Stacey Stories from Around the World

Posted on September 30, 2016September 30, 2016 by stacey00000

My Derby Story and How it Led Me to Skate with the CaiRollers- Egypt’s Only Roller Derby League

Photo by Joel Giltner; Skating with my team- the United States Pummeling Service, Rocky Mountain Rollergirls

Jerry Seltzer- son of Leo Seltzer, who started roller derby in 1936

Photo by Dave Wood- the amazing Fillmore Auditorium

Photo by Dave Wood; Titan and Misto

derby friends are forever friends

Durga and Titan

The CaiRollers!

CaiRollers

Battlestar Valkyrie, Minnie Mean, Titan

Sometimes derby worlds collide: CaiRollers and Rocky Mountain: Titan, Durga, Bob Loblaw, and Katie

My first CaiRollers practice

Photo by Dave Wood; United States Pummeling Service, Rocky Mountains Rollergirls

My passion for derby began when I saw a flier for a bout in Denver, Colorado, with the Denver Roller Dolls (now known as Denver Roller Derby). It was flashy, colorful, and was about a sport I knew nearly nothing about. I immediately knew I had to go. I rallied up a group of girlfriends and we went to see it. The game was at the Fillmore Auditorium, which is typically a music venue, though it was originally built as a roller skate rink in the 1930s. This means that it has the perfect wooden floor for skating. There are chandeliers above the track, the audience packed on the floor and on bleachers around the outside. The venue holds about 2000 spectators and it was nearly a packed house. I fell in love with everything about the game immediately and knew that I had to be part of this amazing sport. It was exciting, new, raw, and so different from any sport I had ever seen. There were announcers in crazy costumes, the skaters wore fishnets and booty shorts and many were covered in tattoos on their bodies of all shapes and sizes. The women were strong. They would fall and get back up. Though the teams hit their opponents hard on the track, they had comradery amongst each other. The music in the background was intensifying, and the audience from young to old.

When I got home I immediately looked up information on tryouts. I learned that there are two leagues in Denver- the Denver Roller Dolls, and the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls. I asked around a bit to see if anyone knew anything about the difference in the leagues. The only tip I got was from a friend who had seen both leagues skate and she thought it seemed like the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls had more fun and the Denver Roller Dolls took it more seriously. Without knowing where I fit in this, I signed up for both tryouts- they were only a week apart, with Rocky’s first.

In April of 2009, I attended tryouts and I began skating with the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, of Denver, Colorado in USA. I never attended the Denver Roller Dolls’ tryouts after all.

I began with a group of 55 newbies. It was the hardest thing I ever did. I remember my very first practice I walked in and saw large women in little booty shorts. When I saw this, I knew I belonged. This was a place that was welcoming of all types of bodies and would hold no judgment. At the time I had image issues of my own and it was just what I needed to pull me out of that. I was frightened of some of the trainers, in particular Tia Juana Pistola and Frida Beater, who pushed us beyond what we thought capable. Some days I was so nervous I would sit in my car outside of our warehouse practice space and have to give myself a pep-talk before going in. I was also scared of some of the top skaters. They were so tough on the track and would send girls flying; my biggest fears on the track at that time were Whippity Pow and Pinky 500.

With time, I improved in my skill, advanced to higher-level practices, and was ready to be skills-tested. This is a big deal for a skater. Once a skater passes her skills-test, she gets to pick her derby name and then gets drafted to a home-team. I was a week away from my skills-test, and I had a terrible derby accident. During scrimmage I fell poorly and shattered my ankle. My foot was sideways- it was one of the most disgusting things I had ever seen. I got transported in an ambulance to the emergency room where they reset the break and took x-rays. I had shattered the tibia and fibula at the ankle, and had a butterfly fracture up the fibula. It required a 5-hour surgery. Two titanium plates and 12 screws later, surgery was complete. The surgeon urged me to never skate again. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at this time.

After weeks on the couch, months in physical therapy, many visits from my derby sisters, and watching my league the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls win the Hydra trophy at the Championships game of 2010, I got back on the track. I knew that I needed to ‘get back on that horse’ so to speak to overcome my fears I was having of the sport. My goal was to get to my previous level of skill and then I could decide once I had reached that point if I would continue or not…

I immediately fell in love with the sport all over again. Who was I kidding!? It took a long while to get my skills back. I had to relearn how to skate. The biggest challenge though was the mental challenge that comes after an injury. That took years to overcome. The league invited me to become a league member even though I hadn’t passed my skills test yet, and this meant that I could select my derby name. After lots of thought, I became Titan I Am (titanium). I felt that this was a name that I had earned and suited me well because of my injury- my name would tell its own story.

I eventually was skills-tested and drafted to the Red Ridin’ Hoods home team. As the league grew, we opened up a fourth home team, the United States Pummeling Service. I was transferred to this team and elected to be co-captain along with Triple Shot Misto, who later became my derby wife. Together we created the whole team- we selected team uniforms, colors, and logos, and drafted new skaters to the team. It was so much fun to create it from scratch! With both of these teams I got to skate under the chandeliers at the Fillmore Auditorium. I have skated for sold-out crowds of 2000 or so! I have gotten to travel and skate in other states with RMRG’s travel team Project Mayhem. All of this has been a dream come true- a dream that I didn’t know I had.

It’s not hard to fall in love with derby. On the outside it may seem overwhelming and like an impenetrable group of women, but these are some of the kindest, most-welcoming women I have ever met. The skaters come from all different walks of life. Some are teachers (that’s me!), lawyers, nurses, stay-at-home-moms, librarians, construction workers, students, etc. The list goes on. Also the age varies. At different points our league had the youngest age of 18 and I think the oldest skater was 54. We also all have different skating backgrounds. Some grew up speed-skating, playing hockey, figure-skating, and others tied their skate laces for the first time at tryouts. I would not have met most of these women if it hadn’t been for roller derby. Though we may not all be best friends, I know that if I ever need help, there are immediately about 100 women who will have my back and help me out of any sticky situation. They have hearts of gold, and hold dear the same passion as me. This passion of roller derby can easily take over one’s life. Typically, each skater is on a committee, does street-team efforts, and volunteers for at least one event per month. So basically, roller derby is a second job, or a second spouse depending how you look at it! These women become your sisters and your comrades, and sometimes your enemies as you compete for spots on the top-level travel teams. But together we make each other stronger people and smarter skaters. We all grow as a team and soon become bonded. Some of my best friends have been made through roller derby. We have a bond like no other. These are the ladies I love.

In August of 2015 I was headed to live in Cairo, Egypt for a teaching opportunity at an international school. Even before the interview, I was researching Egypt’s roller derby scene online. I have a good derby friend on RMRG who is half-Egyptian and already was telling me lots about the team because she admired them since they began. I learned there is only one team in Egypt- the CaiRollers. They were started by a few dedicated expats in 2012 and the league continues, now with mostly Egyptian women.

In September of 2015 I attended my first CaiRollers practice. They were so welcoming and seemed excited to have me there. They are an amazing group of women. They are strong and tough, like derby women all over the world, yet there’s something extra special about them. In a culture that’s often perceived to be less-liberated, these women see no barriers. Race and religion have no bearing on the derby track. Some CaiRollers skate in their hijab underneath their helmet with long sleeves and pants, while others skate in a tank top. There is no judgment and no expectation except that you show up and give it your all.

We practice twice per week- once at a stadium, and once at a school on the basketball court- both are outdoor practice spaces. You learn that there is no way to keep your skates and especially your bearings clean. There is so much dust/sand/whatever you want to call it. You have to learn to plow stop with a layer of sand under your wheels! Sometimes practice gets cancelled due to an unusual rain, sand storm, or extreme pollution. With the heavy Cairo traffic, busy Metro lines, and people traveling across the huge city, people show up late to practice- often 30 minutes or more late, but you get to learn that it is Egyptian to be late, and there is no problem in it. This took a while for me to get used to, coming from a league that would often yell at you for getting on the track 5 minutes late or penalize your attendance count. I embrace it now for what it is, and yes, it is sometimes me who comes late too. The traffic doesn’t clear the way for me either.

After a few months of practice with the CaiRollers I was asked to lead a practice. Then it became that I was coaching them once per week. I was nervous at first, but embraced the opportunity to share my derby knowledge with these women. It is fun to push them harder than they think they can go and to watch them grow as skaters on the track. Now I train them regularly and absolutely love it. It has been amazing to watch them improve over the past year. The other trainer, the only other American on the league at the time, Battle Star Valkyrie, and I worked together to plan and prepare the team for a game. In May we had finally had this bout- they hadn’t had a game in over a year and a half- they were long overdue! Because there were not many active skaters, we split our league in about half and had a game of 7 vs. 6. It was hard, tough, and real roller derby. Right here in Cairo, Egypt! We had about 50 people or so in the audience. It was so much fun to have a real game with refs and everything. Speaking of refs, my half-Egyptian friend I had mentioned earlier, Pain D’ Piper, happened to be visiting Egypt and was a ref for us for the game. It was amazing and lucky for us to have her be part of the experience.

