What do I do with all this time on my hands?

The Eid Holiday is over, and believe me I don't want to eat lamb, beef, or even chicken for at least a month. I've been filling up on fuul (beans) and lots of tamaya (falafel). There is plenty of good food in Egypt that is healthy, just be sure there isn't any fat added, such as butter or ghee (clarified butter). Oh, and stay away from the pastries -- Egyptians are high carb people by nature. I have been feeling quite satisifed throwing out cookies and bread that have gone stale.

I went into work yesterday to prepare the payroll deduction summary for staff, and I in turn got paid as well. In Egypt I get paid in cash and have to count the money and sign for the pay before I take it home. I joke that I'm a good wife of an Egyptian and give my husband all my money (it's only a joke). Historically, Egyptian women do not turn over their paychecks to their husbands, whatever they earn is theirs to keep. The husband is required to provide the home and spending money for the family.

I'm not working for the money, but rather to meet people and interact with others. I can't figure out yet if working is easing the culture shock or throwing it into overdrive; perhaps it's a lot of both.

I am off of work and Mira is off of school until we return on February 5th, which gives me plenty of time on my hands. Hassan watched Mira yesterday and when I got home from work he said "I'm going out with my 'boys' -- Mira is just too much to take care of." Really? I hadn't known that, but I agree.

What do I do with all the free time? Well, for starters there's always laundry - I enjoy doing laundry and now that we have a southern exposure I can do several loads a day. Oh, by the way if you ever want to know if I'm doing laundry, just check the weather report for Cairo, for if there's a cloud on the horizon I must be hanging laundry out to dry - and not just socks and jeans, but sheets and towels. The majority of Egyptians do not have dryers because the sun dries the laundry faster and doesn't heat up the home from April - November. I'm still debating on whether or not to buy a dryer. I have to wait and see what February and March hold in terms of weather. We have yet to enter the sandstorm season. Oh joy.

This brings me back to the time issue. I want to go shopping, but still feel that I am at a disadvantage because of the language barrier. My confidence is a lot better than it was when we moved here, but I am still timid to get out there and shop on my own -- without Hassan.

On or around February 3rd I will probably figure out what to do with all this time on my hands and then scurry to get a month's worth of work completed in two days.

Ma'salaam,

Marian

There's Nuttin' Like Mutton

If you are a lamb (meat) lover, then this is for you. If you are a PETA activist or care about animals in any way, you may want to skip this post.

I love animals, and yes, I eat meat - mostly chicken, beef not too much of and lamb, I think they ought to ban the slaughter of sheep.

Every Eid (meaning festival) it is a ritual similar to Greeks where each family will go to a farm, pick out a sheep and slaughter it, giving one third to the poor, one third to the family, and keeping one third for themselves. Well, we finally got around to slaughtering our first sheep.

Hassan is not religious in the least bit, actually he believes religion has its place but no one religion should be forced on to people -- I kind of agree with him on this point, but not to his extreme.

We went to the "farm" (military base where the farmer draftees raise sheep), picked out our sheep and kept it in the basement of Aunt Olfat's apartment for two days until this morning. Being the first day of the Eid holiday we went to Aunt Olfat's and waited for our sheep to be slaughtered. It wasn't too bad, I've seen worse things on television, but the hard part for me was having to eat lamb soup, lamb rice and lamb lamb lamb. I couldn't watch anyone else eat much less look at the food on my plate. Luckily the day ended and we came home.

Now we have one whole lamb in Aunt Olfat's freezer along with three other poor le moutons.

Everytime we go to someone's house for a lamb festival (which luckily has only been twice in 9 months), I think of two things: Jerry Seinfeld in the mutton episode where he would spit out the mutton into blue fabric napkins and then have dogs chase him down the street; and, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Only my episode would be My Big Fat Egyptian Family. There are no vegetarians allowed, and if you happen to be a vegetarian, you can eat lamb, because lamb really isn't meat, now is it?

Peace,

Marian

Kolahagga and Mafeesh - Everything and Nothing

Happy New Year! Wow, 2006 already!? I remember when it was a year ago and we put our house on the real estate market hoping it would sell. Alhamdulillah (Thanks be to God) it sold as well as it did at the time.

