Bill's Blog

As a teacher and thinking human being I feel it is important to continue to read books in this digital, social media age. Reading a novel feels a bit old fashioned these days. Thinking about a story or subject of long periods of time is very different than swiping through Instagram. Young people are reading less and it shows on PISA scores and other measurements of reading comprehension. Yes, there are great documentary videos and one can learn much from YouTube, however, I stand by the idea that people who don’t read and write, don’t think at the same level as those that do. I read because I find it pleasurable to immerse myself in a story (fiction) or in a subject (non-fiction), but I also read as a lead learner as a Head of School.

I breezed through Tom Perrotta’s latest novel, Ghost Town. I loved his book The Leftovers, that was made into a hit HBO television series. This is the story of a successful author thinking back to the summer between grade 8 and grade 9 in the fictional town of Creamwood, New Jersey. It is set in 1974, my post grade 8 summer was 1981, but I could relate very well to the vibe of the community. It was a time of civic participation and the main character, Jimmy Perrini was a counselor helper in the community center. Before mobile phones and internet, people had to go out to connect to one another. It was a tragic summer for Jimmy, I am not going to spoil it here. It is story of grief and coming-of-age. It is also a story of memory which I could also relate to. I grew up in a small town and left to travel the world. Unlike the author, I did come back and visit through my life, but having been overseas now for over 30 years, my childhood seems like such a long time ago in a different place. I love going back to Caspian and the friendships I formed so long ago are still intact. The book also has a supernatural element like the Leftovers.

[Spoilers below]

Jimmy loses both parents in that tragic summer. The impact of a death of a parent on a young person is strong. I see that in my wife, Nadia, who lost her mother when she was nine. Children don’t process events like adults because their brains are not fully formed. Jimmy is also discovering girls and dating, Little League Baseball, drinking and smoking pot, while going through the first parent’s death (mother to cancer), but then a second death of his father. I don’t think the book will be made into television series, unless they change the ending and add a bit more to the supernatural element. They did that with the Leftovers.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, not his best book, but a solid story.

Our lives are finally getting into a bit of routine. We have a spacious, beautiful “twin house” or “twin villa” as they are called in Uptown Cairo’s compounds. A twin house means there are two units joined by a single shared wall. We have our own garden and pool wrapping around three sides of our house. In the US it would be called a semi-detached house or duplex. The house came unfurnished and we have pretty much completed furnishing it. This week natural gas was installed and our oven and stove top is now working. The living and dining room looks great as well as two of the bedrooms. We are working towards unpacking everything in the third bedroom. We have not explored yet the third floor and roof top patio yet.

We finished our third week of school and both of us, Nadia and me are getting used to the new school culture. We have friendly and helpful colleagues who have made the transition much easier. Nadia went swimming in the community center pool and we worked out how to reserve the tennis courts. Neither of us are golfers, but I am using the golf course to run and walk with Obi. There is a Carrefour grocery store and an Orange store inside the compound that takes care of internet, phones, and groceries. We also found a dog washing and haircut service that drives their van right to the house as well as a laundary/dry cleaning service until we get some domestic help.

I found a great bicycle shop in the nearby New Cairo district of Mokattam. The name refers to the low range of hills and a plateau and this area was a limestone quarry for the ancient temples and pyramids. Emaar Misr, a subsidary of the Emaar Properties, a Dubai-based real estate company, is building a series of residential developments around our school here in the Eastern Desert, about a 30-minute drive away from the Nile River. Uptown Cairo looks like Spain or Tempe, Arizona, outside, it looks like many parts of Cairo, an Arab version of Mumbai or Delhi. I am looking forward to exploring more of the plateau the New Cairo district of Mokattam.

I awoke a little late on Friday morning after falling asleep on Thursday night, a bit later than usual because Nadia and I were talking with the kids. I was excited to run in Miles for Meaning 7-kilometer Race. This was advertised on Instagram and a local ticket entertainment website as taking place September 18 at 8:00 AM inside the pyramid complex at Giza. When we arrived, there were no runners anywhere and no course set up. They took my $18 but offered no race.

