What Am I doing in Egypt?

I’ve been here a week and I freaking love this place. We got here and were greeted by Sister (Tisoney in Arabic-I’ll use these words interchangeably but the one thing to know is that these nuns are not the kind that hang out in the convent all day, they serve the community) Hailpeace. Hailpeace showed us around and put us in a wing of the convent where we have our own kitchen, room with coveted air conditioning and refrigerator stocked with foods, and our own bathroom. Score.

We’re staying in a small city close to the Suez Canal called Port Fouad. It’s just a ferry ride across to larger Port Said and the two cities seem somehow connected or interchangeable. So the weather here is beautiful. Because we are on the beach there’s a light breeze and it makes the weather beautiful and sunny.

We’ve ventured to Port Said a few times and been to the beach. Once just to hang out with one of the Tisonys (Batoole is her name) and speak in English with her (which is absolutely fine with me because my Arabic is apparently horrible and only now when I’m forced to use it if I want to talk to people do I realize how much I blow. Tisoney Batoole prefers I speak in English, in her broken English she explains, I understand your English better than Arabic. Fine Tisoney. Side note, I think we’re here for the Tisonys. Sure, we’re here to play with encourage and build up all of the girls (old and young, mentally handicapped and elderly) but we’re only here for 3 weeks. More than that, I know these women are working so hard, and I think and hope we are bringing them some new joy and fresh ideas and encouragement. They are all freaking awesome. Sweetest little ladies ever, but all hilarious and full of fire. Example.. We’re giving English class to the nuns and one of the Nuns is answering one of our questions correctly-another Nun, Tisoney Illaria says, “what’s this? Studying behind our backs? I’ll kill you.” Baller that woman. I remember her name cause Illaria is hilarious. It kinda rhymes if you change the s at the end of hilarious into an a.

“What the crap have you been doing over there Sarah?” you ask. A lot, dude, a lot. Here’s what an average day here looks like. Wake up at 6:15 am and get ready church at 6:45. After church we eat and then we’re off to play with the little girls (8-15) from 10-12. Then at noon we go hang out with the mentally disabled-there are 3 girls and they are all hilarious each one with an awesome personality. I could hang out with these ladies all day long, seriously. Then twice a week we have tea with the elderly (men and women) who also live in the shelter we serve at. Then we go back to our place (the Good Shepherd School and convent) and eat something and hang out a bit then head back to the Shelter and hang out with the older girls for 2 hours each night. We've gotten to spend time with a lot of people and I'm not gonna lie-by the end of the night around 10, I'm freaking beat. But I love it here, a lot and I'll be really sad when I leave.