Today I began teaching! The past few days have been consumed with last minute preparations (along with the usual complications ☺ ) Anyway, I have 16 wonderful 14-16 year olds and I couldn’t be happier. 14 boys and 2 girls...oh those poor, poor girls.
It’s amazing how many things they were willing to put up with (and happily at that) that American teens their age would roll their eyes and refuse to do. To begin with, they walked in a line into the classroom. I started out with an introduction of myself and the class itself with literally no idea as to how much they were actually understanding. They understood well enough but they especially liked the “special” rule “No Arabic! Only English!” They enjoyed saying that to each other when one of them broke into accidental Arabic. Hey, it’s lame, but it made Arabic practically non-existent in the class.
Afterwards, I decided to ask them if they were excited, which generated some blank stares. I figured they didn’t know the word “excited” so I explained it, and then we repeated as a class ,“I am excited!” They found this pretty funny too, so we said it throughout the class. They always clapped after repeating something together.
I’m calling my class “Trip to the US” so I’m hoping to teach on a state to state basis, starting with New York. I’m hoping to cover different aspects of a number of states—traditions, attractions, and general vocabulary that fits with each area. I had a slideshow of pictures from New York City to show, but they had a hard time visualizing where the city was. They kept asking if the pictures were from Paris. They had a bizarre fascination with Paris for some reason. One of the Ahmeds asked where Paris was on the map of the US and another kid asked if the Eifel Tower was in NYC. Maybe their schools focus a lot on Paris…? Anyway, they liked the pictures but it took them a little while to orient themselves to the fact that it was called New York City and it was in the US.
Then we made “Passports to the US,” which ended up being a better activity that I had originally imagined. The project made them listen to what I was saying but they could watch what I was doing as well, so there was a simple connection of words and meanings. They learned fold, cut, triangle, share and all of the usual cooperation words. They liked writing the title on the cover (I explained how English books open opposite to the way Arabic books do) and they liked filling out their name, age, etc. I was worried they’d dismiss it as a dumb craft project that they were too old for, but they ended up liking it. They kept bringing them up to me so that I could see them every time we finished a step.
As the class continues we'll keep adding new material to these passports, preferably about each state. I took their pictures today for the personal information page and hopefully I'll get my act together and get a group shot in there as well. I guess I envisioned these being a sort of scrapbook of the class, so they can remember what they studied with the enthusiastic American who came to visit.
We wrapped the day up with “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts since our class is about traveling. I’m not sure they really made that connection, but they liked the idea of American music. One of the kids kept asking over and over, “This Michael Jackson? This Michael Jackson” and could NOT deal with the fact that the song wasn’t his. I guess I’m going to have to buy some itunes so he can get his fill of Michael Jackson.
I’m excited for what’s to come with these kids, or rather, young adults. They knew a lot less than I thought they would, but in a way that’s going to provide ME with a better teaching experience. I have to forge my own territory with the things I want to teach; I can’t rely on their already huge vocabularies. They are very intelligent kids, though, and they know a lot. They could definitely out-speak any high school senior in a battle of foreign language. We’ll see how things progress; maybe they were just holding out on me the first day.
-Julie
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
June 24, 2008
Things have been going well in Cairo, its an awesome place to be and we have been having a good time. Julie and I just started teaching ( me yesterday - julie today). We teach for four hours straight which is kind of a drag and the kids are 14-16. Most of my class was pretty good , but I literally exhausted all my activity/game resources in the first day so I have no idea what else I can use on them ( also - the class goes from 9 am - 1pm, but the entire class was arrived and seated ready to start at 830 - lucky me).
