Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Monday, 9 March 2009
Car troubles
So about a year ago we had the windshield on our car replaced. The car mafia uses the windshield wipers to mark which cars need dusting. A car with the wipers up needs dusting. Then when the car is dusted, the mafia slams down the wipers. Well, the rubber wore off our wipers, leaving an exposed metal blade. And repeated slamming cracked our windshield. Lame, I know.
So we sent our car to the Toyota service center in Egypt to replace the windshield, and our windshield was replaced.
Fast forward to this weekend. We were driving to the beach in Ain Sokhna. We crossed a railroad track about 5 minutes from our hotel. It was bumpy. As we bumped over the tracks, the rear-view mirror simply fell off the windshield and into Mike's lap. We picked it up and looked at it. The Toyota service people had simply glued it to the windshield.
Now I am not really sure how these things are supposed to be attached. But I'm pretty sure that it was not done the proper way. I mean, who ever heard of a rear-view mirror falling off before?? Our next task, glueing it back on...
So we sent our car to the Toyota service center in Egypt to replace the windshield, and our windshield was replaced.
Fast forward to this weekend. We were driving to the beach in Ain Sokhna. We crossed a railroad track about 5 minutes from our hotel. It was bumpy. As we bumped over the tracks, the rear-view mirror simply fell off the windshield and into Mike's lap. We picked it up and looked at it. The Toyota service people had simply glued it to the windshield.
Now I am not really sure how these things are supposed to be attached. But I'm pretty sure that it was not done the proper way. I mean, who ever heard of a rear-view mirror falling off before?? Our next task, glueing it back on...
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Fire! Fire! no Fire!
This morning at about 11 a.m., our landlord called Mike to tell him that the bowab (aka the doorman) smelled smoke coming under the door of our apartment. Nobody in the building had a key to our flat, so nobody could get in to check on the apartment. Yikes!
Since our work is normally 30 minutes away from our house, and it was at a time when the traffic would make the drive longer, we were panicked. Our house was potentially on fire and we could not get there to open the door to get the fire out.
We tried to call Tibby to get her to go to the house, because she lives pretty close by. (Maya was in school). But we couldn't reach her. Both Mike and the landlord tried to call the bowab back to find out exactly what was happening and ask him to cut the power to the apartment. But we couldn't reach him either.
Mike finally reached Tibby, who set off immediately for the house, but said it would take her 15 minutes. Meanwhile, images of our apartment burning and us losing everything flickered through my head. Mike took a cab back to the apartment.
Tibby finally arrived at the apartment. She went inside. No smoke. No fire. Nothing amiss at all. And no sign of the bowab so far this evening.
Since our work is normally 30 minutes away from our house, and it was at a time when the traffic would make the drive longer, we were panicked. Our house was potentially on fire and we could not get there to open the door to get the fire out.
We tried to call Tibby to get her to go to the house, because she lives pretty close by. (Maya was in school). But we couldn't reach her. Both Mike and the landlord tried to call the bowab back to find out exactly what was happening and ask him to cut the power to the apartment. But we couldn't reach him either.
Mike finally reached Tibby, who set off immediately for the house, but said it would take her 15 minutes. Meanwhile, images of our apartment burning and us losing everything flickered through my head. Mike took a cab back to the apartment.
Tibby finally arrived at the apartment. She went inside. No smoke. No fire. Nothing amiss at all. And no sign of the bowab so far this evening.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Veg Box
A while back, some readers asked me to post pictures of the Veg Box, which we get every week. I am still really happy with it. We pay 125 pounds (about $20) for a huge crate of assorted fruits and veggies, which works out to way less than what we would pay for the same amount of veggies at our local expat supermarket, and it saves us a lot of shopping time. We can sort of customize the box, and we always get certain staples like bananas, tomatoes, lettuce and potatoes. But there are usually a few surprises each week too.
For some reason, the Veg Box guy brings us a lot of cauliflower and broccoli. I think Mike might have asked for it one week and now we just get it all the time. That used to happen with cabbage too until we finally had to tell them to stop bringing cabbage, because we're really not big cabbage fans. But sometimes we also get fresh shelled peas, and fresh spinach, which is really nice. Lately we have been getting fresh strawberries.
The Veg Box guy will also deliver fresh meat, and it is really good quality. So far, we have gotten chicken breasts, beef cubes, and ground beef from him. And it is way better than what we can get in the grocery store. We heard he will also deliver fresh juice, so we are going to try that too.
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Pluses and Minuses
Just thought people would be interested in the bizarre collection of things I love when I am in the US and miss when I'm at home in Egypt:
1) Flavored soft drinks. Like Diet Vanilla Coke, or Diet Cherry Dr.Pepper
2) TV TV TV-- I get to watch House and CSI whenever I want to. And I have more than just a single channel showing US drama shows, mostly reruns.
3) A fast Internet connection that lets me download TV shows (to watch in Egypt) and upload multiple pictures to my blog in just a couple minutes (as opposed to forever).
4) Mexican food and drinkable tap water (though we do sometimes drink tap water in Egypt)
5) Not getting stared at (too much) while out and about with Maya. And no whispers, comments or rude queries. Plus when I am out alone I am completely invisible (socially that is).
6) The Gap, Old Navy and Childrens Place. Plus the entire Crayola brand.
7) Ethiopian restaurants.
8) Online grocery shopping (OK I've never actually done this, but I would so love to). Or just the basic ability to buy something, anything online on amazon.
9) Public libraries (and free storytime) and public parks with playgrounds.
10) Traffic lights that people obey, and sane traffic.
On the other side of the spectrum, here are things I like about being abroad in Egypt.
1) Maya eating fresh, juicy, dribbly mango on the balcony with Mike, and it's not expensive.
2) Tibby, and the ability to afford a nanny for Maya.
3) The Ethiopian community generally (fits in with no. 2)
4) Subsidized gasoline
5) Fluffy Egyptian cotton towels
6) Labna (Arab bitter yoghurt - a major staple of our diet)
7) Free home delivery of everything from prescription drugs (no prescription needed) to groceries to restaurant meals.
8) The Veg Box
9) The weather (except in July and August)
10) Our friends and Maya's school (which I am liking again after recently suffering from school envy...)
1) Flavored soft drinks. Like Diet Vanilla Coke, or Diet Cherry Dr.Pepper
2) TV TV TV-- I get to watch House and CSI whenever I want to. And I have more than just a single channel showing US drama shows, mostly reruns.
3) A fast Internet connection that lets me download TV shows (to watch in Egypt) and upload multiple pictures to my blog in just a couple minutes (as opposed to forever).
4) Mexican food and drinkable tap water (though we do sometimes drink tap water in Egypt)
5) Not getting stared at (too much) while out and about with Maya. And no whispers, comments or rude queries. Plus when I am out alone I am completely invisible (socially that is).
6) The Gap, Old Navy and Childrens Place. Plus the entire Crayola brand.
7) Ethiopian restaurants.
