Miss-Almost-Naked-"Sexy"-Pose-Lebanese-Girl,
Why are you even trying to add my husband on facebook? Just ugh.
Christmas Competition Reminder
2 hours ago
Egypt vs Algeria: Congratulations to Egypt, Video of Celebtrations on our street!
The match finished, Egypt beat Algeria 1 - 0. Not enough to qualify for another chance to go to the world cup or something. Anyway suddenly in extra time, with just minutes to spare, Egypt scores another goal.
They win 2 - 0! Suddenly we hear cheers everywhere, cars immediately begin honking. The 2 non-Egyptian boys next door cheer. Everyone is happy!
It's been going on for a long time.
Here is a video of what's happening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTs9osjNKOA
They win 2 - 0! Suddenly we hear cheers everywhere, cars immediately begin honking. The 2 non-Egyptian boys next door cheer. Everyone is happy!
It's been going on for a long time.
Here is a video of what's happening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTs9osjNKOA
Ladies Judging Ladies. Men Judging Ladies.
Why is it exactly that anything 'sexy' is automatically the worst crime according to many Muslims? I don't remember the Qur'an or Hadith teaching that, and I don't fully understand this attitude myself.
It's a mix of many things I suppose, first the embarrassment and shame that sex is viewed with in many places and families. Sex isn't a bad thing, it should be taught in a healthy manner. Sex within marriage is a good thing, just like kids within marriage is a good thing or love within marriage is a good thing.
Secondly, it's probably insecurity. The insecurity of men that have been brought up to think that they can't control their own penises, and that if they harrass a woman it's her fault (And what about those sheikhs that say most of the blame of rape goes to the woman for being dressed provocatively?).
But I don't understand why ladies judge other ladies on whether she wears hijab or not, or how she dresses. Personally, to me, a muslimah is a muslimah. Why has it become like the 6th pillar of Islam for us girls? Why is it the defining factor? If people must judge us then why not measure our Islam by our prayer, faith, charity, kindess or Islamic manners? But sometimes our minds are made up just by looking at her clothes, and nobody bothers whether that woman follows the 5 pillars or not. There's way more to Muslim women than clothes. I hope we don't continue to demean ourselves and our sisters by acting like there isn't.
Below are 2 pictures of famous Muslim faces in the Middle East. One of them is a wife, a popular singer and dancer. The other orchestrated the death of about 3,000 civilians. Including Muslims. (not that their religion matters.)
So which is more respected? Before I came to Egypt, and got to know Egypt, I thought the media was exaggerating. I thought that what they say about them wasn't true.
But some of it was.
Many people think that Osama bin Laden is a generally good man who made a big mistake. Nearly everyone condemns what happened on September 11, 2001 - but they won't say he's evil. They won't say that this 1 action defines him. They'll talk about all the good things he's done, they'll defend him.
On the other hand, Haifa never killed anyone. But she does look hot and she does dance provocatively. She's the devil itself, according to some. This one action does define her. Her appearance in public isn't Islamic, but why is it worse than what Osama bin Laden did?
You don't know what is in people's hearts. You can see Haifa's downfalls straightaway, but the sins other people may be hiding could be 1,000 times worse. She might be a great wife to her husband, she might pray 5 times per day. Do you know how many outwardly pious muslims, hijabis & guys with beards, don't even bother to pray 5 times per day?
None of us are perfect; if someone acts and dresses perfectly in public they will definitely have a downfall in private.
So to wrap it up:
Why is being sexy a bigger taboo than mass murder? My answer; insecurity both within society and inside ourselves.
It's a mix of many things I suppose, first the embarrassment and shame that sex is viewed with in many places and families. Sex isn't a bad thing, it should be taught in a healthy manner. Sex within marriage is a good thing, just like kids within marriage is a good thing or love within marriage is a good thing.
Secondly, it's probably insecurity. The insecurity of men that have been brought up to think that they can't control their own penises, and that if they harrass a woman it's her fault (And what about those sheikhs that say most of the blame of rape goes to the woman for being dressed provocatively?).
But I don't understand why ladies judge other ladies on whether she wears hijab or not, or how she dresses. Personally, to me, a muslimah is a muslimah. Why has it become like the 6th pillar of Islam for us girls? Why is it the defining factor? If people must judge us then why not measure our Islam by our prayer, faith, charity, kindess or Islamic manners? But sometimes our minds are made up just by looking at her clothes, and nobody bothers whether that woman follows the 5 pillars or not. There's way more to Muslim women than clothes. I hope we don't continue to demean ourselves and our sisters by acting like there isn't.
There is no compulsion in religion.
al Baqara - 256
Below are 2 pictures of famous Muslim faces in the Middle East. One of them is a wife, a popular singer and dancer. The other orchestrated the death of about 3,000 civilians. Including Muslims. (not that their religion matters.)
