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The past week has been rather calm. Last week was just work, gym, eat, sleep, walk Manga, and see friends. Every Tuesday, we go out with a group of friends, hence calling ourselves the Tuesday Nighter's very original I know, to various places around Cairo. Last week was to Roy's Kitchen in the Marriot hotel in Zamalek. Personally, I love that hotel because it used to be a palace pink, and well everyone knows how much I love palaces. Secretly, I should live there with Michael and the royal dog Manga. Oh, I totally forgot to mention that it's PINK!!! So clearly it must be a good place. Anyway, totally off topic, we went to have dinner which we managed to do some damage to the buffet and then to the gardens for a shisha and something to drink. Those nights are just fantastic as it gets all of us together from various areas of the city. In addition, it really breaks up the week which is always good. One of my favorite parts about the group is the email thread that goes along with it. I have NEVER in my life seen such debating about where to go and eat. However, it is very entertaining and the emails typically go way off topic until someone re-focuses the group. Nevertheless, Tuesday Nights will definitely be missed when we jet back to the USA.

Over the weekend, my little sister, Erin, graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in other words there are no more Metcalfs in high school! Unfortunately, I wasn't there, but I have heard that it was really nice. A whole lot of my family went which is always good. A bit more info about her. A few weekends ago, she and her crew team competed in the New England Championships. Her boat won and so did the second and third boats!!!! This is the second year in a row that Exeter swept New Englands which is the first in the history of the championships!! So needless to say, my sister and her crew boat are all rockstars!! This coming weekend they are going to Nationals in Ohio! So, keep them in your thoughts of good luck.

While my sister was graduating, I was hanging out at the beach with a few of my friends and of course Manga. She went swimming in the Red Sea and just loved it. Naturally, the ball came too but not before being washed in the washing machine and then given a baking soda and vinegar bath to make sure it did not have poison on it. All is well with her. She ran around, scared people by waggin her tail and running into the water. The "beach police" of course scolded us and told her that she could be on the sand just not in the water. Apparently, they aren't aware that creatures more dangerous than Manga live in the sea. Still, there isn't much listening when that happens especially if they try to talk to me. I tend to ignore sending them to seek the potential help from those with me which needless to say fails. Somehow, everyone who is on the beach leave it still in tact even with my oh-so-vicious dog splashing in the water. The weekend was great and relaxing.

This past week has been another repeat of the activities mentioned above. Except for the movers are actually coming to take stuff out of our house! They are coming tomorrow, so I had to go around and label everything since I will be at work when they are here. A little nervous about that, but everything has been labels so there shouldn't be any confusion when Michael is explaining what needs to be packed. Yet, you never know what will actually happen. Our stuff will take 40 days to steam to my parent's house in TN which means it should actually be arriving when we do or just after.

I still can't believe that all of this is happening! I had my last official day of teaching today because we are going into finals. There could still be cover possibility, but that's a just a maybe. It really has been a good year, and I will miss my students. Oh, totally forgot, on Sunday the 9th graders threw a party for me and three other teachers who are leaving the school this year. They made us posters which all the kids signed and got a wonderful cake. It was a really great lunch period and so nice to know that you do actually make a difference in your students even the ones who get kicked out of class. My students here will always have a special place as it is my first school to ever really teach in.

Well, this weekend we are going back to the beach which means more stories to follow!