When we came back to school on 20th February we were just thinking "week-to-week" as the situation was so variable. We were never sure if one day something would happen and we would close again. We were never thinking; 20th Feb until 14th April; that's 8 weeks to get through.
As the first few weeks passed there were ups and downs; having the majority of students in was good, going around the streets and the pictures on the TV were more positive, but the realisation that we'd lost two weeks teaching (and although we were back in school no student was 100% focused) but still had exams to prep for, and the sudden tank presence when there was a sign of trouble, was a concern. But we got through it. It just wore us down.
It was back at uni when we had 8-week terms and the "fifth-week blues" would set in, but here they were again. Both of us were tired, a little grumpy, things were unsettling, annoying, fustrating, then we'd be exhausted and agitated, when small things went wrong they'd turn in to big things. It goes on. This was the fifth week blues alright, but we knew it was just a few more weeks until it would be over because we had the holiday coming up and the exam classes and deadlines would arrive.
Just a few more weeks.
Just as we think we can make it to the end, things start going into overdrive. Two weeks before the end of term I drop my camera (previous blog post) - not a disaster, but annoying - then I manage to destroy my mooncup - again no disaster, but annoying and a sign of weariness. At work things aren't so great either as the whole of the online learning platform that Scotty runs at work goes caput in a worldwide hacking attempt. A combination of bad luck through the hacking and lost back-ups means the last full version is three weeks old. While Scott is not responsible for any of this it is a huge burden to try and sort out and field enquiries from staff and students. Entering the last week of term we also have one of the hellish drives home. The drive home can take under 30 mins if the roads are totally clear, but normally takes about 40 mins. This time though it took over 2 1/2 hours as the ring road was solid with traffic due to an oil tanker crashing and spilling its load all over the road.
My parents are with us by this point and we have a great weekend with them including a trip to the delta to explore the ancient sites of Bubastis and Tanis (see other blog post). It's a nice distraction from work to come home and see them. You'd think this would be the end of our nightmare term, but it's got a final few things to throw at us!
A week and a half later on from discovering the hacking attempt/backup problem, Scott finally manages to solve the problem, but within 24-hours the internet at work goes down! It turns out someone has stolen the copper cables it runs on (again). This fustrates everyone as we are in the dieing days of term and no way to check emails or the web. In this time I also find out that we've been randomly selected for an audit of our CAS pogramme, so I need to find evidence of what we do and write an evaluation document.
Then on the Wednesday evening (one day of term left!) we come home and M&D say that the water has been off. We tend to not have as many water cuts as other apartments, but they do happen, so we're not totally surprised. When they say that it has been out since mid-morning though we think that sounds a little strange, so I head upstairs to our neighbour to ask if they also have no water. It turns out to be affecting everyone she says, as they only have very little water (we can get a dribble through the kitchen tap). Oh well - one more thing, but with a trip to the Mall to use their bathrooms before bed (!) we'll get through it.
Thursday morning and the water still isn't on when we leave for work. At work it's at the back of our minds, but we figure it can't keep being off forever. It's a blow then to come home on the last day of a hellish term to find the water still off. That's 36 hours with no water and no explanaition. M&D say that Fatma, our cleaner, spoke to Badry, oue bowab, who said that the water would be turned on again at lunch time. We decide to give him a little longer, so I pop upstairs to check with the neighbour who says with surprise that she has had her water back since last night! Meanwhile Scott hears a noise downstairs and it's Badry cleaning the steps using a water hose. What's going on? Scott gets Badry to come up and take a look and he soon gets on his phone - apparently also surprised that we don't have water. Maybe 30 minutes later a plumber shows up (who fortunatly carries more equipment that most other tradesmen who get by with a hammer and a screwdriver it seems). He bashes around at the inlet pipe a bit and then comes to a conclusion; the pipe entering the apartment (not the building) is blocked, so he will have to clean it.
Finally an answer about what is going on!
This is one of the most fustrating things about living here is that when things go wrong there is no recourse and no straighforward way to deal with them. If the water wasn't working in the UK you'd know where the stop cock was in the flat, you'd be able to look outside and see if they are digging up the road, and if they're not you'd be able to find Thames Waters' number to call them. Here plumbers may be cheap, but he's got no real way of explaining to us what the problem is - or why it has happened.
He tells us he can come back to clean and fix it, but not tonight, nor tomorrow (Friday) or Saturday, so he will come on Sunday. Well we're not here on Sunday as we'll be in Siwa. Great.
I get the plumbers phone number from Badry and then call our landlord and ask him if he can call the plumber and be here when the plumber visits. He says he is busy, but OK.
Again - in the UK you'd know where you stood with this sort of thing. Here it feels like I am asking a huge favour for the landlord to deal with the fact that by Sunday it will be 5 days without water in the apartment! What the landlord is most concerned about is that the apartment isn't flooded ("The water is broken?" me: "Yes", "So there is water in the apartment?" "No. There is no water in the apartment" "Oh. So what is the problem?" "There has been no water for five days, this is the problem")
Needless to say, Scotty and I aren't in the greatest of moods. We've finally got to the end of term and then this! This was not the end of term we had in mind! Still - the plumber knows what the problem is, he will come and fix it on Sunday and we've got a holiday to go on! We give La Rosa a quick call to check they have a table and then set off with a bottle of red to have a lovely dinner (and use their bathroom of course!).
