-20

Short post.

What does a guy do 20 weeks before he leaves for Egypt?

I try to answer a lot of questions, most of which are still unanswerable.

It's funny to see what reactions people have when they learn I've made the decision to leave. I suppose the reactions are as varied as the people who ask them, but they are always revealing. What's hardest is most questions that are asked are not yet answerable by me.

Everybody wants to know so much about Egypt. What I'm most concerned with right now is what is here. While many are excited for me and wonder about the next step, I am spending more focus and time taking care of the business at hand. I'm working hard to leave my personal and professional life here in good stead. I want to make sure the transition for the students and school here are better than they were when I started. (For those of you that remember, my first semester was impossibly difficult, and I wouldn't want anybody to have to experience that - students or adults.) Certainly, I'm taking measures to prepare, but the bigger worries currently lie at home.

So, what does a guy do 20 weeks before he leaves for Egypt?

Nine things come to mind.

1. I start taking the shots. Hep. B is a 4 month process...a series of inoculations that can not be hurried. Typhoid is easier. Either take one single shot which protects for 2 years, or ingest 4 pills that protect for 5 years. It's weird how that works. But despite my fear I'll screw it up, I'm taking the pills - they must be taken 48 hours apart, on an empty stomach, and cannot be washed down with hot liquid for at least 60 minutes. So, I'll take them in the morning and struggle until I get my coffee fix.

2. I visit with bankers and other financial gurus to set up securities for my investments, and protocols for procedures and controls I can maintain via internet and from a distance.

3. I visit with potential renters for my house. (Things look good on this front.) It's a bad time to sell, and in the larger picture is silly to sell a good home that I know will appreciate in value. My portfolio will always need diversity, so why not keep a little real estate...and a cushion - a place to come back to live in.

4. I contact my future employer about my future job expectations, and await their response. (Yeah, this is looking ahead, but it's necessary to begin that preparation...)

5. I purchase the rest of my photo equipment needs, and wait eagerly for it's arrival. This anticipation is greatly increased after taking a group of high school students to a lecture at Creighton by Bill Frakes, where I and many students are reinvigorated while witnessing the power of photography and photo story.

6. I continue to listen to the poor man's version of "The Rosetta Stone" on my way to work and back home after work. Sometimes, I can remember on demand how to order food in a restaurant for myself or for another man or woman, say hello, or tell another person that I, he, or she is thirsty in Arabic. Other times, I don't remember a thing.

7. I work harder to cherish the relationships I have while here. Certainly, distance will not be my best ally in this area, so I'm trying to enjoy every day with the people I care about.

8. I start reading voraciously. There is so much to learn.

9. I write in my (currently) weekly blog.

To those of you following, thanks for caring, or at least thanks for reading. :-P

Scott

-21

-21. It's a countdown. My system. While I consider myself at times to be very creative, I don't look forward to creating new and interesting titles for blogs for the next, well, however this endeavor may last. So, I've decided to number my posts. And, since preparation for this trip will not be massively interesting, I've set a goal. One per week. Therefore, the system is also informative. I have 21 weeks until I leave. I know it will fly by.

And, I was unsure what to write about this week, as nothing seemed to be of importance - that was until my phone rang this morning. The voice on the other end informed me of an event I will not likely enjoy in Egypt - snow day. This may be the first of lasts I'll experience for a while, and while otherwise insignificant, it did get me thinking. With lows in the winter averaging 45F, I won't likely get unexpected weather vacations due to snow. I'm making sure to enjoy this one!

I'm still in the initial stage of realization about this next big undertaking in my life, and often find myself in a state of excitement and exhuberance about it. But, certain things are beginning to illustrate the reality of this change and reinforce the gravity of my decision: a letter of resignation required by the school board (which I find oddly ironic, since I am technically employed only year to year, and have not officially "signed" for next year anyway - a logical incongruity I overcame by writing instead what I considered to be a letter of intent stating I officially did not plan to sign again next year, a sublety in language and an exercise in logic I hope others can appreciate from me); an article written in the Waverly News; an appointment at UNL's health care center do discuss possible Hep. A, Hep. B, updated tetanus, and other immunizations; and the arduous grind of paperwork to prepare for the job. Those of you who know me know I'm really looking forward to the paperwork! In all, it is starting to sink in. I'm leaving.

On other fronts, I'm beginning to organize and plan for my leaving. In the process, I've realized that I've inherited what I can only believe is Great Depression influenced behaviors from my family. I've always known I've had a reluctance to throw anything away, and at this point am attributing my behavior in part to that. I know if I ever need a twist-tie from a loaf of bread, I have only to visit my father's kitchen, or the kitchen in our Colorado cabin and I will find many left over from my mother and my grandmother - two people who seemed very adept at reusing all sorts of materials.