8) Online grocery shopping (OK I've never actually done this, but I would so love to). Or just the basic ability to buy something, anything online on amazon.
9) Public libraries (and free storytime) and public parks with playgrounds.
10) Traffic lights that people obey, and sane traffic.
On the other side of the spectrum, here are things I like about being abroad in Egypt.
1) Maya eating fresh, juicy, dribbly mango on the balcony with Mike, and it's not expensive.
2) Tibby, and the ability to afford a nanny for Maya.
3) The Ethiopian community generally (fits in with no. 2)
4) Subsidized gasoline
5) Fluffy Egyptian cotton towels
6) Labna (Arab bitter yoghurt - a major staple of our diet)
7) Free home delivery of everything from prescription drugs (no prescription needed) to groceries to restaurant meals.
8) The Veg Box
9) The weather (except in July and August)
10) Our friends and Maya's school (which I am liking again after recently suffering from school envy...)
Monday, 24 November 2008
Inevitable milestone
I think every kid does this at least once in their lifetime. Maya locked herself in the bathroom at Lucille's restaurant while we were out for breakfast yesterday, and she couldn't get out.
Unlike in the United States, however, there was no easy way to get her out. Mike tried to get her to open the door, but it was one of those locks where you have to hold it to the side and push, and I think it was a bit beyond her level. (Locking herself in was easy, though).
When we went to the management, they tried to get her out but had lost the key to the bathroom door. We couldn't take the hinges off because they were on the inside of the door, not the outside. And when they finally brought a screwdriver and we took off the door handle, there was no way to get the lock undone because it seemed to have been installed from the other side. I did wonder what was the point of putting a totally burglarproof door on an inside bathroom...
Then, they tried to pry the door open, and to kick it in. No luck. Fortunately, there was a wooden grating on the bottom of the door with wood slats. So we persuaded them to break one of the slats and remove it. Then one of the guys reached through and unlocked the door.
Maya was incredibly brave throughout the whole ordeal. She was kind of quiet, and while she cried a little bit she was mostly calm, and just waiting for us to open the door. We told that they were going to open the door like Bob the Builder, with tools. Afterward, she told us she was mad and frustrated but not scared. But she did have a really hard time sleeping last night, so I guess she was scared a little. I don't think we can show our faces at Lucille's for a while though...
Unlike in the United States, however, there was no easy way to get her out. Mike tried to get her to open the door, but it was one of those locks where you have to hold it to the side and push, and I think it was a bit beyond her level. (Locking herself in was easy, though).
When we went to the management, they tried to get her out but had lost the key to the bathroom door. We couldn't take the hinges off because they were on the inside of the door, not the outside. And when they finally brought a screwdriver and we took off the door handle, there was no way to get the lock undone because it seemed to have been installed from the other side. I did wonder what was the point of putting a totally burglarproof door on an inside bathroom...
Then, they tried to pry the door open, and to kick it in. No luck. Fortunately, there was a wooden grating on the bottom of the door with wood slats. So we persuaded them to break one of the slats and remove it. Then one of the guys reached through and unlocked the door.
Maya was incredibly brave throughout the whole ordeal. She was kind of quiet, and while she cried a little bit she was mostly calm, and just waiting for us to open the door. We told that they were going to open the door like Bob the Builder, with tools. Afterward, she told us she was mad and frustrated but not scared. But she did have a really hard time sleeping last night, so I guess she was scared a little. I don't think we can show our faces at Lucille's for a while though...
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Organic veggies
One of the big benefits of living in Egypt is the fantastic seasonal fruits and veggies available all year long. Because Egypt has such a mild (read coolish to scorching) climate there are multiple growing seasons. So some sort of tropical fruit or veggie is always in season. I can't really say it is all organic, but it is pretty good.
Since we moved to our Little America neighbourhood though, our local grocery store has been fleecing us on fruits and veggies, many of which are actually imported (Washington apples and Dole bananas, for example). And the local store doesn't always keep the cheaper, local stuff in stock, like the small Egyptian mini-bananas that are really tasty. And did I mention their prices are outrageous??
So after much contemplation, and after our friend G tried it out, we have signed up for a weekly fruit and veggie service called the Veg Box. For just under $25, they will deliver a large crate of high quality fruits and veggies to your house once a week, and for an extra fee you can also get fresh boneless chicken and ground beef. We can tell them what we want and don't want, but the box will be different each week. We tried it out this week and it is awesome.
We got cabbage, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, spinach, carrots and garlic for our vegetables. Plus fresh cilantro. And we also got apples, bananas, little oranges called tarabantina here (not sure what they are in english, but similar to mandarins), big naval oranges and tomatoes. It was a lot of food, and it was really hig quality. Plus none of the produce was bruised or damaged, and it was all pretty clean. The only thing is the fruit is not lasting us all week, as we have a voracious banana consumer (maya) and another voracious orange eater (mike). So next week we might ask them to go heavier on the fruits and lighter on the lettuce...
The cool thing is it is saving us time. We arranged the delivery to come on Sunday afternoon when we are at work but our housekeeper is at our house. So we no longer have to run to the store all the time to get produce, and we don't have to pay insane expat grocery prices. And we (or Mike) is cooking more interesting things.
So yesterday Mike made chili with the excellent ground beef we got. And today we had a fresh spinach and feta chicken stir fry over rice. Yum!
Since we moved to our Little America neighbourhood though, our local grocery store has been fleecing us on fruits and veggies, many of which are actually imported (Washington apples and Dole bananas, for example). And the local store doesn't always keep the cheaper, local stuff in stock, like the small Egyptian mini-bananas that are really tasty. And did I mention their prices are outrageous??
So after much contemplation, and after our friend G tried it out, we have signed up for a weekly fruit and veggie service called the Veg Box. For just under $25, they will deliver a large crate of high quality fruits and veggies to your house once a week, and for an extra fee you can also get fresh boneless chicken and ground beef. We can tell them what we want and don't want, but the box will be different each week. We tried it out this week and it is awesome.
We got cabbage, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, spinach, carrots and garlic for our vegetables. Plus fresh cilantro. And we also got apples, bananas, little oranges called tarabantina here (not sure what they are in english, but similar to mandarins), big naval oranges and tomatoes. It was a lot of food, and it was really hig quality. Plus none of the produce was bruised or damaged, and it was all pretty clean. The only thing is the fruit is not lasting us all week, as we have a voracious banana consumer (maya) and another voracious orange eater (mike). So next week we might ask them to go heavier on the fruits and lighter on the lettuce...
The cool thing is it is saving us time. We arranged the delivery to come on Sunday afternoon when we are at work but our housekeeper is at our house. So we no longer have to run to the store all the time to get produce, and we don't have to pay insane expat grocery prices. And we (or Mike) is cooking more interesting things.
So yesterday Mike made chili with the excellent ground beef we got. And today we had a fresh spinach and feta chicken stir fry over rice. Yum!
