I’m in this weird in-between time at the moment; I have started the school year part-time, and so have days that I am not working, but I’ve not yet got the baby, so I’m on my own on these days off. It feels very odd to have Scotty go off to work and me stay at home – and this is only the second day of it!
My first day off I took during the first week back at work. I took it in the middle of the week as although I was feeling ‘OK’ at the time, I wasn’t convinced I would get to the end of the week still feeling the same way! That day I did get up at the same time as Scotty and we had breakfast together, but then after he left for work I went back to bed. I’d planned to only rest for an hour or so, but ended up resting until 10am – which meant my plan of getting some cooking done was out of the window as I had something to do at 11am.
The big thing on my ‘to do ‘ list that day was to visit the Telecom Egypt Maadi Centraal and to speak to the Manager there about changing our phone line.
We had a call last night from Etisalat that they cannot install our internet because our phone line is not compatible and so if we want ADSL it needs to be changed. Ironically ‘not compatible’ is because the line has been upgraded, not because the line is too old! So I have to try and request that we are rolled-back to an old copper line again.
I head to the Telecom Egypt building by the satellites, but it turns out that this is not in fact the Centraal. I am directed along a small dirt road beside the petrol station and in to the Cairo Contact Park which is currently being built. About 10 minutes along this ‘road’ I find the run down building (why is this building so old and run down in the middle of a new development?) and just walk in to the first office I can find to ask for help. No one there really speaks English, but I manage to say a few key words and they understand what I want. I’m put on the phone to an engineer at the exchange who says he will check for me if the line can be changed. While all this is happening the two girls in the office I find myself in are giggling and then ask, using gesture, if I am pregnant. I say that I am and the Manager offers me his seat! It’s very warm without any AC in here and so I accept and get out my small bottle of cold water to sip. After a while the engineer calls back to say he needs to check later today and so I should call him back tomorrow.
The trip out has been a partial success I feel, as they didn’t say outright that it would be impossible to change the line. And the fact that I found the Centraal to start with feels good. Now though I have to walk back along the dust road in the midday heat which is tiring, but is good exercise I tell myself!
After all that I decided to treat myself to a cold drink and some time in the air-con at Costa by the Grand Mall. I normally wouldn’t do this, but figure I deserve it! The drink is cold and almost gives me brain freeze, but it’s good. With my energy back I head in to the Grand Mall to pick out a birthday cake for Scotty. I need to get something that is large enough to feed most of the Secondary staff, but don’t want to try and feed everyone as that might bankrupt us! I pick out two cakes – one chocolate and one vanilla with fruit and manage to negotiate my way in to the back of a taxi with them. I now have an hour to grab a little lunch and then get showered and down to the BCA. I figure that arriving at 2.30 will be when most staff are on their way still, but actually most are already there. I grab a drink and get the cakes in the fridge and start to catch up with people – my first day off successfully managed!
So on to my second ‘day off’ and again I get up with Scotty but head back to bed and get an hour of good rest until getting up for breakfast. Gina is coming today and so I want to be up when she arrives. Once she is all set I head out to the CSA. This is the first time I’ve been to the CSA during the day and I’m hoping that if I come regularly I will have the chance to meet some other people, possibly people with babies or kids but at least have some ‘outside world’ contact during the day when Scotty’s at work.
It takes me 15 minutes to walk here (I’m using the cafe’s free wi-fi to upload this blog post) and when I walk in the gate the yard is busy with ladies chatting and having coffee. I notice one pram (but no baby in sight….very confusing) and one toddler, but everyone seems to be just around and chatting. Some people have been to the gym already and others are here for the Cooks Day Off – where you can buy home-made meals…a great alternative to Otlob when things get stressed for us!
The other things on my list to do today are to get myself to Carrefour and do some shopping; we need a few things including a vacuum cleaner (it’s really nice to have three large rugs in the living room, but we’re worried that without cleaning them they are going to trap dust like anything!) and an emergency light. The emergency light idea has come about as we have had two black outs in the two weeks we’ve been back. Whilst we can cope with a torch-lit dinner we don’t think it will be as easy to cope once the Baba Ganough comes along. We have noted that both black outs lasted precisely one-hour…random or rolling? We think rolling.
When you move place there are so many small things that you just don’t realise you need. We had used the peeler and the collider that belonged to the old apartment before, and now need to buy our own. Also we’ve got a different TV set up now and so need some new cables (and cable ties of course for keeping things nice and neat!)
30 mins later - OK so two babies have arrived at the CSA so I’m off outside to see if I can meet them!
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