Today we took the school van and met Dr. Joyce and her son and daughter to go to Cairo. We will be going on the Nile cruise with them. Upon arrival at the pyramids the sky was very hazy but cleared by the time we went back down to the base of the pyramids. We toured the Sun boat which Seth and Kristal had not been to before. Seth, Jim and I went into the queen's pyramid but Kristal having had such a bad experience in the Red pyramid chose not to go. When we got out we told her that it was much shorter, not as stuffy and wider entrance so she agreed to try it again and was pleased that she had tried it. Jim got accosted by a vendor and was "forced to by a headdress". The vendors are very pushy and know enough English to continue harassing you after you say "no". School children all want you to say Hello to them. It was very crowded at the pyramids of Giza with many tour buses but was not as crowded at the step pyramid.
There are about 80 pyramids along the edge of the Nile. The pyramids are one of the seven wonders of the world. The largest pyramid is the great pyramid in Giza built for king Khufu. The three great pyramids at Giza were built about 4,500 years ago as tombs for the kings, Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Khafre succeeded Khufu after the short reign of Khufu's son Ra'djedef It was 482 feet high and contains 2.3 million limestone blocks each weighing at least 2.5 tons. Granite blocks weighing over 15 tons were floated down the Nile from Aswan, about 500 miles away. Masons laid a core of solid masonry and then chambers and passages were tunneled deep into it. As the pyramid rose, stone blocks were drug up ramps of sand. Finally the pyramid was faced with polished limestone or granite, and the halls inside were decorated with scenes of the pharaoh's life. Years of sand erosion has left jus the top of the limestone intact. The pyramids required a great deal of planning. First the base was marked out to form a perfect square. Step like terraces were then built, onto which stone blocks were later laid. The accuracy of pyramid angles may have been achieved by counting the revolutions of a rolling drum. Everything they would need for the afterlife was buried with them. Most valuables have been stolen from the tombs.
In the Old Kingdom, only the pharaoh had the ability to live beyond death. He was a living god on earth and was the connection between the divine and the mortal. The pharaoh's duty on earth was to uphold Ma'at, the principle or order and truth. Upon the pharaoh's death he was to become the sun. However the journey was dangerous and the funerary texts was to provide instructions for a safe journey to the afterlife.
The funerary texts consist of about 800 prayers which are carved into the walls. The earliest text is thought to be at the pyramid of King Unas at Saqqara. None of the pyramids contain all of the utterances, nor are the in a particular order.
Since the Pharaoh's destination was the sky, the pyramid in it's original stepped form, provided him with a staircase to the sky. Later the pyramid symbolized the sun's rays, which was another way by which the king could ascend to the heavens.
The sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man. It is 69 feet tall and 243 feet long.
King Zoser built the step pyramid of stone. Prior to the step pyramid tombs had been made of mud brick. The step pyramid had stepped sides so that the king's soul could climb up them to reach heaven. They were later built with straight sides to represent the sun's rays. The king could walk up the rays to the sun god.
We had a late lunch at a restaurant at the base of the pyramids. I ordered fish and I got fish - including the head and tail. When the driver picked us up after lunch, he stopped and loaded us in the middle of the street. That's were I took the picture of the basket hanging from the balcony. I'm told that since it is a hassle for a woman to cover herself to go out into public that she will lower a basket with her shopping list and money and whoever is passing by also going to the store will take the money and list and go to the store for her, returning the items to the basket saving her the hassle of going out. Our driver asked a taxi driver where our hotel was but was given faulty information, so he backed down the street for a half block.
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Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
April 4th, Spring Break Day 3
Today we took Mom and Dad to the Alexandria Bibliotheca (library). We went on the guided tour and then spent some time looking around the exhibits and the actually library on our own. They wouldn’t let us into the children's library without a child though, we were disappointed about that. It is so depressing when you think about how much was lost when the original library burned down; the largest world collection and so many original historical manuscripts-gone. The new library is doing quite the good job of trying to catch back up to its former glory though. The building itself is spectacular in its architecture and design and is one of the most recognized modern buildings in the world. The outside of the building has every known written language on it. The front of the building is slanted and has windows that provide direct sunlight into the reading tables no matter what time of day and also represent the Eye of Horus. And they have learned from their past disaster and have quite an impressive fire proof system set up. We picked up a book about its architecture to give to Amy and Sean. They are also doing quite the feat by trying to rebuild the collection, not only that, but trying to get their whole collection digitalized and available remotely all over the world! If you would like to see more on the Alexandria Bibliotheca, here is the link to its website. Don't forget to leave a comment.
