Substituting

It is just one of those days... My day always starts out good, but things have the ability to really digress from there. I had a great workout with my comrade, Daniel, and the staff meeting wasn't too bad, but then things just kind of shifted from there.

I'm substituting two classes for one of the SM's this week because she is off traveling the country with her family and it has made things slightly stressful. I have three classes with my 10th graders and I'm not going to lie for one second that they are the class that takes the most energy. They are smart, talented, obnoxious, half are disrespectful, and most annoyingly they don't really care about too much. They love to push the limits as far as they can and test me constantly. I'm not going to deny that they are a giant pain in the butt at times.

Today was one of those times. I started by teaching them Physical Science (one of the classes I'm substituting) and the first they did was try to see if I would make them sit in their assigned seats. Naturally, I did and the whole usual river of crap started coming out of their mouths, "but Ms. Bethany lets us sit where we want." I replied, "Really? Wow, that's funny that she gave me a seating chart." Nothing, but silence.

Then I told them to start their homework and 1/4 of them came up to me and said, "We need to go get our books." I said, "OK but I have to mark you tardy." Then the river started flowing again, "But Ms. Bethany lets us go and get our books when we want." "Hmmm... that's a crazy coincidence guys, but it says on the substitute sheet that I should mark you tardy. Crazy! How did that happen guys?" Once again they shut up.

Then they started the homework and they said, "Mr. what are the assigned problems." I looked at my sub directions and found their were no assigned problems, FUN! Then there was a sentence beneath it, "they will know what problems to do, tell them it is the normal assignment." So I said confidently, "Do the normal assignment." Blank stares. "But Mr what is zhe assignment are we zuppozed to do?" (they always pronounce their th's and s's as zuhh's). Now is where the survival mode kicked in. Adapt, improvise, and overcome. So I looked at the book and chose a set of problems from the review that looked interesting to me and wrote them on the board.

They were quite for a time and did there work, but then the class started to wind down. So I said, "OK guys your assignments are due now." The river began again, "But Mr they aren't due until tomorrow." I checked the sheet and what did ya know, "Do at the end of class." I made a quick decision to let them keep them until tomorrow because I had no idea what the problem set was actually supposed to be like.

I look at this and think to myself that was a crappy day of classes. I've been pretty flippin' cranky throughout my classes because I'm tired of all the crap! That isn't how it should be though. They should not dictate my emotions or my actions. I want to be firm with them but at the same time I want to be personal and have the chance to connect with them. Time to reevaluate though....

The lesson I learned today:#1 If you are substituting or having a sub, then give exact directions!
#2- Don't let my students run me. I'm the Captain of this Ship! I got that from Tom Hewson, thanks Coach.

Controlling Anger

Today was, once again, another interesting day. I started my day off with the normal run in the morning and things were going pretty fine until staff meeting. We got there and started going over the normal topics and then the boys dean brought up the topic of one of the students, Simon, who has been staying with his brother in the villa next door because he broke his leg two months ago and he didn't want to have to make the daily two hour trip to the school with crutches. It turns out that Simon is also the most responsible kid in grade 10 and arguably one of the most responsible kids in the school. You can probably tell that, as a teacher, I love him.

So as the dean was going off on how he needed to go home, I interjected and said, "we should find a way for him to be here and what is the problem with him living there right now? He's a responsible kid and he's not causing any trouble living there."

The dean then brought up an off-topic argument, "well there are other students who want to live there and he shouldn't be allowed to." So I said, "well, we should at least make a spot for him in the dorm when we move another student there if we are going to kick him out of villa 3."

He then responded, "No we can't do that. I talked to him and he doesn't want to live in the dorms."

At this point I was getting mad, because he was clearly lying and was trying to deceive the principal into making Simon go home. I obviously didn't want that because I wouldn't want to travel four hours everyday and so I indignantly inquired of the dean, "When did he say that?"

He replied, "Oh... Just the other day." So I pressed him again and said, "When? Because I just talked to him yesterday and he said he REALLY wants to live here and has wanted to live here for awhile."

At this point the Principal interjected and stated that the students shouldn't be talking to me about this, but the dean or him. I was feeling pretty angry about this because I was just trying to make sure he didn't get unfairly sent back to being a day student. Dwight, the Principal, was right, the students should be talking to him about this.

The staff meeting ended shortly after and I sat there in the staff room ANGRY. I honestly felt like decking the dean in the face. I realized that if I didn't get a handle on my emotions then I was going to be angry and would probably lash out at one of my students. I remembered my Mom telling me that "It is your choice if you are going to be angry. You don't have to be angry. You are the only one who is in control of your emotions."

As the day went on, I'll be honest that at times it was really difficult to control my emotions. I found myself wanting to let my anger go on my students, but I had to keep reminding myself that it was my choice to be angry. Anger isn't a bad thing, but it is dangerous if it isn't controlled and channeled in the right direction.

I'm realizing that I have to get up the "kahuna's" and have a showdown with the dean one on one or I'm going to have animosity towards him. I know he will feel it, too, because I'm not very kind to people I GENUINELY dislike (and I'm getting there). I struggle to have and show respect for them. I don't want that because that will continue to make it an up-hill battle to control my anger every morning in staff meeting whenever he speaks and that will take our teaching team nowhere desirable. I can't let cowardice take hold by sitting idly on my anger, I have to solve the situation. Be that by decking him the face (kidding) or discussing the problem with him as grown men. "Be of good courage."

Speaking and Not Speaking

I had an interesting experience this weekend. I'm on the school's "Ministry Team" and we go on trips to the Adventist churches throughout Egypt. The trips are interesting, but they are always kind of awkward because I don't really know what to say at times. We usually spend the night at a locals house and it's not too bad there because I have the chance to talk with the people through one of the students.

