We're Off Again!

It's time for another adventure! This time we're headed to the land of pharaohs and pyramids...we're moving to Egypt! After four years in Raleigh, North Carolina, we got the itch to live abroad again, so we'll be heading to Cairo this summer.

​Kevin will be an assistant principal at Hayah International Academy, and Beatrix will be doing the IB program at the same school. I will be staying home with the boys for awhile, but I may start teaching later in the year. Serena is planning to take a year off from school and come to Egypt in the winter.

We are so excited to have the chance to live in such an incredible place, filled with so much history. Kevin and I went to visit in April, to see the school and decide which area we wanted to live in. Everyone was so friendly, and we loved our visit.

While Kevin was in meetings, the husband of one of the teachers took me to Khan al Khalili - the famous souq (marketplace) in the bazaar district. He speaks Arabic and has lived in Cairo for awhile, so it was like having my own personal tour guide. It was exciting and fascinating to spend the morning walking around Cairo, and I was able to buy some souvenirs for the kids back at home. I'm looking forward to shopping once we're settled in.

^^We sat and had lunch on the square, and I got to hear the call to prayer for the first time. 

On our last day in Cairo, the principal took us out for a "real Egyptian lunch." It was a great time, and I tried so many new foods (shocking, I know, but I was feeling brave). ​

After our yummy lunch, we took a felucca ride on the Nile! It was so peaceful and beautiful. I can see this becoming a regular thing for us. 

Before we left, we were able to walk around the area where we'll be living: Maadi. It's on the eastern side of the Nile, to the south of old Cairo. It's a beautiful, green, suburb, with lots of expats, and it even has pubs that serve alcohol! There are fruit sellers and flower stands scattered throughout and lots of shops and restaurants. 

 We'll be in Egypt for the next two years, and if we love it, we'll stay longer. I'm hoping to get back to blogging while we're there - I'm sure we'll have lots of crazy stories to share! We'll be leaving Raleigh mid-June, and after two weeks in Illinois with our families, we'll visit France for two weeks and then spend a month in Greece. We'll arrive in Cairo mid-August and start settling in. We can't wait to see what's in store for us during the next stage of our journey!