Last night Julie and I had a pretty awesome experience. I managed to get connected with this egyptian man named Mahmoud ( never met him before but got his number through a friend of a friend..). So Mahmoud is super cool and invited Julie and I out with him and his crowd last night. We met him at horeya - which we completely forget that we had been to (DSS, Jake) a couple weeks ago. From there we went to the citadel for a music festival, 'Fete de la Musique'. It was awesome, the citadel was gorgeous and all the mosques were lit up , and you had an amazing view of the city. The concert was free and it was so good, when we got there it was this reggae band that was singing in French, and everyone was dancing (as were we), it was great. After the concert we went to the Cairo Jazz Club, which is also a super cool place - and when the other volunteers visit we should definitely all go. There was a really cool egyptian band that played old folk music , and the way everyone danced was hilarious , the egyptian men have no problems dancing and being physical with other men (in totally non sexual ways). It was great . We made plans to go back to the Jazz Club tommorow night with the other interns, which will be good so we can start getting to know them better.
Also: yesterday , julie and I went to Desert Safari to pick up our tickets to Alex that Moody got for us. We wound up staying for almost two hours listening to Ahmed tell us ghost stories- it was fantastic.
Last night Julie and I had a pretty awesome experience. I managed to get connected with this egyptian man named Mahmoud ( never met him before but got his number through a friend of a friend..). So Mahmoud is super cool and invited Julie and I out with him and his crowd last night. We met him at horeya - which we completely forget that we had been to (DSS, Jake) a couple weeks ago. From there we went to the citadel for a music festival, 'Fete de la Musique'. It was awesome, the citadel was gorgeous and all the mosques were lit up , and you had an amazing view of the city. The concert was free and it was so good, when we got there it was this reggae band that was singing in French, and everyone was dancing (as were we), it was great. After the concert we went to the Cairo Jazz Club, which is also a super cool place - and when the other volunteers visit we should definitely all go. There was a really cool egyptian band that played old folk music , and the way everyone danced was hilarious , the egyptian men have no problems dancing and being physical with other men (in totally non sexual ways). It was great . We made plans to go back to the Jazz Club tommorow night with the other interns, which will be good so we can start getting to know them better.
Also: yesterday , julie and I went to Desert Safari to pick up our tickets to Alex that Moody got for us. We wound up staying for almost two hours listening to Ahmed tell us ghost stories- it was fantastic.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Sunny El-Minya
It was hot.
We arrived after 4 hours on a train with intermittent air-con and a somewhat liberal view of the arrival time... but it arrived and the seats were comfy.
The station was hot and muggy.
We met Evette on the station platform while Samia was inside speaking to the ticket office. After a quick hello and a chat about life we caught a taxi to the boat. I think all the locals were a bit surprised to see two westerners with full backpacks walking down to the river but at that stage my mind was full of the image of a nice quiet bed. At least for that night only I didn't notice the noise, the heat or the mosquitos. Just blissfully peaceful sleep.
The patio was sunbaked, glimmering in the heat.
Breakfast was interesting... After several attempts I managed to find something that I could eat. Over the course of the next few days Samia and ourselves sorted out the schedule, talked about the classes and even managed to persuade the police that we didn't need a bodyguard! Strangest letter I've ever written.
The city was a furnace, beyond hope or reason.
Out first lessons went smoothly or so I'd like to believe. It was quite scary to be back in front of a class again after a year on university lectures. There's something about all those eyes looking at you that can be a bit off-putting. But Samia was happy and it seems that neither me or Daniel are going to get kicked out so all in all I'm calling it a success.
The night was on fire, the rocks radiating heat like the final days of the world.
Last night the Egyptians decided that they would be extra loud. A boat parked outside my room and turned up the dial on the volume control. Word had been getting around the mosquito community about my arm and last night was happy hour. The fan in my room was fighting a losing battle against the heat. And yet depsite all of this I got the best night sleep since coming to Egypt.
Minya was hot.
Minya was Awesome.
We arrived after 4 hours on a train with intermittent air-con and a somewhat liberal view of the arrival time... but it arrived and the seats were comfy.
The station was hot and muggy.
We met Evette on the station platform while Samia was inside speaking to the ticket office. After a quick hello and a chat about life we caught a taxi to the boat. I think all the locals were a bit surprised to see two westerners with full backpacks walking down to the river but at that stage my mind was full of the image of a nice quiet bed. At least for that night only I didn't notice the noise, the heat or the mosquitos. Just blissfully peaceful sleep.
The patio was sunbaked, glimmering in the heat.
Breakfast was interesting... After several attempts I managed to find something that I could eat. Over the course of the next few days Samia and ourselves sorted out the schedule, talked about the classes and even managed to persuade the police that we didn't need a bodyguard! Strangest letter I've ever written.
The city was a furnace, beyond hope or reason.
Out first lessons went smoothly or so I'd like to believe. It was quite scary to be back in front of a class again after a year on university lectures. There's something about all those eyes looking at you that can be a bit off-putting. But Samia was happy and it seems that neither me or Daniel are going to get kicked out so all in all I'm calling it a success.
The night was on fire, the rocks radiating heat like the final days of the world.
Last night the Egyptians decided that they would be extra loud. A boat parked outside my room and turned up the dial on the volume control. Word had been getting around the mosquito community about my arm and last night was happy hour. The fan in my room was fighting a losing battle against the heat. And yet depsite all of this I got the best night sleep since coming to Egypt.
Minya was hot.
Minya was Awesome.
TGIF [by Christine]
I haven't been so thankful for a Friday in a long time. Since we arrived in Alexandria I have been exhausted and though my body would not let me sleep in this morning, it is good to know that I will have 24 hours of not setting foot into the teacher's lounge.
Wednesday I taught my first class of rich Arab eight and nine year olds after observing only the class the day before. It was a mess (but the kids enjoyed it). Though I have quite the lesson with dinosaurs set up for them on Monday, I am glad to have a few days before making it through another four hour class with them. While I wish there was a lot of room for fun and games; every class must include reading, writing, vocabulary, listening, and speaking - but it is these kid's summer break and they hardly dig writing paragraphs about Europe and space exploration.
In other news, I really love Alexandria. Yeah, the call to prayer is nicer in Cairo -- and the City Victorious has better strawberry juice, but our cute flat overlooks quite the garden, which we only have to walk through to get to the teaching building. Also, about a ten minute walk from the beach you can feel the sea's breeze from just about anywhere.
Last night, Moataz, the IT guy took Jake and I around 'old Alexandria,' which included seeing the castle and a trip to an aquarium that was labeled even better than the Modern Art Museum in Cairo. I think my favorite was "Some Fish From The Mediterranean." Afterwards we ate dinner at the Grand Cafe and I finally tried cantaloupe sheesha - which rivals the actual fruit by far.
If we could only figure out where the heck to eat around here (and how to teach 13 eight-year-olds in the summer) then I think I would be set.
We'll see how the dinosaurs go on Monday.
Wednesday I taught my first class of rich Arab eight and nine year olds after observing only the class the day before. It was a mess (but the kids enjoyed it). Though I have quite the lesson with dinosaurs set up for them on Monday, I am glad to have a few days before making it through another four hour class with them. While I wish there was a lot of room for fun and games; every class must include reading, writing, vocabulary, listening, and speaking - but it is these kid's summer break and they hardly dig writing paragraphs about Europe and space exploration.
In other news, I really love Alexandria. Yeah, the call to prayer is nicer in Cairo -- and the City Victorious has better strawberry juice, but our cute flat overlooks quite the garden, which we only have to walk through to get to the teaching building. Also, about a ten minute walk from the beach you can feel the sea's breeze from just about anywhere.
Last night, Moataz, the IT guy took Jake and I around 'old Alexandria,' which included seeing the castle and a trip to an aquarium that was labeled even better than the Modern Art Museum in Cairo. I think my favorite was "Some Fish From The Mediterranean." Afterwards we ate dinner at the Grand Cafe and I finally tried cantaloupe sheesha - which rivals the actual fruit by far.
If we could only figure out where the heck to eat around here (and how to teach 13 eight-year-olds in the summer) then I think I would be set.
We'll see how the dinosaurs go on Monday.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Recap of Egypt Thus far
I've been personally keeping a journal of my experiences in Egypt with the intention of publishing them as soon as I could get consistent internet access. Well, I'd hardly call this consistent, but in my short time here I've realized that you have to appreciate what you can find. At any rate I'm absolutely loving my time here; I feel like I'm learning such a dense amount of information each day that I can barely retain it. So, now, from the beginning.
June 12, 2008
I began my acquaintance with Cairo by climbing into a taxi, unlabeled as such, with my program director, another volunteer and a driver named Akmed. We darted through the mess of cars that is Cairo traffic and Akmed blared “Material Girl” (of all things) with all the windows down. That particular song seemed so wrong for that moment, but I guess in a way it works. I think Egypt is trying to catch up to the attitude portrayed in that song because it sees the rest of the world enjoying such materialism. They deserve these comforts as well, don’t get me wrong, but this new idea is mixing with the old in a bizarre way. I guess that’s the way it goes in all developing nations—mosques surrounded by other old buildings on one corner and vendors selling embellished bras and panties from makeshift tables on the next.
Earlier, on the plane, I sat next to a small, middle-aged Egyptian man who told me about the 22 days he had just spent in the US studying American medicine. His name was Magid and he was a pediatrician who specialized in the repair of cleft palates. He was in love with Americans. I’d been briefed on the possible negativity I might encounter being an American, but this guy was the 100% anomaly to that concept. He told me about how he thought the Americans he had met were so considerate and kind I couldn’t help but feel a little bit patriotic. I’m glad that we all don’t seem like the tyrants that we’re made out to be.
He told me he wanted to marry an American woman, which I later realized was a hint of sorts after my program director explained how frequently Egyptians propose to Americans. He gave me his e-mail address and phone number about 2 minutes after sitting down and told me, “I take you to pyramids and big dinner.” He then helped me however he could for the rest of the 10 hour flight, offering me gum, opening my tray table for me, and throwing away my garbage. He wasn’t creepy, though, as surprising as it may be to say that; he was just being nice.
All of the Egyptians that I’ve met so far have been (for the most part) this friendly. One of the men in the hostel, Farek, has taught himself all of the English that he knows, which I find to be incredibly impressive. He drives a taxi, drawing his customers mainly from the pool of individuals staying in one of the 5 or so rooms. He told us that he would hear a word in English, write in down in Arabic characters, and then ask someone what it meant. For example, he cited the word “because,” explaining how he came to its meaning and then using it in a sentence; “He is shouting because I drive with him crazy.”
Speaking of crazy drivers…there are no rules on the streets of Cairo. My one taxi ride so far has proven this fact. Drivers beep if someone cuts them off, or lets them in, or almost runs over them, or, as my program director joked, if they want a lighter. There are so many different kinds of cars; it’s a little bit funny. Basically, any type of ridiculously tiny vehicle exists in droves here. No SUVs, which is refreshing. Gas is a problem here too, though; apparently gas stations run out of gas every day forcing people to sometimes drive to multiple stations before they can fill up. I’m not sure of the prices; I need to learn Arabic numbers.
Obviously these are the sights of a person who has spent a mere 9 hours here, but these first impressions line up with what I’ve been told to expect. I knew the streets would be dirty and the drivers insane. I knew that the people would be over-accommodating to a point of almost fault and I also knew that some, some, people would love Americans.
So overall my experience has been lovely. I’m exhausted but I’m not going to let myself nap, going off of the advice of the other volunteers who got here earlier than me. I want to be able to sleep through the night. If this entry ends up being drool on a page, blame my beginning at 5 am on June 11th, sleeping for 5 hours on a plane next to a talkative Egyptian, and continuing through now. (I arrived in Cairo at 3am EST).
June 13, 2008
Today was a day of intense bonding of the team. We began in Coptic Cairo, looking at churches and the one synagogue in the area as well as the Coptic Museum; these were all beautiful. We lunched in Tahir Square on falafel and more juice (I’m definitely partial to the mango). Then back to the hotel (The New President) for a bit and exploring the surrounding area. We met two other Americans, a couple, who were making their way around the world (literally). They were coming off a 13 European country stint and were only visiting Egypt for a few days.
