another day in the world of parking in cairo...

...had another "incident" with parking this morning at work. as most of you probably know, parking in cairo is very difficult and extremely difficult near my work in the mornings. so, its no surprise that i have at least one parking "incident" each weekly :)

so, this morning...it wasn't like a wreck or bump or anything (this time!). rather it was a total lost in translation, have no idea what you are saying, street arabic moment.

we have these guys on the streets that are the "parkers" of the streets...meaning that they kind of claim areas and then "help" you park and then expect a tip for parking in their territory (which of course is not really their's, but i've decided not to mess with the parker's mafia these days).

there was a great spot right in front of my work (which is never open), so i was so excited to park there. so, i told the guy i wanted to and he proceeded to "help" me park (wave his hands, yell in arabic, and move around a lot). i have learned to interpret their "help" and actually use it to help me park, but in this case, it was a total loss.

the guy kept saying tons of stuff in arabic, but i had no idea what he was trying to tell me and it was weird the way he was telling me to park. i can't really explain, but i kept telling him in arabic that i didn't understand and that i was sorry...he just kept talking. so, i tried to say forget it and leave, but he really wanted me to park there (probably because yesterday i gave him a big tip). after several minutes of this (which felt like an eternity), i gave up fully and told him i couldn't understand him, that i was sorry, and just drove off.

luckily i found another spot quickly (rare again), but i walked in to work thinking about how funny the situation was and how after 2 years of living in this place and parking at the same work, i can still have experiences where i look back and still don't know what in the world was going on and how that even happened.

hehe...that's Egypt...unpredicatable, always changing, and a place where you should never try to understand how or why anything happens!

a little observation from the states...

being in the states this summer was great. it was wonderful to relax and feel easy being in my own culture and surroundings that i grew up with. of course, that didn't come without some adjustments the first couple of weeks. and needless to say, i definitely noticed some things about the american culture, "my" culture, that weren't so pretty.

one thing that absolutely drove me crazy, and one i tried to tolerate nicely and patiently with my family and friends around me...was how "specific" everyone is. i am using the word "specific" to sound a bit nicer and to not imply that it is wrong...it is simply a part of the american culture.

almost everyone i was around was not necessarily picky, saying no to things they didn't want. actually, i didn't hear no very often...but what i did hear were added specifications virtually everything, especially food of course.  here are some of the things i heard, just to give examples:

"Can I have the round glass to drink from?"

"Do you have caffeine-free diet pepsi, not regular coke?"

"I would like to have finner at 6pm, not 6:30pm."

"I prefer french bread, not regular rolls."

well, it seems that I can only come up with memories and examples revolving around eating and drinking! so maybe that's really what it boils down to.

what I have figured out from thinking about this is that a lot of it is truly a blessing...that americans have been given so many choices by companies producing so many products that really market to a very specific preference and group. and that really its part of also being in a very organized and orderly culture that these are so freely accepted by the general public (and friends and family of course).

in egypt, you get what you get. the most variety you have is with chips and really its just the basic chip (no baked, no tortilla chips, nothing else) in just about 6 different flavors or so. and when you eat at someone's house, you accept whatever they put in front of you and no one really asks how would you like ____. the food goes on the table and then its your own decision as to what you put on your plate. and as far as times goes, it doesn't really matter what someone prefers, you just have to stay laid back and go with the flow!

i don't think that one is better than the other, but I do appreciate that egypt has made me think a bit more about how to make things easy by not getting specific and how to stay laid back in general.  however, my american side will always have my own secret preferences and specifics for virtually everything, even if they remain a secret in my mind here in cairo.

it's too hot!...

...it's so so so so so hot here in cairo! the heat and summer and sun have officially been (not warmly) welcomed into the crowded and congested city of cairo.  we are hitting temps of around 43 degrees celsius and 112 degrees farenheit these days...yikes!

so, what comes with this crazy heat?

