Halloween in Egypt

I did not really expect to participate in Halloween events in Egypt.  I am not sure why, I just figured it was more of a Western thing to do.  Overall, I have not seen much observance of Halloween, but, the International Schools and Compound Communities do partake in such Halloween rituals as dressing up and trick or treating.

The school had some substantial decorating and Halloween related events, none of which I was super excited to participate in.  I enjoy the kids in costumes and the trick or treating side of Halloween, but everything else I could do without.  I will always remember the first time we took Princess trick or treating last year.  She stayed out for over 2 hours in the crisp Manitoba fall weather.  She loved knocking on the doors and collecting the candy.  I chose her costume, she was Snow White...and a very chubby Snow White at that, since she had her winter coat on.

Now, one year later, she chose her costume herself, and mommy had to put it together for her.  She wanted to be Pinkalicious.  A teacher friend of ours here introduced us to the world of the Pinkalicious book series.  Pinkalicious is a little girl who loves pink...AKA our Princess.  This little girl ate too many pink cupcakes and as a result turned completely PINK!  So, of course she had to be Pinkalicious.  Right down to the pink skin. 

Princess at the school waiting for her body paint.  Posing with the ghost.

Some of the decorations at the school...can you seen Pinkalicious?

One more pose before the painting begins!

This is the school from the back garden...it is October 31st and glorious out!  My classroom is on the top floor, the third and fourth window from the left...Hubby's is the first and second window from the right.

The school was chaos overall and in the end I was unable to escape the chaos of Halloween.  The students seemed to think that Halloween meant that they did not have to learn and they resented me for trying to teach them.  They even had a quiz to write and even though it was an easy, 10 minute quiz, they did not appreciate having to put effort into the quiz, but they pulled through and did very well.  When I sit in their chair and view the day from their perspective, I would resent me too.  Who gives a quiz on Halloween anyway!

Other than the events at the school we did not do much for Halloween.  The kids went to bed early because they were exhausted and they have been sleeping soundly for several hours now.  Now it is time for mommy to go to bed because tomorrow is another day to shape young minds.

Venturing Outside of Cairo

Princess was looking for Ariel in the Mediterranean Sea. Dimples was curious too.

Again...who can resist a cannon?

Hubby climbing the wall...Princess was up there just behind him without us knowing it.  The wall was only 40 feet high.

In the park by Mubarak Palace.  Princess was particularly interested in the camera this day.

This past weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving with a trip to the Mediterranean Sea.  We woke up bright and early, got the kiddos ready to go and were picked up at 6:45 AM.  The roads were quiet and it was already warm and sunny.  The drive was very quiet into downtown Cairo where we were dropped off at the train station with our 1st class train tickets to Alexandria.  We were excited and full of anticipation as we approached the train, not really knowing what a 1st class cabin in Egypt would look like.

We have traveled by train in Europe many times, often in "coach" and found the accommodations and seats to be very comfortable.  We never really felt the need to go "1st class" there.  But, were we ever glad that we chose 1st class here.  The seats were big and comfortable and although the floors were really dirty, the train car was very spacious and the people were all very helpful.  When the train started to move and venture out of Cairo we got a glimpse of what farm life is like.  It was fascinating watching the people work in the fields as it is still very different than the farming procedures at home.  When was the last time you saw a farmer with a cart being pulled by a donkey to carry the grain?  Many farmers were carrying their own harvest and using a sickle to cut the grain down.  It was like everything I taught the grade 8's a couple years ago when I taught about ancient Egypt and their harvesting techniques...minus the shaduf and the oxen of course.

The train moved swiftly along the tracks and delivered us to Alexandria in just over 2 hours.  A driver was waiting for us at the train station and quickly whisked us away from the other taxi drivers that were aiming for our business (they see white people and instantly think 2 things...tourist and ripping the tourist off).  We were thankful for the driver who immediately took us around Alexandria.

