Getting Adjusted

Asalaama Alaikum,

Well, we've been here in Cairo for two weeks and we've been through some interesting weather including sand storms and severe thunderstorms. Egyptians treat thunderstorms as though it's a light show. We were just by chance sitting on the Nile drinking juice when the thunderstorms hit -- Egyptians love it -- we were creeped out after living in Maryland. Regarding sandstorms I wondered why I was the only one in the neighborhood who hung out white towels or any laundry to dry in the nice "wind."

We are all doing well Alhamdullilah. Mira's adjusting to school better than at first. It is going to take some time and the only thing that will really help is understanding, patience and lots of rest. We are still getting used to the night living here--going out at night means napping in the late afternoon.

Our food is mainly consisting of fuul and tamaya right now. I've lost some weight already but can't tell how much-- as long as I keep walking and sweating it off I'll be ok, I guess. Mira's not eating enough to climb the 4 flights of steps -- but get this we're on the 3rd floor. Yes, it's Egyptian math.

We got our satellite dish and air conditioner. I like to spend alot of time in front of the TV just seeing what I can find in English - we get ABC and CBS news -- Bloomberg and CNBC -- I'm a news junkie by nature.

We're going shopping for some blouses tonight for me to wear. I only have 2 long sleeve blouses and really feel more comfortable in them rather than short-sleeve tops. One reason is for modesty, and the second reason is for protection from the sun. Although we almost always have a breeze where we live- the sun is brutal.

Hassan is doing well. He's adjusting in his own way. His family calls all hours of the day and night but mostly just to make sure we're ok. He's loving it.

I miss my family, Karen, and my 'stuff.' I hope we get our boxes soon - Insha'allah May 2 they'll arrive in Alexandria. Where we will put everything is another blog entry for sure. We managed to order a dulab (closet) for Mira's room. It will be ready in 10 days or so. Knowing Egyptian time it will be more than 10 days. I'm learning that I'm one of the few punctual people in Hassan's family, but that's ok for now.

I only drive in Rehab right now - I'm too nervous to drive anywhere else - one of these days I'll make it to Heliopolis.

Ma3salaama to all,

Marian

Greetings from Cairo!

Greetings from Cairo!! The flight went well, although, honestly Alitalia stewards were not very civil towards Americans. We will definitely not fly Alitalia again.

Our flight from Milan to Cairo was beautiful and the stewards were very nice. Maybe they were glad we weren't coming directly from the US, who knows.

In any event, we're quickly adjusting to the climate here in Egypt -- we arrived in 90 degree heat.

Mira's in school already here at Futures Language school, she seems to like it -- there are 7 other Americans in her class -- one boy arrived from Chicago just 2 weeks ago. So it's good to see that we're not the only ones.

I have to go -- Mira's antsy and we need to find shawarma for Hassan.

I will write when I get a chance. Maybe in the next few days -- our pc is still being shipped.

Ma3salaama and love to all,

Marian

Happy Birthday Hassan!

Happy Birthday, Hassan! April 4th seemed so far away and now it's almost over. I hope that with our move, Hassan has 100 more birthdays, or as they say in Polish, "Stolat!"

Tonight's our last night in "our" house. It's been an incredible run with the great memories we've made at 4305 Stillwater Lane.

In keeping with our move, this may be my last post for awhile. We will be packing up the computer (again) and getting it ready to go.

We fly out of Dulles on Friday afternoon and will switch planes in Milan, Italy, then onto Cairo. I am somewhat nervous about flying (Hassan gets a kick out of it, really).

Please keep us in your dua's as we travel and make our way to Egypt. Insha'Allah I will write from Cairo shortly after we land.

Ma3salaama and love to all,

Marian

Saying Good-bye

On Wednesday, March 30, my Dad, two sisters, Laura and Elaine, and Elaine's daughter (my niece), Maggie, who is 16 months old, came down to see us. (Hassan was working.)

It was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining, there was a warm breeze, and we just enjoyed each other's company. Maggie was wearing a new outfit we gave her; she looked beautiful. Mira was all over Maggie who was all over Mira . . .

