Egypt-Alexandria

We ended our adventures back in Alexandria, but getting there was a bit of an adventure itself.

We left in fog. Fog like we have here in Liwa. Though it was a little better on the actual roads. Apparently not great though. We saw nine accidents along the way. I was sleeping for a while, but when I woke up and saw the accidents, there was no going back to sleep. As I write this, I cannot help but think of those killed in an accident on that same road. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those victims.

Thank God, we arrived in Alexandria safe and sound. The fog cleared and we were able to tour the city. The tour places in Alexandria were much shorter stops than the ones in Cairo so it still took all day, but we saw a little bit more.

One of our stops was the ruins of the Roman Theater. It was really interesting to see these ruins that are right in the center of the city. They city has grown up around them. The catacombs were the same way. These were our first stops. The catacombs, is a burial area that has a mix of Greek/Roman and Egyptian influences. You walk down 90 steps and find the burial chamber of a king and queen. The interesting thing about the catacombs discovery was it was done by a donkey. Yes, you read correctly, a donkey. He fell into the catacombs, therefore discovering the area below. It is dark and wet down in the catacombs. The elements have washed away any evidence of human burial having occurring in the tombs. It was interesting to view, but when you are down there you are on wooden boards. I was happy to get up and back onto solid ground.

We were able to drive up to the Citadel. The building was interesting, but I was more excited to be close to the sea. There was an area of vendors, so we walked and explored what wares they were selling. It was very similar to the bazars in Cairo, but the background was more scenic. I was not able to climb down and put my feet in the Mediterranean, so I will have to do that from another shore on another visit.

Another one of our stops was the Alexandria Library. It is the largest library in the world. The design is the most unique that I have every seen. It has a stone semicircle that is decorated with language characters from over 120 languages. The architecture alone is interesting, but then you enter it and its has various areas of art and, of course, books. I was not able to go into the actual area with the books, but I still enjoyed the various exhibitions set up throughout the building.

After the library, we headed for Montazah Gardens, unfortunately it was dark by then so we were unable to see that much. We were able to drive up to the palace and take pictures though. It was a gorgeous structure architecturally. At this point I was fairly tired, so I would love to say that I have more exciting things to share, but I was ready for bed and wanting to get to the hotel.

Our hotel was conveniently located around a shopping area. As if we hadn't spent enough money in Cairo already. Our last day in Egypt was a free day. After sleeping in and having a relaxing breakfast, we set off to explore a little. I found a suitcase to put my souvenirs in a "dress" to wear to more formal occasions. Others explored and shopped longer, but I choose to take the afternoon to relax before we went out for Christmas dinner. I chose to wear my new outfit to Christmas dinner. Our hotel was having a dinner, but on their explorations earlier they found a place with a better menu for a better price. It was a lot of food and really delicious too! The first course was Cream of Mushroom Soup, Second was Chicken Pot Pie--it was in a pastry and that is not what it was called, but that is what it reminded us of, Turkey, rice, and potatoes, and then desert. I was stuffed. By the third course I was not able to eat a lot. If we weren't leaving the next day I would have taken it to go, but unfortunately I had enough to drag to the airport already. It was not the same as being home, but it was really nice to be with good friends and have a nice meal on Christmas. Though it may not have felt that way.

The next morning we headed back to the tiny airport. Navigated our way through the hoards of people and after some fog delays, managed to get on our flight home.

The experience was one that I will never forget. I do have to give a shout out to Mrs. Reagen Dinelli here because she helped prepare me for the trip in a lot of ways. I was never without money for the bathroom thanks to her advice. ; )

I am not sure if I will get the chance to go back, but if the opportunity arises, there is plenty more to see.

Egypt- Cairo

Oh Cairo, how do I explain your charm, your traffic, your excitement?

On cue, I woke as we entered the city of Cairo. Whether it was the anticipation of being close, or the blaring horns from the the cars, I can't be sure. I thought I had been in some crazy traffic situations before, I was wrong. As you drive through Cairo you are not sure how many lanes of traffic there are. Sometimes it is three, sometimes four or five. It all depends on what time it is, how many vehicles are on the road, and how big those vehicles are. It was crazy. Definitely not somewhere I would ever drive. Crossing the street as a pedestrian is not much better. There are little to no crosswalks. You just start walking and hope that they stop because there are not stoplights to help you cross. We figured out that if you follow children then you are safe. They at least slow down for the children.

Another thing that I noted about the traffic was the type of cars on the road. I think that Cairo is where all cars go to die. I saw types of cars that I did not think even ran in this decade. Yet, there they were in Cairo, beat up and putting their way down the road.