Since then we have taken on about 30 new skaters. Our league is growing and it is so exciting! My hope too is that roller derby will soon be in other major cities in Egypt.

The CaiRollers skaters have become an inspiration to me, both on and off the track. I have learned so much about Egypt- about its culture, religions, politics, traditions, customs, and goals. Like the American derby girls I know, they are from all different backgrounds- most are young professionals kicking ass in their fields of work and some are students. Some are mothers, though all are motherly, which is a cultural thing you get to know about them. They care for me and have become some of my best friends; they are my Egyptian sisters. I am lucky to have the privilege to skate with them and learn from them- about the world around me and in so doing, learn more about myself.

I’m thankful that it’s not in fashion anymore to wear fishnet stockings during the roller derby games, but I’m fond of the times when it was. I’m happy that Denver is booming, but I’m sad that this means there are no rugged warehouses for the Denver leagues to practice and bout in anymore. I’m thankful that this is the fastest growing women’s sport in the world, which has led me to skate with the CaiRollers, though sad that it’s hard to fill in the seats at a game. I am thankful that my path has led me to skate with the CaiRollers. I’m thankful that there are people in the world who know me first as Titan and have to think hard about what my ‘real’ name is. I crave to be on my skates- it is one of my safe-places.

I have often said that roller derby saved my life. I think this is true on multiple levels. Roller derby helped me get through a divorce and the loss of my Dad. My teamships have bonded together with the loss of two derby sisters to cancer, Machika Mayhem and Nikki Brixx. But more importantly it helped me find myself when I thought I already knew who I was. It has empowered me, given me confidence, strength, and compassion, and has been an unceasing outlet for any emotions I may be feeling. Where else can you go knock people down after a tough day at work?! I love this sport. I love the skaters, the refs, the officials, and all other volunteers who give their time for this crazy and wild game. Roller derby has changed me, and I hope to change others through being involved in it. Though people come and go from the derby track, we will always be bonded for life by this unusual commonality that we share. Once a derby sister- always a friend for life.

SLUGS, NOT HUGS———-Sealed with DERBY KISSES (these are bruises!)

-TITAN I AM

Posted on July 27, 2016 by stacey00000

A Nile Cruise in Upper Egypt

When Martin and I made the big decision to move to Egypt, Martin’s parents almost immediately bought tickets with the plan to visit us. In fact, they had purchased tickets for Egypt way before we purchased tickets! Their trip was planned over my Christmas holiday, which was great because it was right about the time that I really needed a good dose of family and the feeling of home. It also meant that we had two open weeks available for travel with them.

Shortly after Judy and Steve planned their trip to visit, Martin’s sister Gretchen and her boyfriend John followed suit and bought tickets that overlapped their parents’ stay. During the week that nearly all of the Gilmore clan was in Egypt, we made plans to do a Nile Cruise in Upper Egypt. It was a trip of a lifetime!

Judy & Steve at the Pyramids of Giza

Gretchen & John

Martin & Stacey

View from the hot air balloon

view from the hot air balloon

hieroglyphs detailing proper diet

Ahmed the Artist

Sunset on the Nile

Horace the protector

a scarab beetle for good luck

tombs along the side of the Nile

Nilometer- to measure the height of the Nile

crocodile mummies

scarf weaver

the many faces of Hathor each week of the month 😉

taking a break in Aswan next to Phillae Temple

Phillae Temple

Martin & Steve serenading friends with a house-concert

Gretchen & Stacey

the Alley of Sphinxes

the Gilmore’s!

trying to fill the hot air balloon

the rise of the moon over the Nile

another Nile sunset

It used to be that you could take a cruise ship from Cairo and travel south to Luxor and Aswan. Feluccas and Dahabayas would eagerly await tourists on the shores of the Nile as they would show off their boats and what they had to offer for the trip south. It’s not like this anymore. It is now too dangerous to take this journey from Cairo all the way up. And because of the fall of tourism in Egypt, former luxurious cruise ships now line the shores of the Nile in Cairo. They look dilapidated and tell their stories of faded glory, as is the way of so many things in Egypt. Many of these ships now have a restaurant on the top-level of the ship and act as fancy diners on the river, which give the illusion of an evening amidst a cruise vacation. Some also look to be rented out as some type of living situation.

Let me explain something confusing, which I may have already mentioned. Upper Egypt is in southern Egypt. If you go ‘up’ the Nile, you are traveling south because of the direction of the water flow on the river. The Nile River is one of few rivers in the world that flows from south to north. When you travel ‘up’ the river, you are traveling upstream, which in the case of the Nile, is south.

To take our Nile Cruise, the six of us caught an early cab ride to the airport to take a short flight to Luxor. Martin booked the trip for us through a travel agency who has been outstanding to work with, they are called SeEgypt. In the United States, people don’t often use travel agencies anymore because of the convenience of the internet and other accessibilities. I was so thankful for this organization. It took me a while to be comfortable with letting someone else plan our trip. Americans can be control-freaks. And when it comes to my vacation, you bet I want to take control! The tour company lined up every little detail for us and got us amazing deals on everything. I have no regrets of letting someone else take charge. When we arrived in Luxor we were greeted at the baggage claim by the driver of our minibus that would take us to the ship (Maybe it’s a boat? When does a boat become a ship?).

We got to the ship so early that they didn’t have a room ready for us, so we all half-slept in the lobby of the ship as they brought us coffee, tea, and cakes. We were greeted with such kindness and everyone was so eager to please us.

I’ve never taken a cruise before, and never thought I’d be one to enjoy a cruise, but this trip was truly special. It was a bit like stepping back in time. Our room was on the upper level, so we had great views- you could open up the large window and wave at the locals on the shores as we passed by. The food was amazing and we stuffed ourselves silly. The entertainment was great in the evenings. We were not at a shortage of things to do while on the ship. On the upper deck of the ship was a bar and seating to lookout to the shores, or just enjoy the fresh air. There were people sunbathing. There was a pool, though the temperature was just a bit too cool for anyone to think of using it. There were even a few exercise machines on the upper deck.

Yes, the ship’s amenities were great, but to be honest, we were hardly on the ship because we had so many activities planned for each location that the boat would dock. We saw temple after temple. The magnitude of what we saw was amazing. We would see a site and think that it can’t get any better than this… then we see the next site and it did get better. We saw the Luxor and Karnak Temples, Edfu Temple, Philae Temple, Crocodile Museum, Botanic Gardens in Aswan, the Unfinished Obelisk, the High Dam, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Nobles,…………

The sites are fascinating and are in great condition considering their age. The Karnak (Middle Kingdom) and Luxor (1400 BC) Temples are the oldest in Upper Egypt, but all the other ones are from the Ptolemaic era (built by the Ptolemy family) though still built in the Pharaonic-style, and still really old! You can clearly see hieroglyphs all over telling story after story.

Another thing that amazes me about these sites is the magnitude of everything. The temples are huge. The statues are huge. The etchings impressive as they cover the whole of the massive walls. The accuracy of which certain details were built to line up with the solstice and equinox days. The ancient Egyptians were so smart, about engineering, science, and the earth in general. I learned too that when they built the dam in modern times they had to move entire temples, piece by piece to remove them from the water that they then became submerged under. The scale of doing this is tremendous, and they did it to preserve this amazing history (with the funding of many countries and donors). A fascinating thing too to see was the graffiti from thousands of years- this creates its own history. It was interesting to see the history through scraped off images, and to see crosses engraved over hieroglyphs, and then too to see etchings in different languages. Society changes over time, and so did the use of their temples, depending on who was in rule, what gods they followed, and what they believed.

It was special to go to the Valley of the Kings because we got to see King Tut’s tomb and his mummy on display inside. His tomb is unique because it is the only tomb (so far) that they have uncovered that had all the treasures there; it had not been looted by tomb-robbers. Tut and his surroundings were just as they were left thousands of years ago. All of those objects are in the Egyptian Museum. It is shocking that they crammed so much stuff inside his tomb. It isn’t that large of a space! The Valley of the Kings is run really well. To help preserve the site as best they can, they alternate what tombs are open. They also only let a certain number of people in the tomb at a time. Guides are not allowed inside because it is additional, unnecessary wear on the site. It is shocking how beautiful it is inside the tombs. They are much more impressive than what you see inside the pyramids. The paintings are amazing. That the color is still intact is unbelievable.

