tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83445694866092191432011-12-09T06:51:20.051+02:00LIVING CAIROPaul McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243818610185983111noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-67426020902467084702009-05-26T17:17:00.002+03:002009-05-26T17:23:21.829+03:00

So Egypt is trying to kill me before I leave. I love how I’ve had only incredibly mild stomach issues after first getting here, and then 9 months later I get some horrible mess of a thing. I basically spent all last week feeling like I wanted to vomit along with some other fun stuff I won’t bother grossing you out with, and to top things off, I had to suck it up and go to school because the

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-8712369876245282042009-05-13T20:13:00.003+03:002010-03-10T21:53:18.148+02:00

"The White House announced on Friday that President Obama planned to give a major policy speech on relations with the Muslim world in Egypt on June 4."Paul and I have been anxiously waiting for Obama to set the date to speak in Cairo...but two days after we leave...C'moooonnn!Ragardless, I think it's great that Obama has decided on Cairo as the destination for such a speech. It makes sense

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-81699287316210321462009-04-19T21:10:00.007+02:002009-04-19T22:35:40.062+02:00

The weather here has been so hot! It’s especially too hot for school. All my shenanigans in the classroom causes me to work up a serious sweat. Last time I was there, I was trying to stay cool in the staffroom while I graded some workbooks, but the fluorescent lighting kept blinking on and off at a constant rate. Turns out, all of the administrative staff have air conditioners in their offices,

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-74731846746847857062009-04-18T16:32:00.008+02:002009-04-18T17:38:53.732+02:00

I’m sitting out on the porch, laptop in my lap, and a cool drink in my hand. The weather here has been hot and beautiful lately, and the nights are amazing. I’m enjoying a five day weekend and relishing the fact that I have absolutely nothing to do. It seems everyone we know has run off to do some kind of diving adventure, so we have the entire city to ourselves. I figure with some of the

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-29778624239110815322009-03-14T16:21:00.010+02:002009-03-14T18:58:23.607+02:00

Faye and I are awesome.I was going to leave it at that, because it so very well encapsulates everything about these photos, but I just can't help myself. Faye and I in an attempt to stay fit while we're in Egypt have been trying out ideas to incorporate physical activities into our weekly routine. It started with going on speedy walks around our nieghborhood, which quickly bombed because

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-33541022814213944682009-03-14T14:21:00.004+02:002009-03-14T14:45:02.350+02:00

Burning man takes place in Black Rock City, in the middle of the Black Rock desert in Nevada. Cairo is located in the middle of the Western desert in Egypt.Most of the year the weather is hot during the day and cool at night. Be prepared to be sweaty and hot walking around in the sun during the day, but feel the need to wear a jacket and a scarf at night.There are dust storms in both locations

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-14063782581737279522009-03-02T17:03:00.005+02:002010-03-10T21:58:42.410+02:00

Sometime last weekend, I had typed up a post, but the internet got all funky and I was unable to post it, so I'm posting it now.I’m sitting at a café, and totally bored with the internet, and while I have nothing really titillating to talk about, I need something to do while I’m stuck here…so, I figured I’d blog. Last night, Faye went to the Akon concert at the Cairo Opera House. I am not a fan,

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-26238758600718587452009-02-23T20:36:00.002+02:002009-02-23T20:43:28.635+02:00

I don’t know if anyone has heard, but just in case, I figured it’d be a good idea to let everyone know I’m alive and kicking. There was a bombing in Khan el Khalili, which is the really famous bazaar in Cairo, only a 15 minute cab ride from our apartment. It’s the best place to find jewelry, scarves, herbs, spices, trinkets as well as numerous populated café’s and mosques. The place is full of

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-50345913875719816982009-02-23T19:09:00.005+02:002009-02-24T19:34:31.095+02:00

I know, I know, I’ve been terrible about this whole blog thing. I don’t know what happened really, I was writing up a storm and then I just stopped, and I’ve been trying to get myself to write a new post all week. I think I finally hit that little marker where Egypt has become less of an anomaly and more like everyday life. Other than trips and vacations, I am at a slight loss for something of

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-32580896063419851622009-01-29T19:57:00.002+02:002009-01-29T20:09:32.503+02:00

