Oh, Punny....

Bunny was getting a little agressive and started terrorizing my roommate. After some research, it seems that she needed to get spay or neutered depending on what she is. Also, cats will try to reproduce with bunnies- which really grosses me out. So we found a vet who takes rabbits and took her over their last weekend. Conversation went as the following:

vet: Is it a girl or boy?

Owen: not sure

vet: how old is it?

Owen: not sure

vet: Where did you get it?

Owen: from an Egyptian

vet: You know Egyptians eat rabbits, right?

Owen: ummmm pleasedonteattherabbit

We called the next day, but she wasn't ready. The following day Owen went to pick her up and I'm assuming it's probably not living anymore. She was very sedated from the medicine and being really sweet. Owen hands me the Vaccine booklet with her shots and stuff. I notice an obvious spelling error.

Me: What is this?
Owen: Oh, yeah the vet asked what her name was and I said Bunny. He wrote Punny and I didn't have the heart to tell him that's wrong.

Best Valentine's Day ever.

Even though I didn't allow my class to have a party on Valentine's Day, we had an exchange at the end of the day. Tacky gifts are a teaching tradition. But Valentine's Day usually reveals the top gifts. Not to be disappointed, one of my kids gave me this lovely phone. What I love/loathe the most about it is the fact that he picked it out. So something about this reminds him of me. I obviously like hot pink, shiny phones....in the shape of giant lips. Yes, it's real. It is the epitamy of everything that is tacky in Egypt. We have decided that whoever has the next social gathering, we will replace it with their regular phone in secret. It is definitely the gift that needs to keep on giving.

This made Owen homesick. He might have cried a little when he saw this.


And this made me homesick. I cried a little too.

My friend, Jay, just had this on his facebook status:

Winter in Cairo= the greatest collection of outdated Cosby sweaters the world has ever witnessed.

This is so spot on that I had to share it.

Incredible India

They say that nothing prepares you for India. Not true. Living in the chaos that is Cairo for a year and 1/2 prepared us quite well. We stayed in a very nice part of New Delhi, but we walked each night about a kilometer or so to a shopping center(for lack of a better word) for dinner. The food was incredible. I know that everyone always jokes about Indian food and what it does to your stomach, but I didn't have any instestinal disturbances the entire 6 days. Also, we were all lucky to not get Delhi Belly. The first day we get there, we decide that we want to get into "real" Delhi and get a driver to take us to a few sights. The main 2 were the Red Fort and India Gate. Then we took a rickshaw down a street in Old Delhi. Pictures really wouldn't do this justice so I had to take a video of this. I'm not a very good videographer and I never use that function on my camera so I apologize for it.

The Taj Mahal is amazing as you would guess. We also went to Agra Fort which was also very pretty. The time went by really fast. I felt as though I was getting very comfortable with life in Delhi and can't wait to go back to see the rest of India. There will be a return trip very soon...possibly next fall? The one thing that can't be found in the pictures is the smell. It smells just awful pretty much everywhere. Urine and feces are the most distinct smells. Monkeys were all over the streets in Agra. I have read that the monkeys are a growing problem because they get into people's homes and bite people which passes on rabies and other diseases that kill them. It's really hard to pick out pictures to add on here. There are just so many. I'll post most of the pics on facebook just because this tends to take longer.

You know you're back in Egypt when....

As soon as you exit the baggage claim there are about 2,000 men begging you to take their taxi. They jump in your face and show you pictures of their cousin's hotel and claim that they have the best taxi in all of Egypt. The guys walked ahead of me and it was like the Red Sea closing after them. None of these touts went after them, but came full force on me. I was dodging them left and right. I actually had to stop and fake a guy out, turn and run around him like a football play. Next I had to duck under a guy's arm who was shoving a picture of something in my face. Maybe the pyramids? Saying "no thank you" , or "I live here", doesn't seem to do much for these guys. I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed IMSHEEE!! at the top of my voice. This basically means "f off" in arabic. They all jump back 2 feet with their arms up as if they've kicked a ball out of bounds and are not claiming it as their fault. Owen turns around and comes after me, grabbing my arm and pulling me through this madness. Apologizing profusely for leaving me. I left the men standing around mumbling stuff about imshee? They were pretty shocked that I knew that word and that I screamed it. On the ride home, we passed by a lady walking on the street wearing a black burka. Not unusual. However, on this burka was a large picture of a horse and in big gold letters "Arab Hores" on the back of the burka. I wish we had a camera ready, but we all had a good chuckle. As I came home, a guy came around with the gas bill. 30 cents for the month. No joke. Oh, Egypt. How I love/hate you!

gotta get my nails did

I went with Elizabeth to get pedicures the other day. My usual place was packed so we went to the salon across the street from me where no one speaks English. It's a really nice salon and you can get a spa pedicure for less than $6. So Elizabeth picks out a nail polish color and the lady shakes her head and clicks her tongue. (this means NO in Arabic) The lady picks an entirely different color for her. Ok, whatever. So it's my turn to pick a color... I pick the same color that Elizabeth has on her toes. Lady shakes her head and clicks her tongue. No. No?? What?? She picks an entirely different color for me. What is this? I can't pick my own nail polish color? So bizarre. As everything in Egypt is. We laugh all the way home and always go back to my regular place that gives the BEST foot massage in the world.

a bunny story

The other day I had Bunny running around on my bed. I had my laptop on my bed which Bunny sometimes jumps on or tries to eat the cord. I left the room to get my phone and came back to a screen on my computer that said "End karat browsing now?" with Bunny sitting on top of the lap top. True story.

an Egypt story

I promised to post more funny stories, so here goes:

Some of my friends were sitting at a restaurant in Dahab. The restaurants in Dahab are all Bedoin style so you sit on the floor with pillows and stuff right on the beach. Like Thailand. So they were having dinner and these kids run up to the table next to them. Usually, whenever you leave the table, they always clear all the condiments, sugar, etc. Here is why. The table had not been cleared yet so the kids run up and grab the bottle of sugar and start chugging it! They are pouring the sugar in their mouths straight from the bottle! The waiter comes out and starts chasing them down the beach. They said it was one of the funniest things that has happened to them in Egypt. Only in Egypt.

