I LOVE EGYPT

Right now I am in Heliopolis, which is where the Field Office for the church is. Tonight we're staying with an SM named Ana who teaches preschool here. The internet at the school does not work, so I can only get online probaby once a week. Women aren't allowed to go to the internet cafe in Gabel, the town where we live, so we have to take a minibus and train to Heliopolis. A bunch of little Egyptian girls chased us and waved yelling ,"Hello! Hi!" at us. They are so cute. We stand out quite a bit. To be honest, I kind of like it. (But I don't really like it on the crowded metro, however. Yesterday I went to extend my visa, and Alec leaned down to me and whispered, "Nose bleed's eyeing you." I looked over and a man was pressing a kleenex against his nose and staring intently at me.)

Before I forget: Don't mail me packages or anything without telling me first. The postal system here in Egypt will not let a lot of things through. I can't even send mail other than typed cards.

I am teaching Grammar and Writing ESL, grade 9A (more advanced), and 9B, each for two periods a day. Krista and I are also teaching a 6am P.E. class for girls only. We're teaching them taebo-kind of things--Mama Weave, you should be so proud. They get exhausted so easily... which is kind of funny, but it makes me so grateful to teach the class. The second half of the period, we walk and then run for one minute, and they are drenched with sweat. They're so cute. One girl thanked me profusely for our class because she saw the boys in "Mr. Michael's class running and running and running." haha. In ESL, we sing the alphabet song several times a day. I'm teaching colors, numbers, letters, and extremely basic expressions. I didn't have a translator until today, which made things kind of rough at first, but the students are understanding me. I jump around, draw pictures, and use an absurd amount of expression in my voice if I have to. I am really stressed out by my grade nine classes because I don't really have a textbook to follow. I am really good with English grammar, but it is really hard to explain it to kids whose first language is Arabic and have a small English vocabulary. I'm really being stretched--and that is what I asked God for. My character could use shaping, and I won't be given anything I can't handle.

I love my students. Many people look down on the culture in this part of the world, but I have never met a more respectful group of kids in my life. The guys love to tease us, but they don't ever cross the line. We are really hard on them right now so that we can gain control of the classroom. "Excuse me. Next time you talk you're going out in the hall." I say that countless times a day. They listen too. I refuse to tell them how old I am because I don't want to lose any authority. Some of the guys were trying to trick me into telling them, I told them that I would tell them at the end of the school year.


Our apartment is nice than I thought it would be. We're picking up on the quirks--I turn off the shower before conditioning my hair to let the water drain so that it doesn't overflow all over the bathroom. The stove is now working, and the toilet is now fixed. We used to have to dump a pot of water down the back in order to flush. I'm still not drinking the tap water, but I use it to brush my teeth. I will slowly start to drink it. I'm just not too anxious for King Tut's revenge. I think it's inevitable though.


I don't really know where to start in my attempt to describe Egypt. It's incredibly dry and sandy, and there is tons of garbage in the streets. Most people don't have cars, so we take minibuses and the metro to wherever we need to go. People pack into those things. It's crazy. I have a feeling that I will be the first SM to get hit by a car... Well, either me or Alec. People will drive literally within one inch of another car. I've seen some drive the wrong way on busy one-way streets in order to get where they are going faster. Crossing the street is an art. I'm honestly impressed.


The principal and his wife, Tom and Gladys Decker, are my favorite people in the world. Gladys is an English teacher who has her masters in ESL, so she has been absolutely amazing. They have really raised the standards for the school, and they have been such a help to us. NUA is not accredited by the Egyptian government, but the students receive an American diploma, so the standards have to be high. Cheating is so commonplace in Egypt, that we have to enforce a really strict policy against it. Apparently in Egypt, the teachers will write the answers to the tests on the board so that the students do well and the teachers can keep their jobs. Cheating is just "helping" each other. NUA is a new experience for them. The staff members are also competing for who can collect the most cell phones and mp3 players in the Ad Building. I think Krista is winning. She's a beast. I feel like I'm at GLAA. I guess I would be a very awkward version of Ms. Rosas at this point. I'm working on it.


Just about everyone has tattoos. The Christians get them on the underside of their right wrist or between their thumb and index finger of their right hand. The guys have tattoos all over their arms, and I have seen some on their chests (they wear v-neck shirts). I am used to the calls to prayer, and the silence seems kind of weird.

I'm sharing my testimony tonight for vespers, so pray for me please.

There is so much work to be done here and so much potential. These people have lots of questions and are looking for answers. I'm jealous of Jessica because she gets to teach grade 10 Bible. :) I miss everyone, but I am so happy to be here. I can't wait until my parents come to visit and can meet everyone.

Once again I am upset with the disorganization of my blog entry, but I don't have time to fix it. May you see God in a way that you never have before.


One of my favorites: "They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed." -Psalm 34:5