One of my favorite things that Martin and I did along with Gretchen and John, was get up in time to catch a mini-bus, to catch a Nile taxi, to catch a bus… to ride a hot air balloon for sunrise! It has been something that has been on my bucket-list forever. Something that I always imagined would be so romantic, peaceful, and perfect. It was amazing… but it was a bit more adventurous than I imagined! The first adventure was in watching the air balloons attempt to fill up. It was so windy this morning! So windy that when they attempted to fill up the balloons, they couldn’t keep them in place to fill without them blowing across the field sideways. So, we waited to see what would happen with the weather. It is too dangerous to ride if it is windy. We waited over an hour and saw the sunrise, with our feet on the ground. The workers said that there was less than 1% chance that we would take off. Then suddenly the workers are yelling for us to come over, as they got the go-ahead to load the balloons and go. The first balloon took off. We were loading in the second. The wind was still gusty, so they had a hard time holding the basket still as we climbed in. Getting in was CRAZY! With the help of others, we were half thrown-in, while attempting to climb into the baskets. Then from the inside we helped others in, all meanwhile the workers are trying to hold the basket close to the ground so it doesn’t take off yet. Finally our basket is loaded and we are off! The sound of the flame is loud and intense! It was beautiful to look up into the inside of the balloon, but more beautiful were the sights around us! The wind did continue; we were the only two balloons that left the ground, as the others weren’t allowed to take off after us! The hot air balloons took us by the Valley of the Kings and other ruins from Ramses. It took us across the Nile to the East side (which rarely happens though did with us due to the wind), and then further along over the desert sands. We watched the sun rise over the desert and the city of Luxor come to life. It was so amazing. I do have to say that one of my favorite parts was the landing! We were over the desert by this point and there were many dunes. We had an abrupt stop into the side of a dune, and then in slow-motion our basket tipped over! Some people were scared, though I was laughing because I thought it was the funniest thing that we were tipping over so slowly. It was like we were in a cartoon or something! Once we had safely tipped over we unloaded our basket and waited for our bus to retrieve us. Martin has a great way of describing a hot air balloon ride- he describes it as, “serenity punctuated by chaos.” It was the perfect adventure. My tip to you is that if you do this, let your guide do the negotiating to get you the best possible price.

As the cruise ship continued down the Nile, we would see all types of things on the shore. We saw many kids playing football (soccer) on any clear strip of sandy area they could find. I saw women washing clothes, people working in the fields, water pumps pumping up Nile water to the fields and the houses, and dogs running. We also saw significant ancient things, including the carved out walls where stones were taken for the pyramids and other monuments and holes in hillsides where ancient tombs have been excavated.

I had heard amazing things about Upper Egypt, and they were all accurate, especially those regarding its beauty, though with the decline of tourism, it was sad to see so many closed-up businesses and so many desperate vendors hoping to get a sale or horse carriages following us hoping for share their ride. We did find some treasures from the vendors. Judy was pleased to find a man weaving beautiful scarves. Martin got his hands on a rubaba, which is a local instrument- it has only one string and is played with a small, arched bow. We often hear a man walking down Road 9 in Maadi playing this instrument. He plays the same tune over and over. I can hear the tune in my head as I write this! Oh, and by the way Martin also bought a rubaba from this man. My favorite takeaway from this trip though was a carved stone tablet that we bought from Ahmed the Artist. Our tour guide knew about him and led the way to show us his masterworks. He is near the Valley of the Nobles, and works outside of a small shack that we would never have found our way to otherwise. I guess that we were lucky he was there, as sometimes he is gone for months at a time. He does amazing stone carvings like the ones that are seen all over the temples and in the museum. From what I understand he even does professional reproductions for the museum. He uses very simple tools and seems to live a very simple life. (I suppose this is no different from most artists anywhere.) It was a treat to see the artist at work. Later, on the boat, our tour guide (also named Ahmed) talked us through the meanings of the images etched into our work of art. This was a special treat.

Another recommendation of something to do that is off the path is to get tea (or a nice cocktail!) at the Winter Palace in Luxor. Dress nice, as it is an upscale place. It is right on the Nile and was a special treat to share with my family.

I look forward to venturing to Upper Egypt again and next time I would love to add an extension on the trip to see Abu Simbel.

As a side note, at our house in Maadi, we did treat ourselves to a Christmas tree to feel more festive and excited about the season. Martin surprised me with it. One day I came home and it was there! He got it from one of the local plant shops. It was setting in a large pot of sand and we kept it watered to keep it nice throughout the holiday season. We decked it out in lights and a few simple ornaments. By the time the family arrived there were gifts scattered under the tree, all wrapped in plastic bags. It was perfect the perfect way to celebrate a Christmas in Egypt.

Thanks to the Gilmore’s for sharing in this trip of a lifetime!

Posted on February 3, 2016 by stacey00000

Things I Learned in Cyprus

The Med Sea shore on the West coast

Old Town, Nicosia

Grafiti scene in Limosol

Killing time as we wait to go to the airport- enjoying a sunset on the south coast of the Mediterranean Sea, outside Larnaca

Stacey and Martin in the Akamas Peninsula

The view from our AirBnB in Neo Chorio. In the mornings you could hear goats grazing across on the hillside- they all had bells around their necks.

Me in an ancient oak tree

Hiking the Akamas Peninsula

The coast of the Mediterranean Sea, hiking in the Akamas Peninsula

A day’s olive harvest- they are in the sacks and the crates

A patio scene in Old Town Nicosia

Martin in a legit wine cellar- they store the wine in the little holes on the sides

These water spigots are found on the roadsides across Cyprus

Enjoying meze and wine

Drafts! At Aphrodite’s Rock Brewery

Aphrodite’s Rock, where it is said she was born out of the foam of the Sea

This is the largest fried fish I have ever enjoyed, at the Aphrodite’s Rock Brewery

Troodos Mountains

Martin and Nathaniel playing music

The old fashioned method of making olive oil

The water of the Sea was warm! Behind me in the background is Aphrodite’s Rock.

Disheveled houses in charming Neo Chorio

The shore of the Akamas Peninsula

Ancient Roman ruins at the Kourion, near Pafos

I spotted these wooden shoes outside a mosque in Lefcosia. There were a few pairs of them waiting for their owners to return from the mosque. I would not want to wear them- they are literally flat as a board!

Great grafiti scene in Limosol

Enjoying Turkish coffee across the border in Lefcosia, Turkish Cyprus

We were lucky to enjoy this sunset while driving through the Troodos Mountains

Giant Aloe plant

Enjoying a beer at the top of the mountain we had hiked in the Akamas Peninsula

An amazing mosaic image in the Kourion, Roman ruins

Large ships coming into shore in Limosol

The first week of November was my school’s mid-term break. It was a week long, so Martin and I took the opportunity to get out of the bustling city of Cairo and fly to the island of Cyprus. It was just the release we needed. We needed to get ourselves out to a place where we could feel refreshed.

This was the ideal place. Before moving to Egypt, I had not even heard of Cyprus. It is a common place for expats to visit from Egypt for a quick get-away. Cyprus is a fairly small island between Turkey and Syria in the Mediterranean Sea. The upper part of the island is Turkish, and the lower part is the Republic of Cyprus. They speak Greek on the lower half. The flight was short- just over an hour, and they fed us a whole meal on the flight! Once we landed, we rented a car and our adventures began.

It was nice to have the freedom that one has when driving (though granted it was Martin driving because I was nervous that the steering wheel was on the opposite side than what I am used to). It’s a bit freeing and I feel like I can go anywhere. If you ever get to Cyprus, I encourage you to rent a car because there are so many little hidden spots that you will never see from the bus.

