the furnace burns us

so close encounters of the burning kind... today i finally experienced the type of blow that i've been waiting for ever since Ketan singed his eyebrows off in the great days of SIT when all the girls shared an apartment.  While i was not there see the explosion that left ketan with slightly shorter eyebrows, i heard plenty and saw the aftermath pictures.

well. today, i made biscuits.  i also allowed the oven to fill just a bit to full with gas before i stuck the lighter in there and made a spark only to be blown back by the frightening ghost of fire.  aftermath... zoe jumping 5 feet back on the floor instantaneously, black burned balls of stubbly hair on my right forearm, eye lashes that now have a nice 'feathering' effect at the ends of them, and a nice image of a fire attack that will keep me from doing that again.   no worries, the biscuits were still delicious. 

as for other news, there really isn't any.  still working on finding an apartment, still wishing school was over more than ever.  Luckily the weather has been really nice lately, with nice breezes to cool off the upper 80's.  It will be getting hotter soon, no doubt... i just hope that where ever i live for June/July has a nice breeze as well.

Returning after a break

In the month of April I took a two-week long break back home.  During this journey I enjoyed friends, love, food, driving, music, sun, runs, fresh air, fresh air, fresh air, walks to the beach with Ajax, Mom, Dad, Alex, etc.... it was glorious.

In my first days back from home I was still able to bring those things home with me.  At work (I teach English at a private school in a near-by neighborhood), I was finally back to being part time (i.e. i teach only fourth grade and fifth grade English lessons, and then I get to leave the school with the Kindergarten kids at 1:30).  I was able to come home from work and do the things I needed to do to be me.  I rested, cleaned, read (amazing), went for a run, checked the internet at the near-by mall, looking up flights for my potential next flight home (in the end of July), looking up possible jobs for that trip home (I've got a list of about 15 restaurants i will be calling soon to see if they will hire for only one month).  It was great.  School wasn't to be recalled until the next morning, when i woke up just early enough to eat some breakfast, prepare my lessons for that day, and then head out to school. 

then there was wednesday, a ten hour day at school where we had parent-teacher conferences after the regular school hours.  where we also had a teacher conference with the principal, yelling at us for not doing the things that he asked of us.  I returned home and tried to read, every other line being interrupted with worries for the next days lessons... as if the principal had entered my mind, squatted in the corner and was giving me that "you really think that's good enough?" look.  ugh.  i still read, eventually able to put his looks aside, black them out.  

the next day?  able to leave school at 1:30 thankfully, but directly afterwards Lizz and I had a job as ushers at a wedding reception dinner for two of the richest families in Egypt.... conveniently located at... THE PYRAMIDS! that's right, these people rented out the friggin pyramids....decked out a stage with black and white them, the pyramids and sphynx lit up in the background, Frank Sinatra filling the air... it was beautiful.  and even if it was another 5 hours of unneeded standing for my feet, it was nice to remember wedding receptions, and the feeling of Frank.  an interesting combination of worlds, as we checked in arabs, americans, french, spanish, some Prince from somewhere.  also a nice 250 geems in the pocket :-) something that i'll be needing more of in order to come home for august and relish myself with sun, love, and friends.

So now it's saturday, lizz and I have come to the McDonalds in our neighborhood where they have free internet...  we bought from the 5 L.E. menu (= the dollar menu) got two cups of tea and will continue here until they kick us out most likely. 

I'm on the search for a new apartment (as well as possible part time jobs over the summer or next year to pay for expenses of things necessary to life... i.e. flights home to be with loved ones).  I have to move out of my current apartment on the 27th of May, which means i don't have much time.... i'll figure it out though. I always do.

woot woot

I just wanted to say, that we are celebrating here in Cairo for the outcome of this new election. Surprisingly, i received more messages from my arab friends about the outcome than i did from people in america... so please know that the arab world is happy too. :-)

pics

just thought it was about time to add the kitchen and the bath?

