Rain

It rained today. Normally when I would say that I would be referring to five drops on my shirt that I took a picture of to prove that it happened. No, it rained. There is no drainage system because it rains on average less than a centimeter a year, but the streets were full of puddles and were so muddy. We had gone to a students' birthday party in Ain Shams, and I almost wiped out every three feet on the way back to the metro. The metro was shut down because of the rain, so when they finally started running again, they were super crowded. As the metro approached, I felt a wave of heat and humidity billow out of the window, and we pushed our way on without any room to breathe. It was like a giant group hug, and the poles on the train felt wet from all of the humidity and body heat. It took a long time to find a minibus back to the school, and we were wet and frizzy and covered in mud. This was just so weird today.

Jessica's family is here. It has been really nice. They got here on Tuesday night and then on Wednesday Dr. Weaver and Justin (who is almost finished with dental school) checked every students' teeth. The Weavers brought a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss for each student, and I am just so grateful for that. Some of them had some really bad teeth and complained that they were in a lot of pain, and they were so appreciative. Some students had been looking forward to the free dental check up for months. Most of the Egyptian students hardly brush their teeth, whereas the Sudanese have much better dental hygiene. Dr. Weaver didn't bring equipment to fill cavities, so he is giving the reports to Mrs. Peggy (the nurse practitioner) who will take them to get their cavities filled. Today, a lot of teeth were pulled, and the students seemed kind of proud of it. They were trying to talk with a mouthful of gauze, and everyone ask them questions excitedly. Funny. Mrs. Weaver brought a ton of jump ropes for the students to use. We NEED to get the girls moving. I am so worried about them because they do not move at all. Jeanie said that the students need a "good pair of shoes," and it's really important for the girls to have "a good sports bra." Well, good luck with that. :)

Jessica's grandpa is a retired cancer surgeon and worked with people who had problems related to smoking. He has also done clinics to help people stop smoking for over forty years, so he gave a presentation on Wednesday during our assembly. He showed a really graphic video with many interviews, and I hope that it scared a lot of the students. He offered to talk to anyone who wanted help quitting smoking and assured them that there would be no punishment. One of my friends asked me to come with him because he was nervous about going by himself. He is high-school age and has smoked for the past six years. Poor thing. So now I am a "support person," and I am responsible for talking to him at least once a day and holding him accountable for being honest. Hardly anyone went to talk to Jessica's grandpa about smoking, and I was disappointed about that. I know that there are tons of students who smoke and just don't get caught. They either don't want to quit, or they don't want to lose face by admitting that they smoke. Anything to save face. It's kind of sad.

I love it here.

Tina might come. I am including this in here so that she reads it and feels obligated to come.