April 4th- Sheila's Version
Today we went to the Alexandria library, the Bibliotheca, a fascinating architectural wonder. We took a tour and learned that the windows are positioned such that there is never direct sunlight anywhere in the library. Another fascinating aspect is that the pillars contain curtains that deploy in case of fire. The holes in the walls are sound deadening acoustics. They also have a historical connection, representing the holes in the original library where the papyrus rolls were stored. The exterior wall has a representation of every language known. The "Death Star" is a planetarium. The third building of the complex is a fine arts theater.
Kristal had warned me and yet I was caught unprepared. To use a public restroom you need to be ready to tip the bathroom attendant and she will provide you with toilet paper. The going rate is 50 piasters. For men is they do not require toilet paper 25 piasters will do. I guess it is universal to primp before the bathroom mirror and I would have liked more time to observe the covered women adjust their scarves.
Today was my first experience riding in a taxi. Seth hailed a taxi by flexing his finger in a palm down position. He had had the front desk person write down the name of were we wanted to go on a piece of paper. The taxi stopped in the middle of the street and we quickly piled in. Our driver did wait until we had closed the door before he took off. We saw during dinner last night that that isn't always the case. Our taxi had a tire that was going flat and another of the taxi drivers signaled that to him. There seems to be a supportive community among the drivers.
During our drive from Cairo to Alexandria we noticed many pigeon coops. There is one also close to Seth and Kristal's balcony. The goal of the sport is to have other peoples pigeons come to roost with your pigeons. The coops are dome shaped to keep them cooler because part of the coop is always in the shade and it creates air movement in the coop.
Our first two days were at Schutz American School. We noticed a couple things about the food, such as the fruit and vegetables are only available in season and they are not genetically engineered. The cantaloupe is green inside and out and is much smaller. But it tastes just like cantaloupe. The cauliflower has much more stem and sparse flower top. We are staying in the apartment next to Seth and Kristal and joining them and their fellow teachers in the dining hall. Everyone has been most accommodating.
Please leave your comment.
Kristal had warned me and yet I was caught unprepared. To use a public restroom you need to be ready to tip the bathroom attendant and she will provide you with toilet paper. The going rate is 50 piasters. For men is they do not require toilet paper 25 piasters will do. I guess it is universal to primp before the bathroom mirror and I would have liked more time to observe the covered women adjust their scarves.
Today was my first experience riding in a taxi. Seth hailed a taxi by flexing his finger in a palm down position. He had had the front desk person write down the name of were we wanted to go on a piece of paper. The taxi stopped in the middle of the street and we quickly piled in. Our driver did wait until we had closed the door before he took off. We saw during dinner last night that that isn't always the case. Our taxi had a tire that was going flat and another of the taxi drivers signaled that to him. There seems to be a supportive community among the drivers.
During our drive from Cairo to Alexandria we noticed many pigeon coops. There is one also close to Seth and Kristal's balcony. The goal of the sport is to have other peoples pigeons come to roost with your pigeons. The coops are dome shaped to keep them cooler because part of the coop is always in the shade and it creates air movement in the coop.
Our first two days were at Schutz American School. We noticed a couple things about the food, such as the fruit and vegetables are only available in season and they are not genetically engineered. The cantaloupe is green inside and out and is much smaller. But it tastes just like cantaloupe. The cauliflower has much more stem and sparse flower top. We are staying in the apartment next to Seth and Kristal and joining them and their fellow teachers in the dining hall. Everyone has been most accommodating.
Please leave your comment.
Friday, April 3, 2009
April 3rd- Sheila's Version
April 3, 2009
I awoke at 4AM to the mournful sound of the "call to prayer". Laying there I was left to wonder if what I was hearing was a human voice or some wind instrument. Kristal later informed me that it was a human voice and that she has heard them sneeze, cough and even drop the microphone. There are four mosques within earshot of their apartment. Each beginning the call to prayer at the first light of day. There are mosques spaced on the desert road and along the Nile such that they will always be able to hear "the call". Today, Friday is their Holy Day with extra broadcasts. Streets may be closed due to people on mats praying if there is overflow from the mosque. There are normally 7 "calls to prayer" each day. We went down to the street with idea that we would get a picture of the mats in the street but stepping out we were met with a funeral tent right across the street. When someone dies they try to have the funeral by dusk of that day. A tent is erected in the street outside the persons home with someone singing or chanting over a loud speaker most of the day. Since it was Friday their Holy Day that person was extra blessed. Their goal is to die during Ramadan their most Holy time.
