My new flat is about a 10 minute walk from the Nile, so Lori and I have started 5am morning Nile runs a couple times a week. Every day is a little different, but they all contain the following landmarks
Wild pack of dogs (which we have learned to scare off by yelling, clapping, waving our arms and sprinting at them stomping our feet)
A mosque that we run past in our shorts and T-shirts, feeling a little Haram
TGI Fridays on the Nile
Fallucas
More dogs
The Japanese Embassy – complete with a brand new Starbucks
Anywhere between 1-4 men dressed in white sailor uniforms and hats that like to yell “HELLO!” at us and wave in our faces as we run by (keep in mind, it’s 5am)
A heavily guarded helicopter landing pad with sleeping guards
This really cool old burned out Nile cruise boat – it will make the greatest picture when I remember to bring my camera along on a run – with the morning fog… someday
The Ramadan tree (a tree wrapped in Ramadan fabric) and Ramadan tent across from the mosque to serve poor people Iftar
Bright green trees that are starting to turn bright yellow as the seasons are slowly and changing.
And of course, THE NILE!!!
It may not be the beach, but it’s pretty sweet to be able to take a nice morning jog along the Nile to start the day.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
I love my job...
One great thing about my teaching job at AIS is that I am never bored. I am constantly surprised about what kids come up with or what situations I find myself in.
A couple weeks ago, my principal came into my class and asked if I would sub during one of my prep periods. I agreed before asking what class it was for. She told me it was 8th grade band, and that the band teacher had said to just give the kids the period as a prep. Since it was the beginning of the 2nd week of school, the kids didn’t really have a whole lot to do, so they all stared at me when I asked them to find something quietly to work on. Then I told them they could even talk to each other and they still stared at me. One kid asked I they could play with their instruments. I thought about it, and for lack of better options said “yes, you can get your instruments out and …practice” the kids start pulling out instruments, asking if they can play the drums, asking if they could grab reeds out of the teacher’s office, and making a whole lot of bad noise. It didn’t take long before Nick, the high school band teacher came running in and asked me what was going on. I must have look shell shocked. I told him “I don’t know!” and wanted to run immediately out of the room or curl up in fetal position in the corner. He started yelling at kids, things like “what? You don’t even play that instrument! What are you doing? And you! Where did you get that?!” and I just stood there… Then Nick came up with the brilliant idea that he teach the 8th grade band and I go and teach his 9th grade guitar class since I “play guitar”. I walked in to a class full of some of my old students from last year, and they were surprised that their 8th grade science teacher from last year was now their guitar teacher for the day. So I awkwardly walked around asking kids to play me the line from their book. After about 5 minutes, Nick comes running back in, tells me he has the 8th graders set up so that I can lead them through their band books and he would take his class over again. I walked in, now playing the roll of band conductor for the rest of class, I painfully conducted them through their lesson book including old favorites such as “hot cross buns”. I have never been so thankful for a class to be over.
A couple days earlier, I had another great teacher right of passage experience. About 2 minutes into homeroom, a student looked up and asked to go to the bathroom. I looked at him confused and said, “NOW?” since he should have gone before class. He looked back with his eyes wide open and nodded his head with a look that said, “yes… NOW!” so I told him “yes! Go!”. He walked 2 steps then threw up his 4am pre-sunrise Ramadan morning meal all over the floor before running out of the room. All the other kids start covering their noses, coughing like they too were going to start a domino of puking all across the room, and saying things like “Gross!” “Sick” that I also wanted to say but had to pretend that I wasn’t trying to hold in my own breakfast while picking up kids backpacks and cleaning the vomit off. I ran outside and tried to flag down a worker who might be able to help clean up the mess, trying to explain with limited Arabic and hand gestures what had taken place moments before. I thought I’d done a good job, but when they came into the room, they looked surprised! (I don’t know what they thought my projectile vomiting hand gestures were… I thought it was pretty clear). So the kid comes back like nothing happened, ready to sit through class. I told him he needed to go to the nurse because throwing up on the classroom floor wasn’t normal and he should probably get it checked out. He didn’t return that day.
