Summer Days and Summer Nights

Life in Alexandria, Egypt is much different than Cairo life.  The people are different, the food flavors are different, the weather is different.  Because of the way the streets are laid out in Alexandria, you can be at the sea within a matter of minutes depending upon traffic of course.

We have been spending most of our summer in Alexandria.  The cool weather is relative to Cairo because while Alexandria is cooler, it is very humid compared to Cairo which is stinking hot without any humidity.  In any event, most people stay up all night and sleep the heat of the day away until late afternoon arrives only to repeat the night before and so on and so on.....I have never been able to adapt to this summer schedule and will not even try to keep up at this point. 

I have been overdosing on fresh figs from the North Coast while Mira has been overdosing on the 57 varieties of mangoes.  

We managed to spend one day downtown with Hassan's family.  We started the day at 3 p.m. by having "breakfast" consisting of fuul and tama3a (falafel) followed by Brazilian coffee, and winding up with a late night dinner of kebab.  It was too much even though I didn't eat much. 

We left Alexandria and came back to Cairo two days ago because it was just too humid for us in Alex.  We need our air conditioner "fix" until we can go back and get the a/c installed in our flat. Hopefully, we will be able to cool off.

Ma'salaama,

~Marian

Isn't the school year over yet?!!

Tomorrow is Mira's last day of regular school. It's been one long exhausting disappointing school year. I am restraining myself from writing about the school and everything that went wrong this year.  Mira is finishing 6th grade. She starts her "exams" next week so she will go to school from 8:00 to 10:00 everyday with a different exame everyday.   I just want her to finish - get it over with - begin summer vacation. I'm tired of the school. I'm the one burned out.  The school year was very strange. It was almost the school year that wasn't because of the swine flu.  Hopefully the next school year won't begin until after Ramadan, which will be mid-September.

Come on summer vacation - I want to sleep in!!

Ma'salaama,

~Marian

My Photography Obsession

Ever since my wonderful husband bought me a professional digital camera, I have been shooting photos everywhere we go. I have been thinking about how best to display the photos:  Facebook, Flickr, my blog.  I have decided to use Flickr for the most part, but post some here as well. My personal photos are on Facebook mainly to share with my family and friends in the US.

Here are some of my favorite photos.

Sunset in February on a Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor.

Philae Temple, Aswan, Egypt.

Valley of the Queens, Aswan, Egypt.

Karnak, Luxor, Egypt.

Mira won a Galabayya contest on the Nile Cruise. How lovely.

Sultana Ahmet (The Blue Mosque), Istanbul, Turkey

Anyone interested in viewing my photos can access them at www.flickr.com/photos/marianamin


Ma'salaama,

~Marian

A Day at the Beach

A warm spring day at the beach in Alexandria, Egypt.  

The weather is great this time of year in Alexandria. Actually, the weather in Alexandria is great every time of year. The sun is hot already so sunscreen is a must, even though you might forget about it when you feel the cool sometimes cold breeze sweep across your face, carrying with it the sea mist which makes you want to sit on the sand forever, forgetting all your responsibilities.   

On any given day at the beach you will experience all sorts of things for sale on the beach including: seafood, sweets, beach toys, clothes, and even fresh tea (shay) served in Egyptian porcelin. 

Fisherman walk up and down the beach selling fresh fish  (samak) and shrimp (gambari). (Photo left) People are negotiating the price of the seafood with the fishermen.  (Photo right) The particular fish that is being sold is quite sweet.

Mira and Sara buying fresca sweets.  The big round wafer is similar to an unsweetened old fashioned ice cream cone with a light slather of honey in between layers. It is very light and refreshing.  Many of the sweets sold include honey and coconut.  

I never look forward to going home. The only consolation I have is the knowing that I will return to the Mediterranean very soon. Insha'Allah.

Ma'salaama,

~Marian

I am moving......

I have shared so many personal thoughts on this blog over the past five years, and I am so sad to say I have to move it to another site where it will be password protected. I am being harassed and threatened by someone  I don't even know.  If you are interested in viewing my blog in the future, please send me an email.

Ma'salaam,

~Marian

"It is not the possibility of returning home which feeds nostalgia, but the impossibility of it."

I have been trying to figure out how I've been feeling lately about so many different things. I am trying to deal with continuing to live in Egypt - if I go back to the US how will I fit in, how will Mira fit in?  I think Hassan would fit in better than any of us.  This morning on Facebook I found a terrific article posted by a group I belong to named "Cross Cultural Kids Everywhere."  They posted an article by The Economist where they talk about trying to fit in - and how being away from one's home country makes them feel more like an exile rather than a foreigner in another country.

Anyone who has ever lived in another country can identify with this article.  It really makes me cry.

Please read the article and maybe you will understand what I am going through.

http://www.economist.com/world/international/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15108690&source=hptextfeature


Ma'salaam,


~Marian