Well I am back at school. It is my Friday tomorrow (thank goodness!). We are going on a field trip to see Hansel and Gretel. A pretty scary fairy tale if you ask me, and after the whole Terry Fox fiasco (After watching a video about the life and death and story of Terry Fox: "Is Terry Fox real?" "Yeah, he was a real person, younger then me!" "And Terry Fox is from Canada?" "Yep." "Well, I am NEVER going to Canada!")...
Since it the beginning of a new term, I am trying really hard to be strict with my kids in order to set them of for a productive, successful rest of the year. It requires SO much more effort then just letting certain things slide. I had a great beginning of the day. I love sitting with my kids and answering their questions about whatever pops into their head. SO this morning I explained what a play is by doing a quick reenactment of Little Red Riding Hood with another teacher. Another favourite thing of mine to do is to be really silly in front of the kids. They just htink it is hilarious. Sometimes I will sing (latest, singing Billy Ray Cyrus's Achy Breaky Heart" when I realized that that song came out when I was in grade 2 and they love Miley Cyrus). Sometimes pretend to do ballet moves (many of my girls practise ballet), and I really can't do the steps at all. By the end of the day I was really tired. As with most classrooms my kids are super chatty. and so often they just don't listen until i use my "mean teacher" voice. Tomorrow my goal is to recognize the good and focus on this instead of the opposite!
PS I changed my settings so everyone can leave comments.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Planning a Trip
I finally got together with my Christmas travel buddy last night to work out the details of our trip. It took much longer then I expected it to and we are still not finished!
It turns out that my friend who was supposed to be in Germany over Christmas will not be there after all. Her boyfriend was playing professional hockey out there and was injured so they will be back in Winnipeg by Christmas. I’m disappointed because it would have been really cool to spend Christmas with someone from home (and one of my oldest friends!), and also because she will no longer be able to visit me in the future. And of course it sucks for them that they have to cut their adventure short!
It turns out that my friend who was supposed to be in Germany over Christmas will not be there after all. Her boyfriend was playing professional hockey out there and was injured so they will be back in Winnipeg by Christmas. I’m disappointed because it would have been really cool to spend Christmas with someone from home (and one of my oldest friends!), and also because she will no longer be able to visit me in the future. And of course it sucks for them that they have to cut their adventure short!
Well everything happens for a reason. This means we have much more time in Spain and Italy which we will definitely put to good use!
Kim and I went to The ACE Club to plan our trip. Kim has an internet stick which usually works and I was going to use the ACE’s Wi-Fi. Well of course nothing is as easy as that. The internet was in and out all night, but the ACE is a nice place to sit and chat. There is no pressure to buy any food or drinks (but we usually do) because it is a private club where we paid for a membership. We also have gotten to know much of the staff so they make us feel welcome.
After four hours of planning this is what we have come up with:
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| | | | | 23 Leave Cairo at 945am Arrive in Madrid at 2:00 pm | 24 | 25 Leave Madrid at 11:00 pm Bus to Barcelona |
| 26 Arrive in Barcelona from bus at 7am Shop until we drop!! | 27 | 28 | 29 Leave Barcelona at 9:48am Arrive in Venice at 11:15am | 30 | 31 | 1 Leave Venice at 920am (yuck!) Arrive in Florence at 12:15pm |
| 2 | 3 Go to Rome (Haven’t figured out which flight or anything yet…) | 4 Sight seeing | 5 Shopping | 6 Leave Rome at 1:45pm Arrive back in Cairo at 6pm | | |
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
a note about hockey for those who might be interested...
Here is what happened:
Lisa and I went skating, but we were really disapointed because both of us could hardly skate due to how shitty the skates were. We took them off and the guy "sharpened" them right in front of us, put them back o n and tried again. I had one skate that had sort of an edge and lisa still had none. There were hockey sticks behigd the counter and we were so excited and asked if we could use them and he said no eventually he told us it would cost an extra 35 piunds (7 bucks) to rent them. As if. He did tell us about a hockey "league" where guys come on friday and play a game. He told us we were invited to come. Lisa and i were skeptical because of how bad the skates were and he didn't have a lot of information but we decided we would check it out sometime anyway.