A couple weeks ago, my principal came into my class and asked if I would sub during one of my prep periods. I agreed before asking what class it was for. She told me it was 8th grade band, and that the band teacher had said to just give the kids the period as a prep. Since it was the beginning of the 2nd week of school, the kids didn’t really have a whole lot to do, so they all stared at me when I asked them to find something quietly to work on. Then I told them they could even talk to each other and they still stared at me. One kid asked I they could play with their instruments. I thought about it, and for lack of better options said “yes, you can get your instruments out and …practice” the kids start pulling out instruments, asking if they can play the drums, asking if they could grab reeds out of the teacher’s office, and making a whole lot of bad noise. It didn’t take long before Nick, the high school band teacher came running in and asked me what was going on. I must have look shell shocked. I told him “I don’t know!” and wanted to run immediately out of the room or curl up in fetal position in the corner. He started yelling at kids, things like “what? You don’t even play that instrument! What are you doing? And you! Where did you get that?!” and I just stood there… Then Nick came up with the brilliant idea that he teach the 8th grade band and I go and teach his 9th grade guitar class since I “play guitar”. I walked in to a class full of some of my old students from last year, and they were surprised that their 8th grade science teacher from last year was now their guitar teacher for the day. So I awkwardly walked around asking kids to play me the line from their book. After about 5 minutes, Nick comes running back in, tells me he has the 8th graders set up so that I can lead them through their band books and he would take his class over again. I walked in, now playing the roll of band conductor for the rest of class, I painfully conducted them through their lesson book including old favorites such as “hot cross buns”. I have never been so thankful for a class to be over.
A couple days earlier, I had another great teacher right of passage experience. About 2 minutes into homeroom, a student looked up and asked to go to the bathroom. I looked at him confused and said, “NOW?” since he should have gone before class. He looked back with his eyes wide open and nodded his head with a look that said, “yes… NOW!” so I told him “yes! Go!”. He walked 2 steps then threw up his 4am pre-sunrise Ramadan morning meal all over the floor before running out of the room. All the other kids start covering their noses, coughing like they too were going to start a domino of puking all across the room, and saying things like “Gross!” “Sick” that I also wanted to say but had to pretend that I wasn’t trying to hold in my own breakfast while picking up kids backpacks and cleaning the vomit off. I ran outside and tried to flag down a worker who might be able to help clean up the mess, trying to explain with limited Arabic and hand gestures what had taken place moments before. I thought I’d done a good job, but when they came into the room, they looked surprised! (I don’t know what they thought my projectile vomiting hand gestures were… I thought it was pretty clear). So the kid comes back like nothing happened, ready to sit through class. I told him he needed to go to the nurse because throwing up on the classroom floor wasn’t normal and he should probably get it checked out. He didn’t return that day.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
quick disclaimer
I have to appologize for how long and infrequent my blogs have been. I haven't had internet at my flat since I got here and am waiting for my landlords to return from a month long trip so we can get some info from them and set up our internet. Until then I can only check my e-mail at school (sites like the blog and facebook are blocked) and have to pay at a coffee shop to get access to everything. I've been pretty busy lately so haven't been able to get to coffee shops that often. so hopefully you still read even though they're long! we're hoping to set up the internet some time next week. also, i haven't been able to upload any photos, which i really want to do, but haven't been able to. i think the internet here is just too slow and am hoping I will be able to do it once i get internet.
I'm Rama-done with Ramadan
Ramadan started on the 1st of September, which was also the first day of school and my roommate Lori’s birthday. Ramadan ends with the Eid El Fitr (a big feast for a couple days) at the end of September/beginning of October (dive trip!!!). From my understanding, Ramadan is a month out of the year where Muslims fast from sunup to sundown from food or drink in order to be able to feel what it is like to be without these things and to focus on compassion toward the poor. The fast-breaking meal (breakfast…) is known as Iftar and is eaten around 6:15pm following the call to prayer at sunset. There is also a meal around 4am that people wake up early to eat. During Ramadan, Iftars are often spent with families or friends. Everything in Cairo stops completely during this time. The streets are eerily empty and all of Egypt breathes a sigh of relief because they can finally eat. It is pretty common for people who can afford food to put on an iftar on the streets for poor people to come and get food. They do this in big tents made of colorful Ramadan fabrics. At some markets, you can buy Ramadan Bags that have basic staple foods in them to pass out to the poor. Aside from the Ramadan tents, the streets are decorated with lots of colorful lights and huge lanterns called “Fanooses” (I’m sure I’m spelling that wrong)
Ok, that’s what Ramadan is supposed to be – and some people do follow it. Here is what it tends to looks like. During Ramadan, those fasting get very grumpy because they have not had anything to eat or drink since 4am and they are tired because most of the festivities happen during the night, and they still have to wake up to go to work, school, etc. the next day. For this reason and to avoid traffic (which I will get to later), everyone gets off of work and school early so they can get home for Iftar on time. We get off of school at 1:40 and have a special Ramadan Schedule with a shorter “Lunch” break for the Christians, and “Prayer” break for the Muslims. Either way, most kids run out and play soccer. The kids have an even harder time than normal paying attention and not falling asleep in class (which is saying a lot), and their breath smells because they are not even allowed to brush their teeth in the morning. This is especially a problem due to a variation in "personal space" distance than what most westerners are used to. ..