LIZZMAS

I need to write something. No excuses.

I have been absent these past few (more than a few... sorry) weeks for very good reason I'll have you know. My life has been completely consumed by my job--- teaching 3rd, 4th and 5th graders English as a second language and also teaching them Language Arts. The difficulties I've found in this task can be listed as such:

1) To understand Language Arts, you have to understand the language that the teacher is speaking while teaching it to you (english....some of my kids don't really speak it... at all)

2) None of these grades have previous curriculum made for them... so Zoe now must act as experienced/studied curriculum writer as well as teacher of made-up curriculum. Keep in mind I've never taught anything, English was always my least favorite subject in school, and i've never studied teaching

3) the school is completely disorganized and students still have not received some of their books

4) one grade would be hard enough, 3 is just downright difficult.

The great things about my job/life in general:

1) I make enough money (if they pay me) so to live a comfortable life here (although i have no time to go out and spend it...)

2) the staff is extremely friendly and very understanding

3) the satisfaction of watching a student understand and demonstrate even the simplest concept (ABC order or how to answer a question in a complete sentence) is simply incredible.

4) I have the most amazing roommate, Lizz, who cooks for me and gives the best moral support through home-made cafe-mochas and chai tea. It is coincidentally her birthday today (hence, Lizzmas) and we will be celebrating tonight with a dinner with some of her CASA friends (the language program she is studying in currently).

5) the Job, however difficult it may be, is getting easier... or atleast I'm learning how to manage it in a better way. Although I'm yet to get enough sleep during the week, I'm slowly catching up to the point where I can now work ahead (producing weekly outlines and worksheets before the day before...)

6) I get to relearn all the interesting things about the English language... did you know that there is a rule for when you pronounce c as "ss" and c as "K"... NEITHER DID I! that's way the word facade should always have the cedille thing on it, because in english you don't pronounce c followed by a as an "s"... it should sound like "fakade"... oh my.

7) I'm finally learning how to spell. I now finally know how to spell beginning, syllable, and disappear without second guessing (is that sad... yes it is).


But yes, this is my life right now... learning English in Cairo. Who knew? Hopefully November will bring a new chapter and Lizz and I will finally find some time to get out. I'm hoping to start up Arabic lessons again, because as it stands I rarely am practicing my language, although my listening/understanding of Egyptian Arabic is getting a lot better... i know that my spoken and MSA is disappearing rapidly (note the spelling of disappearing... ha).

As for Cairo itself. Well its finally cooled off. Now the high is in the lower-80's and nights are nice and cool. Yesterday we had a whopping 3 seconds of rain. I wake up with the sun, which is nice. I get to ride a school bus that's overpacked with kindergarden kids that sometimes sit on my lap....othertimes they complain about the fact that I put their backpack in the wrong spot... ultimately they brighten up my day though.

ps. kids are tough. I'm learning how to not take them seriously.

here's a pic of lizz and i.

bout time?

pics from top left and on. my bedroom. the view from my bedroom balcony looking towards lizz's room

second row: lizz's room, and then living room shot

last one: another living room

kitchen coming later i guess



so i guess it's about time. I'm sorry for this delay in everything. I'm gonna post some pics of the apt, so you can have a general idea of what's going on out here. the pad is fundamental, and we're working on decor (as long as it's free... i just got a 2008 calendar from one of Lizz's friends here... it's going on the nature wall with its great images of American landscape).

I'm yet to find a job, but I'm in the process. Tomorrow I have an interview at a school in Muqattam hills, which is not to far away from my area (el-M3aadi). I found this job through a friend I had at Middlebury Language school two summers ago, who might be the key to me getting the job. I'm hoping they will look over the fact that I have no teaching experience and take me for my glowing personality and character ;-)... (i guess i should put on make-up... we'll see... it's so hot here i'm afraid it will be streaming down my face within 5 minutes of putting it on).

