regarding smiles

Well, I didn't do as well as I aspired to do yesterday with making people smile.  I did make a group of 5 teenage boys smile when I took this picture of a crystal mosque in the mall.  They were actually laughing at me more than smiling.  

On the other hand, I did help a lady out of the middle of the road who was hit by a car today.  She was definitely not smiling and I didn't take a picture...that would cross the line into crazy land.  She did seem to be alright, il-hum-dul-allah (praise be to God).  The streets of Cairo are so dangerous.  Usually the rule of thumb  is when you get hit by a car the driver stops and asks if he can take you to the hospital.  This lady just had him take her home and about 3 of us helped her into the man's car.  I don't think I would want a ride in a car of a complete stranger that just plowed me down.  Would you?  Anyway, if you're walking about in Cairo today, be careful.  People just shouldn't drive on an empty stomach.

Life is too short not to...

I have been thinking a lot about the idea of bringing joy to people.  I know that it doesn't take much...just a little creativity.  BTW, Egyptians love to smile and laugh.

Sometime this last year, I had a conversation with a few friends here about how funny it would be to see a foreigner working in a kushary shop, or driving a taxi or donkey cart around town.  We had a good laugh at the thought of it, but I haven't been able to talk anyone into it yet.  If you are reading this and live in Egypt and want to do some street art, or own a kushary shop, let me know.   I do realize that there is a fine line between making people smile and just appearing plain crazy.  I am sure you may all know someone who walks this fine line.  I know I do. 

My children are naturals at making people smile.  The other day we were walking down the street and everyone that walked by was smiling or laughing at us.  I turned around and saw my 4 year old, strutting like a peacock and wearing 3-D glasses that were way too big for him.  


I think as we evolve into adulthood we loose a little bit of...well, silliness.  We have been worn down with thoughts of "what will people think of me" or "I have too much too think about in regard to my own life", or"I have to have social awareness about the way I act".  I had an art teacher once tell me, you have to learn the rules, so you know how to break them.  

I think in a society that has a lot of hardship, like Egypt, you can only focus on the negative for so long.  If you dwell too long on it, it will start sucking the life out of you.  You are faced with a choice...to change your attitude or to change your society...or both, I suppose (okay, I guess it is not really a choice after all).    


Today, I may be walking the crazy-line, but I am going to go out of my way to make someone smile.  Anyone walk to walk the line with me?

Love Songs in the Park

Remember Cat Stevens?

In case you don't know, years ago, Cat Stevens changed his name to Yusuf Islam.  Here is an example of one of his songs about Ramadan...
">

Um...I think I like Moon Shadow a bit better.

9 to 5

I was just looking through some old photos that we took 5 years ago and wanted to share them.  I am struck by the sights that captured me back then when my eyes were brand new.  

Deep Thoughts by Me

I don't know about you, but if I had to eat with this set of utensils I would go crazy trying to untie it.  Maybe it's supposed to represent how getting married is like tying the knot, but if I was hungry and fasting like my neighbors outside, I would just use my hands to eat!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/51491447/vintage-silverware-garden-markers-mr-and

Speaking of neighbors, we got an invitation to an "iftar" at our neighbor's house the other day.  An Iftar is the meal Muslims eat to "break" their fast during Ramadan, or the Arabic way of saying breakfast.  We thought they told us to be there at 7pm, which confused us a bit, because sundown was around 6:30.  At 6:34 I was looking at this photo and our neighbor's servant, yes their servant, was at the door asking us if we were coming.

We quickly got ready and walked out of our flat, only to realize that we left our keys inside.  Oh well, a problem we would deal with later.

Let me just say there was so much yummy food, already being devoured, upon our arrival.  I am sad to say that I envied  (ma-sha-allah!) their Turkey!  It was the best turkey (ma-sha-allah!) I have ever had in my whole American life.  It was an Egyptian turkey that they sent out to a shop to be cooked in a special sand-oven.  All I can say is this Thanksgiving (ma-sha-allah!), I am not cooking my own turkey again!

Besides turkey there was duck and chicken, salads, rice, a huge plate of stuffed grape leaves, french fries, chicken nuggets for the kids, donuts, cakes, marshmallows, cookies, pretzels, and a bunch of other things I can't even recall right now (ma-sha-allah!).  I don't think I have eaten that much since last November.

These are the grandkids that went around collecting flour, eggs, etc. from everyone in the building to make homemade donuts...then the servants kicked them out of the kitchen...yup, servants! (ma-sha-allah!)

After dinner the kids had a sugar smorgasbord!  Theo is finishing off the marshmallows.

Our night ended with a bang!  Remember we forgot our keys?  Well, after much debating about how to handle the situation, my husband just kicked the door in!  This is why my boys think their dad is the coolest.

Now, if only we had some Tums!

PS:  Ma-sha-allah:   "As God has Willed".  

