A Bit About the Girls

While I know I've written a lot about specific instances, I haven't really taken the time to write about the people or my living arrangements. The school that I work with has a native english speaking teacher for every grade that teaches for basically two periods. There are three classes, so we're basically working six periods of a nine period day. Similar to what our teachers did in high school, but they weren't teaching the same class two periods in a row. The school day is broken up into three sections, but each period gets shorter as the day goes on. So while I may teach two forty-five minute periods at the beginning of the day, I teach two half hour periods at the end. Its kind of odd, but by the end, niether I nor the kids have enough patience for the long ones.
There are twelve girls total that teach at our school, three for kindergarten and then one for every grade above that. Its similar to when I was working at the Book and Bean with ten girls. Everybody can get along and be helpful, but generally prefer company of only a couple of the others. I like everyone so far, but its a group of girls, so you can imagine how that works out. Most of the girls are American, but there are two Scottish girls and one Australian as well. Its interesting to hear about their take on the differences between here and their homes. A bunch of us went to dinner the other day and discussed songs we use to sing when we were kids (example of American ones: She'll be coming around the mountain, Oh Suzannah, Take Me Out to the Ball Game...etc). I enjoy the difference perspectives.
My apartment, as you can see in my pictures, is very nice. It is spacious and relatively clean for Egypt. My biggest problems since being here are all the construction that has been occurring here. Our gas is being switched from propane tanks to natural gas, so they came in and drilled holes in our wall that leads to the outside. And then left it for like a week. Then they replaced our water heater, which broke this morning and had to be fixed again. The good thing though is that it is all very distracting and keeps my thoughts on things other than home!
Miss you all though!