Adoption. Paul teaches a private lesson to a girl he met through someone at work. They just practice her conversational skills, so Paul thought it might be fun to send her home with some American sitcoms. She watched The Office, and 30 Rock. The 30 Rock episode was all about Liz Lemon wanting to adopt a baby. Anyway, it spawned a conversation about adoption in Egypt. Apparently it exists,

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-4665375298830226232009-01-29T18:28:00.017+02:002009-01-29T19:53:53.795+02:00

I realize I have kind of disappeared of the face of the Earth for some, but I’ve been in a writer’s rut as of late. Until I snap myself out of it, and find something positively riveting to say, I’ll keep the blog alive with some pictures I totally forgot to post. I know, I know. It’s a total cop-out, but what can you do?Anyway, while Faye’s friends were visiting, we took the time to do some

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-16836235119387770572009-01-15T19:02:00.007+02:002009-01-15T19:22:23.935+02:00

So my poor roommate Faye got her appendix taken out. She was feeling a little feverish not that long before and then had some cramping in her side for a few days. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but the nurse at the school said it would be a good idea to get things checked out at the doctor. Lucky for her, she went in that night with our friend Hesham to get a check up, and about shit

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-63047699044569280392009-01-15T18:05:00.004+02:002009-01-15T19:29:52.634+02:00

Egyptians refer to the northern part of Egypt as “lower” Egypt, and the southern part of Egypt as “upper” Egypt. This is because the Nile flows north.There are virtually no wood or steel structures; everything is made with brick and cement. Also interesting is watching them take down these cement structures. I was watching in horror from the bus window as several men sledge hammered away at the

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-75808670833667922652009-01-05T20:12:00.019+02:002009-01-15T17:27:09.596+02:00

So it was pointed out to me that I don't have any pictures of people. To me it just seems like the kind of stuff one can't appreciate unless one was partaking in particular activities, but what do I know. So below I've posted some pictures of Halloween, Christmas, but mostly New Years. New Years Eve a bunch of us paid a whopping 600LE (120$)to go to this club called Sangria. Pricey for me, but I

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-21016471397998357442009-01-05T18:55:00.023+02:002009-01-05T20:03:09.541+02:00

Although Paul was amazing enough to load a crap ton of our vacation pictures into our photo album, I never actually wrote an entry about our trip. So, while I’m kind of over the whole thing, I’ll post a quick blurb here about our adventure along with a few highlighted photos.Alexandria. Amazing. It’s still a lot like Cairo but the air is fit for the living and the bay is beautiful! There’s

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-36267810090095749722009-01-04T21:40:00.003+02:002009-01-05T20:10:21.532+02:00

I always feel a little cut off from the outside world living in Egypt. Internet is not usually very reliable, nor is it always easily accessible; also not to mention the fact that there’s a language barrier so printed or televised news is not always accessible either. In any case, the bombings in Gaza have made huge news in the Middle Eastern world and Egypt is playing an even larger role in the

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-41900248420366189692008-12-26T19:41:00.000+02:002008-12-26T19:47:07.354+02:00

I’m pretty sure being in Egypt makes me closer to Jesus than everyone else in the States so Hah! But as Christmas came and went I must say I was missing home a little bit. I was originally really excited about missing out on all the Christmas shenanigans…the insane last minute holiday shopping, Christmas music being played incessantly beginning the day after Thanksgiving, excessive holiday

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-41599146083368874032008-12-17T21:00:00.003+02:002008-12-17T21:26:53.563+02:00

Paul and I have taken to reading the Herald Tribune whenever we happen to find a copy, which isn’t as regular as I’d like. Funny thing is my favorite part is reading the Egyptian Daily News that comes inside. It has far more weird, outright hilarious, or just plain head-shaking articles than whatever the Herald Tribune prints. Gently put though, it’s probably because some of the stuff just doesn’

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-35577294195735335762008-12-13T22:48:00.013+02:002008-12-13T23:29:36.849+02:00

So I published the last post a little prematurely. I was hoping to keep things orderly and in a chronological fashion. Anyway, the pictures I’m posting below aren’t terribly exciting, but are a kind of narration of the afternoon of the “Town’n it up” post. They give you an idea of what the open streets of downtown and Zamalech look like…and of course there are some pictures of the Nile. Mogamma.