So while the idea of skating was awesome the actual skating was less awesome. But even with our bad skating we impressed three girls who came to watch. I invited them to come skate with us so they did. Back to the horrible skates... before sharpening the skate blades are completely rusted over. But the guy refused to sharpen the skates for these Egyptian girls. So even if they had the skills (or we taught them the skills) to skate they couldn't because of the horrible skates. It made Lisa and I sooo mad. The girls seemed to really like it anyway. we were trying to explain that it was extra hard to skate becasue of the skates but we aren't sure if they got it or not. One of them spoke English pretty well the other 2 didn't speak a lot. But we went bolwling and then for dinner with them. It sure is nice to meet people other then people we work with. It is even nicer to get out and do somethign different.
After dinner lisa and I were going to a movie. As we were buying our tickets we hear someone calling our name we look over and he says "hey are you guys the ones who want to play hockey?"
We went over and talked to him and he seemed like a really nice "normal" guy. he told us that he had different skates that we can use and he would sharpen them for us. He said that they have a coach fro the states (now i wonder what exactly this means). He said that he lived in the UK for a while and played there.
After talking to him Lisa and i are really excited to play. We exchanged information and he texted us to tell us there will be a game this wednesday. Lisa and i are deciding if we will go or not. We would have to go straight off the bus... the other thing is it costs 35 pounds each time. but for now I think it is worth it...
Lisa and I went skating, but we were really disapointed because both of us could hardly skate due to how shitty the skates were. We took them off and the guy "sharpened" them right in front of us, put them back o n and tried again. I had one skate that had sort of an edge and lisa still had none. There were hockey sticks behigd the counter and we were so excited and asked if we could use them and he said no eventually he told us it would cost an extra 35 piunds (7 bucks) to rent them. As if. He did tell us about a hockey "league" where guys come on friday and play a game. He told us we were invited to come. Lisa and i were skeptical because of how bad the skates were and he didn't have a lot of information but we decided we would check it out sometime anyway.
So while the idea of skating was awesome the actual skating was less awesome. But even with our bad skating we impressed three girls who came to watch. I invited them to come skate with us so they did. Back to the horrible skates... before sharpening the skate blades are completely rusted over. But the guy refused to sharpen the skates for these Egyptian girls. So even if they had the skills (or we taught them the skills) to skate they couldn't because of the horrible skates. It made Lisa and I sooo mad. The girls seemed to really like it anyway. we were trying to explain that it was extra hard to skate becasue of the skates but we aren't sure if they got it or not. One of them spoke English pretty well the other 2 didn't speak a lot. But we went bolwling and then for dinner with them. It sure is nice to meet people other then people we work with. It is even nicer to get out and do somethign different.
After dinner lisa and I were going to a movie. As we were buying our tickets we hear someone calling our name we look over and he says "hey are you guys the ones who want to play hockey?"
We went over and talked to him and he seemed like a really nice "normal" guy. he told us that he had different skates that we can use and he would sharpen them for us. He said that they have a coach fro the states (now i wonder what exactly this means). He said that he lived in the UK for a while and played there.
After talking to him Lisa and i are really excited to play. We exchanged information and he texted us to tell us there will be a game this wednesday. Lisa and i are deciding if we will go or not. We would have to go straight off the bus... the other thing is it costs 35 pounds each time. but for now I think it is worth it...
Saturday, November 27, 2010
What? Christmas is less than a month away?
Hello!
It's so strange to think that there is piles of snow on the ground in Winnipeg! I thought I would really notice and appreciate that there is no snow in December (and while I do appreciate it) it just sort of seems normal. Like a really long summer. Yesterday it was 25 degrees for most of the day which is great! It really doesn't feel like Christmas is less then a month away! In Winnipeg we know Christmas is coming as soon as Halloween is finished, but here there are very few christmas references around. When I went to Cyprus there was a christmas display in the airport and that reminded me just how close christmas is! I have to say it is kind of nice not feeling stressed out by all the shoppers and traffic that comes with this time of year in Winnipeg!
I did go to a craft sale the other day put on by the expats. I will miss seeing craft shows in winnipeg with my mum so it was nice to go to one here with a couple of girls. They had someneat stuff, it wasn't too much like a craft sale in Winnipeg though, less homemade stuff it seemed like, but a lot of beautiful items made by people in need and if purchased the money goes right back to them which is great!
