Viktoria Haddan - Cascadian Abroad

Alexandria, Egypt

October 17, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

View of the Qaitbay Citadel on Alexandria’s Mediterranean coast.

Last weekend, I was fortunate to have time to take a day trip to Alexandria. Alexandria is north of Cairo and lies on the Mediterranean Sea, where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the sea. I learned in the Nile felucca post that the Nile runs south to north—which defies my logic!

The interesting thing about Alexandria is that it was founded by the Greek Alexander the Great so the Greco Roman influence is felt in the architecture, ruins and religion. It’s where Cleopatra courted Julius Caesar and later ruled fawith Mark Antony (now that is #goals). The sunny blue skies, white washed buildings and colorful boats gave more of an Athens than Cairo feel. I was elated by fresh sea air and blue skies!

Are we still in Egypt? The slanted building to the right is the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Robert had a discount code from winning a photo contest with Urban Adventures so I used it for their day tour of Alexandria. Urban Adventures tagline is ‘Best. Day. Ever.’ And it really was. The drive time to Alexandria from Cairo is about three hours, give or take an hour depending on traffic.

Blue skies and palm trees in Alexandria. And it wouldn’t be Egypt without a couple of minarets!

We started at the city’s Kom el Shoqafa catacombs; I didn’t know it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. It was discovered in the modern age of 1900 when a donkey almost fell down one of its air shafts. The catacombs were the city’s underground burial place for humble residents and honored royals alike. When I first heard “catacombs,” my mild claustrophobia kicked in with visions of long, dark tunnels and skulls. Thankfully, the tombs were well lit with plenty of headroom and oxygen.

The artwork on the main familial tomb had both Greek influenced art—after viewing the drawings inside in the Sakkara tombs, I could see the difference. Greek art is more rounded and freestyled while Egyptian is more angular and uniform. Our guide said that if Egyptian artists had painted pyramid tombs as carelessly as the Greeks they would be fired!

Greek style art in the main burial chamber of the catacombs.

Next, we passed by the Romans ruins of an amphitheater, which again, made me question where we were. The ruins were only discovered in 1960, accidentally again. They were purportedly used as a meeting or lecture hall.

After lunch, we started exploring my favorite part of the city, which is the corniche, or waterfront area. It was gorgeous!

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Boats lining Alexandria’s corniche, or waterfront promenade.

Our little group started to scatter in all directions to take pictures. With the city to our left and the water and boats to our right, we strolled until we reached the Qaitbay Citadel.

The Modern Mosaic by Fort Qaitbay. Mosque and minarets are pictured on the bottom left. Beside, stand the gods Taweret and Ra.

This citadel is built upon the exact location of the original Alexandria Lighthouse (one of the Ancient Wonders of the World). The lighthouse used to be the tallest manmade structure in the world, which is amazing considering it was on a tiny island.

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It’s unfortunate that of the tourists who do come to Egypt, few make it to Alexandria. I’m lucky to have experienced it and I’m looking forward to my next trip!

Look for an upcoming post about the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria Library).

Cairo’s Khan el Khalili Market

October 10, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

Cairo’s most famous market, also known as “souk,” has been around since the 1500s. It’s popular with tourist and Egyptian shoppers alike; though like many “tourist” places in Egypt it was pretty lacking in tourists who looked like me. Come to Egypt, one and all!

Khan (the k is not pronounced) means ruler or king. Khalili refers to Prince Jaharkas Al-Khalili.

Khan el Khalili was on my list of things to see right away. I was interested in looking at the market’s famous gold and silver jewelry. I also wanted to find a Turkish coffee pot. I did a lot of window shopping and didn’t end up buying anything, but I may have to think about making room in my suitcases for some of the unique copper lanterns. The merchants weren’t pushy and let me browse in peace for the most part!

The market is situated next to a large mosque called Al-Hussein. Next to the mosque is a row of historic coffee and tea shops, where I stopped for some mint tea and people watching. Smoking shisha/hookah (water pipes with different flavors of tobacco) is a common pastime here also. It was a busy Saturday and lots of local tourists and families were milling around, making a visit to the mosque and souk.

For my next visit, I would like to come back in the evening. Cairo seems to come alive at night.