So much has happened since my last post. Let's see -- well, first of all we moved to a bigger apartment in the same development. It is helwa owie (really beautiful). We thought we would never find anything in this hot real estate market until the spring. We've been here two weeks and are finally settling in -- can't you tell the pc is hooked up once again?

Christmas was interesting. I really missed being with my family with all the traditions that my parents raised us on. The pierogi, split pea soup and holupki are sorely missed, but I was able to find saurkraut at a large supermarket chain so I'm going to be rolling cabbage this weekend. I was very sad on Christmas, but the day passed quickly and I was able to get my mind back on to my work.

Mira had a nice visit from Santa. We were able to put up a tree and now know where to shop for next year's ornaments. I hope to bring the ornaments back with me from the US that my one brother is holding for us.

Every January marks bittersweet anniversaries: it will be 9 years since my Mom died, and just a week later, Hassan and I celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary on January 30th. And if that's not enough, I turn a year older in February. Ugh, I hate to mention how old I'll be, but Valerie, you know the true age.

We have one month off from work beginning January 6 and ending February 4. The vacation combines the Eid al Fitr (the Hajj) in Islam and a winter holiday that we must take. I will probably work some of the time just to catch up on paperwork and hopefully we will do something fun like go to Luxor and visit the temples. And maybe, if I'm lucky we will be able to look for a nice dining room set for our apartment. We'll have to see how things play out.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.

I wish everyone the very best for 2006!

Ma'salaam,

Marian

November came and went . . .

Now that it's the holiday season in the US, I am becoming very homesick and meloncholy. Maggie's birthday came and went and I have yet to call and wish her a happy birthday. Thanksgiving came and went and I miss my family terribly beyond words right now. It's not that I don't love my family, I love them so much it's just that when I call it will be one of "those" calls where I cry and say "everything's ok" in between the crying.

First of all, Happy Birthday Maggie. Two years old what a big girl she is by now getting into everything and creating a marching band with all the pots and pans while she watches Barney.

And then there's Thanksgiving. Wow, our last Thanksgiving was at our house and we had a grand time. I made everything from scratch and enjoyed the aromas in the air that reminded me of my mom preparing the Thanksgiving turkey at 5:00 a.m. to put in the oven by 6 and on the table by 12 so everyone can watch the football games on TV the rest of the day and snack on leftover turkey for the next few days.

This Thanksgiving was spent at Amy's home. Amy is the principal of the school and invited all staff and their families to her home where she "whipped up" turkeys and all the traditional American fare including, yes, canned cranberry sauce and pumpkin and apple pies. Yum!! Amy had a lot of help from the school coordinator along with the vice-principal, his wife a teacher, and three of their children. Just walking into Amy's building reminded me of my mom. I could smell the turkeys roasting from five floors away. There was a good turnout of teachers at Thanksgiving dinner. I really enjoyed it, but Hassan and Mira decided not to come because we didn't realize how many spouses would be there. Now we know.

Thanksgiving at Amy's eased the pain of missing my family; and then I realized that I am on my way to creating new friendships and feeling a sense of community in the school where I work.

I just wished I could speak a little bit more Arabic to communicate every thought that goes through my head in an average day; and believe me there are many thoughts to be communicated but I don't always feel comfortable speaking through a translator. I hope that the people I work with understand me through my smiles and the little Arabic I know.

Ma'salaam,

Marian

Sometimes things just aren't meant to be

Driving in Cairo is like -- well, imagine the worst traffic jam you've ever been in and then multiply it by 100. Egyptians don't pay attention to traffic lights, streetcars, turn signals or lanes. So imagine . . .

Last night Hassan's friend Shabaan came over with his family to our apartment. We went to a local outdoor restaurant/sheesha bar (water pipe) bar and Hassan and Shabaan smoked sheesha, I craved for a cigarette which I do on occasion and Shabaan's wife who is lovely but speaks no English and I very little Arabic just sat there and smiled at each other while Mira and Maryam (Shabaan's daughter) played.

