Eid al-Adha....our trip to Siwa oasis

We try to take advantage of any holiday we have here in Egypt to travel. During the Eid al-Adha, we decided to travel to Siwa which is an oasis about a three hour drive south into the desert from the Mediterranean coast. This holiday is when Muslims worldwide commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ismail. Today, Muslims sacrifice animals, mainly sheep here in Egypt. One third of the animal is given to the poor, one third is given to relatives, and one third is eaten by the family. As we traveled north to the coast and then west to the coastal city of Marsa Matrouh, we saw many people getting ready for the feast. There were families packed into the back of pickup trucks along with sheep. We also noticed the cultural differences as well compared to Cairo. Most all the men we saw were wearing galibeas, long robes with long sleaves. Most of the women we saw were completely covered, including the eyes. We stopped for one night in Marsa Matrouh which took around eight hours to get to........a little longer than it should take because we visited the World War II battle site of El Alamein along the way. We arrived on our American Thanksgiving day and swam in the Mediterranean, a little cool but very clear and blue.

The next day we filled our gas tanks and drove to Siwa. It is complete desert along the way with not one gas station. Closer to the coast there are low, scrub type vegetation and occassionally we would see small groups of camels grazing. The further into the desert we drove, the less vegetation we saw until it became complete sand from horizon to horizon. Getting closer to Siwa, we began to descend in elevation. Siwa is an oasis which is a low spot in the desert. Apparently, the springs that surface contain water that comes as far away as equatorial Africa. Siwa was once an important stop on different caravan routes. The original fort, in ruins now, still exists and was open for us to explore. No outsiders were ever allowed inside of it when it was inhabited long ago. From atop the fort, we looked out over thousands and thousands of date palm trees which provide shade throughout the oasis. Below in town, there are many vendors who sell woven rugs, woven and stiched scarves, baskets, and beautiful jewelry. Men and kids are in the streets. The only women we saw were being carted around in the back of donkey carts or the back of pickup trucks. The women we saw were completely covered in a blue colored outfit.

The next day we set out in two 4 x 4s into the desert to explore and camp for the night. We were at the edge of the Great Sand Sea which has huge sand dunes for hundreds of miles. We stopped in one place and found sea shells everywhere.......a reminder of when the area was once part of a massive ocean. We continued on cruising over dunes. Some of the descents felt like we would flip end over end, but the tires actually dig in as we gear down the dunes. The wind has created perfect edges along the ridges of the dunes. The dunes are constantly changing with the wind over time. We arrived in the early evening to a camp where other travelers were staying as well. We were served a dinner in a bedouin tent sitting on rugs covering the sand. Later we were entertained by musicians from Siwa who played drums and wind intruments. We slept on rugs in another bedouin tent for the night.....sounds cool but very uncomfortable. In the morning we made our way back to Siwa and later began our trek back home to Cairo.

This trip definitely opened our eyes to a very different part of Egypt. In Siwa, it felt like the outside world has not yet completely changed a culture that has been around for many centuries.

One Day in Our Lives in Egypt

Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the day to day activities whether at home in Vermont or here in Cairo. We get used to the routine, the daily sights, the weather, etc. To a visitor though, this day to day routine at first glance might appear strange, definitely foreign, and maybe somewhat unnerving. I thought I would try to portray a glimpse into a typical day here in Cairo........

Waking up at 5:50 am, normal getting ready for school things, sometimes stressing out on the kids to move faster, typical rush to get going. The temeratures have cooled somewhat, to the 70's at night, so we often sleep with the windows open. Wake up time can be earlier with windows open because we hear the call to prayer from the mosque around the corner. The Iman's voice is somewhat melodic and soothing, unlike many of the other mosques in the area. Morning call to prayer is based on the sunrise so we can't depend on it for a consistent wake up time. We are out the door at 7:00 to catch our bus to school. It is a two minute walk. As we walk, there is a lot of activity going on.............boabs (men who are like doormen for buildings - perform many different tasks for the residents) washing cars with rags and buckets of water. Dust quickly collects each day covering everything. While walking, we also need to watch our step because the cars, vans, and small busses move quickly. Pedestrians do not have the right away and it is common to get bumped by a vehicle. We also pass by several policemen and military men. Egypt has a HUGE police force and military. Maadi, the area of Cairo we live in, is heavily protected. Our street alone has military posted almost every thirty yards. Maadi has many people from foreign countries living here. Our street has international businesses on it as well as the Embassy of the Phillipines. The military and police at first gave a sense of security when we first moved here, but now after seeing the "lack" of action (as well as sleeping with rifles in their hands), I'm not so sure.