Cairo has a lot of similarities to New York. Both have areas you don't want to be caught in at night, they are dirty, as cities tend to be, crowded, and definite areas of upper class and lower class living. These were all my first impressions of Cairo, but once I had been there for a few hours and adjusted to the hectic weaving of traffic, I start to see the unique charm of the city.

There are few places in the world that you are able to wake up in an apartment and look out at the pyramids. They stand tall and majestically in the middle of this bustling metropolis. Though the people are many, they are diverse. Though many are out to get your money, overall they are very friendly and happy to welcome visitors to their country.

Our first night in Cairo we went to the Giza platform to see the Light and Sound show. To be honest, it was dated and a little cheesy, but it was my first glimpse of the pyramids and sphinx so I didn't care much. Nestled under a blanket because it was quite cold at night, I listened to the history of the pyramids and sphinx as different colored lights lit the ancient structures. I left thinking to myself, "Did I really just sit in front of the sphinx?" I don't think it truly sank in until I was there in the daylight the next day. I am jumping ahead though, so let me go back to the beginning of our full day of touring.

Leaving early in the morning, our first stop was the Cairo Museum. Not really a museum person personally, I knew it would be interesting, but not the highlight of my day. I think I may have enjoyed the museum a little more if it was not so crowded. However, on Wednesday it closes early so everyone goes early. I could barely move without running into other tour groups, and they would rush past you, pushing you into a monument to make sure they did not lose their group. Our group was a little more low key. We knew where we were to meet so we wandered somewhat together, but without worries. The museum is packed with more than you take in at one time. Statues, tablets, sarcophaguses, are stuffed in every corner possible. It is a twisted maze between monuments and artifacts of every imaginable shape and size. I think what sticks with me the most is the detail of the artifacts. From the jewelry to the paintings and carvings-- they were done with what we would consider "simple tools". They are some of the most beautiful an artfully crafted pieces done with so much skill.

We left the museum and made a short stop at a papyrus museum. It was more a store, but they did a demonstration of how they make the paper before you were able to shop. I say that it was a short stop, but in reality we ended up shopping for  quite a while. It was the first place that I spent money and I spent quiet a bit. The pieces were so beautifully done it was hard to not want to take one of everything, so I think I did well with the ones that I chose. After spending our money, it was off to the Pyramids and Sphinx.

As I mentioned earlier, this was the highlight of Cairo for me. In my head was a running mantra of "I'm really here, I made it to see the Pyramids!" As with most things, they are bigger in person. Driving up to them they did not seem all that, but once you got under them. Wow! Now, I am not one who believes in the alien theories, but I do have to wonder how in the world they managed to build these magnificent structures. The Sphinx was carved out of stone so I can understand that a little easier. The pyramids . . . the stones are massive! I know that they were a brilliant culture so I am sure they found a way, but looking at it now and knowing what they had, it is hard to fathom. The best part of the pyramids was my camel ride! I had been on a camel sure, for a minute at most, but I wanted to really ride a camel. I thought what better place than the pyramids.

If you follow the road up, you reach an area where you get a panoramic view of the three pyramids. There are vendors and then tons of horses and camels you can ride. I got to ride 007. Yes, that really was his name and it was fitting. He didn't like being at the back of the group and constantly tried to get ahead to be the leader. It didn't work, but I give him credit for trying. Getting up and down was a little scary, but it was so much fun. You are really high up on a camel. We headed off the hill and then came around the corner and could see the pyramids. A chill went all the way up my spine when I realized that this is how they would have travelled then. I got to see views of the pyramids that you only got if you went on a ride. It was amazing to see the pyramids and Cairo stretched out own below them. I felt a sense of peace and harmony with everything at that moment. I know that sounds weird, but I don't know how else to explain fulfilling a dream that you have had, that you never really thought would happen. I can't stop smiling as I sit and write about the experience.

The thrill continued as we heading back down the hill to visit the Sphinx up close and personal. I thought it was amazing seeing her the night before, but seeing her as the sun set with the pyramids in the background was breathtaking. It is sadden that Napoleon had to use her for target practice-- though he did have a small man complex, so I am sure that had something to do with it. The Sphinx is the size of a pyramid. It does seem like it is guarding the pyramids. This theory sinks in even more when you think it was what got shot at and attacked and the pyramids remain unharmed, for the most part. Though I could not deny that I was a tourist, I did at least refuse one tourist habit. I didn't get a picture of me "kissing" the Sphinx. I just stood in front, giving her the respect I feel she deserves. I wish we had more time to take in the scene, but the sun was setting so the guards kicked us out. They don't want any tourist falling off one of the cliff sides, it would be bad publicity.