Today and next sunday we have off due to elections. It is quite a big election in Egypt this year. I don't know too much about it but we were given the day off and told to stay in Maadi, "just in case". I wish there was a local english newscast becasue i feel really out of the loop as to what is going on sometimes!
I am about to leave for my weekly grade two meeting... a meeting where we end up mostly gossiping about the weekend and planning for the week for about ten minutes at the end. But it's great. I really like my teaching partners!
It's so strange to think that there is piles of snow on the ground in Winnipeg! I thought I would really notice and appreciate that there is no snow in December (and while I do appreciate it) it just sort of seems normal. Like a really long summer. Yesterday it was 25 degrees for most of the day which is great! It really doesn't feel like Christmas is less then a month away! In Winnipeg we know Christmas is coming as soon as Halloween is finished, but here there are very few christmas references around. When I went to Cyprus there was a christmas display in the airport and that reminded me just how close christmas is! I have to say it is kind of nice not feeling stressed out by all the shoppers and traffic that comes with this time of year in Winnipeg!
I did go to a craft sale the other day put on by the expats. I will miss seeing craft shows in winnipeg with my mum so it was nice to go to one here with a couple of girls. They had someneat stuff, it wasn't too much like a craft sale in Winnipeg though, less homemade stuff it seemed like, but a lot of beautiful items made by people in need and if purchased the money goes right back to them which is great!
Today and next sunday we have off due to elections. It is quite a big election in Egypt this year. I don't know too much about it but we were given the day off and told to stay in Maadi, "just in case". I wish there was a local english newscast becasue i feel really out of the loop as to what is going on sometimes!
I am about to leave for my weekly grade two meeting... a meeting where we end up mostly gossiping about the weekend and planning for the week for about ten minutes at the end. But it's great. I really like my teaching partners!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Kailey Goes to Cyprus
Cyprus is really different then Egypt, but I get the feeling that I am nopt experiencing Cyprus at its best. Most of the people we meet say oh yeah you could do that, but it's better in the summer.
We went to a beach called Agia Napa. It was really pretty, but basically deserted. The streets were lined with souvenir shops and strip clubs... much different then the atmosphere in Egypt.
They say Aphrodite was born from the foam of the sea in Paphos. It looks beautiful and we would like to see it if it works out, but it turns out that it is about 40 km from Paphos city centre and we don't hae a car. We did run into a couple Candian girls who are also teaching in Egypt and vacationing in Cyprus who rented a car. We went to Agia Napa with them the first full day we were here and they plan on coming to Paphos in the next couple of days so maybe we can hook upwith them to see it.
For now there is a lot to see within walking distance. The tombs of the Kings sounds really interesting and the sea is beautiful. I look forward to a nice day of exploring on foot tomorrow. We were going to rent bikes yesterday in Larnaca but it turns uot everythin is closed on Sundays. Larnaca is much like a small town. It looks like Paphos shuts down around 530 as well, which is really different then Egypt where everything stays open late.
The view on the ride here was worth the trip alone. Breathtakingly beautiful. Pictures will never do it justice.
We went to a beach called Agia Napa. It was really pretty, but basically deserted. The streets were lined with souvenir shops and strip clubs... much different then the atmosphere in Egypt.
They say Aphrodite was born from the foam of the sea in Paphos. It looks beautiful and we would like to see it if it works out, but it turns out that it is about 40 km from Paphos city centre and we don't hae a car. We did run into a couple Candian girls who are also teaching in Egypt and vacationing in Cyprus who rented a car. We went to Agia Napa with them the first full day we were here and they plan on coming to Paphos in the next couple of days so maybe we can hook upwith them to see it.
For now there is a lot to see within walking distance. The tombs of the Kings sounds really interesting and the sea is beautiful. I look forward to a nice day of exploring on foot tomorrow. We were going to rent bikes yesterday in Larnaca but it turns uot everythin is closed on Sundays. Larnaca is much like a small town. It looks like Paphos shuts down around 530 as well, which is really different then Egypt where everything stays open late.
The view on the ride here was worth the trip alone. Breathtakingly beautiful. Pictures will never do it justice.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Ataba
Today was a great day.
