Refocusing

           Last Thursday marked the start of our first home leave here at NUA. Most of us had been surviving our classes instead of teaching them so it was a great opportunity to reflect on our first couple weeks and begin to develop a game plan for our classes. Friday was our first full day of vacation and the administration went all out for the SM's and scheduled massages for everyone. Definitely something I was not expecting this year but i'll take it. And Diana if your reading this, you are still the best. Saturday was a chill day and around 8:30 we packed up and headed to Alexandria. A student went with us and actually set up all of our transportation and lodging for us. The ride up was definitely an experience. The only thing that compares to the driving on US Highways is the speed. In fact they may drive even faster here. Now imagine driving 80 miles an hour on a road with no lanes, ok I take that back there are lanes but nobody uses them, and it's so bumpy that by the end of the trip you have: hit your head on the roof 20 times, your butt feels like you've been sitting on a tractor for two hours, and your upper body feels like you've been weed eating for that same amount of time. Ok enough complaining, it's all about the experience.

    

              Alexandria was a breath of fresh air. There's something about being next to the ocean that just makes you feel refreshed. We were able to relax and see some pretty cool historical sights. The Library of Alexandria definitely topped everything else though. The architecture was just amazing, inside and out. Our tour guide said that they have enough space to hold at least 8 million books.  How's that for an afternoon of reading? They also had a couple of museums that held pictures and artifacts from Alexandria back in the 17 and 1800's. One photo that really caught my attention was one of the town square. Ok I guess it wasn't the photo but the caption underneath it that shocked me. I'm not sure who he was but I think he was an important visitor at that time and his comment was, "The streets are so clean here in Alexandria that you could eat off them". Needless to say this hasn't been my experience. Yes it was a lot cleaner than our town of Gabble and I did actually see a dump truck at one point, I almost fainted. But it was still probably dirtier than an NFL stadium after a game. It's sad but I'm adjusting to it. On Tuesday afternoon we went to an open air cafe right on the ocean. I will admit this is the first place I've been in all of Egypt that I could sit outside without sweating. The breeze from the Mediterranean was amazing. So amazing that I even ordered a Nescafe, which is a hot drink and one of the best drinks in Egypt. And no it's not like Nescafe in America.

              Alexandria was a blast and it really helped me refocus on why I'm here in Egypt. I'm beginning to leave stage 2 behind and except that this is where I am, this is where I live until June 16, 2010. Yes I love to keep up with my friends lives back home, my cousin is getting married for goodness sakes and I'm probably gonna miss it. (Unless she changes the dates.......) I love to here about what's happening at Union and who made or didn't make the basketball team..............  But that's not why I came here. I didn't come here to live my life in front of a computer screen watching everyone else live theirs. I came here to help this school and to witness to these students. I came here to test myself and to give myself a clean slate. Nobody here expected me to be or act a certain way because they didn't know me. Nobody here judges me by how I played basketball in high school. Or by how I did anything in high school for that matter. I guess it's just nice not to here, "Yeah man before you came to Union I thought you were a jerk". "Why?" "Well mostly because Campion just wins everything so we love to hate on you". It's ok I'm over it now. (Back to the point) I like the fact that I can be known for my calm presence in staff meeting (thanks pastor Tom) or by my grueling PE class (thanks to all my students). Now this may surprise some people. Ever since about 4th grade when I started playing competitive sports I have been defending my reputation as an athlete. Whether it be on the playing surface or off. (These are the thoughts in my head) "I am an athlete, therefore I must perform at a certain level to protect my reputation as a soccer player, as a baseball player, as a basketball player, as a tennis player, as a volleyball player, as a _________ player", you get the point. I'm not just a person that likes  sports, I eat and breathe them. For example, we went fishing in Alexandria. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate fishing. But yet in my head I had to catch more fish than anyone else. I found myself trying to find the best possible way I could cast my makeshift bamboo fishing pole into the water as to catch more fish. And  I don't even know the first thing about fishing. Why do I do this? Cause I'm An Athlete! If they show it on ESPN I better be good at it. Now in some ways this isn't all bad. Giving your best to everything you do is not a bad thing but you need to be ok with it when it's just not your forte. I'm learning.

                
                I'm refocusing. I'm focusing on Egypt, my class, my students, and my responsibility to give them the best education possible. They receive an American Diploma from this school by the way. Which means they get the same credit I got in my Dad's PE class. Except now it's My class. Scary eh? I'm focusing on sharing and being patient. Be it, letting others use my internet or letting Sara try a bite of my food........ I'm focusing on God. Making sure that I surrender to his will everyday, and doing my best to follow his lead. Easier said than done but I'm making an effort. If I learn nothing else here in Egypt, that is what I want to take home with me.