One thing I have found particularly amusing this year is that Daylight savings time came early this year- just before Ramadan so that everyone would have to fast one hour less! (Each year Ramadan gets a little over half a month earlier because it is all based on the Moon and what Sheikhs in Saudi Arabia see. No one knows 100% when it starts until they say it) Next year it will be in August and I don’t think they’ll be able to change the time again. It is pretty horrible to imagine making it through the August heat without water.
Traffic is horrible during Ramadan, and people drive like crazy people. There are far more accidents during this month than other times in this year, mostly during the times when people are trying to get home for Iftar. If you walk down the street during Iftar time, you feel that something is eerily wrong. Cairo is not known for its tranquil, serene aura, but for being one of the noisiest cities in the world with the average decibel level equivalent to that of a construction site. Walking out during this time feels like you’re in a western movie walking into a ghost town where plastic bags drift across the street instead of tumble weeds.
Stores that are normally open all day and late into the night are now only open till around 4 then open again around 8. This makes it difficult to do things like grocery shopping after you get home from work. You have to wait till after 8 to get any errands done. On September 1st, Mobonil, the cell phone provider I use – decided to turn off my phone line that I have had for over a year because I needed to “update my data”. (I thought the word “Data” was pretty vague but turns out they just needed to see a copy of my passport and decided to turn off my phone service till I brought it in. Not only were they not specific in communicating this, but communicated the "Data" thing in an arabic text message) Well, being that it was the 1st day of Ramadan, everything was closed at 4 and didn’t open later in the day. So it was all closed by the time I got home and I couldn’t fix my cell phone service till about 10 pm 2 days later. The same day, I went to the gym and was about to start changing, when a man walked in to the women’s dressing room and told me the gym was closed for Ramadan. I definitely had that “I can’t win!!!” feeling and on that day, came up with the title to the culturally insensitive Ramadan song that Lori and I would later write, called “I’m Rama-done with Ramadan”. Yes, this song does exist, and is pretty amazing. It’s catchy and has been stuck in my head ever since. E-mail me if you want a copy .
At any time during the day, restaurants are empty and you get great service, other than that you feel bad that those serving your food can’t eat themselves during that time. I asked a Muslim friend of mine if this was rude and she said that it’s their own choice to work there, and they kind of get more points for fasting with people eating in front of them.
During Ramadan, people are also to abstain from drinking or even being around alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, sex, etc. – basically anything that would make you "impure". This also leads to grumpiness. Restaurants that would normally sell alcohol are prohibited to sell it during Ramadan and I heard that the few places that do sell it are not allowed to sell it to Egyptians. Egyptians must show that they have a foreign passport if they want to drink alcohol during Ramadan, regardless of their religion.
I was in a taxi last week during the sunset call to prayer and the driver pulled over at a kiosk as soon as the call went off to go buy cigarettes and started smoking immediately. In his rush to buy the ciggies, he almost forgot to set the parking break as the car started rolling backwards into another car. Luckily he put off his fix long enough to run back into the car and set the break. I’m still confused on if they are supposed to abstain from these things just during the day, or during the whole of Ramadan. I think people have varying ideas on this dependent on their level of devotedness.
A friend explained that you are not supposed to put anything bad into you including into your eyes. I thought this would be great – that the harassment on the street would stop for a month. Unfortunately I was a bit optimistic on this one. It may be better though!
I learned this year that Iftars are supposed to be small meals so that those fasting are able to feel what it is like to be poor, but most people feast it up as soon as the call sets off and start chowing down on special sweets that people only eat during Ramadan, dried fruits, nuts and huge feasts.