Dad treated us to Randy's barbecue for lunch; it was good. Just about everyone took a turn at riding the scooter, even Laura. (I have photos, Laura, if the sisters ever need them.)

When it was time to leave, Dad sang a song that sounded like a WWII song. Then the crying started. As Laura said, it was heart-wrenching, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Few words were spoken, but many things were said with the tears we shared.

It reminded me of Garth Brooks singing "The Dance."

The next day, Thursday, Tom and his daughter (my niece) Frances came down to pick up some things. We spent some time together just talking after the things were packed in the van. I told Tom that we may make rounds to say good-bye before we leave, but he said that it's ok if we don't because he understands everything we're going through. So many things can be said through the few words spoken.

After all it's not good-bye, just "I'll see you when I see you."

Ma3salaama,

Marian

The Hokey Pokey

Here is something very interesting:

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went un-noticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey" died peacefully at the age of 93.The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in --- and then the trouble started............

Ma3salaama,

Marian

"We may never pass this way again. . . "

The title takes me back to my oldest brother's high school graduation when they played the Seals and Crofts song (yes, I'm showing my age) "We May Never Pass This Way Again." I love music especially when it helps me relate to specific times in my life.

Sunday was no exception. Mira and I went to Elaine's and Jeff's house for Easter. Hassan had to work. Elaine is the youngest child. Almost everyone was there, except for my one brother Tom who was in Richmond visiting his wife's family. Mira had the chance to spend time with her older cousin, Kelsey, and her little cousin, Maggie. My dad and stepmom were there along with Kelsey's mom and dad, my brother Jim and sister-in-law Martha. My other sister Laura was there too. Even Elaine's friend Pamm and daughter Emma popped in for a quick "hello/good-bye." Mira and Emma could be sisters, they look so similar.

I realize that life cannot stand still and we must make our choices throughout our lives. When my mom died I never thought that holidays would be the same again, and they really haven't been the same. We've moved along and made new memories with the new people in our lives.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

"Spinning WheelsTurning Round"

We packed the boxes in the van today and drove to Baltimore to have our boxes shipped to Alexandria. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to us, the warehouse was closed. We live in Southern Maryland (south of DC) and the warehouse is in East Baltimore 80 miles away -- an area of Baltimore that is considered "industrial" in the most raw sense of the word. We just seem to spin our wheels in terms of shipping our belongings.

The boxes will sit in the van until I drive up with Mira on Monday to attempt to deliver them once more to the warehouse, Insha'Allah. For some reason, the shipping the boxes are a real roadblock for me.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

Where's the kitchen sink?

As I finish boxing up everything to be shipped off to Egypt, I recall Meryl Streep with her fair complexion, wearing romantic outfits, speaking with her beautiful accent in "Out of Africa" where she shipped all of her personal belongings from Europe to Africa only to be destined to a life of heartbreak. OK so I'm no Meryl Streep, but there's this romantic notion of boxing up memories and belongings and taking off on some wild adventure. I'm 42 and a past the point of wanting to go on a wild adventure in my lifetime (believe me, surviving my 20's was adventurous enough), but a move to Egypt with Hassan and Mira is something that we will all experience together.

I don't think there is anything I've overlooked at this point. We even had (I use the term "had") some extra room in boxes that I managed to fill with miscellaneous belongings. I could probably find a reason to take the kitchen sink if I wanted, but I'll let it go this time around.

I reminded Mira today that she only has a few days left of school here in Maryland -- they're off next week for Spring break. Every chance I get, I try to weave in the understanding that yes, we are moving soon, and it will be a change for all of us, but to remember that change can be good too. It will take time for all of us to adjust to our new home.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

A droopy day that wasn't droopy at all.

Spring finally arrived this past weekend, and it's about time. Thankfully, the sun rises before 7:00 a.m. and I actually want to get moving by 8:00 a.m. I am much more motivated with sunshine bursting through the windows.

Yesterday, Sunday, one of my brothers, Tom, came down with his wife, Missy, and their three children, Frances, Andrew and Peter. Before they arrived, Mira wrote a list of activities ranging from basketball to frisbee to TV. She was quite the activities director, as usual.