The bus ride to school, a small 20 seat Mercedes bus, takes around 40 minutes with traffic. We travel east of where we live into the desert. It is not so easy to recognize the area as desert though because there is so much construction. Many buildings along the way are half built. Labor is extremely cheap, and it is a common daily site to see pick up trucks loaded with men being shuttled to work sites. Our ride to school is quite the adventure. Lines on the highway (the infamous Ring Road) are just suggestions and blinkers are just novelties. Cars, busses of all sizes, way overloaded trucks, tractors or other heavy machinery, motorcycles (no helmets of course), and often donkeys pulling carts all weave their way along. Pedestrians are everywhere. You will see people running across the highway, sitting on the concrete dividers, and also in clusters waiting to get picked up - but in their clusters they sometimes are actually standing in a lane. Stopping in any lane is common as well. I have seen people stopped in the slow lane cleaning out their cars or even relieving themselves (men only of course). Changing tires is also very common. Sometimes instead of cones or warning triangles, people will put big rocks on the road while they change their tires. Egyptians are very helpful people. One time I saw a group of men who stopped to help another man change his tire by lifting up the back end of the car because he did not have a jack! Unfortunately, the downside to this daily "chaos" is that there are many accidents. We have witnessed some horrific crashes as well as pedestrians being hit. The attitude of "it is in God's hands" may contribute to what would appear to be recklessness in our western eyes.

Along the way, we also see much trash. Egypt does not have their "garbage" under contol. Trash is everywhere, whether it is dumped along the side of the road in piles, thrown out car windows, or just blowing in the wind. 365 "Green Up" days would only make a small dent in dealing with this issue.

At school, we have a beautiful campus. The playing field is very green (watered everyday), flowers and shrubs are groomed, the buildings are new and well maintained. Just like home, it is a very professional environment. Most all of the teachers and administrators are either from Canada or the United States. About 80% of the students are from very wealthy Egyptian families. English is the language at school, although Arabic is widely used by students outside of class.

The bus home leaves at 4:20 and for those that stay late, their is a 5:30 bus. The drive home is very similar to the drive to school although sometimes the traffic is heavier. When home, the kids are very active so we are usally back out the door with soccer practice or another activity. The difference from home though is we walk everywhere.

Inside our apartment, we have the habits that we bring from home. Outside, we witness a very different culture. Each day we see extreme poverty to extreme wealth. Their is beauty and there is the sadness whether in tragedy or in the struggles to survive.

Back to school at last!

It is hard to believe that the beginning of our school year has just begun! I think students and teachers alike are glad to be back. The Egyptian government is still very concerned about the H1N1 virus and it can be seen through some of the changes at our school. We now have a quarantine room set up for students who are show any flu symptoms. There is talk also about taking the temperature of all students and staff as they arrive to school each day. We are also not allowed to use air conditioning in the school which already has been difficult for many as our days are still in the 90's and high 80's. There is also a new policy for shutting down the school. If two students in different classes contract the virus (we are a K-12 school with about 1700 students) the school will be shut down for two weeks. Lastly, the school may be shut down between the Eid break in November (Muslim holiday) and our Christmas break to prevent all those who may be traveling (especially those taking the hajj- pilgrimage to Mecca) from bringing the virus into school. Hopefully we will be ready to provide "e-learning" for the students during these times so that no more school will be missed. Our school day and year is already longer now just to make up the time we have already missed.

Wow...........this probably sounds like strange policies to those living in developed countries. Even I have a hard time fully understanding this fear. I think the real concern in countries like Egypt, who have a large portion of the population living in poverty, is access to adequate health care. Many people do not have the money for the things we take for granted such as aspirin to help fight fever. In addition, those in poverty who may contract the virus may never even attempt to seek help knowing that it is beyond their means. There is also a shortage of doctors in Egypt, which in the case of a severe outbreak would put the country in a very unstable situation. With these things in mind, I can somewhat understand the need for these drastic, precautionary measures. This is yet another stark reminder of the differences between living in the United States and living in an underdeveloped country.

We are still trying to make the most of our time, even with the changes. We most recently visited Hurghada, a small city about a five hour drive south along the Red Sea. Creede, Asa, and I went scuba diving seeing some incredible life beneath the water. The clarity of the water is amazing as well as the brilliant colors of the fish and coral. It is hard to believe there are such contrasts in nature.......the vibrant colors in the sea and above water seeing the drab, desert landscape for hundreds of miles around.

