I don't seem to have as much to say this year... Why is that? Oh, yes. I am working!! I could go on forever each day about the daily joys and frustrations of teaching, but those are the just about the same no matter which continent you are on, so I don't want to bore you with that. I don't spend as much time musing and writing as I did last year. Instead I plan lessons and clean watercolor and chalk pastel dust out from underneath my fingernails. Still loving the job - the kids are mostly sweet - but there are several challenging classes that bring me back to reality and make me remember that I am actually teaching and not just playing! I am having a great time creating sample pieces of art to show the kids and just trying to stay one lesson ahead as far as that goes. Even though I have a lot of prep time, I definitely use it all each day.

Now, on to some other things I want to share.

We have been going to church here at Maadi Community Church ever since we moved here. The church has been in a transition period since before we got here - the pastor died unexpectedly and tragically about a year before we came, and one of the associate pastors served as interim all last year, until the new pastor was hired and came in June. Many of the other staff members have gone on to other places. However, the church has still been a place of peace and joy for us during our time here.

I have always served on a worship team or in a choir in every church I've been a member of. I love being a part of leading worship and feel called to do so. I auditioned last year for the worship team here and strangely never heard anything one way or the other. I also never called to ask the results...probably too afraid to hear something that would make me cry... but when kick off week rolled around this year I decided to sign up again and audition again. Long story short, I auditioned two weeks ago and am singing on the worship team this weekend. I am so happy and excited about it. Here is a short video clip of our church's worship time. I love the man who plays bongos. I met him for the first time the night I auditioned and told him what joy I felt when watching him play and worship. He said something like, "When I am up there, I just try to make God smile." What a great attitude to have about all parts of our lives. Watch him here, and see if YOU don't smile!



Another great thing that has finally worked out church-wise is that we are part of a "life group" now. We asked last year to be placed in one with other people with small kids so that we could make some friends here with families. (Most people who teach at our school are either single or married with no kids or grown kids.) We were placed in a group with people whose kids were our age. We decided to wait until there was a group where we fit better. Apparently lots of people started asking for the same thing (we started a trend!) and, at last, the first-ever "family" life group has been formed! We bring the kids, who stay with some sweet ladies downstairs while the parents go upstairs for Bible study. We've met three times, and already I feel like God has answered our prayers through this group. One couple there adopted three children while they lived in Hong Kong and taught at the school where Jason was offered a position two years ago - it's amazing to think that we would have met them either way, whether we accepted that job or this one. We are so blessed to know these neat people, and Luke is enjoying his new group of friends, too.

The third wonderful thing is that some ladies at my school are getting together on Saturday mornings for a Bible study/prayer time. There are seven of us altogether, and it has been SO wonderful to share that time with them. We're studying Romans together.

I had asked God for these three things last year - a chance to serve on the worship team, a home group study for our family, and a ladies' study for me - and all these prayers have been answered this year. I wonder why I had to wait a year - but am grateful and thrilled to have these opportunities to serve God and love others. I've wondered why we were sent to Egypt, and I'm still not sure. When we were in Hong Kong we did the Experiencing God study, and it says, "'What is God's will for my life?'" is not the right question. I think the proper question is, What is God's will? Once I know God's will, then I can adjust my life to Him. In other words, what is it God is purposing to accomplish where I am? Once I know what God is doing, then I know what I need to do. The focus needs to be on God, not on my life." God is working here in Egypt. During the remainder of the time He's given us here, I want to be right where He wants me. Please remember us in your prayers - thanking God that He has given us a church home here and avenues to be involved, and asking for Him to help us see what He would have us do here.

Isaiah 19:1, 19-25

1 An oracle concerning Egypt:
See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud
and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them.

19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. 21 So the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the LORD. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and keep them. 22 The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.

23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 24 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. 25 The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance."

My Husband's an All Star!

So first of all, I have to brag! Jason has played softball with the AIS men's softball team the last 2 school years. This season he has hit several home runs, played short stop, and made some awesome plays (some of which I've gotten to see myself). Last weekend he was asked to be the team's representative to the league's all star game! I'm so proud of him!

That made me start to think of some other ways Jason is an All Star. Here are just a few (in no particular order):

1. He is one of the most giving, unselfish people I know. He thinks of Luke and me before himself, and does it so well and without thinking that I take it for granted sometimes.
2. We've dealt with a lot of difficult situations in our marriage that a lot of people don't get dealt over the course of a lifetime--and Jason has handled himself with such grace and integrity. He has been my rock and my best friend.
   