After smoking two sheeshas Hassan and Shaaban suggested we go to Al Abbas al Akkad -- now get this the "k" is not pronounced at all in Egyptian Arabic so it's pronounced (Albessra Edd). This area of Cairo/Helipolis is very popular for shopping. So we drove our used car (which we drive for such occasions) and Shabaan was driving his "rental" car (long story) following us in the traffic jam. Hassan becomes this alter-ego person when he is driving and riding in the passenger seat is not for the feint of heart. It is quite normal to come within millimeters of touching another car on either side of you. Anyway, the car in front of us stopped suddenly and Hassan hit his brakes really hard and then the car behind us smashed right into us. We haven't had this car long, it's a used Hyndai Excel but we use it for driving in case of accidents. Anyway, we caused a large back-up on Albessra Edd Street. So now we've experienced our first car accident -- I've heard about how things are handled here.

The man who hit us came out of his car - luckily he has money. Hassan drove directly to the car shop and got a quote to get the car fixed. So now he's been gone all day today getting the car fixed. There is no such thing as car insurance here, actually insurance in general is pretty non-existent except for some health insurance. So the man who hit our car did the right thing and paid to get the car fixed.

The point of the story is that I still need clothes and shoes and need to plan for another day. I think I'll ask a friend from school to go with me -- she lives around El Bessra Edd and she's about one size smaller than me at this point.

Another person came and looked at the apartment today when Hassan was out. Let's see there was an Egyptian man and another man who I thought spoke English but he's Egyptian and speaks Italian. In any event, whoever can find us a nice big apartment/house here in Rehab can buy our apartment. Hassan thinks the incentive program will work, I think we ought to just put an ad in the paper to buy an apartment in the area where we live and rent out our apartment and just sit on it until it doubles or triples in value.

Peace,

Marian

Now's that is't finally "cooling" off . . .

My body is having a difficult time adjusting to "cooler" air. Cooler air here is about 75 degrees. Although it may sound very warm, there is absolutely no humidity here which makes it actually feel 10 degrees cooler. And since the buildings are all made out of concrete, it is difficult to have a warm home in the cooler weather. Additionally, the school where I work is "open" meaning there are no doors, so I go from my office which is quite warm and extremely sunny (my office faces south) to the cold hallways where the wind always blows from the north. I know it's no NJ, MD or PA, but it is still cold in its own way.
I've been either very warm or freezing, which has resulted in a cold.

We had our parents' meeting last night where about 300 parents descended on the school to sign out their child's report cards. What a fiasco. The Egyptians I'm dealing with are pushy and very persistent. You have to be pushy and persistent here or else nothing gets done. This place is definitely a good place to grow a backbone.

I have been working non-stop day and night inputting about 400 report card grades on excel. It was a terrific program to work with; the vice principal of the school created. I input the grades into a very general spreadsheet and then he converted the files to Access. I keep wondering why DateAble never used this approach in dealing with its database, but that's water under the bridge so to speak.

We are looking for a larger apartment to live in here in El Rehab, but the market is very tight. Anything that becomes available is gone almost the same day. We've missed out on two apartments. There is no sense of contract or allegiance when it comes to buying a place. One seller met with us and then he turned around and sold the apartment to someone else. We could look outside of Rehab but we're not giving up the fight right a way. If we look outside of Rehab we will have every convenience in the worl, moreso than what we have here, but we will be in the city - Heliopolis, the greatest area inmy opinion to shop in Cairo - next to the Khan e Khalili.

I found an area in Heliopolis that only sells sewing machines so I hope to pick up once again on my quilting. I met a seamstress who hemmed some pants for me -- now get this the pants cost all about $2.00 to hem, and $4.00 to put a new zipper in one of Mira's jackets, anyway the seamstress told me, "In Cairo, buy either a Pfaff or Brother sewing machine. Stay away from Singer." Wow, I can actually afford a Pfaff? Incredible. The prices are comparable to the US, but in overall assistance, they repair absolutely everything here. An item has to be in pretty bad shape to get thrown out.

Ma'salaam,

Marian

It is About Time!

