A Little Parrot

I forgot how much toddlers really soak in so quickly. And how they repeat EVERYTHING they hear. Ellie repeats almost everything we say to her. Sometimes it will be right on the money, like "mouse" and "Bible." Other times it will be totally off the wall, like saying "myrefsh" for "camel." The coolest word she can say now is "spiky," which she learned from one of the hotel staff since her hair sticks straight up when she wakes up. Yesterday she dropped a book off the bed and Jason said "I'll get it," and she repeated clearly "I'll get it." Amazing!

Yesterday afternoon we had lunch with several of Jason's classmates from U of A. It was really fun to be with a bunch of Americans for a while. It seems that all of them are world travelers, so we learned a bit about a lot of places. I guess students in area studies are able to travel for school a lot more. It's neat for me to be able to travel to all these places as well, but not have to take the classes!

We have only two weeks left here. Things are winding down and we are doing things "one last time." I am trying to find Christmas gifts here, but since I already got everyone the typical Egyptian souvenirs, I have to be a little more inventive. If anyone knows what they want, let me know. We can get just about anything here, probably cheaper than in the US.

All we want for Christmas

We have just really realized the full ramifications of being in another country during Christmas. We had been so looking forward to seeing Ellie and her cousin Bryson tearing through the wrapping paper together this year. And although thinking about Christmas in July is a bit odd, we will probably have to leave all our presents for others in Arizona when we leave for Jordan, so we are thinking about shopping now. So, if anyone knows what they would like, feel free to let us know. By the way, if anyone would like to get us an early Christmas present of a nice luggage set, that would be highly appreciated :)

Last night we found the best restaurant. It is called La Bodega, and easily within walking distance of our place. We were surprised to see that it is a really fancy-looking restaurant, with a great selection on the menu. The best part is they have what they call a "set menu." There are three dinner options you can choose from, and for each course there are about 3 options. If that doesn't make sense, let me break it down. We ordered a 4 course "set menu" meal. For starters, we chose tomato soup, then a calamari appetizer, grilled fish w/potatoes in lemon butter for the main course, and finally chocolate mousse for dessert. This was meant for only one person, but we shared it. The lightly battered calamari was the best I have ever had, and everything else was amazing as well. The best part? All of that, not including a drink, but including tax and tip was 65 Egyptian pounds, or less than $12. A four course meal!!! Isn't that amazing? We are definitely spoiling ourselves, because we will not be able to eat like this in the states. We are very sorry Gram that we didn't find this place before you came :(

It seems like we have just settled in here, and already we are making plans for future travel. Jason's Fulbright stuff all has to be in very soon. We are leaving for Jordan in less than 2 months!! We have already decided that no matter how much it costs, we are definitely finding somewhere to live that is more than just one room. 3 people, especially including a rambunctious toddler, in one room is way too much. Ellie and I go to the grocery store maybe twice a day just to escape the four walls.

It may seem that all I talk (or write) about is Ellie, but really all I do every day is spend time with her. I see Jason for lunch and then about 4 hours at night, but we usually watch a movie at night while Ellie's sleeping, so that doesn't leave much time for talking. Plus, the same thing happens every day for Jason and I, but Ellie learns and experiences new things every day. So, if any one is sick of hearing about Ellie, sorry.

Here are all the new words she has learned here. Mommy (instead of mama), cookie, socks, okay (which she says to everything, all the time), Gram (which she says as Meem), and then various animal noises (including for bee, horse, owl). She has also learned some new signs for frog, elephant, and alligator, and she blows kisses. She also runs pretty fast, dances, spins in circles, and walks backwards. And, although I know she can say Mimi, because she makes that sound for Mommy and Gram, she insists on making her sign (sticking out her lower teeth). Sorry mom.

Jason and I have discovered that we aren't really in love with the authentic Egyptian food here, as a lot of it is greasy and fatty, but we love the fact that we can go to a restaurant with good American-type food and eat for less than it costs for McDonalds in the states. Oh, and I bought a pair of pink sneakers the other day, which I wouldn't have bought normally but they are cute and only cost the equivilent of $11. Nichole, you want some for your birthday?

I received pictures today of my nephew Bryson who is over 4 months old. He is adorable, and we are very excited to see him in August (and Tara and Zane of course). Almost every day I have Ellie say the names of everyone in our family, and when she says Bryson, she smiles really big and yesterday she did the sign for baby. So, she knows who he is and is also excited to see him.

The Whirlwind Is Over

Sorry if I have worried anyone with a lack of communication. Jason's grandmother came to visit us here and we have had a whirlwind of adventure for the past week and a half. We visited all of the normal tourist attractions, including mosques, churches, pyramids, restaurants, and a felucca (sailboat) ride on the Nile. Yesterday we even went to Alexandria! Ellie sat and splashed in the Mediterranean Sea. There were only mild waves, but it was kind of scary because a crowd of older kids came over and were all splashing and grabbing at her, like she was a baby doll to play with.

Ellie's burn is pretty much healed. It was pretty bad, with some nasty blisters turning into scabs, but there is only a small pink area left where the scabs came off. Luckily, no infection, even though it is very difficult to keep things clean here, especially toddler hands.

One thing we were worried about with Ellie was her fear of scarf-covered heads of women in the US. Surprisingly, she has done just fine with most of the women here. However, we recently discovered that she is terrified of the women wearing the full covering with only their eyes showing. Jason pointed out that it isn't too weird of a fear, since they kind of look like ninjas. :) Some young girls were trying to talk to Ellie and she screamed, even after they pulled their face coverings off.

Jason's classes are going well, with him adapting to speaking Arabic 5 hours a day. Only five weeks left!