the guy who follows you home

Two of my friends were walking home one day from dinner. Wait, let me preface this story. Sexual harrassment can be a major headache in Cairo. Egyptian men for whatever reason like to harrass Western women aka Whiteys. For example, getting your ass grabbed by a random man on the street is not unusual. Last year I had a cop grab my boob at a soccer game which ended with Owen punching him in the face. Another story for another day. About 2 weeks ago, one of my girl friends ordered food (very typical) and the delivery guy asked to use the restroom. She said yes knowing that there aren't public restrooms in Egypt. He comes out of the bathroom, looks at her and says "You are beautiful. I want to f*ck you." Yes, that happened. And that doesn't surprise me. So let's begin the story.....
Two of my friends are walking home from dinner at night in the dark down a Cairo street. This guy on a bike starts following them and saying something that sounds like "fuuu". They keep walking faster and start complaining in English how annoying and gross Egyptian men are. This guy keeps up next to them. One friend turns and yells (in English) "YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!" They keep walking. He continues to follow and begins to reach for them. They turn and one yells at him "F*CK YOU!! GET AWAY FROM US NOW!! WE WILL CALL THE COPS!!" Hoping this will cause a scene and deter him from approaching any further. They run down the street. He is still after them. They run into a jewelry store. Suddenly, one friend says...."I think I left my takeaway box at the restaurant." Yes, that was a waiter from the restaurant who followed them home for 15 minutes trying to return their takeaway box to them. They both feel ridiculously embarrassed. Later they call the restaurant to explain. The restaurant sends that same guy to deliver the food. At this point he is terrified to even come near the door of the flat. Things aren't always what they seem.

The Sheep Story

I used to think that only funny/embarrassing things happened to me. Turns out I was wrong. I want to write more funny stories on here because there's pretty much a funny story each week. I will begin with a story that happened last November during the Eid break. This story is completely true as far as I know. Nothing has been added just for the humor. Let me start and explain what this Eid was all about. It's the Eid-Al-Adha which is known as the Festival of Sacrifice. This means that everyone slits the necks of goats and other animals freely on the streets for days at a time. Luckily, I've been out of town during this both years. Hamdullah! (Praise be to God) But we did see a cow tied up outside a home in Luxor and then later we saw the blood covering the same house. They (Those A-rabs) really like to sacrifice their animals on top of their belongings such as cars and homes for good luck or whatever. Well, this is where the story starts..... There is a man named Dan. Let's just call him Dan to save his reputation. Dan is at home in Cairo during the Eid. He looks outside his apartment and sees below a few sheep tied to the building. After a few drinks, he decides that he is going to "rescue" one of these sheep. He goes downstairs and unties a sheep leading him up to his apartment. Not sure what happens next, but the sheep freaks out, comes untied, runs through his apartment, out the balcony doors, and plunges off the balcony to his death. Yes, the sheep is dead. Dan is freaking out. So he calls....one of our principals. Yes, his boss. He tells her what he has done and asks for advice. She tells him to talk to the boyab ('keeper of the building'- basically the security guard). The boyab is furious at what he has done and demands that he pays for a new sheep. Sure enough, a new sheep arrives in the back of a taxi cab. Taxis are not big here at all. The thought of a sheep in the back of a taxi is pretty funny. But that's not where the story ends....Owen has a connection to this story. When we were on our Nile Cruise he received a text from someone that said "There's a sheep in my backyard. What should I do?" And Owen thinking this was Tao texting him who is from New Zealand writes back "Shouldn't you know what to do with sheep. Just do what your people do with sheep." This is a dirty reference to Kiwis and the infamous reputation they have with their sheep. So the question is...did Owen encourage Dan to bring the sheep upstairs? I hope so because this story made me laugh aloud for a long time.

Resolutions...updated.

1. I lost a kilo last week!
2. Maybe....we'll see. Lacking motivation.
3. I've been cleaner now. However, I still leave a big mess for Hanan.
4. Yeah, not so much.
5. Going to India next weekend, Lebanon in Feb, and bought tickets to Spain for Spring Break...
6. Yes! I've only eaten out like 3 times last week.
7. Learned how to cook pizza.
8. I'm doing it.
9. Haven't even picked the guitar up.
10. I made a new friend! And I LOVE love love my friends here. It will be hard to leave in June...

New Year's Resolutions (because I have to)

1. Lose weight. Get in shape.
2. Run another marathon. Prague in May?
3. Try to keep things cleaner and not just wait for the maid to do it.
4. Learn and use more Arabic than just 'saba el khair, henna, shokran masalama' to the delivery guy.
5. Travel to at least 5 new countries. (I went to 15 countries last year so I'm sure this will be an easy goal)
6. Eat out less and cook more.
7. Learn to cook so I won't eat out as much.
8. Update the blog more. (done.)
9. Learn to play guitar.
10. Make new friends (and keep the old!)

Ooops!!

So I started to boil some eggs. Then my roommate came home. We ended up talking for awhile. Then some friends randomly came over. We talked for awhile. Everyone left. I heard a weird popping sound. Totally forgot about the eggs! Run to the kitchen and find that the eggs are boiled and cracked up. No water left in the pot. Ooops!

Has it really been that long???