So which is more respected? Before I came to Egypt, and got to know Egypt, I thought the media was exaggerating. I thought that what they say about them wasn't true.
But some of it was.
Many people think that Osama bin Laden is a generally good man who made a big mistake. Nearly everyone condemns what happened on September 11, 2001 - but they won't say he's evil. They won't say that this 1 action defines him. They'll talk about all the good things he's done, they'll defend him.
You don't know what is in people's hearts. You can see Haifa's downfalls straightaway, but the sins other people may be hiding could be 1,000 times worse. She might be a great wife to her husband, she might pray 5 times per day. Do you know how many outwardly pious muslims, hijabis & guys with beards, don't even bother to pray 5 times per day?
None of us are perfect; if someone acts and dresses perfectly in public they will definitely have a downfall in private.
So to wrap it up:
Why is being sexy a bigger taboo than mass murder? My answer; insecurity both within society and inside ourselves.
More Egyptian English
I don't know if my husband is secretly trying to insult my family and I under the guise of a non-native "English speaker" but here are a couple of gems he came up with today;
On speaking about my grandmother who has various ill family members in her house;
"Your grandmother is so pathetic! Wait.. is that an insult? I mean she has difficult situations around her.."
On me being ill;
"Aww.. you are so poor!! No Wait! Not poor. I mean poor you. Poor you."
On speaking about my grandmother who has various ill family members in her house;
"Your grandmother is so pathetic! Wait.. is that an insult? I mean she has difficult situations around her.."
On me being ill;
"Aww.. you are so poor!! No Wait! Not poor. I mean poor you. Poor you."
I'm taking all your advice!
Some of you suggested, after reading my last post, that I write a "10 Things I Love About You" post about my husband. I wrote a rant on messy men, and some of you responded with an "ouch!" or a "that was harsh!".
You're right, it was mean - but I didn't mean it to be as nasty as it seemed. It was just an "aghhh men are such slobs!" moment. If I'm going to complain about his bad points, I should also praise his good points. So here goes..
10 Things I Love About my Husband
1. If I'm slightly ill, he takes good care of me. He brings me tea and biscuits in bed, orders a delivery of whatever I want so that I don't have to cook, and he'll go out in search of a 24 hour Pharmacy at 3am.(If you read this, remember the chili burn on my hand?? :P)
2. If I ever mention that I want something, he gets me it.
3. When he's tucked up in bed with a little smile and the blankets pulled up around his chin he's cuter than a baby or a puppy.
4. Whenever I cook anything, even if I know it's gone wrong, he eats every last bit and says "thank you its soooo lovely", and that the "best food is from your hands!".
5. When he sneezes, "Alhamdulillah" of course as is Sunnah. And sometimes I reply "Yarhamukum Allah" and he replies "Yarhamna we yarhamukum". But sometimes, I tell him in English "Bless You!" and he replies. "Thank you, God bless you too." In English that is just too cute, because nobody speaks like that.
6. He is strong, handsome and intelligent.
7. When it comes to eating, buying things, etc. he's very unselfish. He'll get whatever I want and not think about himself.
8. He is a hard worker and cares a lot about his job.
9. He is SO funny. One of the reasons I loved him in the first place.
10. Most importantly, he protects me from ghosts at night!
You're right, it was mean - but I didn't mean it to be as nasty as it seemed. It was just an "aghhh men are such slobs!" moment. If I'm going to complain about his bad points, I should also praise his good points. So here goes..
10 Things I Love About my Husband
1. If I'm slightly ill, he takes good care of me. He brings me tea and biscuits in bed, orders a delivery of whatever I want so that I don't have to cook, and he'll go out in search of a 24 hour Pharmacy at 3am.(If you read this, remember the chili burn on my hand?? :P)
2. If I ever mention that I want something, he gets me it.
3. When he's tucked up in bed with a little smile and the blankets pulled up around his chin he's cuter than a baby or a puppy.
4. Whenever I cook anything, even if I know it's gone wrong, he eats every last bit and says "thank you its soooo lovely", and that the "best food is from your hands!".
5. When he sneezes, "Alhamdulillah" of course as is Sunnah. And sometimes I reply "Yarhamukum Allah" and he replies "Yarhamna we yarhamukum". But sometimes, I tell him in English "Bless You!" and he replies. "Thank you, God bless you too." In English that is just too cute, because nobody speaks like that.
6. He is strong, handsome and intelligent.
7. When it comes to eating, buying things, etc. he's very unselfish. He'll get whatever I want and not think about himself.
