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!

Saturday April 30, 2016

6:30 am

My body is still adjusting to the difference in the time zones. It is 12:30 am on the east coast of the USA, the time when I would have normally been getting into a deep sleep. Now, here in Egypt, I have been up since 4:00 am for fajr prayer. My ritual consists of first taking my thyroid hormone replacement medication (my thyroid was removed in 2008 due to cancer) with warm lemon water prepared by my daughter, then proceeding to the bathroom to perform ablution to prepare for prayer. Despite the fact that the obligatory morning prayer is the shortest, it is typically the one I spend the most time in performing. Prior to the 2 obligatory rakats (the prescribed movements and recitations of prayer), I also perform the 2 sunnah (the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) rakats. It is reported that the 2 sunnah rakats before the fard (obligatory) rakats at fajr are worth more than all the wealth in the world! So I get those in to gain my daily wealth from Allah (SWA)! Additionally, my dua, dhikr and azkar (supplication and remembrance of Allah) can get rather lengthy and continues to grow as my prayers include my family, friends, acquaintances, strangers, the Muslim community, those suffering under tyranny and dictatorship, the soul of my deceased son and others I love who have passed on, and asking for Allah’s (SWA) continued blessings, grace, mercy, and forgiveness on us all!

Following this, I retreat to the garden for my morning cup of joe, a couple of fogs (I know, believe me, I’m going to quit with the help of Allah!), to see the sun as it rises and feel the morning breeze on my face. I have now completed my early morning process and the motivational juices to put fingers to keyboard are in full effect! Whew!

Gateway to My New World!

I wasn’t on the computer yesterday since the housewarming extended well into the night on Thursday. My daughter and I were the first to arrive at 6 pm and were greeted by the hostess very graciously. Sister S is from Holland; her guests included a sister from Poland with a 2-month old son (after having 3 daughters in a row), a sister from Zimbabwe (via the UK), a sister from Sudan (via the UK), and a sister who is Lebanese/Romanian. The conversation was lively and centered around their children and education. I listened attentively and shared an idea for an alternative, hybrid form of education. Responses were mixed; the Sudanese sister would send her children. The hostess presented some challenges that might occur based on the current educational system/political climate in the country. Homeschooling is highly desired but not is favored. There would be hurdles, but not completely insurmountable. A suggestion was made to do an after school/summer enrichment program. Hmmm, food for thought. I will continue to explore the possibilities.

The food was awesome and unlike anything I had ever experienced! We were seated around the table after casually sipping on fresh cucumber and melon juice. A small grill, unlike any I had ever seen, was in the middle of the table. Each of us had a small bowl of sautéed chicken, beef, and meatballs at our place setting, beside which was a mini pan and spatula for placing the meat to go on/under the grill. There were various condiments; peppers, scallions, mushrooms, and corn to be placed in the mini pan with the meat or eaten raw once the meat was cooked. Tossed salad, tabbouleh, bread, and dips of hummus and garlic sauce were delightful compliments to the meal. Our hostess stated this idea was a tradition passed down by her mother who introduced it during holidays in order to get the family engaged in communicating during the meal. It really works! During the time the meat cooked on the grill we talked and laughed a lot. Everyone was so helpful and engaging; it was a lot of fun, too!

Housewarming; a very intimate and enjoyable meal!

Before we knew it, 10 pm had rolled around and everyone prepared to leave. My son-in-law picked us up and by the time we got home, it was after 11. We even sat up for a while talking before finally retiring after midnight. With less than 4 hours of sleep, we were back up for morning prayer by 4 am. Needless to say, we all headed back to bed after that! I didn’t get up again until 10 am, stayed up for and only stayed up for a short period. My son-in-law set up the new bed for me in my bedroom, so when he and my grandson headed to Jumaah, I decided to try it out. Completely dressed with my slippers on, I passed out on that bed and slept for hours! When I woke up, I was less than an hour away from asr (the afternoon prayer time) and still had not prayed dhur (the noon prayer). I scrambled to get myself together, said my prayers and by the time I finished, dinner was ready.