Courtyard with Al-Hussein Mosque behind it serves as an entry point for the market.

Row of coffee shops on the way to the market. Can you spot the people smoking shisha?

Speaking of shisha, you can buy your own pipe to take home with you.

The colors and designs of these small bowls are so appealing! Think they’ll survive the journey back to the U.S.?

The perforated copper lanterns are so romantic. I’ve got my eye on you…

Candleholders and lanterns. I’ve learned that the Hamsa is a palm-shaped design commonly used in jewelry and wall hangings.

This street featured the gold shops (some were closed) and street food. Do you see the flatbread vendor?

The other side of the mosque. Can you see the policeman on horseback patrol? Or the woman balancing a bucket on her head?

Heading back into the heart of the market. The eye design on the wall is the Eye of Horus, which is a symbol for protection. I’ve seen women wearing necklaces with the shape.

T-shirts, belly dancing gear and figurines.

A baladi bread seller appeared behind us with a balancing act on his head!

Should I get a necklace with my name in Arabic?

Inside the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

October 4, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

Viktoria in front of Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.

I had a three-day weekend due to the Islamic New Year on Sunday, October 2 so I decided to take advantage of the time off and head out to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, or the Egyptian Museum, in downtown Cairo. The coral building is easily recognizable in the famous Tahrir Square, the site of the 2011 Revolution protests.

View from the side of the museum and its gardens. Can you spot the Cairo Tower?

I hired a guide and I’m glad I did; the museum is a jumble and maze of mostly unmarked artifacts. It’s not the most organized or clean or secure museum I’ve ever been to—thousand-year-old stuff is strewn throughout rooms with signs that essentially say, do not lean on or touch the priceless tomb/statue/carving. But people do. The concept is very culturally Egyptian—proud but lackadaisical.

Entrance ticket is about $8.50 and to take photos, $5.50.

What it lacks in interpretation and modernity, it makes up for in dusty coolness factor. The museum is made up of items collected from various pyramids, including the entire collection of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Wikipedia says it has more than 120,000 items, not counting the ones that were gifted to Austria and other countries.

The main hall of the ground floor. I hope nothing falls over!

We started on the first floor (ground floor) with the collection from the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. First, I saw the statue of King Djoser (Zoser), who built the world’s first stone step pyramid, which I had previously visited in Saqqara. The statue was collected from his pyramid and features the life-size (small!) king with the false chin.

Next, we headed through the main hall to see a stone pyramid top, or the Benben stone from the Pyramid of Amenemhat III. The pyramid below it has since crumbled, but the carved capstone or tip remains.

Guide Asmaa next to the capstone carved with a phoenix bird, which is a part of an ancient creation story.

At the end of the hall is a colossal statue of Amenhotep III and his wife, Tiye, grandparents of the famous Tutankhamun. This statue is significant because it’s the first time a woman was depicted as the same giant size as her husband. Notice the size of their daughters at their feet. I later saw Tiye’s eerie mummy (see a photo on Wikipedia), complete with hair in the mummy room (no pictures allowed and that’s fine by me).

We headed to check out the artifacts surrounding King Amenhotep IV, who was the first pharaoh who decided to worship only one God. His story was featured on Morgan Freeman’s “Story of God” series (go DVR it right now). The show features the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and the turn to a monotheistic (one God) worship by this king. He later changed his name to Akhenaten to include the name of the God Aten, or “sun.” Unfortunately, he became somewhat of a religious tyrant and his followers scratched out his name in his coffin so that his spirit would NOT return in the afterlife. His successor returned to a polytheistic rule.

Akhenaten’s wooden coffin found in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. Look at the middle strip of the coffin. Can you see where the cartouche, or the symbols for his name, has been scratched out?

The second floor houses the pieces of the famous kings and more solid gold bling. Namely, all of the 5,000 things that a boy king Tutankhamun could ever want for the afterlife. We saw his gold ceremonial chair, three funerary beds (in case he wanted to bounce from bed to bed, I guess) and four shrine gold boxes that held his sarcophagus and death mask.

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The third bed has a crying lion, grief stricken by his king’s death.

