I shouldnt really bitch about the country I am living in. I really do love it here. But boy are Egyptians lazy.

I'm here working as a primary school teacher in a international school and they've given all teachers ramadan off, cos people here way too lazy to work during ramadan.

There's talks of postponing schools opening until mid october, cos of fears over the swine flu. I remember, when I was the in the Uk, schools stopped closing down even when there were outbreaks of the swine flu, cos it just wasnt feasible to shut so many schools down (one of the schools I was working in had an outbreak too, but we remained open). But here, nationally they're closing schools down, even when cases havent been reported!!

p.s speaking of being lazy, clocks go back here for an hour only during the month of ramadan so we get an extra hour of our fast in bed! They gor forward after Ramadan.

Currently, I'm opening by fast around 6pm!!

MuslimSister wrote:

p.s speaking of being lazy, clocks go back here for an hour only during the month of ramadan so we get an extra hour of our fast in bed! They gor forward after Ramadan.

I think that's pretty cool. Guess that is a major benefit of living in a muslim majority country - the place can be moulded around you.

Its Egypt. It has that kinda of effect on you.

Latest update is that schools may be delayed until mid october. Not bad cos it'll give me a chance to see the pyramids, museums etc.

However, to make up for this missed time and cos of the facts that parents pay ridiculous amounts of money to send kids to international schools (which so isnet worth the money they pay). Teachers will be working 6day week until Dec to make up for the missed time...

Has anyone told them that swine flu may be worse in winter - it being cooler and all that?

It's like the victory party in the UK over swine flu - no one seemed to take notice that the infection rates started to go down two weeks after the end of the school term when it takes about two weeks for the symptoms to show...

Now that we are a couple of weeks into the new term, there is every chance the infections could start rising again. If they don't, things are closer to being in the clear.

You wrote:

MuslimSister wrote:

p.s speaking of being lazy, clocks go back here for an hour only during the month of ramadan so we get an extra hour of our fast in bed! They gor forward after Ramadan.

I think that's pretty cool. Guess that is a major benefit of living in a muslim majority country - the place can be moulded around you.

Like the great pig killing spree that happened a while ago...yep, this place really is moulded around the whims of egyptians...

Yeah, I read about that and how they also managed to do it in a kind of (well, not "a kind of" but "a very") horrendous and inhumane manner.

EDIT - does Egypt have a slave history? I read somewhere that in some arab countries, work is looked down upon because of their recent abolishment of slavery and work was considered something that slaves did... but that this is only in some of the countries.

Yeah they were mutilated horribly…the Christians were not happy about that at all, esp since looking after pigs is often the job of poorer Christians, so many lost their jobs (which just added to the current religious tension)…apparently, they were screaming "die pigs, die!" as they carried out the massacre, although that could have just been a exaggeration by a disgruntled ex pat

I dunno about history, but its not uncommon to kind live in nanny's, cooks and cleaners etc here (even amongst the working class lot)...I have 10 matrons just outside my classroon ready to clean stuff if I call them (not that I ever use them).

Its sad state of affair, but at the same time a couple of egyptian pounds a month can feed a poor family for a month - the divide between the rich and the poor is VERY apparent here.

I havent visited the poorer areas here but I've heard that some people here are so poor that they live in tombs...

MuslimSister wrote:

I havent visited the poorer areas here but I've heard that some people here are so poor that they live in tombs...

City of the dead - I think I read somewhere that there are like half a million residents but can't find any figures.

You wrote:

EDIT - does Egypt have a slave history?

lol... erm, maybe something to do with the bani isra'il?

who do you think built the pyramids? (I mean slaves, not necessarily all Jewish ones.)

I meant more recently.

oink flu?

I think the sunset looks much more beautiful than thean the sun rising!

wednesday wrote:

ThE pOwEr Of SiLeNcE wrote:

I think the sunset looks much more beautiful than thean the sun rising!

I can't decide between one or the other...

sunset rocks!

But seeing the sunrise is rarer so more inspiriing

Big Cook, Little Cook, welcome to our cafe.

Its dry, Omrow needs to create another poll

Omrow wrote:

Polanski is a top director. Therefore, France and Poland claim he is above the law.

Having read the link, I would have said, no, let the US make an extradition request. However at the bottom it said this The victim at the centre of the case, Samantha Geimer, has previously asked for the charges to be dropped. She has already sued Mr Polanski and reached an undisclosed settlement. so I figured, in that case, the US autrhorities should let the Swiss know that they won't be extraditing him, otherwise that guy is stuck in Swiss custody for 60 days...unless of course the US extradite him anyway, then the situation changes.

I'd love to help, but i don't know how to?

I'm STILL not back to school!!

But on a brighter note, i did get to visit sharm el sheikh. Go snorkeling in the red sea and drink beduion tea near mt sinai.

Seems like a more than adequate replacement. (ofcourse making the hours back may make you feel otherwise.)

Omrow wrote:

Thanks Power. I'll teach you sometimes.

I look forward to the lessons

What does it mean to be 'most perfect in faith' ?

s.b.f wrote:

What does it mean to be 'most perfect in faith' ?

it doesn't mean anything. It's a misnomer. You can't have 'most perfect': something is either perfect or not perfect.

One thing cannot be 'more perfect' than another.

It might be a bad translation from another language.

But I guess the phrase is used to mean 'most pure in faith'

s.b.f wrote:

What does it mean to be 'most perfect in faith' ?

having a high level of taqwa.

Omrow wrote:

Thanks Power. I'll teach you sometimes.

MuslimSister wrote:

I'm STILL not back to school!!

But on a brighter note, i did get to visit sharm el sheikh. Go snorkeling in the red sea and drink beduion tea near mt sinai.

Is that place as good as looks on TV?

Even better.

Absolutely breath taking. The coral, reef, colourful fishes under the sea really felt as if I was in another world.

I loved the sea. Loved the mountains. Half wish I came here for my honeymoon. What I DIDNT like was the amount of naked girls I saw.