• tons of cars being overheated and stalled out on the roads, highways and streets...leading to more traffic :(
• lots of trips to the red sea to enjoy the cool water :)
• worse smelling people and places (lots of sweat) :(
• enjoyment of this wonderful invention called air conditioning :)
• more dust, i think the heat keeps it locked inside the city like a bubble of dust :(
• being forced to be "closer" with friends and family as we gather in the one room with AC :)
• hard to breathe, more pollution (again the locked bubble effect) :(
• pools...people with pools instantly become everyone's best friend and fridays in the pool are a must :)

so, good and bad comes with this "gift of the sun" that Egypt offers...but i have to say that its still hard to bare through these terribly hot days!

atlanta is coming soon for me...but i hear its not that much better...we'll see. even a few degrees less is great with me!

some "that's egypt!" moments caught on (film)...

donkey parking

longhorn bumper carrying fans

newspaper reading while driving/sitting in traffic on highway

shopping for eggs while hoping none break

egyptian street water fountain

fresh garlic transportation

self-parking including rolling parked cars out of the way to get out

constant street views of the pyramids!

bus towing on the highway

front facial beauty (no side finishings!)

homemade windows

generous road-sharing, including donkey carts

sheep herding on the pedestrian bridge over the highway

giant shopping carts (a country of drama)

when asking for "napkins", toilet paper is a second option

butter...seriously

and finally...little egyptian kids belly dancing!!!!!!!

WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE???? (comments please!)

walking down the street...

i was walking down the street a couple of days ago, going from my parked car up to the building i work in...and it hit me. all of the sudden i felt a sense of comfort and normalcy.

have i finally acclimated to this crazy city of cairo? do i finally feel comfortable and normal in the streets full of people and dust and traffic? is this finally another "home" where i can really feel at home?

for those of you who have never really lived far away from home, especially in another country, you may have no idea what i'm talking about.

but for those of you who have...you know exactly what i'm talking about...and you know what a big deal this moment was for me.

i still am not sure if i was dreaming or if this moment was really real deep in my heart, mind and soul...

i hope its real. and i'm holding onto it.

coming soon...to the states

it's hitting me...i'm coming to the states again very very soon! just a little over 2 weeks and i'll be able to enjoy some of my favorite people, places and things!

one of the interesting things about living far from my family and "home" is that build-up of excitement that comes with the next trip back "home" to visit everyone. of course, nothing is better than the visit itself, but the second best thing is the build-up before! 

it's so fun for weeks to be thinking about the times that i will spend when i arrive back in atlanta. all the hugs i'll give to all the people i love. all of the memories we'll make. all of the food i will eat and shopping i do. 

to finally be back to a more peaceful place with rules that people obey and a respect that strangers give to each other. to experience easy driving and clean food. to enjoy quiet streets and quiet people. to have some privacy and hear all english!

those are just some of the things that are making my excitement grow day by day before the flight back to atlanta!

so, i'm going to enjoy this "second best thing" of letting the excitement build up and grow each and every day...then i'm going to enjoy every moment i get to spend with everyone i love and miss so much!

see you soon!!!

back and all about spontaneity...i think...EGYPTIAN CULTURE FACT #2

well, i kept forgetting to blog for the last couple of weeks...but i'm back now.

i was thinking about something the last few weeks that i love and i hate in cairo. well, hate is a strong word...maybe its better to say something that is both great and not so great. spontaneity.

egyptians love being spontaneous! and egyptians hate commitment.  i think the two go together a lot of the time.  i have had friends in the past in the states with the same personality, but i never have experienced this in a culture. i think the french people are like this somewhat, but egyptians always take it up to the next level. they love the extremes.

so, i experience this definitely in everyday life here. whether its personal, business, or anything else, it seems that no one really plans in advance and in order to really have fun, they feel it is usually when its a spontaneous event.