I'm frustrated with the situation because the students always give me the, "oh come Mr. Eric, we don't want to translate for you." I'll be honest that it's a little bit offensive to me because I'm doing my best to show interest in these people and the students just have this attitude of "who cares" and then when I try to at least show my appreciation to our hosts they get upset with me for asking them to translate. So basically for this weekend I didn't really talk too much. The staff and the students alike talked to each other in Arabic 95% of the time. The 5% was when I would ask a question of them to be conversational and then they would reply with a brief answer. To be honest with you I felt kind of excluded this weekend. The team leader, Pastor Isaac, gave most of the information out in Arabic and I just kind of sat there going, "Huh?" The sermon was in Arabic and the Sabbath School was in Arabic. The Vespers was in Arabic. The jokes on the bus were in Arabic.

I guess when I look at the whole thing optimistically it really wasn't that bad of a weekend. I learned to be less concerned about having the pressure to show people I care about them by being conversational and for the first time in a VERY long time I just sat back and didn't say anything. I tried to start a conversation or two, but they would always end so I decided "OK" I'm going to learn to be comfortable with not talking. It was good for me! I picked up what I could from their conversations in Arabic to train myself to listen for the vocabulary and then I completely ignored everything and wrote in my journal. It was good for me to realize that I don't have to feel a lack of confidence if I'm not in charge of the pace of a conversation. I was at peace to just sit back and not take part. It was definitely a situation where I felt "out of my comfort zone" and it was a little bit painful at first, but then I just settled into it and relaxed. The world continued on without me intervening and keeping conversation going. It was really good, awkward at first, but still good.

It's funny to me, I feel as though there is a piece of my extroverted side dying as I think about the course of this weekend. I think it comes down to I know I that I can usually carry a conversation confidently, but can I just sit back and not do anything and still feel confident? I don't have to be the conversationalist to be confident. This is a new concept for me because all of the people I've looked up to have always been such conversationalists, but they were also OK with themselves when they weren't talking. I haven't really realized this until now. I don't have to be included in a conversation to feel confident and I don't have to control a conversation to feel comfortable. Ah, life is good and, even though I'm getting fed up with Egyptians, being in Egypt is good.

Only Today

I'm starting to understand that song "Father God just for today, Help me walk your narrow way..." Everything I do here, I just try to take it one day at a time. It's easy to stay focused and to get stuff done that way. Life here doesn't seem so tragically overwhelming when I look at it through the scope of "just today."

I've started praying for God to just help me to have the victory for today. I'm starting to care less about tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I'm still planning like all get out, but I'm not going to let it worry me so much anymore. Today is all I've been given. I ask myself, "What do I really want to do today?" There's a lot of things that come to mind and I say, "Can I do that today?" If it is plausible and ethical, then I'm going to try to do it today.

Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. If there is one thing that I learned from flipping in a car at 70 mph, it is that life isn't guaranteed. I was driving along thinking about how excited I was to go to Heather's house and then BAMMM I was swerving off the road and then the next thing I knew, the car was rolling. I remember rolling and thinking, "Crap, we're flipping. This isn't good." I don't remember anything else from my thoughts for the next few minutes because I was unconscious. It's funny to think that those could've been my last thoughts. My last words would've been "Oh S#$t". Yes, it's true. I was in fact swearing when the car started to swerve. Life is so fragile and in that fact, so is tomorrow. I feel like an emotional hippy writing this, but all we have is today. I still think we should be responsible for tomorrow, but today should definitely be made worthwhile because it is truly all we have.

And so my mantra is changing from the theme of quit thinking about what a perfect person I should be, right now, and just do what I can to be that kind of person for today. The ideal of what type of person I should be, shouldn't make me hate myself for today. All I can do is to ask God for the victory of today and then do what I can to see that victory accomplished.

Teaching

Today has been an interesting day for me. I have been busy for the past five hours recording scores, writing notes to students for the close of the quarter, and making lesson plans for next quarter. I've always thought that this would be the thing that I would dread most if I was to become a teacher, but I'm honestly enjoying making these lesson plans and getting all of my stuff organized. I'm realizing that I REALLY like to be organized! Most of the time I'm just to lazy to put forth the effort to arise to my perfectionist ideals as to how something should be organized, so I usually end up just winging it. The funny thing is that I am honestly enjoying getting doing this stuff! I will probably say that a few more times before I'm done writing this because I'm pretty darn shocked.

It's making me think more and more as to whether or not I want to be a teacher. I have never given teaching more of a consideration than I am right now. I love teaching in the classroom, especially when I'm prepared, and I find myself liking teaching more. The more classes that I teach, the better I want to be at what I'm teaching. I hate it when half my class isn't understanding something in Algebra and it gives me the incentive to really take the time to look over my lesson plans so I can help them get it.

I've always enjoyed people's company and talking, but if there is one where I thrive- it is when I can help somebody grow. I have had so many teachers who have shaped who I am and I in turn want to give back to society by helping shape kid's lives. I was a little bit unsure as to how to deal with these kids when I first got here because I wasn't sure of the culture. After about the 3rd or 4th week I realized that they are just kids and they have the same emotions, insecurities, and hormones flowing through them as every other high school student does.

When I was teaching the 9th grade Vocab class the other day I remembered the chaotic gamut of emotions when I was 15. I don't know why it came up, but when it did I just laughed to myself and suddenly all of my students looked so much different to me. The crazy Sudanese girl who is always so standoffish and straight up rude became a girl who is insecure and needs approval. The Egyptian boy, Shenouda, who is always disrupting my class turned into a kid who isn't getting enough attention at home and needs people to recognize him.

I'm realizing, as the time passes, that I'm becoming an important person to many of my students. I know that I have the power to shape them and mold them into better people. I see that I have the opportunity to help them become more self-assured. I have the chance to show them that there is someone who cares about them. I'm beginning to understand that teaching might be what I'm supposed to do with my life. As I'm writing this, there is a flood of thoughts and doubts running through my head of, "are you sure?!"

I've had many good teachers in my educational career and I can say that I've also learned what makes a good teacher and a bad teacher. I enjoy teaching and that is something that everyone of my good teachers had, they enjoyed what they taught. Often times a teacher will sometimes just enjoy the subject that they teach and they might not have the personality for it, but I think I have the personality of a teacher. I'm patient, creative, understanding, analytical, and sometimes I have a sense of humor.

