Friday May 13, 2016

I brought some seeds here from America and yesterday and today, I planted some; red onions, yellow and white corn, okra, and green beans. The 3 youngest grandkids are really excited about getting a garden started. I will keep you updated on which ones continue to show this initial enthusiasm. We have some plants to start in the house – tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, and spinach – before putting them in the garden. We’re going to shop for some planters, soil, and other items for the garden today after Jumaah.  The challenge will be in keeping them watered! Rain is next to non-existent here, so our efforts to keep the plants hydrated will need to be intensified to the 100^th power!

Egypt Gardening 101

Box #2

Container #1

Corner pocket

After planting this morning, I ventured out on a walk and got just a little turned around. There are packs of wild dogs that roam the streets and in trying to avoid them, I took a couple of turns that were not part of my planned route. Circuitous as it was, the scenery was exquisite! It was quiet and still a little cool; about 72 degrees and early on this Jumaah morning, there was very little traffic.

Quiet Friday Morning

I walked on streets I had only glanced from the car and ended up at a crossroads where I didn’t know whether to go straight or to the left.

Crossroads at New Cairo City

Thank God I have a good sense of direction so I went left. Lo and behold, I came upon the Gulf Market, one of the landmarks that stand at the entrance to the Fifth District where we live! After Jumaah, we ventured out to a landscaping store, looking for a hose and other items to enhance the gardening experience. It was 101 degrees in the shade! The next several days will be in the 100s with Sunday being the hottest at 111 degrees. We will be in the house throughout this mini heatwave!

I have now settled on a name for one of my projects I will initiate here in Egypt. “Keep New Cairo City Clean” (KNCCC) will seek to actively engage the residents in cleaning up this place. I am thinking to start with the youth, rallying my grandchildren and their friends to jump start this initiative. I am told that there is trash collection at some point however, folks go through it to get recyclables and leave the trash strewn all around the dumpsters.

Additionally, there seems to be no collective consciousness to not just throw your trash down wherever you are standing. Egypt is sacred land and where we live is absolutely beautiful but no one seems to care that it be kept trash-free!

Tuesday May 10, 2016

1:30 pm

Forgive my absence; the last few days I have spent dealing with a couple of my health challenges. Seems that the prescription Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferaol) is not carried here in Egypt. We traveled to and contacted several pharmacy chains and what they have is an injection that is 2 – 3 times more potent than what I am required to take (100,000 units) per month. I was finally able to reach my endocrinologist in the USA and she advised me to continue to take, but increase, the Vitamin D3 supplement I have been taking all along and don’t worry about the ergocalciferaol. This concerns me, since I’ve been taking the prescription Vitamin D2 for 8 years – ever since my thyroid was removed due to cancer. Have I not needed to take it all along? I’ve been taking the Vitamin D3 supplement as well so why is only one of them going to be effective in maintaining my Vitamin D levels now? I can’t help but wonder if I am just some guinea pig in an experiment to see what works or doesn’t work! Are There any REAL doctors in the house?!

I have also been challenged with the back/hip/knee issues that have plagued me the last few years. Sometimes it seems it’s getting better; then some days, my lower extremities feel like they don’t belong to me and it is a major effort to get my body to move! I’m staying positive and faithful that Allah will heal me. I have lost 40 pounds in 2 years, I make an effort to walk and stretch daily, AND I went to a pain consultant yesterday here in Egypt. A very knowledgeable young woman, she has given me some instructions to get MRI, Xrays, and a dexa scan (for bone density) and return within 2 weeks.

Now I’m really upset with myself! I had ALL of those tests completed recently in America! But in the mad rush at the end, on the day I was leaving for Egypt, wouldn’t you know I would leave all of my medical documentation behind? For me that was a MAJOR mistake! I’m trying to not beat up on myself too much; my daughter with whom I lived has promised to gather it all and send to me by DHL Express. Alhamdulillah!

Friday May 6, 2016

7:40 am

Just finished watching the video made by my blog consultant Clarke. I will definitely be using him as I work to improve my blogging skills. For a novice like me, he is very patient and thorough, providing thorough explanations and solutions to all of my questions. Check his link out under resources if you are so inclined to start blogging!

Now for the most recent food/eating experience here in Egypt! My daughter and I went to a sister’s house for what I THOUGHT was going to be coffee and cake/pastries. There is a friend of hers (a German sister, married to an Egyptian) that is going to the States and may not be returning to Egypt. They are going to “see how it is…) and make a decision once they arrive stateside. Not a good idea, in my humble opinion. The current political climate with the election, the growing vein of Islamophobia pulsating to the heart of America, is one of the reasons I left. She made a point that there are some strong Muslim communities there and they attend to live in one. However, the vast majority of Muslims are not so fortunate to live in one of those “cloistered” communities (i.e Dearborn, parts of New Jersey , etc). So I’ll take my chances here in Egypt of not living in fear of harassment for the religion I choose to follow. I pray for all the best to her and her family.