As we were playing frisbee outside Mira said it was a "droopy day" meaning it was kind of cloudy, kind of foggy, but not really cold, kind of warm.

Tom and I went to a local barbecue place, Randy's, to pick up beef barbecue sandwiches. Randy's is a local barbecue joint on the side of a major road that attracts a steady stream of customers from all walks of society. And we all have one thing in common: we love Randy's.

They stayed all day and we really had a great time. Mira was very sad to see them go, as was I. She is coming to the realization that we are moving and life is about to change.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

Moving right along . . .

We are finishing up packing boxes and they are ready to be shipped. We spent at least an hour the other day at the Bryantown MD post office. That poor postal employee spent an hour measuring our boxes telling us "They're too big." I can't even tell you how many times she repeated herself. If we want to send anything in a box to Egypt via USPS it cannot measure more than 14x14x14. (It's very lucrative for the USPS, though.)

We decided to go with our original plan of shipping on a freighter using a commercial shipping company called uboxworldwide. Their rates are pretty reasonable at least on the US end, and our boxes should arrive in about five weeks. Hassan will need to drive to Alexandria to pick up the boxes and take a good businessman with him to talk down the customs agent. Customs taxes in Egypt are subjective; each agent determines customs -- there are no set guidelines.

Hassan keeps telling me "I don't know where we're going to put everything." OK we are taking more than originally planned, but we are paying for the space on the freighter and whether or not we use it is entirely up to us.

I am able to take all the china and dishes and many other things I thought would have stayed behind.

Since our new pc is packed we are using our old pc which is very slow, and not very well protected from viruses.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

Family

My dad called this evening and informed us that my stepmom's surgery was a success. I was very relieved. I have been thinking about her so much before the surgery and then didn't realize that the surgery had already taken place. She will be in the hospital until Thursday when she will be released and then she will recuperate at home. Time is escaping me to the point where I imagine specific dates to be almost a week away and then they are upon me.

In our phone conversation this evening, my dad offered to take us to the airport. After we spoke, a tremendous amount of peace and acceptance came over me. We will all go to the airport together, which will be very special and sentimental for all of us. I am already on an emotional rollercoaster and Hassan knows I'm just warming up.

Thanks Dad for your support.

Ma3salaama (go in peace),

Marian

Logistics - Departing and Arriving

The last night in our house in Maryland will probably be April 5th. We hope to have the house empty of all the furniture by that date except for two mattresses, pillows, etc. Mira will go to school as usual on April 6th, we will settle on the house while she's in school, then we'll pick her up from school. This may be better than picking her up from the bus stop only to drive away from the house that isn't ours anymore. We will stay in a hotel on April 6th, so Mira can go to school April 7th, which will be her last day of school. On April 8th we'll go to the airport and fly to Egypt. I hope it is as easy as it sounds.

We will arrive in Egypt on April 9th at approximately 2:15 p.m. Now unlike in the US, everyone (Hassan's family and friends) will be at the airport to greet us. They were at the airport fighting over who would drive us back to the house. I think we may have even split up in separate cars, but I can't remember -- it's a little foggy at this point. Hassan's friends are rather insistent on renting a minivan -- or in Egyptian a "microbus", and taking us to our apartment. This would be great because they can help us carry the bags up the three flights of stairs. The only drawback is that we do not have a car to get around the next day.

We need to be at our apartment because Mira needs to be at school almost immediately, but before we get her enrolled in school we have to go to the Ministry of Education to obtain a special exemption so she can attend school for the last month of the school year.

So, one more item to think about is what kind of car to buy. There are many cars in Egypt (an understatement entirely), but we need a car almost immediately to get around and get Mira settled in school. We are thinking about buying a used car until we can find the new car we really want, then we will each have a car. Just what Egypt needs, two more drivers . . .

Ma3salaama,

Marian

A little bit of everything and nothing

There is something going on with my blog. I don't know exactly what it is but I may have to re-work the blog. I thought it was my pc, ran ad-aware and deleted all the "tags" but still have problems with the blog.