8. He is a hard worker and cares a lot about his job.
9. He is SO funny. One of the reasons I loved him in the first place.
10. Most importantly, he protects me from ghosts at night!
Why is he sooo messy?
I've put this post up for 2 reasons;
1) Maybe my husband will read this. Since he obviously doesn't listen to me when I speak (I never believed that men don't listen until I married) and keeps doing the same things, maybe he can READ. Yes, husband. Please check my internet history.
2) Maybe the wives and mothers around here can relate?
10 13 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU
* You leave food in the sink!! Why?? Are you the one who has to put their hand in the sink and unblock it from all the soggy disgusting food? No! How many times did I tell you? This proves another point. YOU DON'T LISTEN LIKE ALL MEN.
* When you don't leave your food in the sink, you leave it by the bed, on top of the fridge, on the couch.
* I have to moan and moan for you to take the bins out, we live on the 5th floor and I'm a girl. No I can't do it.
* You try to change my system in everything. Can you cook? NO. Do you ever ever wash up? NO. I don't like it when you put the washing-up liquid in a bowl beside the sink. I hate it. Why don't you ask me before you do it ? You think it's advice, you think it helps. IT DOESN'T.
* After I've spent all day cleaning and tidying, you come home and strip. You leave your clothes were they fall. Including your socks.
* Thanks for helping me cut the chicken while I cook. Shame that you try to rinse the knife and fork, and plate you use with cold water. Have you heard of bacteria? Raw meat is full of it. And wash your hands with hot water too. And I don't believe this is how everybody in Egypt prepares meat.
* Just because I don't want to walk around Cairo until 2am in my heels when we only went out to get something from the shop for 5 minutes doesn't mean "I refuse everything".
* I hate it when you "tut" instead of say no. It's a disgusting noise and I find it really really rude.
* Stop tutting and sighing when things don't go your way.
* Stop pacing around all night, making me watch movies with you at 3am in bed, and turning the lights on. Yesterday you did this and then I heard the Fajr Azaan! FAJR. I woke up at 10am the day before. ENOUGH. GO TO SLEEP LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE!
* STOP CALLING PEOPLE WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU AND I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A SENTENCE WITHOUT WARNING. YOU'RE SO IGNORANT.
* Stop drinking Pepsi out of a mug. Ew. Use a glass.
* Oh yeah, and stop asking the people at the deli to slice the cheese and meat. It's annoying, there are times I want a block of cheese or diced meat. Who wants sliced chicken curry? By the way, they still charge you per kilo of the raw stuff including the fat. Don't think because you ask them to remove the fat that they're going to weigh the new non-fatty meat and charge you like that. Idiot.
1) Maybe my husband will read this. Since he obviously doesn't listen to me when I speak (I never believed that men don't listen until I married) and keeps doing the same things, maybe he can READ. Yes, husband. Please check my internet history.
2) Maybe the wives and mothers around here can relate?
* You leave food in the sink!! Why?? Are you the one who has to put their hand in the sink and unblock it from all the soggy disgusting food? No! How many times did I tell you? This proves another point. YOU DON'T LISTEN LIKE ALL MEN.
* When you don't leave your food in the sink, you leave it by the bed, on top of the fridge, on the couch.
* I have to moan and moan for you to take the bins out, we live on the 5th floor and I'm a girl. No I can't do it.
* You try to change my system in everything. Can you cook? NO. Do you ever ever wash up? NO. I don't like it when you put the washing-up liquid in a bowl beside the sink. I hate it. Why don't you ask me before you do it ? You think it's advice, you think it helps. IT DOESN'T.
* After I've spent all day cleaning and tidying, you come home and strip. You leave your clothes were they fall. Including your socks.
* Thanks for helping me cut the chicken while I cook. Shame that you try to rinse the knife and fork, and plate you use with cold water. Have you heard of bacteria? Raw meat is full of it. And wash your hands with hot water too. And I don't believe this is how everybody in Egypt prepares meat.
* Just because I don't want to walk around Cairo until 2am in my heels when we only went out to get something from the shop for 5 minutes doesn't mean "I refuse everything".
* I hate it when you "tut" instead of say no. It's a disgusting noise and I find it really really rude.
* Stop tutting and sighing when things don't go your way.
* Stop pacing around all night, making me watch movies with you at 3am in bed, and turning the lights on. Yesterday you did this and then I heard the Fajr Azaan! FAJR. I woke up at 10am the day before. ENOUGH. GO TO SLEEP LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE!
* STOP CALLING PEOPLE WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU AND I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A SENTENCE WITHOUT WARNING. YOU'RE SO IGNORANT.
* Stop drinking Pepsi out of a mug. Ew. Use a glass.