3. He seeks God's will for our lives and is very firm in his belief that the Lord will lead, guide, and protect us.
4. He's an amazing Daddy. He is so playful with Luke. They have such a great time wrestling, goofing around, and playing their special games. I love to watch them together. Jason has put together a playlist of fun music that Luke loves (it includes those songs he was dancing to in the videos and a few more) and it's a hoot to watch them boogie together.
   
5. He balances me out and handles me very well--sometimes I am a real mess, and Jason is sensitive and compassionate when I am depressed, helps me get back on my feet when I've hit rock bottom, makes me laugh daily, and remains my best friend in all the world.
   
6. He fully embraced me staying home with Luke the last three years, and has been so excited since I've returned to work, not just because of the two incomes, but because he gets to share AIS with me. I love going to work with him every day. Riding next to him on the school bus is second best only to the big hug I get from Luke when we get home in the afternoon. (Third would be Luke sending us out the door every morning with a "Have a great day, guys! See you this afternoon!")

I could go on and on...but it's time for me to quit for now.
I love you, Jason!

A Trip to Dahab

Our last day of school last week was Monday. Having Tuesday off was a welcome surprise--has to do with the moon and when the end of Ramadan is--so we enjoyed a relaxing day before we flew out to Dahab. We left Tuesday night and flew from Cairo to Sharm-el-Sheikh (a popular tourist destination--very developed compared to Dahab), and then rode in a hotel van from Sharm to Dahab. Dahab is a town on the eastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula. Still part of Egypt, but not far at all from Saudi Arabia. Jason went there last spring with teachers from school, and a bunch of teachers went there this week for our end of Ramadan vacation.

It was 1 AM when we arrived, so we checked in to our room and went to the hotel restaurant, where we ordered some pizzas to go. We gobbled them up, and then headed off to bed.

The next morning we could really see everything. The outside of our hotel was so cool. There's a restaurant between the hotel and the sea, where they serve breakfast (part of the deal) and all other meals, too. There are no chairs, just cushions and rugs and low tables. Very relaxed, mostly comfortable, and good food. Tough to get Luke to sit still during a meal, though...but that's even tough at a table and chairs.

Playing possum at the restaurant:

The hotels in Dahab are all in a strip several miles long. We were pretty much at one end, and most of the AIS teachers were at the other, so we really didn't interact too much with other teachers, except for our Cairo "family," the Simons. We had breakfast with them in the mornings, did our own things during the days, and met back up at night.

Our goal during this trip was to teach Luke to snorkel. Since Jason is a much better teacher at this type of thing than I am, I left him to it. I took the pictures and read a (bad) book on the beach while Jason and Luke swam and learned to use the mask and snorkel. Luke did okay, and was super excited when he saw a few fish. Later in the vacation, the three of us went together to a place called the Blue Hole, which is a deep hole (couldn't see the bottom) in the sea, surprisingly near the shore, surrounded by reef. It looks a lot like the dropoff in Nemo, and the whole thing is maybe about half the size of a football field. All three of us snorkeled together there. One of the sweetest moments ever was when Jason told Luke to make sure to point out the fish he saw to me. I loved watching his excited little finger pointing to all different kinds of fish and hearing him try to talk through his snorkel! Overall, the snorkeling effort was mildly successful. Luke could go for about 10 minutes before he got frustrated with the mask and was ready to get out. After a short rest, he was ready to go again. I wouldn't trade those 10-15 minutes for anything, though. He was so precious!

(The reflection on his goggles makes him look possessed...I assure you, he's not.)

Another thing we wanted to do was climb Mt. Sinai. After investigating the logistics, we discovered that it was a 12-hour trip: leave at 11 PM, drive 2 1/2 hours, climb for 3 hours, wait an hour for the sun to rise, climb down for two more hours, then drive back, arriving back to the hotel at 11 AM. Jason was pretty sure we could do this with Luke...I was more skeptical. My skepticism won out, and Luke and I stayed behind while Jason went on the trip. I didn't mind--climbing Mt. Sinai was more important to Jason than to me, anyway. Plus I took the opportunity to allow Luke to veg out in the morning and watch Sesame Street podcasts on my computer (Don't know about those? They're free from iTunes! Download 'em! They're 5 minutes each. LOVE them.) while I slept in till 9! Yay!