Has it really been since October that I've written on this? Wow, time flies! Since then, I've been on a Nile Cruise, Malaysia, Singapore, and now Thailand. Sooo New Year's Resolution will be to update the blog at least once a week..... or maybe just have a trip because that's all you really care about, right? :) I didn't bring my laptop on this trip like a dummy so I haven't put the pics up yet because of that. Thailand is pretty much effing amazing. Everyone I know who has ever come to visit has always said that, but it's totally true. Believe everything you hear. We started our 3 week vacay in Kuala Lumpor, Malayasia. I've heard that it's a big, crowded, dirty city. Not true coming from Cairo. Everything was orderly and clean. China Town was really nice. Very tame compared to the Khan-alKahlil in Cairo. Not much to see there, so we flew to Singapore for a few job interviews. Looks like that's where I'll be in August 2010! Not sure yet which school, we're waiting on a school to run background checks and stuff before they can offer the contract! Hope it all works out! Absolutely loved Singapore! We hung out with a few of Owen's friends there. Had a little BBQ and social gatherings at the pool.... felt like anywhere in North America. Then flew over to a remote island off of Phuket. I have no idea what island it is and I couldn't find it on the map. We took a night boat in total darkness and landed on the beach. The locals came over and carried all of our stuff to the cabins. These pics are pretty amazing. We stayed basically in this jungle. Good thing the food was really good, because there was only 1 restaurant on the whole island. We met a really lovely Irish couple, Jane and Allen, and ended up having dinner and drinks with them each night. We had a great Christmas with them. After 5 days there, we took a boat, bus, and ferry over to Koh Phangan to meet up with 3 friends. We were only going to stay here for 5 days and then check out another island, but we like it so much we're gonna stay the entire time. The beaches are beautiful white sand beaches, the food is incredible, the people very friendly and the massages so cheap! We were here for the infamous Full Moon Party on Haad Rin Beach. It's bascially like Mardi Gras once a month....but it was also New Year's Eve so there were something like 20,000 people at this beach party. It was surprising how tame it was considering the large amount of people. The tide is very far out so that's what makes the beach so roomy and the moon is so bright you can see everything so well. Loved it. We were definitely some of the older people at the beach, but it was still so much fun. I don't have pics of this because I was told to leave my camera at home. Really wish I had pics, but I'm sure if you google full moon party and koh phangan then you'll get some great pics of what it was like. There were lots of fire performers, fireworks, and these things that you set on fire and they float away in the air. They looked like lanterns. It's supposed to represent all the bad things from the year before are burning away. We even saw a ladyboy which I was very excited about! A drunk guy with a santa hat was making out with the ladyboy totally unaware that was a not a cute Thai girl. We all had a good laugh at his expense. Most days are the same- sleep in, breakfast, watch Animal Planet or CNN, beach, reading, nap at the pool, thai massage, shopping or lunch in town or on the beach (we have scooters!), a beer or 2, maybe another nap, sunset and cocktails, dinner out on the beach, cards or games on the balcony. Tough life. It's hard to imagine it being cold everywhere else in the world. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year's!

You know you're in Egypt when....

....you're shopping at the grocery store and the power goes completely out....you're standing in total darkness and without hesitation you get out your phone that has a flashlight and continue shopping....

best.birthday.ever

As long as I live in Egypt, I will never have to work on my birthday. Lucky me, it's a national holiday. Since we had the 6th off in the middle of the week we celebrated the night before. Went to the most amazing restaraunt in Cairo with 14 of my closest friends. That sounds like a lot of people, but it was actually really hard to narrow it down to 14 which I had to do because the place is so small. Had the best meal I've had in Cairo so far. Gourmet sea bass and good imported wine. Later we went back to the Harps' rooftop balcony and partied the night away. Teaching everyone how to line dance to hip hop music was my goal for the night. Good times had by all. The next day, Owen bought me a massage and pedicure at a spa and we went to dinner at the Fish Market on the Nile. Also, really good food. Here are some presents I got: Obviously this was from John. Before I opened it, he described it as "What every woman wants".

more flowers!



Yes, I got a bunny! When we were in Turkey a few weeks ago, they had baby bunnies and I just went nuts for them. So Owen decided to totally surprise me and get me a bunny. It's really cute and sooo soft! We just call it Bunny or Bun-Bun (steph's nickname for it) and not sure if it's a girl or boy. It also makes me laugh a lot. Today I put a new hanging water bottle in its cage and it freaked out not knowing that the bottle was and started boxing it. I almost peed my pants laughing so hard. Apparently you can train bunnies to use a litter box like a cat, which is weird but kinda cool. We'll see....the adventures of bunny will continue....

Come on, Egypt, pull yourself together!

The Egyptian government has come up with a few good ideas. Wait, no, that's not right. Egypt has never in its life come up with a good idea. Here are their latest ideas for preventing swine flu:

1. No AC in the classroom.
2. Open the windows in the classroom.
3. No AC on the buses.
4. If a child sneezes, they are sent home.
5. 8 Day Quarantine period for anyone leaving the country.

Dear Egypt,
Are you aware that we live in the middle of the desert? Do you realize how much sand will be in my classroom at the end of each day if I keep a window open? I would like you to teach all day in a classroom without AC and tell me how you like it. Why do you want me to stay in the country and not travel? I'm more likely to get the flu from Egypt than anywhere else where I want to go.
hate you,
mel

In other news, we posted our resume online and had an offer from a school within an hour. Shouldn't be too hard getting a new job for next year. Oh, and I have a SMART board in my classroom! Also, girls night on a felucca with wine, snacks, and a good book. Very relaxing after a crazy day. I love my friends here if nothing else. :)

In America, we speak American.

So many words to describe Nascar. Sometimes pictures are just better. It was definitely a life-changing event. Owen was quite excited to see a real Confederate flag and a racist. An easy order. The night started off at Wendy's, just as it should. We were having some issues with our order. The workers were very confused on how to make fries and actually asked me which cup was a small. As if I knew? But the best part was when the girl was about to fill up our last drink and stopped to send a text. Hilarious. We were laughing so hard because we couldn't believe she had the nerve to text at that moment. The redneck next to me, turned and made a comment about "them colored folks" and I was quickly mortified. But this must be part of the experience. Rednecks, racisism, and fast cars. The opening of the race started with some patriotic songs and a skydiver came down with a massive American flag. Sometimes the patriotism of America is ridiculous. We didn't stay the entire race because the actual race is very boring and too loud to talk to anyone. Also, we were going to the Ravens/Chiefs game the next day in Balitmore. (Thank you, Brad Cottam.) If you ever get the opportunity to go to a Nascar race, you should definitely go. It is everything you think it will be. And more. You will not be disappointed.
After Wendy's, we walked about a mile to the race track because there was no parking.

This is when I spotted the car with the Taco Bell sticker. At this moment, I was finally interested in the actual race.

I will never forget this woman. She fell over the bench head first and later had to be carried out by 4 men. Two of the men had a hand on the back of the jeans, carrying her like someone who is hog-tied. She represented Nascar well.

Life in Cairo

When I talk about living in Cairo with people, everyone seems to think that my life is crazy, unpredictable, and exciting. I realized tonight that it's really not that way. For example, today I walked to Gold's gym and watched CSI on my tv on the elliptical machine. Then went over for to my friend's house for dinner with 6 friends. He had his cook make us Indian food. (ok, when we talk about our cooks and maids, that does sound a little crazy.) Then we hung out awhile on the roof and later watched Hell's Kitchen. Last night we went to a pub and watched NFL games with a big group while enjoying pizza and beer. The night before that, 8 of us ordered pad thai and chilled out on the rooftop patio. It's what I might be doing in the States on any weekday night. Pretty much normal stuff. Except for the Call to Prayer blasting from every mosque in town at the exact same time.