Walk like an Egyptian
Toady we took a couple of walks around the city and became pedestrians ourselves. Six million people live in Alexandria next to the Nile. Actually almost all of Egypt lives next to the Nile, they have to, it's their only source of water. This creates a lot of congestion and creates quite an experience being a pedestrian. The streets are very narrow and yet they park on both sides of the street with cars and pedestrians moving about. There really aren't street signs so if what was a one way street suddenly becomes a two way street a negotiation of who has to back up takes place. But this is done without the heated tempers that we would expect. Added to the situation is the occasional trashcan sitting in the street to be dogged with possibly a cat or two eating out of it. I even saw a cafe who had put table and chairs in the street for additional seating. Today Kristal and I had a role reversal because I had to take Kristal's had to cross the street. It was also very disturbing that I got cat calls and she normally doesn't. My blond hair is quite the oddity and gets a lot of stares and comments.
After lunch be went to an Armenian festival. One of the teachers Kristal and Seth work with is Armenian and invited them to go. We took the school van with the school's driver. We were sitting in the court yard with the Armenians when a woman came up to Jim and started talking in English. She said that she has relatives that live in Texas. Jim said we have a son who lives in Texas to which she replied Hou son? Jim thought she asked "who's son" so he repeated "my son". She repeated "Hou son", this went on until Jim realized that she was asking if our son lived in Houston. Tourist! The fashion of the Armenian woman is what you could expect in any church basement in the states. It was interesting to see what is behind the walls. Who knew that poinsettias could grow to such heights. There are many walled complexes in Alexandria.
I was surprised by how humid Alexandria is. It gets the breeze right off the Mediterranean and is about 20 to 30 degrees cooler than Cairo. Alexandria gets even more crowded in the summer with people from Cairo trying to escape the heat. Alexandria is also very dusty. Many cars parked are covered to keep the dust off. If they aren't covered many have their windshield wipers raised so that the dust doesn't accumulate on the wiper blades. Egyptians like very ornate furniture and fixtures. Which to me if I had to dust them I won't chose anything that couldn't be easily dusted but the reality is that if you can afford the ornate item you can also afford the maid to dust it. There don't seem to be many bugs. Seth and Kristal have a long sheer curtain that hangs at the door blowing in the wind, very romantic. The sheer is to keep out the bats.
A city of six million creates a lot of strange noises. You quickly accept the "call to prayer" seven times a day. One of the first noises we were bewildered by was the onion man. The men with carts travel the streets with mega phones announcing what they have to sell off of their carts. Sound really travels, I think because all the surfaces are hard. The noises reverberate off of the buildings and you can't actually see where the noise is coming from because there are tall buildings and walls all around. We can also hear the train on what sounds like very rusty tracks. Occasionally you'll hear a rooster crowing from a balcony. Then there is the constant honking. I understand why Seth and Kristal said that the noise was one of the first things they had to get used to.
On our walk we walked by rows of small shops. It reminds me of the self storage facilities with the roll up doors. We saw vegetables, tires, granite, woodworking, ironing, chicken coops, hanging beef, candy and water pipes.
We walked over to the 5 star Four Seasons hotel for dinner. It was quite opulent right on the Mediterranean. After dinner we walked around the mall that's on the hotel's lower level. Walking at night is different because instead of honking they flash their headlights. There is so much ambient light that they don't run with their headlights on. We noticed that the one pedestrian that the taxi drivers actually brake for are the alley cats. I have concluded that their lack of traffic rules is a form of population control. But seriously, I worry about what happens to a person who is injured because Egypt is definitely not handicap accessible.
I awoke at 4AM to the mournful sound of the "call to prayer". Laying there I was left to wonder if what I was hearing was a human voice or some wind instrument. Kristal later informed me that it was a human voice and that she has heard them sneeze, cough and even drop the microphone. There are four mosques within earshot of their apartment. Each beginning the call to prayer at the first light of day. There are mosques spaced on the desert road and along the Nile such that they will always be able to hear "the call". Today, Friday is their Holy Day with extra broadcasts. Streets may be closed due to people on mats praying if there is overflow from the mosque. There are normally 7 "calls to prayer" each day. We went down to the street with idea that we would get a picture of the mats in the street but stepping out we were met with a funeral tent right across the street. When someone dies they try to have the funeral by dusk of that day. A tent is erected in the street outside the persons home with someone singing or chanting over a loud speaker most of the day. Since it was Friday their Holy Day that person was extra blessed. Their goal is to die during Ramadan their most Holy time.