* Oh yeah, and stop asking the people at the deli to slice the cheese and meat. It's annoying, there are times I want a block of cheese or diced meat. Who wants sliced chicken curry? By the way, they still charge you per kilo of the raw stuff including the fat. Don't think because you ask them to remove the fat that they're going to weigh the new non-fatty meat and charge you like that. Idiot.
One Single Adhan in Cairo
Anybody who has visited a majority-Muslim country has experienced the call to prayer, a chorus of hundreds or thousands of voices each reciting the adhan. It begins with one solitary voice, and over the next 2 minutes, numerous voices from hundreds of other mosques will join in.
For some people, it's a magical sound. The echoing call may sound haunting, enchanting and spiritual. It's definitely one of the distinctive characteristics of an Islamic city - especially one like Cairo, the City of 1000 Minarets.
Others may hear the feedback from the microphone and the bellowing voice of a particular muezzin whose voice is reminiscent of a person falling from a 100-story building. Rather than hearing a chorus, this person hears deafening asynchronicity.
It's been proposed numerous times over the past few years to use 1 single adhan for the whole of Cairo. But this time, it looks like they're serious. The adhan will be one centralized muezzin, radio transmitted to each of Cairo's 4,000 mosques at exactly the same time. Complete and perfect synchronization.
Many people are happy about this change which is set to kick into action in about 3 months. Others are not.
On one hand it is Islamic, the way of the Prophet, to have a muezzin with a beautiful voice. The first ever muezzin was Bilal, a freed African slave, chosen for his melodious voice. The current call to prayer is seen by many as an unpleasant, discouraging, racket of a reminder to pray. Prayer is a beautiful time for many Muslims. Some mosques are known to transmit the whole prayer by microphone, unnecessarily interrupting the day for others who may not be praying, may be praying quietly alone, or may not even be Muslim.
On the other hand, many people are worried about the many muezzin who will be put out of a job. Others wonder if the government will begin centralizing and synchronizing the khutbah, the Friday Sermon. Others simply don't want Cairo to lose part of it's charm.
What do you think?
For some people, it's a magical sound. The echoing call may sound haunting, enchanting and spiritual. It's definitely one of the distinctive characteristics of an Islamic city - especially one like Cairo, the City of 1000 Minarets.
Others may hear the feedback from the microphone and the bellowing voice of a particular muezzin whose voice is reminiscent of a person falling from a 100-story building. Rather than hearing a chorus, this person hears deafening asynchronicity.
It's been proposed numerous times over the past few years to use 1 single adhan for the whole of Cairo. But this time, it looks like they're serious. The adhan will be one centralized muezzin, radio transmitted to each of Cairo's 4,000 mosques at exactly the same time. Complete and perfect synchronization.
Many people are happy about this change which is set to kick into action in about 3 months. Others are not.
On one hand it is Islamic, the way of the Prophet, to have a muezzin with a beautiful voice. The first ever muezzin was Bilal, a freed African slave, chosen for his melodious voice. The current call to prayer is seen by many as an unpleasant, discouraging, racket of a reminder to pray. Prayer is a beautiful time for many Muslims. Some mosques are known to transmit the whole prayer by microphone, unnecessarily interrupting the day for others who may not be praying, may be praying quietly alone, or may not even be Muslim.
On the other hand, many people are worried about the many muezzin who will be put out of a job. Others wonder if the government will begin centralizing and synchronizing the khutbah, the Friday Sermon. Others simply don't want Cairo to lose part of it's charm.
What do you think?
Question
Men shouldn't watch of other women, what they don't allow their wives. Agree or disagree?
Example: He doesn't allow his wife to show her arms, tight clothes (or let's say hijab) etc. in public or to any other man. But then sits at home watching slutty hiphop music videos and trashy american movies of women flashing their breasts and wearing bikinis etc.
What do you think? Is it unreasonable to say that he shouldn't watch other women in clothes less than what he forces his wife to wear?
Example: He doesn't allow his wife to show her arms, tight clothes (or let's say hijab) etc. in public or to any other man. But then sits at home watching slutty hiphop music videos and trashy american movies of women flashing their breasts and wearing bikinis etc.
What do you think? Is it unreasonable to say that he shouldn't watch other women in clothes less than what he forces his wife to wear?
I can't comment on your blogs! Help me please? :(
I can't comment on blogs which don't have a pop up window, the drop down menu on the embedded comments just don't let me choose anything and the buttons don't work. Does anyone have any idea to fix it?
If not, you have only one solution. EVERYBODY change your blog comments to pop-up windows.. or ELSE.
If not, you have only one solution. EVERYBODY change your blog comments to pop-up windows.. or ELSE.