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-14474191647966551642008-12-13T22:38:00.001+02:002008-12-13T22:42:16.394+02:00

Busy, busy, busy! Man, there has just been so much stuff going on this week I am a pooped puppy, but I can’t resist the urge to write. This week has been “wrap-it-up” week at school since it’s the end of the first quarter and the second Eid is coming up. Yay for fucking vacation…I need one bad. I had to fill out progress reports this week, which was kind of a joke since I was told the only grades

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-67444586863939029992008-11-24T22:36:00.000+02:002008-11-24T22:37:24.477+02:00

So no big events this month minus the White Desert trip, which was amazing, but Paul and I are trying to save for our next big adventure to Alexandria and Siwa, so money is a little tight. I’m super pumped though since we’ll finally be doing something on our own. Everyone here is so freakin’ generous we get picked up and toted around everywhere without having to do a whole lot of fending for

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-66017889141378549222008-11-16T22:09:00.020+02:002008-11-22T22:09:37.967+02:00

This was an amazing trip. It was only 2 days long, but really cool and really laid back. Basically we set out in a van to an Oasis and then jumped in an all terrain jeep drven by a local Bedouin. Then Saule (the driver) drove like a madman through the desert whch is quite possibly the funnest part of the trip. You bounce around while the driver either shifts the jeep on the sand or drives at

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-796213203590082792008-11-16T22:01:00.001+02:002008-11-18T21:18:19.119+02:00

Welcome to the hell that is my job! I decided I may as well reveal the shitty part of my travel experience. While I am getting to go and do all this crazy fun stuff, going on mystifying adventures, and livin’ it up in the big city…I do have to do that little thing called work. Learning to deal is easy though. The positives out weigh the negatives…but with this much chaos, it’s really easy to

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-19334725800382285292008-11-11T21:23:00.006+02:002008-11-11T23:14:52.715+02:00

I played hooky from school today…mostly because I really needed a personal day with some time by myself, but in my defense I do have a pretty awful cough and a sore throat. Yelling at toddlers all day with a cold would make for a really terrible day. Also, the school is a bit of a joke right now, and the drama and stress surrounding it is affecting everyone’s sanity a little. In the meantime,

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-59831733029719427002008-11-02T20:02:00.002+02:002008-11-02T20:07:39.890+02:00

Ahhh! I'm sitting in a cafe and I feel like I've warped into the twlight zone. There's a futball match and everyone's gone fucking mad. I keep jumping whenever a goal is scored because the place erupts with shouts and screams and clangs. I'm having severe flashbacks of Brazil during the world cup. We even got out of school early today so everyone could get home for the game...just like in

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-68994853334038819562008-11-01T21:32:00.006+02:002008-11-06T21:40:29.992+02:00

So we've finally seen the pyramids relatively up close and personal. Not that looking at them from Mousad's balcony wasn't already impressive, but this was pretty cool. Paul was operating on Egyptian time this day so we didn't actually go to the Pyramids. Instead we went to this part of town that's full of horses and camels and basically rented them for a few hours to ride around in the

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-19242105242215455392008-11-01T21:16:00.006+02:002008-11-02T19:44:36.214+02:00

EEEEEeeeeeee!!!! I’m super duper caffeinated! Paul and I woke up really early this morning and made a fabulous breakfast of eggs, veggies, and potatoes, all of which were purchased from the veggie stand on the corner, and we’ve been drinking coffee ever since. I have Turkish coffee in front of me right now and I’m almost afraid to drink it. I was really hoping all the caffeine would spur a

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-79016865148369475062008-10-21T22:32:00.012+02:002008-11-06T21:40:29.992+02:00

In alley one block west of Midan Hussein is a Ahwa (cafe) called el Fishawy as denoted by the sign above. It's supposedly been open continuosly for over 200 years. The walls are hung with huge mirrors, archaic chandeliers, a leather stuffed alligator, and black and white photos from the 30’s and 40’s doting famous Egyption artists and pseudo intellectuals. Inside it's packed with people smoking

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-6944705515079721592008-10-21T22:03:00.011+02:002008-11-06T21:40:29.992+02:00

