First Full Day in Egypt
Nov. 25th, 2011 04:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cedar_groveFrom The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have.
It is essential to realize and embrace the paradox that while no one can go through your journey for you, you are not alone.
(please pardon the spamming of friend lists – I've been typing things up from the things I wrote down now that I can more easily access the internet).
Wed 16th
I'm was glad that they were not collecting me until 11am today, because getting in so late last night, I was still tired this morning. I braved the shower – it was cold and yes, stupid me, it was my fault. I forgot to turn on the water heater. It never occurred to me that the switches over here might be like those in the US, where up is on, not down, like in the UK. Also braved the hotel dining room – unfamiliar food (though I recognised cheese and tomato and bread), they had this yummy kind of pepper and frank thing, at least it was something to eat, right?
School looked exactly like on the website, but somehow it seemed to be bigger than in the pictures, I'm entirely certain I'll get lost several times before I find my way around. It was nice that the children were so happy to see me. It did make me feel a little bit less alone. After I did all the official stuff with the person in the office, she took me up to the classroom where I met Leila, the teacher that's been covering until I got there. She showed me around the school, tried to give me a bit of a 'feel' for the school, but really, it's the same the world over. Every school has school politics and cliques, and this one is no different. Feels like I've travelled miles and miles for all the same kinds of things.
When I got back to the hotel the internet still wasn't working right... now I truly felt insecure and alone. It was the one way I could stay connected with normality, with the person I love, and now I'm cut off. I wish I had more courage so that I dare to find the store on 'road 9' where there's supposed to be a vodaphone store, and I could get my own internet dongle. I need to be able to talk to Mir.
Tomorrow, school is apparently sending me out with the agent to look at apartments – and because I have said I want to live in Heliopolis, they are going to send Ian (who lives there and is a member of senior management), with me. I don't know whether I'll feel happier when I'm in my own place or not... because right now I don't feel very secure. It's the area around here... in Maadi. It's dirty, it's dark and the streets are very narrow. It isn't at all what I thought it would be like... though I don't really know what that is.
Still – this is the journey I've chosen to take – the things I've chosen to do, so I will see what tomorrow brings.
There's a sun in every person-the you
we call companion.
--Rumi
It is essential to realize and embrace the paradox that while no one can go through your journey for you, you are not alone.
(please pardon the spamming of friend lists – I've been typing things up from the things I wrote down now that I can more easily access the internet).
Wed 16th
I'm was glad that they were not collecting me until 11am today, because getting in so late last night, I was still tired this morning. I braved the shower – it was cold and yes, stupid me, it was my fault. I forgot to turn on the water heater. It never occurred to me that the switches over here might be like those in the US, where up is on, not down, like in the UK. Also braved the hotel dining room – unfamiliar food (though I recognised cheese and tomato and bread), they had this yummy kind of pepper and frank thing, at least it was something to eat, right?
School looked exactly like on the website, but somehow it seemed to be bigger than in the pictures, I'm entirely certain I'll get lost several times before I find my way around. It was nice that the children were so happy to see me. It did make me feel a little bit less alone. After I did all the official stuff with the person in the office, she took me up to the classroom where I met Leila, the teacher that's been covering until I got there. She showed me around the school, tried to give me a bit of a 'feel' for the school, but really, it's the same the world over. Every school has school politics and cliques, and this one is no different. Feels like I've travelled miles and miles for all the same kinds of things.
When I got back to the hotel the internet still wasn't working right... now I truly felt insecure and alone. It was the one way I could stay connected with normality, with the person I love, and now I'm cut off. I wish I had more courage so that I dare to find the store on 'road 9' where there's supposed to be a vodaphone store, and I could get my own internet dongle. I need to be able to talk to Mir.
Tomorrow, school is apparently sending me out with the agent to look at apartments – and because I have said I want to live in Heliopolis, they are going to send Ian (who lives there and is a member of senior management), with me. I don't know whether I'll feel happier when I'm in my own place or not... because right now I don't feel very secure. It's the area around here... in Maadi. It's dirty, it's dark and the streets are very narrow. It isn't at all what I thought it would be like... though I don't really know what that is.
Still – this is the journey I've chosen to take – the things I've chosen to do, so I will see what tomorrow brings.