Anywho, it was SUPPOSED to be coffee and pastries we were having for her farewell affair Thursday morning. Well, just take a look here!

Coffee & Pasties turned Luncheon!

I met some wonderful sisters there from different countries/cultures and look forward to spending more time with them studying Arabic and Quran. I also mentioned my desire to start a Clean Cairo project to involve the youth in preserving this sacred land by keeping it clean! There were a number of sisters who pledged their willingness to get involved. Yay!

When we left there, we stopped at Oscar’s Supermarket. Watch out Wegman’s – Oscar’s is on your heels to provide just grocery shopping but a whole new experience! We needed to pick up a few things for the dinner my daughter had planned for the evening to introduce me to some sisters around my age. Even though it was being catered by a sister from Thailand (yes, Thai food!), we still needed some other items.

Thai Entrees

Even though a couple of sisters cancelled and were not able to make it, we had an absolutely wonderful evening! Two sisters came and we ate and talked until well after 11 pm!  It is amazing how our experiences are so similar with respect to our adult children. I will continue to develop a relationship with both of them. “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” I believe last night was the beginning of building a bond of intimacy with other women that I presently only enjoy with a few. I am happy to have met them!

Thursday May 5, 2016

6:18 am

Yesterday was exhausting however, fulfilling! We started out for the day by dropping my grandson off at school. They are all finishing exams now with the final day being May 22^nd. I took a picture of the front of the school from the car and was admonished, in Arabic, by a parent dropping his child off. Since I didn’t understand not A WORD he was saying, my son-in-law handled him in a most respectful and diplomatic way. By the time he was finished speaking with him, they were like bosom buddies! Seems his son and my grandson are classmates, so they became the common ground from which this bond was fostered.

The Kids’ School

We then proceeded to the Egyptian passport/visa office, where my daughter needed to apply for an Egyptian passport and I needed to have my 30-day visa extended. The hours of operation for the passport are 8 am-12 noon. Then the hours for the visa are 2-4 pm. Oh, I forgot to mention the traffic was horrendous! There was a 400-pound fee for the passport that had to be paid at a particular bank. So my daughter and I got dropped at the beauty salon while my son-in-law went to pay the fee and run some errands.

We were the first to arrive to the Ramaj Salon at 10:05 am, so I was finished within an hour, since I simply had my hair shampooed, blow-dried, and flat-ironed. And that was it – no oil on my hair – before or after – after washing out all my expensive shea butter shampoo, conditioner, and argan oil I had JUST put in my hair 2 days before! I will remember NOT to do that in that order again!

While waiting for H to pick us up to go back to the passport office, my daughter and I ventured across the street to a “Ladies Only” café. It was small and a little stuffy, but nicely furnished. My daughter informed the attendant that we were just checking it out. There was a play area for small children and also a bar with stools, in addition to the tables and loveseats where patrons could relax. They boasted Wi-Fi access and had a nice menu of food and drink to be had. There was no one there, so I asked for a cup of tea, just to patronize.  The attendant brought the tea and a bottle of water (which I didn’t ask for). I inquired if there was milk/cream or any tea biscuits available. I was provided a full cup of milk and a pack of tea biscuits and proceeded to have my refreshment. My daughter inquired as to whether anything else was on the menu i.e. croissants, and was told “No, the chef is not in yet” She also asked if there was Wi-Fi available, to which the reply was also “No.” My daughter then asked for a cup of Nescafe. As the attendant prepared it, H called my daughter and said he was outside.  My daughter let the attendant know we had to leave, invited her to have the Nescafe and asked how much we owed. The attendant said there was a 20-pound minimum charge per person and what we had cost 22 pounds. So we needed to pay 62 pounds! A minimum charge FOR WHAT?  My daughter began to engage in conversation with the attendant in Arabic. The young lady got on the phone with who I imagined was the owner.  My daughter’s phone was ringing incessantly. It was 11:20 am and my son-in-law was growing impatient, since we need to get back to the passport office by 12 noon. I plopped 22 pounds on the counter and left my daughter there, haggling in Arabic with the attendant.

Shortly thereafter, my daughter emerged and joined us in the car. Unbelievable we were expected to pay a “minimum charge” for being in a “café”, unprepared to accept patrons with no food or even Wi-Fi, no air conditioning, and no written or verbal notice of this “minimum charge.” I asked my daughter what happened after I left. She said she explained to the attendant how unfair it was for them to expect a 20-pound “minimum charge” per person without informing us, made a comparison of them to another exclusive ladies’ café, told her we would not be coming back and left! Khalas (means “finished” in Arabic – I’m catching on)!