Tuesday 19th at 6.40pm
It's taken us 10 and a half hours to drive from Siwa back home and although the minibus isn't that bad (we've got seats for 8 people and it's just the four of us we're glad to be home. A quick flick of the tap though and we see that the water situation hasn't changed. We knew it!
I try calling the landlord, but no answer. So on to Plan B....a friend has given us the number of the plumber she uses, so I try calling Abu Youssef.
When she said his English wasn't great she was right, but I tried in my basic arabic to explain "Salem. El bait mafish meya" trans. "Hello. My house no water" He recognises two things; my lack of arabic and my desparation. So he puts a few friends on the line who have slightly better English and I repeat my plea. Eventually I get a "Meshi. Wahed Sanna" which suggests he will come in an hour.
My phone then rings and it's the landlord. He tells me that he has been too busy at work to come over, but that he rang the plumber and the plumber did come around on Sunday, but our "servant" (!) wasn't there. This is classic - why can no one communicate properly? If only he'd told us he couldn't come around (instead of saying yes he could) or had told us when the plumber would come, then we would have asked Fatma to stay in. He asks if he should call the plumber now and get him to come around. I decline, as although I'm not 100% convinced by Abu Youssef I will give him a chance as I don't want what is bound to then happen; two plumbers to turn up and start fighting about the job!
Phone rings again and it's now Abu Youssef again - it's just 30 minutes later and he is on our street calling to check the address (well he finds someone who speaks excellent English to call and find out the address!)
Soon enough he arrives and the bowab's wife brings him to the apartment along with the bowab. They both tinker in the pink bathroom with the inlet pipe and then there is some bashing and the sound of gushing water. A good sign, maybe?
It takes about 30 minutes in all (and a few towels and a mop) for him to deal with whatever was blocking the inlet pipe. He and the bowab clean up and bit and check that al the taps are working - even the toilet is making that annoying gurgle sound as it fills up.
50LE job done! We finally get down to some dinner in peace and quiet and with running water. Lots of showers, laundry and showers will soon test it to the extreme.
Wednesday 20th at 10am
The phone rings and it's Abu Youssef "Meya quias?" I laugh, "awya, meya quais. Shukran awi!" That's nice - he's called to check that the water was still ok :)
I know this has been a long post, but I thought I needed to chronical something about the craziness that was the end of this term!
As the first few weeks passed there were ups and downs; having the majority of students in was good, going around the streets and the pictures on the TV were more positive, but the realisation that we'd lost two weeks teaching (and although we were back in school no student was 100% focused) but still had exams to prep for, and the sudden tank presence when there was a sign of trouble, was a concern. But we got through it. It just wore us down.
It was back at uni when we had 8-week terms and the "fifth-week blues" would set in, but here they were again. Both of us were tired, a little grumpy, things were unsettling, annoying, fustrating, then we'd be exhausted and agitated, when small things went wrong they'd turn in to big things. It goes on. This was the fifth week blues alright, but we knew it was just a few more weeks until it would be over because we had the holiday coming up and the exam classes and deadlines would arrive.
Just a few more weeks.
Just as we think we can make it to the end, things start going into overdrive. Two weeks before the end of term I drop my camera (previous blog post) - not a disaster, but annoying - then I manage to destroy my mooncup - again no disaster, but annoying and a sign of weariness. At work things aren't so great either as the whole of the online learning platform that Scotty runs at work goes caput in a worldwide hacking attempt. A combination of bad luck through the hacking and lost back-ups means the last full version is three weeks old. While Scott is not responsible for any of this it is a huge burden to try and sort out and field enquiries from staff and students. Entering the last week of term we also have one of the hellish drives home. The drive home can take under 30 mins if the roads are totally clear, but normally takes about 40 mins. This time though it took over 2 1/2 hours as the ring road was solid with traffic due to an oil tanker crashing and spilling its load all over the road.
My parents are with us by this point and we have a great weekend with them including a trip to the delta to explore the ancient sites of Bubastis and Tanis (see other blog post). It's a nice distraction from work to come home and see them. You'd think this would be the end of our nightmare term, but it's got a final few things to throw at us!
A week and a half later on from discovering the hacking attempt/backup problem, Scott finally manages to solve the problem, but within 24-hours the internet at work goes down! It turns out someone has stolen the copper cables it runs on (again). This fustrates everyone as we are in the dieing days of term and no way to check emails or the web. In this time I also find out that we've been randomly selected for an audit of our CAS pogramme, so I need to find evidence of what we do and write an evaluation document.