We had dinner at some loud relatively lame restaurant where I got a mediocre tomato and mozzarella salad. Then we walked to the Nile where we paid 10 gnay for a river boat ride. What a show that turned out to be. We climbed into this already rickety sail boat and ended up waiting for the driver for a good ten minutes. When we finally pulled out the current took us immediately which at the time seemed like a very good thing. As we drifted closer to the bridge nearest to us we started to get a little nervous. All of a sudden the captain starts freaking out and we look up to where he’s directing most of his anger and see that the mast of the sailboat had caught itself on the ceiling of the bridge. The boat begins to rapidly sink to the right (where I’m sitting) while the left pops into the air. We were sure that the boat was just about ready to capsize so the two of us sitting on the sinking side jumped over with the other volunteers.
I was pretty much convinced that at least some of us were going to end up in the cruddy, polluted Nile to be eaten by some strange waterbourne illness. Anyway, when our watery graves begin to look imminent, we heard a huge crack. The mast had snapped from the pressure. Meanwhile, one of the larger but passengerless boats was making its way to our aid. We assumed that the boat was coming to get us but when it pulled up it’s workers tied our boat to theirs and started pulling it out. As they drug us, though, they somehow managed to catch the remaining corner of the mast on the edge of the pillar holding the bridge up. The boat kept pulling, snapping that section of the mast as well and again threatening us with the possibility of a swim. This boat pulled us further out and even though we were sure that we would just return to the shore, the driver wasn’t about to give us a refund. So, with our little broken boat and our embarrassed captain we sat, almost completely still, in the middle of the Nile until our promised half hour was through. We then started making our way back. The current, however, had other plans and began dragging us again toward the bridge. This time we rammed a parked boat and somehow used it to drag ourselves to the resting place. We ended up with a great story to tell but a traumatizing 45 minutes.
One final side note/funny story…one of the men in the hostel, Ahmed, is very much in love with himself and definitely suave with the ladies. When I asked him today if I was saying his name right he said, “I never knew my name was so beautiful until I heard you say it.” I was warned about this type of Egyptian boy, so it was hilarious when this warning came true.
-Julie
June 12, 2008
I began my acquaintance with Cairo by climbing into a taxi, unlabeled as such, with my program director, another volunteer and a driver named Akmed. We darted through the mess of cars that is Cairo traffic and Akmed blared “Material Girl” (of all things) with all the windows down. That particular song seemed so wrong for that moment, but I guess in a way it works. I think Egypt is trying to catch up to the attitude portrayed in that song because it sees the rest of the world enjoying such materialism. They deserve these comforts as well, don’t get me wrong, but this new idea is mixing with the old in a bizarre way. I guess that’s the way it goes in all developing nations—mosques surrounded by other old buildings on one corner and vendors selling embellished bras and panties from makeshift tables on the next.
Earlier, on the plane, I sat next to a small, middle-aged Egyptian man who told me about the 22 days he had just spent in the US studying American medicine. His name was Magid and he was a pediatrician who specialized in the repair of cleft palates. He was in love with Americans. I’d been briefed on the possible negativity I might encounter being an American, but this guy was the 100% anomaly to that concept. He told me about how he thought the Americans he had met were so considerate and kind I couldn’t help but feel a little bit patriotic. I’m glad that we all don’t seem like the tyrants that we’re made out to be.
He told me he wanted to marry an American woman, which I later realized was a hint of sorts after my program director explained how frequently Egyptians propose to Americans. He gave me his e-mail address and phone number about 2 minutes after sitting down and told me, “I take you to pyramids and big dinner.” He then helped me however he could for the rest of the 10 hour flight, offering me gum, opening my tray table for me, and throwing away my garbage. He wasn’t creepy, though, as surprising as it may be to say that; he was just being nice.
All of the Egyptians that I’ve met so far have been (for the most part) this friendly. One of the men in the hostel, Farek, has taught himself all of the English that he knows, which I find to be incredibly impressive. He drives a taxi, drawing his customers mainly from the pool of individuals staying in one of the 5 or so rooms. He told us that he would hear a word in English, write in down in Arabic characters, and then ask someone what it meant. For example, he cited the word “because,” explaining how he came to its meaning and then using it in a sentence; “He is shouting because I drive with him crazy.”