Iftar

Our electricity and water has had a mind of it's own lately.  My guess is because everyone is home in the evenings after fasting all day and poor Cairo is just tapped out.  Last night we had a no-air-conditioned-no- washing-dishes-no-bath night.  Instead, we sang songs, we sweated a lot, and we played hide and seek in the dark.  It was fun, but we were sure happy when everything started working again.

Walk like an Egyptian

My Dumbest Blog Post Ever

This is a typical Egyptian breakfast...fava beans with sesame paste (AKA: ful and tahina)

However, since it is Ramadan, people don't eat breakfast and the ful carts have gone away.

Instead they do this...(don't worry he's not dead, he's sleeping)

...but when the sun goes down the feasting begins...

...and surprise!  Out pop's the ful cart!  Breakfast for dinner anyone?

Not a Walk in the Park

Imagine trying to do this with 3 kids in tow:)

Vintage Cairo

I thought I would post a few snap shots of my husband's family.  His grandparents lived in Egypt between 1945 and 1949.

This is Maxine Gutel on the right.

Joseph Gutel and baby Joseph Gutel on their way to Egypt

Maxine and Joseph

Joseph Gutel at the Pyramids in Giza

King Farook in Tahrir square

Ghosts of Ramadan Past

6 years ago when we first moved to Egypt it was right smack in the middle of Ramadan.  It was very hard to get anything accomplished because most places were closed and we had no clue on the natural flow of this special holiday.  The only Arabic words I knew was: yes, no, thank you, your welcome, and black pepper.  That was it!  We had no idea what to cook, where to buy things, or what was available.  We were spring chickens.

  

Thanks to some friends, we did know of a great rotisserie chicken restaurant called Maleegy's down the street.  The only problem was, the first time we went there they were closed until right before sunset. We sat and waited for about an hour.  As we waited, we realized that about 100 other people had the same idea for dinner that night as we had.

  

An interesting thing about Egypt is that the idea of forming lines or "queues" is in fact a foreign concept.  The idea is starting to take affect, but almost every time I go to the store, there are people who just cut right in front of me.  If you want something, like a metro ticket or a "ful and tamaya" sandwich, you just crowd around the counter until recognized.  If you are a woman, it's expected for you to shove your way in front of this hurried pack.  On this day, it was a very hungry, fasting, hurried pack that needed to get home to their wives and families before the sun went down and the "breaking of the fast" occurred.  It took my husband a bit of time to figure out this new system.  The call of prayer went off and we still did not have our evening meal.

The smell of Chicken was heavenly and stomachs growled and tempers started to flair.  Now it was a big, hungry, angry, pack of people.

As I was waiting a....em...what's the politically correct word again? Urban Mountaineer? Displaced Homeowner? Situationally challenged person?  Anyway, this individual approached my daugher and I.  He was filthy, shoeless, and smelly.  In his dirt covered hand he held a yummy, golden cookie and was walking straight up to my hungry 1 1/2 year old daughter.  

I mentioned before that one of the pillars of Islam is giving of alms, and this cookie is all that this man had and he had chosen to give it to my little girl.  I freaked out.  I took the cookie out of my daughter's hands and handed it back to him saying "no thank you" in Arabic.  


There is a custom in Egypt that if someone offers you something it is alright to refuse 3 times.  Some people offer the only food they have for the day out of politeness and it would be truly rude to except it.  If a person offers a 4th time, then you know that they really indeed want to share it with you.  


3 times he placed that cookie in my daughters hand and 3 times I took it out of her hand and gave it back.  My daughter by this time was screaming for that cookie, but there was NO way I was going to let her eat it.  His hands were filthy!  


To my horror he placed it back in her hand for the 4th time and when I removed it again, he got very, very angry.  He started to yell at me so loud that it started to draw attention.  He was just plain crazy, or possessed or both.  I searched for my husband, but he had been swallowed up by the pack of hungry chicken seekers.  I was scared.  I took my daughter and ran behind a group of covered women.  He followed, but finally he and his cookie went off down the street, still in an uproar.  I have seen that same man about 3 times in the last year while driving around town.  It has always been around the same street with the chicken restaurant.  He looks pretty much the same but hairier, older, and crazier.  

Every Ramadan, I think about this story.  I weigh the decision as to whether or not I should have graciously excepted that cookie or be happy with the choice I made.  Was this man indeed crazy or was he just trying to fulfill a Ramadan obligation to Allah?  Believe it or not, every year my answer changes depending on what God is doing in my own heart.  

It took us 3 hours to get our chicken that night and as I recall my daughter fell asleep as we walked home in the dark, without eating.  

We have a blue light special on isle 3!

Why in the world would I go to this super mega store on the Thursday before Ramadan?  Pure entertainment, that's why!  Oh yes, was it ever entertaining!

Check out those hours folks!  My bet is, come 1, 2, 3 o'clock in the morning, this store will still be packed.