So You're Poor (A Guide to Slumming it In the Middle East)
Have you ever found yourself with no money and no place to go? Have you ever wished that you lived in a cheaper city, country or neighbourhood? Look no further. Egypt and neighbouring countries are definitely the place to be. Take a look at the penny-pinching lifestyle you can enjoy!
The below is a collection of pictures I took in 5 minutes, that's how easy it is! (except the donkey, the donkey-boy wasn't around this evening)
The below is a collection of pictures I took in 5 minutes, that's how easy it is! (except the donkey, the donkey-boy wasn't around this evening)
Who needs curtains? Covering your windows with an old magazine or newspaper is much cheaper and you can even show your support for your favourite football team!
Are you an animal lover? A cost-effective way of having a pet is to let the stray, rabid dogs poke around your house and garden.
Throwing your rubbish in the street is much cheaper and easier than buying a bin.
Do your washing on the roof - beats buying a washing machine!
Save gas while you get gas!! Buy your environmentally friendly gas from the donkey gas-boy who'll ring a bell around your neighbourhood to let you know he's here to sell and collect gas canisters. P.S. In Egypt, gas is for cookers only. If you want to get around you can use a donkey or camel. There are no cars in the whole country. Except the odd 80's Fiat, which you're too poor to afford.
You've earned a good night's rest. Get a job as a delivery boy (sorry if you're a woman but it's illegal to work if you're female) and sleep on the comfortable, new beds on the truck during your break.
I'm So Unhappy
I try to put on a smile, and act like everything is okay. I email home about our great days out and post pictures of the view on my blog.
But the reality is different, I don't know why I'm posting this but I'm just so upset now. I don't have anyone at all here. And I have nothing to do, nothing to read and about 4MB left on the internet so I'm blogging to keep busy. I'm trying to kid myself that it's okay but it's really not.
My patience is sinking as my husband acts more patronizing and moody towards me. A lot of the time he is very nice, and he's the same boy I fell in love with. I've known him for years.
We argued yesterday because I used a swear word in an empty cafe at 3am.. I was reading out an article which contained the F-word. He became moody and told me to "calm down", so we went home to sleep without talking.
He wouldn't let me have any of the cover and held it back from me, whether this was a joke or not I don't know but I tried to get it back using my arms and legs but I accidently hurt him.
The way in which he reacted was extremely scary - and I don't want to go into details but I hid in another room with the door closed while I tried to catch my breath. I knew what he did wouldn't seriously damage me but the threat was enough to really frighten me. He stood outside the locked room saying "You disrespect your husband? hmm?"
He was very apologetic afterwards but today he's acting like a total moody bitch for nothing. I have slapped him in the past when I found some things which outraged me (yes, astaghfirullah I am so ashamed) and he's slapped me back but this was a very different thing.
Look forward to more happy posts from me, when this has all died down and we're having a good patch. I know this is personal stuff but this blog is my annonymous diary - a look into my life. Nobody I know reads it.
Please, remember us in your dua.
But the reality is different, I don't know why I'm posting this but I'm just so upset now. I don't have anyone at all here. And I have nothing to do, nothing to read and about 4MB left on the internet so I'm blogging to keep busy. I'm trying to kid myself that it's okay but it's really not.
My patience is sinking as my husband acts more patronizing and moody towards me. A lot of the time he is very nice, and he's the same boy I fell in love with. I've known him for years.
We argued yesterday because I used a swear word in an empty cafe at 3am.. I was reading out an article which contained the F-word. He became moody and told me to "calm down", so we went home to sleep without talking.
He wouldn't let me have any of the cover and held it back from me, whether this was a joke or not I don't know but I tried to get it back using my arms and legs but I accidently hurt him.
The way in which he reacted was extremely scary - and I don't want to go into details but I hid in another room with the door closed while I tried to catch my breath. I knew what he did wouldn't seriously damage me but the threat was enough to really frighten me. He stood outside the locked room saying "You disrespect your husband? hmm?"
He was very apologetic afterwards but today he's acting like a total moody bitch for nothing. I have slapped him in the past when I found some things which outraged me (yes, astaghfirullah I am so ashamed) and he's slapped me back but this was a very different thing.
Look forward to more happy posts from me, when this has all died down and we're having a good patch. I know this is personal stuff but this blog is my annonymous diary - a look into my life. Nobody I know reads it.
Please, remember us in your dua.
Wow!
The fog has cleared and the view has uncovered itself. We can see the 3 Great Pyramids of Giza really clearly from our flat now (The LQ picture doesn't show it, but we can even see the limestone top) and not only that, smaller pyramids from other places. We can see the Saqqara pyramids too!
The pictures below are really LQ because I made them fast in paint and very small image size because of the USB internet.. don't want to use too many MB haha!
The pictures below are really LQ because I made them fast in paint and very small image size because of the USB internet.. don't want to use too many MB haha!