Friday, 31 October 2008
Bad attitude
I've been in a bad mood about Egypt recently. I have had little tolerance for the annoying little things that happen that are a part of living in another culture. I know this is a form of culture shock that ebbs and flows. But right now I am in the middle of it.
First, we had an annoying experience on our otherwise fantastic beach trip to Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea coast with our friends. The hotel staff on three separate occasions made annoying little "behind our back but right in front of us" comments about the composition of our family. First it was the ubiquitous and exaggerated "Izzay??" (meaning How?!?!) by the front desk staff while gawking and pointing at Maya. Then later a gardener shouted: "Where'd they get that black girl from?" And at dinner a member of the waitstaff said: "It's not natural" while pointing at Maya.
We are used to the comments by Egyptians. We get them all the time. And I am used to being in that bizarre world where people think they can talk in Arabic in front of me because I look western and I won't understand, but then I do understand. But to have it come from staff at a very nice 4-star hotel when I was trying to take a vacation. Well, it was too much.
When we checked out of the hotel, we asked to speak to the manager to make a complaint. But they refused to get the manager, claiming the manager was on vacation. When we complained to the assistant deputy front desk manager, he just didn't seem to see the problem. Didn't apologise. Nothing. Well, some of the other front desk clerks were smirking under their breath, and the guy did offer to let us write a formal complaint which he assured us he would give to the manager. Yeah right! We didn't bother.
It makes me sad because, other than the generally rude and intolerant staff at the hotel, we had such a nice time at the beach, which is only a 90ish minute drive from Cairo. Clearly we will not be staying at this particular hotel again. There is another hotel in the same compound, although I think the two are somehow connected. Maybe we will try the other hotel next time, and hope it is better. Although I may warn them in advance that I expect their staff to keep the comments about our family to themselves.
OK, but this is not the only annoyance we have had recently. Another is that Maya got an easel for her birthday. It is a nice wood easel that is made in Egypt. The same day we gave it to her, Maya tipped it over and one of the two top hinges fell off. When I looked at it I saw that the side of the hinge that fell off had been glued on, but not secured by screw like the other hinge. It seemed that during assembly, the workers had run out of screws, so just decided to glue the other hinge. Why?!?!?! That is just so frustrating.
And when we ordered the bouncy castle for Maya's birthday, we carefully selected it out of a catalogue. We wanted a bouncy with a slide and a tunnel, and the one we picked looked really bright and cheery. What came was a totally different, and pretty grungy, bouncy castle. Not the end of the world. But just, well, annoying. And then there was this crazy party the other night that I called the police on.
The thing is, these things happen in Egypt. And normally I just go with the flow and don't get bothered by it. But recently this kind of stuff has been really getting to me, and little things have been bothering me (like the stupid bouncy castle thing which is really just silly to complain about). I guess I know I could be affected by culture shock just like anyone else. But we've been in the region for 8 consecutive years, plus more years as students before that. I had thought that I should really be over this kind of stuff. But somehow, it is bothering me now. I think it is time for a vacation!!
First, we had an annoying experience on our otherwise fantastic beach trip to Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea coast with our friends. The hotel staff on three separate occasions made annoying little "behind our back but right in front of us" comments about the composition of our family. First it was the ubiquitous and exaggerated "Izzay??" (meaning How?!?!) by the front desk staff while gawking and pointing at Maya. Then later a gardener shouted: "Where'd they get that black girl from?" And at dinner a member of the waitstaff said: "It's not natural" while pointing at Maya.
We are used to the comments by Egyptians. We get them all the time. And I am used to being in that bizarre world where people think they can talk in Arabic in front of me because I look western and I won't understand, but then I do understand. But to have it come from staff at a very nice 4-star hotel when I was trying to take a vacation. Well, it was too much.
When we checked out of the hotel, we asked to speak to the manager to make a complaint. But they refused to get the manager, claiming the manager was on vacation. When we complained to the assistant deputy front desk manager, he just didn't seem to see the problem. Didn't apologise. Nothing. Well, some of the other front desk clerks were smirking under their breath, and the guy did offer to let us write a formal complaint which he assured us he would give to the manager. Yeah right! We didn't bother.
It makes me sad because, other than the generally rude and intolerant staff at the hotel, we had such a nice time at the beach, which is only a 90ish minute drive from Cairo. Clearly we will not be staying at this particular hotel again. There is another hotel in the same compound, although I think the two are somehow connected. Maybe we will try the other hotel next time, and hope it is better. Although I may warn them in advance that I expect their staff to keep the comments about our family to themselves.
OK, but this is not the only annoyance we have had recently. Another is that Maya got an easel for her birthday. It is a nice wood easel that is made in Egypt. The same day we gave it to her, Maya tipped it over and one of the two top hinges fell off. When I looked at it I saw that the side of the hinge that fell off had been glued on, but not secured by screw like the other hinge. It seemed that during assembly, the workers had run out of screws, so just decided to glue the other hinge. Why?!?!?! That is just so frustrating.
And when we ordered the bouncy castle for Maya's birthday, we carefully selected it out of a catalogue. We wanted a bouncy with a slide and a tunnel, and the one we picked looked really bright and cheery. What came was a totally different, and pretty grungy, bouncy castle. Not the end of the world. But just, well, annoying. And then there was this crazy party the other night that I called the police on.
The thing is, these things happen in Egypt. And normally I just go with the flow and don't get bothered by it. But recently this kind of stuff has been really getting to me, and little things have been bothering me (like the stupid bouncy castle thing which is really just silly to complain about). I guess I know I could be affected by culture shock just like anyone else. But we've been in the region for 8 consecutive years, plus more years as students before that. I had thought that I should really be over this kind of stuff. But somehow, it is bothering me now. I think it is time for a vacation!!
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Curses...
To the people who work in a 25-story building with only two working elevators and thousands of employees and who insist on pushing both the up and down elevator call buttons, so that I end up stopping at every floor on my way to the top of the building. This is driving me crazy. It seems to be a cultural thing. As an American, I only push the call button for the direction I am going, because who wants to get on an elevator going up when you really want to go down?!?!?!?! But it seems many Egyptians think you should push both ways and just get on the first elevator that comes. It's a total cultural clash!
Sometimes, it can take half an hour one way to ride the elevator. Because you have to wait for about 3 elevators to crush yourself in, and then you stop on every floor. It's driving me crazy!!
Sometimes, it can take half an hour one way to ride the elevator. Because you have to wait for about 3 elevators to crush yourself in, and then you stop on every floor. It's driving me crazy!!
Saturday, 9 August 2008
Red Ants
I have not written about this before. But one of the downsides of moving from Zamalek to our new digs is that our new neighbourhood and building and apartment seem to have a problem with red ants. I mean, the ants live here, and they lived here before us. And we can't seem to evict them because we can't find out exactly where their little house is or where they come from.
We have two types of red ants. We have little itty bitty red ants, and we have bige huge ginormous red ants. If we eat something on the sofa, for example, and a little crumb drops to the floor, within about 3 seconds there will be a horde of red ants in for the kill. They will break apart and try to drag away the crumb -- until we get the Raid, that is.