As I'm cleaning out my closets, I'm realizing this attitude - combined with the good fortune of being the last in the family to receive the "hand-me-downs" - has afforded me the ability to hoard quite a lot of clothing. It's odd to me that I've accumulated so much, because I still often wear the same clothes as I did in high school, and go shopping for clothes only once every 3-4 years. Even then I spend very little on those shopping sprees. So, how I amassed the amount of clothing I currently have is strange. Nonetheless, most of it's going. I'm having a hard time parting with some of the classic convenience store t-shirts, the Kitty Karyall shirt from high school, the running shirts from Ralston mini marathon that stand for something (I think), and other favorite memory laden items.

But, as I keep telling myself, it's just gotta go.

On other notes, I'm attempting to help this blog be more informative in other ways. I've added some items on the left for your use. Most work easily and I'm sure you will see the benefits of them. But, I'm having difficulty with the calendar, where the idea is you will be able to add items on that calendar when it's up and running. The reason: I want visitors. Hopefully I can get it figured out soon. I will use the calendar to maintain my schedule and breaks, and if anybody wants to visit during a break, I welcome the company. You can indicate your plans by posting to the calendar. And, I'm hoping that if some friends post on the calendar they are planning a vacation to Egypt during any certain break, that others may see the plans and join in. The more the merrier!

Scuba diving in the Red Sea is only hours away, and it provides some of the best in the world. Alexandria and the Meditteranean Sea are also only hours away to the north, and there are beaches and resorts all along the coast. I also plan on seeing the Aswan Dam and the Nile river along the way to the dam. Other vacations destinations are abundant and easily accessible - that's one of the biggest advantages Egypt had over other locations. I'm up for suggestions.

In short, I welcome visitors it you are willing to come.

Long post for a day I didn't think I had much to talk about. Now, I better get back to my snow day!

Scott

First Post

As-Salamu alaykum!

Here begins my tale of my trip to Egypt to teach at Hayah International Academy, www.hayahacademy.com. I attended a career fair on Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at University of Northern Iowa (UNI) where I interviewed with many prospective employers; entertained offers from schools in S. Korea, Colombia, Brazil, and of course, Egypt; and spent countless hours researching schools, countries, politics, economics, and more. It was a brain scrambling weekend and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The UNI Fair is a great coming together of international schools in search of teachers and teachers in search of international jobs. I heard many numbers, but am fairly certain there were over 600 teachers applying at over 100 schools. I feel very fortunate to have come away with this opportunity.

The photo was taken after I had browsed the tables and set up interviews, and finally had some time to step back and for the first time during the weekend, really reflect. School recruiters wait at tables for candidates to approach and discuss the option of interviewing for positions. It's a mad rush, as you help your chances of interviewing by being there first. So, many desperate and eager teachers race to the tables of schools that are high on their list.

There's an earlier preliminary filter, allowing a candidate and a school to research each other and be in touch. Thankfully, I had done some homework, had made some contacts, and had prepared a little bit before the day. So, after hitting the tables (not like Vegas, unfortunately!) for about 90 minutes, I had secured 12 interviews over the next 30 hours. I took this photo during a one hour break on Friday, and after the break moved on to interview with 6 different schools. It was a nerve-wracking day for me; by the looks of some others it was a very harrowing day, to say the least! For the first of many times during the weekend, I was very thankful I had looked ahead and prepared.

I had been in email contact with Hayah before the fair, and they had set aside time specifically for me. BUT, I am lucky I didn't screw it up. In traditional "Foster style," I got caught up in the day, and responded to all written invitations I had received in my mailbox the day of the fair. I neglected to remember my email contacts with four schools. A lot of early communication could have amounted to nothing!

But, within about one minute of shooting this photo, a man approached me after seeing my name on my name tag. I was sitting at the time and working on my laptop, so I have no idea how he spotted me. It was Mohammad from Hayah Academy, and he was keeping an eye out for me. We scheduled an interview (My 7th for the day) for 8 p.m. and the rest is becoming history.

I will be teaching English to a student body that is about 95% Egyptian. Arabic will be the native language for most of the students, but they will have been speaking English their whole lives. And, their next step educationally will be college - ideally the best universities in the world.

The school will provide an apartment house for me upon arrival, fully loaded with furniture, dishware, appliances, the works. I will provide pictures when I arrive, but from what I've seen, I won't want for much. It is possible it will be the nicest housing I've had in my adult life.

Other than that, I know I will be swamped with the types of details I like the least for the next few months - nitty gritty jumping through hoop details. I've got an idea I need to get shots, visas, provide extra paperwork and data to the Egyptian embassy, get in contact with Hayah's English department chair, discuss job details and course curriculum, and procure resources for next year's teaching. I will be bringing many materials with me from the U.S., so I need to plan ahead more than my usual one week in advance plan.