I'm still quite a kid at heart and I think that is something that is needed to connect with kids. I think that is the most important thing a teacher does is to connect with their students. Two of my favorite profs at WWU were Gary Wiss and Tom Thompson. They were in their 70's, but they had they were still kids at heart. They were really hyperactive and I would've never guessed they were in their 70's if they hadn't told me so. They were happy because they were livning a truly fulfilled life. I feel pretty fulfilled being here. Maybe I am supposed to be a teacher... Time will tell all and one thing is for sure, this day will stand out in my memory as a day of an enlightenment. I've had an epiphany as to one of the things I KNOW that I'd like to do with my life.

Religion: Deciding the Way People Think Since Man's Existence?

I'm still trying to get to the top of one of the minarets here in Cairo, but the clerics are always pretty negative towards me. I guess I should've realized that one because newsflash, "I'm American!" Sometimes the loud speaker will go on about how one day they will crush the infidels (Israeli's and Americans) and it's interesting to me. Islam seems like such a pathetic thinking process, it discourages any understanding, and states that the people should only memorize the texts of the Qu'ran and then babble them off. Muslim means "one who submits", it seems more like "one who doesn't think". I've met some really good Muslim people so far and they, obviously, don't fit into this category. But I think Islam kind of prevents the culture from moving forward. How can you progress when the people are constantly being taught to NOT think for themselves?! It spreads to the whole culture, too. That's the sick part. Even the Christians in this country are affected by Islams cultural impact on the treatment of women, customs, etc. In Upper Egypt Orthodox women aren't allowed to go outside, unless they are with their husband. That's ridiculous! It isn't an Orthodox belief, but it is a Muslim belief and the Orthodox adhere to it. It won't change any time soon either because "why?" is a question that shouldn't be asked in Upper Egypt.

Egypt has been really good to me and for me. It has forced me to confront the way that I want to think and the beliefs I want to carry with me. People believe very strongly what they believe and they're zealous about it. Through conversations, I've discovered that many don't know why they believe what they believe, but their beliefs are very important to them. The culture demands people to treat their religion as their honor. They are Orthodox or Muslim because their family is Orthodox or Muslim. The honor of their family is important to them and so they follow their religion, well at least at face value, very closely. This ends up dwarfing personality and thinking, but it makes for a very committed, loyal, and pretty honorable person.

I want to be committed to a system of right and wrong, my family, and freedom in thinking. I've become a heck of a lot more patriotic by being here! The USA stands for these things, for the most part. So does the Adventist religion and so, once again, I feel that I've become more of an Adventist. Adventism, as a belief system, is the only religion that demands looking at the Bible honestly and to think about it legitimately. Since the Bible seems like the only book that is without holes, I want to adhere to it. I want to think and be open minded. To look at something and logically prove, or disprove, it. I've been reading up on Islam and it is like a bucket that has been 'lit up' by a fully automatic machine gun- it doesn't hold water! I believe the Adventist beliefs, but I definitely don't agree with the condition of the American Adventist Church. Adventism is dead in Egypt- there are MAYBE 250 Adventists in a country of 80 million people. I can see why though, if you convert to a new religion, then your family will usually kill you. That is in the Coptic religion and Islam! Students that come to NUA and want to convert to Adventism will wait until they leave Egypt to be baptized because they don't want their family to persecute, or kill, them.

Already, after two months, I am grateful for my family, my religion, and my country. Freedom is precious and oh so sweet. Be grateful.

Voting

I had the experience of a lifetime voting yesterday! Monte and I had decided that we were going to make the long two hour trip to the embassy to uphold our civil responsibility as US Citizens and so we left the school at 7:00am Eastern Time. It was a longer trip than usual because there were some issues on the metro with the train malfunctioning, so we had an extra long trip to get to the embassy. Finally, when our train arrived at the Sedat stop on the metro we jumped out and headed into the city to find the embassy. After consulting our map and arguing a little bit we found the embassy.

I would like to mention that the embassy wasn't what I expected. I was expecting a fortress with machine gun nests on top of towers and Marines with M-16's guarding the front gate. It wasn't that at all. The place was guarded by Egyptian soldiers, on the outside, and there were no intimidating towers that I could see. I think I've watched too many Hollywood movies in my lifetime and my expectations have been skewed.

We walked to the entrance of the embassy and said to the Egyptian guy waiting behind the booth that we wanted to vote. He replied, "you're too late, no vote for you." I will be honest that this upset me because it was clearly the 4th of November and last time I had checked that was when the voting was happening! So I replied trying to be polite, "I want to talk to an American about this. Where do I go?" He glared at me, I can understand why because he was insulted, and said, "go walk to the other gate."

So we trotted off to the other gate expecting to find Americans at the front, but once again we were disappointed by the sight of Egyptian staff. We asked where we were supposed to go to vote and they told us that the voting was over. We went through the same mantra and I asked, "where is an American?" They sent us further in the room and there was a Marine behind the desk and I said to myself, "FINALLY!"

We proceeded to go through the same process asking her if we could vote and she got on the phone to ask for instructions. After a few minutes she replied, "you can't vote, it is finished." At about this time a guy came up in his suit and walked right in front of us and said to the lady, while smacking his passport on the window, "I'm here to vote." She said the same thing to him that she had said to us and at this time I began to feel defeated. Then it all began.

The guy in the suit starting going off on her that "this is November 4th and today is voting day in America. This embassy is America and therefore the polls are open." She conceded and got on the phone again. This time she told us to go over to the place Monte and I had just been before.

So we walked over there, only to be greeted by our glaring Egyptian friend. I was thinking, "Oh great, it's the same guy." The guy said triumphantly to our suit wearing friend that the polls were closed and that we had to leave. Then the guy in the suit just went off on him that he had better get this situation taken care of or he was going to call CNN. The guy said, "Ok, ok I'll call the consulate." He got on the phone and then told us to go back to where we'd just come from. The guy in the suit said, "No. We just came from there. Get diplomat so and so on the phone, now."