But unlike previous Cairo ant infestations (and we have dealt with many), we are unable to trace them back to a single point of entry. Also, they seem to have scout ants they send out to look for crumbs even when the house is spotless. We are basically at war.
I even have war wounds -- battle scars. Those ants pack a mean bite, and the bites hurt really bad and can swell up like golfballs -- on me at least, as I seem to have a histamine reaction to them. Or maybe I am the only one who has been bitten. In any case, these are no ordinary ant bites. They hurt.
Today I caught Maya swinging one of her foam Alphabet letters at an ant, then shouting: "I died him! I died him, mommy! I died him, daddy!."
But even miss Maya can be scared of the ants sometimes. Like during diaper changes when she refuses to lie down on the carpet, saying: "The ant is going to eat my butt!"
We have two types of red ants. We have little itty bitty red ants, and we have bige huge ginormous red ants. If we eat something on the sofa, for example, and a little crumb drops to the floor, within about 3 seconds there will be a horde of red ants in for the kill. They will break apart and try to drag away the crumb -- until we get the Raid, that is.
But unlike previous Cairo ant infestations (and we have dealt with many), we are unable to trace them back to a single point of entry. Also, they seem to have scout ants they send out to look for crumbs even when the house is spotless. We are basically at war.
I even have war wounds -- battle scars. Those ants pack a mean bite, and the bites hurt really bad and can swell up like golfballs -- on me at least, as I seem to have a histamine reaction to them. Or maybe I am the only one who has been bitten. In any case, these are no ordinary ant bites. They hurt.
Today I caught Maya swinging one of her foam Alphabet letters at an ant, then shouting: "I died him! I died him, mommy! I died him, daddy!."
But even miss Maya can be scared of the ants sometimes. Like during diaper changes when she refuses to lie down on the carpet, saying: "The ant is going to eat my butt!"
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Our neighborhood
Just thought those of you who haven't been here might appreciate a picture or two of our building and street. So how many trees there are (for Cairo anyway, and compared to Zamalek for sure).
Also a note on Maya's verbal development. She has learned how to turn verbs into nouns. Hence the "hunter", "hider", etc of the the last post. The other morning she came out of the bathroom distressed because she couldn't find the potty seat -- you know the one that fits over a regular potty seat to make it easier for kids to use the adult potty.
She said: "Mommy, the potty worker is not there."
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Under the mango tree
Mike and I were both off from work today, and we took Maya swimming at the pool. She is back again to swimming to the side of the pool on her own, and she is doing it from longer distances, too. After an hour or two of swimming, we got out of the pool and went over to the adjacent outdoor cafe for a snack and some cold drinks and sat at a table under a mango tree.
As we were relaxing there, the wind blew and a ripe mango fell off the tree. The waiter brought a knife, Mike cut the mango and Maya had a special treat. An hour later, the wind blew another mango off the tree, which we also ate.
In the meantime, the waiters thought it would be funny to try to knock some mangos off the tree with a broom handle. But the ones they got were green and hard and not ripe. Then a little boy tried to get some mangos by throwing his soccer ball at the tree. But he just got hard ones, too. I guess the lesson is that mangos will fall when they are good and ready, and there's no point trying to knock them down before then.
It was a very cool experience! And it makes me see the benefits of living in Egypt, where a lot of material goods are not always available. How often do you get to have your 2-year-old eat a ripe mango that she has watched the wind blow from a tree?
As we were relaxing there, the wind blew and a ripe mango fell off the tree. The waiter brought a knife, Mike cut the mango and Maya had a special treat. An hour later, the wind blew another mango off the tree, which we also ate.
In the meantime, the waiters thought it would be funny to try to knock some mangos off the tree with a broom handle. But the ones they got were green and hard and not ripe. Then a little boy tried to get some mangos by throwing his soccer ball at the tree. But he just got hard ones, too. I guess the lesson is that mangos will fall when they are good and ready, and there's no point trying to knock them down before then.
It was a very cool experience! And it makes me see the benefits of living in Egypt, where a lot of material goods are not always available. How often do you get to have your 2-year-old eat a ripe mango that she has watched the wind blow from a tree?
Friday, 23 May 2008
Life in our neighborhood
We have really enjoyed living in our new neighbourhood, which is much more family friendly than our previous neighborhood closer to downtown. My daily commute is about 30-40 minutes, compared to 10-40 minutes previously (due to traffic the commute was unpredictable). So the commute is a bit of a drag but our life is terrific.
First of all, Maya's preschool is literally a 2-minute walk from our place. Literally, we walk to the corner, turn right, then walk to next corner and turn left and we're basically there. So I've been walking her to preschool two mornings a week before work, which we have both really enjoyed. Mike is coming with most days too. I wish we could pick her up from school too, as I think we could have more opportunity to talk to the teachers about her day. But so far so good.
Our club, with a playground, restaurant and super nice pool, is about a 10-minute walk in the opposite direction. So we spend our weekends swimming in the pool, then lounging at the outdoor restaurant at the club and hanging with our friends while Maya plays on the playground. Sometimes, people rent bouncy castles for the club for birthday parties and Maya gets to jump on them. Fortunately, most people seem to have an open door policy that since they're having the party in a semi-public place all the kids present are allowed to use the bouncy, and not just the kids at the party.
Maya has also finally started taking swimming lessons at the club, which is fantastic. They are private lessons as they don't seem to offer group lessons anywhere in Egypt. But I don't mind as she's still pretty young and the lessons are not really that expensive. I think she'll basically take lessons twice a week all summer long. So she'll have a pretty nice schedule of half-day preschool twice a week and swimming lessons twice a week, and the rest of the time with Tibby.
In the fall, we're planning to sign her up for "pre ballet" classes to replace swimming, or at least some kind of dance and movement classes that are on offer at a local expat community center that is about a 7-minute walk from our house (right near our club). And right next door to the comunity center is a place that offers art/movement/play classes on a drop-in basis. So basically we are just living it up in Little Amreeka, as none of this type of high quality kid stuff was available in Zamalek. Well, we did have some classes that Maya took, but they were like a 25-30 minute walk in the heat so it was not as nice. And there was the Gazeera Club, with a huge playground, but that will not let kids do any type of classes until they are 3-1/2 or 4. So we are happy, happy, happy here!
We also discovered that there is a neighbourhood nearby that we think is basically the Asian equivalent of Little Amreeka. Some of our friends live there. There is a fabulous Korean restaurant there that we ate in once, and a terrific Chinese restaurant. I mean, normally the kind of Chinese food you get in Cairo is not that great and not that authentic. But this place is fabulous. Totally non-pretentious and with really good food. Anyway, there is also a Chinese hair salon there and basically lots of stuff catering to Asian expats, and a handful of restaurants. We are definitely going to have to explore that area more!! It's so nice to discover new things in Cairo, and it's so strange how you can live in a city for so long and have no idea that a place exists because it's outside your realm. This happens a lot in Cairo, and so much stuff is just found on word of mouth. Like I know there is an Ethiopian store somewhere near where we live, but I'm not sure precisely where.