Within minutes it was very clear that Alexandria and Cairo are two completely different places.  Everything in Alexandria had a more Mediterranean feel to it.  The food, the architecture, the feel...it was refreshing to smell the salty sea air and venture into a different part of Egypt.  We visited all the typical places that a tourist would visit in Alexandria, although we never finished our list of things to do there because the kids could only tolerate a certain amount of tourism.

Things we did see:

Quaitbay Fort - a must see for all the visit Alexandria...it looks like a castle on a hill.  We really enjoyed our time at this fort, but our experience was disturbed by the constant requests for our pictures to be taken by complete strangers.  Many girls were fascinated by our family.  It was a very strange situation that could have easily ruined our experience if we weren't such an easy going group of people.

The Waterfront -  You cannot travel anywhere in Alexandria without seeing the waterfront.  It is beautiful and everywhere you look there are fishermen with really, really long fishing poles pulling out the tiniest little fish.  It was quite a sight to see and Princess really got a kick out of watching the fishermen.  She was particularly intrigued by this one man that had caught a fairly large fish with a very, very long, pointy nose.  She could not take her eyes off it.  I am sure that if she could have, she would have grabbed a pole and tried to pull out a fish of her own...but those fishermen were pretty focused on their poles and their fish and there was no way she would get away with it.

The Parks and Gardens -  Having kids it is a must to visit any parks/gardens we can find.  It gives them an opportunity to play and for mom and dad to get many great pictures of them playing.  The park in Alexandria was not nearly as nice as the one we visited in Cairo, but the kids still had fun and it was relaxing for mom and dad.

The Library - Every tourist that visits Alexandria at some point visits the library.  As strange as it sounds, this library is actually very interesting and architecturally beautiful.  The library is in the same location as an ancient library that housed many ancient manuscripts...some of which are still believed to be there today.  There is a bit of a museum in the library and it is nice to walk around...but, it is still a functioning library, right by the university, so kids are not allowed in and you have to be extremely quiet.  Not exactly a tourists dream if they have kids, so our visit was very brief.  We spent more time outside the library than anything.

Our stay was brief and we could have spent way more time touring and visiting places like the Catacombs and tombs, but we simply ran out of time and hope to see them next time we go!

Our trip back was not as splendid as our trip up.  We ended up on the slow train that made multiple stops, so it took almost double the amount of time to get back to Cairo.  Two out of three seats were broken somehow which made the journey more uncomfortable and the worst part was that we traveled over lunch, and since we expected to be back in Cairo by 2, we thought the kids would be okay with snacks on the train and lunch when we got back...but when the train gets back closer to 4, then the driver is late and the traffic is bonkers...well, needless to say, we ran out of snacks and skipped lunch because by the time we got home it was dinner time.  The joys of traveling with children.

The next big adventure is not until November when we go visit the Red Sea...we will be driving through the Sinaii Desert which will be pretty exciting and the Red Sea is supposed to be splendid. 

And the Day Roles On...

The protests on Sunday night was a tragic depiction of what can happen when things go terribly wrong.  What started as a relatively peaceful protest became very messy when the military became involved.  I have no idea why the military took such forceful initiative, I was not there and I am glad that I was not.  An article in the New York Times stated that, 10 of the people that died, died from being run over by armored vehicles and 7 from gun shot wounds. 

It makes you think about revolution and the effectiveness of protests and why people do it.  History has shown repeatedly that it is the poor people and the middle class that fight for what they want, and this is no different here in Egypt. 

As the economy continues to decline here, the disparity between the rich and the poor continues to grow and that creates an unsettled environment for the poor people.  We do not see it much since we live in a wealthy area, but in other parts of Cairo, it is much more evident.  Yesterday, the finance minister resigned.  Who knows what that will do to the economy. 

If you have a couple minutes read the article from the New York Times.  It speaks about the protest a bit, but also of the economy and some of the political background.  Enlightening for sure.

But for us, it is life as usual.  Still have hardly noticed any change in our way of life here.  The days just continue to roll on by.

Here is the link to the article.
www.newyorktimes.com/2011/10/12/world/middleeast/egypts-finance-minister-resigns.html

Protests Downtown

Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian Friends and Family.