This is the Mosque of Amr-Ibn Al-As. The mosque itself is a large square with a central open air plaza flanked on all sides by immense hallways with a wooden roof. Glass oil lamps float from all of the rafters…its a very simple masque…the walls block out the chaos of the buzzing traffic, merchants, and crowds and leave you with quiet and a pleasant breeze. No one is allowed to enter any mosque

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-38463225716796647342008-10-21T21:34:00.008+02:002008-11-06T21:40:29.992+02:00

So this is the tower of glass from the outside. It's basically a house, where people do actually live, but filled with glass. There are four floors which you clamour through on a tiny, tiny staircase. The top floor has an amazing view of a cemetery. This is just one example of the amount of glass items you'll find here. It makes for the most surreal scenery. Imagine relaxing in a room like this,

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-56590300866406646042008-10-21T19:27:00.002+02:002008-10-21T20:21:18.320+02:00

Argh…whenever I start my blogging bonanza I have no idea where to start. Paul and I have been adventuring around the winding alley’s of Cairo the past few weekends, and we’ve seen so much stuff it’s making things difficult…in a good way of course. School has been the usual. It’s still terribly scattered and unorganized, but I’m feeling much better about my teaching abilities. It’s funny though,

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-56842505500545008622008-10-21T18:53:00.004+02:002008-10-21T20:20:54.235+02:00

So, I’m in Egypt doing the expat thing, and for some reason I keep coming across more and more expat commentary and some of it just makes me feel damn shitty. What’s with American pessimism? Why is everything tainted with this hypocritical bullshit? I realize that being a white American makes me exceptionally privileged. I also realize that teaching English abroad has grown exponentially in

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-55993862300553695872008-10-07T21:46:00.002+02:002008-10-08T20:21:44.095+02:00

This is a prime example of the over-booked bus situation. Arty picture of the only road that runs through Marsa Alam.  Katie standing in the middle of the desert. Part of a panorama that should be up soon.  Beachy night hang out at Deep South dive camp on the Red Sea. 

Paul McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243818610185983111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-13606531185902464662008-10-07T18:54:00.003+02:002008-10-08T20:18:43.542+02:00

So we just made it back from Marsa Alam which was fun but not quite what I was expecting. When I think beach I think palm trees, sand, fancy hotels, tourists…this was kinda but not at all like that. First off, in typical Egyptian fashion the bus arrived hours late and instead of two there was only one; this meant that 25 seats had to fit 34 people. While cramming people into cars and cabs seems

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-36143637370456510962008-09-20T03:00:00.003+02:002008-10-08T20:26:24.834+02:00

View Larger Map Here's a quick post before I go to bed of the Nasr City section of Cairo with markers for our apartments and, as of now, just a couple other sites.

Paul McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243818610185983111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-37497800862917412382008-09-17T04:10:00.008+02:002008-10-08T20:21:23.788+02:00

This is the Kiosk on my street where we always buy water. This is the KG area at the school. The little pods are classrooms. This is me with the view from Paul's Balcony behind me. Hi! This is a sign from inside City Stars, the largest mall in the Arab Nations. Note the little dude on a prayer mat. This picture is from this huge Bazaar called Khan al Halili. Tons of cool stuff. Entrance to Khan

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-5779315350093851132008-09-16T18:45:00.008+02:002008-10-08T20:11:57.664+02:00

So today, the day before school starts, I got my class list and a syllabus with a lot of persistence. I basically asked the same three people for stuff all day over and over again until they just couldn’t ignore me anymore. Ms. Summer, poor thing, spent all day yelling at the matrons. Matrons, by the way, are something between a maid/servant/assistant. You feel bad for them because they always

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-4751840806985535832008-09-14T19:09:00.042+02:002008-10-08T20:22:05.612+02:00

Here are some pictures of Katie's apartment which she shares with 2 (soon to be 3) other girls.

Paul McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01243818610185983111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344569486609219143.post-66744787120833443272008-09-14T16:47:00.004+02:002008-10-08T20:20:52.280+02:00

So the blog has officially been started. Paul and I have decided to be coauthors on the same blog since we’ll have the same pictures and stories. Internet has been a bit sketchy though so posting may be less often than I initially intended. There is no internet in the apartment, but we would like to set it up. Unfortunately, it is an ordeal to set up anything with in Egypt. There is a Starbucks

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11011070228159807252noreply@blogger.com3