Back to other stuff. Since we are now in a neighbourhood with more American expats, as opposed to Zamalek which had more Europeans, products that I craved and thought were non-existent in Egypt have started appearing. For example, we found marshmallows, Craisins, Fig Newtons, microwaveable burritos, kool-aid freezy pops, and one package of chocolate chips -- wow!!! We are in American food heaven! And all this is available at several little grocery stores that dot our neighborhood and are just minutes from our house by foot. Oh yeah, in Zamalek we had to drive to the store...
We also found a store that sells overstock clothes products destined for American stores like Gap and Old Navy that are produced in Egyptian textile factories. The selection was pretty slim, but I did find a striped Old Navy T-shirt for Maya for about $2, and a pair of stretchy shorts. We have been having a problem finding clothes for Maya this season as it seems that people either put their preschool daughters in long pants or miniskirts -- two ends of the cultural extreme I guess. Personally, I don't see the logic of putting a kid in pants during a hot Egyptian summer, even lightweight ones. But at the same time, a miniskirt -- no way! Plus it seems that even though Egypt is world renowned for its high quality cotton, most of the clothes made for sale here are cheap synthetics. So it was cool to find the overstock store, even if we only found one pair of shorts to buy there.
So basically, we are happy in our new little neighborhood. Our life is comfortable and easy here. Maya is happy. Our friends are nearby. What could be better!
First of all, Maya's preschool is literally a 2-minute walk from our place. Literally, we walk to the corner, turn right, then walk to next corner and turn left and we're basically there. So I've been walking her to preschool two mornings a week before work, which we have both really enjoyed. Mike is coming with most days too. I wish we could pick her up from school too, as I think we could have more opportunity to talk to the teachers about her day. But so far so good.
Our club, with a playground, restaurant and super nice pool, is about a 10-minute walk in the opposite direction. So we spend our weekends swimming in the pool, then lounging at the outdoor restaurant at the club and hanging with our friends while Maya plays on the playground. Sometimes, people rent bouncy castles for the club for birthday parties and Maya gets to jump on them. Fortunately, most people seem to have an open door policy that since they're having the party in a semi-public place all the kids present are allowed to use the bouncy, and not just the kids at the party.
Maya has also finally started taking swimming lessons at the club, which is fantastic. They are private lessons as they don't seem to offer group lessons anywhere in Egypt. But I don't mind as she's still pretty young and the lessons are not really that expensive. I think she'll basically take lessons twice a week all summer long. So she'll have a pretty nice schedule of half-day preschool twice a week and swimming lessons twice a week, and the rest of the time with Tibby.
In the fall, we're planning to sign her up for "pre ballet" classes to replace swimming, or at least some kind of dance and movement classes that are on offer at a local expat community center that is about a 7-minute walk from our house (right near our club). And right next door to the comunity center is a place that offers art/movement/play classes on a drop-in basis. So basically we are just living it up in Little Amreeka, as none of this type of high quality kid stuff was available in Zamalek. Well, we did have some classes that Maya took, but they were like a 25-30 minute walk in the heat so it was not as nice. And there was the Gazeera Club, with a huge playground, but that will not let kids do any type of classes until they are 3-1/2 or 4. So we are happy, happy, happy here!
We also discovered that there is a neighbourhood nearby that we think is basically the Asian equivalent of Little Amreeka. Some of our friends live there. There is a fabulous Korean restaurant there that we ate in once, and a terrific Chinese restaurant. I mean, normally the kind of Chinese food you get in Cairo is not that great and not that authentic. But this place is fabulous. Totally non-pretentious and with really good food. Anyway, there is also a Chinese hair salon there and basically lots of stuff catering to Asian expats, and a handful of restaurants. We are definitely going to have to explore that area more!! It's so nice to discover new things in Cairo, and it's so strange how you can live in a city for so long and have no idea that a place exists because it's outside your realm. This happens a lot in Cairo, and so much stuff is just found on word of mouth. Like I know there is an Ethiopian store somewhere near where we live, but I'm not sure precisely where.
Back to other stuff. Since we are now in a neighbourhood with more American expats, as opposed to Zamalek which had more Europeans, products that I craved and thought were non-existent in Egypt have started appearing. For example, we found marshmallows, Craisins, Fig Newtons, microwaveable burritos, kool-aid freezy pops, and one package of chocolate chips -- wow!!! We are in American food heaven! And all this is available at several little grocery stores that dot our neighborhood and are just minutes from our house by foot. Oh yeah, in Zamalek we had to drive to the store...
We also found a store that sells overstock clothes products destined for American stores like Gap and Old Navy that are produced in Egyptian textile factories. The selection was pretty slim, but I did find a striped Old Navy T-shirt for Maya for about $2, and a pair of stretchy shorts. We have been having a problem finding clothes for Maya this season as it seems that people either put their preschool daughters in long pants or miniskirts -- two ends of the cultural extreme I guess. Personally, I don't see the logic of putting a kid in pants during a hot Egyptian summer, even lightweight ones. But at the same time, a miniskirt -- no way! Plus it seems that even though Egypt is world renowned for its high quality cotton, most of the clothes made for sale here are cheap synthetics. So it was cool to find the overstock store, even if we only found one pair of shorts to buy there.
So basically, we are happy in our new little neighborhood. Our life is comfortable and easy here. Maya is happy. Our friends are nearby. What could be better!
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
I'm back!!!
After a 6-week battle with a state-owned telecoms firm to get my internet connected in our new apartment, I can finally pronounce victory! We won! Here is what we had to go through:
First off, we wanted to simply keep the same account and switch phone lines, transferring the remaining credit from our old internet connection to our new one to avoid double paying (since we had a month or so remaining that we had pre-paid for). We spent a week on that and got nowhere with no real prospect of success, so we decided to go for a brand new account in the new house.
Then it took them four weeks to flip the switch on and let the adsl juice flow to our apartment.
Once they flipped it on, of course the connection didn't work at all. We called technical support. Then we got bounced back and forth between the state-owned telecom company and the state-owned isp for about a week, with each side blaming the other and the isp refusing point blank to send a technician because they were convinced the problem was in the telephone line.
Finally we hired a private technician who diagnosed the problem as a faulty router (yes, the one the isp had insisted over and over and over again was working fine). We got a new router from the isp, and voila, the internet works.
First off, we wanted to simply keep the same account and switch phone lines, transferring the remaining credit from our old internet connection to our new one to avoid double paying (since we had a month or so remaining that we had pre-paid for). We spent a week on that and got nowhere with no real prospect of success, so we decided to go for a brand new account in the new house.
Then it took them four weeks to flip the switch on and let the adsl juice flow to our apartment.
Once they flipped it on, of course the connection didn't work at all. We called technical support. Then we got bounced back and forth between the state-owned telecom company and the state-owned isp for about a week, with each side blaming the other and the isp refusing point blank to send a technician because they were convinced the problem was in the telephone line.