Walk like an Egyptian
Toady we took a couple of walks around the city and became pedestrians ourselves. Six million people live in Alexandria next to the Nile. Actually almost all of Egypt lives next to the Nile, they have to, it's their only source of water. This creates a lot of congestion and creates quite an experience being a pedestrian. The streets are very narrow and yet they park on both sides of the street with cars and pedestrians moving about. There really aren't street signs so if what was a one way street suddenly becomes a two way street a negotiation of who has to back up takes place. But this is done without the heated tempers that we would expect. Added to the situation is the occasional trashcan sitting in the street to be dogged with possibly a cat or two eating out of it. I even saw a cafe who had put table and chairs in the street for additional seating. Today Kristal and I had a role reversal because I had to take Kristal's had to cross the street. It was also very disturbing that I got cat calls and she normally doesn't. My blond hair is quite the oddity and gets a lot of stares and comments.
After lunch be went to an Armenian festival. One of the teachers Kristal and Seth work with is Armenian and invited them to go. We took the school van with the school's driver. We were sitting in the court yard with the Armenians when a woman came up to Jim and started talking in English. She said that she has relatives that live in Texas. Jim said we have a son who lives in Texas to which she replied Hou son? Jim thought she asked "who's son" so he repeated "my son". She repeated "Hou son", this went on until Jim realized that she was asking if our son lived in Houston. Tourist! The fashion of the Armenian woman is what you could expect in any church basement in the states. It was interesting to see what is behind the walls. Who knew that poinsettias could grow to such heights. There are many walled complexes in Alexandria.
I was surprised by how humid Alexandria is. It gets the breeze right off the Mediterranean and is about 20 to 30 degrees cooler than Cairo. Alexandria gets even more crowded in the summer with people from Cairo trying to escape the heat. Alexandria is also very dusty. Many cars parked are covered to keep the dust off. If they aren't covered many have their windshield wipers raised so that the dust doesn't accumulate on the wiper blades. Egyptians like very ornate furniture and fixtures. Which to me if I had to dust them I won't chose anything that couldn't be easily dusted but the reality is that if you can afford the ornate item you can also afford the maid to dust it. There don't seem to be many bugs. Seth and Kristal have a long sheer curtain that hangs at the door blowing in the wind, very romantic. The sheer is to keep out the bats.
A city of six million creates a lot of strange noises. You quickly accept the "call to prayer" seven times a day. One of the first noises we were bewildered by was the onion man. The men with carts travel the streets with mega phones announcing what they have to sell off of their carts. Sound really travels, I think because all the surfaces are hard. The noises reverberate off of the buildings and you can't actually see where the noise is coming from because there are tall buildings and walls all around. We can also hear the train on what sounds like very rusty tracks. Occasionally you'll hear a rooster crowing from a balcony. Then there is the constant honking. I understand why Seth and Kristal said that the noise was one of the first things they had to get used to.
On our walk we walked by rows of small shops. It reminds me of the self storage facilities with the roll up doors. We saw vegetables, tires, granite, woodworking, ironing, chicken coops, hanging beef, candy and water pipes.
We walked over to the 5 star Four Seasons hotel for dinner. It was quite opulent right on the Mediterranean. After dinner we walked around the mall that's on the hotel's lower level. Walking at night is different because instead of honking they flash their headlights. There is so much ambient light that they don't run with their headlights on. We noticed that the one pedestrian that the taxi drivers actually brake for are the alley cats. I have concluded that their lack of traffic rules is a form of population control. But seriously, I worry about what happens to a person who is injured because Egypt is definitely not handicap accessible.
April 3rd, Spring Break Day 2
Yep, just like we expected Mom and Dad were awoken at 4:00 A.M. with the dawn call to prayer, not to mention all the other noises around here. We did warn them, in fact, I think that’s one of our first descriptive words we use when anyone asks us about living in Egypt…NOISY.
We got a kick out of how many times Mom and Dad would be shocked about something they saw or did and Seth and I would just say, “We’ve been telling you that for months!” and their reply was always, “I know you’ve been telling us but you just don’t understand it until you see/experience it for yourself.” Guess that just goes to prove what Seth and I keep saying….YOU ALL NEED TO COME OUT AND VISIT US.