there's a great side to this and a not-so-great side to this type of living. the great side is that i feel that i'm rarely bored and there are literally no 2 days the same ever!  when i think back to living in the states, i feel that i was so bored. not because people are boring, but just because everything was so routine living there. most days were alike and the ones that were different were the"fun" ones. on top of that, if you realized you didn't have plans for tomorrow or 3 days from now and tried to make plans with friends, they were definitely busy because they had planned that day for a month or more now. super-advanced-planning..that's americans. americans love to fill their calendar at least 2 weeks in advance and i remember it usually being more like a month! with egyptians, if you get in the mood to hang out with someone and you think about it right after work at 5pm, you can call them and they will happily invite you over or go out with you at 7 or 8pm..and really it can be even less hours than that. its quite fun that way!

the not-so-great side to that is that when you are trying to get a bit of planning in with an important event or just want to go ahead and plan your weekend on wednesday instead of waiting so that you can see both family and friends and go to church (be efficient!), then its virtually impossible. everyone will say a tentative yes, but the commitment is not there. and then the importance of confirmations comes in. here in egypt, its normal to confirm about 2-3 times...at least once the night before and then one time that day and usually even call when you are on the way to make sure they aren't changing the time by an hour or two :)  i think that's one reason its "bank" to own mobile phone companies here!

honestly, i can't decide what i like better. but i think egypt is "up one" on this one...because i'm rarely bored and end up spending way more time hanging with people and having quality time and conversations with family and friends, rather than just doing many many activities and feeling overwhelmed with a full schedule.

so, when i'm in the states this summer...i think i'll try to keep it spontaneous as much as possible. call me the day you want to hang out ;)

accomplishment...

every month there are more and more accomplishments i experience with living here in cairo. you can imagine that moving to a new city, country, etc. that is crazy like cairo and covered in arabic that i can't understand or even read the characters...this was quite a challenge and the feeling of accomplishment has been so important for me since moving here.

it's those little goals and milestones that keep me encouraged about making it to a place of "comfort" in the newness. and i feel i'm almost there. most days i am pretty comfortable. 

and when Rany travels for work, its actually the time when i experience the most accomplishments. i take my independence to another level every time he flies away.  this last week was no exception. again, i felt even more accomplished in my efforts as a daily living Cairo girl.

just to talk a bit about it...

one big thing is planning a schedule. this is nearly impossible here and calling different people to set up hang-out times ahead of time is definitely challenging...but really important so that i don't sit home at night, bored and feeling lonely. this last week was by far the easiest! every night filled itslef with great times with girl friends that are becoming so important and close to me these days. this was a huge indicator to me that i really have come to a place of having a strong support network here of friends and family that i can feel really comfortable with and depend on.

another thing is driving and especially directions! i am happy to announce that i really understand directions here in the city of crazy Cairo now :) my husband will actually readily admit that i understand directions here better than he does now! i can even know the "fastest" way to some places according to traffic. one big thing for me was going to and from an area in cairo called "shobra" that is extremely difficult to get in and out of...and i didn't get lost once!! of course, i asked to confirm every turn every 5-10 mins or so...but that's even another accomplishment (all in arabic!).  to wrap that up, if you look at my week last week, i drove to virtually every area of town: maadi, mohandisseen, shobra, menyal, haram, downtown.  all that's missing is heliopolis/masr gadida and that's the usual one for the weekends!

one last big accomplishment this last week was spending time with my husband's family without him. i don't think i've done this except once or twice. usually when he is gone, i just stick with hanging out with friends and his sister and parents. but this time, the extended family was having a party for a cousin and i decided to join them, even without rany. i think they were all pleasantly surprised and this really helped me feel like a part of the egyptian family. i even made a cake and they were all touched by that :) 

so, last week was a great week and full of accomplishments...thank you God! i need those encouragements often and i'm so grateful when they come!

i can't wait for the day that i can post that i have accomplished mroe in arabic (its slow going right now!)...but it will come one day soon!!!

Egyptian Culture Fact #1

(i decided i will start featuring some entries that highligh culture stuff i notice about egyptians...these are just opinions, although i call them facts ;) hehe...but i think they are interesting and since i've been here for almost 2 yeras and my husband and his family are all egyptians and i work will all egyptians in my office here, then i would say that my opinion is closer to a fact than some.)

