Rain Rain go away!

So as Sam and I were getting ready to go out today it starting to rain..and HARD. It rains about 3 or 4 times a year in Egypt and of course it has to rain when I come! grrrr. So our outdoor plans were ruined for the day. We're going to museum it tomorrow and market it on Friday. I'm sure Cairo will be nuts because it is a holiday here starting on Friday. It is Eid which is the feast that marks the end of Ramadan. The mood here is very festive and there are slaughtered lambs for sale EVERYWHERE. Anyway that's the plan for Friday. So today Sam and I went to eat lunch at a restaurant on the Nile. We were there for a few hours and decided to come back to her part of town and have a movie night.

Our ride home was very interesting. We caught a cab and then he wanted to pull over and get tea which was cool and then half way home his cab broke down on the highway. Luckily for us another cab pulled over to help him out and he asked the driver to take us. The smell of burning diesel from the first cab is still stinging the inside of my nostrils! I hope he fixed his car and isn't still stuck out on the middle of the busy highway in the rain.

Ahhhh...Egypt

My trip is going great! It's a little chilly but I am determined to wear sandles everyday I'm here! Yesturday I went on another great tour and I was the only person on it! I had the same tour guide as the day before and he was so interesting and I really enjoyed spending time with him. We went to Islamic Cairo and I went into some famous mosques which were so beautiful I was breathless. We also went to the market and he took me through the City of the Dead. I don't want to get too much into my trip yet because I want to be able to post all about it with loads of photos when I get home. Today Samaa and I are going into Cario and not sure what we're going to do. Tomorrow we are hitting the museum and I CAN'T wait!

The best Christmas present ever..

Today instead of going to Memphis I went to Giza! Although I was disappointed with the fact that civilization has taken over and there is a KFC at the base of the Sphinx, the Pyramids were amazing. My life long dream has finally been realized. Wait until you see my pics!!! Tomorrow I am going on a tour of Islamic Cario and I'm going to go into a few mosques and then Khan Il Khalilli market to shop. I was really impressed with the tour I went on today so I'm sure tomorrow will be just as great!

I'm in love

I knew that I would love it! I have only one word for Cairo..MAGICAL! Tonight I'm going to a Christmas dinner at Sam's friend Chipsy's home. I'm not exactly sure why he is having Christmas dinner but his maids are making a feast for us which is great cause I'm hungry! No pics to share because I'll wait until I get home to post them all. Tomorrow I am going on a tour to Memphis which is a little south of Giza. I'm so excited for it. Sam's mom has arranged a few tours for me this week which are all so awesome! One day this week we are all going to Alexandria which I am really looking forward to as well. Did I mention how awesome it is here? I'm so happy that after years of dreaming about coming I'm finally here. I'm going to go an do a little happy dance now. Merry Christmas to all back home xoxox

Merry Christmas to ALL and to all a goodnight!

This is my last post before Egypt and I'm not going to waste a single second of my time in Egypt blogging! I wish all of you a VERY Merry Christmas or Happy whatever you might be celebrating this year! Have a safe and HAPPY New Year and I'll catch you all in 2007!

2 more sleeps and I'm outta here! I am ready for this vacation that's for sure. Tomorrow will be an easy one with my kids having their Christmas party for the majority of the day and then I only teach a 45 min class after they go home. Then tomorrow night our staff Christmas party and then Friday I leave woohoo! I just want to send out a thanks to Lucy for the AWESOME package I received today at school. I'm uncapping the Captain Morgan as I type this. Tonight will be a little drinking and a little packing :) Cheers!

My kids at the retirement home singing Come on Get Happy. The CD player wasn't working and they sang without musical accompaniment. They rocked it!

4 MORE SLEEPS TILL CAIRO!

I can't wait to put away my coat, throw on some sandals, feel the warm sun on my skin! I can almost taste it!!!!

Some moms are so fucking stupid!