USA. Fall. Sports.

Best time to be in the US has got to be the fall due to the sports season. School has now been postponed until October 3rd with rumors it will be postponed later. The HS teachers have been told to post assignments on the website. We are headed back to Cairo tomorrow and then we will wait for a few days and then decide where to go. We have to be in Egypt 8 days before school starts. So that will definitely be the time we spend in Dahab. So we still have 2 1/2 weeks before school starts. There's also a rumor that we won't have to make up any of the time. If we do have to make it up, we will just go 30 minutes later each day rather than make up the days at the end of the year. Not too shabby. Also, we experienced our first NASCAR and survived.

America. #1.

If you had told me 2 weeks ago that I would be sitting in my parents' house in Virginia Beach, I would not have believed you. We arrive in Cairo on August 25th and within 2 hours, there are rumors flying that we might not have school for another month. Sure enough, 2 days later our director made the announcement, "No school until September 26th". Yes, that is a Saturday and 26 days later than it was supposed to start. The Egyptian government has decided that Swine Flu will be spread from the International teachers and all International schools must be shut down. We found some cheap ($714-roundtrip) tickets to NYC so decided to hit up the good ole USA. College football, MLB, NFL, and Nascar- everything you miss from the states! Even better Suzanne and Cam are here since they quit their jobs. The good news= no school for the next month. The bad news= we just found out that we have to be back the 18th for an 8 day quarantine so we had to change our tickets and paid $$$. The way they are planning to make up the time lost is to just add 30 minutes onto the school day. Not too bad when you get 17 prep times a week. (45 minutes = 1 prep time) So we'll go back 8 days early and then head off to the beach...my favorite place ever. DAHAB!! However, we've heard from some friends in Egypt that everything is going crazy. There's even rumors about the school having to shut down for the entire year. Not too worried about that because we have contracts that allow us to still get paid and we aren't allowed to work anywhere else. In that case, we've decide to go live in Thailand for the remainder of the year. But, we'll see what happens. You just have to live each day as it comes. Besides, it's not so bad. I'm sitting here watching The Office marathon on TBS in my PJs on the plasma tv and eating cookie dough while Owen went for a run with Jackie. We just bought our Nascar, NFL, and MLB tickets online for next weekend. Even though it's unexpected, life is pretty good.

Just another day in Eastern Europe...

It's so annoying when you go to sign in to your blog and everything is written in Serbian, ya know? So here I am in Belgrade, Serbia. Certainly didn't expect to be here. We were planning on avoiding Belgrade only because the best it had to offer was the "night life". No, thanks. But because of the bus/train system from Kosovo we couldn't get to Bosnia. Yes, I said Kosovo. I was in Kosovo for 3 days, no big deal. Youngest country in the world. Kosovo has been the only country I've been to the past year that actually likes America. So don't let anyone tell you that America is an evil empire who goes around attacking random countries....er, wait....the USA bombed the crap out of Serbia a few years ago. Well, that was a good thing for Kosovo and they gained their independence from Serbia. Anyways, we had a slight issue getting into Kosovo because Serbia doesn't recognize Kosovo's independence. On the way to Kosovo we were crammed into a van full of Macedonians (Macedonians, I mean what the hell?) who didn't need to get a Kosovo stamp so we didn't get ours. In the middle of the journey, a song came on the radio and the entire van started singing. Visualize a scene from Fiddler on the Roof and that's about what it was like. The Matchmaker was sitting in front of me. No joke. Eastern Europeans kinda all look the same. They all seem to have misshapen heads and large noses. They just look weird. Not trying to be mean, just accurate. The languages are very rough like Russian so it's kinda scary when they talk to you. But like Arabic you get soon realize that they aren't yelling at you because they are angry, they are yelling because they seem to have voice immodulation. I've taken about 700 pictures and we've been to Hungary, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro. But I haven't put any pictures on the computer yet so I'll have to work on that. Croatia was by far the best. We spent about 12 days exploring the islands and just relaxing by the beaches. I'll have to write more about that in a separate post. Right now I need to find some coffee.

Oh yeah, North Carolina....

Totally forgot to update about that. I flew down to see Elizabeth in Charlotte. It was definitely a girl's week! Mostly we just sat by the Country Club pool and drank sweet tea. She introduced me to a little Southern secret know as Firefly....ummm YUM! I didn't have my camera to take pics so I'm just posting a random pic of me and elizabeth from last school year.... When we were out one night there was a group from Carolinanightlife.com who were taking pics. We saw our pics on the website the next day, but when I went back I couldn't find them. Oh well. Lesson learned- take your camera everywhere.

Oh, Canada!

So Canada is pretty much amazing. I don't know why more people don't live there. I arrived in Calgary and O and I went to a wedding and the Calgary Stampede (their rodeo). Apparently, two-stepping in Canada is not the same as Texas. Owen was unteachable, but Shane was willing to learn. The people I met made me want to move there immediately. They were all sooo nice and fun! Then we drove to Invermere which is in BC. BEAUTIFUL! This is the view from Owen's mom's front door. No joke. After a few days there we flew in Owen's dad's little tiny plane to Canim Lake where his dad has 2 secluded cabins. I think it takes around 9 hours or so to drive there and flying it's about 2 hours. So we literally flew over the Rockies. It was pretty scary at first. There's a runway on the property so we landed right next to the cabins. Pretty rad. We stayed there for about 3 days. Fishing, campfire, crossword puzzles, and a lot of just chillin'. This is the view from the plane.

Then we flew back to Invermere and drove to Premiere Lake about an hour away. This place was unbelievable. Owen's mom (or mum as he says) has about 7 cabins. They pretty much have their own campsite. The only way to get to it is by boat. We stayed here for about 3 days. Swimming, fishing, playing horseshoes, bocce, etc. SO much fun!
View from the dock at the main cabin.

The stream that runs in the middle of the camp ground. Unbelievably clean water.

We went back to Invermere for a fun golf tournament with about 30 of his friends. Then went to Banff, Lake Louise and everywhere in between to do some hiking. Weather was unbeatable. I can't wait to go back!!

Lake Louise.

