So Saturday we'll officially have been in Cairo for 10 months. What are the top ten things I notice about settling in here.....listed in no particular order, as usual....
1. I don't "smell" it here anymore. It really has to smell like camels for me to notice the negative odor, HOWEVER, I recently visited a British International School for K possibilities for Jasmine...and I noticed that it smelled like paper.....aaah!
2. I don't wash my face and brush my teeth as often. It's not just the reduced heat either..it's my finding a new level "normalcy" in the amount of sandy grit.
3. I am comfortable in long pants and my hair down as long as it's below 90 degrees! "reduced heat" mentioned in #2 is that it's below 90 most days and some mornings it even touches 70!
4. Signs and language seem comfortable now. I remember being scared of the language actually.....thinking people were fighting or agressive or definitely negative. But even when I don't fully grasp a conversation (my Arabic isn't THAT good *yet*), I am completely comfortable with the language around me, it does not seem odd or out of place.
5. I have quit touching. I almost touched my Arabic teacher the other night and just before I did it, I held myself back very "naturally" and realized I barely ever touch people anymore - HOWEVER, I hug MUCH longer and harder on the people I know I can hug! ha! Those who didn't know me before this, may wonder why I ever touched people...but I was just always very 'touchy' - my husband would say that applies to emotions! lol
6. The kids are allowed to run, wrestle and yell in the apartment. It's better than trying to stop them...nowhere to send them out. That is my latest compromise.
7. My taste buds have changed - I haven't complained about my not very diverse diet, in quite awhile. I'm not sure if it's for lack of options so I resigned, or perhaps it's seeing the TRUE meaning of poverty in my face.....had a conversation the other day with someone and I said "but you see, wealth is having food for every meal!"
8. I drink more coke. Yuck! I used to almost pride myself in not being a caffeine or icky-consumption person (wink) but.....I truly believe sometimes a coke is the only way I survive homeschooling..wait...the only way Joshua survives ME!
9. Ants aren't creepy. Oh they creep and they're gross, but I can now face 100+ ants without freaking out. I've been known to shower around them when there's not time to kill them AND get out of the house on time with a shower. Don't tempt my reaction to cochroaches or bats still...will get back to you on that...maybe? insha' Allah!
10. Church at night. I have finally adjusted to Friday worship at night and school from Sun - Th and now become confused when my American friends aren't at their "normal" week schedule on Sundays! lol
As always, thanks SO much for reading and letting me share my jumbled thoughts! Thanks for email and blog responses as well!! Steph - **love** the clay idea!! I see it in the future for our Christmas break as a good activitiy on a "brown out day" (when it's so dusty it's like a snowstorm only brown.....so it's all brown out that day)
Love from Maadi,
Wendy for the whole family
2 comments:
Good for you Wendy! I think you're following Paul's example in Phil.4:12&13
Still wish I could send you some Fall leaves or some snow for the kids to play in.
I was just thinking the other day how you're one year date was coming up in the next couple of months, and how far you've all come since moving there. Your family is truly amazing and I love to see how you've all grown in so many little and big ways. I however can't wait to see you again and get that big hug you reserve for those of us you can hug. Many hugs to all of you and happy belated birthday to Joshua, it looked like it was quite the celebration!
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