On the move again ...

'On the move again.' or so the song goes.  Yet again we are moving house and countries - back to the UK for a while. Packing up a life can be hard work especially when you travel light.  One suitcase, a piece of hand luggage and a computer bag, what do I throw out and what do I keep?  Each time I do this it makes me reassess what is important in my life; what can I squash in and what simply has to go - shoes out, alabaster pyramids in!

Shortly after splash down in the UK we take a speedy train down Cornwall for a two week house sit in St. Mawes.  I am looking forward to the crashing waves and green velvet cliffs of the coastline and having  time to reacclimatise to the British life again including the obligatory seaside soggy fish and chips! How ever I am feeling more than a little sad to leave Cairo our temporary home, just as Egypt is experiencing the birth pangs of democracy.  I was encouraged by my students last night who had voted for the first time ever and are so hopeful for the future.  It has been such an amazing time to be here with 'history in the making'. J

Tickets

I have never been a great collector of tickets, programmes or memorabilia but this could be set to change after keeping the tickets from the famous tourist attractions in Egypt.  The authorities have produced some elaborate designs for their tickets that include holograms, this is to prevent forgeries.
I have found out that my English students are also non-collectors.  During one vocabulary lesson I had to explain the word 'scrapbook', not the easiest word to define.  Why would anyone want to keep scrap, especially old ticket stubs and plane tickets?  The Egyptian tickets helped me to explain that they would be a memento from my time in Cairo.  What's a 'memento'?  It's something you put in a scrapbook!  P