Chattanooga: a place where your kids can play in the public fountain and tattoos are contagious

Chattanooga is a white trash haven nestled between the Smokey Mountains. At first glance, it looks like a picture perfect mountain town with the kayaks atop family SUVs. But with a closer inspection, one begins to note the trailer park attire, rampant mullets, and the plethora of bad tattoos. (Please refer to earlier post about Tattoos to Avoid) By the 3rd day, I realized that there's also a hippy scene where artists sell their paintings on the sidewalk outside of the used bookstore. After discovering this along with the sculpture garden in the Art District I was loving this cute town. The Aquarium was also really fun to walk around. My favorite part was the lack of wildlife in the Nile River exhibit. If you have been to the Nile, you know that nothing would ever be able to survive in there. The live music downtown was good but it was just too hot to be walking around. Had a great time with Becca and can't wait to go back and hike around the mountains when it's cooler weather.

Culture Shock (again)

Weird how every time I come Stateside, everything here feels so weird. I went running on Friday morning and did not see one piece of trash on the street! No cats were seen! Almost stepped on a turtle. Saw squirrels, bunnies, and dogs! I can't get over how green it is here and how it doesn't hurt to breathe! A trip to the mall was very uneventful. I drove there in a SUV with air conditioning listening to satelite radio while using the GPS to get there. I wasn't harrassed by shop owners to buy something or by beggars grabbing my arm asking for some cash. Again, no trash on the streets! The only sand I have seen in on the golf course. I feel like it's too easy. Too boring. It's almost kinda creepy. I really don't know if I can live in the States ever again.

Saying Goodbye.

I wish I had taken more pictures during the goodbyes this week, but I'm really bad at remembering to do that sort of thing. Thursday was our last day of school and basically everyone was flying out that night. To celebrate the last day of school, we went to the A.C.E Club with Darren and Jen for a cold one. (Yes, I'm officially a member now!) Then went to my new apt to drop some stuff off. Went back to the ACE Club with John and Sarah for another cold one and dinner. Then off to TGIFridays on the Nile for the Paper Plate Awards. Now, I wasn't planning on going to this, but since I was packed and ready to go and in Ma'adi anyways, we went. Turns out there's a "special" award each year for the couple who met in Cairo and started dating : the double gallabeya. So Joe and Jen, who are getting married this summer (yay!), awarded O and I with this honor. Due to our differences in height, this turned out to be funnier than usual. Jen and Joe informed us that we have to keep this tradition going and pass it on to another couple next year. I'm thinking it should would be hilarious if we gave it to Kevin and Greg. We ended the night back at the ACE club with some of my favorite people for a few goodbyes and seeyanextyear. (Yes, I took full advantage of my ACE Club membership by going 3 times in my first day. I am addicted already.)


Everyone who is leaving is headed off to various parts of the world! I will miss y'all!! But I plan on visiting!!! :)

Lori (Columbia), Kayla (Hong Kong), Katherine & Jason,(Venezuela) Joe &Jen (Malawi), Norris & Ang (NYC), Mike (Canada) , Jen Fij (Chicago), Sarah (Italy), Jakob (Germany)

I did it.

Yes, the blog is public and you don't have to sign in anymore. Screw privacy.

Tattoos to Avoid

This link is hilarious! Please read if you are thinking about getting a tattoo. And if you have any of these tattoos, I'm sorry.

Things You'll Never Hear a Teacher Say:

"Our principal is sooooooooo smart. No wonder he's in administration."

"Thank goodness for these evaluations. They keep me focused."

"I'd like to see Red Lobster offer a meal like this!"

"Here class, just put all your gym shoes in this box next to my desk."

"I bet all the people in our administration really miss teaching!"

"Gosh, the bathroom smells so fresh and clean!"

"I'm so glad I gave my phone number to my students' parents. It makes keeping in touch so much easier."

"I can't believe I get paid for this!"

"I think the discipline around here is just a LITTLE too strict!"

"It's Friday already????"

"Those students this semester really made my job a real joy."

"I believe that athletics are not getting enough money."

"We'd be able to educate our children if they let us teach through summer too."

"Have you noticed that the teachers drive better cars than the students?"

"This in-service training has been fabulous."

"It must be true; the superintendent said so!"

Party like an Egyptian

I might have complained a lot in the last posting, but I LOVE my life here. I have the best friends ever here. There are several friends who I will miss when they move away. But I plan on keeping in touch and visiting a few countries in South America to visit them... maybe Summer 2010?? And we've already started planning out trips for next year. Last night we decided what a group of us are doing for the first week break in October. And possibly plan to visit some friends in other parts of Africa for another break. I live in a crazy place and there are definitely some crazies who I work with, but life really is good.

Feeling a little racist?

What's the difference between an expat in Cairo and a racist?

6 months.


ok, so i decided to delete this post. It was a little over the top. Since this is now a public blog, I don't want to get arrested. Egypt doesn't exactly have free speech. Basically what it said was how I was really frustrated with Egyptians. There are some really nice Egyptians who I have met, but most of the men I come in contact with daily(i.e. walking down the street, on the subway, etc.) are disgusting and grope western women every chance they get. It's becoming a big problem. Cairo is very safe other than that.

Cinco de Mayo

Huge party for Cinco de Mayo. All you can eat Mexican buffet and margaritas. Real margaritas! My favorite part of the night was when Kristy randomly shows up wearing a massive sombrero. She, of course, has no idea where she got it. Also, LOVED the live band! We danced the night away....me gusta, me gusta!

blog like an egyptian

Sorry for the lack of updates... but my school blocked this website. Again. And the only time I'm bored enough to write on this is at work...hmmm... maybe I'm becoming more Egyptian than I want to admit.

Things that keep me from blogging at home:

1. Not getting home until 10:30pm after going to the gym in Maadi.
2. Owen downloaded every season of Seinfield. There's alot to watch.
3. Weekly Office episodes with the Hams.
4. There are so many good books to read. Just finished "Kite Runner".
5. John downloaded 3000 movies last week. Just watched "Singing in the Rain".
6. Eating out. Dinner takes a min. of 3 hours in this country.
7. Traveling.
8. Expedia.
9. There are more exciting things to do?

How to 'fight' swine flu- kill the pigs?

Nothing about this surprises me about Egypt. Watch the video. The only people in this country who eat pork? Christians. The only people who own pigs in this country? The Christians who live in Garbage City (the worst slum I've ever seen). The pigs help them by eating the garbage that they sort and recycle. I hope no one gets killed over this.