After so much you would think, what else is left. SHOPPING! The Khan El Khalili Bazers have everything you could want. The first visit that night we only got to see a taste of the stores. From clothes and trinkets to food and spices, they really have everything. Even a husband if you are so inclined. ; ) They were a little overwhelming at first and it was annoying being called at left and right, but once you learned how to work it, things went more smoothly. Plus, it helped that we had a security guard who was packing some heavy duty heat. If anyone got too annoying, he would pull back his jacket and we moved alone with ease. It was nice, I felt protected, and it made the experience easier. Though I think trying to wrangle a bunch of women around a crowded shopping area took its toll on him. A few times you could read the stress on his face, almost as if it said, "I don't get paid enough for this." He loved it though. We had fun for a few hours, but knew we would definitely return tomorrow.

The next day was a free day. We decide to sleep in a little and head out to the bazars again. The tour company was kind enough to get us transportation so that helped a lot. We spent four hours shopping. Yes, I said four. It was crazy. A lot of money was spent. Deals were made. Julie is a fantastic bargainer. With her you are not paying more than you have to. Though I have to say I did a good job bargaining myself. I found presents for myself, and family as well. They will have to wait until summer to get them, but I am happy that I found something. It was really interesting navigating the streets. Sometimes they would get so narrow that you had to walk single file, because even doing that it was one way. No one would be able to come up the other way. Then other areas were wide open and you could walk five across. A lot of the shops sold the same items, so it was easy to pit them against each other to get the best deal. Being blonde and American I got plenty of marriage offers as well. The previous night we heard some of the "best" pick up lines ever. Some were even new to me, it was quite amusing. Overall, a very unique shopping experience, but I would take the bazars over a mall any day. They were alive with culture and life, something you cannot get at a mall.

After shopping we were ready to head home, but we had arranged to eat lunch on the Nile. It was a nice lunch and with a wonderful view. Though I have to admit that the Nile is not that impressive in Cairo. It seems like just another river. I am sure if I took a cruise there might be areas more captivating, but I am still glad to have gotten to see it.

That night some of us went to the Cairo Ballet. We got to see the swanky side of Cairo and enjoy a performance of The Nutcracker. I had never seen it live, at least not that I can remember, so it was a very nice treat for me. It was a really nice way to end our last day in Cairo.

Egypt- The Beginning

Where to start?

I went to Egypt Dec. 21-Dec. 26th. The purpose was to have something to distract me during the holidays, but it was also a trip I have been wanting to take regardless. To get a good deal, we left from Sharjah instead of Abu Dhabi. Our flight was early in the morning and none of us wanted to get up to drive to the airport that morning. In retrospect that probably would have been the more sane thing to do, but not nearly as fun. Before I get any farther I should probably qualify the we. It was a group of eight. Gayle, Julie, Carmela, Samaya, Lucy, her son, Alan, Bayyinah, and myself.

Bayyinah and myself drove together. We slept in and left around 1 o'clock on December 20th. The trip to Sharjah only takes about 3 hours and we were not going to sit in the airport for hours on end so we made a few stops along the way. First, Abu Dhabi for a quick stop at Emirates Palace. As you may have heard, the UAE put up an 11 million dollar Christmas tree at their largest and most expensive hotel. It is decorated in jewels ranging from pearls to emeralds and sapphires. Yes, you could say it  is a display of wealth, but everything was on loan. They just wanted to do something no one else had done before. They are into setting new records, and doing something no one else would think of doing. I am not sure what I was expecting when getting there, but it was just a tree. Sure, it was beautiful and the jewelry unbelievable, but still just a Christmas tree. I'm glad I went because I can say that I saw the multi-million dollar tree, but had we not been wasting time--I'm not sure I would have made the  trip. By the time we left Abu Dhabi it was late afternoon, we had timed it perfectly and missed most of the traffic in and out of Abu Dhabi. Next stop on the trek, Dubai.

The problem with stopping in Dubai . . . I spent too much money. Now, before you say tisk tisk--- they were good buys, and not all for me. I bought Hannah a birthday present and me some much needed items, like my watch. I was hoping to find a light coat for Egypt, but nothing was priced low enough for me. I didn't love any of the ones that I found enough to get them. Dubai is where we managed to kill most of our time. After a bit of shopping and then dinner, we saw the new Narnia movie. By that time it was 1AM and time to head to the airport.