Milos - Athens - back to Cairo

Back to Cairo! Again, another surprise of "delayed opening". School will now begin, inshallah, October 3. But again, the fear of the spread of swine flu may continue the delay of the school year. Making the most of it though...........we finished our trip to Greece by staying at the island of Milos and then two nights in Athens. Milos, a volcanic island, had many beautiful colors streaming through the cliffs, coastlines, and rocks. We had a private beach which we hiked to. Spent time with Creede and Asa digging through the brilliant colored, polished rocks on the beach. Athens was an adjustment back to urban environment. The archaelogical sites consumed most of our time. The structures, as what we thought of the pyramids in Egypt, just seem impossible for the time period. Huge columns, stone carvings depicting Gods and life, ampitheatres with spectacular views. Many Greek and Roman columns we have seen in Mosques in Egypt.....stolen or salvaged from earlier ruins.

Cairo.......our heads spinning with the change of languages and culture. Ramadan ends most likely this Sunday.....we will see as it will be announced from Saudi Arabia.

Trip to Greece....spur of the moment (9/1/09-9/15/09)

With our unfortunate setback of school not starting until the end of Ramadan, we booked a flight to Greece. We are spending two weeks touring the islands of Naxos, Sifnos and Milos in the Aegean Sea. The end of the trip will be spent in and around Athens exploring the many archaelogical sites.

After taking a highspeed ferry for 3 1/2 hours, we arrived in Naxos. One of our first sights we were greeted with as we entered the port was "Apollo's gate", a tall rock structure that was at one time the entrance to a temple honoring the god Apollo. There are many people who meet the ferries with signs advertising their hotels, pensions, guest houses, etc. We found someone who took us to his family's guest house and enjoying it so much we stayed four nights. The water is very clear for great depths. Snorkling was good, but more so for the clarity of the water. One of our days there, we hiked part of the tallest mountain in the Greek islands, Mt. Zeus. This is the location of Zeus' cave, the place in Greek mythology where it is believed Zeus was born. We took our flashlights in to explore and found a deep cavern. The open space made it so the light from our flashlights did not go very far. After this quick adventure, Cindy, Creede and a friend we were traveling with continued the hike up and over Mt. Zeus following a path to another trailhead. We met them there with our rented scooters to continue our tour of the island. It is amazing how rocky the islands are. Terraces can be seen all over the hillsides and it is easy to imagine how people have tried to make a similar living in this landscape for centuries. Goats, olive trees, and grapes are all very common here.

We are currently in Sifnos which took close to three hours to get here by ferry. We took a bus to the south side of the island and are staying at a beach in a sheltered cove. The towns here are beautiful with white houses built on the hillsides. The roads are very narrow and twist through the mountains. Again we are greeted with a very rocky landscape. We are also finding that each island has its own unique products. We have found cheese, wine, liquores, and some food dishes specific to each island. Greek orthodox churches are also a common sight on each island. Most that we have seen are rather small but very similar in design, white with a dome and the bigger churches with a colored dome.

We are off to the island of Milos in a few days.......

Our Return to Cairo

We have just returned to Cairo after spending most of our summer back in Vermont with friends as well as visiting family. This year our return happened to also be at the start of Ramadan, one of the holiest times in Islam. The start and end of Ramadan is marked by the lunar calendar. This is a time of fasting for Muslims from sunrise to sunset. With the fasting, the days are much quieter and stores/businesses have limited hours. The nights come alive though with the breaking of the fast called Iftar. There is a very festive atmosphere in the evenings with people visiting family, lighted Ramadan lanterns hanging from homes, balconies, and even trees, and stores and businesses opening again until late hours. Ramadan is culurally interesting and is a time that we show our respect by not eating or drinking in public during the time of fasting.

We were also greeted with an interesting surprise when we returned this year to our school (American International School of Egypt). During our first day of inservice, the administration informed us that the Ministry of Education was not allowing international schools to open until the end of Ramadan. Apparently the fear of the potential spread of swine flu from all of the international travelers prompted this decision. We will not be starting school again until September 27th. Four weeks is a long time to be hanging out in Cairo without work. On the bright side, we are going to take advantage of this break and begin traveling again. Today we booked tickets to Greece and will spend most of this time traveling through some of the Greek islands. More on this later................