Jason was glad he did the trek up Mt. Sinai. He said he walked up "Camel Dung Trail" to the top, and that it was pretty cold at the top waiting for sunrise. After sunrise, however, the desert sun got the back of his neck. Here are some of his pictures:


All in all, it was a very relaxed five days in Dahab. We basically ate, slept, swam, ate, and slept. I didn't get many pictures most of the week because there are only so many pictures of people sitting around eating one can take! However, once the camera is in Jason's hands, magic happens! Here are some of the great shots he got the last day. I don't know which one I like better, this one:


or this one:

Both are pure Luke.

Then there's this one, which is NOT so magical.

(I include this one ONLY because of the sheer number of FRECKLES on my face. I knew there were a lot, but WOW.)

And last, a good family shot Noel took for us. Thanks, Noel!

Time

Time is so odd. This time last year, we remarked that our first month here felt like six months. We were so grateful that things would be different this year. Things were definitely easier this year. It was wonderful NOT to be new. But two weeks after we got back this year, it already felt like we'd been here a month. And, now that it's almost October and school has been going for four and a half weeks, I've decided that the first month back has again felt like six. Why is that? Why does time move so slowly sometimes, and fly at others?

My theory is that when things are clicking along and everything's going well, time flies. When things are stressful or difficult, time creeps along. Maybe I need to change that theory. This month has not been particularly difficult. Things at home have been great. Jason has been wonderful, letting me sleep in some on the weekends and staying awake in the afternoons with Luke so I can nap. Having Leni here is a beautiful thing. Luke is happy, well-adjusted, making friends at school. My job is still going well (though the kids are getting comfortable and I'm having to be super strict and firm with them). I have no complaints, other than the usual missing my family. Maybe in times of great change, even if the change happens smoothly, time slows down.

Does our brain perceive time this way in order to protect us? To let us feel like we have time to experience everything, take care of it all, and muddle through change slowly? I can remember other times in our lives--times of sorrow or grief--when we have had to wade through one day at a time, sometimes an hour at a time--and I just wished for time to fly by.

At this point I have mixed feelings about time flying. Luke is at such a fun age. Exhausting, yes. Even sometimes annoying. But that boy is so full of joy and life and excitement, I don't want to miss it or let it pass by without basking in all that energy. Other times I can't wait for the next vacation, the next trip home, the next time I get to hug my Daddy. Torn between wanting to hurry through and slow down.

I can remember my mom telling me when I was little that she didn't want me to grow up. She said she'd put a brick on my head to keep me from growing any more. I said something similar to Luke the other day. He was snuggled up in my lap, post-nap, cuddling Scruffy and blankie, letting me scratch his back. I said to him, "Luke, I don't want you to ever grow up." This jolted him from his drowsy, relaxed state. Confused, he looked at me and said, "But Mommy, I have to grow up. I have to be a big man." Later he asked me again why I didn't want him to grow up. I don't want this sweet time with him to slip away. I want him to always want to hold my hand. I want him to say silly things and laugh at himself, to flash that smile. But I also look forward to seeing who he will be come, what he will choose to do with his life as a teenager, a college student, an adult. But I'm in no hurry to get there.

This season of our lives is so different than what I expected our lives to be like ten years ago. Ten years ago I was teaching first grade (against my will), living ten minutes from Mom and Dad, expecting to teach only three years or so before having kids (four kids, of course)...never dreaming that the ten minutes would turn into thousands of miles in a matter of months (the move to Hong Kong) and that the three years before children would become seven. Not to mention many other things that have not happened quite the way I would have expected or planned. But this is a season. And whether I love every minute of it or not, I am enjoying it.

In the spirit of this post about time, and since we're under 100 days until we get to come home, it's time to post a countdown. I usually start counting when it's 100 days, but since I'm teaching, that 100 day mark slipped right by me. I guess that's a good thing! Maybe that means that October and November will go quickly, and before I know it we'll be headed to Texas. Anyway, my best estimate is that we'll be home December 19, so the countdown on the sidebar counts down to then. Yay!

For Mimi

Being an Art Teacher (and other stuff)

Three weeks in........

I love my job! Sure, there are difficult classes and kids I wish I could send right back to their classroom teachers instead of having them in mine! But life as an art teacher is wonderful. I get to see 60-80 different kids each day. I have 4th and 5th grades for two periods in a row, and 3rd graders twice a week. They are eager to learn, excited to see little drawing tips I give them, and they sometimes even applaud if I draw something on the board for them. It's a fun job. I love the opportunity I have to be creative every day, to bring that out in kids, and to see so many different kids.

I miss the bond I had with my own class, though. I have so many special relationships with kids I've taught in the past--we keep in touch through email, facebook, and myspace, and some of them have even babysat Luke! I don't think I'll develop that kind of bond with these kiddos simply because I don't see them enough--but there are some great kids.

