My view

As I sit at my desk at school and look out my window, this is what I see. You may think it looks rather shabby, but the reality is that what you see is actually new construction. Cairo is expanding. This new construction is out on the desert, in an area called New Cairo, near Katameya--if you are looking on a map. Katameya is a purpose built community, with golf, shopping, restaurants, villas, and apartments. Our school is in the 5th settlement. I am not quite sure what that means. My guess is that it is the fifth area outside of Cairo proper to be developed. We are across from the Mubarak Police Academy, which is a major landmark in the area, and we are not far from the Cairo airport--for those of you looking on a map.

This entire area is being developed as a very upscale community. These are villas, meant for families, albeit exteded families. When you walk over to the window you get a little better picture of the houses--pardon me--villas, being built across the street.

These are huge places--mansions to us. Some of our students live in villas much like these close by. Slowly these villas are being completed and landscaped. The compounds typically have a park in the central area, with garden areas, sidewalks and running through the community. Because this community is still being developed, the streets are not yet paved sending up clouds of sand and dust as construction vehicles rumble by. One day, though, this will be a beautiful area, full of families.