Friday, September 7, 2018



ORIENTATION CONTINUES, CLASSROOM SET UP BEGINS and CAC OPENS ITS DOORS FOR THE 2018/19 SCHOOL YEAR...


It has been made abundantly clear to all of the CAC new hires that in order make the most of our time in Egypt we should be flexible, embrace our new host country and strengthen our ties to the community that makes up this incredible learning facility.  From all accounts, we are in a unique and very special place.  The communal vibe of the 12 or so new teachers appears to match the schools motto: learn, explore and have fun.  I know I am definitely living and working in the right place. 


My buddy has been an valuable source of information as she has shared her insights and love of this wonderful country. Since my first initial blog post, life has been very busy and filled with moments of the hectic beginning of the school year set up preparations.  It took much time and energy to organise our physical spaces at work and my Pre-K environment is beautiful.  It reflects the importance placed on the environment as the third teacher and has lots of lovely natural light and spaces dedicated to children's work and play.  Parent orientation offered me the opportunity to meet with the 13 new families and it is always helpful for the children to spend a few hours in their new classroom the day before school begins.  Every classroom teacher probably the world over, faces similar parental queries at the start of a new school year ~ How will my child cope when they don't speak English?  Will they last a full day?  Are they going to make friends? Can you tell us about the programme?

We inherited a baby tortoise and have named it Little Bubbles!
The Pre-K teaching space at CAC is beautiful 

It has been a seamless transition to life at CAC and the Pre-K children have been attending school for two weeks already now.  I have felt a sense of warmth and belonging from my first moments here.  It is an extremely open and friendly community.  The children have adapted well to their new environment and we are busy establishing our classroom community.  As a collective, they are so inquisitive and extremely keen to grow and learn as much as they can in our year together. Our days have been filled with encounters that have been unhurried and vastly enjoyable.  


There is so much to see and do in Cairo and it was wonderful to visit Giza with the new hires last weekend to get up close and personal with the pyramids and the sphinx - all a short 30 minute trip from where we live!  They are such incredible structures and its awe inspiring to spend time in Giza.

The one and only sphinx
A towering feat of architecture
I have begun to shop with a vengeance and have procured some stunning treasures to add to my collection in Mumbai.  But I am still remembering the importance of being balanced!  So today, I joined some wise people in the know, who led me to the Le Meridien Hotel for a pool day - all with a view of those stunning pyramids.

Blue skies providing the perfect back drop to the poolside view from Cairo's Le Meridien

How could life be any better?  

                                                               ~ Samantha
       

1 comment:

  1. Sam,
    Love baby bubbles and that you are finding the balance! Thank you for all you are doing to embrace this incredible opportunity and wishing you and Trillian continued professional experiences and personal adventures.

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