We made the best out of a disappointing situation by being tourists at the last intact Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I don’t mind tourist places, Nadia definitely doesn’t like tourist places like this, however, seeing the huge pyramids is a breath-taking, awe-inspiring experience. The pyramids are huge and to think they were build over 5,000 years ago is crazy to contemplate. Humans started in Africa and the Nile River Valley was one of the cradles of civilization.

Local officials set up the site well, with plenty of desert between the pyramids and the massive city of Cairo. They have a hop-on, hop-off bus that does a loop to a panoramic viewing site, each of the three pyramids, and at the far side, the Sphinx. There are also camel and buggy rides, souvenirs, interpretive centers, and tourists can go inside the largest of the pyramids as well. It is well worth seeing and considering they are only a 40-minute drive away, Nadia and I will be visiting them several times as we show family and friends who come to visit.

I guess without Netflix and legal marijuana, the ancient Egyptians had more time on their hands to do stuff. Why would they go to the effort of putting massive stones over 150 meters high in the shape of a perfect pyramid? I wonder if they thought that in 5,000 years, millions of people annually would visit their legacy. They truly are a global icon with the Great Wall of China. The three pyramids at the complex are as follows:

• Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) Built c. 2560 BCE for the pharaoh Khufu, it is the largest (146.6 meters – 481 ft tall) and oldest of the three.
• Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren) Built for Khufu’s son, Khafre later in the same century with the Great Sphinx built as part of that complex.
• Pyramid of Menkaure Built for Khafre’s successor, the smallest of the three (65 meters – 215 feet) and pink granite instead of limestone.

The Sphinx was carved out of limestone and the human head is believed to be a likeness of Khafre. 73 meters long and 20 meters high, for millenia is was buried in sand until excavated in the early 1900s.

These structures are so old that by the time the Jews were in Egypt and the Biblical story of Moses, they were ancient to them.

It has been a long and hard road to moving into a home in Cairo but we did it! Nadia, Obi and I landed on August 6 and we finally had our first night in the new place on September 5. It was a month of looking at apartments and houses, negotiating with landlords, conversations with real estate agents, buying furniture and appliances, arranging appointments for utilities, carpentry, cleaners, deliveries, etc. It was an unfurnished apartment, including light fixtures, so that increased the workload. That is the life of an global expatriate, moving every 5 to 7 years and having to start over. This move was easier in someways with no children, but also harder in that we are older and Egypt is a tricky place to get things done.

My Uncle Jack was invaluable to us and thankfully, he is a kind person who wanted to help us. He is retired and offered to come and support our move. Little did he (and we) realize, what he was getting himself into. Jack is a Type A personality and that doggedness got us over the finish line. I also have to compliment Nadia because I was focused on running the school and did not do too much regarding our domestic situation. Nadia and Jack took the brunt of moving logistics. A complicating factor in Egypt is the governmental bureaucracy. It took about a month to get a work visa after we arrived and I needed the visa and accompanying registration (another week of delays) to obtain a phone number. The government is cautious with people bringing mobile phones in the country and issues a tax based on the value of the phone. I recently purchased the latest iPhone in June, but with a +$600 tax on that particular model, I decided to stay with my old iPhone and a more reasonable +$200. I think it is a cash grab, but it is my wish the funds go to building communications infrastructure in Egypt and offering reduced mobile phone service for lower income people.

It was a month of hotels and Airbnbs and a 30-minute commute to school every day. I became accustomed to driving in Egypt during the month. At least in New Cairo, the traffic is not bad and with many wide roads, often 4-5 lanes in one direction, we experienced little gridlock. There is also a nice flow and the soft demeanor of Egyptian culture comes through in driving norms. People are not aggressive and generally let you go where you need to. We found a place in the residential gated community near school which means a short drive of less than 10 minutes to and from school. Nadia is happy as well because the it is quieter than out in the wild of New Cairo.

Jack flew back to the USA on Thursday morning and we completed the first week of school. Both Nadia and I have been exhausted from the move.

Update – (Friday, September 11, 2026) It is funny sometimes how books stick with you and I was talking with my son Owen via WhatsApp this morning. His friend from high school, Alice, is visiting him in Costa Rica, and we were reminiscing about Tashkent. I was describing our challenges of moving to Cairo and the expatriate life. The family in the book, living on a remote island in the Southern Ocean is an unusual childhood experience for the kids. Growing up as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) is also an unusual experience, and I asked Owen and Alice, if their unusual childhood of moving around the world was beneficial or if they would prefer a more normal childhood. Both of them emphatically said they cherish their time overseas and wouldn’t change a thing. Like the family in the book, being together in an isolated experience, brings the family closer together. It heartened me to affirm our choice of an international globally nomadic life.

McConaghy was inspired to write this book in part by a trip to Macquarie Island, (photo above) which is located halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica. The remote Southern Ocean island is home to penquins, sea birds, and seals and a unique set of plants. The island was one of my favorite characters in this well written family drama / mystery story. It is set in the future and rising seas due to climate change is putting the island and most importantly, the research station and seed vault in jeopardy of being washed away.

The story focuses on the caretaker, Dominic, a single dad with twin teenagers (a boy and a girl) and a third son age nine. The novel begins with a woman washing up on shore from a shipwreck who the daughter dramatically rescues from the shore. There are lots of descriptions of the island’s flora and fauna throughout the book interspersed between different narrators giving their point of view of what is happening. The island’s communication gear is not working and a naval ship will be coming to collect the family and as many seeds as possible before the research station is closed for good, or inudated by rising seas, whichever comes first. The ship is seven weeks away from retrieving them and the story unfolds of why all the research scientists are gone and the family is alone and how this new woman plays into the story.

I would love someday to stay on an island like this. My closest experience was visiting an island in the Straits of Magellan in southern Chile over 25 years ago. Nadia and I travelled to Punta Arenas, the most southerly city in Chile during a Winter Break when we just met each other.

I highly recommend the book and I see why it is one of the best books of the year according to the New York Times.

We are slowly, painstakingly making progress towards getting settled here in Cairo. Egypt is not an easy country and every step takes effort and/or time to complete. Yesterday we visted the HSCB Bank to activate our new debit cards and convert US dollars to Egyptian Pounds. It took the help of a friendly and knowledgable bank employee to help us activate the cards. Nadia even received her “secure key” to make international transfers and phone banking. I convinced another employee at the bank to convert the USD despite bank policy that I needed to have my passport with me. Our passports are with Egyptian immigration officials for the past 23 days as they deliberate and process our work visas.

The owner changed the code to release the front door key to our new rental home. He did not inform the real estate agent working for us and so that caused a 30 minute delay of us trying to open the door. This occurred after the previous day being denied entry to the compound itself because our QR code was from the day before. We also had to get a couple more light fixtures (thanks Jana Lighting!) as the owner turns the home over to us without any light fixtures and stop at school to print apartment diagrams with the corrected lights.

The previous day we focused on Nadia’s classroom. We were moving furniture, measuring space for carpets, purchasing lamps from Carrefour and Ikea, etc. She always has a beautiful classroom and her kids are going to love it!

This is a Egyptian water tower, a different design to the tower in my village of Caspian, Michigan. Water towers supply water and importantly, water pressure to homes in the neighborhood. Electric pumps deliver water to the top of the tower during the evening when electricity rates are low, and it releases water during the day as needed. Peak hours are morning showers and evening cooking, and the reserve supplies water during these times without delays. Water towers also serve as mobile phone towers because they are placed on higher points of the neighborhoods. You can also see the fake tree that is also a cell phone tower. The towers are shaped like the ubiquitious date palms one sees around the city.

