7 Quick Takes (vol. 7)

1: The Over-Due Update
Big changes have taken place since we last spoke. 
        Several weeks ago, as we watched the news, talked with our friends, and followed twitter feeds, we were became increasingly concerned about the civil unrest taking place in Egypt. We were not afraid for our safety, but for events and the timing of the birth of our baby. If we were to have a normal birth, this would not even have been on our radar, but having a c-section in a foreign country during a time of unrest caused some personal worries. 
        Because of the due date and restricted airplane travel, we thought it best to move quickly. 


2: The Move
      And quick it was. Much quicker than we would have chosen to do it, had circumstances been different. On Monday we made the big decision, on Tuesday we bought airplane tickets for a 1:00 am Friday morning departure. I spent three long, but short, days saying goodbye to friends, sorting through household items, packing and cleaning the house. Resorting and packing into suitcases. At the end of it, we had 10 large suitcases, 5 carry-ons, and 1 guitar case. 


3: The Flight
     We left Egypt at 1:00 am and touched down in Amsterdam at 5:00 am-ish. Sophie and the girls slept for a little on the plane and Brian and I dozed. Sleeping on a plane is not at all comfortable or restful. Even after a long day of cleaning and packing. We had a 5 hour lay-over in the airport at Amsterdam. Happily, the airport is lovely and reminded me of being in Ikea. There was a small play area for children with slides where the kids played for a couple of hours while Brian and I alternately dozed and watched kids. Around 8:00 am we ate breakfast at a cute little restaurant in the airport that featured tables built inside blue and white teapots and teacups. Finally at 9:45 am, we boarded our plane to take us to America. 10 hours is a long time to sit in a very small places. My little girls did admirably, even sleeping for several hours.  


4: The Arrival
      All week we have kept our home-coming as a surprise for Brian's family, with the exception of his father and brother who picked us up at the airport. All baggage, stuffed animals, and children were present and accounted for. We drove about an hour to get to their home, the girls jumped out of the car and ran for the door. Sarah spotted them first and MawMaw heard their voices and came to the door. There was happiness all around. 


5: The Aftermath
      Reintegrating into American society has been full of the familiar. Coming home, for me, seems normal. Just as going back to Egypt after my visit to my mother's, felt normal. Normal for America. Normal for Egypt. Each have their own normal. For example, traffic here in America feels normal, because it is normal for here. But traffic in Egypt, while very different than here, feels very normal for Egypt. 
     Speaking of traffic, 70 miles an hour on the highway feels very slow. Even after a year and a half of rarely even hitting 60. I think this is because the highways feel so empty. There are so few cars on the road, no sheep or goats, no donkey pulled carts, no people crossing the highway, no u-turns in the middle of the highway. Empty. 


6: Car Shopping
      One of our big projects this week has been shopping for a car... internet shopping and car lot shopping. It sounds much more fun than it has been. Until today. 
      Yesterday I found several mini-vans within our price range on the internet and so this morning we went to look at them. We walked around the lot and peered into several different vehicles. Our girls are convinced that if it drives down the road and can seat the appropriate amount of people, we should buy it. They have none of all the pre-requisites in mind that we grown-ups do.
      While at the lot, the loud speaker went off, and I was totally expecting to hear the call to prayer begin and was slightly disappointed when it was just a regular anointment.
      We test drove a very nice mini-van that was way out of our price range, but it was fun to drive. The girls loved it and were convinced that this was the car for us. We told them that this was probably not the car were were going to buy and they set to work to convince us. Emily had the best lines:
       "Daddy, how do you like the way it drives?"
       "I like it, honey."
       "Then why don't we buy it?"
       "Because it is too expensive."
       "But Daddy, all cars are expensive!"

7: The Food
      The bacon is delicious. The Blue Bell Ice-cream is amazing (and, I have it on good authority that it contains calcium good for pregnancies ;). 
      The food prices here are unbelievable. Target has Campbell's soups for $0.59 per can, as opposed to almost $3.00 we would pay in Egypt. And HEB has chicken for $1.20 per pound! The girls are happily eating cereal and instant, flavored oatmeal, and very excited about Pop Tarts that a friend bought for them today. 


America seems much the same as when we left. People have grown and changed. We have grown and changed. But much stays the same.