Finally we hired a private technician who diagnosed the problem as a faulty router (yes, the one the isp had insisted over and over and over again was working fine). We got a new router from the isp, and voila, the internet works.
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
In other news, a decision on preschool
We have decided to send Maya to preschool number 1 for two days a week. Instead of starting in September, we are hoping to start when the preschool's summer session begins. We have been talking about preschool with Maya, have shown her a get-ready-for-school episode of Sesame Street, and have taken her on several walks to see her new school.
Of course, we still have to actually make the call to enrol her, but the preschool director said there is plenty of space. So it shouldn't be a problem.
It is amazing how hard a decision it actually is on where to send a child for preschool. And in some bizarre way, the fact that preschool 2 had a waiting list to get in actually made me doubt our initial reaction that preschool 1 was the best fit for us. I mean, if people are waiting to get in, then surely the school must be the best, right? Even if our instincts tell us otherwise.
What swayed us is that we saw the kids at preschool 1 playing together peacefully. We saw them eagerly accept our daughter into their group, with the teacher's encouragement. When Maya was trying to grab a toy from another child, we saw the teachers pause to see if the two kids would work it out, and then comment: "Look, they're negotiating over it." And we decided that our priority for school right now is not learning "school stuff", but learning self-awareness and kindness and sharing. So preschool 1 it is!
Of course, we still have to actually make the call to enrol her, but the preschool director said there is plenty of space. So it shouldn't be a problem.
It is amazing how hard a decision it actually is on where to send a child for preschool. And in some bizarre way, the fact that preschool 2 had a waiting list to get in actually made me doubt our initial reaction that preschool 1 was the best fit for us. I mean, if people are waiting to get in, then surely the school must be the best, right? Even if our instincts tell us otherwise.
What swayed us is that we saw the kids at preschool 1 playing together peacefully. We saw them eagerly accept our daughter into their group, with the teacher's encouragement. When Maya was trying to grab a toy from another child, we saw the teachers pause to see if the two kids would work it out, and then comment: "Look, they're negotiating over it." And we decided that our priority for school right now is not learning "school stuff", but learning self-awareness and kindness and sharing. So preschool 1 it is!
More annoyances
So we ordered curtains for our new apartment out of very nice handmade Egyptian fabric. We wouldn't normally do something like this, but it is so inexpensive by Western standards for something that will really make our apartment nice. We selected the fabric ourselves, and had the fabric store custom-make the curtains and provide rods to measurements we provided. Only they didn't...
The curtains -- supposed to be the final touches on our apartment -- arrived today. First, the rods were the wrong length. They still fit, but they don't quite reach to the end of the windowframes, when we had ordered them to be 10 centimetres longer than the ends of the frames. And the curtains themselves -- well, they are also quite a bit shy of the size we ordered. I mean, we can MAKE them work. But it is really disappointing. Mike is going to ask them to redo the rods, but the fabric is not cheap, and it's kind of hard to ask them to redo the curtains as well. So we are feeling a bit frustrated.
Plus after only two weeks in the new apartment, the dishwasher has already started tripping the fuse every time we run it. So now we have to have an electrician come to try to figure out what the problem is. Plus Maya had a major meltdown this evening because she was angry we didn't pay enough attention to her, since we were dealing with the curtain people. And after being almost completely potty trained a week ago she has now completely decided to cease all efforts to go in the potty...
The curtains -- supposed to be the final touches on our apartment -- arrived today. First, the rods were the wrong length. They still fit, but they don't quite reach to the end of the windowframes, when we had ordered them to be 10 centimetres longer than the ends of the frames. And the curtains themselves -- well, they are also quite a bit shy of the size we ordered. I mean, we can MAKE them work. But it is really disappointing. Mike is going to ask them to redo the rods, but the fabric is not cheap, and it's kind of hard to ask them to redo the curtains as well. So we are feeling a bit frustrated.
Plus after only two weeks in the new apartment, the dishwasher has already started tripping the fuse every time we run it. So now we have to have an electrician come to try to figure out what the problem is. Plus Maya had a major meltdown this evening because she was angry we didn't pay enough attention to her, since we were dealing with the curtain people. And after being almost completely potty trained a week ago she has now completely decided to cease all efforts to go in the potty...
Dial-up Hell (and Egyptian bureaucracy)
We have been in our new apartment for two weeks. But do we have wireless internet? Nope!! Not for lack of trying though. First we tried to transfer our account from our old line in Zamalek to our new house, as we had a month remaining on the account already paid for that we didn't want to lose. But it became very clear very quickly -- through requests for neverending pieces of stamped papers -- that that path was more trouble than it was worth.
So we embarked on a new path of simply ignoring the fact that we already had an account, and simply opening a new account on the new line. But it turned out that the previous tenants had an ADSL account with a separate company, and that company had not released the line when the account was cancelled. We managed to get all the required bureaucracy, including a confirmation number for the cancellation of the leased line, but we still don't have a high speed internet connection. Aaaaaahhhhh!
So we are working on a free dialup connection, which is not bad speedwise. I guess no one uses dialup anymore so that's why it's fast. But unfortunately it is not fast enough for me to upload pictures. Believe me. I tried!! I am hearing that it could still be two more weeks before our high speed connection is up and running (I know, I can't believe it either!)
The interesting thing we found is that Mike's new bought-in-Cairo Apple laptop does not have a place for a phone jack to go. So he can't do even dialup on his computer. Nananaa nananaa! I guess even in Egypt dialup is obsolete. And to think I was jealous of his new computer!!
So we embarked on a new path of simply ignoring the fact that we already had an account, and simply opening a new account on the new line. But it turned out that the previous tenants had an ADSL account with a separate company, and that company had not released the line when the account was cancelled. We managed to get all the required bureaucracy, including a confirmation number for the cancellation of the leased line, but we still don't have a high speed internet connection. Aaaaaahhhhh!
So we are working on a free dialup connection, which is not bad speedwise. I guess no one uses dialup anymore so that's why it's fast. But unfortunately it is not fast enough for me to upload pictures. Believe me. I tried!! I am hearing that it could still be two more weeks before our high speed connection is up and running (I know, I can't believe it either!)
The interesting thing we found is that Mike's new bought-in-Cairo Apple laptop does not have a place for a phone jack to go. So he can't do even dialup on his computer. Nananaa nananaa! I guess even in Egypt dialup is obsolete. And to think I was jealous of his new computer!!
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Preschool choices
Today we went preschool hunting for Maya for September. We visited three schools, all of them very different. One thing we discovered is that Maya is ready for preschool now. As in NOW! As in right this minute!!
At the first preschool we visited, Maya immediately went in and started playing with the other kids (it was free play time when we arrived). She played house and tea party with some older girls, and talked to the teachers, visited all the rooms by herself, and generally was not at all concerned about being in a new place. When they sat down for circle time, Maya announced that it was “teacher time” and sat down with them. So now we are rethinking if we really want to wait until September or if we should just start her now. We are planning to do about 2 mornings a week of preschool, and she will be with Tibby the rest of the time.
