As the history goes, Ramadan is the month that the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was first contacted by the Angel Gabrielle to receive the verses of the Qu'ran. Through the passing of time fasting became a part of the lifestyle of the Muslim especially during the month of Ramadan. The breaking of the fast occurs at Magrib (sunset) with the Adan (call to prayer). Iftar (breakfast) often begins with dates and fruit juices, such as Manga, Omar El Din (apricot) or Kharoub. Kharoub is my favorite, but I do not know what the equivalent of it is in English. It is a rich meal to give an energy boost to those that are fasting. After eating the dates and drinking the juice, Muslims like to pray the Magribprayer and then return to a meal. Many Muslims like to pray most of the prayers in the mosque during Ramadan, but some do remain to pray at home. The meal can be any type of food nd most of those that are fasting find that they lack a large appetite for consumption. It could be just soup and some meat with rice, or just soup and some foul (fava) beans. It depends on the family and their personal palate. One thing is for sure during Ramadan, you will definitely find sweets in any household in the Muslim world. Basboussa, which is made from semolina mixed with eshta (cream) and a syrup, Konaffa is made from wheat, sugar, honey, raisins and nuts, Atief, made from the same ingredients but rolled to encase the nuts and raisins. Omm Ali is my favorite, it is made from phyllo dough, eshta, milk, sugar, nuts and raisins. Many Muslims like to watch shows that are specifically made for Ramadan and visit with family and friends in the evenings after Iftar. A lot of sweets are consumed between the Iftar and Sohour. Sohour is a meal taken before the Fajr (dawn). Again, this depends on the palate of the person who is eating. It could be dates, milk, water, foul, meat and rice. Most of us in the Muslim world loose a lot of sleep during Ramadan, but that is another post.
Until then,
A Woman of Egypt

Muslims are celebrating the Holy Month Of Ramadan.Siyam or Fasting during this month is the third Pillar of Islam. Islam has five Pillars and Fasting is one of them. From dawn until sunset, one must abstain from eating, drinking, telling lies, complaining, arguing, rudeness, and exhibiting bad behavior. Basically, it is an annual training program to remind us to behave like decent, kind hearted, disciplined and civilized people. It is to help us learn self control, help overcome greediness, lack of patience and intolerance, laziness, and other character faults. This is my first year to participate in the Siyam (fasting) and I can tell you it is not a simple thing to do. OK, I have no problem going without the food all day. Sometimes we get busy and cannot eat, so the rumbling inside of my tummy does pass. I miss my caffeine in the mornings, I am now sure I am addicted to caffeine. That is no longer a question for me. Folks, I am here to tell you that within the first 30 minutes of my fast I was already swearing. I woke up and stumped my toe on the edge of my sofa and out came an expletive. Expletives, during Siyam, are also considered a no-no. That should have been enough to disqualify my fast for the day, but since I am a trooper, I pressed on. Within 25 mininutes of arriving in my school, I was already complaining about a co-worker, the copy machine, and the janitorial staff. This is the 11th day of Ramadan, and I am sure that every single day of my fast thus far, has not been acceptable by God. I have always know my character defects and have never tried to hide them. I am selfish, self absorbed, and arrogant. I am now even more aware of how judgmental, stubborn, and egoistic I am. I am sure that God, all knowing, wants me to become more accepting, more tolerant, and to awaken my senses about what is right and wrong in my own behavior. The moral and spiritual climate of Ramadan has certainly been ripe for personal reflection. Now, I just hope, insha allah, I can move forward and improve all of the problem areas with a positive changes. I will keep you posted on my progress and the rest of my journey through Ramadan.
Until next time,
A Woman of Egypt

When I first moved to Egypt I was amazed at how the past and the present seem to meet in the city of Cairo. Caireennes consume the west. They like the clothes, the food, the music. The city is loaded with Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Chili's, and these eateries. You can find stores that carry all the name brand western clothing and shoes. The problem lies not in the consumption, but for the ones that cannot afford to make the purchase. Egypt has more than its fair share of impoverished. I always say the poor in America are rich compared to the poor in a developing country. My husband told me the other day he was in the hospital cafeteria with other doctors having a coffee and reading the newspaper. There was a flier inside the newspaper which fell out and it was an advertisement for McDonald's, or Hardees...one of the janitorial staff inside the cafeteria picked up the flier and my husband could tell her mouth was just watering over the picture. He told her never mind, these types of food give you a very bad upset stomach. Unfortunately, probably 60% of the population here could not afford to buy a value meal from McDonalds. To afford buying one of those meals probably would cost him/her a healthy part of their monthly salary. The gulf between the ones that have and the ones that do not is very present here in Cairo. I am sad to say, I have become desensitized to it partially. I can remember when I would walk to school and see the way people lived right next to me and how shocked and sad I would feel. Now, after walking past these folks for over 3 years and others like them, I have grown accustomed to it. That realization about myself bothers me the most. I felt this way when we traveled in Malaysia and Indonesia. The poverty was all too familiar and my reaction was indifferent. It is amazing what one can become accustomed to in this world. Thankfully, I have not become completely apathetic towards the needs around me. What I choose to do is help those that I can. I do things for the ones that are close to me, such as my maid, the ones in my neighborhood, and my school. I hope in time that poverty of this scale will be eradicated.
Until then,
A Woman of Egypt