I joked to my daughter that they were leaning towards becoming vegan, since the last few days there has been no meat in the meals. She assured me that was not the case.

Fish Dinner, Egyptian Stlye

Today’s meal of curried lentils with a side of raw scallions, and cut-up baked potatoes with balladi (flat puffy bread) was delicious! If the meatless meals continue to taste like this, this really would not be a bad thing to do. The family rode out to the store after mahgrib (the evening prayer) to shop and get bouza roll (Thai ice cream), my favorite dessert.

Honey Oatmeal with Raspberry Sauce

Thursday April 28, 2016

6:35 am:

My custom-made mattress arrived last night! My son-in-law brought it home and it is in my room. We’ll set it up today on a temporary frame until mine arrives in a couple of weeks. Bedroom furniture is custom-made to order as well. Soon I will have my own “space” in the villa! We get up at 3:45 am for salat-ul-fajr (the morning prayer) and I have been staying up afterwards for my morning cup of joe and a couple of fogs (I WILL quit, inshaAllah).

My view, having my morning cup of joe and…enough!

This is also my “me-time” for writing, doing my stretches, walking, and going over the plan for the day with my daughter. The grandkids are still doing exams at school so every day one or more of the 4 of them has to go for testing until May 22.

We are experiencing a “cool spell” for a few days – 80s during the day and 60s at night with no humidity. NICE! My granddaughter S will have a friend over for pizza at lunch, a little end of school celebration. R and M are graduating from the 9^th and 6^th grades, respectively, and there will be a bigger celebration at the end of May for them. Later this evening, my daughter and I will attend the housewarming (for ladies only!).

Wednesday April 27, 2016

6 am:

A little less than a week ago, I arrived in Egypt. Now that the whirlwind has begun to die down, I can sit and put fingers to the keyboard to convey what the last seven days have manifested in my body, mind, heart, and soul.  The 14-hour trip was challenging. By that I mean being told at the check-in counter for Turkish Airlines that I was assigned a window seat. For me, at 63 years old, this meant climbing over/around another passenger for my frequent trips to the restroom as well as getting up to stretch on this 10-hour stretch of the trip from Dulles International airport in Virginia to Istanbul, Turkey. When I raised an objection, the young lady behind the counter informed me that I did not need to worry, the seat next to me is broken and no one would be assigned to sit there. Imagine my dismay in finding out that not only was the seat NEXT to me broken but mine was as well! Neither of them would recline nor did the audio work for the conveniently placed video screen directly in front of me! I made a very humble complaint and was offered another seat. However, rather than inconvenience other passengers, I remained where I was. After all, the flight left Dulles at 11 pm that night, I was exhausted and I expected to sleep most of the trip. And apart from the 2 main meals served (dinner soon after we took off and breakfast a couple of hours before landing), that’s exactly what I did!

Istanbul airport was a zoo, to say the least. Fortunately, I had requested wheelchair assistance from the beginning of my journey. Unable to walk or stand for long periods of time, this was the best option for me. Was I ever glad to be wheel chair bound when we reached Istanbul! Aside from the obvious language barrier (me speaking English and no Turkish; airport staff speaking Turkish and very little English), just maneuvering around the crowds and confusion was a major event for a healthy, walking person! In the airport, they have what is called an “airport clinic”. Not to be confused for a place to treat sick people, it functions as the holding area for persons with disabilities i.e. wheelchair bound, using a cane, old/infirm, and even those travelling with young children. The most disconcerting part of this arrangement is that the person that staffs this area holds on to your boarding pass and passport! No thank you, I don’t think so! I don’t care WHAT policy this is supposed to represent; I’m keeping MY ish with me in a foreign country! I will NOT be the one stranded and NOBODY know what happened to my stuff. Just let me know when the plane is boarding and I will present my OWN documents! And they don’t speak English either? Oh, heck NOOOOO!