So I would appreciate everybody’s thoughts on the various preschool options. All are walking distance from our house. Here is a summary of what we found at the school, in the order we visited them.
1) This is a small preschool that seems very play-based. They seem to have different activities going on in different rooms, like art, Arabic, etc. The main room has different stations like a house area and a puzzle area and a block area. The toys are educational. The teachers seem very attentive and are down on the ground at child-eye level interacting with the kids and sort of directing the play. The director spent quite a bit of time talking to us. The day starts with free play, then circle time, then snack, and then I kind of forget. The hours are 8ish to 1 p.m.
· The kids are not separated based on age level, but sort of intermix.
· The director seems very warm and all the teachers seem warm and kind.
· Very clean.
· Small to medium sized outdoor playground with climbing toys, a swingset, slides. The ground is sand. Some toys look a little old but all are age appropriate.
· Lots of diversity including one African teacher, and several African students, which is good for Maya. But also diverse in other aspects as there are also Asian, Arab, American and European kids there. But the dolls I saw the kids playing with were all white…(maybe if we enrol Maya we can donate a black doll).
· A bit cramped inside compared to the other schools we saw.
· They teach the kids some Arabic, although the language of the school is English.
· Maya’s friend Bug (also Ethiopian) goes there, and her friend K. is probably going to enrol as well.
· Kids all seemed happy and engaged during our visit.
· No wait list.
· The overall vibe is very maternal.
2) This preschool is one of the main feeder preschools to the big international school here. It is a large preschool in a big two-story building with the littler kids on the first floor and the older kids on the second floor. Each class is in one room, and the rooms have stations, like an imagination station, house station, art station, etc. The teachers seem young and enthusiastic, and the director spent quite some time talking to us. The schedule is similar to preschool 1, and the learning is also play based.
· Kids are separated by age and there is a 2-1/2 to 3 year old class, and a 3 to 3-1/2 year old class. The director immediately said she would be flexible about where to place Maya (because she is between age groups and will be a month shy of 3 in September when the school year starts) and seemed to think she would do better in the older class due to her verbal skills. I was impressed she was paying attention to Maya and showed an instinct for flexibility.
· Pretty clean, but not as clean as preschool 1. It looked like there was some water on a mat in the imagination station (maybe an accident or a spill) in the little kids room that had not been cleaned up.
· Large playground outside with big plastic climbing gym and a bigger playset for older kids (though it is the same stuff that is at every other playground in Egypt so not really unique). Playground is on Astroturf over a hard surface, so maybe not so good for bumped heads.
· Lots of diversity in the student population, with multiple black students in each class and lots of Asian, Arab, American and European students as well. Actually saw a black doll on offer.
· Spacious inside, although the kids were all in outdoor play when we saw the little kid classrooms, so it’s hard to say if it would feel cramped. But the classrooms are larger than in preschool 1.
· All English with no Arabic.
· No friends at the school that we know of.
· We are number 5 on the wait list for September for the older class, with two of those before us not expected to take a seat if offered. So we could probably get a space if we want one, especially since we only want part time.
· Kids seemed happy.
· The vibe is very school-like although still warm.
3) This is a brand new preschool that is just opening. It is in a big house and has a spacious outdoor area. It was very well decorated, and lots of money and effort has clearly been put into the facilities, but the place seemed cold and sterile. The hours are from 8ish to 2 p.m., with no option for just coming 2-3 days a week, even for a 2-year-old.
· It’s hard to say if this place would be very diverse. But I noticed a wall display of the world included exhibits on many countries including Egypt, Germany, Britain, China and Canada but not a single country in sub-Saharan Africa. That was not encouraging.
· The director explained the reason for not allowing part time is that the kids might fall behind if they only come three times a week while others come five times. (Really!! These are 2-year-olds we are talking about. It’s not like they are teaching algebra, and it’s not like the kids just turn their brains off when they leave school)
· It’s significantly more expensive than preschools one and two, although still affordable for us.
· Vibe is very status-oriented.
OK, so what do you all think.? Mike and I are leaning toward preschool 1, although some elements of preschool 2 seem really nice as well. And I feel like Maya might “outgrow” preschool 1 before she starts kindergarten, and at that point preschool 2 might be a better fit. But I like the kind of small atmosphere for a 2-year-old at preschool 1. Anybody want to give some advice?
At the first preschool we visited, Maya immediately went in and started playing with the other kids (it was free play time when we arrived). She played house and tea party with some older girls, and talked to the teachers, visited all the rooms by herself, and generally was not at all concerned about being in a new place. When they sat down for circle time, Maya announced that it was “teacher time” and sat down with them. So now we are rethinking if we really want to wait until September or if we should just start her now. We are planning to do about 2 mornings a week of preschool, and she will be with Tibby the rest of the time.
So I would appreciate everybody’s thoughts on the various preschool options. All are walking distance from our house. Here is a summary of what we found at the school, in the order we visited them.
1) This is a small preschool that seems very play-based. They seem to have different activities going on in different rooms, like art, Arabic, etc. The main room has different stations like a house area and a puzzle area and a block area. The toys are educational. The teachers seem very attentive and are down on the ground at child-eye level interacting with the kids and sort of directing the play. The director spent quite a bit of time talking to us. The day starts with free play, then circle time, then snack, and then I kind of forget. The hours are 8ish to 1 p.m.
· The kids are not separated based on age level, but sort of intermix.
· The director seems very warm and all the teachers seem warm and kind.
· Very clean.
· Small to medium sized outdoor playground with climbing toys, a swingset, slides. The ground is sand. Some toys look a little old but all are age appropriate.
· Lots of diversity including one African teacher, and several African students, which is good for Maya. But also diverse in other aspects as there are also Asian, Arab, American and European kids there. But the dolls I saw the kids playing with were all white…(maybe if we enrol Maya we can donate a black doll).
· A bit cramped inside compared to the other schools we saw.
· They teach the kids some Arabic, although the language of the school is English.
· Maya’s friend Bug (also Ethiopian) goes there, and her friend K. is probably going to enrol as well.
· Kids all seemed happy and engaged during our visit.
· No wait list.
· The overall vibe is very maternal.
2) This preschool is one of the main feeder preschools to the big international school here. It is a large preschool in a big two-story building with the littler kids on the first floor and the older kids on the second floor. Each class is in one room, and the rooms have stations, like an imagination station, house station, art station, etc. The teachers seem young and enthusiastic, and the director spent quite some time talking to us. The schedule is similar to preschool 1, and the learning is also play based.
· Kids are separated by age and there is a 2-1/2 to 3 year old class, and a 3 to 3-1/2 year old class. The director immediately said she would be flexible about where to place Maya (because she is between age groups and will be a month shy of 3 in September when the school year starts) and seemed to think she would do better in the older class due to her verbal skills. I was impressed she was paying attention to Maya and showed an instinct for flexibility.