Speaking of crazy drivers…there are no rules on the streets of Cairo. My one taxi ride so far has proven this fact. Drivers beep if someone cuts them off, or lets them in, or almost runs over them, or, as my program director joked, if they want a lighter. There are so many different kinds of cars; it’s a little bit funny. Basically, any type of ridiculously tiny vehicle exists in droves here. No SUVs, which is refreshing. Gas is a problem here too, though; apparently gas stations run out of gas every day forcing people to sometimes drive to multiple stations before they can fill up. I’m not sure of the prices; I need to learn Arabic numbers.
Obviously these are the sights of a person who has spent a mere 9 hours here, but these first impressions line up with what I’ve been told to expect. I knew the streets would be dirty and the drivers insane. I knew that the people would be over-accommodating to a point of almost fault and I also knew that some, some, people would love Americans.
So overall my experience has been lovely. I’m exhausted but I’m not going to let myself nap, going off of the advice of the other volunteers who got here earlier than me. I want to be able to sleep through the night. If this entry ends up being drool on a page, blame my beginning at 5 am on June 11th, sleeping for 5 hours on a plane next to a talkative Egyptian, and continuing through now. (I arrived in Cairo at 3am EST).
June 13, 2008
Today was a day of intense bonding of the team. We began in Coptic Cairo, looking at churches and the one synagogue in the area as well as the Coptic Museum; these were all beautiful. We lunched in Tahir Square on falafel and more juice (I’m definitely partial to the mango). Then back to the hotel (The New President) for a bit and exploring the surrounding area. We met two other Americans, a couple, who were making their way around the world (literally). They were coming off a 13 European country stint and were only visiting Egypt for a few days.
We had dinner at some loud relatively lame restaurant where I got a mediocre tomato and mozzarella salad. Then we walked to the Nile where we paid 10 gnay for a river boat ride. What a show that turned out to be. We climbed into this already rickety sail boat and ended up waiting for the driver for a good ten minutes. When we finally pulled out the current took us immediately which at the time seemed like a very good thing. As we drifted closer to the bridge nearest to us we started to get a little nervous. All of a sudden the captain starts freaking out and we look up to where he’s directing most of his anger and see that the mast of the sailboat had caught itself on the ceiling of the bridge. The boat begins to rapidly sink to the right (where I’m sitting) while the left pops into the air. We were sure that the boat was just about ready to capsize so the two of us sitting on the sinking side jumped over with the other volunteers.
I was pretty much convinced that at least some of us were going to end up in the cruddy, polluted Nile to be eaten by some strange waterbourne illness. Anyway, when our watery graves begin to look imminent, we heard a huge crack. The mast had snapped from the pressure. Meanwhile, one of the larger but passengerless boats was making its way to our aid. We assumed that the boat was coming to get us but when it pulled up it’s workers tied our boat to theirs and started pulling it out. As they drug us, though, they somehow managed to catch the remaining corner of the mast on the edge of the pillar holding the bridge up. The boat kept pulling, snapping that section of the mast as well and again threatening us with the possibility of a swim. This boat pulled us further out and even though we were sure that we would just return to the shore, the driver wasn’t about to give us a refund. So, with our little broken boat and our embarrassed captain we sat, almost completely still, in the middle of the Nile until our promised half hour was through. We then started making our way back. The current, however, had other plans and began dragging us again toward the bridge. This time we rammed a parked boat and somehow used it to drag ourselves to the resting place. We ended up with a great story to tell but a traumatizing 45 minutes.
One final side note/funny story…one of the men in the hostel, Ahmed, is very much in love with himself and definitely suave with the ladies. When I asked him today if I was saying his name right he said, “I never knew my name was so beautiful until I heard you say it.” I was warned about this type of Egyptian boy, so it was hilarious when this warning came true.
-Julie
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