We arrived in Egypt for a more permanent stay in the early morning of July 23rd, 2008. It was extremely hot and humid. The pollution was at its very worst. The workers in the airport stopped us at every turn asking for money. We drove on a surprisingly busy road, onto the autostrad and made our way to a not so wonderful area called Helwan. This was my first impression of Cairo as my new home (I had visited once prior), and I confess it was NOT a positive one. We've traveled around some since and lived a wonderful year and half in Kuwait, but we have settled back into Cairo life and are trying to find a way for our kids to thrive in this lifestyle. Our family is not fully "local" nor are we true expatriates and it's a complicated place where we've settled in between.
We're looking for schools for our two older children, and also trying to move to another area of Cairo. Finding an adequate school is difficult, as the prices for the "best" are so outrageous and the cheap schools are so poorly staffed that it's heartbreaking to imagine my babies there.
There was a time that I thought this 3rd world country was a nightmare. Now I can live here and still feel happy, for myself and for my children.
Really, we've come a long way in these past three years.
We're looking for schools for our two older children, and also trying to move to another area of Cairo. Finding an adequate school is difficult, as the prices for the "best" are so outrageous and the cheap schools are so poorly staffed that it's heartbreaking to imagine my babies there.
There was a time that I thought this 3rd world country was a nightmare. Now I can live here and still feel happy, for myself and for my children.
Really, we've come a long way in these past three years.
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