Quote:
Originally Posted by nonie
Hi there
My family is anticipating a move to Cairo (husband's job transfer) and we have LOTS of questions, primarily about the children. Our children have lived in a small midwestern town in the US their entire lives. Attend a small private Christian school. We are very excited about this new adventure we will be on...moving to Cairo. My questions are:
Has anyone moved their early teenage children from the US to Cairo...if so what was the experience, adjustment like for them?
Are there any private Christian schools in the expat community? If so, can someone supply me with those names?
As Americans moving to a Muslim country, are there any laws that we need to keep in mind...things we would not normally think of?
I'm assuming that the expat community is fairly tight knit. Are the kids welcoming? What do the kids do for fun in Cairo?
Lastly, my 13 year daughter (have a 13 year old son as well) is an equestrian. We're thinking about moving her horse over as well. We feel like this is a great chance for her to train under some amazing instructors. Does anyone know of any riding stables where riding lessons are given and horses or boarded?
Look forwarding to hearing from you!
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Hi!
I hope that I can provide some info. We left Cairo a year ago but hopefully the advice is still helpful.
We are also a Christian family and had the best church experience ever, attending Maadi Community Church. They have an excellent youth program (Grade 6 upwards) as well as kids church. They are on the web. Under their umberella, there is Maadi Community School (now called Maadi Children's Study Center). It is a very small school, originally set up for those Christians not on expat salaries but is now attended more widely.
The main school in Maadi is Cairo American College. Whilst not a Christian school, many of the teachers are Christian ( the late Pastor's wife teaches 4th Grade there, for example.) It is the single best place to integrate both yourselves and your children. The facilities are second to none - sporting and educational. They have special programs to welcome newcomers. It is a happy school. Again, they have a comprehensive website. It is becoming more and more popular and some grades may be full. Make enquiries as soon as possible.
A minority of Americans send their children to Maadi British International School, located near Wadi Digla. It follows the British curriculum and has a great sense of community. It goes up to the equivalent of 5th Grade. It is not possible to walk to school unlike CAC. My children attended both of these schools and we were very happy.
The drawbacks of BISC and NCBIS are that there are less western children and they are more remote (involving travel on dangerous roads.) The students come from many different areas of Cairo whereas at CAC, most are based in and around Maadi. People are very happy with their educational standards, however. Again, they also have websites.
Re horse riding - do bear in mind that safety standards are different in Egypt to the US. Haven't heard of anyone bringing a horse with them but doesn't mean it hasn't happened. People do often rent horses.
It's a long winded answer but hopefully will provide some useful info. We loved living in Cairo! Best time of our lives.