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!

the zoe mash

This is a quick post:

I successfully made a meal that Abu Ali liked (alhamdulillah). Quite basic actually, rice, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and spices all mixed together into what i've now named the 'Zoe-Mash'... it's my specialty. The first three times a tried to cook it i failed in some aspect or another (the potatoes not being cooked enough, burning the bottom of the rice, and then the rice not being cooked enough) but I have now learned the tricks of how much water to add, what heat to put it at, and how much time to give the potatoes. Big step for Zoe into the cooking world that she barely new before. Now i'm just gonna have to work on adding meats to the agenda and then different types of veggies and pasta types. it's an exciting adventure.

here's a reminder of what wadi rum looks like (this picture is actually from a year ago)

Pardon the delay:

The past week has been a but hectic with having confusion over out of classroom assignments mixed with a overnight trip down to the south of Jordan (the Desert of Wadi Rum--- where, if you have read previously, spent a month living with two families last year). The trip in itself was extremely packed... not of events necessarily but of a lot of things. i'm still trying to figure out a way to pack it all in, but i'm not even sure it's packed into my head. So i'm going to save discussion of that trip for personal conversation, which is deserves.

As for life here in Amman right now. Classes have been going pretty well. Actually, the most rewarding aspect of the program has now become the tutors, and one particular tutor that all of the students love. Truthfully, all of the tutors are great and have their own quarks to offer. I am in need to find another outlet for speaking, but that's up to me... so we'll see what I do. I think with all the confusion settling over these "out of class excursions" I may find a way to get out on my own time.

The weather here is getting hotter. But there always seems to be some type of breeze (shout out to whatever force makes it...).

Food. I've been pretty bad, basically just snacking on things (not snack food though... no worries) mostly yogurt, cereal, cucumbers, fruits (apricots, apples), and canned tuna (spicy! that is). Today was the first day that I semi-cooked. i fried some potatoes and onions and made some pasta, and made a little cucumber salad. It was after a brief but fulfilling (and needed) yoga/stretch/jump around session. I'm finding that i'm using the hills as my exercise these days and then doing push-ups, yoga, basic room fitness on the regular. despite not running I feel quite healthy, so i'm happy.


Things that might be more interesting:

going down to Wadi Rum this weekend was a nice reminder of how much i have to learn. The bedouin accent that my family speaks in is extremely heavy, and I had forgotten how hard it had been for me to speak with them (even after living with them previously). Respectively, I had forgotten how frustrating it is to feel like a mute/deaf/dumb. I mean, I can understand and communicate for the most part. Having Ahmad (my connection to the family... he was my 'helper' when i was doing my research) around is always helpful because he understands my arabic accent and can translate into it... ie. he knows what i understand and what will be too hard for me. Take for instance though, the moment when i was sitting alone with his sister and she brought up the ever recurring topic of Islam, and why i should convert (whole different story)... this topic is so important to her, and i can see how excited she gets when she speaks to me about it. I guess the moment i'm trying to focus on is the moment when you can tell she's come just upon a really good point and she asks a question to see if i understand, and i can only say that I didn't catch it. and ever when she repeats it, I only catch a general idea... perhaps mostly now because i'm thinking about how bad i feel for not being able to understand, and how frustrating that is, that I actually end up not listening to her at all... so that even if i could get what she was saying, i'm now not even listening... and then to see the look on her face when i say again that i didn't get it... or when i nod as if i did, but she knows i didn't fully understand. that disappointment is heavy. and then what do you do? sit in silence. watch the two toddler boys play with the toys that i just got them... see their mom get frustrated with them as they start to fight over the toys. I know that their mother asked if the toys were from america probably to double check and make sure they weren't Haram (forbidden in Islam). Luckily i had gotten them in Jordan (which doesn't go for the bracelets that I got them).

Anyways, as you can see, i'm getting into the topic that i said i would stay away from. I could go on for a long time about this, but I really wouldn't do justice to either my own feelings, or theirs.... so i'll stop.


something else:

I'm feeling as if i'm beginning to find my fingers in part of arabic. I'm particularly enjoying poetry. The greatest thing about arabic poetry is that it's unending and has such a great history. Memorizing poetry is like the base of all arabic. People refer to certain poets as the source for studies of what is "proper arabic" (modern standard arabic i'm referring to) I'm enjoying memorizing some lines myself.

really, what's so great about poetry, is talking about it with people. From my tutors at ACOR, to one of the workers here at the hotel (egyptian), to one of Ahmad's friends down in Wadi Rum (bedouin), knowing poetry and also having written a poem in Arabic (which i can luckily recite off hand) has allowed me to have the most rewarding, engaging, and quite literally linguistically/musically beautiful conversations i feel like i've ever had. My recent 'revelation' was that i could spend the rest of my life just memorizing poetry and discussing it with people (and perhaps writing myself). of course, it's not just the poetry, it's really the interaction that comes with it that i'm interested in.

Truthfully, my favorite moment from the trip down to Wadi Rum this past weekend was when I got Ahmad's friend to go into multiple renditions of his favorite songs, poems, and lines of Samir (type of song.... see my research stuff below). At first we had been separated by the fact that I was not understanding his quick/heavy accent. Then I started reciting lines that I knew, and also recited a few lines from a poem that my tutor had just taught me. Instantaneously he was asking me... do you know this one?! and this Poet?! and this poem?! it goes like this.... And even though he would still stick to his thick gutteral accent, reciting poetry would force him to be speaking slower and more methodically to follow the melody, and it would depend mostly on FusHa (standard arabic) that I understand... although the bedouin dialect is also nearly completely FusHa, and most of the poetry he recited would use the Bedouin uses of FusHa words, having a general background in the dialect would give me access to the FusHa they were using. Poetry in itself is nearly impossible for me to understand off hand, unless it was extremely simple. The reason is mostly just the rhythm.

anyways, as we were bumping along in the desert trying to make our way out to the camp fire where Ahmad's uncles were having tea and entertaining some guests from Saudi, i couldn't help but grin so wide as the words ran over me.


One last thing about the desert... tea made over camp fire is simply unbeatable. as is the view of the stars, and the milky way....


ok that's it.