There is no excuse for my lapse in writing. Well, no excuse except for the fact that I've been working full-time since August 16th. I'm the only Administrative Assistant for the American school Mira is attending. Currently school attendance from KG to G 12 is at approximately 496. My resopnsibilities take every bit of energy the Bishops' meetings used to require of me.

I will be re-naming my blog, possibly opening a new blog and new look. I haven't really decided yet. There is so much to write about regarding the newest chapter of my life. I hope to describe Egypt as best I can through my personal observations and experiences.

Ma'salaam,

Marian

Keep on Truckin'

OK, I know it's been a week since I posted. A few things have happened. For starters, I met my friend from Alexandria and her husband. They came to Cairo for an interview at the American Embassy. They are so easy to talk to and we get along so well, I wish we lived closer. We went to Fuddruckers for dinner. It was really exciting to finally meet her since we've been emailing and exchanging blog entries for months now.

Secondly, I have been working on my resume. It is in desperate need of updating -- ok it needs a complete overhaul. I know it will take some time to completely finish the resume, but I have time because I want to put at least a couple of months of my new position here in Egypt on my resume to send to the US.

We have a small amusement park here in Rehab for children. It reminds me of what Sea Isle City, NJ used to have in terms of rides. Mira went on these two bunjy cords that sprang her in the air like Wile E. Coyote. She was scared to death after awhile but all in all it was a great time. She has no desire to do it again any time soon.

Love,

Marian

Where do we go from here?

I watched Willy Wonka last night and I've come to realize that there are many great lines in the movie. Mrs. T.V. said "Mr. Wonka I want to go back." Willie Wonka replied "Oh my dear, one must move forward in order to go back."

I think this is where we stand right now in regards to living in Egypt. I know we need to move forward in order to go back (to the US). Hassan is happy here, it's a good thing. I'm glad that Mira is having fun; the main reason for having fun here is that she swims just about everyday. And then there's me -- still grappling with the fact that we've been here almost four months (I can't believe it).

After doing some internet research, I've decided to go ahead and post my resume so I can find full-time work in the US with benefits. It is vital to have health insurance benefits for the family. Then I was thinking -- do I post my resume for the Maryland/DC/Virginia area? Do I post it for another part of the country? I told Hassan the other day this may be the "kick in the pants" i.e. the catalyst I needed to throw me back into the working world.

As for Mira, she would do fine in any school - but of course we would want it to be a good public school system.

A few of the American women I've met while here in Egypt are on anti-depressants to help them cope with living and trying to adjust to life in Egypt. I really don't want to go on anti-depressants because it won't solve anything for me, except for taking the edge off of life for awhile. One woman is from New Jersey and I just found she's returning to New Jersey with her 5 year old son while her husband continues to live here for a year. She will be staying with her sister.

Maybe that's the answer for us -- but for how long?

Peace,

Marian

The Whirling Dervish

The whirling dervish twirls around onstage with two several skirts on around his waist. Then he lifts the one skirt up over his head - (first photo) and spins for several minutes as though he's in a trance. Then he takes off the first skirt, and twirls in just the second skirt until he takes that off too and walks around the room with the skirt over his head. This has always been a personal fascination of mine even before I met Hassan. I had no idea whirling dervishes were Egyptian in origin, courtesy of Turkey and Greece. The colors are magnificent and the embroidery unimaginable (to those of us who admire embroidery). Egypt can keep the belly dancers, just give me a whirling dervish anyday!

Ups and Downs

This past week has been interesting to say the least.

Mira handled her punishment very well. When Mira goes out to play, she will need to check in with us every hour until we decide she is once again "off the hook" as she likes to say.

Hassan hardly ever goes out with just his friends. He finally had planned to go out with his friends one night and was kind of in between on whether or not to go out to begin with, but decided to go which I thought was a good idea. He left, arrived an hour later at his friend's business. About the same time he arrived to his destination, Mira called him to tell him I was stuck in the bathroom. Yes, for some reason the latch was jammed and I could not get out. I felt awful. So, of course Hassan returned home with his friend, Shabaan, and they got me out. Hassan then took Shabaan home and returned around 2:00 a.m. with dinner in hand, and dessert.