The wooden throne of Tutankhamun features an image of him under the sun (‘Aten’ for his birth name Tutankhaten) while his queen applies perfume on him.

The first funerary bed of Tutankhamun has a pair of cows.

The second bed featured the heads of hippopotamuses.

One of King Tut’s outer golden coffins decorated with lapis lazuli and turquoise.

Due to all of the grave robbing, precautionary measures were taken to hide the body within the layers of gold coffins. I guess it didn’t matter too much because the location of his tomb was lost, not to be found until the famous discovery in 1922.

I also saw the museum’s masterpiece, the famous gold and colored mask of King Tut with the long false chin. It is 24 lbs. of solid gold. Alas, no pictures were allowed.

I hope to return again and explore the museum more on my own.

Sakkara Pyramids

September 26, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

In the first of what I hope will be many pyramid trips, I recently joined a trip to the Sakkara (Saqqara) Pyramid complex. Although it’s not the most well-known group of pyramids, like the Great Pyramids of Giza, it has very impressive hieroglyphics inside the tombs. The trip was led by Community Services Organization, a nonprofit in Cairo designed to provide services for expats (like me!).

We first arrived at the Pyramid of Djoser. The pyramid has six limestone “steps” and is thought to be among the earliest known stone structures in the world—according to our guide Ahmed—built around 2667–2648 BC. The credit for the step design is given to Imhotep, the architect who was the right hand of the king.

It was a slow day for tourist camel rides at the Pyramid of Djoser.

The steps were thought to symbolize a stairway to heaven. The ancient Egyptians built the pyramids not only to be tombs for kings and nobles, but also to house the spirits and facilitate a happy afterlife. This included physical offerings of food and worldly possessions as well as hieroglyphics (symbols for the alphabet) and pictures telling the story of the person’s life on the walls.

A line of Uraei (cobra) with the Pyramid of Djoser behind it.

Next, we moved through the complex of crumbling pyramids and headed underground to the tomb of the Pharaoh Unas. Although we had to climb down a very narrow tunnel, the passageway was well-lit, which helped discourage claustrophobia.

Following Ahmed down the passageway through the Pyramid of Unas.

At the end, when it was safe to stand up straight, there was a white limestone room completely filled with hieroglyphics. A few of us gasped!

The walls and ceiling of one of the chambers of the Pyramid of Unas.

Columns of hieroglyphics in Pharaoh Unas’s funerary chamber at the Pyramid of Unas.

The adjoining room was the chamber for Unas’s body, which included a black sarcophagus and stars on the roof to symbolize the heavens. It’s a good thing these spirits had all these signs to tell them if they were in the right place; these pyramids are a maze! The body/mummy itself is not in the sarcophagus, it was probably looted along with the other offerings and riches in the tombs.

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The symbol that I’m touching is the ankh, also known as key of life. This series of symbols means “He lives, he lives, he lives.”

King Unas’s funerary chamber with black stone sarcophagus.

After we came above ground, we went to the tomb of one of Unas’s daughters, Idut. While Unas had numerous hieroglyphics/symbols in his pyramid, Idut’s tomb had the most impressive “Pyramid Texts,” realistic pictures and murals, some still with red and black color. Different chambers of her pyramid had pictures of the Nile, offerings of food and drink and pictures of scribes.

Pyramid Texts in the tomb of Idut describe a fishing scene on the Nile. Can you spot the hippopotamus, crocodile, fish and the cow being separated from her calf?

Workers used metals and minerals like copper to make paint. Did you know that slaves were not utilized to build the pyramids? Only paid workers. The National Museum has a papyrus record with names of all the workers who were employed and their payment.

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The large figure is Idut standing in a boat. To the right, young scribes are depicted.

Last, we went to Ka-Gmni’s tomb, where we couldn’t take pictures, but it had massive murals similar to Idut’s tomb, and underground to Titi’s Pyramid. We also made a stop at the Imhotep (King Djoser’s architect) Museum, which housed a mummy. It was a little too realistic!

Our guide Ahmed at the entrance to Ka-Gmni’s tomb, which also had very well preserved and ornate drawings.

