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)