· Pretty clean, but not as clean as preschool 1. It looked like there was some water on a mat in the imagination station (maybe an accident or a spill) in the little kids room that had not been cleaned up.
· Large playground outside with big plastic climbing gym and a bigger playset for older kids (though it is the same stuff that is at every other playground in Egypt so not really unique). Playground is on Astroturf over a hard surface, so maybe not so good for bumped heads.
· Lots of diversity in the student population, with multiple black students in each class and lots of Asian, Arab, American and European students as well. Actually saw a black doll on offer.
· Spacious inside, although the kids were all in outdoor play when we saw the little kid classrooms, so it’s hard to say if it would feel cramped. But the classrooms are larger than in preschool 1.
· All English with no Arabic.
· No friends at the school that we know of.
· We are number 5 on the wait list for September for the older class, with two of those before us not expected to take a seat if offered. So we could probably get a space if we want one, especially since we only want part time.
· Kids seemed happy.
· The vibe is very school-like although still warm.
3) This is a brand new preschool that is just opening. It is in a big house and has a spacious outdoor area. It was very well decorated, and lots of money and effort has clearly been put into the facilities, but the place seemed cold and sterile. The hours are from 8ish to 2 p.m., with no option for just coming 2-3 days a week, even for a 2-year-old.
· It’s hard to say if this place would be very diverse. But I noticed a wall display of the world included exhibits on many countries including Egypt, Germany, Britain, China and Canada but not a single country in sub-Saharan Africa. That was not encouraging.
· The director explained the reason for not allowing part time is that the kids might fall behind if they only come three times a week while others come five times. (Really!! These are 2-year-olds we are talking about. It’s not like they are teaching algebra, and it’s not like the kids just turn their brains off when they leave school)
· It’s significantly more expensive than preschools one and two, although still affordable for us.
· Vibe is very status-oriented.
OK, so what do you all think.? Mike and I are leaning toward preschool 1, although some elements of preschool 2 seem really nice as well. And I feel like Maya might “outgrow” preschool 1 before she starts kindergarten, and at that point preschool 2 might be a better fit. But I like the kind of small atmosphere for a 2-year-old at preschool 1. Anybody want to give some advice?
Sunday, 13 April 2008
Moving Day!
Well, we are moving today! I am actually going to work and Mike is going to supervise the move, as I didn't want to waste a vacation day on such an un-fun activity like moving and Mike's schedule is more flexible than mine.
We are not exactly off to a roaring start though. The movers called and their truck was not allowed into Zamalek due to not having a proper permit. So either they will file the papers and come "soon" or they will move us during the night when trucks have unrestricted access to Zamalek. That should be fun!
They said this is the first time they have ever been stopped coming into Zamalek. And I'm really surprised they couldn't find an "on the spot" way around the problem. Oh well...
We are not exactly off to a roaring start though. The movers called and their truck was not allowed into Zamalek due to not having a proper permit. So either they will file the papers and come "soon" or they will move us during the night when trucks have unrestricted access to Zamalek. That should be fun!
They said this is the first time they have ever been stopped coming into Zamalek. And I'm really surprised they couldn't find an "on the spot" way around the problem. Oh well...
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Frustration, and a wish to be invisible
So last night, after Maya and I had both changed into our jammies and were watching the last few minutes of an Old School sesame street episode before bed, there was a knock at the door. When I got up to open it, cracking the door open just slighty, it was a real estate agent bringing a couple to view the apartment.
Naturally, he had not bothered to call in advance. And he also arrived after 7:30 p.m. despite instructions to our landlord that we were willing to show the apartment only before 7:30 p.m. and only with a pre-arranged appointment.
Anyway, the guy gave me some sob story about how the couple was traveling in the morning, and this was their only chance to see the apartment, blah, blah, blah. And because we do actually want to get our security deposit back when we leave this place, I decided to let them in.
So they come in. They see Maya.
Lady : Ooooooohhhh! Hi cutie. I've saw you before! I know you! Do you remember?
Me: (blank stare, thinking: I don't remember you at all)
Lady: I think we saw you in Maadi! With my daughter Yasmine! Do you remember Yasmine?
Me: Hmmm. Maybe! (But what I am really thinking is that we do go to Maadi a lot. But doesn't she know that EVERYONE in the universe remembers us. It doesn't mean we remember them)
Lady: Oh yes, it was at the Fish Market restaurant.
Me: Oh yes! (Feigned remembrance of a totaly unremembered event. But what am I supposed to say?)
Lady: Yes, you were there with her grandparents.
Me: Oh yes! (I was really thinking that all I remember from that trip to the Fish Market restaurant was the woman in niqab who kept asking Maya where her mommy was even though Maya was hanging on me and sitting in my lap as we waited for a table. And this woman was bare-headed. Obviously not the same person. So no, I didn't remember.)
Later, I had a vague recollection of Maya playing for a few minutes with a little girl from the next table over at the Fish Market. Maybe this is her daughter? I don't know.
What I don't understand is why people expect us to remember them. I understand that as a family, we are totally conspicuous and probably very memorable. So people remember us. But, quite honestly, there is no way I am going to remember every single person who saw us once and never forgot us. Because those people are forgettable to me. Aaaaahhhhh.....
Naturally, he had not bothered to call in advance. And he also arrived after 7:30 p.m. despite instructions to our landlord that we were willing to show the apartment only before 7:30 p.m. and only with a pre-arranged appointment.
Anyway, the guy gave me some sob story about how the couple was traveling in the morning, and this was their only chance to see the apartment, blah, blah, blah. And because we do actually want to get our security deposit back when we leave this place, I decided to let them in.
So they come in. They see Maya.
Lady : Ooooooohhhh! Hi cutie. I've saw you before! I know you! Do you remember?
Me: (blank stare, thinking: I don't remember you at all)
Lady: I think we saw you in Maadi! With my daughter Yasmine! Do you remember Yasmine?
Me: Hmmm. Maybe! (But what I am really thinking is that we do go to Maadi a lot. But doesn't she know that EVERYONE in the universe remembers us. It doesn't mean we remember them)
Lady: Oh yes, it was at the Fish Market restaurant.
Me: Oh yes! (Feigned remembrance of a totaly unremembered event. But what am I supposed to say?)
Lady: Yes, you were there with her grandparents.
Me: Oh yes! (I was really thinking that all I remember from that trip to the Fish Market restaurant was the woman in niqab who kept asking Maya where her mommy was even though Maya was hanging on me and sitting in my lap as we waited for a table. And this woman was bare-headed. Obviously not the same person. So no, I didn't remember.)
Later, I had a vague recollection of Maya playing for a few minutes with a little girl from the next table over at the Fish Market. Maybe this is her daughter? I don't know.
What I don't understand is why people expect us to remember them. I understand that as a family, we are totally conspicuous and probably very memorable. So people remember us. But, quite honestly, there is no way I am going to remember every single person who saw us once and never forgot us. Because those people are forgettable to me. Aaaaahhhhh.....
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