I learned today that Egypt has anywhere from 50 to more than 100 pyramids, depending on how one defines a pyramid, still standing or fallen. I’m sure I’ll be back to learn more!

Sharm el Sheikh: Relaxing by the Red Sea

September 19, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

An Egyptian flag with Tiran Island in the distance.

After two weeks of school, I already had my first week off for a religious holiday. My school observes both Orthodox Christian and Islamic holidays so I’ll get to experience the full gamut this year.

This past week, it was the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, that was celebrated throughout practicing nations including Egypt. This holiday is also called the “Sacrifice Feast,” because it honors the sacrifice of his son that Abraham was willing to make for God. To celebrate the holiday, goats and sheep have been penned in the streets waiting to be given out as meat for the holiday. I did not witness the bloodletting.

Instead, a co-worker and I decided to take advantage of the time and head to the resort town of Sharm el Sheikh along the Red Sea on the Sinai Peninsula.

We spent five days, four nights vacationing along Egyptian families also away on holidays. There was also a smattering of Eastern European tourists. But for the most part, there were not many people in town. In fact, it was a bit of a ghost town. We enjoyed it because it was quiet and relaxing, but there were many hotels, empty, half-built, abandoned.

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A mosaic mural on the road to the beach.

The Sharm-el-Sheikh airport welcoming visitors to the City of Peace.

It looks like construction stopped halfway on some building and hotel projects.

In general, tourism is down in Egypt, but especially in Sharm after a flight to St. Petersburg crashed in October 2015. ISIL claimed responsibility. Since then, many countries stopped direct flights to Sharm el Sheikh. Now, tourists must fly to Cairo first then transfer to a domestic flight to Sharm el Sheikh.

It wasn’t a problem for us because we are living in Cairo. After several security checks, it was only an hour flight to the town on Egyptian Air. Somehow, we ended up in Business Class, which was a nice treat.

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Camels going in for the night, done being photographed by tourists like me.

Coastal murals advertising the fish that can be seen in the reef.

The terrain on the Sinai Peninsula is like nothing I’ve seen before. The dusty red mountains rise up, rocky and defiant. The sea is a cobalt blue from a distance, clean and clear close up. The sand is pink and filled with white shells and coral. When we first arrived, I could see this as a setting for the Biblical tales I had heard of.

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Tiran Island was visible from our resort.

The view from the hotel’s dock, where we could dive into deeper waters.

Looking back onto the seaside village from the diving boat.

First snorkeling and dive site off Tiran Island.

The second dive site, the wreckage of a sunk ship.

A boat sits waiting for snorkelers and divers to finish exploring.

We spent a whole day snorkeling the Red Sea at three different sites. I saw angel fish, a (venomous) lionfish, a stingray, neon parrotfish, clownfish, butterfly fish, and yes, even Nemo! I also loved the variety of colors and types of coral.

In my opinion, the coral reef and snorkeling was just as beautiful as the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia. I kept thinking how we spent more than $100 Australian on a snorkeling trip. The price at Sharm el Sheikh? Thirty US Dollars.

We had a perfect trip. We felt safe. And we could wear whatever clothing or bathing suits we wanted. We saw everything from bikinis to burkinis.

Did you know that Egypt was a destination for diving and snorkeling in its Red Sea reef? Enjoy the pictures!

Day in Life: First Week of School

September 5, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

I’m done with my first week of school! I’m teaching 8th, 9th and 10th grade. I can’t believe I have students who were born in the 2000s; where is the time going?

My schedule is keeping me on my toes. The workweek is Sunday through Thursday, which is hard to get used to. I keep saying “This is due on Friday… I mean Thursday,” and students laugh. Students are also correcting my pronunciation of names. Hana, Malak and Jana are popular girl’s names, and Mohamed, Omar and Youssef for the boys.

I thought I would do a very simple “Day in the Life” post. I will probably do a more detailed one once I get more into a routine.

6:00 a.m. Wake up, make breakfast and get ready for school.

6:30 a.m. The first week, I left home at this time to walk about 2 km to the bus stop. I love Cairo in the mornings. It’s cool, breezy and quiet. My new schedule, I will catch a bus at 6:50 a.m. in my neighborhood. The bus leaves around 7:00/7:10 a.m.

