If everything remains as stable as its going to be then we will be heading home to Egypt next week. Looking forward to this, currently been working 3 days UK, 2 days NL and the boys home schooling - not great for anyone!
Currently sharing the office in Shell with the Libyan refugees who I know very well. Wonder who will be next?!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Egyptian Ingenuity
Mabrouk Egypt! - Mabrouk!If you have ever lived in a country like Egypt you are always surprised by the ingenuity displayed by people, taking whatever they have and making it work for them, whether fixing a car or on a building site. None moreso that these examples of protective headwear during the recent battles around Tahir Square.
All you need is few slices of bread and a couple of sticks of french bread and a roll of sellotape....
Mabrouk Egypt - we all hope it works out to be a better, fairer place.....
Enjoy.....
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Did I take the rubbish out?
The last few days have been rather surreal. One minute your doing your usual weekend hacking a golf ball around Kattameya folowed by shopping at Carrefour and the next thing is your trying to get your head around what to do with the kids education if the “revolution” in Cairo takes a long time. This has played havoc with our thoughts and from what we can see from fellow evacuees on the very active facebook pages we are not the only ones coming to terms with the happenings in the last few days. Our shopping trip a couple of days ago was a diasaster – neither of us could focus. I have spoken to our friends who were involved in the evacuation and eventual catasthrophe that was Hurricane Katrina and they tell me they went through similar feelings, high and low, trivial and significant.
We have found that we feel anxious for the big concerns: What if our house is looted? What about all those sentimental items we left? Will the company pay for replacement costs? Should we enroll the kids into school here? Should we go for an expensive private school or give them a taste of “normal” school? Whats going to happen to us if we can’t go back, will we still have jobs? How can we get money to Ahmed the driver and Mahmoud? What about my Egyptian team mates?
Bizarrely I find I am also disturbed in equal measure with inconsequential things:
Crapola – I just paided my club subscripton – if we never go back that’s money down the drain! That toilet in the basement was never fixed, and the guy should be coming round to fix the washing machine. I hope nobody steals the golf balls I have in the back garden. If theres a powercut we will will we loose all our bacon collection? Did we ever drink that expensive bottle of red Lenonese wine we brought in Beirut? I hope the tortoises have enough food (although Mrs T would put this in the “big things”). Did I take rubbish out before we left? I never did manage to put those new photos up. I filled up the car with fuel and now some scabby looter is going to have a full tank in a car I just serviced.
There are upsides to being an evacuee though! We get extended time with the family (crapola, we need not have come home for Xmas, we are seeing everyone now! – see what I mean). We get to see more football matches, see some decent films at the movies, eats some good indian food, see old friends. Also long lost friends contact you again to see if you are still alive! If we have not thanked you individually, many thanks for all the best wishes and via facebook and email, it mean’t a lot to us.
As the old saying goes, today is the first day of the rest of my life, and more significantly the first day of trying to work from home and I have already run into IT problems, and the helpdesk is not up yet (and I don't mean Mrs T)!!!! Lets see how this goes....
We have found that we feel anxious for the big concerns: What if our house is looted? What about all those sentimental items we left? Will the company pay for replacement costs? Should we enroll the kids into school here? Should we go for an expensive private school or give them a taste of “normal” school? Whats going to happen to us if we can’t go back, will we still have jobs? How can we get money to Ahmed the driver and Mahmoud? What about my Egyptian team mates?
Bizarrely I find I am also disturbed in equal measure with inconsequential things:
Crapola – I just paided my club subscripton – if we never go back that’s money down the drain! That toilet in the basement was never fixed, and the guy should be coming round to fix the washing machine. I hope nobody steals the golf balls I have in the back garden. If theres a powercut we will will we loose all our bacon collection? Did we ever drink that expensive bottle of red Lenonese wine we brought in Beirut? I hope the tortoises have enough food (although Mrs T would put this in the “big things”). Did I take rubbish out before we left? I never did manage to put those new photos up. I filled up the car with fuel and now some scabby looter is going to have a full tank in a car I just serviced.
