What would you do?

I’ve had a number of cleaning women come a go, at least five.  Most of the women who clean house in Egypt (they are called shaggala) are not professional housekeepers.  The more well-off Egyptians will often hire women from other African countries to clean, and they are usually more expensive (and so I’ve heard, better at [...]

Third Culture Kids

I got that term from an expat homeschool group I belong to.  It refers to kids who’ve traveled/lived overseas most of their lives.  I wonder if my kids will end up like this.  Global citizens with no ‘home’ culture.  They are biracial Americans, living in Egypt.  They are familiar with three languages and somewhat fluent [...]

Ein Sukhna

We tried to take a vacation recently to Ein Sukhna, or hot springs.  It’s a spot near the Red Sea, where mostly Egyptians vacation, as opposed to tourists from outside of Egypt.  That means it’s more affordable, and with a more Islamic atmosphere.  We basically went on the spur of the moment, because that’s how dh [...]

A visit to ‘Mugamma’, or how to get a visa in Egypt

  We went to get our visas renewed today.  In case you didn’t know, many people live in Egypt for years on tourist visas.  You can usually renew them every year with no problem.  This is our third year going.  Iqamas are usually applied for at Mugamma, a central government building in Al-Tahrir Square.  It is [...]