We reached the passport office 20 minutes later. I stayed in the car while H and A went in. There was a WHOLE ‘nother situation that occurred inside there about my daughter’s birth certificate. Fortunately, H had one in the car and came to retrieve it (I tell you, that young man is a planner!). I could only imagine the expression on the clerk’s face when he returned in minutes with the document as opposed to having to come back another day! From the way H and A explained it, Egyptian civil servants hate their jobs and love inconveniencing others with their passive/aggressive antics!

We went to pray at a nearby mosque, run some errands, and returned at 2 pm to apply for my visa extension. My daughter and I remained in the car this time. After about 45 minutes to an hour, my son-in-law came back to the car. We have to come back 8 am on Sunday! Whew!

By this time, it was going on 4 pm, so we proceeded home. I was hungry! I asked if we could stop at Cook Door, the burger joint, and got a big old juicy burger with everything on it! It was delicious – unlike any fast food burger in America. You could see the burger was freshly made and put on the grill; the lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle (the sweet kind) were all fresh! And the bun was that same old, fresh bread we get on a daily basis here in Egypt. Yuuuummmmmy! I thought I couldn’t eat the whole thing – but I did. Needless to say  I skipped dinner, so graciously prepared by my oldest granddaughter before we arrived home.

I contacted my blog consultant and attempted to Skype or Facebook messenger him to get some advice/suggestions/direction for improvements I want to make. There was a bad internet connection which was very frustrating. Plus, I downloaded a beta Skype app instead of the standard version but didn’t realize it until we after we gave up trying to connect. We opted to have him make a video to answer my questions and send it to me today. So look for a new and improved look at murielblogs.com to come soon!

Tuesday May 3, 2016

5:56 am

Okay. So my last post had the wrong date on it. Did I say it is just a little bit difficult getting adjusted to the time, calendar etc. over here?  For instance, yesterday Monday, May 2^nd was EASTER! Yes, there are Christians here in Egypt. And Sunday, May 1^st was Labor Day! Then my daughter informed me that the clocks turned back automatically yesterday, however the present regime is not making the change in the time until Ramadhan which doesn’t begin until around June 6^th! And there are people here operating on the changed time! Whew! So if I get dates and times and whatever else a little twisted, forgive me.

Sunday evening, my son-in-law, 2 of my granddaughters and I went to Cairo Festival Mall to shop for a recliner for me at Ashley Furniture. That place is the BOMB! It easily rivals Crystal City, Tysons Corner, AND Towson Town Center (for all my DMV folks on here). I got 45 minutes of walking in towards my goal for the day just visiting 2 stores – Ashley Furniture and Cinnabon, per my granddaughters’ request. My daughter and I will go back ALONE and I promise to take pics. They have EVERYTHING there – Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, Guess, Polo, Apple Store, Reebok and other name-brand and not so familiar, but-high end European stores! The only thing is, the prices can be somewhat inflated. I bought the girls each a pair of high-top Converse sneakers from the US for $50 a pair; at the Converse store in Cairo Festival Mall, they cost $92!

Night over Egypt

Night over Egypt 2

My circadian clock is beginning to adjust to the time; I’m sleeping a good 6 to 7 hours a night (with one, maybe 2, bathroom breaks, a serious issue of aging!). Since I am an early morning person and typically don’t go back to sleep after fajr (the morning pray that comes in around 4 am here!), I usually take a nap for a couple/few hours during the day (a luxury of being retired!). I have noticed this is my most productive time over the years and will stick to this schedule as long as it works for me.

You know that Mark Zuckerberg is an absolute genius! I am absolutely LOVING connecting with family and friends via FREE Facebook video chat AND audio calls. It does come with a “cost” though; they know my every movement, location; likes, dislikes, and send me stuff in my newsfeed on Facebook! I started getting advertisements for places/things in Egypt and thought, “Now wait a minute. Why am I getting article or that ad in my newsfeed?” Quite frankly, this is really a good thing for me. I need SOMEBODY to know where I am at all times living in a foreign country. So it really serves as a level of security for me. I know there are those who think/believe differently and I respect that. But I try not to have any secrets; my life really is an open book, as you will begin to discover as I find time to put it all down in this blog!

Saturday May 1, 2016

8:15 am

I am SO new to this blogging thing; been sitting here for over 2 hours editing, uploading pics and videos, and just generally trying to get this thing ready to launch! Plus, I bought a new Lenovo Yoga laptop before I left the US for Egypt and if I was a swearing person, it would be that this thing has got some kind of ghost or genii inside of it! Sometimes it just starts doing stuff on its own. Gotta contact my computer guy in the US to troubleshoot this thing remotely.

Yesterday, my son-in-law took me to Tahir Square to handle some visa business. Woohoo. Only 6 years after the revolution and 5 years since I begged him to take me there on my 2^nd trip to Egypt! Not a THING happening down there other than lots of people handling normal government business, some vendors and beggars outside, and traffic!