Easter with the Pope

Last weekend I went to Italy (country #24) and Vatican City (country #25?). This is why I count that as a country. But some of you might argue that it's not a country. Just read that article first before you decide. I don't have a stamp in my passport from the Vatican. But I also don't have a stamp from Israel or Cuba. So are they not countries? Just saying... The Vatican at Easter? Yes, it was crowded but we bought a prepaid ticket that put us to the front of the 2-3 hour line and we had a tour guide who actually enjoyed her job. Other than the airport being crowded, the rest of Rome wasn't bad at all. Not compared to Cairo on a daily basis. I really could have stayed in Rome for a week and in Italy for a lifetime. I definitely plan on going back to Italy. Maybe next fall to visit Sarah when she moves to a small coastal Italian town.

Cairo is the new Vegas

Thursday night went out for some Thai food with one of my newly wed friends. Funny story. Apparently, their marriage license got lost in the mail in Canada. They were married in Vancouver over Christmas. So as Peter asked me to pass the rice, he added "and would you sign our marriage license as a witness?" What?? We made sure to clean the table so that the Pad Thai wouldn't get all over the documents. Kinda cool. I'll forever be their witness! Love it! I love how random it was too...

I promise

I promise to update more for those of you who don't use facebook anymore (quitters). I just figured out how to get to blogger at work and how to bypass the page that appears in Arabic.

Egypt doesn't make sense.

This doesn't surprise me about Egypt at all.

Where I will be for Easter....

Tunisia- Country # 23

Pretty amazing place. We saw pretty much the entire country. I'll post pics on facebook as soon as it decides to start working for me. Renting a car was a good decision even though none of us had really driven a standard transmission and that's all they have to rent. We made it out alive with only a slightly frightening situation down an extremely small alley that was blocked by a pile of rocks. Luckily, some Tunisians decided to help us. Lots of Lightsaber battles occurred at the Star Wars locations. Of course, we had to decide who was each character. Luckily I beat Sarah out of being Princess Lea. She had to be Chubaaka. Between the 4 of us we had a combined maturity of about age 8. No ewoks were found, but we did discover Ewok food. Or that's at least what we named the unusual rock-like sculptures that we kept seeing everywhere. Like a video game, we had to dodge wild camels crossing the road. The rest of the trip will be posted in pics with comments on facebook. I know you can't wait!

Culture Shock: A day in the life of being in America

I'm here in the States!! (Finally after a long flight to NYC and then the delay of the snow storm.) I think I'm having a little culture shock. Here are the things I'm having trouble adjusting to:

1. Clothing/Fashion: I couldn't believe what girls MY AGE were wearing at the airport. Leggings! Just leggings!! No pants!! And the high-heeled boots just looked ridiculous. When did hooker/chic come into style?

2. Public restrooms: I think I went in 12 times to the JFK bathroom. There were a couple times I just went in to flush the toilet and look at the toilet paper. I even stole some just out of habit.

3. Driving the first day was insane. I kept going waaay over the speed limit. I didn't realized how fast they drive in Egypt! Reba says that I am a waaay more aggressive driver now. Why does everyone stay in lanes and drive slow?

4. Target: I had to restrain myself. It was over-stimulation. I wanted to buy everything. Instead I only purchased 3 deodorants, unnecessary cute shoes, and a sweater. Oh! And this really nice lady gave me a coupon for free underwear! I love America!! But then someone stole my basket and the coupon. What is America coming to? Are we stealing coupons now to deal with the recession?

5. The Mall: OMG. I actually like the clothing they sell. And EVERYTHING is on sale!!! I only purchased VS undies b/c I had a $10 off coupon. We're going to the outlets on Friday to hit those after Christmas sales. It's a little weird adjusting to prices. Also, weird that no one was pushing. I actually stood in line and no one elbowed me to get ahead of me in line. We just waited our turn.

6. Tivo. Greatest gift to mankind.

7. Crackerbarrel. Can you order one of everything on the menu? You can try. Our waitress actually wrote down our order. And she could understand what I said. And she refilled my drinks without me asking. And the food arrived only 10 minutes after we ordered!! And when she brought the check without us asking, I almost fell out of my seat! Our dinner lasted less an hour!! Madness!!

8. "Can I see your driver's license?" When I heard this question, I thought..."Do I have a driver's license? Where is that thing?" No, I wasn't being pulled over.

9. Running. I can run outside. And breathe!! My lungs are so happy right now.

10. Walmart. Ok, this was alot like being back at the Khan in Cairo. Did you know someone DIED in Walmart during a stampede a few weeks ago?? That sounds like something that would happen in Egypt. Walmart is alot like being in a 3rd world country. But I didn't get any "weeeelcome! pretty lady! How much for you?" Oh wait, yes I did. Just from a different ethnic group.

Homma men America.

This is the much anticipated update for my fans (yes, all 3 of you)

Justin and Kim came to play in Egypt. Lots of fun to be had. One day we took a jeep safari out to the desert. We also had lots of fun on a Felucca ride down the Nile which had to be paused for a photo shoot. Just a day in the life of fashion models.

Justin was so excited he peed himself.

A Letter to the Director

Dear Dr. Paul,

I feel the need to bring an important issue to your attention. There seems to be an unfortunate epidemic of narcelepsy amoung the blue workers at our school. Even with hourly doses of coffee the workers are unable to stay awake. A possible solution: falefels laced with Ritalin? Just a suggestion that I think you should seriously consider.

Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue,

Me

Greece

If you can only take 1 vacation in your entire life, you need to go to Greece. I'd heard wonderful things about it, but I didn't expect it to be so amazing. Maybe because Cairo is so nasty. We flew into Athens and took a ferry to Santorini. Santorini is famous for its sunsets which did not disappoint. The people were fabulous. Food was fantastic. Could not have asked for a better way to spend a week away from Cairo.

Skype

I have it. It works. Kim called me on my computer and I thought that I needed a headset, but no. I have speakerphone or something on here. Awesomeness. So call me or at least add me as a contact if you have skype too.

For the slow....Skype is an internet program that you can download for free and talk to anyone anywhere for free.

The Pyramds

The past 2 weekends we have gone to play on the pyramids. It's been really hot, but still fun. Security is at a minimum so you are free to do whatever you please out there. The first weekend we (Owen, Angela, Norris, and I) went to Giza to see the Sphynx and the more famous pyramids. Then last weekend we (John, Emily, Owen, and I) hired a private driver to drive us around to Sakara and Dashur to see the step pyramid and the bent pyramid. We also were able to climb down inside to the tombs. John, of course, had to throw a little fit about going inside because it's so dark and scary. Owen spent most of the day on top of the pyramid throwing rocks at the security guards. We didn't get kidnapped so I'd say the day was a success.



