Eight years we’ve lived in Cairo and for all of them we’ve lived in the Maadi Grand Mall area. It may have been random happenstance that brought us to our first apartment next to the Mall, but four moves later and we are still in the area.
For nearly all of these eight years we’ve been patrons of The Field. The Field is a sports complex situated between Victoria College and the roundabout (midaan) by the same name. It all began with swim lessons at the Victoria College pool. These were affordable and (to my delight) held in Arabic. My kids learned to swim and to speak Arabic, while I sat along the side of the pool and chatted with local women. Win-win.
Enter gymnastics. The Field offers a wide range of gymnastics classes for all ages and skill levels, and my kids were obsessed. The lessons barely overlapped, so it did mean I spent at least three hours a day, several days a week, waiting for my kids as they stretched, somersaulted, and swung. But I brought books and balls and we made an afternoon out of it. And evening. If there’s one thing that still surprises me about Egypt, it is how late the classes for children can be held. There’s seemingly no limit. It is apparently never “too late” in the evening to hold a class, especially during Ramadan.
The Field is nearly bursting with options, however. Cycling, weight lifting, pickleball, football, tennis, dance. Even art! Six months later and my kids were lured away by Tae Kwan Do. To this day – going on four years – they train and spar five days a week at the International Tae Kwan Do Center (ITC). Oh, they’ve dabbled in a few other activities offered at the Field. Football, art, kickboxing, and even a nail salon conveniently catering to waiting mothers. But they’ve settled in for the long haul with TKD.
Athletic activity = hunger, am I right? The Field does not disappoint. A favorite is BRGR, home to your basic fare of hamburgers, fries, and shakes. Each evening the place is packed with kids in tu-tus, leotards, gis, and football cleats. My favorite? The picnic tables and shade BRGR generously provides, even to non-patrons. Many an hour have I spent there, click-clacking away furiously on my laptop, while my kids spin, hook, and kick at the ITC dojang.
Let’s be honest. The Field is a luxury that most kids in Cairo can’t even dream of enjoying. While affordable in comparison to American prices, the training at The Field is not cheap by Egyptian standards. But it has been a life-saver for my extraverted, homeschooled, bi-lingual kids. They’ve made friends – so many friends I can barely keep up. P.E. and recess? Done! Best of all, my kids don’t feel out of place as foreigners, despite the fact that The FIeld serves a largely Egyptian population. For us, it’s a no-brainer. The Field is Home. I’ll see you there!
