FBC Missions

The last couple of days have been quite eventful. Yesterday was a real cultural experience as the girls and I went to the Khan-al-khalili market in the Islamic quarter of Cairo. On the way there our taxi driver pointed out some of the sights including the Citadel, a massive fortress that seems to extend as far as the eye can see. Traffic was busy but we soon wound our way down into what seems to be the heart of the city.

Teeming with people the market was alive and well at 7 at night. Some stalls stay open until 5 in the morning. Anyway, we set out and immediately got lost in the sea of tourists, touts, and vendor’s wares. I always get a little nervous when I go to a large market, not only because you have to keep a good eye on your purse. Overwhelmed with choice I mostly buy nothing, unable to decide. But I was a bit more impulsive this time around and bought plenty of gifts to fill my spare suitcase on the way home.

I usually get annoyed too, at the ceaseless, “Hey, come into my shop” or “Just one look, please.” But there was something refreshing and earnest about the vendors’ simple need to make a living. We had a few charming interactions with shopowners, even stopping for tea and a nice long haggle with a scarf seller. For me, it was a cultural experience that showed Egyptian friendliness, intelligence (many spoke several languages), and daring. And I bought some cool stuff, too.

After several hours we hailed another taxi cab, or rather had one procured for us for a fee, and went to the mall in Maadi to run some errands and window shop.

Our taxi driver, Youssef (or Joseph) was a surprisingly engaging man who talked nonstop all the way there. An engineer by training, he like many other Egyptians couldn’t find a job and so resorted to driving a taxi cab. But he seemed pleasantly resigned to his fate, enjoying the prospects of meeting nice, interesting people every day. He gave us another tour of the sights including Al-Azhar and the City of the Dead and even offered to stop so I could take a picture. Since we were speeding down the highway, I declined. We had a very informative chat all the way to the mall where he regaled us with his views on President Bush, Mubarak, education, Christianity, and more. When we arrived he even gave me his telephone number in case I need to call for a ride. Not that I will use it.

Today we went again to the Sudanese preschool. Class went well but I think we are facing some difficulties as we develop this pilot program. Language barriers and cultural barriers combine to muddle communication and we are facing a monumental task of developing curriculum and preparing all the materials for class in a timely manner. That and searching for new ways to keep the children engaged but not run out of time to review the basics has led to some interesting discussion. At times I feel frustrated because I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, nor what was expected of me and no one has really made that explicit. I also feel like I can see a lot further and envision a broader picture beyond simple recitation and memorization of the ABCs. However, I am presented with the novel experience of working with inexperienced, well maybe not inexperienced, but new workers in this particular ministry and I cannot expect everything to go smoothly. Nor can I let my type A(-) personality run amok and take over ownership of every task. It is a fine line to walk and a humbling experience. On the other hand I have done more coloring in this past week than I think I have done in my entire life. And working with 2-3 year olds, NOT my age group of choice, has been a challenge.

After, we had Egyptian food called koushery (sp?) It seemed kind of like a casserole gone crazy, a mixture of pasta, lentils, tomato sauce, and some other unidentifiable objects. It was alright but not my favorite.

The rest of the day I spent napping, reading, and coloring some more. Tomorrow I will go register and pay for my Arabic course and then, you guessed it…color.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 28th, 2006 at 2:57 pm and is filed under Egypt 2006. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.