Top 15 Signs You're Living in Egypt
Well, these are the things that let me know I'm in Egypt. I hope you can relate!
1. Your street carries the metallic smell of Egyptian Style Chicken all the time. And Shisha.
2. Cars dressed totally in flashing fairy lights, beeping their horns continuously and with some added zaghareet (just incase the situation wasn't clear enough) is a routine sight when you look out of your window.
3. You see people asking for "The Deal of The Week" on their chosen item, even if they're in a fixed price store, and no such offer exists.
4. Motorbikes and cars slow down to stalk you while you walk (applies only if you are female).
5. You're drinking Lipton tea. Or Pepsi. Or Turkish Coffee. No other drink exists. (Note: Mirinda may be substituted if Pepsi is unavailable.)
6. Cafes are a place to hang out after midnight, right after you finish work.
7. Your doorbell chirps*
8. To avoid Drama and 'Shame', you should be available 24 hours per day to meet, greet and serve tea in a glass to anyone who arrives without warning. Even if you're sleeping. Even if it's 2am.
10. You can find girls wearing hijab and a miniskirt simultaneously or, even better, if you're up for a Nile trip you can catch them shaking it and bellydancing too.
11. Places to hang out include your chosen 'club' (which carries a totally different meaning to the western definition), Carrefour or City Stars. Even if you never buy anything from the shops.
12. You never get out of a taxi without fighting with the driver over the price first.
13. You don't visit the pyramids because you know how stressy it is. "Do you want a camel? Do you want a camel? Do you want a camel? Do you want a camel? 30 pounds, 20 pounds, 15 pounds! Do you want a camel then? 10 pounds. Do you want a camel? Do you hear the price? Do you want a camel? 5 pounds. Do you want a camel? Go on, go on. Go on. Come on have a camel. Have a camel."
14. You've lost count of how many people you've kissed.
15. You cook with a big gas canister by your side, your water cuts regularly and you boil your tea in a teapot. If you're from the West (particularly the UK), you miss electrical kettles. You miss electrical cookers. You miss HP Brown sauce, cheese on crackers and Indian Food. Well I do.
*thanks for reminding me NoorTheNinjabi!
1. Your street carries the metallic smell of Egyptian Style Chicken all the time. And Shisha.
2. Cars dressed totally in flashing fairy lights, beeping their horns continuously and with some added zaghareet (just incase the situation wasn't clear enough) is a routine sight when you look out of your window.
3. You see people asking for "The Deal of The Week" on their chosen item, even if they're in a fixed price store, and no such offer exists.
4. Motorbikes and cars slow down to stalk you while you walk (applies only if you are female).
5. You're drinking Lipton tea. Or Pepsi. Or Turkish Coffee. No other drink exists. (Note: Mirinda may be substituted if Pepsi is unavailable.)
6. Cafes are a place to hang out after midnight, right after you finish work.
7. Your doorbell chirps*
8. To avoid Drama and 'Shame', you should be available 24 hours per day to meet, greet and serve tea in a glass to anyone who arrives without warning. Even if you're sleeping. Even if it's 2am.
10. You can find girls wearing hijab and a miniskirt simultaneously or, even better, if you're up for a Nile trip you can catch them shaking it and bellydancing too.
11. Places to hang out include your chosen 'club' (which carries a totally different meaning to the western definition), Carrefour or City Stars. Even if you never buy anything from the shops.
12. You never get out of a taxi without fighting with the driver over the price first.
13. You don't visit the pyramids because you know how stressy it is. "Do you want a camel? Do you want a camel? Do you want a camel? Do you want a camel? 30 pounds, 20 pounds, 15 pounds! Do you want a camel then? 10 pounds. Do you want a camel? Do you hear the price? Do you want a camel? 5 pounds. Do you want a camel? Go on, go on. Go on. Come on have a camel. Have a camel."
14. You've lost count of how many people you've kissed.
15. You cook with a big gas canister by your side, your water cuts regularly and you boil your tea in a teapot. If you're from the West (particularly the UK), you miss electrical kettles. You miss electrical cookers. You miss HP Brown sauce, cheese on crackers and Indian Food. Well I do.
*thanks for reminding me NoorTheNinjabi!
Shocked
If anyone read my last post, you'll know about the landlady who stalks us. I've just come back from 3 days in Alex & Desuq to find that she has been in every room of the flat and rearranged everything.
A pipe was leaking so we asked if she could let in the plumber with her key while we were away. She let the plumber in. She also;
1 - Cleaned the bathroom
2 - Washed the pots, put new sugar in the pot, cleaned the dishes, re-sorted the pots and pans in the cupboards, put our food away in different places to where we usually keep it.
