Week 2 in Paradise

Salam! 

Two weeks of my Egyptian adventure have past and what a time it's been! We are still on the coast of egypt staying at a compound on the sea. It's so beautiful here and the weather is perfect. VERY hot at times, but the evenings can even get chilly with the sea breeze. Walk down the street from our house and you find white sandy beaches and a coffee shop with one of the best drinks i've ever had. I don't know what anything is called because it's in arabic and it's hard to remember it all- which is why i'm holding off on a food post right now ;). Someday.

Things with the family are going well. The kids and I are getting closer and we're really working on the issues i'm here to help with. My approach to child care really builds a solid relationship rather than just another person to play with until they need their mommy. 'A' might hate that I won't let him get away with things, but he reaches for my hand when he's scared-and that's trust. Anyone can play ball or explore a yard, but why i'm here is to show this boy love- in every way. Even the hard parts. Being a professional Nanny in this culture is very difficult on many levels. I'm not here as just a playmate or the extra hands to do the grunt work(though that comes along with it too). A mom has come to me without wisdom as to how to train her children- she needs my help. I'm somewhat strict, I preach consistency every single day, my eyes are the ones that M's meet when she needs approval on her response to a behavior. That is not the typical role of hired help here. I don't call her "madame" or anything like that. I'm Amanda, she's M, and we eat together, talk about the things happening in Egypt, compare homes and cultures, we are becoming friends AND family. But nothing happens over night. Especially not when there is a goal to be reached, tasks accomplished in the mean time. 

I'm really picking up Arabic fairly quickly. My vocabulary is all of 12 words, but I use them on a daily basis. My sentences resemble A's in the sense that they are english and Arabic intermixed. It's hard to explain..but it's comical i'm sure. A, the toddler, speaks quite a lot of english in comparison to Arabic. His extended family teases asking if he's american or egyptian. I don't help that issue seeing as he's picking up little things I say now. His mom accidentally dripped water on his leg and he responded, "careful!" I am really trying to integrate as much arabic as I can in my vocabulary, not only to make communicating easier for me, but for the children's over all well being. 

I'm adjusting, but it's not always easy. I think i'm starting to settle in better now and i'm hopeful that things will become smoother. As things settle in the home, the state of political distress is getting worse. We aren't concerned about me, so much as their immediate and long term future. I can always leave, but this is their home..and it's so unsteady right now. I posted a status on Facebook this week that expressed my desire for everyone back home to not take for granted their freedom and the amount of fairness that our country allows. I won't go into my political views-not American or Egyptian- but I will just say Thank God for what we have. Don't forget it. Please, pray for Egypt. 

Prayer requests are pretty much the same. For my health physically and spiritually, my relationship with the family and especially the children, and for a rich experience throughout. 

Blogging isn't my strength, so I hope they aren't too hard to follow! I'm trying to pack a lot into a post and it still make sense- i'm trying ;) 

Amanda