Well, that’s about it for my Ramadan files! It is a really funny time of the year when looking at it from the outside. It is a huge reminder that I am indeed the minority and that this country is centered around Islam. (I think I understand a bit how other religions feel during Christmas.) It is also a reminder that in any tradition in any religion, the purpose behind it can so easily be lost and replaced by legalism. I am glad that I have been able to have people in my life like my Arabic teacher Ashgan and her family who do adhere to the original meaning of Ramadan and are seeking to serve those less fortunate and be humbled and changed by this season.
Ok, that’s what Ramadan is supposed to be – and some people do follow it. Here is what it tends to looks like. During Ramadan, those fasting get very grumpy because they have not had anything to eat or drink since 4am and they are tired because most of the festivities happen during the night, and they still have to wake up to go to work, school, etc. the next day. For this reason and to avoid traffic (which I will get to later), everyone gets off of work and school early so they can get home for Iftar on time. We get off of school at 1:40 and have a special Ramadan Schedule with a shorter “Lunch” break for the Christians, and “Prayer” break for the Muslims. Either way, most kids run out and play soccer. The kids have an even harder time than normal paying attention and not falling asleep in class (which is saying a lot), and their breath smells because they are not even allowed to brush their teeth in the morning. This is especially a problem due to a variation in "personal space" distance than what most westerners are used to. ..
One thing I have found particularly amusing this year is that Daylight savings time came early this year- just before Ramadan so that everyone would have to fast one hour less! (Each year Ramadan gets a little over half a month earlier because it is all based on the Moon and what Sheikhs in Saudi Arabia see. No one knows 100% when it starts until they say it) Next year it will be in August and I don’t think they’ll be able to change the time again. It is pretty horrible to imagine making it through the August heat without water.
Traffic is horrible during Ramadan, and people drive like crazy people. There are far more accidents during this month than other times in this year, mostly during the times when people are trying to get home for Iftar. If you walk down the street during Iftar time, you feel that something is eerily wrong. Cairo is not known for its tranquil, serene aura, but for being one of the noisiest cities in the world with the average decibel level equivalent to that of a construction site. Walking out during this time feels like you’re in a western movie walking into a ghost town where plastic bags drift across the street instead of tumble weeds.
Stores that are normally open all day and late into the night are now only open till around 4 then open again around 8. This makes it difficult to do things like grocery shopping after you get home from work. You have to wait till after 8 to get any errands done. On September 1st, Mobonil, the cell phone provider I use – decided to turn off my phone line that I have had for over a year because I needed to “update my data”. (I thought the word “Data” was pretty vague but turns out they just needed to see a copy of my passport and decided to turn off my phone service till I brought it in. Not only were they not specific in communicating this, but communicated the "Data" thing in an arabic text message) Well, being that it was the 1st day of Ramadan, everything was closed at 4 and didn’t open later in the day. So it was all closed by the time I got home and I couldn’t fix my cell phone service till about 10 pm 2 days later. The same day, I went to the gym and was about to start changing, when a man walked in to the women’s dressing room and told me the gym was closed for Ramadan. I definitely had that “I can’t win!!!” feeling and on that day, came up with the title to the culturally insensitive Ramadan song that Lori and I would later write, called “I’m Rama-done with Ramadan”. Yes, this song does exist, and is pretty amazing. It’s catchy and has been stuck in my head ever since. E-mail me if you want a copy .
At any time during the day, restaurants are empty and you get great service, other than that you feel bad that those serving your food can’t eat themselves during that time. I asked a Muslim friend of mine if this was rude and she said that it’s their own choice to work there, and they kind of get more points for fasting with people eating in front of them.
During Ramadan, people are also to abstain from drinking or even being around alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, sex, etc. – basically anything that would make you "impure". This also leads to grumpiness. Restaurants that would normally sell alcohol are prohibited to sell it during Ramadan and I heard that the few places that do sell it are not allowed to sell it to Egyptians. Egyptians must show that they have a foreign passport if they want to drink alcohol during Ramadan, regardless of their religion.
I was in a taxi last week during the sunset call to prayer and the driver pulled over at a kiosk as soon as the call went off to go buy cigarettes and started smoking immediately. In his rush to buy the ciggies, he almost forgot to set the parking break as the car started rolling backwards into another car. Luckily he put off his fix long enough to run back into the car and set the break. I’m still confused on if they are supposed to abstain from these things just during the day, or during the whole of Ramadan. I think people have varying ideas on this dependent on their level of devotedness.
