Birds - Driving - Poetry!!

In an effort to update this more frequently than I did in November I am not going to worry about grouping similar info together! So, here is a disjointed collection of thoughts from Egypt!

I am really enjoying the chirping birds that occasionally sit on my balcony. I have put out a tray of water and hope it ends up being a visiting spot for them. Of course, this reminds me of working at NCC on Nantucket and the bird feeders and bird baths in S.'s back yard. The quiet yard might be white and covered with snow or gray on a drizzly day - the visits from the MANY birds would be a highlight during our lunch breaks. I have not seen colorful birds here yet. They all seem to be tern like birds. With darker markings. Black heads, small black bibs on their chests and some sort of stripey pattern when their wings are out. And they love to chirp!! The only other bird I saw was a big surprise. It flew down to the dirt road in front of me and at first looked like a larger version of the above. Then it's head totally changed shape as it displayed a good-sized red crest! Cool! we don't get that much on Nantucket! At the time my elderly brain could only come up with . . "Look, that bird has a . . . dinosaur thing on its head!"

Will keep you posted on the water dish for the birds.

Now, about the driving on the highway. So, yes, I think that 70 miles and hour is slow now! I have serious worries about my driving habits when I get home! Here is one more driving instruction for you all in case you have to drive in Egypt any time soon. .

On the way through the Sinai you drive on very rudimentary two-lane "highway" (think 'Sconset Road without ANY vegetation for as far as the eye can see and then even farther!). And sometimes you cannot see up ahead very well due to a hill or curve. There are NO turns off this road - either you are going East or West - that's it. So, we were following a bus and it had it's right blinker on and I said "He forgot to turn off his blinker." and our driver Ahmad said "No, he is talking to me!".

The right blinker on the bus ahead of us was telling A. to stay to the right - or behind the bus - because the bus driver could see a car coming in the distance. Sure enough a couple cars whizzed by shortly afterwards. Then his blinker on the right shut off and on the left turned on. A. said it was now safe to go by the slower moving bus and we did! As we passed we beeped a one-beep "thanks" and the bus beeped a one-beep "your welcome!". And that is how you pass a bus on the highway in the Sinai!

We are working on planning Poetry Month for February in our school. I think the quest to be excellent observers, more keenly aware of feelings, and better interpreters of words and phrases will benefit us all - students and teachers alike and I hope the whole experience adds a layer of integrity to our teaching and just our BEING at school. We American teachers brace ourselves while hoping for such lofty accomplishments - the soufle could fall!! but, better to try a soufle that to just eat crackers allll the time! We are using Georgia Heard's Awakening the Heart as a guide and I am so grateful to R., my fellow in-the-know teacher, for bringing it to my attention. You should check it out too if you want to see some of the activities we hope to encourage at school for the month ( forever?) A wonderful map and compass for us to refer to - I will keep you posted on how the journey goes and what our eventual destination is!

OK - gotta go! Birds - Driving - Poetry that's enough for one entry! Next time - How IS my Arabic learning coming and WHY is it so hard!!!

Off to some Art Galleries - Grocery Shopping - meeting with the Principal - yay! A little over 24 hours til Russell comes!!!