My 4 Month Old Sleeps on the Floor

In reality, he's most comfortable on a blanket on the floor.  But unfortunately, it's because that's what he knows.  We had him in a bassinet, but he learned to roll over and now strongly prefers tummy sleeping.  We don't have much room for a crib (it would fit but we'd lose so much space), so he relaxes on a blanket on the tile floor. 

We are fortunate to own our apartment here.  It is surprising how much a two-bedroom, one bath apartment costs in a non-central area of Cairo.  There are areas in the US where we could have found a reasonably sized house with land at the same price.  And yet, we are here, in the dust.

EID MUBARAK.

Wishing everyone a happy Eid Al-Fitr!  Enjoy these next few days and the end of obligatory fasting!

July 23, 2008

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.