Working at a private institute like I do, the parents seem to get a heck of a lot of say as to what goes on in the classroom. Most of the moms of my kids are so amazingly wonderful. However, there are a few that I'd like to smack in the head with a 2x4!
Today Emma's mom called to complain that Emma's emotion was loneliness for graduation. The kids picked their emotions out of a hat so everything was random and I had no say in who got what. I stood my ground and had my partner teacher tell her what was up. Seriously I let one kids change then I have to let them all change and there is no time for bullshit at this point in the game! AHHHHH! Jin made a few good suggestions so her mom gets to pick between loneliness, unhappy, depressed. Good choices huh? Half the class is doing sad or bad feelings and the other half is doing good and happy feelings. Not my fault her kid picked what she did. I truly feel people need to call into the school over important shit like their kid can't read or understand his/her bookwork.

My day

So I had no intentions of going out today other than meeting Jes for a coffee at Express Bus. I wanted to go to the book store and purchase a Lonely Planet Egyptian Phrase Book..turns out if I want that one I need to order it. However, should I need one for East Timor there are plenty! After our coffee that ended with sticky hands and hand prints (should you go to Express Bus Terminal and notice handprints outside of the Krispy Cream on the wall..um..their mine! Do note that the Krispy Cream is a fucked up place and they do NOT have hand sanitizer!) we went to Itaewon to check out the book store. They were lacking in the phrase books as well, so I just got the BIG Lonely Planet for Egypt. Then Jes and I went into this store that got me soooo happy I almost humped everything!!!! BIG BAGS of Basmati Rice, Dill, every kind of Indian Spice known to man, Nan bread...I was like a kid in a candy store!!! I shall return there on pay day and FILL my new GIANT Sesame Street school bus bag with goodies!!

I was then easily convinced to go to Geckos for a beer with Jes, which turned into dinner with Saejin, Cam, and Heidi! Cam got me a little freaked out about the visa situation for Cairo..turns out I can purchase a visa upon arrival so my worries are now subsided. I had to edit my music for graduation and RL's tonight but frankly I have no energy or desire. Tomorrow I'll get shit done! I left Jes and Heidi at Geckos because they decided a Sunday night was the perfect time to join the Geckos shooter club! Have a great day at work tomorrow girls!

Jes...in my bag

Sloppy Slushy Mess!

I woke up with the hopes that I'd look out the window and the snow would be melted away from last night. No such luck! Although it is melting, now it's just a sloppy slushy mess out on the roads. Egypt can't come fast enough!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I don't look out my window for like an hour and when I do it's a freakin winter wonderland! BOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I like looking at snow as long as I'm not anywhere near it! Here are some pics with different flash options..

INSANITY

I had a class of 10, 8 year olds, over this afternoon for a Christmas party. They all had a blast but it reminded me of how I NEVER want to have kids!!! God Bless my Tide Stick! Pizza sauce, cake, cola..EVERYWHERE. I'm glad they all had such a great time but I'll never do this again. We watched a movie, exchanged secret Santa gifts, danced, laughed, and ate too much! I got some lovely Christmas presents and I have so much food in my house too now! A HUGE box of Christmas cookies, the biggest pecan pie ever..and lots of other goodies. I'll have to bring stuff in to school Monday. I'm going to go and drink myself into oblivion and clean the cake out of my hair and scrub my place from top to bottom! Here are the pics!

Does anyone find this as funny as I do?

My week in pictures..

H class stuff including: art, science, muffin eating, and goofing!





The new ME and my big kids who are coming over tomorrow for a Christmas Party I suppose I should start child proofing my house!

Koreana

I always see this ad when I go to Express Bus Terminal but never have my camera with me. Turns out, Wednesday I did! So I took a picture of it. There is a tv advertisment for the same product, a BIDET, which for those who don't know is a fancy French name for a toilet that squirts water to clean your bum after you poo. Anyway, look at the chick's bum! In the tv ad after she uses the bidet the horn disappears and a rose appears. You'd never see an ad like this back home :)

I feel like a new woman..litterally. The salon botched the colour they did on the weekend so I went back tonight to get them to fix it and give me what I had actually asked for. My hair is the darkest brown you can imagine. It is going to take some getting used to! I'll post a pic tomorrow!

Resolutions for dating

I was just reading an article about 5 relationship resolutions for women for 2007.

They are as follows..

