Arrival

I made it. No problems; my flights were all on time, I had enough time in between flights so I did not have to rush but not too much that I was bored to death, my luggage made it and there were people to pick me up at the airport. I kept expecting the world to explode because my arrival happened so perfectly. I stepped off the plane into heat that was 99 degrees with an 81% humidity level. Not exactly the climate I am used to but just about every building I have been in thus far has air conditioning. There was a man there with a sign that had my name on it. We called Kim (my mother’s cousin) to let him know that I had arrived and he informed me that although he was out walking in the desert, Rebecca (his wife) would be at the house waiting for me and that for dinner we would be going to a party put on by the principal of their school. The man who had greeted me led me to the customs area and asked for my passport. He grabbed a customs form and told me to sit down and wait for his return. He left. For a second I was a bit scared as I realized this man could leave me, passportless at the Cairo airport. I thought about how stupid of a mistake it could turn into giving a stranger my passport but convinced myself that it was ok because this man had Kim’s number in his phone and Kim would not have hired someone that would steal my identity. I hoped. Thankfully, he did return and told me to follow him. We went through an entrance that said staff only but as the man was still holding my passport, I followed. On the other end of this entrance was a guard who looked at my passport as the other man nodded at me. They conversed briefly in Arabic and the guard looked up at me and lifted his arm to allow me through before smiling and gesturing to his nose complimenting my nose ring. I laughed as it is one of the things I receive the most grief about in the U.S. from adults. I smiled, thanked the guard and walked out of the airport. The man led me to an area where there were hundreds of people waiting, I assume for others arriving. He waved to a man in the crowd who waved back and began walking toward us. The man told me that this new man would take me the rest of the way. Once I left the airport I put my life into the hands of this strange Egyptian man who was driving me to Kim and Rebecca’s flat. Egyptian traffic is intense, like China; there seem to be no traffic lanes. Everyone just goes around whomever they please, however they please and simply honk, if they are close, as the come along side the next vehicle. I flinched as we would come within inches of a pedestrian or have to stop abruptly so that we didn’t hit a car changing lanes. The taxi driver just shook his head and said “Cairo traffic.” As he drove, I looked around and took in the sight of Cairo. It is desert, sand, concrete buildings, a cart pulled by a donkey along the highway, women dressed in pants or long skirts, some with head scarves some without, men also in pants grouped on the side of the road socializing, a herd of goats, vans used as buses, boys riding on the top of a truck, apartments, markets, big shops, small shops, men working on the street, a tree here and there; very different from small town Wisconsin and I am not even in the actual city yet. (Kim and Rebecca live in a suburb called Maadi which is south of the city) The driver had to ask for directions a couple of times to make sure we were headed in the right direction but we made it. We got to the flat and I gave the taxi driver a huge tip, mostly because I didn’t have any Egyptian pounds yet and I wasn’t sure how much was enough. We were greeted by a barefooted man who couldn’t have been much taller than 5 feet, wearing the traditional Egyptian dress which I think is called a galabeya. Then we had to figure out where I was going so he asked me my name and as that was no help, I told him I was looking for Kim and Rebecca. A look of recognition then crossed the little man’s face as he said “Ah, yes Mr. Kim.” I was told by the taxi driver that this man was security as he started taking my bag away. I figured I should probably follow so I thanked my taxi driver, grabbed the rest of my luggage, and followed him into an elevator. He took me to the second floor and rang the doorbell. Sure enough, there was Rebecca waiting for me. I thanked the man who had just carried luggage probably equal to his weight and walked into the home I would be staying at for the next few days. I set my bags inside the door and was shown my room where at the moment two housekeepers were cleaning. They too were barefoot. Rebecca got me some juice and we chatted a bit as I sat down and soaked in the fact that I had made it, without problem to my destination. In the background of our conversation I heard the Muslim call to prayer over a loudspeaker. That same sound would occur many times throughout the day and wake me at 5 a.m. the next morning.
After a bit, Rebecca got me a towel and told me to change into something less heavy as I was wearing rolled up sweatpants, a t-shirt and a zip-up hoody; not exactly the best dress for Egyptian heat. I washed up with the warning that I probably could but should avoid drinking the water if possible. After getting ready, we decided to take a taxi to the school where Rebecca worked so I could use the computer in order to e-mail my Grandma to let her know I was alive and check to see when I was to move into my dorm. From there, we walked a couple of blocks to the party. We got there and a man asked us which floor we were going to and Rebecca said the very top. The man walked us up a number of sets of stairs and rang the doorbell for us. We were greeted by a room full of people smiling and saying hello to Rebecca as they listened patiently to the introduction she was giving for me. They were very welcoming and I learned that they, like Kim and Rebecca, were all working in the elementary school portion of the Cairo American College. Most were from America originally, some had even gone to Stevens Point and LaCrosse. A woman came up to me and after learning my name and where I would be staying, very enthusiastically asked if I played softball. When I said yes, I thought she was going to wet her pants as she excitedly asked if I would like to be a member of the recreational team that she was a member of. Practice would start Saturday, one day from today. I told her that if it was possible I would love to be on the team and breathed a sigh of relief as I realized I could do this; living in Cairo would be just fine.
My first meal in Egypt was Chinese. The meal was provided buffet style in the same kind of serving dishes they used in China. The food was much more authentically Chinese than American Chinese food as well; I was impressed. At the end of the line was a bowl of fried bananas in honey which you topped with Arabic ice-cream which I have now concluded is a pretty traditional Egyptian dessert. Arabic ice-cream is delicious. I can’t really figure out the difference yet, but it is good. As we ate, Rebecca introduced me to a girl named Lauren who is going to be student teaching there this year and conveniently has a minor in art education. We talked for a long time along with her flat-mate who for the last 5 years has taught in Japan and came to Cairo this year to switch it up a bit. They had been here for about 3 weeks and told me where a K-mart like store was so that I could get an alarm clock. They warned me to get a battery operated one since the power goes out at least once a week here. I will take their advice. The room began clearing out a little and Lauren left but her flat-mate and I continued to talk and were eventually interrupted by an Arabic man who was another teacher at the school. He chatted for a bit and told us that he was the Arabic teacher in the high school and that if we ever had any trouble in our Arabic class or if we just wanted some extra help we could e-mail him anytime. So, in the end, I left the party as a possible softball team member with an on-call Arabic tutor. Not too bad for my first night.