I will give you some quick highlights of things that I learned in Cyprus:

I like olives. It makes me laugh to write this. I have never hated olives, but I’ve only ever eaten olives out of a can. In Cyprus, they are fresh as can be. There are olive trees everywhere, and olives are served everywhere. We ate them for breakfast, they were served when we ordered coffee, or in the evening when we ordered beer. And they are all home-made, doused in olive oil, spices, and sometimes lemon juice. Mmmm. So good!
When traveling, I prefer to stay off the beaten path. AirBnB is a great option for this. While in Nicosia, the capital, we stayed in a room in a Mansion. Wow were we impressed- the place was nice, yes, but the real treat was in the hosts. They are a wonderful couple who love to cook a large breakfast and share stories and have sweet pets. (Have I mentioned that breakfast is my favorite meal?!) We spent our mornings relaxing leisurely with other wayward visitors at the breakfast table. It’s so fun to share stories and hear about other people’s travels and interesting lives that happened to bring us all into the same room on the same day for breakfast. This mansion is a short walk to the heart of the old walled city. While in Neo Chorio, which is on the western side of the island and doesn’t even show up on all the maps, we stayed in a restored, charming house from the 1300s. The view from our patio was amazing. We could see the Mediterranean and mountains in the distance. While here, we were also greeted by amazing hosts who we ended up sharing music and stories with throughout our stay. While in Limosol, which is a larger city on the south coast, we found an apartment to rent in the heart of the old city. We love to be around the locals and experience the true culture of the area, rather than the one that’s all packaged for the tourists.
You are never too old to climb a tree. During our hike on the Akamas Peninsula by Neo Chorio, we came upon an ancient oak tree. It was huge, and had the perfect bends and curves in its limbs for climbing. We were told by a man there that it is a talking tree. You are to ask it a question, and sit in the tree until you have come to your answer. It felt good and peaceful to be up high in a tree with my feet dangling down.
Aprhodite was a smart woman. Legend has it that the goddess Aphrodite was born into her human form on the shores of Cyprus. There are sites where she was claimed to have taken many lovers. I don’t blame her. It is a beautiful and magical place.
The ancient Greeks and Romans were brilliant. The Kourion is amazing. There is a huge amphitheater and ruins of an old palace and community. You can still see remnants of beautiful mosaic tiling in the floor. They also pick the best sites with the best views! The Kourion is seated high on a cliff over-looking the Mediterranean Sea.
A capital city split between two countries is a neat (and rare) thing. Nicosia is the capital of the Republic of Cyprus. While there, you can cross over the border into the Turkish side of Cyprus and you are still in the same city (though in the north they call it Lefcosia). The whole vibe was different between the two sides. Even the culture is different. And these people live so close to each other, yet share so many different traditions, customs, foods, etc. I recommend spending time on both sides of Cyprus. I look forward to doing more in the north on a future visit.
Being in the fresh outdoors rejuvenates me and is good for my soul. I really enjoyed Cyprus. It reminded me a lot of home, which in the US for me is originally Wisconsin, and recently Colorado. In Cyprus we hiked, we drove through narrow mountain roads, and we swam. It’s so freeing to be in a big body of water. When I float with the waves in a large body of water, it makes me feel like I’m part of a bigger whole.
I enjoy good food and good drink! A popular food choice in Cyprus is meze- essentially it is a large variety of foods on small plates- cold salads, dips, sausages, soups, breads, etc. When we ordered meze, it was like the plates never stopped arriving on our table. It was amazing. Enjoyed with a carafe of wine, and it was even better! We were lucky on our trip too to stop at a winery and also a brewery. Coming from Egypt, where the local drinks are poor in quality to say the least, this was a huge treat.
A highlight for me when traveling is meeting new people. There are fascinating people all over the world. We were fortunate to meet many while on this trip. We met Cassy, who is staying at the mansion for an extended time while doing archaeological restoration on an ancient ship that was found off the shore of Cyprus. We met Susan, who is a retired woman who wanted to travel off the beaten path. We met Peter who enjoys solo travel for his holidays. We met an older retired German couple who swam in the cold Mediterranean Sea every morning. We met Gilly and Anthony who made the best breakfasts. We met Elena who shared her family history with us and I was lucky to try out her aunt’s restored loom. We met wonderful hosts who would do anything and everything to make our stays comfortable and easy. It is so fascinating to hear people’s stories. It is amazing that regardless of language barriers or past experiences, we are all curious humans interested in the same island gem of Cyprus.

If you want a more detailed account of our trip, check out Martin’s blog at http://martintheblog.blogspot.com.eg/

Posted on October 23, 2015October 23, 2015 by stacey00000 · 1 Comment

Alexandria

I am very behind in my posting.

Life gets so busy here and is very exhausting. Our friends Deborah and Hunter warned us of this phenomenon before we left and they were right. Being in a new job is exhausting; absorbing things in a new country is exhausting- the language, the culture, the sites, the smells, everything! Even walking down the street my brain has to be “on” so that I don’t trip over uneven sidewalk, a pile of trash/sand/concrete, oh and so that I don’t get lost. Crossing the street can be quite an adventure of its own. Imagine crossing a street with heavy traffic, in some spots up to five or so lanes of traffic (though there are no driving lanes here and people drive wherever they want and can fit), no type of traffic law- stop signs/street lights/etc., and people will drive as fast as the traffic allows…. now go. Cross the street. People do it all the time. You have to walk confidently and just go. It is when you hesitate that you cause problems. We often walk in the street with the traffic because the sidewalks are out of control. Getting dressed is stressful too- I have to wonder what to wear so that I fit in the best I can and don’t offend anyone or draw any unwanted attention to myself. Cooking is stressful- we love to cook but our cupboards are bare and we have to plan out what to get from the store in advance of any meal. We don’t drive here, but riding in a taxi or bus is also stressful. I’ll share more on that at a later date.

Inside the Ramses train station in Cairo.

The foreigners who live have told us that it will be really healthy for us to get out of the city whenever we can. I had a few days off for the holiday of Muslin holiday of Eid al-Adha so Martin and I decided to do just that- we traveled from the city of Cairo by train down alongside the Nile (this is confusing but because the Nile flows south to north, north is down-stream), through the delta to the city of Alexandria. What we didn’t have the foresight to know is that everyone leaves Cairo during this holiday to visit family so the city was pretty quiet in our absence.

Alexandria was a nice reprieve, though in reality we didn’t actually escape any of the things we were looking to escape from, though we had a great trip.

Alexandria is quite a bustling city. I would describe it as a once-glorius, now crumbling city. You can see its former glory hiding behind the dirty, crumbling facade of the unkempt buildings. There are parks with amazing Roman ruins, though with barren water fountains and overturned park tables and piles of trash. It is easy to see why Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, and others reigned over Egypt from this Mediterranean hub, and easy to see why so many choose to call Alexandria home.

We stayed three nights on the corniche and had a beautiful view of the Sea and the Fort Quatbey Citadel looking out our window. We were on a tight budget because when we took this trip I still hadn’t received my first paycheck and I was going on 2-months of no incoming money. The hotel ended up costing about $27 per night. It was a charming place with grand windows that open to the fresh Sea.

Our hotel was on one floor in this building. (fourth?) It was called the Phillip Hotel.

The view of the Med. Sea out our hotel room windows.

Another view from our hotel room window. You can see Fort Quatbey Citadel between the palms.

Martin gives a great account of this trip in his blog (http://martintheblog.blogspot.com.eg/), so i won’t go into too much detail here. I will try to touch on the highlights and give you some of my own insight.

Unfortunately the Bibliotheca Alexandria was closed due to the holiday so we will have to go back to visit that another time. We did see some great sights. We walked the corniche and marveled at the Fort Quatbey Citadel, which was built in the 15th century on the site of Alexandria’s Ancient Lighthouse (one of the seven wonders of the ancient World). I walked on the rocks of the shore and let the seawater splash over my feet. It was so great to be near a large body of water again! Having grown up in Wisconsin it is a comfort for me to be near water.

We saw some Roman ruins, including an amphitheater. It was discovered when the city was digging into a park to build apartment buildings. They found the rubble of the ancient Romans. It was my first time seeing Roman ruins and it is quite impressive. We also saw Pompey’s Pillar. The pillar was more impressive than I expected, but I did not expect that there would be underground tunnels we could wander through! It was scary though because as we were underground in these tunnels, we hear someone bang on something and yell “hello!” over and over… my imagination immediately took over and imagined that there was someone lost or trapped somewhere in the tunnels and needed help. Martin brought me back to reality and suggested that we needed to get out. It turned out they were closing and locking up the tunnels. Sure glad they didn’t lock us in. Though imagine the different story I would be sharing if they had!

In Martin’s blog you can read about how we met some people and made some new friends. One of our new friends took us around a bit and took us into a mosque. It was our first time in a mosque. The women enter from a different are than the men. I wrapped my head and neck with a scarf and took my shoes off before entering. It was beautiful. The dome was so intricately decorated. I was surprised by the area. It was an area of solace, blocked off to the rest of the mosque (maybe so the men can’t see the women?). There was space to sit, relax, pray, and nap. I went in, sat for a bit and wondered at the amazing architecture, and then retrieved my shoes on the way out.

We also went to a really great museum, the Alexandria National Museum.

Typically when going to these museums and sites, the fee is between LE30-LE100 for foreigners. Right now it is about LE8 to $1 to give you an idea of the cost of tourism in Egypt. It is fairly cheap. With our staff ID cards, we can get an even cheaper student rate too, though we typically like to spend the few extra to help support the Egyptian economy. At all the sites we have visited, there are few people.

Go visit Egypt!

Pompey’s Pillar- look! We can touch the top of it!

Pompey’s Pillar is guarded by 2 sphinxes

This carriage was stationed outside of our building.

behind the Roman amphitheater… we got in trouble for being back here! (but the door was wide open)

One of our first sightings of hieroglyphs. They are everywhere and are quite amazing!