Even in Dubai, there is not that much traffic on a weekday at 1AM. We arrived at the airport a half hour later and dragged our luggage into the departure terminal. We almost had to stay in the lobby area for two hours, but we played the woman card and were aloud the go through to the gate. The rest of our travel group, minus Lucy and her son, had arrived much early that evening and were half asleep at the gate when we arrived. At this point all of us tried to sleep and it worked somewhat. We got pretty silly towards the early hours of the morning and were happy to be able to pass out on the plane. Considering all the running around that I did, I was proud that I managed to only lose my sunglasses. The only bad part was there were no cheap ones to replace them, so I am now the proud owner of Armani Sunglasses. I won't be losing these.

I'm sure at this point you are wondering when I am actually going to talk about Egypt. Now!

We arrived at Alexandria late morning of the 21st. The airport was very small. I was surprised. With all the people in the airport it was extremely hard to move through immigration. If you did not like being around a lot of people I suggest that you fly into a different airport. There is a newer and larger one that you can fly into. I know that is where I am flying into if I ever return.

Considering we did not know where or who to meet at the airport, we found our guide fairly easily. Our stuff was loaded onto the bus and after being joined by a few others, we were off to Cairo. Since it was a three our trip, we decided to have lunch in Alexandria before heading out. We were all tired, but more importantly hungry at that point. Our guide took us to a local restaurant that looked out over the Mediterranean Sea. It was called Athineos and had a decent buffet. After being feed, we all fell asleep on the ride to Cairo.

Adapting to the Culture

When you move to another country inevitably you are going to pick up certain traits and habits from that culture. They can be good or bad, and a lot of it depends on how you look at it. For example, if I were to say that I don't care as much. Someone could see that as a bad thing, but in reality it is that I don't fret the things that I have no control over anymore. I have learned to live life and let things fall as they may and if necessary deal with it then. That I would have to say is probably the leading cause of why I am happier here. Other small changes include thinking about the temperature in terms of centigrade, learning some Arabic, starting to kind of like dresses and skirts, and being able to get away with sandals year-round without strange looks. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that come to mind.

One habit that I recently "examined" and "tested" was their sleeping habits. Mainly due to weather in the spring, fall, and summer many people are forced indoors to escape the grueling heat. However, as you would guess, sitting around the house all day can make a person go mad. Their solution-- sleep. You won't care if you are stuck indoors all day if you sleep through it. Considering the climate it is a perfectly reasonable and logical way to function, but what does that mean when you have to work in the morning. How do you get around sleeping during the day and staying up late at night?

Naps! You see, in the Arab culture they still get their eight hours of sleep a day, it just isn't in one continuos stretch at night. You get up early, go to work, come home and nap for a few hours, wake up and eat dinner, do any work that needs to be done, and it is back to bed. Everything gets done and you get your rest. I admit that at first I was not sure how in the world they could function. My students would tell me about how they nap after school and then end up not going to bed until 1 or 2AM in the morning. When you have to get up to pray at 5AM, that all seemed crazy to me. Now whether it was on purpose or by accident I do not know, but somehow I started adopting this habit as well. I come home and take naps after school, which started out short, but have seemed to lengthen. This has lead to very late nights and early mornings. When I realized that it had been a while since I had gone to bed before midnight, I blamed the naps and initially tried to remedy the situation. It didn't work. Eight hours is eight hours right?

That is the question that I have come to figure out holds the key to why I am still so tired that I had to start writing this blog to keep myself awake and alert. Eight hours broken into pieces, does not help your body the way that eight continuous hours at night can. I am not saying that this culture is wrong for their habits, I just don't think it works for me. Who knows, maybe if I pushed through and keep this up for a while, I would become just as energized and functional as the rest of them. Getting there is the problem, because I love me sleep and would rather not struggle.

In the end, what I have come to realize is that I cannot completely hand yourself over to a new way of life. As much as I would like to, there are certain things that will remain the same about the way I live. I can still become a part of a culture and learn to understand a culture without changing who I am completely. I know that it seems weird that such a deep idea was brought on by something as simple as sleep, but what can I say, inspiration sometimes comes from the most unlikely places.

Fog- Like You Have Never Seen

Today I woke up for school and it was the first day that it seemed it was not foggy. The bus came to get the teachers and students from the building, which meant I needed to leave on time. Since it was pretty clear from what we could see, I was not concerned. However, isn’t there a saying about what you can’t see?

