Egypt Wrap Up: February

I thought it was time for another wrap-up of life in Egypt. We have a pretty busy season of travel coming up (thanks, Egypt, for all of your extended breaks!) – so here’s an assortment of goings-on around the ‘hood. In no particular order (other than the numbered list you will see below), I present:

1) Blake’s B-ball: Her season concluded with some pretty amazing stats. This season, she scored 1 basket (in practice), hugged her teammates 26 times, skipped down the court 2 miles overall, and ran away from the defenders on 13 occasions. We’re quite pumped with her performance and will encourage her to play again next year!

2) Twin Soccer: Next month the twins’ school soccer season will end, though they’re still playing club ball. In some sad news, Kannon somehow lost his Mo Salah jersey that my mom got him for Christmas (if you know Kannon at all, this is not really a surprise. He loses everything). We’re pretty sure it’s in Germany. Anywho, by a stroke of incredible luck (and with some connections through a friend), he got gifted this old Mo Salah jersey THAT WAS WORN IN A GAME BY MO! I am not even kidding. I realize now I should have taken a photo of the BACK of the jersey.

3) Sunrises: Every once in a while, the Cairo pollution clears up and the Maadi sky looks like a real beaut! Isn’t she pretty?

4) International Festival: Every year, our school hosts an international festival. It’s a very well-attended event, and the food is SO good! Kyle was committed to wearing his “most American” outfit. Feast your eyes.

A colleague of ours makes his own sausage, and hence has become known as the “Sausage King of Cairo.” Obviously he has shirts, so when Kyle was offered one of course he accepted.

Let’s go, Amrika!

At one point I couldn’t find Kennedie, then learned that she was slinging BBQ sandwiches for the USA booth! So proud!

When it came to the food, the Syrian kebabs ranked highest among the kids. Honorable mentions included Korean chicken skewers, strawberry shortcake from the UK, German sausage, and basically everything in the Thailand booth. Next year I shall do a much better job of taking photos. I was far too excited about getting punches on my food passport.

5) Hauling Junk: In other happenings, Egypt still continues to do a great job hauling items in pickup beds. No need to secure that load!

6) The HOPE Run: Every once in a while, the school hosts a charity run out in the Wadi Degla – a protected area outside the city. When you’re out there it feels like the middle of nowhere. It’s also the hub of some interesting construction projects.

Blake was quite excited to earn her medal, which is interesting because she spent most of the race riding on her dad’s shoulders.

7) Garbage Collection: The garbage business is an interesting one in Cairo. The city has a complex system of sorting through everyone’s garbage and re-sorting it based on who can use it and somehow turn a profit. There’s an entire neighborhood called Garbage City (look it up!) which Kyle and I haven’t visited yet because I think Kyle would vomit from the smell. Maybe next year! Anywho, one of the ways that garbage is collected in Maadi is by horse-drawn cart – usually driven by kids.

8) Apartment Renovations: Almost immediately after we moved in, construction began on the apartment opposite ours. It’s still a work in progress. Please enjoy this showcase of photo journalism!

We can’t wait to see it finished! (And we’re super interested in that cool little orange tube!) Up next is the much anticipated Spring Break trip of the CENTURY with oodles of family meeting us in Spain. Hold on to your britches! Should be a fun time 😉