Hassan bought the airline tickets today. He has them with him at work. He said it was a 2 mile walk each way to the travel agent in DC from his office (the office seemed closer to his office than it actually was, I guess). I told him to get used to it because we'll be walking quite a bit after we move.

Mira came home from school today and seems to be in a good mood. We need to finish the "Malcolm Author Book" assignment. She is writing a book about traveling to Egypt. I'm going to help her put it together with the scrapbook supplies and stickers.

It is really difficult to cook dinner at this point because I just don't have the energy to clean-up. So, I need to think of some quick dinners for Hassan when he gets home from work.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

Ready . . . Set . . . Go!

We purchased our airline tickets today. Wow, what a relief! We are leaving on the 8th of April instead of the 7th because it will give us one more day of tying up loose ends. Hassan will pick up the tickets on Friday when he goes to work. The travel agent is not far from his office.

Hassan called the Futures School in El Rehab this morning. Apparently we will be able to enroll Mira in the remainder of 1st grade in Egypt (the month of May) and she will take the final exam along with everyone else as long as we obtain permission from the Ministry of Education. So, I need to call Mira's school here in Maryland and get a copy of her transcript along with a letter stating that she has been in school and is a student in good standing. Alhamdulillah. This education hurdle has been just that for at least a year. Every time we thought about moving to Egypt "Mira's school" was always the one topic that would derail us from moving. Now there is no turning back and we are moving ahead as planned.

The rocker is disassembled (a little scary to look at honestly) but ready to go in a box along with the quilts and comforter. I have all the photos in order and ready to go. Wow, what a lot of pictures. I'll probably go through them a little more before they end up being shipped. No sense in paying customs or postage on photos if they're just going to be thrown out.

Hassan spoke with Aunt Olfat today. We told her that we will arrive in Cairo on April 9 at 2:15 p.m. She said she will be there to greet us, but we asked her to stay home because she is still recuperating from radiation treatments. We told her that she will be our first stop after arriving in the airport.

Mira was invited to an ice cream party at school this evening for completing at least seven activities in her school's literacy quest. I keep calling it "literary quest" and she keeps correcting me. She is going along with three other boys in her class. She is the only girl in her class who completed the assignment. Each class will be represented by students who completed the assignment.
Ma3salaama,

Marian

35 Days and Counting!

Thirty-five days from today we will be on our way to Cairo, Insha'Allah. I packed my first box today and it weighs 40 lbs. The box consists of a quilt I made for Mira, and my milkglass collection from my mom. It will definitely be worth the price we pay for weight.

I have my clothes packed. I may even leave some of the clothes behind because I'm going on what I "might" wear and not what I actually "will" wear. I prefer Egyptian clothes for women rather than American clothes (well at least for my size).

Even though Hassan and I are still sitting in disbelief, every minute we sit in disbelief is a minute wasted that we could be doing something constructive. We find ourselves waking up excited in the morning, and excited, but completely exhausted at night. The exhaustion is not from the physical toll on our bodies, but rather the mental and psychological stress that we put on ourselves as we attempt to process all the responsibilities we are currently puting upon ourselves.

Yesterday we went shopping and bought a lot of little things for our trip. Hassan's cousins want the Crest spin brushes, Listerine breath strips, individual packets of Splenda, and Glad bags.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

A plan coming together

Today was a very busy and productive day. First of all it was Mira's third snow day in a row, 5 days off total including the weekend.

Hassan and I woke up very early today (who can sleep) and called several schools in Egypt. There are two schools that will admit Mira for the remainder of the school year; we will follow-up with a third school tomorrow morning. This was very good news. Alhamdullilah.

We booked our flight for April 7 on Alitalia out of Dulles to Milan, Milan to Cairo, so we will not need to lug our bags around in JFK. What a relief. We are flying out in just over a month's time. I called the airline and found out that we are able to carry 140 pounds per person in luggage (2 bags total), but the luggage cannot be over 273 centimeters; so it's weight vs. size. This actually turns out to our advantage in case there are smaller, heavier items we want to carry with us that won't be shipped. We are also allowed one carry-on per person, weighing no more than 11 pounds. Gotta love those Italians. Mira said "Oh no, Mommy, not Italian, I don't want an Italian coldcut sub."

Tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. the buyers have their home inspection so we need to be out of the house early. We think the house is in good operating order, I mean no bubbling septic and we're not growing gills, so the well must be safe. Insha'Allah everything will go well.

We will purchase our airline tickets after the home inspection report. (OK now I'm about to faint).

Ma3salaama,

Marian

Playing the Waiting Game

I couldn't wait yesterday for our real estate agent to call, so I called her about 3:00 p.m. She said that she does not have a contract in her hand yet and doesn't want to get our hopes up. She told me she spoke with the buyer's agent and he said the contract is written; they are going to meet late in the evening to sign the contract and send it to Gemma (our agent). Gemma said for us to sit tight and she will call us when the contract comes to her office. She said if they're meeting late Tuesday, then she won't get the contract until some time on Wednesday. I agreed not to expect anything immediately. Gemma is very hands-off but very professional when it comes to real estate agents.

So we sit and wait.

Anticipating the contract raises an entirely new set of questions; questions which I'm still trying to formulate in my head. First I have the issue of work. I have pretty much decided that once we get a contract on the house, I am quitting without notice. Then there's the packing, the tickets, the settlement, the transfer of money, the school . . . the list goes on and on. I will wait with patience and perseverance. If this contract does not come through, I am grateful that we got this close to a buyer after only 1 month. Alhamdulillah.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

This may be it!!

There have been a few people to come and look at our house over the weekend. One was a real estate agent and his client, a married woman with two little girls (really cute girls, one is Mira's age). They looked around and she seemed to like it very much. The agent took photos, which we allow because we did it too when we were looking for a house. The woman said she would show the photos to her husband and he would come back to see the house.

The wife and husband returned the next night looking at the house, and chatting with us a bit. Then, the husband said he would come by on Tuesday to look at the lot. Our lot is very level and because it's on a corner, we do not live in an environmentally protected area as many of our neighbors do (there's another house down the street for sale that's environmentally protected). The husband is a police officer and said he would "drive by" to look around. Of course we told him that he is welcome at any time.

Last night the real estate agent phoned and said that the couple will be by Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. to look at the lot. The agent then went on to say that they are probably going to "write" and that the agent will be phoning our agent Tuesday.

Well, we are just besides ourselves. I leave it to Allah because I cannot get up my hopes, and Hassan, well, let's just say he took off into outer space just like an Ariane-5 rocket. Hassan has been up since 3 a.m. and just left for work. Me? I slept like a baby but now am showing my nervousness by writing this entry.

Our one concern is the train. We have a train that comes by once in awhile. It is not very loud maybe because we've become accustomed to the sound, but to a newcomer it may scare them off.

So, I pray that this is it, Insha'Allah. I will write as soon as I hear something one way or the other. Allah is the best Planner.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

Cooking Egyptian Food

Ahh, one of my favorite topics -- food and Egyptian food at that.

My mom always cooked, but I never envisioned myself as a cook -- I never thought I would get married, so why would I need to cook? Let's go over some of the great Egyptian dishes.

When Americans think of good "ethnic" or "Middle-Eastern" food, Egyptian cooking is not on the list. Heck, Americans probably think it's the same as the Lebanese or Moroccans, after all, we're all from the same part of the world.
After being married awhile, and traveling to Egypt, I realize the sacrifices that Hassan made in terms of food. He never really pushed me to cook Egyptian, and I thought there was no need to, until we went to Egypt on vacation. I came back with an entirely different mindset. All we do is eat Egyptian now. We ate Egyptian food before, but now it's All Egyptian all the time.

Some of our favorite dishes are mese'ahh (yum), Mira's favorite (or beef stew), chicken and kishk (my favorite), baked fish, baked leg of lamb with garlic, fettah, chicken pane, bittengen mekhalel, tamaya and the ever present fuul. I even cook it from scratch now that I know how easy it is to make. Basically, all I do is soak the beans, then drain them, add 1 garlic, water and let it cook for an eternity. Egyptian feta cheese and zetoon, although I don't cook them, are staples at almost every meal.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

Hassan at his grill -- there is no other place he would rather be on a warm sunny day.