This is just a quick note to let you all know that we are safe and in great spirits despite the political uprising and protests that occurred last night in downtown Cairo.  We did not even know that the protests had happened until we arrived at school this morning.  The protest got out of hand and many people did die.  We live very far from downtown Cairo, although much of the touristy type things we did on the weekend are right in that same area where the protests occurred.

Last week a Coptic Christian church/guest house was burned down, allegedly by the Muslims. Yesterday, the Coptic Christians were "peacefully" protesting this arson.  Then the protest got out of hand and entered the rioting stage that you are all probably seeing on television.  We have access to international news stations here, but have yet to see some of the footage from the riot.  There were gas bombs and a lot of shooting and many people died and more were injured.  Cars were on fire and there was a smokey haze over the Nile valley this morning from all things that were burning last night.

There area  lot of theories as to why the protest escalated to the extreme that it did.  Some people think that the old regime in Egypt has planted people in the crowds of the peaceful protests to throw rocks and gas bombs to escalate the conflict to deter people from thinking about all the positive change that is happening in Egypt.  Some people think the conflict is strictly religious and others think it could be a combination of both.  I do not cling to any theories except that I know that I want to stay away from these dangerous scenarios. 

The school has put an action plan into place to ensure that we are safe at all times.  At this point we do not feel that we are in a dangerous place or position.  The school does have an evacuation plan in the event that things get really dangerous here.

We are unsure what will happen in the coming weeks as the election gets closer and since the country is so politically unstable we do not know what to expect.  But please know that right now, we are very safe and secure and that we will keep our eyes open to ensure our safety.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We will keep you posted as to the progress of the unrest as the International news can get out of hand.

The Bible Belt...Not So Much...

Southern Manitoba is often referred to as the Bible Belt...more churches per capita than other parts of the county.  Growing up in that type of an environment, I definitely took church for granted.  Now, we are surrounded by Mosques on almost every street.  It is like a complete 180 degree turn.  We have a church that we are really starting to like, but it is quite far from us and we have to plan our trip to church 24 hours in advance to arrange transportation and other plans.  It is a far cry from the 2 minute drive to our church in Winnipeg.

With all the mosques everywhere and people regularly filing into them for prayer at the appointed times, you really start to think about life for the people that regularly attend the mosques.  Call to prayer echos throughout the city several times a day...students at the school are not allowed to observe the call to prayer, but it is a part of their day too.  It is a very different life for them. 

Of course there are varying levels of observance with the Muslim people as there are with the Christian people.  Some women are completely covered from head to toe in public and others do not even where a hijab.  Most are somewhere in between...and I strive to be modest as much as possible.

Then I get asked about my faith and what it means to me.  I had the most fascinating conversation with an Asian lady that is married to a Muslim man who has converted to Islam after growing up as a Christian.  Most interesting I can assure you.  She believes that the God of Islam and the God of Christianity are the same and that no matter what faith you follow we all end up in the same place.  I wanted to ask her what the purpose of converting was then, but did not want to step on any toes.  I realize that even in the Christian scriptures it states that, `2 nations will come from Abraham`.  One from Ismail, and the other from Isaac, but that does not mean that they are the same!  It was an interesting conversation, one that I hope to follow up in the future.  But, she was very determined to make sure that I understood that the Islamic Koran follows very closely to the Bible.  I have not spent much time with the Koran so I could neither agree nor disagree.  It shows that I need to brush up on  my Koran so that I can keep up with these people that know so much about both books!

Today we stepped into a mosque for the very first time.  We decided to be tourists.  We have been wanting to explore this ancient city that we live in, but with the rigors of teaching everyday we do not get out very frequently.  Today is a national holiday  here in Egypt, the 6th of October.  There were people everywhere waving flags proudly displaying their affection for this revolutionized country.  We drove through Tahrir Square where the protests take place weekly and were in awe of the space that surrounded us.  It was dark so it was hard to see the breadth of the whole square, but I remember watching the news and seeing the protests on television and it was a far cry from what I had seen on tv.  These people were happy and celebrating.  We will see what happens as the elections grow closer over the next month or so.