3 - Filled bottles of water and put it in our fridge, cleaned out the fridge, re-arranged the food inside the fridge (why??)
4 - Put a sheet over the computer
5 - WENT INTO OUR BEDROOM, took all of our clothes and probably underwear from the floor (we left in a rush) and folded them and put them back
6 - Put a big love-heart pillow in the middle of the bed.. (eh???)
7 - Tidied everything that was lying out on the table. Thanks for losing my expensive eyeshadow.
8 - Put away a man's leapord skin thong that reads "Release the Beast" on it. (it was a joke for his birthday!)
I'm embarrassed because of the things she may have found while she was poking around a married couple's bedroom. But even if she had found a dead body under the bed, I wouldn't really care because she shouldn't be looking in the first place.
We pay her rent!! We have the contract! Why, why, why? Surely she was trying to be nice.. or snooping under the disguise of niceness. But this is not on. Is this normal for Egypt or something.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!
A pipe was leaking so we asked if she could let in the plumber with her key while we were away. She let the plumber in. She also;
1 - Cleaned the bathroom
2 - Washed the pots, put new sugar in the pot, cleaned the dishes, re-sorted the pots and pans in the cupboards, put our food away in different places to where we usually keep it.
3 - Filled bottles of water and put it in our fridge, cleaned out the fridge, re-arranged the food inside the fridge (why??)
4 - Put a sheet over the computer
5 - WENT INTO OUR BEDROOM, took all of our clothes and probably underwear from the floor (we left in a rush) and folded them and put them back
6 - Put a big love-heart pillow in the middle of the bed.. (eh???)
7 - Tidied everything that was lying out on the table. Thanks for losing my expensive eyeshadow.
8 - Put away a man's leapord skin thong that reads "Release the Beast" on it. (it was a joke for his birthday!)
I'm embarrassed because of the things she may have found while she was poking around a married couple's bedroom. But even if she had found a dead body under the bed, I wouldn't really care because she shouldn't be looking in the first place.
We pay her rent!! We have the contract! Why, why, why? Surely she was trying to be nice.. or snooping under the disguise of niceness. But this is not on. Is this normal for Egypt or something.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!
The Reality
When I first arrived to this flat, I thought that the only ghetto thing about it was the kitchen.
I was wrong.
Our flat marks the distinction between the ghetto part of Maadi (bordering Tura territory)
and the 'normal' Maadi.
Our flat is neither the former nor the latter - it's in the middle (except the kitchen of course). Both pictures are taken from our windows.
Our neighbours on the other floors aren't the foreigners brought to mind by Maadi (bar next door, who are from Djibouti), nor impoverished farmers, but they all seem to be newly graduated Egyptian doctors.
Our 70-year-old landlady also happens to be a stalker. A lovely stalker yes, but all the niceness in the world doesn't make stalking okay.
Everytime we leave the flat, or when we approach the neighbourhood, she's hanging out of her window shouting 'Yasmeeeeen!" or my husband's name. That's fine. When she invited us out to the club, we accepted but she turned up so late (Egyptian time) that we had to go for our other appointment and missed out on all the fun (ahem).
Whenever I'm alone, I'm pulled into her flat while she talks to me in Arabic and I can't understand much - while demanding I "eat!" basbousa. But I can't ever complain about basbousa.
Today, though, was too far. I'm the type of girl that doesn't go out with heels or make up or my hair done. Anywhere. Not even to the shop. So today I'm in the house looking AWFUL. My hair is curly & frizzy with hair oil left in it. I'm wearing old clothes I fell asleep in with trainers. I've got last night's old make up on, the kohl is halfway down my cheeks and the foundation is patchy.
My husband wants to show me which keys are for which gates of the flat as he goes out to work. I express my worry of how I look - he tells me not to be silly it won't take more than 3 seconds to go downstairs and back up. Husband leaves, landlady shouts down at him for a chat from her window. Of course. I turn to walk upstairs to my flat and I am pulled into the landlady's flat and forced to eat. I tell her it's time to go but thank you for everything - she follows me and stops at another flat demanding I 'WAIT!".
She's taken me to meet the only other woman in the flat. What a lovely time to socialize while I'm looking like this with oil in my hair. I tell her I really have to go, but she's still beating the woman's door and shouting her name (that's how she always knocks - bang bang bang shout shout shout. It's terrifying to get a visit) from her.
The other woman had to come out in her dressing gown, because she was in the bath. I had to go and sit in her house for a couple of minutes before making my excuses.
On the plus side, I had an adventure today. I walked to the Alfa Market of Maadi all by myself which was about a 40 minute walk there and another 40 minutes back. I didn't get back until about 8:30pm but its good to know that I can do things for myself. In all my time in Egypt since January I've never really did anything alone.