About the heat. Lizz and I have decided that this is the last blast that's coming through. we have a couple days in a row that should be about 37C, which is about 99F, and then it should cool down to lower 90's. I'm finding that on these hot days, i truly only sleep when it cools off, and my alarm clock is the heat. There was one cool day not too long ago where lizz and i both were astonished at the fact that we had awoken on our own, and not from the blanket of sweat on our faces.

Some things in the house still need some work, but it's coming along... showerhead, overhead light in my room and the hall, ac fixed in my room (i'll still be too proud to use it... particularly because i have a feeling that once it finally gets fixed it might be mid-january...), and then the TV and possibly telephone line.

I'm still working on trying to figure out how to get stuff here... (for my ballot... most important thing of all, of course... although gifts are always more than welcome :-))

I'm finding here that i'm surrounded by women who like to cook... or atleast know how to, so i'm excited to see what they can teach me. Thus far, i think i've picked up lentil soup and chai tea ala my lovely roommate.

anyways, here are the pics. more commentary on Cairo in the next post...hopefully when i have a job and i'm interacting with more egyptians...

love-zoe

egypt!

So man, Egypt has been a crazy wind of events from leaving the house to getting to my apartment in Cairo, to cleaning the apartment and getting general appliances to work, to volunteering, and beginning to fast.

I'll sum up traveling here briefly: airlines trying to putting obstacles in my way (saying that I hadn't paid for my ticket, sitting on a runway for two hours in Philly on my cross-atlantic flight to frankfurt, and missing my connecting flight... getting a later flight and having my roommate go to the wrong airport because my airline got changed on my rebooked flight to egypt. nonetheless, i arrived in one piece and was happy to welcome the Middle East (or Egypt) back into my life.

Day after I arrived. Cleaning our apt from bottom to top... a lot of that to do. Also getting to use the metro (extremely easy and about 20 cent payment for a one-way ride). Having dinner with Lizz's former roommates downtown in Cairo (down the metro) and enjoying one of their new ac'd apt.

(I'm sending pics from our apt once the bathroom no longer has a lake in it (the toilet and washing machine leak water... we're getting that fixed).

Today: so much happened today, and I feel bad trying to stuff it into a short story, but i'm simply exhausted. Today was the first day i started fasting (my first day of Ramadan essentially) and it was appropriately matched with some volunteering that Lizz and I took off on as soon as we woke up at 9am. Essentially, we took part in packing and distributing food to orphans in a nearby village (just south of Cairo). In all it ended up involving more sitting around rather than doing for Lizz and I, but we were surrounding by some amazingly fun and interesting Egyptian girls. Lizz and I made many fun acquaintances and both learned a lot. I myself picked up some helpful hints about work/ finding places and things that I'm interesting going to/doing --> i.e a club where I can join a women's soccer team, and the egyptian equivalent of a phonebook = dial 140 on your phone.

We also did have the pleasure of the work. The work was run out of (what I came to understand is) a Muslim Charity Organization called Risala (means "message" in Arabic). I'm hoping to see if we'll have more opportunities to work with them again because they all seemed like wonderful people.

Anyways... we didn't end up making it back until Iftar (the time/meal for breaking fast, which here is at about 6:15 pm). We were invited to some of Lizz's friends for Iftar and I got to meet some more amazingly interesting characters that I really hope to see again. I also picked up some more info about working as a teacher in Cairo, and have full trust now that getting a job will not be a problem... Now I'm just going to have to see how I can balance work with all of the other things I'm interested in doing, and seeing what I will end up prioritizing.

Anyways, all is well. I would love to write more, but it's now midnight and I still haven't gotten a full nights sleep (and still have some work in the apt that I'd like to do.

One note of comfort about the apt. Lizz and I sleep in the living room together under our fan with the door to our veranda open and a nice breeze coming through. It's nice to have good company for sleeping:-)

love!