Have I mentioned that Egyptians LOVE promotions?  Most times when we go to this store people will be buying carts and carts of whatever item is on sale like sugar, canned mackerel, toilet paper, or rice.  On this shopping trip I bought a case of milk.  A lady saw that the cartons were still wrapped together and stopped me to ask if they were on promotion. She looked so excited, that I was sad to tell her no.  I explained that I was just buying a lot of milk for my children.  Unfortunately, she didn't believe me and thought I was hiding the truth from her.  Boy, was she one bargain hunter.

This is what was left from the spaghetti promotion.  Give it a few more hours and all that will be left will be the imported noodles from across the aisle.

This guy one the left with the speaker was announcing the promotions all through the store.  The promotion of the minute?  BUTTER!  Big round pieces of butter.  Also, the packages in the front hold a type of hard cheese called Romy.  Egyptians love the stuff as much as a good sale.  It is very stinky and eaten with long pieces of bread called fino for breakfast.

Speaking of round things, what in the world are these?  I was standing by the meat counter trying to decide if I was brave enough to cook them.  (BTW, I decided I'm not.)  A lady started speaking to me in Arabic super fast.  I had no idea what she said, but she was pointing to two cases of meat next to this one.  I think she was trying to tell me that the type of meats were the same, but the one on the left was a about 1LE (about .20 cents) more in price than the other.  She looked like she was very displeased, so I just shook my head and acted like I totally agreed with everything she was saying.  What a great conversation we had!

Yes, good times were had by all! By the way, do you want to know what I find almost as scary as zombie movies...People dressed up in costumes like these.  Backing away very slowly!  Please don't wave at me.

Is it a bird, a plane, no it's...

There is a certain sense of anticipation in there air.  Can you feel it...wait for it...?  There!  What, you don't feel it?  Well, let me just tell you then.  In just a couple of weeks Ramadan begins!  Deck the halls and la, la, la, and camels and yummy food and I have a feeling this is why my daughter has been listening to Christmas music, because the feeling is similar, yet the holidays are very different.  You may or may not know very much about Ramadan now, however, if you continue to follow me you will be hearing a lot about it.

Here's Ramadan in a nutshell:

Ramadan is a month of fasting from dawn to dusk.  It is a time to focus on getting your life right before Allah/God.  Many focus on the 5 pillars of Islam which are, the profession of faith, prayers, fasting, giving of alms, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.  Ramadan occurs 10 days earlier each year because it is based on the lunar calendar.  It is also the month of the Islamic year when Muslims believe the first books of the Quran were revealed.  


This year is going to be a bit different than the Ramadans I have experienced in the past, and this is because it just so happens to be during the HOTTEST month of the year.  Fasting and heat do not always produce the best results.  


There are many parts in the world where you could get arrested for eating in public or private.  Cairo isn't one of these places.  Also, children, pregnant or nursing mothers, or those who are not physically able to are excused from fasting.  


Great things happen during Ramadan.  People are focused on helping each other and getting their lives right before God.  Families invite strangers in for meals or eat all together in masses under colorful tents.  Special traditional dishes are made with love and once the sun starts to set, it is feasting until sunrise.  


The stores are already stocking up and offering great deals.  Some seasonal food items are sheets of pureed apricot and carob for making drinks, dried fruits, and nuts in or out of a nutshell.  There you have it!  


If you are, or have friends that are Muslim, make sure to wish them, "Ramadan Kareem", or you could just say,  "Happy Holiday", or if you wanted to be really Misreen, say "Kola senna winta taib!"

Versatile Blogger Award

Alright, my friend Jaimie awarded me a Versatile Blogger Award.  I have no idea what it is all about.  It sounds to me like a pyramid scam.  Trust me...I know an awful lot about pyramids.  I am supposed to tell you all 7 random things about me and pass on the award.

1.  I am the only girl in a family of 6 brothers.  I have always wanted a sister and still feel sad about not having one.
2.  I hate, hate, hate, hate zombie movies.  I got tricked into watching "I am Legend" last week with my husband.  I hate them!!!!!
3.  I once painted my toe nails and thinking they were dry, went to bed.  The next morning my toe's were stuck to the sheets.
4.  I have a secret love for climbing trees.
5.   Since I have come to Egypt, I have stopped drawing or painting.  Probably because I have a little one who gets into it all.  I would like to start again.  
6.  I love listening to the sounds of my mother cooking in the kitchen.
7.  I sometimes mock things like The Versatile Blogger Award.

I nominate...

Mary-just because I want to hear 7 interesting things about her and enjoy her writing.
...and Sharona Wilson because she is very worthy. 

my new favorite place

Forget that last post about Wakalah being my favorite place.  My new favorite place is Over The Top...or is it the Edge?  Oh, my daughter just said "Mom, it was called On The Run".  Whatever it's called, it is the gas station mini mart.  Not having a car, I never knew this place existed.  It's AWESOME.  Just look what you can buy there...

Can it get any better than a hot dog, Coke, Doritos and ice cream for lunch?  You can also get brewed coffee!!!!!!!  Alright, if I am excited about this, I can just imagine what reverse culture shock will be like.