Video of a drive through Maadi

I was looking for a business in downtown Maadi where I could print out our absentee ballots, scan them, then email them back to the clerk by Tuesday.  While I was searching, I stumbled across a video that linked me to YouTube.  It's another video of Maadi, our community here, this time from a car.

The video starts right near a rotary which is where I get my bus to the new campus of AUC (about 45 minutes away in New Cairo).  When I walk home from where the bus drops me, I first cross the old tracks (-- I wonder when there was last a railroad there--- nothing like that now).  Then I walk down the straight street for a short time which is called Port Said.  It leads to downtown Maadi, an area called Road 9, which has many shops on both sides of the street for about 1/4 mile.  When I'm walking home, I turn off before Port Said gets to downtown.  At about the one minute mark on the video, where the driver turns right, I would walk left to go home.  Our flat is about 5 blocks in.
 
Here's the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD9ezwDtbX0

Trees, then and now

I've been walking around photographing trees here since they are quite beautiful and varied.  They are also valued.  I have heard that it is against the law to cut down a tree.   I wish there were such a law in Amherst.  (I heard a couple years ago that in the time that 500 street trees were cut down in Amherst, only about 30+ had been replaced.)

Here are some pictures of trees in Egypt.  The first few photos are from my walk back and forth to Cameron's school.  We love living in Maadi, our neighborhood in Cairo, in part because of the many trees.  Most of Cairo though is not like this-- it's much more like a city.

I believe these are banana trees below.

Trees played a very important role historically in Egypt.  The Pharaohs planted and cared for trees.  Some of the trees they planted were sycamore, lotus fruits, and willow.  There are petrified forests near the Giza pyramids.  During various historical times, (e.g., the Crusades), the focus was mainly on planting trees for wood to make a fleet of boats for military purposes.  They cultivated tens of thousands of wood trees on either side of the Nile.  

Now, the focus is on maintaining trees on road sides, farm borders and around villages.  Multipurpose trees are used such as sycamore, mulberry, lotus and others.  The fruit-bearing trees also give shade, are wind shields, help with air purification and provide wood for carpentry. 

Many trees are found in ancient hieroglyphics. There are many myths about trees.  One is that trees help feed the dead.  Below is one ancient piece of art showing this idea.

The photos below are from Alzhar Park where we went a couple weeks ago.

The ones below is called a yuccas.

The one below is from the Fish Gardens we visited last month.  If you click on the photo, you can see the tree in the background better. 

If you want to read more about trees in Egypt, here's a link with more information:

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/trees.htm

Trees in art of ancient Egypt:

 http://www.crystalinks.com/treegoddesses.html

Halloween in Egypt?

I didn't think we'd need to think about Halloween here so didn't bring any kind of costume or materials to make one from when we came here, but it turns out Halloween is a big deal at the Irish International School that Cameron attends.  Everybody dressed up and they transformed the school with Halloween decorations.

They don't have pumpkins here in Egypt (-- at least I haven't seen any--) so this is the creative alternative.  An orange balloon with black construction paper parts for the face and a rolled paper for a stem.  Pretty nice looking pumpkin!

Cameron wanted to be a white cat with spots.  Between a large white polyester shirt that I didn't mind parting with, plastic cups that stapled to make ears and a coat hanger twisted and wrapped in T-shirts covered with a pair of black nylon stockings, we made him into a cat.  Here are some photos.

Arabic Class & Fast Food

I passed my Arabic Class final test yesterday so will be moving on to the next level.  I really like my class.  It's with Berlitz.  The teacher is really good and we like her.  Below is a photo of our class with the teacher.  Only 3 students!  It's nice because we have a lot in common though we represent four countries among us:  the teacher is from Egypt, one woman is from Turkey, another from Uganda, and me.  We all have children who are in the 4-7 age range.   The teacher tries to have us be speaking Arabic as much as possible, but is also very nice about answering questions that come up about Egyptian culture.  We will start another class with our same group of four next week.  I'm going to try to start studying more so I can make more progress.

Here's a sign for you to read in Arabic. 

Here's what it is in a way you'll recognize it:

Cameron loves for us to go to McDonalds once in a while because they have a climbing structure.  With there not being parks or playgrounds here (except when you pay to go somewhere), the playground at McDonalds serves an important role.

The McDonalds in Maadi is always booming... very popular with Egyptians.  American fast-food places are sometimes a little more upscale here.  Pizza hut is a nice night out for families, couples, etc.  There's also Hardees, and KFC.  Delivery is a big thing here so you see many motocycles scooting around from McDonalds, Pizza Hut or Egyptian restaurants.

I feel a little guilty going to McDonalds when we are in a culture so rich in and of itself without being Americanized, but we only go once in a while and spend much of our time seeing Egyptian culture in other ways.  Our favorite restaurant is actually a Chinese/Thai restaurant a few blocks from our house called Wen.  It's run by a very nice Egyptian family (-- the mother is Chinese though; she's the cook).  They have a couple small kids, one Cameron's age, and they are always running around the restaurant when we go.  They always have a TV on at the restaurant and they play cartoons so Cameron likes that.  It's kind of funny to see Tom and Jerry or the Road Runner in Arabic.