At this point I was starting to wonder to myself, "who is this guy?!" I started asking him questions, while we waited, and it turned out that his name was Darryl John Kennedy. He has been a composer in Cairo for a few years and he knows a lot of the people in the embassy because they come to his concerts. Eventually the guy got off of the phone and said, "No, you can't vote." John said, "No we are going to vote, this embassy is America and the polls are open. Let me talk to him." Monte and I chimed in agreement.

The guy dialed the phone again and I think he actually called the ambassodor this time. He and John talked for a minute or two about "No, I can't do an absentee ballot. I travel all the time, what address will they send it to?....... Alright, thanks, please tell this guy to open the door and let us in." During this time another guy, Ahmed, an Egyptian who'd married an American and was now a citizen, came and joined our small party. At this point I was impressed, he had convinced the guy to let us in and now we were going to go vote.

We walked in, went through the security and walked to a room where we filled out our ballots. This was exciting for me, because it was my first time to vote and there was a spirit of comraderie between the four of us. We'd persevered through the beuaracracy that was denying us our right to vote and continued on. We got our ballots and helped each other fill out the sections we were unsure of by reading through the guidebook. We shared our pens between the four of us, because we only had three pens, and there was a sense of unity amongst us. We finished our voting and submitted our ballots.

As we walked away from the embassy there was a feeling of victory in the air. Our civic duty had been done and we had made our voices heard by a paper ballot. I knew that my vote wouldn't effect the electoral process because the President of the United States would be voted in long before my vote would arrive in the States, but it didn't matter to me. We had said, "No" to somebody who was trying to deny us our right to vote and had pressed on. I realize that they might not even send my vote, but, regardless, I am still a proud American citizen.

Ismailia

I visited Ismailia with my student George Samuel and I am going to have to say that it was a really good time. It was slow, VERY SLOW. We sat around and talked a lot. There wasn't too much activity and I think it was what I needed. I'm always going, going, going and rarely do I just stop and relax. I had a lot of time to think while I was there, I like to just ponder issues that go through my head and analyze what's happening in this country. Ismailia was a great place to do that. It is a city by the Suez Canal and is, in my opinion, a lot better than Cairo. Ismailia is moderate in size and isn't really crowded. Don't get me wrong there is still the rush of Egyptian traffic, but somehow there is a sense of peace in the place.

I think there are a few factors that contribute to this feeling. The first is that the sky is blue in Ismailia. Currently the sky in Cairo is still a dark gray because it is the notorious "Black October" in Cairo in which a massive cloud of smog covers the area- not particularly good air for exercise... The second is that Ismailia is quite clean. The third is that traffic is relitively organized and isn't chaotic as all get out. Finally, the Samuel family was the most hopitable group of people I have ever met in my life!

They started the whole weekend off by demanding that I shouldn't pay a piaster(penny) of my taxi fee to their home. I will be honest that this was really awkward, but it is one of those situations where I have to put aside what I know to be normal and accept the culture that is here. When I got to the home they had me sleep in the parents bed while the parents went and slept on the floor! It was unbelievable! I argued with them on this and refused at first, but the look of "do this or we will be very insulted!!" convinced me other wise. They fed me until I was about to explode and then told me to keep eating. They brought out tea for me all the time and of course I drank it to be polite, even though it made me "hopped up" on caffeine all day.

It was really hard for me to let these people do all this stuff for me. As I write this I almost feel kind of ashamed because it is so contrary to the way I think, but here in Egypt it is different. If you, as a guest, don't allow the host to do everything for you than you are insulting them. That is one of the beauties of coming to this country is that it has given me the chance to take a good look at my perceptions.

My thought process goes kind of like this lately, "Why do I do the things I do? They don't do it this way in Egypt. Hmmm... Now is your perception on this topic a good one or does it need revision?" This has been a tremendous opportunity for me. For those of you that supported me getting here, all I can say is thank you! I'm not only getting the chance to interact with these kids, but I'm also getting the opportunity to evaluate myself. Thank you!

George Samuel

I took off from the school on a Friday night with one of my students, George Samuel, and we rode a taxi from El Marg to Ismailia. It was an interesting, almost kind of awkward, ride for me because I wasn't too sure what to talk about with George. He was hands down the best student at the whole school and scored perfectly on everything he was given. Anyways, to make a long story short, George decided to leave the school because he was worried about being able to secure a future for himself in Egypt. Evidently, you have to score in the top 98% of your class to have the option to go the the Egyptian equivalent of "Medical School" and George wanted to make sure he could do that.

I had asked him to give me a week before he made his decision so I could get in touch with recruiters at American colleges. He said that he would wait and then a day later he made his decision to leave the school! Naturally, I was pretty upset about it because he hadn't followed through with his word and most of all I want him to have a one way ticket out of this place. George is one of the most talented kids I have met in my life. He was one of the best soccer players at the school, the best student, has a terrific talent for art, and mostly he has a highly developed understanding of people. I want him to have the chance to fully unleash all of these talents, but he will not have the oppurtunity to do this here. His talents will be suppressed by the inefficient Egyptian system and he won't be able to fully devolep.

He realizes this, as well as I do, and really wants to travel. My suggestion to him was that he stay at NUA and finish his schooling. That way he would graduate with an American diploma and then he would have an easier time getting through the American Embassy. The problem that came into the situation was that all of his "highly successful" uncles told him that if he didn't leave NUA immediately that he would squander his future. There is no "future" for him here! A doctor makes 4,000 dollars a year, that's no type of future for a kid that is so gifted! He is a pretty impressionable guy and so naturally he listened to the "voice of reason" that came from his uncles.

It's distressing to me to watch someone with so much talent not have the ability to pursue that which should be his. As I write this it makes me so grateful that I am from a country that allows me to be free and to pursue that which I want to, but at the same time makes me furious at a system that suppresses greatness. I don't know what will happen with George, it seems for the mean time that he will be stuck in Egypt. Maybe he will come back to NUA next year, like he says he will, and maybe he will be able to get a ticket out of here. That's all I want for this kid!