P.S. It's alot easier to post pics on facebook so check there for the latest pics.

Canadians: Mysterious creatures of the North

Likes:
*documentaries
*Talking about documentaries
*mocking American politics (an obvious blow below the belt)
*documentaries mocking American politics and capitalism
*naming Southern cuisine and promptly asking if we seriously eat something called"Chicken Fried Steak"
*making jokes about Americans’ lack of knowledge of Canadian History
*Southern accents
*American sports

Dislikes:
*Bush administration
*organized religion
*capitalism
*Being compared to eskimos and polar bears

Taxi Cab Rules: Or how to Walk like an Egyptian

Crossing the Street:
First you must enter the street area. Be on your guard at all times. You can and will be hit by taxis. Or you will witness a wreck. Or both. Look to your right and to your left. Cars will be coming from both directions even if this is a one-way street. Also, cars might be speeding on the sidewalk to watch for that too. Try to find any Egyptians. Watch how they cross the street. They will glide through 60 mile/hour traffic like Jesus walking on water. But you cannot cross yet. You must wait for the right time. When the Spirit moves you, cross each lane one at a time. Remember that there are no "real" lanes and cars can be in the left lane and instantly be in the right lane or maybe on the sidewalk or maybe making donuts on the pavement at any given time. I repeat you can and will be hit by taxis.

Getting a cab:
Wave the driver down. Approach the cab and announce your destination. They will approve or disapprove. For example, for me to get home I would say a large area near my house "Sabaa Emirat" (translated: 7 streets). He would then shake his head no and I would try several more taxis. Finally, one will agree. You enter the cab. A man needs to sit up front. If you have no man, then you put the ugliest, fattest girl in your group. Once you are in the cab, you will immediately notice there is no meter. The driver will be rocking out to some Arabic rap, maybe have a few strobe lights, no AC, and will be smoking with the windows rolled up. This is all perfectly normal. You only need minimal amounts of Arabic to dictate your way.
Shamel: left
Yamin: right
Henne: here
Iowa: yes
Shukran: thank you
You must give your driver what you think is the right amount. This might be 5L.E to 20L.E. You guess is as good as mine. If you short-change him then you better sprint out of the area quickly as he will chase you with his Arabic curse words. Do not despair. You will probably never see him again.

Cairo

Ok, So I'm in Cairo. There's so much to say about Cairo. I really feel that pictures will be the best form of communcating what happens. I'll try to take more pictures. Everything is really different. Even ordering a meal is a huge ordeal. Right now I'm at a little cafe (about 5 minutes from my apartment) stuffing my face and using the internet. This is pretty standard behavior. We have a great place and LOVE our neighborhood. There are 2 Canadian guys who work with us and live 1 floor below us. We are the only people in our building so it's very private. Ok, this blog is really lame. No more lame ducks after this. Just trying to get you guys the facts.

What were they thinking???

Project Bathroom

My furniture and basically everything I own in this life is still in a truck on its way to Virginia Beach. Yes, it's been over 3 weeks. Long long story. Whenever I get stressed out, it's good for me to have a project. So re-doing one of the bathrooms was my weekend project.

Before: (Yes, those are fish. Pink, blue and green fish.)

During:

I caught Jackie sleeping on the job. She was fired immediately.
The finale.

So what do you think? I'm not sure about the towels. I don't know if I should do all brown? Oh, bathmats are dark brown. (not shown)

people are stupid.

bad habit that I MUST break

I didn't realize that I did this until Reba brought this to my attention. Whenever someone does something to make me mad (this includes cutting me off while driving or sending me a bill in the mail or writing something in a blog that I disagree with) I have a small form of Tourette's, in that I immediately call him or her a "dirty whore" very loudly. I know this needs to stop but it just comes out so naturally. I usually don't think these people are dirty whores, with exception of the lady who stole my parking spot at Farm Fresh. Well, she might not be. Ok, so I really am working on this.

you are NOT ready for this jelly

When Reba and I were last together, we decided to compare our bodies. Obviously, there is a HUGE difference, but I wanted to know the facts. How much bigger am I than her? So we measured the most overtly diverse areas on our bodies. Biceps and butts. Get ready for these results. You might want to sit down for this.

My bicep is 4 inches bigger than hers!

My butt......7 inches bigger!!!

It's official. I'm on a new diet. This new "try not to eat everything in the house" diet is really hard to stick to. No doubt my new schedule has something to do with this. I'm basically living alone with Jackie (the family dog).

6am wake up to loud noise...this varies. sometimes it's someone putting in new hardwood floors or my mom talking very loudly with the head phones on

6- 10am eat and watch Tivo with Jackie.

10-11 move furniture (new hardwood floors...one room at a time)

11-2 eat more. facebook and tivo.

2-6 pass out from sugar coma

6 take jackie on a walk. sometimes run.

mom comes home around 7 or 8 after Aquacise (this will be discussed later) and dad rides his bike home from work around 9 (will also be discussed more)

then we eat. maybe watch a movie. stay up late.

This is will all change once my furniture gets here....hopefully sometime before I leave for Egypt.

Hangin' in da 'ham

Last week I received an email with this attachment:

Birmingham Itinerary
July 26-29

Friday
Arrive in the ‘ham
Eat dinner at 601 Wildforest Dr.
Piano recital

Saturday
Breakfast
-Original Pancake House
-Cracker Barrel
Take Mom to airport
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Lunch at Cobb Lane
Harry Potter Day at Birmingham Zoo
Run on Lakeshore
Rent movie

Sunday
Church at Brook Hills
Brunch at Whole Foods
Kung Fu Panda
Olive Garden



So this is what we did this weekend. Except we didn't go to Cobb Lane due to an excessive amount of wine and chocolate cake. And we didn't go see Kung Fu Panda. :( The piano recital consisted of Reba playing a few selections from Pride and Prejudice and demanding our applause after each one. Harry Potter day at the zoo was cancelled due to rain. But we did enjoy a free day at the petting zoo due to lack of personnel at the front ticket booth. We had an addition of a trip to see Volcan. How can you resist a half naked statue of a Greek god? Obviously, we were very mature about it.

(Yes, that is Volcan's naked butt)

Feliz Navigon!

"No, I haven't talked to her about it yet. Yes, I know that we don't have much time. Look, I'll talk to her about it when we stop for dinner. Yes, I know how important this is. Yes, I agree that this is important. I will tell her ok? Don't worry."

This is the conversation that I hear from my mom when my dad called as we are driving to B'ham. Whaaat? Who died? What is going on??? We remain in silence in the car. I can tell that mom doesn't want to talk about it. So we stop at Subway. Silence. This is bizarre. Especially for my mom. And I'm totally freaked out. But then I realize something. My mom avoids ALL conversations unless they are about puppies and rainbows. So I wasn't too worried. We walk back to the car and she mumbles that she has to get something from the trunk. She was taking awhile to get whatever she needed. I walk back to the trunk and I see it.....a GPS system!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I HATE THESE THINGS!!!! They are SOO obnoxious. I refuse to use it. We fight. She hooks it up and we go down the road and Navigon is obnoxious. She can't pronouce her words correctly. We could not figure out "right at the roundabout" because it sounded like "rightahwoebtoincboo". I like to refer her to as Navi. Navi is a hater. When you speed she screams "caution! caution!". Horribleness. She doesn't answer any of your questions. Like, "Navi, where are we?" I have to have her all day on Monday when I drive to VA Beach. But I found out how to mute Navi.

Feliz Navigon!

99 boxes of beer on the truck...

99 boxes. That's what the movers counted. I have too much stuff. It's official. Most of the boxes were from the liquor store (because those boxes are free). Turns out the head mover guy (not sure on his title) is from Israel and his wife's family lives in Egypt and her 2 kids go to my school! Small world!!

Disclaimer

I just checked my checking account. Some of you with upcoming bdays (Reba, Kim, Sudan-belated), you might be receiving some lightly used articles of clothing or maybe a very rarely used vacuum cleaner.

No, Burka, no!

Today I was shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond minding my own business, when I turned the corner and was scared out of my wits. There was a lady in a burka walking with her sons. It was like seeing Darth Vader for the first time. I couldn't move, couldn't scream, couldn't breath. After a moment of feeling paralzyed, I ran in the opposite direction. This was very traumatic for me. What am I going to do when I see them all the time in Egypt??? These things are seriously scary.

Oh, and Emily mentioned that she saw one at Sephora. Makeup?? What for?? Please explain!

Also, do little babies wear burkas? If so, that might be kinda cute.

Hair.Is.CUT.OFF

I'll put a pic up later. I'm at Panera Bread so I don't want to scare the families around me by taking a picture of myself. What am I doing at Panera Bread? If you are asking this question you have not had their breakfast sandwiches and mocha. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Car is fixed. Hair is short. I like it. alot. I have 30 pages left in my journal and 30 days until I leave for Egypt. Weird. I have had this journal since May 2006. It's a large journal, but I guess I don't journal that much. Blogging has taken over my journal time. Except for the secret stuff and that goes in the locked Hello Kitty journal. Don't hate.

Famous last words

After working out at the gym and making a list of all the things I have to do today, I thought "Geez Louise, all I wanna do is stay in bed and watch movies. I really don't feel like driving all over town." So I go out to the car to begin the plethora of errands. And my car won't start. God, are you trying to be ironic? Called the Roadside Assistance and they tried to jump start my car. No luck. Now I'm waiting on the tow truck to drag my car to the dealer. Of course, the dealer said that they can't get to my car until Monday. No loaner car. Haters.

I guess I got what I wanted. I'm watching Chicago and packing the kitchen. Not going to be running any errands for the next few days.

For Sale

good things

Emily has graciously agreed to administer my B12 shots to me. Yes, they are butt shots. Awesome. At times like this, I'm so glad that she is part Lebanese. And I'm really glad that she is not sick at all of the Lebanese joke.

Suzanne was in a boating accident today. Sliced her head open. 7 stitches. But not eaten by sharks. So this is good news. I'm sure she's enjoying her pain pills right now. Seriously, I'm very glad you are ok, SuzieQ.

I enjoyed a day at the museum (It was kinda weird not having kids or not being an Asian wearing a track suit on vacation.) And lunch at Cafe Brasil. Me gusta!!


I made so many phone calls that my phone died twice. But I did absolutely no packing. Good times.

You can have it your way, but don't get crazy.

If you haven't seen the nail salon video, then you HAVE to watch it. Then you can appreciate this. And if you love Mexican jokes then watch this. This chick cracks me up!

an apple a day....

I've been to 6 different doctors in the past week. And spent $$$ just on routine visits. Everything was normal except for my cholesterol (202). Which my doctor suggested might be due to Taco Bell. She is such a liar. I love how I went to see the dermo. for a skin cancer screening and she suggests acne medicine. Didn't even know I had an acne problem. And she was the 7th dermo to tell me "You will get skin cancer, it's just a matter of time. Let's talk about sunscreen and long sleeves." Let's not. My dentist looked at my teeth and said, "Everything looks great. Just keep doing what you're doing." Really?? Like eating lots of sweets and never flossing? Might want to think about that before you say something crazy. It's just good genes, not my maintenance.

Tomorrow I will brave the 3rd Ward to get some immunizations. It's the cheapest place in town and I'll still be spending over $300 for the shots. Doctors are obnoxiously expensive.

"If you can survive the 3rd Ward, then you can survive Cairo." --my mom

What is wrong with me:

Actually that list is too long...but after stalking my GI doctor, he finally gave me the test results. I have Pernicious anemia (also known as Biermer's anaemia or Addison's anaemia or Addison-Biermer anaemia). This is most likely caused by Atrophic gastritis. The solution: Every few years get a biopsy by swallowing a camera and tools to cut peices of my stomach out to check for cancer. Sounds like good times. And get monthly B-12 shots. No me gusta. I was really hoping that he would tell me that the only solution was more Taco Bell.

May all your dreams not come true

3 days ago I had a nightmare that Emily and I were in Egypt and they said that we couldn't live together. The reason: We resembled the CIA and it was too suspicious for us to be roommates. Yeah, I don't know but it was scary.

The next night I had a nightmare that the movers showed up at my place and told me that none of my stuff could fit in the truck. So everything I want to take with me must fit in my car. I argued with the movers for the majority of the dream that I could not fit my mattress in my car. They said that I could. Very frustrating.