Maybe this country isn't as scary as I thought. :)
By the way - I saw a fire today and took a picture. What was it? My husband alerted the authorities about it when it was just starting and we watched as it got bigger and bigger.
I was wrong.
Our flat marks the distinction between the ghetto part of Maadi (bordering Tura territory)
and the 'normal' Maadi.
Our flat is neither the former nor the latter - it's in the middle (except the kitchen of course). Both pictures are taken from our windows.
Our neighbours on the other floors aren't the foreigners brought to mind by Maadi (bar next door, who are from Djibouti), nor impoverished farmers, but they all seem to be newly graduated Egyptian doctors.
Our 70-year-old landlady also happens to be a stalker. A lovely stalker yes, but all the niceness in the world doesn't make stalking okay.
Whenever I'm alone, I'm pulled into her flat while she talks to me in Arabic and I can't understand much - while demanding I "eat!" basbousa. But I can't ever complain about basbousa.
My husband wants to show me which keys are for which gates of the flat as he goes out to work. I express my worry of how I look - he tells me not to be silly it won't take more than 3 seconds to go downstairs and back up. Husband leaves, landlady shouts down at him for a chat from her window. Of course. I turn to walk upstairs to my flat and I am pulled into the landlady's flat and forced to eat. I tell her it's time to go but thank you for everything - she follows me and stops at another flat demanding I 'WAIT!".
The other woman had to come out in her dressing gown, because she was in the bath. I had to go and sit in her house for a couple of minutes before making my excuses.
On the plus side, I had an adventure today. I walked to the Alfa Market of Maadi all by myself which was about a 40 minute walk there and another 40 minutes back. I didn't get back until about 8:30pm but its good to know that I can do things for myself. In all my time in Egypt since January I've never really did anything alone.
By the way - I saw a fire today and took a picture. What was it? My husband alerted the authorities about it when it was just starting and we watched as it got bigger and bigger.
In Trouble - Lost My Wedding Ring!
I've just got out of the shower, looked at my hand and realised my wedding ring isn't on! I remember it itching earlier but I don't remember taking it off.
I've looked everywhere - my husband will kill me when he finds out!
I've looked everywhere - my husband will kill me when he finds out!
Ghetto Maadi?
I'm here! After the long & lonely journey, which included an overnight stay in London Heathrow airport, I have arrived!
The flat is in a nice area, we are on the Nile and we have a great view of the Pyramids (when it's not too dusty).
But I have a problem - the kitchen is ghettooo! It's really TINY and the landlord for some odd reason had left many bottles full of water everywhere.
So I'm on a mission to woman-ify the place.
I understand that we're not rich (yet haha) , but he could have got a better flat in another area. It seems he's gone location over quality. We've got a beautiful house in Agamy, Alexandria so we're spending the weekends here but we have to live in Cairo for his work.
On the plus side, the nearest supermarket (Alfa Market) is greaat! It has INDIAN food and British HP Sauce! Things I've never been able to get in Egypt before - Maadi really does have it's benefits! When we were living elsewhere, I was making *everything* from scratch and eating a lot of Egyptian food but I prefer to have my home comforts!
Talking about home comforts, I heard Scottish bagpipe music playing outside the window the other day - it was great to hear that here!
So yeah, boring post but just an update - I'm going to utilize my free time with blogging. I'm going to post all the Engrish I find! My internet here is crappy (Vodafone USB) but I'm looking forward to reading everyone's newest blog entries and catching up with Hala Abdelnoor's Story & the Jacaranda secret!
The flat is in a nice area, we are on the Nile and we have a great view of the Pyramids (when it's not too dusty).
But I have a problem - the kitchen is ghettooo! It's really TINY and the landlord for some odd reason had left many bottles full of water everywhere.
So I'm on a mission to woman-ify the place.
I understand that we're not rich (yet haha) , but he could have got a better flat in another area. It seems he's gone location over quality. We've got a beautiful house in Agamy, Alexandria so we're spending the weekends here but we have to live in Cairo for his work.
On the plus side, the nearest supermarket (Alfa Market) is greaat! It has INDIAN food and British HP Sauce! Things I've never been able to get in Egypt before - Maadi really does have it's benefits! When we were living elsewhere, I was making *everything* from scratch and eating a lot of Egyptian food but I prefer to have my home comforts!
Talking about home comforts, I heard Scottish bagpipe music playing outside the window the other day - it was great to hear that here!
So yeah, boring post but just an update - I'm going to utilize my free time with blogging. I'm going to post all the Engrish I find! My internet here is crappy (Vodafone USB) but I'm looking forward to reading everyone's newest blog entries and catching up with Hala Abdelnoor's Story & the Jacaranda secret!