1. I will learn to say "next!"-I will not worry that I'll end up in a rocking chair surrounded by cats and empty wine bottles. I will remember that there will always be another.

2. I will expect more and tolerate less - when common consideration is breached? Next!

3. I will get busy- Why hasn't he called? Who knows? But I do know that I should be too busy to worry about it.

4. I will not play it cool - If the situation calls for it, and the difference between sucking it up and having a bit of a blowup could be months of festering in a foul mood, I'm going to let him have it.

5. I will lighten up - A man's opinion of me is not more important that my own opinion of myself, so I shouldn't take it so seriously. I will remember to laugh more, worry less and like who I am - man or no man - and to redirect some of that energy into pleasing myself.

Those are okay but here are mine..

1. If he is a sharp dresser and has better skin than I do, RUN, RUN away as fast as I can because he's gay.

2. If he believes in more than one God, RUN, RUN away as fast as I can because he's not normal.

3. ASK before even sitting down if he has just broken up with a girlfriend in the last 3 months if he says yes, RUN, RUN away as fast as I can because he's going to be an emotional mess in many ways.

4. If what his culture thinks his dating a non " insert denomination here" could never lead to marriage and he let's his culture lead him around by the balls.. RUN, RUN away as fast as I can because he can't give me what I need no matter how hot he may be.

5. Never trust my own judgement. THEY must be questioned by Rachel Lynn first!

Why do people feel the need to tell me juicy secrets? I'm not the right person! When you tell me something juicy it's hard for me not to share!! I won't in this case but seriously you are making it hard for me!

I just got off the phone with my dear friend in Cairo and now I'm so excited I don't know how I'm going to sleep!

Ok smarties. I was changing batteries in my camera and snapped this pic of the tv of one of my all time favorite flicks. Do you know what movie it is?

11 more sleeps

11 more sleeps until Cario. After over 20 years of longing to go there..it's finally happening next weekend. I still can't believe it!

I stole this pic from Rachel Lynn because well, we're all so freaking awesome!!!

Cam turned me onto this program calledTVU. It allows you to watch live television broadcasts from around the world. There is even an NHL channel! Love it!

Our Christmas Dinner + Drinks

We did the same as last year and went to the Swiss Chalet (not the same as in Canada) for fondue. Our dinner was a little early this year because I'm leaving for Egypt, Jes and RL are going to Malaysia, Joel is going to LA, and Cam is going to Canada. Cam, Joel, and I ended up feeling like garbage after we ate it though. Then we went to B1 where the music was so awesome I almost forgot about how icky I felt. I ended up leaving when RL, Joel, and SaeJin decided to change bars. It was fun :)

Pics Pics Pics!

Here are pics from the last two days. I am so happy to have a camera again!!!

In H class






The adventures of The Beaver



Beauty School Drop Outs....


Sandra Dee


Rizzo


Frenchie

Jes' transformation from long to short and hot!




Pics from our Christmas Party coming soon..

Today was the BEST day in a long time

I have all kinds of goodness on my camera to share but it's late and I don't want to make Heidi mad by not being on time for our date in the morning. I do gaurantee some good photos to follow though. Today I got the best package from my moms for Christmas and I got the sexiest slippers from Cheryl and Mark! I can't wait to wear em! The box was packed with so much goodness I'm not over it yet. Then before my kindergartens went home today my supervisor came into my classroom and said she needed to talk with me as soon as my kids went home. My boss NEVER comes to ask to see me unless there is a problem. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I would have done wrong. She took me into the conference room and had my folder with my contract in it with a very serious look on her face. I was worried! Turns out she just wanted to tell me that she is GIVING ME A RAISE! Seriously I almost fell out of the chair! I haven't heard of anyone getting a raise in the middle of a contract in this country but ya know what? I'll freakin take it! I finished off the day with a yummy dinner and beers with RL ;) Good times. Pics to follow tomorrow or Sunday after our day at the salon and our night out tomorrow!

YES! YES! YES!

