A little more about Egypt

Hi All
Helen - how did the move go? Are you settled into your new house? Did your furniture get delivered? What about the beds for the kids?

It is Monday morning September 1st here in Dublin. We just called Jonathan to wish him a happy 8th birthday. Drew made a special trip to Cairo to a toy store to get some Legos that Jonathan really wanted for his birthday. Drew said that they have a large mall in Cairo that is 5 stories tall and one or two blocks in footprint. He found what he wanted and now knows where to go to get other things in the future.

The Schutz American school in Alexandria does not require uniforms. Jonathan and Kaisa both have 15 students in their class, so they get a lot of attention. Linda had a parent/teacher conference with Jonathan's teacher on Monday. It went well. The teacher said he was doing fine in class. She asked Linda if he had any problems adjusting to all of the changes in moving to Egypt, etc. Linda said that both kids seem to be doing OK.

Today was the start of Ramadan, the month long religious "holiday" for Muslims. They are not supposed to eat or drink during daylight. When the sun goes down then they feast and sometimes late into the night. Drew says some people actually gain weight during Ramadan. Linda was very surprised to learn that Muslim kids in Kaisa's kindergarten class follow the "rules" and don't even drink water during the day.

Alexandria is a beach resort town. During the 3 summer months the town in inundated with people from Cairo and the interior of the country looking to escape 100 to 120 F heat and hit the beaches. Alexandria's summer days average around 90F. The beaches are packed elbow to elbow. However, since today was the first day of Ramadan most of the vacationers have gone home and suddenly the traffic is manageable and the beaches look deserted.

Helen - thanks for the update on Annika and Auggie and their school. We especially enjoyed the little story about Annika and Anika getting each others uniforms. Glad that both girls now have clothes that fit.

All for now
Love Dad