In the two neighborhoods I’ve explored in my morning runs, I encountered packs of dogs. They have tags on their ears indicating that they are vaccinated and neutered by local officials although observing the state of the city, I suspect it is not 100% coverage. The dogs approached me when I was walking Obi and I needed to pick up Obi in my arms and walk carefully out of their area. They were not agressive, barking, etc. but they were very closely following me. One of the new teachers reported that they ripped her groceries out of her hands when she was between the grocery store and her home. They also approached me on my run, but I threw a rock at them and they left me alone. They are a nuisance and people report them barking at night. I wonder why citizens tolerate these packs of dogs in parks or open areas?

Settling into a new life can be difficult and in the megacity of Cairo, it is even more challenging. The transition ranges from small things like opening a bank account, getting a local e-SIM to larger things like finding a house and driving a car. You are also doing this while being a bit jet lagged and starting your new job. We are finally starting to get on our feet a bit after three weeks in country. It is getting tiring living in hotels and AirBNBs though we finally signed a contract on our new home. We hopefully will move in soon after September 1. I also drove across the city from school to our current AirBNB rental!

Thankfully my Uncle Jack is here to help us with the logistics of the move. He takes a lot of the burden of me so I can focus on leading the school. He and Nadia have been champions, searching for and eventually furnishing an entire home!

We are currently staying until September 3 in the boutique compound of Silver Palm in New Cairo’s North Investor Area, tucked behind the 01 Mall. The apartments are beautiful and the grounds are full of gardens and pools. I sense most of the places are short-term rentals as the lobby of our building had advertisements for rental cars, take-out food delivery, etc. We are near the Mohammed Nagib Axis, an extremely busy road that is a bit noisy, even through the night. The 01 Mall restaurants come alive at night with many patrons. We found a good Lebanese Restaurant, Besh, and Nadia went for a comfort meal at McDonald’s.

I’ve been walking Obi outside the compound and found a beautiful local mosque, Awleyaa El-Galil. Although near the mosque is a construction site and the other night I encountered a pack of Cairo street dogs. They are large dogs with tags on the ears indicating they are vaccinated and neutered by the city. They were not agressive but extremely curious so I needed to pick up Obi and carry him. They followed me for a few blocks and then faded back to the construction site.

The apartment is large and comfortable but is lacking a balcony. The grounds are lovely and I think I might sneak into one of the pools that is reserved for ground floor apartments. We tried to rent one but they were taken on the weekends. I noticed one in front of a newer building in the compound without tenants yet, so perhaps we’ll try that. I’ve been exhausted in the evenings from the work schedule and the newness of the job. Hopefully I’ll get my bearings and get into a morning exercise routine that will help.

Driving in Cairo is different from Tashkent. The metropolitan area is probably 6x bigger with many more cars. One nice aspect are the wide roads, many of the main arteries are 12-15 lanes wide. I am getting used to the flow as cars slowly weave in and out of lanes. There many speedbumps that are a hassle but keep cars moving slower and safer. In the photo below you can see a monorail station. We are looking forward to exploring that system to get into the center of Cairo. You can also see the ubiquitous housing development ads along the wide boulevards.

We’ve been following Oliver and Ocean as they are also settling into their dormitories at Northern Michigan University. Ollie has been sleeping in Ocean’s dorm because her roommate didn’t show up. Many American universities are facing a demographic cliff with people having less children and the Class of 2026 being the start of a steep drop in eligible 18 year olds. That combined with Trump’s anti-immigration policies means less student visas are being issued which is compounding the problem. Anyway, Ocean shared the photo of her dorm on Instagram of her dorm room.

In the flights over from Tashkent to Cairo and fighting jet lag and stress from a big move, I read books in two of my favorite genres, natural history and thriller to help put me asleep.