Last night we went out with one of Hassan's friend, Ehab and his wife Jihan on a Nile cruise/dinner ship. It was really nice, except Ehab and Jihan do not get along. Mira danced with the belly dancer and other tourists on the ship and I stood underneath a whirling dervish (a lifelong fascination of mine). It's truly amazing how they keep spinning for minutes on-end.

We had a really nice time and returned home. For some reason we all feel like tourists and look every bit like tourists, but that's ok. I keep thinking this is one long vacation/sabbatical from life and someday in the near future we will return.

Mira has been battling allergies and/or her asthma over the last couple of days. We are still trying to get to see the doctor but he is not in until 7:30 p.m. so we will see.

All in all it was a very exciting week, with many reasons to be happy, but for some reason I've been feeling quite down nonetheless. I can't place my finger on it -- some of it is homesickness (which includes everybody and everything), some of it is still feeling like I don't belong, and some of it is just plain old sadness.

Peace,

Marian

"Eyes Optionable"

A few days ago Mira went out to play with a little girl from the neighborhood named Aya. Mira was playing so nicely with Aya. The day passed and as the sun was setting I was wondering about Mira's whereabouts. I asked Hassan and right before he took a nap he said "I'll go look for her in a few minutes." Well, a few minutes turned out to be at least an hour later. I wasn't worried about her safety because we have outstanding security where we live and everyone pretty much knows each other and children will come to your door if something is wrong with your child. I decided to go downstairs into the garden area and find out for myself what Mira was doing.

I found Mira sitting on the curb of the parking lot (gasp) with children she's not supposed to play with (double gasp). I asked Mira where her bicycle was and she said "I don't know." She gave me this look like she never owned a bicycle before in her life. One of the children that she's not supposed to be playing with, Zacharia said "My brother Mohamed is riding her bike." I just about blew a gasket. I said "You go find your brother right now and bring him back here. He is not allowed to ride Mira's bike." Eventually I found Mohamed and I said in a loud stern voice "You get off Mira's bike right now. You are never allowed to ride Mira's bike again because you broke it too many times. If you want a bicycle, ask your parents to buy you one." He just said "OK."

I took Mira upstairs, and told her she is punished from riding her bike for one week. Then I asked her to surrender the key to her bicycle lock, which she did. I told her, for the next few days she is grounded from playing with children. She is never allowed to play with Zacharia, Mohamed and their little sisters again. Mira JUST DIDN'T GET IT!! So we went back and forth for several hours of her crying and carrying on "Nobody loves me." "You don't love me." Unfortunately, she has no idea what kind of child I was because she met her match when I became her mother. I know every trick in the book, backwards, forwards, sideways and upside down. As my Mom used to say "Don't pull that crap with me."

Mira is the only child in the neighborhood who plays with these children. They trash all the toys; call kids really bad names and throw rocks at people. We've told Mira before not to play with these kids but we got soft on them for some reason. Never again.

So Mira went to bed that night with her eyes red and swollen from crying, hyperventilating one too many times (another old trick of mine). Usually we lay in bed and say "OK 5 minutes of quiet starting now." We rarely go beyond 5 minutes. We used to say "Eyes closed." Now Mira says "Eyes optionable." Oh, how can I be angry at a child who wants to use such a big word as "optional" and instead replaces it with "optionable." We love her so much and realize that she is growing too quickly for us to hold onto, but it doesn't mean that we stop correcting her and punishing her. It's all a part of love and wanting to raise her with a sense of responsibility and accountability; something I really didn't understand until I turned 29, but there's always hope for Mira.

Peace,

Marian

Some Days are Diamonds, Some Days are Stones

Mira has been wanting to spend the night away from home for quite some time. When we were in the US we tried to get Mira to stay at my one sister's house, but when we would really talk about it, Mira would back out. Last night was the exception; Mira finally spent her first night away from home. She kept asking me: "Was Kelsey afraid?" "Was Frances ever nervous sleeping at Baba's?" (my Mom's house) Of course I told Mira that they were nervous. Then Mira told me how much she was going to miss me -- I really felt her words and just wanted to drag her home, but I knew this was a big step for everyone.