I can't express to you the joy I am feeling right now! I just returned from a very fruitfull trip to Yongsan with Rachel Lynn. We both walked away VERY happy. I was able to get my camera fixed for only 20 dollars!! Since I had budgeted to get a new one..I was able to get my camera fixed..a new 1 gig mem card..and a new MP3 player for half of what I was planning on spending on a camera!!! Rachel Lynn bought the sexiest camera EVER and a new MP3 player as well. I love us so much right now!!!

Rachel Lynn skipping with joy!Rachel Lynn with her finger inside her new beaver! Pretty Lights Rachel Lynn looking so happy

No pics of me tonight because I was so happy to be just taking them..tomorrow night though RL and I have a mission...you'll see LOADS of pics!

So I'm a little frustraited..I've been on my supervisor all week to listen to and approve our graduation songs because I have a kid going to the states util mid January and she is going to miss a month of practice. I need to get her script and cd ready so she can practice at home and on her trip. FINALLY on my way home tonight she told me I had to change one of my songs because one of them had to be a kids song. LAME! My kids are so awesome they can sing whatever I throw at them..but whatever now I have to change part of my script because I there are no cool kids songs about feeling sad and hurt. They could have sang Everybody Hurts no problem! Now I am going to change one of the kids emotions to hopeful or something and we're going to sing This Little Light of Mine by Raffi.

Now that that's done I can focus on the bazillion other things I need to get finished before I leave for winter vacation. My mind is spinning..tomorrow I'm going to check out cameras with RL after work. I am hoping mine can be fixed *fingers crossed* if not I have to get a new one. Once I get that out of the way I have only a few more personal things to get done before Cairo which will be good. I can't wait to start posting pics on here again!!

No Heroes until Jan 1st and no Prison Break until Jan 22nd? That's bullshit! grrrr

16 MORE DAYS WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!

I am sooo ready for the weekend and it's only Tuesday, is that bad? I just talked to Heidi and we're having a girlie day on Saturday (along with the wonderful Jes) and we're all getting our hair done! I'm still debating about colour and what I want but I'm stoked to be getting it done finally! Then we're going out for delicious fondue and then crazy drinking (well at least Joel and I will be). I am getting my camera fixed on Friday night or getting a new one if they can't fix it. FINALLY there will be photos on here again!!!!

Hommos

The fabulous Miss Koco get's all the photo taking credit for this one but it is so freakin funny I feel the need to share it! Gotta love when Koreans translate to English :)

The countdown is on

Who am I kidding the countdown has been on since September when I decided I was going but in 18 days I'll be in Cairo :) I couldn't stop thinking about it today, probably because every single inch of my body felt like it had been dipped in ice water and put out in the cold winter wind to dry. Seriously! The only heated areas are our classrooms everywhere else in the school/building feels like walking outside! Just imagine what the bathrooms are like and for some bloody reason they keep the windows in the bathroom open!!! Are you doing an experiment to see if I get frost bite on my ass??? I can't wait to throw on some sandles again and run in the sand!

In other news my entire class is sick (I mean all on antiobiotics or not at school sick) thanks to them (I am going to assume) I got tonsilitis. I hate the germy sickensses of wintertime!

I love Heidi. She just dropped a HUGE bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups off at my door! I totally don't need them and will hide them away so I forget where there are..but for now I might just have a lil chocolatey peanut buttery goodness! I'm so glad you can't buy them here in Seoul (well you can but you must hunt and hunt black market shops to find em). Thanks to Min for getting them for me in the first place :)

It's amazing how much of a difference a little sleep can make to change your mood. My songs today are much different than yesturday.

Mood- Happy and blasé at the same time.

Songs -

1. Gwen Stefani - Wind it up
2. Narcotic Thrust - Waiting For You
3. Ian Pooley - Spicey Snapper
4. Stonebridge - Take me Away
5. Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod

People always say to me here..you think it's cold? Aren't you from Canada and born and raised in the snow? That's a load of crap! Just because my home country is cold in the winter does not mean I can withstand the cold or enjoy it! It is soooooooo cold outside I just want to lay on my heated floors and not move! BUUUUURRRRRRRR

Music

I have a question for all of you...

Tell me 5 songs that fit exactly with what you are feeling right now (don't forget to tell me how you're feeling too).