A friend explained that you are not supposed to put anything bad into you including into your eyes. I thought this would be great – that the harassment on the street would stop for a month. Unfortunately I was a bit optimistic on this one. It may be better though!
I learned this year that Iftars are supposed to be small meals so that those fasting are able to feel what it is like to be poor, but most people feast it up as soon as the call sets off and start chowing down on special sweets that people only eat during Ramadan, dried fruits, nuts and huge feasts.
Well, that’s about it for my Ramadan files! It is a really funny time of the year when looking at it from the outside. It is a huge reminder that I am indeed the minority and that this country is centered around Islam. (I think I understand a bit how other religions feel during Christmas.) It is also a reminder that in any tradition in any religion, the purpose behind it can so easily be lost and replaced by legalism. I am glad that I have been able to have people in my life like my Arabic teacher Ashgan and her family who do adhere to the original meaning of Ramadan and are seeking to serve those less fortunate and be humbled and changed by this season.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Wadi Wadi, the Dutch, Dahab and 1st week of school
So, the last week and a half have been pretty jam packed with goodness. A couple days after I got in to Cairo, my friend Kelby flew in from Cali to go to AUC for the semester. Kelby is my Wadi Camp coaching buddy from 2 glorious trips to Egypt before I moved here. She came in around 2am, crashed at my place, checked into her dorm downtown, then we got picked up and headed off to the Wadi camp for 3 days. It was great. We got to help coach with a team from the Netherlands, a Northern Irishman, a French girl, Polish girl, and a Texan. The kids were a lot of fun and Kelby and I felt like locals – being called in last minute to help out for as much time as we could. It has been so good to have Kelby here with the duel Cali/Egypt connection. It’s pretty refreshing. A bunch of the girls I had coached 3 years ago were now taking leadership roles as counselors, which was so cool to see. Not only that, but we learned a great new cheer – “Wadi Wadi, we like to Party”… which only made sense in my head as “Potty”, but some things just work better with accents. The camp also included a “Coaches vs. Staff (Counselors, admins)” football match. Because of the unique makeup of the coaching staff, it turned into “Netherlands vs. Egypt”, so I had the privilege of representing Holland with a sweet orange shirt!
We got an early ride back to Cairo from the Wadi so that Kelby could go to orientation and I could set up my classroom and other pre-first week of school stuff. I can’t get over how much easier it is this year!!! Seriously, last year I was a mess.
A couple days later, the rest of the coaches arrived in Cairo, and I got to meet up with them for a bit and send the Dutch back to the land of orange, then hung out with Michael the Texan and Jonathan the Irishman. It’s so good to meet and hang out with quality people and have good conversations – even if you have no clue if you’ll ever meet up again. It was really cool to tell the story of why I’m here – mostly to remember myself how it’s so much more than a teaching position, but how much has led up to me living here. Sometimes I forget and need to be reminded.
I had passed up a ride down to Dahab (my Red Sea happy place) with the other members of Team Dahab 2008 (Lori, Sarah, Mike). Apparently we had planned the trip in the beginning of the summer and I forgot, but had already said I would meet up with the coaches and go to church with a bunch of people the next day. So I had overbooked and panicked a bit – impulsively bought a plane ticket to Sharm el Sheikh from a super-sketchy travel agent (that’s a whole other story) for my most expensive trip to Dahab ever (1 day cost me more than when I stayed for a week… grrrrr…. Can’t think about it. I’m a committed member to Team Dahab – almost like Team Zissou, but we’re still working on the costumes) So I stuck around Friday, met up with Kelby, Michael, and a bunch of new teachers in Maadi to go to church. It was pretty great to go to church with a group instead of by myself! After we organized a faluca trip, complete with good people, guitar and a great snack and beverage assortment - just chillin on the Nile with a cool breeze on a hot day. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon!
That night I flew to Sinai for 2 nights of Dahab glory – a shortened version of all Dahab has to offer, great dives, great runs, great food, great friends, the sound of waves crashing and bathing in salt water. Drove back for 6 hrs just in time to meet a taxi, Kelby, Michael and his friend who had flown in to Cairo to drive off to a great dinner at this sweet hidden restaurant called Barry’s right across from the pyramids. We watched the sound and Light show for free in German and then in French. It’s told from the perspective of the Sphinx in a nightmarishly creepy voice complete with green lazar beams. The German Sphinx seems much harsher than the French one…Either way, the show not worth paying for but you kind of feel like you’re stealing by watching it from Barry’s! You know, damn the man. Whoever the man is. All I know is he tries to rip off foreigners.