There are upsides to being an evacuee though! We get extended time with the family (crapola, we need not have come home for Xmas, we are seeing everyone now! – see what I mean). We get to see more football matches, see some decent films at the movies, eats some good indian food, see old friends. Also long lost friends contact you again to see if you are still alive! If we have not thanked you individually, many thanks for all the best wishes and via facebook and email, it mean’t a lot to us.
As the old saying goes, today is the first day of the rest of my life, and more significantly the first day of trying to work from home and I have already run into IT problems, and the helpdesk is not up yet (and I don't mean Mrs T)!!!! Lets see how this goes....
More photos from Evacuation of Kattameya.
Some more photos from friends on Facebook, these from Mark Fergus who is a an excellent photographer and obviously had his decent Nikon out....rather than our little pocket cameras.
Soldiers outside Kattemeya gates
More troops on the ground
Army outside Kattameya
Hopefully this guy and his big gun are protecting our possessions!
Army outside Kattameya
Hopefully this guy and his big gun are protecting our possessions!Army driver outside Kattameya
Bored, scared or tired??
First image of troops inside the Kattameya compound - not sure whether to be happy or concerned? 
Mark obviuosly went passed Carrefour when it was the site if an uncontrolled "Supermarket Sweep"
Friday, February 4, 2011
Some photos from Facebook Evacuees
Photos from friends facebook pages, thanks Debbie, Jane, Mairead....
Like this photo of a tank through the fence of Kattameya.
Think this is the army presence close to our house. 
This is Drinkies, purveyor of the finest selection of egyptian wines and beers in Maadi. If they want the expats back they will need to get this up and running!
These next photos are from Debbies facebook showing the looted Carrefour shopping mall in Maadi.
The boys awaiting saving.....looking pretty relaxed.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Post evacuation dust settles.....
I'm sitting up at 4am local time writing this. The dust is starting to settle, we have had a full day in England now and things are just starting to sink in just a little bit. Facebook has really been useful in keeping up with friends and evacuees and getting news as people leave Cairo and arrive around the globe. Thanks to all who posted messages and emails....they were all appreciated.
Even though myself and Mrs T are exhausted we are not sleeping well. We know from Facebook and phone calls this is part of the post-trauma we are experiencing, many other people are experiencing it too. One minute feeling fine, next minute a bit dazed and emotional. Guess it is all the stress and uncertainty hitting home. We find its hard for people to comprehend what we have been through (particularly when the TV only shows footage of chaos at terminal 3 Cairo airport, which was nothing like terminal 1!). We realise the reference people have in their minds of a busy airport does not fit with the reality of our experience.
Today we have to go out a buy some clothes, we could only face food shopping yesterday. Worries like schooling will have to wait for a few days. Our main concern now are the Egyptian friends we have left behind. I spoke to my team yesterday, one is stuck in Aswan trying to get to Cairo and sleeping at the airport. The other is in Giza. He tells me the food situation is ok at the moment, but it is hard to get money and of course many people are paid on a weekly basis. We also spoke to Ahmed the driver and told him to take as much food as he wants from the house and that we would find a way to get him and Mahmoud money.
Last night Mubarak addressed the nation and still wants to stay on. This is of course unacceptable to most people. There is also a worrying development of groups of pro-Mubarak supporters on motorbike causing trouble (?police). The army could have its work cut out.
Photos from Evacuation
Assembling at the muster centres...........
In full evacuation blanket dress on arrival in Amsterdam
The journey down.....
The road to Safwa - note the tank
Joining the Suez road
Outside the Marriott
Ouside Kattameya main gate
At the Kattemeya side entrance
Ring road turn off to Suez road
Outside terminal 1
Inside the terminal - total chaos we were trying to get the 150m across this to passports, the photos do not do it justice.....
In full evacuation blanket dress on arrival in Amsterdam
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