It was all planned (at least in my mind): we would drop Mira off at Aunt Olfat's, sit for an hour, maybe two at most, and then leave Mira with Aunt Olfat. After visiting for a little while, Hassan and I would go shopping for a few kitchen items, you know spending some time alone for a change. Let me just say that things never go as planned -- at least not in my case.

We dropped Mira off at Aunt Olfat's (that part worked out). We stayed for six hours during which time, Dalia (Olfat's daughter) and her son Omar went with us (Hassan, Mira and me) to the store to shop for kitchen items. There is never a lack of opinion in Aunt Olfat's family when it comes to anything especially shopping. I know that people are trying to help us, inform us about the items we were shopping for, but one would get an entirely different impression had they actually experienced it like I had.

We finished our shopping, went back to Aunt Olfat's and sat for another hour at which time I told Mira she can stay or she can come home with us; it was her decision. Mira decided to stay.

Hassan and I went downstairs, Mira went with us along with Dalia, and we said goodnight. Mira went upstairs with Dalia. We looked in the rearview mirror to see if there was a little girl with a cat t-shirt following us up the street. We were comforted to see the street empty.

In the car, I told Hassan that I cannot believe how people eat all night long. Then I asked him if he wanted to go for shrimp sandwiches. At this point I was trying to salvage any notion of a romantic evening; as romantic as shopping for kitchen supplies can be in my mind. After 12 years of marriage, I'll take what I can get.

Hassan and I ate our shrimp sandwiches in the car on the way home. We got home, Hassan went to bed and I stayed up until I thought Mira wouldn't call. Then I went to sleep.

This morning Aunt Olfat called saying that Mira did very well. Well, Mira's growing up and stretching her wings ever so slightly. I guess there's no stopping her at this point.

As for Hassan and I, maybe we'll spend time alone some day, without people, phone calls or children. I don't know when it will be; but I keep hoping.

Peace,

Marian

Counting the days . . . or not

I realized yesterday, or was it the day before, that I have stopped marking the days off the calendar since we moved to Cairo. Perhaps life is becoming a bit more normal for me, however "normal" is described by Egyptian society, and perhaps I'm really beginning to realize that we're here for awhile, so I might as well enjoy it.

Yesterday, Hassan and I dropped off Mira at Aunt Olfat's so we could do some shopping. We went into Cairo - an accomplishment in itself -- and met his friends, Ehab and Shabaan, who took us to a downtown shopping area. Our intention was to shop in a very famous area called "Attaba" for low-priced, high quality housewares. Needless to say, we never made it to Attaba. Instead we settled (unbeknownst to me) for shopping in another nearby area close to Attaba. We ended up purchasing one adult bicycle which Hassan and I will share, along with two cotton long sleeve tops for me which cost 15 LE each (equivalent to $3.00 each). We also managed to buy one chandelier for the living room, and two light fixtures, one for each bedroom. We desperately needed these lighting fixtures as we were tired of looking at raw lightbulbs hanging out of the sockets in the ceiling.

We ate shrimp sandwiches at a small cafe (seafood is everywhere here in Egypt), and then went to an ice cream shop for dessert. I've never seen two grown men eat ice cream so quickly as Ehab and Shabaan. Luckily the restaurant was air conditioned.

It was about 7:00 p.m. and as I was people-watching, which I love to do, I noticed that more and more people surfaced on the streets and sidewalks as the sun made its descent into the horizon. Sure it's great to go shopping in the late afternoon such as we did, but it's much smarter to start shopping after sunset.

Peace,

Marian

A Hen Party in Egypt

Over the past several years, I have been a member of a few email groups dedicated to women married to Egyptians and one dedicated to women living in Egypt.

Yesterday, I finally had an opportunity to meet some of the women with whom I have been communicating over the past few years. It was quite refreshing to finally meet these women I've only known by email names and addresses. There were approximately 15 women in attendance at a baby shower for one American woman about to give birth. While many of the women were from the U.S. (ok, here Egyptians say "America" I still say "U.S."), there was a woman from Iceland, one woman from Australia (of Egyptian parents), a Slovenian/Syrian woman currently living in Slovenia, and a woman from Germany. I was very nervous about going, but was put at ease after being given a warm welcome. There were no judgements made, no gossipping about others; just a room full of women speaking English, passing along motherly advice to the mom-to-be, and eating good food.