Making friends in Alexandria! This is Khalid.

The people of Alexandria are so nice. In Egypt in general, but I think they were especially kind to us in Alexandria because they don’t see as many foreigners as in Cairo. Fewer people speak English here, so in that regard it helps to know some Arabic. Martin and I are hoping to start some lessons soon! We were often stopped on the streets in Alexandria, usually by kids who wanted to take our picture, or take pictures with us, or take a picture of them. When you first meet Egyptians, they typically want to know your name, where you are from, how old you are, if you are married, and if you have kids. Families are really important to them. Just recently a girl asked me these questions and she was shocked that I’m so old and don’t have kids, and especially because I’m so cute. Haha! Things are definitely different in the US.

Women in Egypt dress very modestly. In Alexandria the women are even more conservative. It is typical for women to wear loose-fitting long pants or skirts/dresses. You will rarely see a woman’s knees here, and it is rare to see a woman’s shoulders or chest. Most women wear long-sleeves and have a head-covering, hijab, which will also cover her neck and chest. Some women will also wear a niqab to cover her face so that you only see her eyes. A burqa covers the whole body from the top of the head to the ground. In Alexandria I saw that some women even wore gloves to cover their hands. I dress modestly here, by American standards. I wear lots of long skirts and dresses that cover the knee, and loose-fitting tops with at least short-sleeves. I have one pair of jeans that I wear on occasion with a longer top. I often carry a scarf when traveling to certain areas just in case I need to cover myself more. I have never felt uncomfortable in what I was wearing while here. I did my research and heard some horror stories about tourists inappropriately dressed so I was well-aware of the expectations. It’s definitely frustrating because sometimes I just want to put on shorts and a tank-top and go for a jog… that would be a poor choice here. There were women swimming in Alexandria in their full attire. I would not swim in those beaches in a swimsuit. That would make me really uncomfortable. There are some private beaches in Alexandria that are more touristy and I would be accepted in a swimsuit. Maybe we will find them next time. The women here are very beautiful, and with their colorful scarves hiding their hair, it definitely accentuates their facial features and shows their pure beauty.

crazy things you see on the streets in Egypt

On the rooftop of the Windsor Hotel watching the sunset on the Mediterranean Sea.

Oh, I do have to say, the seafood in Alexandria is amazing- and cheap! I look forward to our next visit to Alexandria. There are many more sites to see and more seafood to eat!

Posted on September 26, 2015September 26, 2015 by stacey00000 · 1 Comment

Teaching In Egypt

I have had 3 weeks with students now… well, a 4-day week, a 5-day week, and then a 2-day week and a few days in between where we had special activities planned for the kids so I didn’t get to see all of my classes.

I am teaching at an international school just outside of Cairo. It is a unique school in that it teaches both British and American curriculum. When the students are in 7^th grade they select which vein they will go down and remain in that curriculum until they graduate. This affects what class selection they have, how those classes are taught and graded, the curriculum of instruction, what major tests they take, and ultimately where they apply for university.

Primary school goes through 6^th grade, then middle school (or Key Stage 3 on the British side) is shortened to 2 years, 7^th and 8^th grade, and then they are in high school (and AP, IB, DP… or a bunch of other acrynym letters I am still learning on the British side).

As a secondary music teacher, I teach in both the British and American sections. I have never taught on the British side before, so I am still learning about how the structure is different. Fortunately for me though, I pretty much teach the same thing in all classes. I teach grades (American)/years (British) 7 and 8. I was teaching a year 9 GCSE music class, though it was cancelled because only 3 students had signed up for it. I also have a grade 10 homeroom that meets everyday for 20 minutes, and once every two weeks for 55 minutes.

The way the scheduling is set up is on a 2-week rotating schedule. I see all students in grade/year 7 & 8, but only see them once per week. And that’s if we don’t have a day off or an activity planned that they get pulled for. If you do the math, I will see my students a maximum of 35 times throughout the whole school year. 35! My instructional planning has had to change to accommodate this challenge. Typically, I like to plan out multi-day units for my class. This is what I am doing currently, but it is hard because some classes have missed their meeting time so they are on day-1 of the activity and others are on day-3. I may have to change and only do single-day lessons. I often think back to an undergraduate music class, taught by one of my favorite teachers, Dr. Janet Barrett; there was a day that she posed a question to us (I’m not sure exactly how she phrased it): What is your music-topia, ideal program? I know for sure that seeing my kids only once per week doesn’t fit my music-topia ideals.

There is a sign on my door that says Ms. Gilmore: Instrumental Music… but that’s not what I teach. I am teaching general music. I would love to be teaching instrumental music, and the school would love for that too, but with the current set-up there is no way to accommodate that. This is my 12^th year teaching, and the first year that I have ever had a classroom with desks. It’s definitely not a setting for instrumental music. I am though confident that I can help to change this around. There is a choir where there was not in the past. There is a band in the primary grades that doesn’t carry through. I will do what I can to make some waves at this school and increase their musical opportunities and growth. Step one is that I have started an after school secondary concert band. I got a list of names of students who had played in concert band in the past and am hoping to get a core group of kids who are excited about this opportunity again. My hope is that we will be able to be a visible presence around the school to get more kids interested and signed up. I want the excitement about band to be contagious! Maybe the kids will want to meet more frequently than just once per week too- we’ll see.

There is a strong Peripatetic Music Department at the school. This is a program through which they hire professional musicians from the community to teach weekly 30 to 45-minute pull-out lessons on instruments and voice. This program appears to be really strong. I hope to strengthen the connection between our programs as well to get those students playing in the concert band. I spoke with one of the instructors in the program and he is hoping to start a string orchestra in the school. I offered my help in this, as it’s a strength of mine. Oh and by the way, Martin has been hired to teach guitar lessons through this program! He will be teaching two days per week.

We experienced our first sandstorm. It looked like this for about 3 days. The air was heavy and hard to breathe.

The students all wear uniforms to school. They are pretty strict even about the type of shoe, color of sock and even hairbands. Thankfully teachers don’t have to wear uniforms, though I practically had to buy a whole new wardrobe moving out here because they are very specific of what should or shouldn’t be worn as a teacher. I even have to dress up on work-days when there are no students in attendance.

Here’s the structure of the school-day: We have homeroom for 20 minutes, then period 1, then a half hour break. I learned that most Egyptians don’t eat first thing in the morning, so this is when most of them eat their breakfast. Then they have periods 2, 3, and 4, followed by a second 30-minute break. Many students choose to eat again, or just hang out with friends. Then they have period 5 and head home for the day. I was told that when they get home they eat a very large meal. They have an option to join sports or a smattering of clubs that meet afterschool.

Here’s a bit about the kids I teach. I have a total of 340 students-17 different classes. That’s a lot of names to learn! And they are tough names too, as 95 % of the students here are Egyptian. Generally, the kids have been impressed with my pronunciation. They say I can just pronounce it like the American way, but then they get a huge smile on their face when I say it right. It’s a little thing that I’m hoping will go a long way in building relationships with my students. (They also get a big smile and laugh when I can’t say certain sounds in their language too!) The students at my school come from very wealthy families. They are the top 3% I was told. This brings certain challenges of its own. For many of them, their parents are frequently travelling, which means that many of them are raised by maids, drivers, or tutors and thus don’t have proper discipline and for some even compassion at home. At home the students speak Egyptian Arabic, they learn proper Arabic at school, and must speak English at school. In addition to this, they often choose to learn Spanish or French. This means for most of them, they are inherently uncomfortable at school. I would be too in their shoes. Oh, I must tell you- Egyptian people are loud! When they speak with each other, to me it often sounds like they are yelling at each other, but then they start laughing. They are just loud in their communication. The same is true for the students. One student asked me why I spoke so softly. He noticed a difference in our cultures too (Don’t worry I have raised my voice/yelled in a few of my classes already!).

Egyptians are very family-centered. They often live with or nearby cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. They love talking about their families, and they love hearing about my family. They are also very affectionate. When you greet an Egyptian friend, you will receive a hug with a kiss on each side of your face. The same happens when you leave. The kids show affection too. Boys/men will walk arm-in-arm with each other and girls/women the same.

So I’m learning there are differences I must be aware of in these students. They are differences that make them who they are. It is important for me to know these backgrounds to teach them effectively- at my former school this is called equity. My perspective on equity is quite different now. They are not majority middle/upper class white Americans like I am used to teaching.

Though some things are the same; kids are kids everywhere you go. The kids crave attention, seek to please, and hate to disappoint. They love technology and always want to be on it. They also love music. I look forward to sharing my music with them and they are so excited to share theirs with me. I am learning about sha3by music. Many of the kids are into it. It’s hard to explain, but it’s fast, has tons of auto-tune on the vocals, and is mostly electronic. When they play it for me they dance; a common dance is swirling their arms around. I’ll see if I can find a video online to show you.