“Eels: An Exploration, from New Zealand to the Sargasso, of the World’s Most Amazing and Mysterious Fish” by James Prosek was about him travelling around the world, learning about freshwater eels from the genus Anguilla. I didn’t know they were the only fish that spawns in the open ocean but lives its entire life in freshwater rivers and lakes. This lifestyle is called catadromous , a new word for me. It is the opposite of the more famous salmon that spend their lives in the oceans and then swim upstream in freshwater rivers to spawn. I didn’t know it was such a mystery exactly where the different species and populations of Anguilla spawn. It is incredible to think that they start as microscopic eggs and larvae and make their way from the Sargasso Sea, in the case of the North American Eel and find rivers and lakes in the interior of the continent. Due to the degradation of rivers (dams, wetland destruction, urban sprawl), climate change (changing currents), and over fishing, the numbers and range of eels is shrinking.

I ate eel often in Japan where it is regarded as a delicacy. My favorite was the Daggertooth Pike Conger,not a freshwater eel, but a species found in the depths of the ocean. The book gave me a new appreciation of the eel.

I love expat books having lived most of my life as an expatriate. Pavone worked in the publishing world for many years before he became an author. His wife got a job in Luxembourg, where The Expats is set in, and I see that he understands the expatriate lifestyle. It resonated with me that expats are like university students, you can reinvent yourself with every new posting. We live a strange life, moving around the world, changing locations every few years. The 2012 novel is a page-turner and the first book in the Kate Moore series. She is ex-CIA and her husband is involved in international banking. It has a lot of action and suspense. The book has a satisfying ending and a believable plot. I learned a lot about digital bank transfers, tax havens, and cyber security.

We made our first sojourn outside of Cairo last weekend for a leadership retreat on the Gulf of Suez. The Gulf is a finger in the far north part of the Red Sea leading into the Suez Canal. It is where the Red Sea is closest to Cairo and the drive from New Cairo is about an 1 hour and 15 minutes. We stayed an extra night at the Stella di Mare Hotel just outside the resort town of Ain Sokhna. It is not one of the famous Red Sea resorts and is more for locals and expats living in Cairo. It is a quick weekend getaway. We were not particularly impressed with the hotel, it was not five star luxury but it was clean and comfortable. It was the first time we have been at an ocean beach since Thailand in the March 2025. It was just so nice to swim in the saltwater and soak up the sun.

I would however, highly recommend the seafood restaurant on the expansive hotel grounds. We had a fabulous meal at the Yemaya Restaurant. Nadia had fresh jumbo prawns and I had a fresh whole dorado fish. We watched the sunset and the freighters lining up to go into the Suez Canal. It was one of the two highlights of the day, the other was seeing bottlenose dolphins while we were swimming.

I was awestruck in seeing the Nile River for the first time. It was not because of the views, but from the historical significance it has. It was like the first time I flew to Leticia, Colombia and from the plane window, saw the Amazon River. Humans first became “civilized” along the Nile, the story of the baby Moses being put in a basket and floated down the Nile, British explorers searching for the source of the Nile, Cleopatra, Pharoahs etc., etc. It was satisfying to finally experience the river first hand.

The school arranged a dinner cruise for the new faculty. It was our first time in downtown Cairo and it was not as crazy as I expected. It is busy with a Mumbai/Bangkok vibe. We didn’t go to far, going downstream for an hour and then returning to the dock.

We had an enjoyable evening with a solid buffet dinner and engaging conversations with the new teachers on the outdoor top deck. I was surprised to see several of the ancient felucca sailboats on the river, but there was a strong evening breeze. It was a lovely cruise and reminded me of Chao Phraya River in Bangkok with a busy river through a densely packed downtown area.

I am looking forward to exploring more of the Nile. It is the longest river in the world and I’ve only seen a fraction of it. The Nile if in the USA would stretch from Seattle to Miami and then would have to curve north to North Carolina. That is a long river! The Egyptians pronounce it [neel] and it comes from the ancient Greek word for river, neilos.