I think that is one of the hardest things about being here is that there are a lot of kids here that I see how much much talent, respect, honesty, and true character they have, but I know that some, or many won't be able to leave. There is a part of me that says, "It will be fine, Eric, they'll make it to the US or Australia and be able to take that which should be theirs", but I also know that only eight of the last graduating class left Egypt. One of the SM's here said it best, "there is nothing here for them and they deserve to pursue their dreams." Time will tell whether they will get that chance.

Gossip

Today was what I would describe as a tough day. I woke up at six to go on a run with Daniel and Deng. The day was going quite well and I was feeling great after my morning run and then BAMMMMM!!! it happened. You might be wondering what that BAMMMM was. I am, also. I was sitting there eating my breakfast during staff meeting and then suddenly I just started feeling really angry. I've been thinking about it almost all day and I think I have it nailed for where my frustration is coming from.

There was a student here who got into trouble that he shouldn't of gotten into and the we, the staff, had to vote on expelling him. He was kicked out for smoking and other things that won't be mentioned and the staff were supposed to not say a word about it, other than that he had been kicked out for smoking. That was the main reason that he was being kicked out because smoking at the school=expulsion. So there would be no threat to us jeopardizing our honor by being dishonest if a student asked us "Why was ____ kicked out?" and we replied, "for smoking." Anyways, it turned up that one of the stupid gossiping women on the staff opened her big mouth and told a few of the girls in the dorm. And we all know that the rest is history because people talk, especially girls who live in the same building together.

So this morning while I was happily eating my fuoll and ayesh (beans and bread) the Principal, Dwight Rose, announced that somebody had opened their trap and let loose a very dangerous secret. I felt a tinge of anger surging through my body when I heard this because I knew that this kid was going to suffer a lot. I looked over at the women I knew was the one that opened her mouth to watch her reactions. I didn't realize it, but I was glaring at her and I looked away. It was almost humorous to see her immediately start trying to cover herself. She hurriedly stated, in Arabic as the translator tried to keep up, that one of the girls had asked her about it and that she'd talked it out with her and that MAYBE that girl had said something. Then she went on to say that maybe it was another girl she'd talked to.

It was so obvious that she'd broken her promise to keep her mouth shut because nobody had pointed any fingers and she immediately passed blame on girls that weren't even relevant to the topic. The point Dwight was making was that someone had told other people and the news was out. She felt guilty I'm sure, but didn't have the honesty to admit that she'd told some of the girls in her dorm.

I was so mad when I realized the cowardice of the situation. Here she'd been the one responsible for bringing shame and disgrace on a whole family and then she started a whole new chain by trying to pin it on two students who weren't responsible. The situation made me, and still makes me, mad. The worst part is that I know that there is nothing that I can do about it. I can't call her out on her actions because that isn't my place and it would cause a division in the staff. There is no way I can repair the damage that she has done. All I can really do is try to keep in touch with the kid, if he'll talk to me and pray for him.

I think one of the things that I resent most is injustice. There was so much injustice in this situation. The kid will be beaten, A LOT, by his father and his uncles and now the family has to deal with the shame that Egyptian culture places on his actions. What happened was wrong and I know there won't be justice. Not today.

My First Bartering Experience

Now you see this story begins in Dahab and ends in Dahab, also. I had been doing a considerable amount of swimming in the Red Sea and was getting tired of slipping into my cold wet athletic shorts every time that I was inclined to go and take a nice salty dip. It also turned out that I would be wearing my shorts up Mt. Sinai and I didn't want to be wet on the way up the mountain, so I decided that I would go and buy a pair of swimming trunks because I didn't bring any with me to Egypt. I know what you're thinking, "why didn't you bring a swimming suit?!? You're always supposed to bring a swimming suit with you when you travel." You have a very valid point and I can't deny that it is unrefutable. Anyways, back to the story of me bartering.

I stirred from my comfortable pile of pillows after a nice long reading session of "The Once and Future King" and decided my moment of glory was approaching. The time had come for me to go out and haggle with the locals for some swimming trunks. I concluded that the best plan of action would be to go and look at a pair of shorts that I had absolutely no interest in and then see how low I could bring the seller down. I went into the first store and found a pair of shorts that looked like they would fall apart as soon as I left the store and started the vicious process of bartering. He said up front that he wanted 100 pounds, I replied with a "La, ashreen"(No, 10). He looked at me laughed and then replied in English that he would settle for no less than 40. I said that I would compromise and meet him at 20. He said 25 and then I told him I'd think about it because I would like to see what the other shops had to offer. He made an offer for 15, but I said I had to think about it and moved on.

The guy was a friendly person and I almost felt guilty for leaving the shop because he had wanted to sell to me, but I had to keep in mind that he was more than willing to rip me off. He had attempted to sell me shorts that were worth no more than 2 pounds for 100 pounds, ridiculous! The haggling process is a 'dog-eat-dog' scenario mixed with cunning and manipulation. It's making me sick as I sit here writing this.

I learned an important lesson from this experience. The process of naming prices and talking it out isn't a personal interaction, it is a game and I think the salesmen look at it like that, also. They use coercive tricks to make you feel that you are in control. They will pull the classic handshake with the angling their hand on top of yours, the two handed grasp versus your one with a pulling you where they want you to go, the pushing you by the small of your back, or the "Please, take a seat(as they push you down into a low level chair)" while they speak to you from an elevated position to make you think, on a subconscience level, that they're in control. They do all of this with a grin and are very friendly while they do it.

I have mixed feelings about these guys. They are doing their best to make it in a world where poverty is on such a large scale that I can understand them perfectly. You walk a kilometer along the beach towards the east and suddenly the tourist trap turns into a beach with shacks. They are desperate to make a secure lifestyle for themselves, so can they really be blamed? The thing that gets me about it is that the game of haggling, in Egypt, is filled with so much deception and manipulation. Nobody wants to be manipulated, but I really can't blame them a bit for allowing themselves to utilize these tools to get money from, for the most part, 'stupid tourists'. It brings up an important question for me to answer for myself, does bad circumstance justify succumbing to dishonesty? I don't think it does because it crosses a line that isn't very easily defined. Where do you cease the justification and decide that 'the buck stops here'? I'm not in their shoes and haven't lived a day in their lives, so I have no idea how it is for them, but for me- I would like to make that choice for myself.