Water Village in Benin

These photos were emailed to me by a member of the  Moot Court Team from my university taken when they went to Benin a couple weeks ago.  One of the days when there was a break in the Moot Court competition, the students were taken to a very unusual village, called the Venice of Africa.  The village is called Ganvie and it was founded in the 1700's.  The whole village is in water and people have to take boats to go anywhere.  

The reason this village was built in water was to escape the slave traders in the 1700's.  The people who built the village, the Tofinu people fled the slave traders from another tribe that happened to believe in a water demon so would not go near water.   

The two tribes get along fine now.

If you want to see more of this village, here's a link to a video on YouTube.  I don't know who took the video, but it's interesting.  Only the first couple minutes show the village.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x12nfu_cotonou-benin_travel

Camel Ride

Yesterday, while at the pyramids, Cameron and I went on our first camel ride.  It was interesting.

You'd be surprised what it feels like to have a camel go from kneeling position to being all the way up.  I hadn't realized just how tall these animals are. The camel was told to kneel down so we could climb on.  It was a good thing we were holding on tightly when the camel got up since it would be easy to flip over the front during that first thrust up to standing position when the camel lifts his back legs with his front legs still in kneeling position.  Jeff stayed on the ground and took a couple photos of us.

Then the camel owner brought us to another camel and tried to get Jeff to go on that one.  We've heard some stories about challenges in negotiating camel rides, so I was glad Jeff chose to stay on the ground.  Still the camel owners (now two of them) were determined to get him up there and at one point collected the bags from his hands and had hooked them on the saddle of the other camel.  But Jeff didn't go along with that so the guide instead wrapped him up in his turban and took his photo with Cameron and me, (see bottom photo).

Cameron liked the camel ride for the first 20 yards, then was saying he was ready to get down.  (It really does feel high when you're on the camel's back.)  

Speaking of camels, we're debating about whether to go to the camel market that is outside of Cairo.  That is where you go if you want to trade or buy camels.  The guide books say it is an interesting place to visit for a short time, but that some of the animals are not treated well.  They caution that young children might be upset by what they see at the market.  I guess we'll think more about this.  At least we have now seen and ridden a camel so passing on the camel market might not be so bad.    

Walk for a Cure to Breast Cancer at the Pyramids

We did the Walk for a Cure to raise money for breast cancer research today.  It was a great event.  There are many sponsors for the event.  Here are some of the ones you'll know that were listed on the back of the shirts we got for doing the walk:  Samsung, EgyptAir, Pepsi, Hard Rock Cafe, Chevrolet, Telecom Egypt, and many Egyptian businesses, as well as  the US. Dept. of State.  The event was really well-attended and people were in great spirits with people of all nationalities mixing and sharing in each other's photos.  Last year there were supposedly 10,000 people who participated in the walk; this year it looked like maybe double that number.


I registered us yesterday at the tiny office of the group organizing the event, the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt.  This organization is affiliated with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure group that is in the U.S.

There were so many buses there.  We signed up to get a bus that would pick up at a mall near our neighorhood at 7:30am, but as we were walking there in the morning, we came upon 7 buses parked on a side street that were also taking people to the walk, so we got on those buses.   There were many teams of people walking in the race:  schools, embassies, businesses, etc.

On the bus, on our way to the walk

This is a group of Egyptian students with Egypt's flag.

Many people wanted to have Cameron in their photos.  He liked it at first, but by the end he declined an invitation, to the disappointment of young woman.

Jeff, Cameron and me in front of one of the three main pyramids on this site.

Despite the festive feel of this walk, there were reminders of how serious this issue is.  One group carried a banner saying they were walking in the name of a particular woman.  As some of you may know, breast cancer effects 1 of 8 women.  It is expected that almost 40,000 women in the U.S. will die from breast cancer in 2010.  I read that breast cancer effects women in Egypt earlier than women elsewhere.  The age range in Egypt is 30-60 years old with the median age being 46 years old, 10 years younger than North America and Europe.  If you would like more information about breast cancer, here is a link with some other facts:

http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics.jsp
One of the most important things women can do is have a mammogram every 1-2 years after turning 40 since early detection is critical.

If you'd like to help contribute to finding a cure, you can buy the breast cancer stamps through the U.S. post office.  The stamps cost 11 cents more (55 cents instead of 44 cents), but it's an easy way to give a little at a time, and this effort really adds up.  Since the stamp was first issued in 1998, it has raised $68.9 million for breast cancer research.   If you'd like to read more about this, here's a link to an article:

http://www.examiner.com/postal-service-in-st-louis/breast-cancer-research-stamp-from-postal-service-raises-money-for-an-important-cause

This blog entry is dedicated to a friend of our family's, Katie Smith, who was a wonderful, kind, smart young woman and mother, who courageously fought against breast cancer for two years.