There have definitely been some teaching challenges this school year, but I know one thing for sure:

I am so thankful that I teach music- it is the universal language.

Posted on September 12, 2015September 12, 2015 by stacey00000 · 1 Comment

Seeing the Sites and Bonding with Staff

The school had arranged some nice events for us to enjoy some touristy things in the area and to get to know each other.

All the new staff met in our very own neighborhood of Maadi, down at the Nile for a felucca ride to watch the sunset. It was amazing. A felucca is a traditional wooden sailboat that has been used on the Nile for ages. It was really nice. I love being out on the water and was so tempted to lean over the edge and dip my hand in the water… but here you can’t do that! You would risk getting a parasite (its name I can’t pronounce) that burrows under the skin. I think I’ll pass on that! I was very pleased to see that the water was very clean. I had heard stories before coming here of how dirty the Nile is and that there is floating trash and carcasses, and that it stinks. Thankfully, we didn’t observe any of that. It was a pleasant boat ride and was very beautiful. The river is very wide. It reminds me of the Mississippi River in the US. On the shores you can see palm trees, buildings, mosques, and there is a Coptic church that looked very nice. Martin later went to visit this church. You can read his blog to find out more about it and the connection it has to the Bible. It’s pretty interesting! There are also different types of tour/rental boats on the Nile. They remind me of ones that I would see and work on as a caterer on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. You can rent a small felucca for very cheap for just an hour and have a very relaxing, romantic trip. BYOB!

Following the felucca ride we all went to dinner at Abou El Sid. http://www.abouelsid.com/ This is a very nice, authentic Egyptian restaurant. I recommend checking out their website and reading the story of the restaurant. The food was amazing. We sat at large round tables and the center of the table spun lazy Susan style! This worked well, as they serve the food tapas-style. The food kept coming. There were many dips with different breads, some fried stuffed appetizers, rolled grape leaves, rice dishes, great sauces, interesting meats (I heard one of the meats we ate was quail)- so much food! Then they served dessert. It was a great way to taste so many different local dishes. Unfortunately though we don’t know what anything was called! It was very good food. The food isn’t hot-spicy, but they definitely use lots of spices in their cooking. On some occasions people have warned us, “be careful, it’s spicey!” but to us it’s not spicy! The restaurant also had a great ambiance inside and out. I can’t wait to go back! If you plan to come visit, we will definitely have to take you there! We decided to be adventurous and walk home (rather than take the school bus) with some other teachers who live nearby. This allowed us an opportunity to see more areas of our neighborhood. It was a great evening.

We finally got to see the school. I had looked at lots of pictures online so I had a good idea of what to expect. The entrance is really spectacular. When you walk up there is great landscaping some bubbling water in a little pool, beautiful flowering trees, and palm trees. When you walk in you are greeted by three people at a massive desk with a curved staircase behind them. This is the administration building that also houses the theater. The theater is impressive too; I would say it probably seats at least 500. The stage is lined with plants to set the scene for our welcome introduction. We meet the administration, get pumped for the school-year and sign-up for staff busing according to our neighborhoods. That’s right, the school picks us up and drops us off everyday. At the end of the day, we have the choice of taking a 3:20, 4:30, or 5:20 bus. This is a great option to have. I will write more about the buses later.

We were given a tour of the school campus. On the campus are grades K-12, though primary and secondary are in different buildings. I am teaching music in the secondary building. It is 3 floors high. In the center of each building is an open-air atrium surrounded by staircases. It is really quite nice. I love natural light and I love plants! Hallways then extend out from the center atrium. My classroom is on the ground floor. The PE department gets their own building with a basketball court and has a great outdoor pool. I thought it was interesting that there was no bleacher-seating (that I noticed anyhow!) in the gymnasium. I wonder if they host any games in there. The track is lined with nicely trimmed trees and there is plenty of space for soccer games in the center. There is no cafeteria. The students eat outside in a courtyard area and there are a few different food options from which they can purchase. There is some seating, but many kids just stand and eat. They have an early break and a late break and they can eat at either one (or both!).

The school I teach at is essentially run by one woman. She seems to have lots of power in the community, and maybe even extending beyond that. We are told that if we ever get into any trouble (health, safety, theft, etc.) to immediately contact her and we will be taken care of and given better and faster service than otherwise. apparently our school badge is a powerful one around here! Anyhow, she hosted all of us new teachers and our families to a dinner at a clubhouse nearby the school. It was again Egyptian food served in the same manner and again we were stuffed-silly. But the food here is so good! The new staff members are great. There are about 60 of us, coming from all different backgrounds. I am quickly finding out that I am one of only few who are new to international teaching. The new teachers are all ages; most traveling single, though some with spouses and family. It is neat to see how quickly the kids seem to be adapting to the newness and they are making fast friends with each other. For many with spouses, both of them work at the school together.

Our next exciting adventure was with our friends Adrienne and Tyler- an evening trip to the bazar di Khan el-Khalili. We hired a driver whom Adrienne frequently hires. It helps to know good, reliable, trustworthy drivers so that you don’t have to hail a regular taxi out here. For the cost of about $17 round-trip, he drove us into the heart of Cairo, about a 30-minute drive. On the drive there, to avoid major traffic we took a side route that took us through the City of the Dead. This is a fascinating, place. It is a 4-mile long area in Cairo where people live and work amongst the tombs and mausoleums. It is a poor and sketchy area. What we were told is that originally some people lived there to care for the tombs, then their families grew, the city burst with people and they had no where else to go, and now it is accepted to live amongst/on top of/in the tombs. Anyhow, back to the Khan. The Khan is a street market that dates back to the 1300s. It is a maze of merchants with brightly colored rugs, pyramid and pharaoh trinkets, decorative lamps, spices, jewelry, you name it! You are supposed to barter here, which neither Martin or I are used to, or good at. Martin bought a nice trinket box, and we nearly bought a chess-set for way too much money. Maybe we will go back sometime and work him down on the price! It is a really neat place. It’s the type of place I would expect to find a magic carpet! We wandered for a bit and then hung out at a restaurant in the midst of the bazaar. I don’t even know the name, but Adrienne said it’s the oldest restaurant in Egypt- 600 years or so. It was packed so they seated us outside. They didn’t bring us menus but asked what we wanted. We were hoping to get food but because of trouble communicating, we kept it simple and only ordered juice and coffee and a sheesha to share. Because so few people drink alcohol out here, there is rarely alcohol available at restaurants. But there are many amazing and fresh juices, smoothies, coffees, frappacinos, etc. One of my new favorite drinks is lemon mint juice. It’s so subtle and refreshing! Our driver met us back by the front entrance when we were ready.

The following day, the school had planned an outing again for the new teachers. We met early to get an authentic, Egyptian breakfast. The buses took us across the river to Giza. Out of the blue we can see the giant pyramids in front of us from the bus. It was shocking to see them at first sight. We met at a place for breakfast, though due to some miscommunication they didn’t have the restaurant section open for us, so they served 60 teachers and their families from a to-go order window instead! We had falafel pita and fava bean pita sandwiches and sodas for breakfast. It was pretty good though I was frustrated by the situation.

Now we are off to the pyramids. I have been wanting to see them for years! You should know, in case you visit Egypt, that there are not many public restrooms. There were bathrooms prior to the entrance and we were all advised to use them as there are none in the park. You also should know that there is rarely toilet paper in the stalls, and you typically shouldn’t throw the tp in the toilet bowl. There is also rarely soap and rarely hand towels or dryers. And then you have to tip on your way out! We bought a general park ticket to roam around the area. You can purchase additional tickets to enter specific pyramids. We will have to go back and do that because we didn’t have enough time with the group. The pyramids are amazing. Everything about them is shocking. After seeing them, even stepping up on them, it’s really hard for me to believe that they were built only by men. A single brick in the Great Pyramid is as tall as my chin; and each brick was laid with accuracy down to the millimeter… thousands of years ago! It’s amazing! I was surprised at how quiet it was at the pyramids. Tourism is down so much- come visit Egypt! I compared it to the state and national parks in the states but there’s no way to compare, they just don’t have the funding for proper ropes, etc. There are signs all over saying to stay of the pyramids, yet people climb up anyhow because there’s nothing and no one to stop them. I’m sure you’d get stopped if you’d try to climb up too far. There are locals all over the area trying to hustle you for money. One of them got us good, by taking photos for us and then demanding money. They offer you camel horse-buggy rides from pyramid to pyramid- we were warned that when you do this they may charge you more to get off the camel when you finish! Also, they may demand money if you take a photo of them. I was sneaky and got a nice shot without them noticing. We didn’t have time to ride them, though it looks really fun! So yes, you can see the city in the background of the pyramids; I think this is really cool. It makes it so much more surreal. On the back side of the smaller pyramids it is really quiet. It reminded me of being in the desert in Utah kind of quiet. I was shocked to find this kind of serenity there. There are lots of stray dogs that run around the area. One of them had puppies- pyramid puppies! It is amazing to me that they are still excavating new sites and new discoveries here, when it is so old. A teacher friend, when he was walking down to the Sphinx, came upon an area enclosed with barbed wire. There was a security guard there who gave him a hard time, but then lightened up and offered him a look inside the tomb that they have newly discovered. I am so jealous! The guard told him that when they first open the tomb it smells of flowers. It’s so amazing. Oh and the Sphinx. It takes your breath away. I feel so lucky to have seen these sites. I can’t wait to explore them more. We all met up at the KFC/Pizza Hut just outside the park (which does indeed have a great view of the Sphinx!) and then headed to the Khan with the large group.

