They Absolutely LOVE Children

“You will find that Egyptians love children.” That was what we were told before we arrived here.

Now what does that really mean anyways. Well, just to give you an idea. While we have hardly ventured out to do much shopping, Hannah has already amassed a nice collection of complimentary knick knacks from shopkeepers. She will proudly show off her new necklace, jewelry box, and wooden figurine from her Egyptian “friends” if you ask her. I’m thinking that the next time we go into a store, I will have her point out the most exquisite art piece and see what the shopkeeper will do.

But truly, it is so refreshing to see how the Egyptians receive your children wholeheartedly. It is not just from the shopkeepers whom do not expect that you will in turn feel obligated to make a purchase from them. It is from most Egyptians whom we have encountered. They take great interest in your children, and will kiss and hug them if you do not object.

In fact, often when we go downstairs from our apartment, we will invariably hear someone call out “Hannah” before we even catch sight of anyone. Adults whom we interact with will always greet and talk with Hannah, and admire and ask of Megan.

We are certain that our girls will get so used to the attention lavished on them during their time here that they will wonder why they are not treated like princesses wherever they go.

Why Are You Going So Slow, Mommy

I did it! I drove somewhere by myself!! I sound like a giddy teen, which I even felt like after I made it home unscathed. That sounds pathetic when you consider that my destination was less than a half mile away. But then, you don’t know about driving in Cairo.

Let’s see, where do I begin? At first glance, drivers do not observe any traffic rules here. There are no stoplights (or at least, any that work) or stop signs. Sometimes you will see lane markings, most of the time there are none. Regardless, nobody stays in his own lane, the drivers just try to fit as many cars as the road allows. Drivers will back up in the middle of the road, in the middle of traffic, even if they are at an overpass. Drivers cut each other off all the time, and there will always be someone making a left turn from the far right lane. Streets often seem impossibly narrow since cars are parked or stopped carelessly on both sides. And Cairenes (those who inhabit Cairo) absolutely love their car horns. Pedestrians are even worse, they will cross right in front of traffic at the last moment without a care that s/he will get hit. Those are my first impressions.

Now, after being here for six weeks, I have begun to see things differently. I see that there is order in the chaos. I’ve come to realize that drivers do not go that fast so driving is manageable once you learn how they do it. You merge at traffic circles by not being timid. You insert your car into cross traffic by blocking off other cars or you will never go anywhere. You watch for traffic coming at you at any direction at all times. There are unspoken rules, if you will.

Besides learning to drive the Egyptian way, having a big SUV definitely helps. Like Jim says, many are intimidated by the size of a large vehicle for the simple reason that they don’t want to get hit. So I feel like I’m getting bolder and feeling more confident every time I get behind the wheel. That is until my three year old asks me “why are you driving so slow, mommy” and reminds me to “crank the wheel, mommy.”

Cleaning Up

Yes, we made it to Cairo. Jim arrived back in late March, and I came with the girls and my father at the beginning of May. So much has happened since we arrived, I will have to back track and fill you all in on our adventure thus far. But before I take you back to my first impressions, I have something much more pressing before I have time to put those thoughts down. It's almost 11 at night and I need to wake up early tomorrow so read on and I'll fill you in soon enough ~ Bess


Could it be happening finally? Everybody who's ever been overseas talks about the luxury of having affordable domestic help. So of course, that was something I'd greatly anticipated before our arrival in Cairo.

Well, after interviewing five housekeepers, we finally settled on an Egyptian maid. She seems very pleasant and accommodating. And really, I can't wait to not have to clean my own home anymore, especially since I'm not very good at it.

The problem now is that she is due to start tomorrow and my house is a mess. You would think that's a good thing, I'm sure. But I, on the other hand, am panicked that someone, a stranger no less, is coming to my home who will see how my nice little family lives.

That is, after being here for five weeks, I'm embarassed that I live the way I do: a good two inches of dust on the furniture (I'm sure of it), piles of paperwork everywhere (which is my usual m.o. but did anyone else know about this before?), and remnants of unfinished stuff laying about (magazines I've saved from our last two moves, knic knacs that desperately need a home, Hannah's "art projects" in a million pieces, unused things ready for storage strewn about in the dining room). At least I used to shove all that stuff in the basement before our guests arrived, but now, someone is coming to see everything, and I'm supposed to be OK about it because this person is hired to clean my house afterall.

No problem, I'm getting up early tomorrow so I can put things away before she gets here. It's crazy, I know, but she's going to find out all about my family and our dirty little secrets.