Walk for a Cure to Breast Cancer... at the Pyramids

We did the Walk for a Cure to raise money for breast cancer research today.  It was a great event.  There are many sponsors for the event.  Here are some of the ones you'll know that were listed on the back of the shirts we got for doing the walk:  Samsung, EgyptAir, Pepsi, Hard Rock Cafe, Chevrolet, Telecom Egypt, and many Egyptian businesses, as well as US. Dept. of State.  The event was really well-attended and people were in great spirits.  Last year there were supposedly 10,000 people who participated in the walk; this year it looked like maybe double that number.


I registered us yesterday at the tiny office of the group organizing the event, the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt.  This organization is somehow affiliated with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure group that is in the U.S. too since I saw their names on the shirt too.

This event was  per person to register (less than $5) and for that amount, each person got a T-shirt, cap, transportation to and from the pyramids and a lunch coupon.   There were so many buses there.  We signed up to get a bus that would pick up at a mall near our neighorhood at 7:30am, but as we were walking there in the morning, we came upon 7 buses parked on a side street that were also taking people to the walk, so we got on those buses.   There were many teams of people walking in the race:  schools, embassies, businesses, etc.

On the bus, on our way to the pyramids

This is a group of Egyptian students with Egypt's flag.

Many people wanted to have Cameron in their photos.  He loved it at first, but by the end he declined an invitation, to the disappointment of young woman.

As some of you may know, breast cancer effects 1 of 8 women.  It is expected that almost 40,000 women in the U.S. will die from breast cancer in 2010.  I read that breast cancer effects women in Egypt earlier than women elsewhere.  The age range in Egypt is 30-60 years old with the median age being 46 years old, 10 years younger than North America and Europe.  If you would like more information about breast cancer, here is a link with some other facts:

http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics.jsp

If you'd like to help contribute to finding a cure, you can buy the breast cancer stamps through the U.S. post office.  The stamps cost 11 cents more (55 cents instead of 44 cents), but it's an easy way to give a little at a time, and this effort really adds up.  Since the stamp was first issued in 1998, it has raised $68.9 million for breast cancer research.   If you'd like to read more about this, here's a link to an article:

http://www.examiner.com/postal-service-in-st-louis/breast-cancer-research-stamp-from-postal-service-raises-money-for-an-important-cause

Egypt Quiz #7

Hello Everyone, 

It's that time of the week again.  Here is Jeff's latest "Egypt Quiz" question.  If you would like to see past questions and/or send in your answer to him to start getting points, here's the link to his website with the Quiz:

http://theEgyptQuiz.com

And here's this week's question:

7. What do these two people have in common?

Settled in the new school

After moving from the Montesorri school a few weeks ago (see earlier postings about the transition), Cameron is now well-settled in the Irish International School.  He has reported that he likes it as much as he liked the Montesorri School.  Here are some photos of his school.

It's run like a one room school house in a way with the Primary One and Primary Two classes together (totaling about 20 or so kids).  The curriculum is according to the British system so even though Cameron is technically in kindergarten, in Britain, that would be Primary One.

One of the things I like about the school is that they teach other languages at young ages.  Since human brains code for language sounds at a very young age, I'm glad Cameron is hearing other languages on a regular basis.  Even though he won't be able to speak these languages at the end of one year, hopefully later in life it will make learning of languages an easier process for him.

Cameron has Arabic class several times a week with a very fun male Egyptian teacher and he has French class four times a week with a woman from France.  The French class is normally just for Primary two and up, but since many of the students in Cameron's primary one class are from other countries and are still working on grasping spoken English, the teacher thought it would be fine for him to miss part of the English teaching in order to have the chance to be exposed to French.  I think Cameron also likes being with the bigger kids for this one class each day since he's friends with several of the Primary Two children.

One complaint Cameron has about the school is that 'they don't have any toys... just books.' I think he's got a point in one respect.  This is a sad thing for Cameron since at the Montesorri School, the whole day was freedom to play with a wide range of toys.  But at least the Irish School has a nice playground that he enjoys three times a day.  And he can play with toys when he gets home.  Since with my Rotary Ambassadorial status we were each allowed three large suitcases to check on the plane, we took an entire suitcase of toys and games for Cameron which included his scooter.  Thank goodness for the scooter since it helps us get him to school on time.  The 10-12 minute walk becomes a 5-7 minute scooter ride, with me trotting beside him, to get him to school in time for the 8:30am line-up by the teacher.  (The teacher is the woman standing at ground level next to the front of the line.  Jeff and I both like her and think she's a good teacher.  The woman on the steps is a parent.)

As for books, Cameron is bringing home books once a week as an extra homework since the teacher says he's one of two Primary One children who can already read.  He can read short words, though the books he's bringing home don't just have short words, so they are a reach for him, but he seems to enjoy the challenge.   

Another thing we like about Cameron's school is that they are doing swimming lessons twice a week, for this month and then for a month in the spring.   They load the kids up in a bus and take them to a club with a nice pool and they have swimming class. 

On the playground, Cameron likes to do running games with a few of the other boys and he loves to climb.  

He also likes the trampoline.  His friend on the trampoline with him in the photo is a girl in his class from Sudan.  We like that people in his class come from all over the world: e.g., Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Germany, France, U.S. and Paraguay.