My classroom is very colorful! It will be more decorated soon. The first week I didn’t have a clock, which made me feel disorganized.

7:30ish a.m. Arrive at school. I go straight to my classroom, turn on the air conditioning and start the day.

7:55 a.m. School starts. We either have an assembly where students line up outside by homeroom or students come to homeroom right away. I have a 9th grade homeroom class.

I accidentally ordered five falafel sandwiches from the school cafeteria. All ordering is done in Arabic and hand gestures. I thought I was ordering five falafel pieces. Needless to say, it all got eaten.

8:15 a.m.–3:05 p.m. The school day. My schedule changes every day, but I usually teach three or four classes a day. Lunch is about 45 minutes long. I have lunch supervisory duty once a week. It is so hot midday that most students eat their lunch in the shade. Though the boys play soccer (“football”) and come to class drenched in sweat.

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A local farmer in the Giza neighborhood near the school. Shot out the school bus.

3:15 p.m. Bus leaves for home. The bus ride home is an interesting time to peer out the window at the traffic and things going by.

3:45/4 p.m. I’m home! Thankful to have a relatively short commute there and back.

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I had groceries delivered. In addition to some fruits and vegetables, I had fresh Baladi (sort of like pita) bread and frozen falafel for dinner. No, I’m not sick of falafel yet!

Hummus in a can, it’s what’s for dinner. It was surprisingly good for $1 canned hummus.

4:00 p.m. to…? I make dinner and pass out on the couch. The first week I was in bed by 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. I haven’t had a lot of papers to grade at home yet. That will probably change once we get into the swing of things.

My Cairo Apartment Is…

August 29, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

Thank you for all the comments on Facebook and here on Cascadian Abroad about my house hunt!

And the winner is... House #3! — And the winner is… House #3!

Most of you liked House #3 the best and I guess you could sense my enthusiasm through my words. A few picked House #1 for its spacious kitchen. And no takers for House #2.

So yes, I chose House #3. It was easily my favorite place I saw during the house hunt. Interestingly enough, I was jet lagged and ready to stop for the day before I was convinced to see one more. I’m glad I powered through. Moving is hard. Starting a new job is hard. Doing both in a foreign country is exponentially harder.

I have been moved in now for a couple of days and I’m slowly learning its quirks and character. I really like the size, it’s not too big for one person and I can’t get lost.

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My first trip to the grocery store. I got some cupboard staples.

Peering down an alley with tourist shops.

Lunch at Crave with my land lady. I had tea with mint, lentil soup and roasted vegetable skewers.

My first night, my landlady offered her driver to take me to the grocery store. I had already mapped out the walk to the store, but I gladly took her up on her offer. The driver helped me carry my bags and liters of water from the store to the car and from the car to my apartment. Thankfully, no stairs to climb!

My landlady is a cosmopolitan woman. She speaks many languages; her English is perfect. She grew up in a multicultural household. If I need anything, she has contacts throughout the city.

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Having iced hibiscus tea at my land lady’s house

Artwork depicting the Egyptian flag and the Nile River.

My neighborhood. The stray dog breed is called Baladi. My landlady has several dogs and cats she has adopted.

A shopping street near my house. Almost every place delivers.

On the weekend (Friday and Saturday here), we went driving through the neighborhoods of Maadi and she pointed out some shops and landmarks. There are many things to see and I’m slowly figuring out where I am. We went out to lunch, where we bumped into some of her family. I’ve heard Cairo is… “where everybody knows your name.”

After lunch, I went walking on the shopping street near my house. I got some school supplies at a stationery store and some bread at The Bakery Shop. There are many American storefronts I recognized: Cold Stone Creamery, The Body Shop, McDonald’s, Circle K, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Coffee Bean, Subway, Gold’s Gym, etc. In addition, there’s more coffee shops, grocery store, fruit stands, a wine/beer store, gelato, sushi, waffles, hamburgers, cupcakes, Egyptian food, etc.

What should I try on my next walkabout? Head to the comments section below to have your say!