I'm having a hard time learning names. I know the names of the kids who are different-looking (meaning they have blonde or red hair, darker or lighter skin, super-curly hair, etc) or the ones who are behavior problems already. I also know the names of the ones who are already behavior stand-outs in a good way. The others...there are so many kids with the same color of black hair, and beautiful caramel colored skin, with dark brown or black eyes and they all resemble each other...and too many are named Hussein or Youssef or Mohamed to keep track...or Noor or Yasmine...slowly I am getting them, but it's taking quite a while. I've asked the kids to test me--come up and ask me if I remember their names--and I am doing better with them this week!

I had been forewarned about behavior--these kids are so social, they don't listen, etc. I am finding that they are indeed social, but so far respond well to the boundaries I've set, the incentives I've given, and the behavior plan I've implemented. I have had to adapt a lot from what I used in my regular classroom, but so far, things seem to be working fine.

My classroom is less decorated than any I've ever had. Part of that is because I have just not had a lot of decorating time--other needs were more pressing, like cleaning out my monster of a storage closet (more on that later), part of it is because I didn't bring much from home in the way of decorations, and the other part is that I'd like the walls to be filled with student work. We have only worked on portfolio decorations so far, so there's nothing to hang up. Maybe at the end of next week I'll have some. However, here are some pictures of my room right now. There are lots of tables, so I have lots of possibilities for ways to set up the room. The chalkboard and whiteboard are hung vertically, which limits my space for drawing, but looks interesting. Here is my storage closet NOW--I should've taken a picture before. There were tables all around the edges where the shelves are now, with everything sitting on top of the tables or under them. Five years' worth of dust covered everything. There was some organization, but not much. I spent about 4 solid days dusting stuff off, pulling it out of the closet, waiting for shelves to be built, and reloading the closet. It is so organized now--I love it! I even made labels for where everything goes so I won't forget. The person who comes here after me will LOVE me for it!

Luke is still doing well at school. He is doing better when we leave, too. He insists that he wants to get up and kiss us goodbye before we leave. If he's still asleep, I go in and kiss him and try not to wake him, but sometimes he wakes up, sees us off, and then starts his morning. Leni is still a dream. She's great with him and she takes good care of us. The food she makes tastes like Sunday dinner every night!

Many of you know how I agonized over coming back to work on MANY levels--leaving Luke being most important, but also because I just wasn't sure I ever ever ever wanted to teach again when I left teaching three years ago, and also because I was unsure of the students here. I was anxious much of the summer, but, guys, God is so good--He is in control of the details. Looking back, I see His hand at work preparing me for this job, for these students, for leaving Luke. He allowed me to do this in baby steps by sending Luke to school 3 days a week last year, then working at the library with him, getting used to being back in a school. We also met Leni when Luke got to go play at a friend's house where Leni was the nanny. When that family knew they were leaving, they asked us if we'd consider hiring Leni. Then the list of available jobs came out last spring, and something told me just to ask for the art job. If I didn't get it, no big deal, but just ask. I did, and my principal was willing to take a chance on me. Thank God for that. I am in a position I never dreamed of being--one where I look forward to going to school each day, and though I have the occasional twinge of wishing I could be home with Luke, I am content to leave him with Leni and satisfied that he is happy, healthy, and well-cared for. As I look back at these events, I am amazed and grateful. Anyone who heard me declare three years ago that I planned NEVER to go back to teaching can be pleasantly surprised right along with me!

We have a busy week coming up--we're starting a new home group Bible study with several other families from our church. This is something we've needed and missed since we got here. There are very few couples with kids who teach at AIS, and I want to know other families in Cairo with young kids. We asked the church to consider starting a "family" group where kids were welcome to come play while the adults were together, and this year they've done it. I'm excited to meet them on Tuesday.

We also get to go to the school's annual Iftar feast on Sunday night. The breaking of the fast meal each evening during Ramadan is called Iftar. The school hosts one for all its employees each year. Jason and Luke went last year, so this will be my first year to go.

And, on Monday night, I audition for the church's worship team. Wish me luck on that one--at this point, I have no voice! I've got a sinus infection/cold that has had me feeling really crummy all week long, and I am hoping my voice will be well by Monday and that I can sing on pitch Monday night!

No travel plans until the end of the month. We get a long weekend at the end of Ramadan, and we're going to Dahab on the Red Sea with some friends from school. The snorkeling/SCUBA diving there is supposed to be second best in the world--The Great Barrier Reef being first. We are going to get a little mask and fins for Luke and let him try snorkeling with us. We brought a life jacket from home. We'll let you know how that goes!