To conclude the story, I ended up buying a pair of fake Puma shorts from one of my grinning sadekoks (friends) for 40 pounds. He started the price at 250 and after a long battle, we agreed on 40. I am enjoying the shorts, accept I put them in the laundry and turned a white T-shirt of mine pink, but such is life! Life is good and God is good.

Welcome to the Red Sea

Doesn't that title sound great? We arrived at the Red Sea after our long excursion and I have to say that it was one of the greatest sights I've seen in awhile. There was the Sinai mountain range reaching towards the sky on my right side and clear blue water in front of me. We wandered through the seemingly quite town for awhile in an attempt to find a hotel room and finally got two rooms at the "Alaska Camp". I know what you're thinking, what kind of a name is "The Alaska Camp" for a place in Egypt. I asked myself the same question. It was fun to go into the lodging areas and haggle with the receptionist because it kind of seems like a game. At first I was shy to do this, but as my desperation grew to get a place to stay, so did my intensity in dealing with the guys. We had to 'yank some teeth' to get our room with the guy at the Alaska Camp and it all worked out well.

Once we had settled into our nice new hostel with an unfinished ceiling, we felt our stomachs calling us to go get some food. This was a really interesting experience. As you walk down the street facing the Red Sea, there are lots of restaurants lining the bay and in front of those restaurants is a guy I would say his in the same bloodline of a 'used-car salesmen'. These guys will tell you anything, do anything, and be anything to get you in their restaurant. They had a lot of charisma and were really coercive in trying to get us to eat at their places. They would talk with us, then show us the menu and then they would put their hand on the small of my back and try to shove me in! It was hilarious to me, but I didn't really blame them to much because I know that they are just trying to get some money. Anyways, so we ended up eating at this Chinese restaurant with a bunch of pillows on rugs (kind of like couches) and just relaxed. It was nice to see something truly beautiful and give myself time to just clear my head and analyze. Oh and enjoy some Egyptian tea ;). I probably spent a total of 10 hours at this place reading, journaling, and then I'd take a short little hop into the Red Sea to take a nice swim. It was a fantastic place and, what I would describe as, truly peaceful.

Traveling Adventure- Part 3

The next part of my adventure starts at the old rickety white bench. Monte, Daniel, Miguel and I sat there patiently waiting for the ticket agent to come to the booth, but we began to realize that our waiting was in vain because the ticket agent was on Egyptian time, too. We nominated Miguel to stay and wait, or better yet he volunteered because he didn't want to walk around. It was a situation that worked out quite well.

Monte and Daniel wanted to go take pictures of the massive mosque nearby and I really wanted to see if I could go inside, so the three of of headed off towards the behemoth structure. You may think that I am exaggerating when I call it a behemoth, but I assure you that I am not. The building is massive! It is also beautifully designed, too. Most of the architecture in Egypt is nothing to brag about, but the when you speak about the mosques- then there is something to be spoken of. Monte and Daniel walked around taking there really impressive pictures with their obnoxiously large camera lenses. You may sense some playful animosity there, and I will tell you truthfully that there is. They always joke with me that my small digital camera is a 'child's toy' and I will usually say something to the effect of, "Oh ya? Well my toy fits in my pocket!" or, "Well I can say in confidence, free of criticism, that I am not compensating for anything." Anyways, back to the mosque!

I went to front and there were these massive double doors made of wood with a bronze covering. On the bronze there were different designs and Arabic writing that said I have no idea what. I walked around in an effort to find an entrance to get inside, but I was unsuccessful. After taking a series of pictures, which you will soon find on my blog when my computer gets here, I went back to the bus station.

We eventually bought our tickets and boarded the bus. Monte and I sat down towards the back, anticipating the final leg of our trip to Dahab. After a few minutes, the bus began to fill up and almost all of the seats were taken except a few. As we were waiting these two guys came up to us and said, "these are our seats, why are you here?" I looked at Monte and a bit of aggression began to come up because a guy had tried this on me when I went on my first ride on the metro railway. I asked him if I could see his ticket and he said sure. Our tickets didn't have any seat numbers on them and we assumed that theirs wouldn't either, so we figured that our bases were covered. We looked at the tickets and there weren't any, so I told Monte there was no reason we should move and just before I was going to say, "no" an older lady came and said "we've been traveling together since Cairo and this is where they were sitting. You can't take their seats."

I wanted to keep arguing with them out of a feeling of self-righteous principle, but suddenly common sense took hold. What did it really matter to give them the seats? The worst that could happen is we would have to move. We consented to give them the seats and said sorry for the confusion. Looking at it with 20/20 hindsight, I think we made a really good decision because it turned out that nearly a 1/3 of the bus was in the same party and I don't think it would've been a smart idea to get confrontational with them. Plus, I feel that making a decision based on pride isn't really a good way to handle things.

Monte and I moved to seperate seats. He went and sat with Miguel and I ended up sitting next to a guy who spoke decent English named Muhammed or, as his friends called him, ''Bazooka.'' He was an interesting character, we started talking about stuff and it turned out he was a former Tae-Kwondo Champion in Egypt. He told me about how he'd gone to competitions in Italy and other African countries, but he'd never gotten to make it to the US.