Anyways, there is a Call To Prayer five times a day and it’s all based around the position of the sun. Every Mosque has a minaret, which until recently, a man would walk up to the top and sing out the Call To Prayer at the appropriate times. However, now a days, every Mosque has (a low quality) speaker system on the top of each minaret and a guy on a microphone (not a recording) sings out the Call To Prayer. It can be quite peaceful if there was only one Mosque with a man who can actually sing well. However, where we live, we are literally in the middle of a two block radius of five Mosques which all blare their speakers at the same time, over one another, and not always is the guy a very good singer. So it just becomes a whole lot of noise. After being here for months, you start to tune it out and it doesn’t always bother you as much…but it took awhile to get used to it. Sometimes it still wakes us up, but usually we can roll over and go back to sleep.
Seth and I would laugh, because we didn’t realize how use to we got to some of these noises until Mom and Dad would get startled, and ask, “What’s that!” and Seth and I would look at each other and look around straining our ears for something odd and Mom and Dad would then proclaim, “Oh my gosh, they don’t even here it, they are used to that noise.” Then Seth and I would realize what they were talking about and say, “Oh, that! That’s just the onion guy.” Which is a guy that goes around with his donkey cart filled with onions and garlic and has a megaphone hooked up to a car battery and yells some indistinguishable phrase that even the locals can’t understand, about coming to buy his onions. Or, “Oh that’s just the train.” Referring to the god awful screeching, which I imagine to be the same sound an ancient Pterodactyl would cry as he hunted, train that runs behind our school.
We hadn’t planned much to do today since we knew they would be jet lagged and tired. We gave them a tour of our school’s campus. They got to see Seth’s and mine classrooms and office and realize just what we mean when Seth and I sometimes say that there are days that we don’t ever get more than 100 yards apart from each other the entire day. They also saw the apartment that we will be moving into next year; a bit of an upgrade with a second bedroom and a bigger/nicer kitchen.
After lunch, I took Mom and Dad to an Armenian Easter Bazaar. Our high school secretary, and my friend Karen is Armenian and she invited us to come to the Armenian Club for the Bazaar. Jane, the librarian whom I work with all day long, came along with us. The Armenian Club is just a multipurpose building with a very nice enclosed garden for social events. Alexandria has a large Expat community. Expat stands for Ex-patriot and means anyone who does not live and work in their country of birth. Seth and I are Expats here. There are large populations of Armenian’s, Greeks, and Italians here and they have their own communities within Alexandria with their own schools, clubs, and restaurants. The large communities formed between World War I World War II when they came here to escape their own countries which were not safe at the time and many have stayed and have fourth generations here now. Usually expats of other nationalities can also go to their clubs and restaurants but not many let Egyptians in. We go to the Greek and Protégées club a lot. Anyways, there wasn’t much to the Easter Bazaar, no handmade crafts like we were hoping but we did by some food. We spent an hour relaxing in their beautiful garden and meeting Karen’s family and friends. They had a HUGE poinsettia plant, I didn’t even know they could grow bigger than the normal little potted Christmas plants.
That evening Mom stayed home with me and I showed off what I’ve been learning about digital scrapbooking (thank you Sarah), while Seth and Dad took Sokkwi to the vet for his second round of shots. We have to get all of his vaccinations in before we bring him home with us this summer. Our cat will actually have a kitty passport to prove his health records. Our vet is actually the brother of someone we work with, we like and trust him, although his clinic in not exactly anything like you would find in the states. It’s just a single room off of their house and not the cleanliness or up-to-date you would find back home. This was the first time that Dad took a taxi in Egypt rather than a driver, although he didn’t get the usual thrill-ride as expected. They actually managed to find a cab driver who spoke fluent English and drove really safely as he politely talked with Dad about his beloved home Alex. Not, to worry, Mom and Dad got to experience many more typical cab rides the rest of their trip.
When they got back we all went to San Stefano, the huge new mall and Four Seasons Hotel that is within walking distance of the school, to eat at Fresca, a nice relaxing upscale café that we like, which looks out over the Cornish and the Mediterranean Sea. This means another walk through real life Egypt and crossing Horraha Street, a major four lane (six cars across) road. It’s hard walking through town with Mom, even though I tell her to keep up and never to hesitate when I go, I would still look back every once in awhile and realize that she was 50 yards behind me, too scared to walk in between two cars. The other hard part was that I’ve always told everyone that I think Egypt is very safe and friendly and that I never get harassed on the street by men, which is true. However, my mom with her bright blond hair which is quite unique here got all sorts of attention on the streets. Nothing too bad just a few, “Hey California Blondie.”, “I like your hair.”, “Hey pretty lady.” , “Hey blond hair woman.”. I had more of a hard time with it than Mom did. It’s a sad day when you realize your roles with your parents have reversed. You have to hold your mother’s hand to cross the street, and your Mom is that one that get the cat calls from the men.
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