Since I asked I will answer my own question..

My mood = I'm feeling nostalgic as well as emotionally derailed. Sometimes I let myself retract into a little place in my head and heart that I so desperately try to avoid going to. Sometimes a song or words or something I see instantly takes me there.

The songs

1. All I want is you - U2
2. I just can't stop loving you - Michael Jackson
3. Walk on by - Sybil
4. Leaving London - Team SR
5. I Miss You -Incubus


On another musical note..I have discovered the best place on the net! It's called Last Fm. You type in the name of an artist you really like and then it creates a radio station instantly for you and plays music similar to that artist. If you like House or Club music like I do you'll DIG this site! I have been listening to the most bad ass music! You just download the player and it just finds the music for you and plays it. You can fast forward through tracks..save them if you like them. No more downloading music for me for a longggg time this site RULES!!!

I love my friends especially Park Sae Jin

Tonight I was planning on staying home but things change. I ended up in a bar with Joel again..surprise surprise. I met up with the gang first at Geckos and Sae Jin told me he was feeling unloved because there were not enough photos of him posted here. I reasured him, my love for him was strong..just to prove it...

One for the Canadians..

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I LOVE coffee. I have cut down from my 8-10 cups a day back in Canada to about 2 here in Korea. The reason being is that Korea is seriously lacking in decent coffee. Sure there are Starbucks and Coffee Beans everywhere but to be honest..I think they over-roast their beans and it tastes too burnt for my liking. I miss good o'l Tims coffee. When I went home this summer the first thing I did after I landed in Vancouver was make a bee line for the closest Tim Hortons!

I refuse to spoil the delicious flavour of my coffee by adding milk or cream or sugar to my java. I like it hot and black and flavourful. I laughed a bit to myself when I read this article today about Tim Hortons opening up in Kandahar. I guess the troups were really rallying for it! What I found funny about this article as how they described the Tim Hortons' lingo. Anyway..read on you might find it amusing too!

About 1,300 customers a day file through the Kandahar Tim Hortons from 12 different countries stationed on the base.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - It turns out the universal language isn't the language of love after all - at least not here at Kandahar Airfield. Troops here, you see, are all strictly adhering to a "non-fraternization" policy - in other words, no hand holding, no kissing and definitely no sex - even if you and your spouse happen to be serving here together.

No, the universal language here is all about coffee.

"I'll have a large double-double and a regular," said a young soldier with an Australian accent, stopping in at the base Tim Hortons (TSX:THI).

"We call it Tim Hortonese - Tim Hortons lingo," laughs Kelly Taylor, 42, of Oromocto, N.B. who has been working at the base since July while her military husband is at home.

"The British will come up and ask us for a regular coffee, only 'regular' in Tim Hortons language is one milk, one sugar. Only to them it's not - it's white, whatever that means," she added.

Believe it or not, 1,300 customers per day file through the Kandahar Tim Hortons from 12 different countries stationed on the base. Whereas Canadians file in and out as if they are on a conveyor belt, it takes a lot longer for others.

"It takes a little while to pick up the lingo," said Air Engineering Technician Daniel Stace from Darbyshire, England, who is in the Royal Navy.

"A double-double? It took me a while to work that one out but normally I just stick to the bagels and the orange juice," he said.

Others don't even try to learn the language of Tims.

"No, not yet, because I only just drink black coffee and so that's just fine by me," said Sgt. Mike Koninkle of the Netherlands.

"I'm not quite familiar with all the slang around Tim Hortons and I just drink coffee and that's it and I don't need all the fancy coffee or tea," he added.

Taylor boasts that she can tell a soldier's nationality at the base even if they speak perfect English and are not wearing a uniform, simply by what they order.

"The British and the Dutch mostly will order Boston creams and Canadian maples. . . and the Americans will probably order five dozen donuts at a time. And the British and the Dutch always order the very sweet cappuccinos," Taylor explained.

"Canadians order bagels and coffee," she said.

It's so true! I seriously wish someone would open a Tims here in Seoul! Speaking of which..that is another thing I do not need for Christmas. I have soooo much Tims from last year in my freezer I'm all set!