The Revolution Anniversary came and went without much disturbance to life in Egypt. If you watched the news, Tahrir Square was packed with people again, but, it was very peaceful there. Supposedly there were more people there this time then there were at this time last year. We had heard rumors and speculation that there would be widespread demonstrations and to stay home and away from large groups of people, but, in the end, not much happened and the few injuries that did occur in Tahrir on Wednesday was due to mass amounts of people squished into an area not large enough to contain that many people.
We had the 25th off in order to celebrate the Revolution. In reality, we stayed home trying to recover from some very, very persistent colds. Princess and Dimples have both had high temperatures this week, and it was a good day to rest. Although, with little ones like we have rest is really a metaphor for stay at home and play.
The nursery school always does a great job preparing for events, and naturally, with the Revolution Anniversary this week, the nursery celebrated Egypt. They made big hats that had the flag on them and made other flag type crafts. The kids were all dressed up in red, black and white. A couple months back the nursery had the kids make Egyptian Hieroglyph shirts, so it made sense for Princess to wear that to school with the rest of her outfit. At the end of the day, she looked about ready to head to Tahrir for the celebrations. Not that we would, but, she would certainly have fit in with the crowd.
When I saw Princess with her Egypt hieroglyphics shirt and flag hat it suddenly hit me that she is having a pretty amazing cultural experience. She will grow (hopefully) to be a women that is very culturally diverse because of these experiences she is having at such a young age! Not to mention, she is starting to pick up on some Arabic, which is only natural because she is so young and language develops best at this age...
And, to prove it, you just have to listen to Dimples talk. I have no idea what he is saying when he is rambling on. If we were in Winnipeg, it would be just baby talk, but here, when I watch his mouth and tongue move, I know he is speaking Arabic. Arabic has many different sounds than English and forces your mouth, lips and tongue to move differently. It is amazing to watch his ramble on about his thoughts. I just wish we could understand him more! There truly has been a benefit with him spending 8 hours a day with an Arabic couple. Yesterday, someone said something to Dimples in Arabic and he responded. He is going to be one lucky guy, probably translating for mom and dad by the time he is 3.
Other than that, the transition at school continues to roll along. Exams are approaching and just like at home, the students are feeling the pressure. They know that they will be challenging, but just like students everywhere, they are trying to find the easy way to write the exams. Outside of the Egyptian ministry exams that the students have to write every year, the grade 7's are encountering Canadian curricula exams for the first time. Should be an interesting experience for all involved.
We had the 25th off in order to celebrate the Revolution. In reality, we stayed home trying to recover from some very, very persistent colds. Princess and Dimples have both had high temperatures this week, and it was a good day to rest. Although, with little ones like we have rest is really a metaphor for stay at home and play.
The nursery school always does a great job preparing for events, and naturally, with the Revolution Anniversary this week, the nursery celebrated Egypt. They made big hats that had the flag on them and made other flag type crafts. The kids were all dressed up in red, black and white. A couple months back the nursery had the kids make Egyptian Hieroglyph shirts, so it made sense for Princess to wear that to school with the rest of her outfit. At the end of the day, she looked about ready to head to Tahrir for the celebrations. Not that we would, but, she would certainly have fit in with the crowd.
When I saw Princess with her Egypt hieroglyphics shirt and flag hat it suddenly hit me that she is having a pretty amazing cultural experience. She will grow (hopefully) to be a women that is very culturally diverse because of these experiences she is having at such a young age! Not to mention, she is starting to pick up on some Arabic, which is only natural because she is so young and language develops best at this age...
And, to prove it, you just have to listen to Dimples talk. I have no idea what he is saying when he is rambling on. If we were in Winnipeg, it would be just baby talk, but here, when I watch his mouth and tongue move, I know he is speaking Arabic. Arabic has many different sounds than English and forces your mouth, lips and tongue to move differently. It is amazing to watch his ramble on about his thoughts. I just wish we could understand him more! There truly has been a benefit with him spending 8 hours a day with an Arabic couple. Yesterday, someone said something to Dimples in Arabic and he responded. He is going to be one lucky guy, probably translating for mom and dad by the time he is 3.
Other than that, the transition at school continues to roll along. Exams are approaching and just like at home, the students are feeling the pressure. They know that they will be challenging, but just like students everywhere, they are trying to find the easy way to write the exams. Outside of the Egyptian ministry exams that the students have to write every year, the grade 7's are encountering Canadian curricula exams for the first time. Should be an interesting experience for all involved.
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