I will leave you with a few pictures of Luke. One is Luke and Leni on Luke's first day of school and the other is Luke with Mohamed Policeman, the man who guards our street. He is very kind and loves Luke a lot.

Priceless

Video of Luke belting out "Ride On, King Jesus"


And here's one of our nightly rituals. Jason has downloaded some fun songs Luke likes, among them "Charlie Brown" and "Runaround Sue"




I have other pictures to upload, but these videos take nearly an hour each to upload, so they will have to wait for another day. I'm out of energy!

Back to School

Luke has been back at school a week already and he seems to be doing well. Despite some anxiety when we leave in the morning, he's adjusted to Leni very well. I'm pleased as can be with her, too. The house looks great, I hardly have time to wear an outfit before it's washed, ironed, and hung in my closet, and she's even beginning to cook for us this week! Also, she's very playful with Luke and often takes him to ride bikes and plays basketball with him outside. So far, so good!

Jason and I have been in staff development for a week. The school has been great about giving us time to work in our rooms. We've had at least 1/2 a day each day in our rooms. That would've been plenty to get me started, except I had an art closet FULL of supplies that were all just sitting on tables. The teacher before me had, on several occasions, requested shelves to be built for the closet. She'd told me about the shelves before summer, so when I go there on Sunday and there were no shelves, I was pretty disappointed. I talked to enough people until it happened, though, and Tuesday afternoon the shelves were installed. I spent Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday dusting off and taking inventory of the supplies. Wednesday and Thursday I loaded the closet back up. Now it's super organized (YAY!) and I know every single thing that's in there. I'm pretty happy with it. I did have to go in over the weekend and then again today, which was an optional work day, in order to be prepared for tomorrow, the first day of school. I am pretty confident that I'm prepared for tomorrow (and the rest of this week) but beyond that, I'm on less sure footing.

Everyone at the school has been wonderful--very friendly, welcoming, encouraging. It's been great NOT to be new to Cairo! I recognize myself in the dazed looks of the newest newbies. I've enjoyed helping them out when I can, too.

I am looking forward to meeting the kids tomorrow. I have never had so many students, so remembering names may be difficult for me, but I know we'll get there.

Jason is excited about teaching his IB classes. They're small classes, too. One of them only has 3 students so far! He has enjoyed having me at school with him, and I've enjoyed being there. It's been nice having colleagues again!

Best o' the Summer

I went home as early as I did to be with my friends Bill & Cheryl. I think they ended up ministering to me in Jason's absence as I did to them. Bill kept us busy by thinking of fun stuff for us all to go do. He rented a pontoon boat one afternoon and took us out on the lake.


Pretty much as soon as Jason got home from Egypt, we went to Wisconsin to visit relatives. Luke got to do some really fun things, like go to the fair...
catch his first fish...
(look how beautiful the lake & reflection are)...

He also got to drive more construction vehicles and tractors with Uncle Bob:

Back at home, Mom taught Luke some yoga poses. He learned to do ball, happy baby, cow, cat, downward dog, and flipping the dog, which Luke called "flipping the Luke." He and Mom had fun together.
Jason and I got to go to Canada so he could attend IB training. We went a few days early and took a trip to Niagara Falls to celebrate our 10th anniversary.



It was a great summer, filled with many happy memories. I was glad to spend as much time as we did with friends and family, but there's never quite time enough to see everyone as much as I want to!

We're back.

We arrived safely back in Egypt tonight--2 AM Cairo time--with only one lost piece of luggage this time (they know where it is and it will be here tomorrow night on the same flight). We got back to our apartment to find it clean and neat (Thanks, Leni!) and we are now all going to bed! It's 5 AM here now.

Luke has already pulled out all his favorite toys he's missed this summer--first the big Mustang, then his fire truck and trains. Jason's started unpacking (very unusual) and I've just been trying to get the computer set up to get on and post this blog so I can go to bed.

The next few days will be busy unpacking, preparing for the beginning of school, etc., so I will probably not post much, but there are loads of great pictures from the summer to put up--I'll probably do a "best of" post sometime soon. Thanks to all of you who were able to spend some time with us, thank you. And to those we missed or didn't get to see much, please know that we enjoyed the time we had with you and hope to see more people next time. It's always hard to work out schedules, vacations, transportation, naptimes...etc. We had a busy, fun-filled, exciting summer. I'm rooting for a calmer summer next year, but am not too optimistic! ;)

Now I'm off to sleep!