First Impressions: It's not as hot as I imagined it might be, not even close to the worst days in Baltimore. This is not to say that isn't hot. It is. Any time spent roaming the streets here or pretty much anything else outdoors requires the frequent downing of bottles of water which, fortunately, can be found on every corner and go for about 30 cents each. Cairo could use a good dusting and a coat of paint, not to mention some extra garbage collectors. The city mostly comes in different shades of brown with the occasional green patch thrown in. Some parts are beautiful, others not so much. The Nile cuts through the center, often divided by islands that, like the rest of the city, are jam packed with people and buildings. The river banks are lined with trees all around. Rows of house boats stretch up and down the river with the occasional restaurant boat thrown in. Cairo appears to be all apartment buildings, no houses. It goes on forever, a never ending sea of brown apartment buildings. The streets are crowded with people peddling everything that you can possibly imagine. The traffic is horrendous, eighteen million people here and I have yet to come across a traffic light. Crossing the street can be quite challenging. If any harm should come to me during my stay here, it will be traffic related. People here, so far, are good natured, friendly, and helpful. Walking around, I'm often greeted with smiles and shouts of "you are welcome!" Despite my best efforts, it remains obvious to the locals that I am not from around here. I haven't really seen too much of the city yet.
I'm still staying at the Flamenco Hotel on the Island of Zamalek, not too far from Tahrir Square but safely insulated from "the troubles." Zamalek is a pleasant and convenient place to stay. It isn't the best representation of Cairo as a whole. It is packed with embassys, hotels, shops, and restaurants catering to expats. On my first full day here, I visited my new school, El Alsson British and American School which is located out on the edge of town in Giza. On the way there I caught a glimpse of the great pyramids off in the distance. I'm looking forward to visiting them soon, perhaps one day next weekend. If first impressions count, I'm going to enjoy teaching at El Alsson. Its a small school, K-12 with about 1300 students. Everything, with a few exceptions, is taught in English with the goal of preparing our students for success in American and British universities. I'll be teaching ninth grade geography and eleventh grade economics. The staff, all administrators included, friendly, down to earth and accessible. I was surprised to find that most of the other teachers are older than me. They all seem happy. Many have been here for a long time.
The second day here was spent looking for an apartment which went well. I found one. Tomorrow I'll go to pay and sign the lease. It is more than adequate. I put some pictures on Facebook. I'll be living in Maadi, a quiet (by Cairo standards) neighborhood on the southern edge of the city. Like Zamalek, Maadi is home to many expats and businesses catering to them. That is not to say that it isn't "Egyptian." It still is. Unlike Zamalek, the streets are a little wider and cleaner. The traffic isn't quite as intense. Alittle father out from the corner, Maadi is connected to central Cairo by subway. The air is a little cleaner. Everyday, El Alsson will send a bus to pick me up and one to take me home, along with other the other teachers living in the neighborhood.
Today was the first day that I actually have been able to get off of Zamalek and really begin to explore the city. I could have yesterday, but I was advised by more than a few locals that their could be trouble after the Friday morning prayers. I was told not to leave the island. It has taken me years to figure this out, but when several people who know something are all telling me the exact same thing, it pays to listen. As it turns out, their were several protests across Cairo which, for the most part, remained peaceful. By the end of the day, six deaths were reported throughout Egypt, four in Cairo. As bad as that sounds, it is encouraging when compared to what happened here a few weeks ago. I get the impression that the vast majority of folks here are tired of the mess and just want to get on with their lives. Today I decided to go out and do some walking. I started at the Egyptian Museum in the center of the city. Imagine not a museum, but a warehouse full of some of the most beautiful and amazing artifacts in the entire world, but with almost no explanations (in English or Arabic) or organization at all. Everything was just thrown in there haphazardly. With a few exceptions, I had no idea what I was looking at. I just knew that it was beautiful and very old. I'm not too picky. That was good enough for me. After the "museum" I took a nice long walk through downtown Cairo. After navigating a labyrinth of very narrow and very busy streets interspersed with wide avenues and traffic circles, I eventually ended up walking along the Nile until I got tired and headed back to the hotel.
Regarding the current political situation, Cairo seemed perfectly calm today. It was business as usual with one exception. The streets are full of bored looking soldiers standing around with guns and sitting on top of tanks and armored personnel carriers. Obviously this is a sign that things are not good here, but just the same, at no time did I feel intimidated or unsafe. The locals ask d seemed friendly. Nobody warned me to be careful. The presence of the army in the streets had the opposite effect. I felt protected by their presence. Nobody else seemed to even notice them. On two separate occasions, I asked groups of soldiers for permission to take their pictures. They politely declined and I figured it unwise to agitate guys with big guns sitting on tanks.
Some pictures from my walk:
