First Impressions

Because I’m going through more culture shock and teaching planning than my poor little brain can handle, here is a snippet of what living in Egypt is really like:

• Women are lesser citizens. Though this has gotten better (from what I’ve heard from the older teachers), it is still a reality. I was the only female at the baggage claim in the airport. All of the males (brothers, husbands, fathers, etc.) were in charge of getting the bags while the women waited off to the side. 
• Everyone smokes. And worse, everyone smells like smoke.
• Currency exchange makes you think you’re rich (when in fact you are absolutely not). I received a partial advance of my first paycheck and felt like a millionaire for about 3 whole minutes. Pretty exciting if I have to say.
• Men in the streets are creepers. This held true when I was in Spain, and everyone warned me about it before I arrived. This does not lessen the creeper factor.
• It is HOT. I know, I moved to the Middle East, of course it is hot. But it is hot all day long until almost 9pm when it gets dark. And by then I’m too tired to want to go anywhere (like for groceries or to make my internet work).

For now that's about all I can focus my jet-lagged brain enough to write!