This is the view of the city from the pyramids. Notice all the haze-that's air pollution. — This is the view of the city from the pyramids. Notice all the haze-that’s air pollution.

This is one of the photos that we “paid” for.

This is a bit of the original exterior of the pyramid. Most of the original smooth exterior fell off during a large earthquake. Those stones were then used on buildings in the city. One of the pyramids has a cap on the top that remained in-tact.

pyramid — In this photo you can see the buildings where they are working on new excavations. There was a sign that read that they are excavating the second boat of King Khufu.

I was glad that we had gone the night before because we were exhausted from being in the hot sun all day. It is also a great spot to see at night. After tramping through the desert, Martin got his shoes shined by someone in the market- this was a big ordeal. He asked how much and the guy said “you name it.” Martin said he had 7… so his shoes were shined and Martin gave him the 7 LE and the man was so upset. He was expecting $7. I was in the middle of ordering some spices at the time but ended up having to just leave it all so that we could get away from the shoe-shiner. We bought spices further down anyhow from a better vendor. The spices are kept in jars or large canvas/burlap bags. We bought just a few- curry, mixed spice, dried chamomile petals, and dried hibiscus petals. The only other thing we bought on this outing was a touristy keychain with Nefertiti on it. We avoided the hustle and bustle of the crowded market by risking our lives and crossing the street to get food from Gad, a local restaurant. You have to be brave when you cross the street here. There are basically no driving rules, and same goes for pedestrians. You just have to put your arm down, look the drivers in the eye, and walk confidently across. We’ve been getting the hang of it. The food was good. We had chicken shawarmas and I had an orzo soup. It was great!

All-in-all it was an amazing day.

It was an amazing week. We got more settled in our flat and comfortable in our neighborhood.

Posted on September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 by stacey00000 · 2 Comments

Settling In

Martin and I got to leave the hotel earlier than others because our apartment was already organized. We chose it back in March from a website that the school put together of available flats. The school has been so helpful in the coordination of all of our arrival details. It has been quite amazing. On the bus headed to Street 9 in Maadi, were Martin and I, Tyler, and Adrienne. I quickly find out that Adrienne lives in the same building as us, and has taught in Egypt previously, along with her husband, left for two years to teach in Turkey, and is back to Egypt. She has been a wealth of information and help to us, and has become a great friend. She is from Chicago and has connections to some small towns in Wisconsin where some of my family members live. It’s so interesting- the further out into the world you go, the smaller it feels and more connected you become. There is also a teacher here who is from Green Bay, WI. Tyler’s story is interesting too. He is from Oregon, but has taught overseas for many years (I can’t recall all the locations), most recently in China. He is still awaiting the arrival of his wife, who will come in November or so after she wraps up some of her business affairs in China.

Maadi is a neighborhood in Cairo. We chose to live in Maadi because there are many expats who live there, there are lots of restaurants and shops to walk to, it is close to the Metro train station, and is fairly safe. Another bonus is that it’s right by the Nile! Our flat is about 8 blocks from the Nile. We can step out our front door and within a 5-minute walk, buy nearly anything- batteries, lamps, rugs, clothing, fruit, fresh fish, EVERYTHING! It is really hard to believe until you are here and see it. I will describe it more another time.

On our way to Maadi we stop at a Hypermarket to pick up anything we need for our apartment. This is much like a super-Walmart or Target- they have home goods and food. We have no idea what we need yet! We know that our place is furnished, and assume that we will need to buy paper-goods, cleaning supplies, linens, dishes… but we really have no idea. We filled up a cart with some odds and ends and were made fun of when we arrived back at the bus for all the goods we bought. It turned out we were so thankful for everything we bought.

We arrived at our apartment and were greeted by a couple bowabs who rushed over to help us with our luggage and bags. The bowabs are pretty great. They help us carry things, take out garbage, keep the entryway clean, and help people park their vehicles on the street. It seems like they are always here and always awake. They don’t speak much English but they are happy to meet us and excited to help. Everything was very confusing when we arrived. We were supposed to meet the landlord on-site, and he didn’t show. This meant we didn’t have a key to our place. Our landlord doesn’t speak English, so we have to have someone be a go-between for us which doesn’t make anything easy. Thankfully, after lots of struggle again with language barriers, we learned that our bowab had a key for us and we were finally let in to our new home.

We were nervous about our apartment, but it truly ended up being fabulous! We are on the fourth floor and have a corner flat; we have views down Street 9 and can see some desert dunes in the distance on a non-hazy day. It’s honestly way more space than we need, but we are lucky to be right on Street 9. We have 3 bedrooms- one is set as an office for Martin to work at during the day. We have room for plenty of guests! We have a cute kitchen, a dining space with chairs for 8, two living areas, and two bathrooms. We have air-conditioning to help keep us cool in this hot hot weather, and heat for when we need it in the winter. We have a great balcony for sitting and watching the world go-by. From it, you can hear Egyptian music from a restaurant across the street, watch football (soccer!) on the big-screen tvs at the coffee shop across the street, watch kids play at the day-care across the street, watch beggars on the street below with their children at their side, watch police who stand guard at the bank below, see the tops of palm trees and sandy streets filled with trash and cars that honk incessantly. There is a cart that is over-flowing with hand-woven baskets of all different sizes at the end of the block. We can watch the sun set over the top of an empty, unfinished building across the street that some homeless have commandeered as their own. We have another balcony to hang clothes out to dry, as we don’t have a clothes dryer. This is our new home.

Our home is tidy… but dirty. The flat has been empty for at least a month and there is a layer of dust on everything. Not the dust I’m used to though; it is a gross film that covers everything! It’s from the sand and blows in through all the cracks in the doors and windows. We even had to wipe down the kitchen walls. I was pretty amazed! Thank goodness for hardwood floors in a place like this!

We were disappointed that our internet wasn’t working- the school had said that it would be all set for us when we arrived, and still we don’t have internet (I am writing this over a week after having moved-in). We are learning some things about Egypt- anything phone or internet related will take a very long time to handle. In this last week, we have also learned some other things that most tourists don’t get to experience. When someone comes to do work on something, expect them to arrive up-to 2 hours earlier or later than they indicated. Also, expect that they will arrive, assess the situation, leave to get supplies, return, work on it, and sometimes leave to return again. It will take hours to fix something. Oh, and sometimes they bring their kids with them. We got our locks changed, and then almost got locked-out because the new lock-mechanism wasn’t working. Thankfully Martin assessed it and fixed it himself. Another added frustration to having the repairmen over is that none of them thus far speak much English. At one point I had to call someone from the school to translate for us. It’s so frustrating to not be able to communicate with people.

Most of our repairs have been completed (we are having screens repaired this weekend, wish us luck!), and we are settling in pretty well. We do love our space that we now call home, though it takes some time to move into a furnished space and call it your own. We finally got enough groceries so that we don’t have to eat out all the time.

We have to remind ourselves that we aren’t on a vacation. This is our real life! We live in Cairo, Egypt! This city is really great. It has such a vibrant energy about it. The people are SO nice. They are all so eager to talk to us and learn about us; a few kids have asked to take pictures with Martin. We stand out everywhere we go, even though we dress modestly and have set-aside our jeans, shorts, and tanks for our time here. It’s the color of our hair and personal style mostly- our glasses, Martin’s beard, my short pixie haircut, well definitely our English-speaking voices too.

But we are here. We are settled (mostly).

(I apologize I’m trying to get caught up with this blog! Not having internet has made it super challenging. Next story will tell all about our adventures we have had checking out some touristy-type attractions.)