But, the beginning of our day was far more interesting.  We called the company we like to arrange a day for the family.  We booked the driver for the day and got our favorite driver, Crazy Adam.  He is not crazy at all, rather the most proficient driver we have had since we arrived.  The benefit of having crazy Adam with us is that he loves the kids.  He entertains them, he brings them candies and likes to push Dimples in his stroller.  He took first took us to a very touristy area called Hussein Mosque.  Naturally there was a mosque in the center with a bazaar around the mosque.  Hussein was the son of Mohamed and he was buried in the center of the mosque.  So, we ventured inside.  Women enter a different door than men.  I always wondered what went on in a mosque and part of me wanted to join along because most of the women were sleeping!  Hubby had a similar report from the men's side of the mosque.  When I entered the mosque they gave me a burka to put on.  I was not sure how I felt about wearing some random burka, but I wanted to continue into the mosque so I obliged them, put the burka on and removed my footwear.  I walked through the main prayer area, an empty room with carpet on the floor and entered into the burial chamber of Hussein.  I do not know what I expected to feel, but I felt nothing.  Since I do not follow Islam, being in the revered burial chamber of the son of Mohamed had no significance to me.  Architecturally it was nice, but we did not stay long, the burka was making me uncomfortable.


As I returned the burka and reclaimed my shoes I was hassled for money to go towards the mosque, I did not have any and they seemed reluctant to give me my shoes back.  But they eventually realized I was telling the truth and let me go, shoes on my feet.  I met up with Hubby and we ventured around the bazaar.  Having been in different countries before, I am used to the hassle that tourists get and how they try and rip them off.  Egypt is no different in that department.  One man tried to sell us something we would never need for 150 LE, which is about $16 CDN.  Hubby insisted that we did not need the item, but the man persisted...in a matter of minutes he bartered down to 20 LE which is about $2.50 CDN...perhaps if we really were tourists, or if we did not live in Egypt, we may have taken him up on his generous bartering, but we still passed.  We complimented him for his persistence and he carried on try and scam some other tourist. 

There were people everywhere trying to sell things and we would make up some random excuse which for us was a rather comical way to deal with the insistent badgering we got as we walked up and down the cramped walkways.  The best was when they tried to sell us some trinket.  When we told them that we lived in Egypt they quickly walked away, tail between their legs knowing that we would never want the cheap little camel or pyramid they were trying to sell.  The weirdest thing we saw was that almost every shop sold scales of some kind and they were all on display.  We are not sure why they all sold scales, but there must be some reason.  I cannot imagine there being a huge market for scales that would weigh and price out produce.

We ended our day at a beautiful park.  It would easily rival any of the best parks in Canada and the USA.  The playground is one of the biggest I have ever seen and the kids had a blast running around.  It was fun to do something that was just for them.  The funniest thing at the park was that the kids were fascinated by Dimples. They all wanted to take him down the slide.  He would ride down the slide with one kid, then the next kid would take him down and the next and the next.  He had a blast and the kids were all sad when we moved on from the playground. 

We saw a different side of Cairo today as we had never ventured in that direction before.  There is still so much to see.  We drove past Old Cairo which really does not look like much now, but there was a magnificent fortress surrounding a mosque and castle that we are going to visit next time we head out.  Should be an interesting trip, and I will be sure to bring my own hijab or burka next time around.

The kids do not sit in carseats here.  Probably the most difficult thing to get used to, especially since the seat belts do not fit them properly.

Some of the scales that were for sale.  These ones are more old school than others that were being sold.

This is the guy that went for 150 LE to 20 LE in minutes.  Note that princess is learning how to get rid of pesky sales people.

Princess and Dimples in front of the Hussein Mosque.

Me and my burka.  I do not think I look that bad, but Hubby had a good chuckle about this.

Dimples, Crazy Adam and the line up of kids waiting to him down the slide.

Hubby and I with Cairo in the background.  Our classic picture.