If you have been following our meanderings of the last few months, you know we had an eventful summer. I think all the bouncing around was harder on The Gents than I ever imagined though. Four different moves with so many family and friends coming in and out of their lives. I know it makes them sad when they ask if we can go visit someone. “Go to Uncle Paddy’s house today?” And they’re now starting to grasp how far people are away from us. “No, I’m sorry. We’re thousands of miles away. Remember we took two planes to get here?” They ask about family and dear friends often. I have to reiterate that we’re in a different county now, with an ocean that separates our continents. Everyday is now a geography lesson for them.
Being empathetic to how much change they have experienced these past months, The Gents were my highest concern when we arrived in Cairo. As much as I wanted to get them started at school and on their new schedule (and me as well), it was more important that they acclimate to the time change and feel secure in their surroundings, rather than dumping them in another new place with complete strangers.
That first week was hard, dealing with everyone being jet lagged and the boys‘ emotions quickly escalating to meltdown city because they were so tired...ALL. BY. MYSELF. JR started work the morning after we arrived on that Sunday afternoon. By Wednesday C had a runny and stuffy nose. He asked me for a tissue, what felt like every two minutes so we quickly went through a entire box. He even came to me while I was in the shower, like most would kids do to ask for anything. I just wanted 5 minutes without someone needing me.
R and Pepa had runny noses the following day. And then JR got sick. I’m not sure how I made it through this household epidemic unscathed, but I was grateful. As the weekend arrived I was seeing the light at the end of tunnel, and growing even more excited to get these kids to school.
Wait. How were these kids getting to school? We don’t have our car yet. The school isn’t far from our home, but long enough of a walk to tire them. And if I learned anything from our first week, it’s not a good idea to walk with all of the kids.
The night before school started JR secured a driver for us. He’s great, but pricey (in Egyptian terms). Surely I could just arrange an Uber to save a few pounds. So our second day of school I got an Uber. The driver couldn’t figure out where our building is (I could see him on the app driving in circles) so he arrived late. And he didn’t know how to get to the school. Which made us really late. This was the same situation in the afternoon for pick-up. So I’m back to using the more expensive driver, but at least he’s reliable and knows where he’s going. That makes him worth every Egyptian pound he’s paid. Once our car arrives I will be driving them myself. It’s a quick and easy route that I’m confident I can manage.
School has been great for The Gents. They have been beyond ready for quite a while. I wish we could have started them while we were in Riyadh. They never went to daycare, so this is a whole new experience for them. I worried how they might deal with the drop-off. R is pretty sensitive and attached, but even C has been particularly needy lately. Fortunately they saw cars and trucks and the playground as soon as we entered the school, which made it all the more easier leave me. They are literally off and running when we get to school each day. I’m lucky to get a “bye Mama”. They come home absolutely exhausted, sometimes resulting in a meltdown and definitely needing naps. I’m sure they’ll get adjusted to this new routine soon enough, but I’m so glad they’re working their little minds and getting a lot of exercise. I love seeing the schoolwork they bring home!
Now that it’s just me and Pepa for a few hours each day I can get more done and even multitask - do some writing, prep/cook some food, do laundry, go for a walk. This is what having one child feels like?!
But it’s not all easy breezy. I definitely need help at home - with the kiddos and keeping this house clean. One of the, many, frustrating things about living in the Middle East is that your home quickly gets dirty. Sand dust just finds its way through any crack or vent and covers everything. The entire place needs a deep clean twice a week since Pepa is mobile and toddling everywhere. The afternoon we arrived she a was a filthy mess within no time. The bottoms of our feet were black. This is why I cleaned like a maniac the next day and hired a housekeeper immediately. She’s very hard working and cleans better than I do.
And I need some help with this crew by the time late afternoon rolls around. It really is the hardest time of the day. When the boys get home from school they’re so dirty that they go straight to the bath. And coupled with the one of the inevitable meltdown from one, I look forward to the respite I get when they’re all down for their afternoon nap. By the time they wake up though the other is cranky. Pepa even gets cranky later in the day. I get no break from bad moods. Manning all three, getting Wally out for his walk, cooking two different dinners, and tackling Pepa’s bath is a lot. I could do it on my own, but I’d be even more exhausted and miserable. And JR doesn’t want to deal with that, so we found a lovely women who also has experience with twins. Things seem to be working out well for us already.
So I didn’t touch on this last week, but I feel like I shouldn’t ignore the fact that there are protests that have been going on for for some time in central Cairo. Thankfully, in Maadi, we don’t experience any of it. I’m not naive, saying that we’re completely safe since safe is such a relative term. Acts of violence and terrorism happen everywhere, even back home in seemingly safe places. But as of today, I do feel that our family is safe with our daily routine and I have no reason to stress about what might happen. No matter where we are I try to be smart and vigilant, especially when I’m out with the kiddos.
Thanks again for checking in. More to come next week! xo