Peace,

Marian

Finding My Place

I think I am finally beginning feel a little less out of place as an American living in Egypt.

I went to sign a contract today to work at the school Mira will be attending in September. I will be the office administrator for the American section of the school. While I am enthusiastic about working full-time once again, I am hesitant in signing the contract because it commits me to one year of employment. I've always wanted to work at Mira's school, but I was hoping it would be in the U.S. I originally thought the contract was for 11 months, however, the contract is for 10 months. The contract begins August 15, 2005 through June 15, 2006 with two months of vacation without pay. I was originally told the contract was for 11 months and then they changed it to 10 months. I think this is still ok because I get 5 sick days during the school year and 30% discount for Mira's tuition.

I drove by myself (Mira was with me) to the main school office in Nasr City about 25 minutes from where we live. After meeting with the principal, we drove back to Rehab and went to the mall where we tried to do some shopping but to no avail, most of the stores were closed. I think the stores open later in the day and stay open until late at night because of the heat. I am overcoming my fear of driving in a city where the drivers make five and half lanes out of a three lane road. I am beginning to realize that my incentive to drive is two-fold: I re-gain my independence, and I can spend money.

Peace,

Marian

Shopping for Clothes

I treasure my independence and I am used to shopping by myself. Relying on others here in Egypt to show me around has been quite a major adjustment. Hopefully I will not be relying on others for too much longer, especially Hassan.

Yesterday Hassan, Mira and I went shopping to buy clothes for me to wear. I needed some summer weight clothing, especially short-sleeve blouses that are not t-shirts. Women in Egypt tend to dress up whenever they go out. An American ideal I hold dear in my heart is "wear what you want as long as it looks nice and is clean." Oh, did I mention that most women in Egypt, except for a few of us transplants, do not wear shorts. In any event, I bought some blouses, coming out of the store with only one short-sleeve blouse. I guess there just wasn't much of a selection of short-sleeve blouses at this one particlar store. Still, I am quite thankful for the welcome additions to my wardrobe.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

Ain Sukhna

Hassan, Mira and I went to the Red Sea resort of Ain Sukhna on Thursday and just returned about an hour ago. We went with Hassan's friend, Ehab and his wife Jihan. "Ain Sukhna" means "Hot Springs." It was nice getting away to the beach, especially since this particular beach is only about an hour away.

As we drove down the coast, there are mountains of rock on one side of us, and the Red Sea on the other side with a winding road in the middle. It was so pretty to see the contrast between the rock mountains and the sea. I thought to myself "How would Bob Ross paint this scenic view?"

The water is very blue, and from the shore you can see the Sinai peninsula. I understand how Moses coule have parted the Red Sea. From where we were, the distance from one side of the Red Sea to the other is probably no more than five miles. The water was very calm and extremely clear, with small white fish swimming under us. There are no real waves; the waves would be similar to those of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland - almost non-existent. The only difference between the two bodies of water is that there is a tremendous amount of salt in the Red Sea.

So now we've returned with salty bathing suits and tired bodies from swimming.

Ma3salaama,

Marian

June 11 - Adjusting to Life for Now

It's been one month since my last post - - sorry for the delay. Mira finished school and will be moving to another school in September. Her new school is an American accredited school. They offered me the job of office manager/files manager for the American school section. I am just waiting to sign the contract. I think this opportunity is good for a few reasons: 1 I will be near Mira 2 I'm going to be working full-time and the job will keep me busy 3 I will be around American teachers and educators working and living in Egypt and 4 it will help me find a good job back in the US when the time comes.

Hassan loves it here; he is around his lifelong friends and family who care for him very much. Mira loves playing with all the children and believe me there are a lot of children. As for me I am pleased we received our boxes the other day so I am trying to keep myself busy by getting organized for now.

Ma3salaama,

Marian