CAC Swim Team

This year I wanted to join the CAC Swim Team so we went to the Swim Office to ask which were the requirements: Be a first grader or older, and swim two lenghts of the CAC pool in crawl, and one lenght in back stroke.

It did not seem impossible... We asked also if there were limited places within the team, and they told us that they were expecting many people, so there would be swim trials on September 13th to see who could join the team.

This changed completely the picture: Not only you have to swim what is required, but you have to do it very well to join the team !!

So dad and me started to train very hard. We used to go to the CAC swimming pool every two days for one hour, and I practised both crawl and back stroke. Back stroke was the most difficult for me, but, after several days, I improved a lot.

I did not spend all the hour training. I used to swim 8-10 lenghts first, then take a rest for 10 minutes, again 8-10 lenghts more, and then free time. During my rests I used to go jumping to the dive board because it is so fun...

But in this pool it is difficult not to do something wrong: You cannot run, you cannot dive in the main pool, you cannot jump with glasses, you cannot throw the ball to the basket from outside the pool, you can exit the pool just using the ladder, ...

So the day of the trial arrived and there were many kids. Some of my friends were also there. Everybody was very excited, and both my parents came to see me. They were very nervous... The trial was not as difficult as we initially though: We had to swim just one length in crawl, and one length in back stroke, and, moreover, they had changed the lanes and they had put it in the short side of the pool !!

I did my best and waited for the final results, very excited... We had all been accepted !!! That was too good, and everybody was very happy. So I choosed two days a week (Mondays and Thursdays) and I should be starting in the Swim Team next week.

I am still training, and dad takes Lucía and me to the swimming pool at least twice a week. Lucía is also learning crawl, and she is doing it very well. What I need to train now is the head entry from the dive board, I feel I still have some work to do...

Responsabilities

This year at CAC we have plenty of new activities: We write a letter to our parents every Thursday explaining how our week was, we have begun the "Cairo Camel" thing, and we have also started a "responsability calendar".

Responsabilities are not only for adults. They are all the time talking about that, but most of the times it sounds more like an excuse for not doing something... In any case, being responsible is also very important for kids, and this is what our teacher (and our parents) is teaching us these days.

So every month we will have a "Responsability Calendar" such as the one below.

We have to follow 5 simple rules:

1. We get credit for only one responsability activity per day (but we can do as many as we like!).
2. When we finis an activity, one of the parents should sign the square.
3. We can do the same square up to 3 times.
4. When we have 20 signatures, we have to bring the Responsability Calendar to our teacher for a certificate.
5. The Responsability Calendar is due the last day of the month.

So far I have done four activities, one per day, and the one I liked most was doing my own snack and lunch for school. Even if I don't get credit, I use to do other activities every day, such as going to bed at bedtime with no problems, help mom and dad clean up the dinner, hold a grownup's hand when crossing the street, ...

I have this list on the fridge, and when I get home from school, I choose an activity from the list, and do it. It is a great way for learning how to be responsible.

Super Cairo Camel in Madrid

Super Cairo Camel started last week his travels around the world. Daddy was travelling to Spain, so they went together.

He enjoyed very much the flight as he was travelling in bussiness class, so he could eat some of his favourite foods and see funny films such as "Monsters vs Aliens".

Once in Madrid, Super Cairo Camel went to a lot of places, and daddy brought me some photos of places they had been visiting together. One of the best places for Camel was a park where he loved to see the sunset, because sunsets are one of the great things about Madrid, and they reminded him of the desert...

They also went to the center, where traffic was almost as busy as in Cairo. People where very surprised about seeing a camel on the streets, but they all were very friendly.

He and daddy wandered around the narrow streets at the center, going to tapas bars and crowded restaurants.

They also visited grandma, and my two aunts and uncle. My aunt Mar is going to have a baby before Christmas, so I will have another cousin soon !

Daddy had to come back to Cairo, so he left Super Cairo Camel with grandma. Grandpa is travelling from Chile to Spain today, and they will take Camel to Sweden, then to Chile and after that, who knows? Probably Alaska...

Super Cairo Camel

I have a new friend. I met him in the white desert and several days ago he came to me carrying a big suitcase. It's name is SUPER CAIRO CAMEL.

It is not the usual camel... It is a SUPER CAMEL.

It is not red. It is wearing red, just like Superman, and he has shoes which can float on the water. He has also a hat which opens up when an enemy approaches and frees a big bouncy boxing glove which protect him from any harm. It also has a camera which shoots a laser that melts the ground, so the enemy falls down and get trapped.

Another secret weapon is the "rope gun": It shoots a long rope which ties the bad guys. It is really cool.

Super Cairo Camel loves to travel, and he is hoping to visit as many parts of the world this year as possible. Daddy travels tomorrow to Spain, and Super Cairo Camel will go with him. After that, who knows? Maybe it'll go to Chile, and then, the rest of the world !!

It is supposed to go with friends, and to spend some days with them, visiting places, taking photos and keeping a travel journal. Every time it gets to a new country, it will send a postcard to my teacher, Mrs. Barbara. I told it also to write me and send me pics ans emails, so I can share with you its travels through the world.

Super Cairo Camel should be coming back to Egypt in May 2010. That makes a lot of travelling !! And then, it will have a lot of stories to tell, it will be so interesting...

So don't be surprised if Super Cairo Camel shows up in your house sometime. Please be kind with it, and it will protect you. Then, after a week, send it somewhere else with some friends of yours who can take care of it.

Thank you very much for your hospitality !