We began talking about the US and he was asking me questions about what kind of music I liked. Somehow hip-hop came up and he said that he had been to a Shakira concert. Then he started going off on how he wanted to 'make sex' with her for a week. This really caught me off guard because kissing before marriage is taboo in the Egyptian culture and he had stated that he was Muslim earlier on in the conversation. He went off on how he loved Shakira so much and how Christina Aguilera was the second sexiest woman ever, next to his girlfriend, of course. It was really interesting to talk with a guy who had broken out of the mold of Islam and he basically said that he didn't believe almost all of the Koran, but that I should become a Muslim. I laughed and told him he should become a Christian, but he replied with a joking, but serious, statement that "his family would kill him, if he did." We talked away about life in Egypt for awhile and then finally arrived in Dahab. We traded email addresses and he told me he'd take me to the pyramids and treat me like his 'brother' if I ever wanted to stay with him. He and I exchanged the cutural goodbyes and went our different ways. Somehow I doubt that I will see him again, but time will tell...

The sun began to rise as our posse regrouped and we began our two kilometer walk across the desert expanse to Dahab, our stomping grounds for the next four days.

Traveling Adventure- Part 2

The second part of my adventure begins during the bus ride. Monte and I were sitting near the back of the bus, just minding our own business when this Mom came up with her toddler that, we guessed, was about two years old. We looked at each other and knew that it was going to be quite a long ride.

I began to get a little hungry as the ride progressed and thought to myself, "Hmmm... Chips sound good!" I pulled out my bag of chips and started eating. As I was eating, the little baby looked peered through the seat at me and stuck out his hand. I thought about whether or not to give the kid some of my chips, but finally decided that I would take the risk of the Mom shooting me for breaking an Egyptian rule that foreigners shouldn't feed babies. I ended up sneaking that baby 1/4 of my chips as he ate them with a gleam of sneakiness in his eye. It was hilirious as he ate them quietly and as suddelly as possible. The best part was his Mom didn't notice a thing, I think it was because she was asleep, but who really knows, honestly?!?

The ride went on for awhile and then we stopped at this gas station. This is where my resentment of the greedy tourist preying Egyptians starts and my appreciation for the truly GOOD Egyptians. When I got off of the bus I went straight to the bathroom and on the way out this teenage boy grabs my arm and says, "Three pound!" and points at the bathroom. I would like to say that I am a "very green" traveler, but I'm not stupid. It costs 1/4 pound and at most 1/2 pound. So I decided "O.K. I'll give this guy a full pound just to be generous, but no way will I give him three." I gave him the pound and he told me two more. I responded with a "No, it cost 50 piasters- the other 50 piasters is my gift to you." This soon progressed into a bit of an argument and I decided to just walk away. As I was walking away, he grabbed my arm and said angrily, "Give me the other two pounds!" It was at this moment that another Egyptian came up and said in English, "Just walk away, he's trying to steal from you." The guy then turned around and said something to the boy in Arabic. Evidently the kid felt pretty stupid because he told me sorry. I think he was afraid of the other Egyptian hurting him. So far there are two types of Egyptians; the ones you can trust and the ones that you can't. The ones you can trust have a resentment towards the ones that try to take advantage of foreigners because they see foreigners as their guests and it is completely contrary to the culture to abuse a guest.

The rest of the bus ride that same guy looked out for me at each stop. I went in to buy some ice cream and the guy tried to charge me double. My Egyptian buddy, Muhammed, yelled at the guy and I got it for 3 pounds. At first I didn't really trust the guy because I figured he'd ask me for a lot of backsheesh (tip) when the ride finished, but when we finished I tried to offer him some money and he said "Come on man, no way! Welcome to Egypt and God be with you."

It's easy to become cynical when I go out and a lot of people try to take advantage of me, but guys like the one on my bus ride help me to keep things in proper perspective. This country has its good people and its desperate people. Believe me the desperate people get really obnoxious and hard to deal with, but I wonder if I was in their shoes- which type of person would I become? I'd like to think that I'd be the honorable 'guardian' like the guy on my bus ride, but I really don't know. Which path would I choose? Which path would you choose?

He went his way and I sat down with my buddies on an old rickety white bench waiting for the next bus ride as the smell of salt permeated the air. The smell brought me to my senses, I was at the Red Sea. My first adventure, I thought had now just started, but little did I know that I was already deep into a learning experience.

Traveling Adventure- Part 1

I went on my first trip outside of Cairo this last week. I have to say that it was one of the best things that has happened to me since I've been in Egypt. It felt so good to get out of Gabel and see other sights. I realized that since I have been here I have seen nothing but buildings. It was a funny thought when I realized it at first because I'm so used to seeing open space. In Gabel you can't see anything but another wall. It's kind of confining at times, but really cool at the same time because it is a giant maze.

The traveling contingent consisted of Daniel, Monte, Miguel, and me. We started by getting a mini bus ride from Gabel to the train station at New Marg or El Margigidda. From there we pushed our way to the front of the ticket line and got a ticket on the metro. It's interesting here how nobody waits in line. You go up to the mass of people and you push your way to the front and slam your one pound note in the window to get your ticket. At first I was offended, but then I just realized that it was the culture and that was how they did things. We jumped on board the metro and headed to Mubarak. It's interesting being on the metro because everybody just stares at you. It was awkward at first because I didn't know what to do so I just kept looking back at the people, but not staring back. It was funny because usually when you look back at somebody they will look away but not here! They just keep looking at you! It's kind of disarming at first, but it's a good experience because now I just don't even care when they're staring.

After the metro we got out and went out into the city. Mubarak is a lot cleaner than Gabel and , for the most part, I'd say that it is pretty developed. We stopped at a juice shop and I'm going to have to say that it was the best juice I've had! I had a 'cocktail' (also known as a big combination of fruits in a cup and then they give you a spoon) and then a big glass of mango juice. It was so good! The mango juice is cold, fresh, and there are still chunks of the mango in the juice- SOOO GOOD! It was cheap, too- 2 Egyptian pounds=$0.40. After we finished up with the juice we got to the bus station and got our tickets for our bus that was "supposedly" leaving in 15 minutes. We got in the bus and left 30 minutes later than pulled out a 20 minute drive from the station and then just waited for an hour. Evidently there was "engine trouble" aka the driver wanted to eat since it was 6:00pm and he could then break the Ramadan fast for the night. Time is different in Egypt, the clocks work differently. I don't know how they do it, but they can stop the clock and just do what they want! Craziness, you say? Not in the least bit! Anyways, we pulled out once the driver had eaten with a group of friends and then pulled away towards Sharm and that is where "Traveling Adventure- Part 2" will begin.