It was the greatest weekend to have right before school started yesterday. My students seem pretty great – a couple punks, but a lot of really sweet kids who I’m trying to convince that Earth Science is better than a PS2 and High School Musical combined. I have one student named “Assem”, which I pronounced something like “Ah, sem” but was corrected that it actually is pronounced “Awesome” which naturally, I am pretty excited about. Awesome also has a pretty significant speech impediment that makes him that much more endearing. My students from last year have been stopping by from the High School upstairs to say hi and tell me about their new teachers, classes, and summer. Good reminder of why I teach.
In other good news, the weather has probably dropped a good 5-10 degrees C over the last couple days, so I can now step outside without instantly becoming drenched in a pool of my own sweat! Hurray!!! I’m currently sitting on my balcony listening to the call to prayer and the wind blow through the mango tree. Pura Vida.
More to come on Ramadan and Haramarama.
We got an early ride back to Cairo from the Wadi so that Kelby could go to orientation and I could set up my classroom and other pre-first week of school stuff. I can’t get over how much easier it is this year!!! Seriously, last year I was a mess.
A couple days later, the rest of the coaches arrived in Cairo, and I got to meet up with them for a bit and send the Dutch back to the land of orange, then hung out with Michael the Texan and Jonathan the Irishman. It’s so good to meet and hang out with quality people and have good conversations – even if you have no clue if you’ll ever meet up again. It was really cool to tell the story of why I’m here – mostly to remember myself how it’s so much more than a teaching position, but how much has led up to me living here. Sometimes I forget and need to be reminded.
I had passed up a ride down to Dahab (my Red Sea happy place) with the other members of Team Dahab 2008 (Lori, Sarah, Mike). Apparently we had planned the trip in the beginning of the summer and I forgot, but had already said I would meet up with the coaches and go to church with a bunch of people the next day. So I had overbooked and panicked a bit – impulsively bought a plane ticket to Sharm el Sheikh from a super-sketchy travel agent (that’s a whole other story) for my most expensive trip to Dahab ever (1 day cost me more than when I stayed for a week… grrrrr…. Can’t think about it. I’m a committed member to Team Dahab – almost like Team Zissou, but we’re still working on the costumes) So I stuck around Friday, met up with Kelby, Michael, and a bunch of new teachers in Maadi to go to church. It was pretty great to go to church with a group instead of by myself! After we organized a faluca trip, complete with good people, guitar and a great snack and beverage assortment - just chillin on the Nile with a cool breeze on a hot day. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon!
That night I flew to Sinai for 2 nights of Dahab glory – a shortened version of all Dahab has to offer, great dives, great runs, great food, great friends, the sound of waves crashing and bathing in salt water. Drove back for 6 hrs just in time to meet a taxi, Kelby, Michael and his friend who had flown in to Cairo to drive off to a great dinner at this sweet hidden restaurant called Barry’s right across from the pyramids. We watched the sound and Light show for free in German and then in French. It’s told from the perspective of the Sphinx in a nightmarishly creepy voice complete with green lazar beams. The German Sphinx seems much harsher than the French one…Either way, the show not worth paying for but you kind of feel like you’re stealing by watching it from Barry’s! You know, damn the man. Whoever the man is. All I know is he tries to rip off foreigners.
It was the greatest weekend to have right before school started yesterday. My students seem pretty great – a couple punks, but a lot of really sweet kids who I’m trying to convince that Earth Science is better than a PS2 and High School Musical combined. I have one student named “Assem”, which I pronounced something like “Ah, sem” but was corrected that it actually is pronounced “Awesome” which naturally, I am pretty excited about. Awesome also has a pretty significant speech impediment that makes him that much more endearing. My students from last year have been stopping by from the High School upstairs to say hi and tell me about their new teachers, classes, and summer. Good reminder of why I teach.
In other good news, the weather has probably dropped a good 5-10 degrees C over the last couple days, so I can now step outside without instantly becoming drenched in a pool of my own sweat! Hurray!!! I’m currently sitting on my balcony listening to the call to prayer and the wind blow through the mango tree. Pura Vida.
More to come on Ramadan and Haramarama.
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