Check out Martin’s blog too! He is a great writer, and is up-to-date!

http://www.martintheblog.blogspot.com

Posted on August 31, 2015September 2, 2015 by stacey00000 · 5 Comments

Landed

The flight was easy. Arriving was easy. We paid $25 for visas when we entered Egypt. Customs was easy. When we were waiting for our baggage, we met a man with a sign stating my school name. We soon met a handful of other teachers who were just as eager and tired as we were. Some were traveling solo, others with spouses and kids. All of our baggage arrived unscathed! Once we all gathered our luggage, and e were all shuffled off. Before we left the airport we stopped at the duty-free store. In Egypt (outside of the airport) alcohol is hard to come by- especially international alcohol. It was recommended to us that we stock-up and get what we could. We were thankful for this tip! We got our goods and were again shuffled out to a bus where we were transported to the hotel.

We stayed 2 nights at the Holiday Inn at City Stars in Heliopolis. It was a very nice hotel. There we were greeted by more staff from the school and had the rest of the day to relax. We were advised to stay up past 9:00 pm to overcome our jet-leg. We enjoyed the pool, got refreshed, and met up with some other teachers for dinner. There was a great Indian restaurant connected with the hotel called Indira that we went to. Martin tried Egyptian wine- it was pretty terrible! The food was good. Something to know here is you have to specifically order rice here- it doesn’t come standard with the meal like we are used to. There’s already a language struggle between the Americans at the table and the Egyptians serving us. It is not advised to drink the water- it is highly chlorinated, so everywhere we go we drink bottled water. This is uncomfortable for us because typically Martin and I never buy bottled water. At dinner they served a fresh mango juice that was amazing. Overall dinner was a success.

We then wander the mall. This is the biggest mall I’ve ever been in! It has 2 cinemas, an amusement park, and tons of stores and restaurants, and it reaches many floors. We got lost. The mall was packed with people. Lots of couples out together, lots of teenagers. Most of the women wear head-scarves, but not all. Martin and I are definitely the minority. Everyone is well-dressed and modestly-dressed. The shops are similar to what you find in the states. The restaurants too. There are a few Starbucks around the mall- are you surprised? The security at the mall is intense- everywhere really. When you walk in any building you have to go through security and have your bag scanned.

While at the hotel we got to know more of the new teachers and their families, as they trickle in from the airport little by little. There are 60 new teachers. 60! It was quite overwhelming for me because I like to say hi to everyone and try to make connections. Everyone here has such fascinating stories and it’s a shame I can’t hear them all! Honestly- my background story doesn’t even compare to most of theirs. Most of them have been world travelers/educators for many years. But I am learning that even though I lack the rich travel background, my teacher education and pedagogy practices are top-quality and I have a lot to contribute in that regard. I am thankful for that.

I enjoyed my first sheesha (hookah). This is a huge part of their culture. People smoke sheesha everywhere. It made me cough. Ha! I tried the apple flavor. The waiter was really excited to teach me the proper way.

We found a great Egyptian restaurant in the mall- Abou Shakra I think it was called. We both had pigeon. This was a new experience! Also tried Turkish coffee- it is so good- flavored with cardamom and other spices. It’s very small- like the size of a shot of espresso, but is so complex in flavor.

Martin and I also walked around outside the hotel- this was a bit scary for our first time. The traffic is so crazy. There aren’t many rules on the road. Sidewalks also don’t always exist, so sometimes we were walking amongst the cars. As cars would enter parking structures for the mall, security guards would walk around the car with their dogs. It didn’t look like the dogs were working too hard. They had big smiles on their face, tongues hanging out. One woman even asked if her infant could pet the dog… I didn’t think that was supposed to work that way… The dogs are just happy to be out an about amongst people.

Martin and I were so thankful that we had picked out an apartment online. That meant we didn’t have to spend all of our time running around neighborhoods looking at houses in the heat. We got to move into our place right away. We were nervous though because we had heard some people were disappointed with their flat when they saw it in person…

Posted on August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 by stacey00000

Reality Finally Hits

Martin and I packed up our house and moved out on August 14th. We spent a few days in Cheyenne, Wyoming finishing things on our to-do list. Believe it or not we got nearly everything checked-off. It still didn’t feel real- that we would be in Egypt in less than a week.

On August 19 we headed back to Denver and had tons of meetings and then celebrated one last time with family and friends. There were tears, but it still hadn’t sunk in yet.

We flew out on August 20th-a red-eye flight to New York. We arrived early morning and caught a taxi to meet my good friend from college, Lena, and her husband, Justin, for breakfast at the Galaxy Diner. We drove through Times Square on the way there. It was great to reconnect. I don’t usually drink caffeine but definitely had my share of coffee. The food and company was energizing. Then we wandered Central Park- Martin napped and played music, I skated of course! Then we caught the subway and caught up with another friend, Courtney. On the subway we saw the Brooklyn Bridge and the Freedom Tower. We wandered Prospect Park and saw the amazing Camperdown Elm, got coffee, and Martin and Courtney talked music. Though we were exhausted with little sleep, it was a great way to spend a 12-hour layover in New York!

It still hadn’t hit yet.

Then we arrived at the international terminal in the airport for another red-eye flight. Reality finally hits. I freeze up. I hold back tears. I could turn back and go home- but I didn’t. We got on that plane bound for Cairo (after loading up on more pork and beer that we knew we would miss of course!).

Posted on August 30, 2015 by stacey00000

How I ended up in Cairo

As you hopefully read in the ‘about’ page, my desire to live and teach overseas goes years back. In fact, when I was packing up my things in Colorado, I found a clipping from a music journal about teaching overseas that was dated 2004- that was my first year teaching! The fire got hot when I did my masters at Northwestern and was surrounded by music teachers who do just that-teach internationally. The passion they shared about their experiences was infectious! There was also a rich tradition at my school for teachers to take a sabbatical of 1-2 years and teach internationally.

With the support of everyone I knew (some with resistance!), and most importantly the openness of my husband, Martin, I began looking for and applying for jobs overseas. I used 2 sites to help me in this search, in case you are interested yourself- International Schools Services and Search Associates. The planning for this begins almost a year in advance. I was applying for jobs as early as October for the following school year. I applied in countries all over the world, trying to keep in mind the wishes of my husband about wanting to be somewhere where he could still go out and play his bluegrass and American folk music- that’s a tricky one! I had an interview for a job in The Netherlands, which would have been ideal, though they wouldn’t hire me because I didn’t have experience teaching internationally. (I had heard it would be nearly impossible to land in Europe.) I had planned to attend a couple job fairs- in Boston and San Francisco, though canceled on them because I received a job offer for Cairo, Egypt! I eagerly accepted the job and starting researching about the school and the country. I immediately learned two things- yes, it’s safe and yes, they have a roller derby team- the Cairollers. (After accepting this I was offered more interviews in the Cayman Islands, Saudi Arabia, China, and South Korea.)

I have to admit it was not an easy decision to pack up everything we own, leave a position that I’ve built for 8 years, leave my many and wonderful friends and family, and go somewhere different just the two of us. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Martin and I own a house in the Denver area, we have an awesome garden, and even have chickens. The hardest part about leaving was leaving our pets behind- a cat of 12 Jolene, and a husky dog of 3, Mia. It turned out that Jolene decided she didn’t want to go to a new home, or come with to Egypt and she passed in her sleep 2 weeks before we moved. (Turns out the vet said she was at least 15 or older.) I found her sweet as can be laying in a laundry basket in a forever sleep. It was hard and unexpected, but was really the best thing that could’ve happened to her. Super weird though. So that left Mia. Egypt is a hot place. Really hot. We googled huskies in Egypt and found only advice to not bring her because she’s a husky. She LOVES the snow and cold… Not the heat and sand. Thankfully we have a couple of really great friends who were interested in fostering her so that their Great Dane could have a playmate. These two people are a couple angels in my life- I know Mia will be so happy there (Thanks Bob and Katie!) It’s for the better for Mia that she’s not here- I’ll tell you more on that later.

So a good friend, Chris, gave me some advice she learned about her teaching abroad experience, “the hardest part is getting out.” I cannot believe how hard it is to leave everything you have established. It’s not just a matter of forwarding mail, transferring services, and moving your stuff from one place to the next- it’s a matter of looking at every little piece of your life and selling it, storing it, finding someone to care for it, canceling it, changing it, etc. I even have a will now! We touched everything we owned and then packed only 2 suitcases a piece. A huge thanks to Martin’s family for helping us with so many little details towards the end.

So the hardest part is getting out- there were lots of tears, wondering if we are doing the right thing. My response- hell yes, why wouldn’t we take an opportunity to see the world and change the lives of others?! I get to share my love of music with Egyptian kids- and kids from other parts of the world! I know this is going to be a challenge, but I know I am going to grow from this and be a better person, a better educator, and will come out of this experience with lots of stories to share. This is the first one 🙂