We hit a patch of fog that was really bad. I could barely see the lines on the road to follow them. I pulled over and creeped along to see if it was just a patch. It was. I sped up a bit and then another patch cropped up. It was worse than the first one. I couldn’t believe it! With the help of some other travelers, we were able to get off the road to safety. It was only then that we found out that it was actually fog and smoke. I can still smell the burning debris on me as I sit and write. The farmers here burn things on foggy days that they are not allowed to burn normally. Not smart at all. The fog mixes with the smoke and you cannot see your hand in front of your face. I was very thankful to have found other drivers and gotten to the side of road safely.

As we stood on the side of the road, toes getting cold from the damp morning. The screech of rubber, crumpling of metal, and shattering of glass rang out from within the fog. The fog is so bad we cannot even tell where the accident has occurred. The wind shifts a bit and you can barely make out the outline of a bus and truck on the other side of the road, or what was left of the truck. Within seconds the screech of tires rang out again, as another larger truck slams into the accident. Despite the sturdiness of the truck, the front end is crunched pinning the driver in the cab. I recount this horrible incident to reflect on the grace of God and the strength of human effort. 

Still barely able to see, workers from a range of cultures dashed across the road to the median. They ran down the road hailing to the cars still driving to avoid more victims being added. Even with a lack of visibility they risked their lives to stop it from becoming an even bigger disaster. Of course the police were called, but with the weather, it would be a while until they were able to reach to scene. The men banded together to help get the people out of the car. Pinned in the car and blocked by the truck you could hear the people cry out in pain. I watched as the men lifted and moved the smaller truck in order to get to the people in the larger. Using whatever materials they had on hand, they worked together to pry free the driver. By the grace of God, they only had broken bones, but were alive and breathing. It could have been much worse. It was a terrible thing to watch unfold, but as I saw all of these people from different cultures coming together to help a stranger, I couldn’t help but feel some sense of pride in the humanity and strength shown by the people there. 

Though the accident was on the other side of the road and I was clearly safely tucked off the road, I still looked to sky to thank God. There are many things that could have transpired today that didn’t. I feel gracious to be alive, unhurt, and able to tell this story. Each day in the country I find myself in a new adventure, but that is one adventure that I am not anxious to experience again. Alhumdilallah!

National Day-2010

On December 2nd 1971 the UAE was formed. Each year the country celebrates what they call National Day. This year marked year 39. I thought America was young, and it is, but this country is a baby. The major difference is the richness of the culture here.

The celebration and show of pride puts our Fourth of July to shame. Two weeks before the week of National Day each city starts placing flags and lights around the city. Each light post proudly holds a flag, each tree a set of lights. The week of National Day the lights are lit. They decorate the streets in sparkles of color. They have fireworks all week long and decorate their cars with shades of black, red, and green. Like I said, the amount of pride shown during the week prior and days after are amazing. Even the Arab expats living in this country seem to have a sense of pride for what the UAE has been able to accomplish in so few years.

The schools hold celebrations as well. It is a little unfair to compare this to the American holiday since we are not in school, but I think it is worth mentioning. The celebration honors not only their prosperous future, but the past. They honor the people and traditions that brought them to where they are today. I think that many cultures today forget what it took to get where we are now.

I am going to get off the soapbox and get back to the real purpose of this entry. My days off were uneventful for the most part. I had fun though. Thursday was a BBQ at Julie's. It was nice to catch up with all the people from MZ. I am always happy to have good food and not have to cook as well. Friday Hannah and I hung out. It was one of the easiest babysitting jobs I have had. Saturday was the best part for me. We went up to Al Mirfa and went to the beach!

I still find it hard to believe that I was at the beach in December. More so than just being there was the fact that I actually got in and went swimming. I could really get used to that. The water is extremely salty in the gulf and I think it helped to clear my sinuses as well. A trip to the beach was what I needed. It came just at the right time. With all the National Day decorations and celebrations, I was starting to feel a little homesick. This is the first time that I am away for the holidays, and with all the celebration happening, it was hard to forget the approaching holidays. Homesickness is a part of culture shock, so I was expecting it at some point, but it didn't make it any easier to ignore or deal with. Thankfully, I had one more day to relax and get back to the real world. Cleaning, laundry, that sort of thing. Though I would not have said no to another day or two of rest and relaxation.

Overall, National Day was nice. I am not sure what I expected, but a nice, calm, long weekend was just fine with me. Maybe next year I will be brave enough to head into Abu Dhabi for the big celebrations.