Even though I was probably branded somewhat of a troublemaker for politely demanding my documents, all went well. With no explanation, we were herded from the “airport clinic” in a somewhat crude looking transport apparatus (that appeared as though it may have been left over from the original Star Wars set or some other old sci-fi movie) and boarded the plane to Egypt, 25 minutes later than the posted boarding time. Of course this airplane would be a lot more comfortable, since it was only an hour and 45 minutes long. Go figure! Turkish Airlines won’t get my vote for the “Best in Europe” for 2016!

Ahhhh, Egypt! The people here are some of the kindest, gentlest you will find on Earth! From the time the plane landed and I was placed in the wheelchair, a young man by the name of Omar escorted and cared for me, taking me through immigration, getting my luggage, and getting them through customs without a stint! He delivered me, unscathed, to the front door of the airport and into the loving arms of my daughter, her husband and my 4 lovely grandchildren. Jidda Samira had arrived!

My son-in-law is a “strategic planner” by nature, which I love! One of my favorite sayings is “He/She who fails to plan, plans to fail”. So the next several days’ plans involved shopping/choosing/ordering/and purchasing everything I needed to make my bedroom quarters comfortable. After visits to IKEA (where the Adhan is called over the loudspeaker at prayer times), several furniture stores, and a mattress store over 2 days.

I settled on my choices to include a desk and shelving units from IKEA, a bedroom set (bedframe, nightstand, and closet) and a memory foam mattress and box spring from a bedding maker. H picked up and put together the IKEA purchases and assembled them in one evening! Everything else has been ordered and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival! In the meantime, my oldest granddaughter has graciously allowed me to stay in her bedroom until mine is officially completed.

Family meals of breakfast and dinner are a mainstay in the household. And let’s not forget the late night snack of bread, cheese, fruit and yogurt, or other delicacies that occurs more frequent than not! The fresh BREAD is to die for! H usually picks it up daily and brings it home for the next day. AND he does the majority of the grocery shopping, the norm for males in this culture. Boy, have I ever been deluded being born and raised in America! Late night jaunts can happen for a drink at the local juice bar or the Thai-inspired ice cream that has now surpassed hot apple pie with ice cream AND Cheesecake Factory cheesecake as my most favorite dessert on EARTH!

The past week has been filled with highs and lows, plots and plans, twists and turns. I am loving my new adventures and the beginning of this chapter of my life. I am still able to connect with family and friends via FB messenger (go Mark Zuckerberg!), whatsapp, and imo for those who care to download them on their smartphones; received word of the passing of my youngest uncle R (made me very sad); trying to figure out the hook for muriel.blogs (look out for the launching soon); praying/planning to make umrah to Mecca soon; and, finding out that single beds are not common here so I had to have a mattress custom-made to fit all the linen I brought with me from America! That was a tip I received from my daughter N before I left, to bring it with me. Just in case you’re wondering “Why doesn’t she just get Egyptian cotton since she’s in Egypt?” FYI- it’s pretty much nonexistent here and one of the top-rated EXPORTS for the country. Too expensive for the locals!

The weather has been somewhat kind. Only experienced a couple of reallllly hot days so far but there are more to come! When I say hot, I’m talking 101F and above. But who needs to go out on those days when EVERYTHING can be delivered to your door – groceries, laundry, pharmacy, food – even Mickey D’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut! Now if I can just figure out how to get some of that Thai ice cream I love delivered on those days…hmmm, something to ponder.

My daughter and I walked to 7 Stars Mall today, shopped for a housewarming gift for a sister, outfits to wear (under our abayas/overgarments) to the housewarming dinner party, my prescription meds, and then caught a taxi back.

I have been walking every day since I arrived, EVEN the day it was 106F! I typically go out early, around 7am. That day (yesterday), by the time my 2 grandkids and I arrived back home around 8ish, it was already 90 degrees! I won’t do THAT again. We even stopped for a cool drink at Gulf Market but that didn’t even help! I was exhausted and slept the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon. My walking goal is 60 minutes per day and so far, I have been successful in achieving it every day since I arrived. Mind you. I keep my Samsung S6 on me so that it measures ALL of my steps throughout the day.