FACT #1 :: EGYPTIANS LIKE COLOGNE AND PERFUME

I've noticed this since I visited, but this is definitely something that is in the culture and not just random people. All Egyptians like cologne and perfume...actually LOVE it...and not just some...A LOT. They love to put about 10-15 squirts on at a time :)  Maybe its out of generosity...they want everyone to enjoy their cologne/perfume and not just themselves or the 1-2 people closest to them...maybe they want to share it with everyone on the street and in the store or office. 

I was reminded of this fact this morning when I was walking from my parking space to my office and a man passed me wearing a strong cologne and as I continued walking I could smell it for almost 100 feet! It was like I was following his scent trail!!

I thought that this might be a "guy thing" where the guys put on way too much and just don't realize it...not true...its the girls too. They love their perfumes...and the flowery ones especially (not my favorite, I'm a Burberry Brit girl!)

The more I'm here (and here in the hot summers), the more I can understand it though. After all, its summer hot here in the summers and everyone sweats from the walking and the hot sun.  

So, I have to say, even though its a lot and maybe too much, I'm grateful for the obsession with the cologne/perfume...I would rather smell that than the sweat/BO that I would smell in Paris all of the time!

So, go ahead Egyptians...spray it on and enjoy!!

p.s. perfume is a famous thing of ancient egypt, so this might be a cultural thing that has been going on since forever!

another fun weekend...

wow, another fun weekend...let's keep this streak going!!! :)

we had a great weekend...in cairo this time. we started off the weekend at one of our aunt's houses in 6th of october (suburb of cairo). it was so fun getting to sit out by the garden until the sun set and then go inside and enjoy watching the soccer match (GO AHLY!) and eating homemade "hawawshi" (egyptian hamburgers), plus enjoying crazy kids and enjoying even more when they crashed and fell asleep on the sofas and floor...dropping like flies, one-by-one.

 (hawashi - picture NOT taken by me :) ) 

(kids asleep everywhere!)

the next day we had a great time at another aunt's house...this time on the other side of town near the airport. they have a new amazing villa...so huge and so beautiful.  but of course, i enjoyed the people and atmosphere more than anything. again we sat out in the garden, and it was so incredible. the weather was PERFECT, not too hot and with a nice breeze...and we sat overlooking the pool and the city. really relaxing. then we had some amazing fish with rice and salad...and it was incredible.  it was so fun spending time with this part of the family as well.

 (view from sitting in the garden - i know...wow!)

on saturday, we enjoyed another fun day...this time with friends. one of rany's close friends from a long time got married, so we joined them in the ceremony and celebration. the reception was at a really amazing clubhouse/golf club, called Katamaya Heights, and was just gorgeous. definitely one of the most beautiful places to have an outdoor reception. we enjoyed the amazing food, fun friends, crazy dancing, and wishing our friend a lifetime of happiness :)

 (rania - rany's sister - and me)

(sunset and my man)

(the happy couple...almost one year married!)

(a group of our friends)

traffic relief...

thank goodness. some relief from the traffic of cairo lately. the last 2 days have been so much better. and let me tell you, that makes a huge difference in life and me here.

for those of you who have ever lived in a crazy driving horrible traffic city (and driven daily in it), you can understand when i say that traffic brings out a "Pam" that i didn't know existed. its scary actually. it really pulls out the "ugly" from deep inside and has it shout from your lips in ways you never imagined. i swear, sometimes i feel "possessed" ;) hehe.

i've been trying to fight this a bit and not "excuse" this kind of behavior in myself...but its super difficult. especially if i am driving a lot in one week and the traffic is bad...my paitence and endurance and self control are all spent by the end of the week! 

but lately its been better, especially with the help of the traffic getting a bit better...whew! so glad. i can't wait for next month when we start getting the wonderful "summer traffic" that is so so so so much better! yea!!