House Hunters International: Cairo

August 25, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

I like to watch House Hunters International, but I have a few problems with the show. I want less “house” and more “international.” Most of the show is spent on repeating the details of house 1, 2 and 3. And most of the buyers are demanding of Western standards and usually have unrealistic expectations of size, location and price. My favorite part is the last two minutes of the show where they reveal the house they “chose” and how they like living in that particular destination.

Despite my skepticism of reality TV, I decided to present three apartments (or “flats”) that I was shown in the search for my Cairo home. I think it’s interesting to see how people all over the world live and that’s probably what makes the show popular.

Most of the newcomers chose to live in the Cairo neighborhood called Maadi because it’s green; the tree-lined streets are a relief from city life. It has a walkable lifestyle, which was my favorite part of living in Japan. And there are many cafes and restaurants around—both Egyptian and foreign. The neighborhood is a haven for expats, but still has the local charms that I am looking for.

My wish list included:

1 or 2 bedrooms
any floor
clean kitchen
budget between 4,000 to 6,000 Egyptian pounds ($450 to $675)

Note: All of the apartments we saw are furnished, spacious and have air conditioning units and secure entrances.

For the floor levels below, I am using the American standard. Our bottom floor is called the first floor. Whereas, in most other countries, the bottom floor is the ground floor and the next floor up is considered the first floor. Try explaining that to American middle schoolers studying Spanish…planta baja, primer piso, segundo piso, etc.)

On another note, our real estate agent, Sherif, is the most patient man I have ever met. He juggled so many different likes and dislikes and personalities of our group. He deserves any commission he made—and more. He took us out on multiple days and arranged rental contracts with landlords all over Maadi.

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House 1—Big on Kitchen & Style

5,000 Egyptian pounds ($562)
3rd floor
2 bed, 1 bath

House 1 made the list because of its giant kitchen and plush living room, including a flat screen TV and two full size couches. It has a lot of decorative items like paintings, figurines and plants on the walls and surfaces. This is both a pro and a con. It made it feel like a place you want to live, but it also felt like you were living in someone else’s house. I prefer a simple style.

It has two bedrooms. The master has wooden floors and a comfortable bed with a large mirrored closet. The guest room has two twin beds for visitors. I would probably never use the second room.

The kitchen is very large with a full size dishwasher, six burner gas stove, microwave, refrigerator and a washing machine. I like the multiple wood cabinets and tile floors. It looks fully functional and ready to go on move-in day. House 1 is right in the middle of my budget.

House 2—Red Couch, Balcony & Vintage Tiles

4,000 Egyptian pounds ($450)
2nd floor
2 bed, 1 bath

This apartment is a little more “shabby chic.” I liked some of its details like the red lantern lamp, red couch and chair. We had a red couch when we moved into our first house. I also like that it has a balcony on the shady side of the building. The two bedrooms were spacious and included a queen and a twin bed, but didn’t include any bedding or pillows. I may want to buy my own anyway!

The downsides were that it is a little dark; the kitchen is hiding in the back of the flat with no windows to let in the light. The living/dining room needs a few rugs to warm up the stark white tile floors. Although the kitchen is tiny, it has cool wall tiles that looked like vintage Arabic advertisements. This complex has a daycare in one of its units, but we were assured that the hours are when we are at school and it doesn’t operate on the weekends. House 2 is the cheapest flat.

House 3—Country Home

5,800 Egyptian pounds ($650)
First floor
1 bed, 1 bath

This place is unique because it is not located in an apartment complex. The downstairs of the owner’s house has been converted into an apartment. This place has the ultimate homey feel. You walk into a dining room with warm earth toned tiles and touches of red (my favorite color). It opens to the living room with a TV and floral couches. It has a private entrance as well as two doors that open to the outside patio.

The one bedroom is carpeted and has a king size bed and vanity. The kitchen is adorable (blue and white is another favorite color combination) and contains a refrigerator, microwave, toaster and a “kettle.” The bathroom has a washer and a shower with a door, but no bathtub like the previous two places. House 3 is the most expensive on the list.

I am pleasantly surprised by apartments in Cairo! I’ll report back in a few days with my pick, but in the meantime, do you think I should choose House 1, 2 or 3? Head to the comments section below to have your say!

Felucca Sail on the Nile River

August 23, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

During the first week of orientation, the school treated new staff to a sunset felucca (sailboat) ride on the Nile River.

From our hotel in Zamalek, we crossed the 6^th of October Bridge and followed the east bank of the Nile River, the longest river in the world. We passed the historic Tahrir Square, the place where the 2011 revolution demonstrations were held. Near the square is the American Embassy.

We started the ride during the sunset, which provided gorgeous views. Our group divided between two boats and began a slow float.

The owner of the school pointed out some landmarks to us. On the other side, we could see the narrow Cairo Tower, which was just starting to light up for the evening. Next to it, was the Sofitel Hotel and the Cairo Opera House. Many boats were out because it was the weekend. It seems common to rent a party boat for a wedding or special occasion.

The land on both sides of the Nile is very green and lush, unlike the rest of Egypt. Take a look at Egypt on a satellite map; there’s a green ribbon snaking its way down the desert.

For that reason, farmers and landowners have always relied on the Nile as a source of water, especially during the season when it floods and leaves behind fertile land. In fact, ancient Egyptians thought that the god Hapy and the pharaoh could control the flooding. Additionally, the ancient people believed the river was a path from life to death and thereafter. It’s interesting how many civilizations connected their observations of nature to religion or spirituality.

Now, the river is still one of Egypt’s gems and symbols. Thank you to the school for a relaxing river float and introduction to life in Cairo.

What do you imagine when you think of the Nile? Head to the comments section below to take part in the conversation!

First Days in Cairo

August 19, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

Above: A peek of the pyramids in Giza from the international school.

I have a few photos and thoughts to share from this week. I flew in on Wednesday; redeye from PDX to JFK, nine-hour layover then a 10-hour flight to Cairo. At the airport, I met some Cascadians who will be teaching at my school! A teaching couple with two children from Seattle. I also met another teacher from Texas, a recent college grad from Chicago and a businessman from Virginia. On the flight, I talked to a band of brothers from NY who were vacationing in Cairo. Their mother was Egyptian and father was Syrian.

We were picked up in Cairo by a representative of the school. The drive into Cairo was fascinating. There are millions of things I want to take a picture of. Wednesday was a mixture of “what the hell did I get myself into?” and “I got this!” Thankfully our travels to India, Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia were good preparation.

People say that the drivers here are crazy, but I’ve yet to see anything shockingly bad. There are mostly cars, taxis and mini buses with a smattering of motorbikes and donkey carts. The honking is noisy.

Some "cool kids" in the streets of Cairo. Most women do not show their shoulders or arms. — Some “cool kids” in the streets of Cairo. Most women do not show their shoulders or arms.

The majority of people out and about are men. It’s a little different to see women so covered up—a mixture of head, body, and/or face. Some are in colorful headscarves (hijab). Some are in black robes with only the eyes showing. Some women don’t cover their head at all.

I’ve learned that Egypt is 90 percent Sunni Muslims and 10 percent Coptic Orthodox Christian. This is seen in the skyline; minarets with both crescent/half-moons and crosses, relatively.

I’m jet lagged so I keep hearing call to prayers at 3:30 or 4 a.m. The first time I heard it, I was a little shocked. It is loud. And unfamiliar. But by day three, I am used to it.

Cairo is shades of green and gray in the middle of the desert. The buildings outside of town are brick, concrete, brown and every shade of yellow sand. Rows of apartment buildings, many abandoned, with window AC units and satellites line the roads.

Fresh produce at a Cairo grocery store. The red fruit in the middle row is fresh dates.

All of the fruit is organic; no sprays or pesticides. Agriculture is an important business. Farmers bring it into the city by donkey cart. I saw fresh dates red in color. Fresh dates, who knew such a thing existed. Don’t mind me, I get excited about fresh fruit and produce that tastes like it’s supposed to.

The orientation at my school is really well organized and I feel supported by the teaching and admin staff. There are about 20 new teachers here from New Zealand, all over the UK and the U.S. Everyone is really nice, has taught abroad before and is open minded. No one is scared by the political or religious climate and I’m learning there really isn’t any reason to be. It’s business as usual after the Revolution.

More to come later about the apartment search and the felucca ride on the Nile River!