from hanging out of the bus (think van) door. Coming back can be just as scary, so I am not sure what to think..and as always, I really hate doing things like this. There are too many people, I can't speak the language, and I have no idea where I am going!

Soon I have to go shopping and do laundry. I am not sure where to go for the shopping thing, but I am sure I will figure it out. As for the laundry, the hostel charges by the piece, which I thought was quite strange. 1 pound per shirt or trousers and 1 pound per 2 pieces of underwear. I would rather just pay 20 pounds and pay for the whole water and time of the washer. Perhaps I will ask if this is a possibility. Perhaps I could just wash them by hand, but that is such a time waster, and I have been finding it to difficult to study as it is...I really need to work on getting my vocabulary memorized.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

In Cairo waiting for class

I rushed to the school this morning because I was supposed to come yesterday, but I was unable to get into contact with them. I was glad of this because I had just come in from Istanbul, and I was quite tired. I got here and took my placement test (almost unnecessary as my Arabic is almost nill). As most of their classes start at 8am, I came about that time, but it turns out that the class they are gong to put me in starts at 1pm! Though I have to do an hour by myself at noon. So now I have to fill this time span with something, but what could it be?

I could study the map that I have in my pocket. Of course it would be slightly difficult as it is in Italian, but I am sure it is close enough that I could figure everything out without too many problems. The only thing is that it would be quite useless. The map is of Istanbul, and Cairo is not enough like it to have any correlation whatsoever. I guess that is not what I am going to do. At least I have the Internet to keep me busy for a little while at least.

Getting to Cairo was an experience. I guess it started when I got to Istanbul. I met a man there who was selling carpets in Cairo recently. His uncle said hello to me in Polish as I was passing him in the street. This was the first time I was ever mistaken for a Pole before! It was quite different and exciting. I also met many people at a meeting and then had tea and coffee with someone overlooking the Bosporus River. It comes highly recommended. (This all deserves its own posting, so I am just touching on it here.)

At the airport while waiting for my flight, I decided I wanted to spend some money, so I went to Starbucks to buy a venti TAZO Chia Tea Latte (extremely good!). While I was standing in line, this blond haired woman walks in front of me and starts looking at the cakes and such on display. I wasn't too happy about it, but I wasn't pressed for time so I just let it go. Then the line seemed to straighten itself out, and she motioned me ahead saying that I was there before her. I insisted that she go first, and I asked her where she was from. When she told me she was from Rome, I was aghast! "You are from Italy and drinking coffee at Starbucks! You should be ashamed of yourself." She smiled and whispered, "the coffee here is horrible! but it is the only place available at the airport." I figured one could not argue with such logic and we took our respective drinks, shook hands, and graciously said good-bye.

The plane ride was fairly uneventful. The person next to me was friendly, but only spoke Turkish and German, so we didn't really speak. He was flying with his wife for a holiday. The food on the flight was alright, especially for airline food. The Cairo International Airport is quite easy to navigate and getting the visa is quite easy as well. I like the little do-it-yourself visa stickers! Only $15! $5 cheaper than the visa into Turkey! What a deal.

Now I am here. $420 poorer for this class (1 hr/day private lessons, 5 hours a day in a class 5 days a week until September 3, with books, registration and certificate. Not a bad deal actually...as long as I can figure out the bus system as opposed to paying 30 EGP to get here and then 30 to get back everyday. I really can't afford that.

Monday, August 3, 2009

So long, what have I been doing!?

It seems that I have once again been neglecting my readership. I can be such a bad writer on occasion! I do, however, have an excuse: I am not able to connect to the internet at home, and here at work I am generally busy. As you can probably tell now, I am not busy. I am sitting in my office wondering if the internet is truly so important that I come and sit for 9 hours just so I am able to have use of it. Of course if I were back home I would be going crazy.

Since I last wrote, there was an election here in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Apparently the appropriate person won because there was gunfire in celebration all over the city. This resulted in 11 injuries and one death. Not exactly the way I would want to celebrate a victory, but that seems to be the common way here in the Middle East.

I have been suffering through classes here. Luckily they ended last Thursday, and I am now free! I will definitely not teach summer school again! My actual vacation starts on the 5th; though I suppose I can consider it started now as I don't have to be at work. On the 5th I will fly to Istanbul for three days. After my stay there, I will fly to Cairo where I will stay for almost one month. The plan is to study Arabic so that I will be able to communicate with some of the people here. After that month I will head back to the US. I will go to Hancock for a wedding and then to visit my family in Standish. Oh the days are going to busy for me!

Yesterday my coworker and her housemate left for their respective vacations. As much as we fight, I really miss my coworker. What makes it worse is that we aren't going to be working together next semester. Actually, maybe this will be better. She will be living in the same location (practically next door), so I will be able to visit, and I won't have to be with her constantly at work so there will be less time for us to get mad at each other. I do so hate arguing with people, especially if it really doesn't matter...and this place is so full of stress already; the fighting has just added to it tremendously.

I wish there were more exciting things to report, but there isn't. I haven't done anything other than work and hang out with coworkers at the coffee shop and at restaurants. None of the students have done anything out of the ordinary either. The ones that cause problems are still causing problems, and the ones that are good are still good. There is a new teacher for an impromptu summer session for staff members at a new school that the company is going to help manage. She has never taught English before. I guess she is educated in counseling or social work or something like that. She has her PhD, but I am not sure what in. It sounds as if she is going to be moving to the primary schools in September.

There is a new English teacher coming in the fall for here. She has taught with this company before, but there were problems and she had to leave. Now she has decided to come back; it seems there is still some rough spots between them though. There is also a science teacher coming from Egypt (she has a little girl that is coming with her, so I am not sure how that is going to play out), and a teacher from Lebanon I believe. I think they will teach math. We should be getting an IT teacher as well and these teachers generally come from Lebanon as the company is Lebanese. It will be interesting to see what they are going to do for housing. All of those working at their main school live there; those working for the university or the two government schools that they are managing (if they are not Iraqi) are provided housing somewhere. They said they have finally found enough houses, so that is a good thing.

I was told that I would be moved, but I don't think that is going to happen now. It seems that all of the teachers that they have hired are female, so there is no other place to house me than where I presently am. This was a problem in the past as both my roommates are Lebanese and one is kind of a supervisor. This does not lend itself to a very relaxing home-life. I guess I will have to deal with it though. Not unbearable, especially if I am able to get a basis in Arabic before I come back.

I think I will cease boring you now. Hopefully all is well.