Then on the Wednesday evening (one day of term left!) we come home and M&D say that the water has been off. We tend to not have as many water cuts as other apartments, but they do happen, so we're not totally surprised. When they say that it has been out since mid-morning though we think that sounds a little strange, so I head upstairs to our neighbour to ask if they also have no water. It turns out to be affecting everyone she says, as they only have very little water (we can get a dribble through the kitchen tap). Oh well - one more thing, but with a trip to the Mall to use their bathrooms before bed (!) we'll get through it.
Thursday morning and the water still isn't on when we leave for work. At work it's at the back of our minds, but we figure it can't keep being off forever. It's a blow then to come home on the last day of a hellish term to find the water still off. That's 36 hours with no water and no explanaition. M&D say that Fatma, our cleaner, spoke to Badry, oue bowab, who said that the water would be turned on again at lunch time. We decide to give him a little longer, so I pop upstairs to check with the neighbour who says with surprise that she has had her water back since last night! Meanwhile Scott hears a noise downstairs and it's Badry cleaning the steps using a water hose. What's going on? Scott gets Badry to come up and take a look and he soon gets on his phone - apparently also surprised that we don't have water. Maybe 30 minutes later a plumber shows up (who fortunatly carries more equipment that most other tradesmen who get by with a hammer and a screwdriver it seems). He bashes around at the inlet pipe a bit and then comes to a conclusion; the pipe entering the apartment (not the building) is blocked, so he will have to clean it.
Finally an answer about what is going on!
This is one of the most fustrating things about living here is that when things go wrong there is no recourse and no straighforward way to deal with them. If the water wasn't working in the UK you'd know where the stop cock was in the flat, you'd be able to look outside and see if they are digging up the road, and if they're not you'd be able to find Thames Waters' number to call them. Here plumbers may be cheap, but he's got no real way of explaining to us what the problem is - or why it has happened.
He tells us he can come back to clean and fix it, but not tonight, nor tomorrow (Friday) or Saturday, so he will come on Sunday. Well we're not here on Sunday as we'll be in Siwa. Great.
I get the plumbers phone number from Badry and then call our landlord and ask him if he can call the plumber and be here when the plumber visits. He says he is busy, but OK.
Again - in the UK you'd know where you stood with this sort of thing. Here it feels like I am asking a huge favour for the landlord to deal with the fact that by Sunday it will be 5 days without water in the apartment! What the landlord is most concerned about is that the apartment isn't flooded ("The water is broken?" me: "Yes", "So there is water in the apartment?" "No. There is no water in the apartment" "Oh. So what is the problem?" "There has been no water for five days, this is the problem")
Needless to say, Scotty and I aren't in the greatest of moods. We've finally got to the end of term and then this! This was not the end of term we had in mind! Still - the plumber knows what the problem is, he will come and fix it on Sunday and we've got a holiday to go on! We give La Rosa a quick call to check they have a table and then set off with a bottle of red to have a lovely dinner (and use their bathroom of course!).
Tuesday 19th at 6.40pm
It's taken us 10 and a half hours to drive from Siwa back home and although the minibus isn't that bad (we've got seats for 8 people and it's just the four of us we're glad to be home. A quick flick of the tap though and we see that the water situation hasn't changed. We knew it!
I try calling the landlord, but no answer. So on to Plan B....a friend has given us the number of the plumber she uses, so I try calling Abu Youssef.
When she said his English wasn't great she was right, but I tried in my basic arabic to explain "Salem. El bait mafish meya" trans. "Hello. My house no water" He recognises two things; my lack of arabic and my desparation. So he puts a few friends on the line who have slightly better English and I repeat my plea. Eventually I get a "Meshi. Wahed Sanna" which suggests he will come in an hour.
My phone then rings and it's the landlord. He tells me that he has been too busy at work to come over, but that he rang the plumber and the plumber did come around on Sunday, but our "servant" (!) wasn't there. This is classic - why can no one communicate properly? If only he'd told us he couldn't come around (instead of saying yes he could) or had told us when the plumber would come, then we would have asked Fatma to stay in. He asks if he should call the plumber now and get him to come around. I decline, as although I'm not 100% convinced by Abu Youssef I will give him a chance as I don't want what is bound to then happen; two plumbers to turn up and start fighting about the job!
Phone rings again and it's now Abu Youssef again - it's just 30 minutes later and he is on our street calling to check the address (well he finds someone who speaks excellent English to call and find out the address!)
Soon enough he arrives and the bowab's wife brings him to the apartment along with the bowab. They both tinker in the pink bathroom with the inlet pipe and then there is some bashing and the sound of gushing water. A good sign, maybe?
It takes about 30 minutes in all (and a few towels and a mop) for him to deal with whatever was blocking the inlet pipe. He and the bowab clean up and bit and check that al the taps are working - even the toilet is making that annoying gurgle sound as it fills up.
50LE job done! We finally get down to some dinner in peace and quiet and with running water. Lots of showers, laundry and showers will soon test it to the extreme.
Wednesday 20th at 10am
The phone rings and it's Abu Youssef "Meya quias?" I laugh, "awya, meya quais. Shukran awi!" That's nice - he's called to check that the water was still ok :)
I know this has been a long post, but I thought I needed to chronical something about the craziness that was the end of this term!
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