Our friend Sonny took us to a market called Ataba. It is similar in a way to the Khan el-Khalili which I talked about before. But Ataba is a market by locals for locals. The Khan is really touristy and sells a lot of trinkets and stuff. Ataba has everything one could ever need. I walked out of thee subway station and was instantly surrounded by shops. At first it was just tables filled with random things. Like q tips and nail files and flash lights and hair brushes and socks and books. But was only the begining. Our main mission was to biy bikes so Sonny took us to the bike shop which is in the hardware section. By section I mean streets. The streets are lined with shops some actual buildings some tables most very small but really filled up. The two people I wish most that could see the hardware section are my grandpa and my brother. The streets reminded me of my grandpa's workshop. A mishmash of things but everything seemed to belong in that place. Sonny often goes to Ataba and said one can literally find anything they need there. And you can by one tool, one machine or even one screw and you can haggle it all for a lower price.
We stopped in at the bike shop and had a look around. We found bikes that interested us and decided to keep looking and come back later to make our final decisions.
Well I thought later meant in about an hour or two. Nope. When we began to explore I realized that one could not possibly see Ataba in one day. And I bet one could never see all Ataba has to offer. There are sections for bathroom things and kitchen things and electronic things and cell phone things and clothing and shoes and food and books and so much more.
the meat market.
we walked off the street and into a section off the street that resembled an alleyway. As we looked around we realized that the was raw beef hanging from the roof and raw chicken piled on wooden tables. There were clies everywhere and the grossest thing of all was what we were walking through. the meat was simply dripping off the tables and onto the ground. there were puddles of bloody chicken juice every step. And we were all wearing flip flops.
but as we thought about the meat we thought about the meat in canada and decided that even with the flies landing on it and the wooden tables that it is kept on it is probably better for us then much of the processed "fresh" chicken in canada.
After looking through the books we went back for the bikes. I knew instantly which one i wanted. it is red of course and it has a basket. all it is missing is a bell. which i will get becasue it is actually necessary here. The bike was originally 500 pounds which is not wuite 100 bucks. Not bad, but after striking a deal we got them for 485 pounds which included a lock and a basket.
I'm really excited to explore my new limits of Maadi on a bike.
Our friend Sonny took us to a market called Ataba. It is similar in a way to the Khan el-Khalili which I talked about before. But Ataba is a market by locals for locals. The Khan is really touristy and sells a lot of trinkets and stuff. Ataba has everything one could ever need. I walked out of thee subway station and was instantly surrounded by shops. At first it was just tables filled with random things. Like q tips and nail files and flash lights and hair brushes and socks and books. But was only the begining. Our main mission was to biy bikes so Sonny took us to the bike shop which is in the hardware section. By section I mean streets. The streets are lined with shops some actual buildings some tables most very small but really filled up. The two people I wish most that could see the hardware section are my grandpa and my brother. The streets reminded me of my grandpa's workshop. A mishmash of things but everything seemed to belong in that place. Sonny often goes to Ataba and said one can literally find anything they need there. And you can by one tool, one machine or even one screw and you can haggle it all for a lower price.
We stopped in at the bike shop and had a look around. We found bikes that interested us and decided to keep looking and come back later to make our final decisions.
Well I thought later meant in about an hour or two. Nope. When we began to explore I realized that one could not possibly see Ataba in one day. And I bet one could never see all Ataba has to offer. There are sections for bathroom things and kitchen things and electronic things and cell phone things and clothing and shoes and food and books and so much more.
the meat market.
we walked off the street and into a section off the street that resembled an alleyway. As we looked around we realized that the was raw beef hanging from the roof and raw chicken piled on wooden tables. There were clies everywhere and the grossest thing of all was what we were walking through. the meat was simply dripping off the tables and onto the ground. there were puddles of bloody chicken juice every step. And we were all wearing flip flops.
but as we thought about the meat we thought about the meat in canada and decided that even with the flies landing on it and the wooden tables that it is kept on it is probably better for us then much of the processed "fresh" chicken in canada.
After looking through the books we went back for the bikes. I knew instantly which one i wanted. it is red of course and it has a basket. all it is missing is a bell. which i will get becasue it is actually necessary here. The bike was originally 500 pounds which is not wuite 100 bucks. Not bad, but after striking a deal we got them for 485 pounds which included a lock and a basket.
I'm really excited to explore my new limits of Maadi on a bike.
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