until then, i'll try to survive and try to keep my mouth shut!

recovering at the sea...

after the crazy bout with sickness, we spent the weekend with a group of leaders over the youth group at our church, "Gam3a Leaders." we had a lovely and fun retreat at the Red Sea in Ain el Sokhna just 1.5 hours outside the city. its our favorite place to go to the beach because its so close and has great sand and sea.

the weather was amazing. not too hot. the only sad part was the sea and pool were too cold for me to swim in...although that didn't seem to stop anyone else! it was a great weekend to relax and recover, and yet take advantage of the time to connect with new and newer friends in our church. they are a great bunch of leaders and rany and i are both excited to get to know everyone better and start serving together with them!

i've included some pics this time. :)

 {Kicking some ping-pong butt}

{Rany about to take the big plunge into the freezing cold pool}

{Some of the group playing a game in the pool}

{How many Egyptian can fit under an umbrella??? More than you can imagine!}

{It's "A-ok" now. Rany lounging by the pool and socializing with new friends}

{Playing "Never Have I Ever" the "clean" way!}

back from the land of the sick...

after a week of being virtually out of commission from "normal life", i'm back from the land of the sick. i came down with yet another case of food poisoning last week and it was a ride! the worst case i've had since moving here over 1.5 years ago. i've gotten the general case lots of times, but know how to deal pretty well with it, but this case was extreme and severe and took lots of medical help.

but after laying around for 4 days at home and sleeping over 12 hours every day/night, i'm finally back to almost 100% and watching every bite that goes into my mouth!

well, i don't want to leave a bad impression about egypt, although almost every visitor and foreigner and even local deals with the issues of unclean food...so, i'll post a positive post right away after this :)

a rough start...

there's an occasional day, maybe about once a month or so (much less often than it used to be), where things just get to me. whether its the culture, the traffic or this "new life" in cairo, it just all seems to fall down onto my emotions like a new waterfall pounding down on the untouched earth below.

today was one of those days/mornings.

having a full-time "secular" job in cairo means a lot of things, but the one thing it meant today was being frustrated, tired, and broken in horrible traffic this morning. sometimes the traffic is just waiting in terribly long lines on exit ramps and such. other days, like today, it means dealing with crazy drivers and not-so-nice people. that's the kind that gets to me most of the time. i can deal with waiting in lines for 1.5 hours, but i can only deal with unkind horribly inconsiderate driving for about 10 mins! then the breakdown comes.

it usually comes back to the following thoughts in my mind:

-why is it always a fight?
-how can people live like this?
-this is not a life to fight in traffic every morning?
-what kind of city is this where this is the normal?
-what kind of people are these people to act like this in driving?
-why am i here with these people living in this same city and driving on these same crazy streets every morning in rush hour traffic to this job?

and that's the base question that my thoughts always seem to hit. kind of the bottom pit of it all. it seems to always come back to the big "why"--why am i here???? that's the big one that hits so hard and with such strong desperation that you feel as if your life should just end at that moment.

of course, i'm being dramatic. (after all, i've been in egypt and its an emotional and dramatic culture!)

i don't want my life to end. and i really don't want to keep asking this "why i am here" question. but its just one of those days. and i have to remember that those days come less often than before and they only come on occasion.

so, i'll try to hang in there today, like i try to do on these kind of days, and just try to relax and trust in what i know to be true. i am here and i am supposed to be here...that's the plan..the Big Plan...and that's the reality. blessing and curse, good and bad, sickness and health, up and down, clear and confusing.

that's life i think no matter where i live. we get it all.

thoughts on life in cairo...

so, i've decided to start blogging on this personal blog again. i think i will start sharing some random thoughts on my newly cross-cultural married life in cairo, egypt...probably random daily things that should be quite entertaining. more coming soon...

photos coming soon...

hey all...i'm starting a new project for 2010...a picture project. although inspired by my friend's one-a-day picture project, i don't think i can pull off one every day...so i'm going for a "3-a-week" deal. look for it on facebook :)