Trying to Figure Out the Students

The days are getting increasingly interesting lately. My job position has switched around a lot as of late. I am now teaching a Bible class to the 10th grade and a vocabulary to the "B-Group" of the 9th grade, also known as the misfits, slow learners, and/or they speak VERY LITTLE English. It is always frustrating finishing the day with this class because they are a little bit ridiculous, to say the least. It always leaves a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth when I finish class with them because they are, with the exception of the about 1/4 of the class, rude and disrespectful. It is funny to me how how the measures I have to take as a disciplinarian crescendo as the classes get younger. I think the 9B graders are used to "push-over" SMs that are willing to go the extra mile for them and allow them to get away with laziness because it is hard to not be really sympathetic to them. For some this is their 2nd year here and for some, it is their third 3rd year repeating in the same grade. I want to be personal and get to know them, but there is no way I can do that with them. I think I will have to be ruthless with them first, we'll see...

When I came here I was immediately impressed by the work ethic of my 11th grade class and by the intensity of my roommates. I assumed that the whole school was a focused, hardworking group of kids, but it isn't that way. It is utterly fascinating that it seems wherever I go there is always the same class system. There are the complete slackers, the hardworkers who are driven by fierce dedication, the talented group of kids that "coasts" through because they can rely on their abilities to allow for their laziness (a very BAD way to live), and then there are the middle ground average group that has a bit of all of the above traits. You would think that the similarities to the American education system would be different, but they are pretty close to alike. It is humorous to watch the 17 and 19 year old Egyptian 10th graders act like the 15 and 16 year old 10th graders in America. In Geometry I have been teaching symmetry and I will have to say that they are pretty darn symmetrical! Even with the age gap... What causes them to act like this I'm really not sure. Maybe it is the fact that this is a boarding academy and when you are in your 2nd to 3rd year of school you act a certain way? I don't know.

The one thing that I am learning very quickly as I write this is that there will always be diversity. There is always a gap between the motivated and the unmotivated. I don't know how life would be if everybody was extremely focused and disciplined, what would it be like?Even at the service academies; West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy in particular there is the same distinct difference between "classes" I guess you could call them. How do I know? I have friends at each one of them and they say that there are completely lazy people there. I guess it is a much more concentrated talent pool and a slacker there might be viewed as extremely focused at a party school, like Florida State. The fact still stands, though, that there always seems to be the same system of the focused and not focused.

It brings me to a point, is there the same social system within the Christian Church?? I would like to make a conjecture and say, "yes." People are people wherever you go and I don't know what to think. It turns out that someone who is "lazy" in the Christian faith ends up coming short of the standard of being an ideal "Christian." Does God hold it against the unmotivated person that can't get their stuff together and be a better person? I fall in that category. I know that the Bible says somewhere that we are saved by grace and we can never be good enough, except by accepting the blood of Christ. So are we saved all of the time and we can just go do whatever we want or does God look at our level of effort? And in that case what about the people that don't try hard? Is it only the hard workers who go to heaven because they are intentional about pursuing Him that make it? Well time to help a student with Algebra, as the Egyptians say all the time when they're done talking to you- "God be with you" or the classic American "Goodbye"

Gabel Asfar

Life is "going" in Egypt. I've finally unpacked my 41 kilos of stuff into my room and it is nice. I'm regretting my decision to not bring out a fan, but I'll get over it and adapt to the heat. It is hot here! At nights it will get down into the 80's and I sweat like a pig in my bed; it's gross to, say the least. I'm liking the place, though. It is definitely DIFFERENT! I went on a walk through Gabel Asfar with my American comrade, Monty, and it was crazy. The drivers in Cairo are lawless. They don't follow any rules, they will drive in the middle of the road, on the opposite side, tail gate people by inches, and they use their horn- A LOT. I honestly believe that taxi drivers from New York wouldn't last an hour here in the cities. Ok, that was an exaggeration, but you get the idea, right?? I went into to downtown Cairo last night with Daniel, the school's French SM, and Monty. It was pretty cool. I would say that it is decently "Westernized" because we ate at a pizza place. What can I say, we're really trying new things in Egypt!

It is Ramadan here for the month of September and the people here celebrate pretty hard. They drive around with trumpets and make a raccous. It's really important to them, they get upset if I take a bottle of water into the city and drink out of it because I'm "tempting them." I think they kind of just want an excuse to yell at me because they don't understand me, but lesson learned. Needless to say I don't take my water into the city during daytime. They have this service that they do between 3:00-4:00 am. The cleric gets on this loud speaker and takes them through their prayers and songs. I think that it is the most important service because it is so loud! I will confess that the idea of sabotaging their speaker system has crossed my mind a few times, but I don't feel like getting killed, so I've decided against it... Time to run and make lesson plans.

And so it begins...

I arrived In Cairo, Egypt this morning at 2:00am and I will be honest that I am really tired! When I got picked up this morning I met the Principal, Dwight, and his wife, Donna. They are really great people- kind, genuine, and sincere (just to name a few...) They're somewhere in their fifties. but they seem really young because they're so full of energy. It was funny when I first met them, I was walking out of the airport and I was looking for them. Then all of a sudden there were literally, somewhere between 10-15 Egyptian guys saying all at once in my face "Cheap Taxi", "We give you ride", and "I good driver". I replied politely that I had a ride and then scanned desperately for American faces as the cab drivers swarmed me like vultures. As I walked around, they found me and I could say in complete and utter honesty to them, "It is SO GOOD to see you!"
Once they found me, we jumped on board a shuttle and drove to the car. It was interesting watching the guy that was next to me. He had his fingers on the zipper of my bag and I know that he was attempting to steal my stuff because he kept inching toward the zipping end, but I had my eye on him. He was acting nice, but I know he was trying to scam me. I'm curious to see how many of the people in the main populous fall under this category..
Time to go make lesson plans for my four classes tomorrow!