As a southerner myself, I am saddened by the devastation and suffering of my neighbors in Louisiana and Alabama. What a shame that the United States was so ill prepared for the aftermath. Growing up on the east coast, one develops an innate awareness that we are always one summer away from a major hurricane. We become desensitized to the dangers and are prepared to ride most of the storms out. Hugo's and Andrew's have taught us valuable lessons, and we pick our fights now, evaluating the danger and decide whether to go or to stay. The ones that can afford it do leave and the ones that cannot stay behind. What a shame that the world's leading power, the inventor of the space shuttle has failed its own citizens during this natural disaster. I can only imagine what would happen if it was man made. I read an article a couple of weeks ago that really disturbed me. It seems that Americans are spending more than they make. Not just on a federal and state level, but on a personal financial level. For every 100 USD that is earned by an American, he/she is only saving 1 dollar out of that 100 dollars earned. I found this information incredible. If anyone else knows different, or if I am mislead, please e-mail me and let me know. If this is true, than it seems that we as Americans are just one paycheck away from financial disaster. Personally, I find this frightening. The United States, even though it is considered one of the richest most powerful nation of the world, has a very large under class of poor folks. The lines between the "haves and the have nots" seems to be a bit blurred after this article, and the systems in place to help these folks in times of need such as now, seem a bit suspect. I hope that we as Americans, at an appropriate time, start to self-evaluate from the top down to find out what went wrong during our nations time of need, and if we have our values and priorities in the right place. Perhaps we need to start cleaning up our own back yard before directing others to make changes.
Until next time,
A Woman of Egypt

I returned to work last week. I always enjoy my summer holiday, but I find that by the end of July, I am ready to get back to school. It seems that by the end of the academic school year, I just want to sit quietly on a beach with a book. Once I have completed that book, I am ready to get back to business. I guess I would never be very good at living idly. Perhaps I have a problem in relaxing. My husband says that I am always hoping and jumping around doing something, I never sit quietly. I might have ADD and have never realized it! hehehe The students have yet to return to school as we are having our first major multi-candidate election in Egypt on September 7, 2005.School has been postponed for one week as they feel that it will be dangerous to be on the streets during the day of the election. I am not sure what all one expects, but it seems that emotions are running high here in Egypt regarding this election. There are all sorts of rumors about corruption and rigged polling stations. I have no first hand knowledge of this and cannot say if it is true or not. I do know that I have never seen any campaign commercials, nor speeches, nor live debates. I know that each candidate was eligible for 500 thousand Egyptian pounds from the government to use towards their campaign, and that they could raise up to 10 million Egyptian pounds independently. I just found out today (the election is tomorrow) that there are 10 candidates. I am looking forward to finding out what the outcome is regarding the election results. It seems that many Egyptians are ot registered to vote and/or have no intentions of voting. It should be interesting to see how the whole event transpires.
Until then,
A Woman of Egypt

Summer time yields delicious fruit in Egypt. Mango, grapes, figs, watermelon and pears are in abundance. Mango by far is one of my favorite. I have two kinds that I really adore, Oas and Zebda (butter). Mango, even though grown here in Egypt, is not cheap. It seems that we had too much rain this past winter. Being from the southern part of the US, I don't consider sprinkles to much rain, but then again this is the desert. Mango are sweet, messy and addictive. I have learned from my husband how to cut them open, make cross-crosses over the pulp of the fruit to the skin, and then fold the skin back so that you can eat them easier. It probably would have been in my best interest not to show me how to do this. Mango are loaded with calories and I had three of them today. I also had the same amount in pears. I am sure my stomach will pay for all of this later. I have to say that when I traveled in Asia I was a bit disappointed with the fruit that I tried there. I thought with the rainforest they would be succulent, but in fact, it had very little taste to me. For me, Egypt wins out by far with Italy coming in second as they have the best figs I have ever tried.
I hope that one day you will be able to come to Egypt and try our summer time fruit. If you don't want to visit during the heat of the summer, do not worry as we have dates coming into season soon and for sure they deserve their own post.
Until then,
A Woman of Egypt

I spent the past two days finalizing the papers for my Egyptian citizenship. This meant I had to spend time going to several different governmental offices here in Cairo. My husband attended the process with with me, albeit unwillingly. Dealing with governmental offices here in Egypt takes a mental psyching up period prior to going. We had to take a taxi to the Mugamma as there is no where to park in this area of downtown. The Mugamma is our City Hall. Taxi's here in Cairo are my primary mode of transportation. They are black, with white painting over the wheel well. They are abundant, old, and in very poor shape. I personally enjoy taking them as every day is a new adventure in a taxi for me. I have been in several taxi wrecks. I like the fact that you walk out of your building, hail a taxi immediately, they are cheap, and they drop you off right at your destination. Now, when you exit the taxi, you will smell like gasoline, your clothing may be picked from the broken springs, and you will have dirt marks on your skin, but nevertheless, you have made it no more worse for the wear to where you wish to go. My husband says I know more about moving around in this city than he does. The Visa section of the Mugamma is crowded and you can see and smell everything under the sun. There are all nationalities there dealing with this office. I do believe when one visits the Mugamma in Cairo they need not be in a hurry, nor plan anything else for the day. You have to go here to get a stamp, go there to get a signature, go over there to pick up a paper, go back to that window to get a receipt, I am sure you get the idea. The main problem is that here in Egypt, we do not know what is it to make a line or a queue. I learned very early that when you stand in line, or what you think is the line, you will still be standing there in the same place until closing time. People push past you, shove past you, break in line, and when you object, get mad with YOU. Southern hospitality has no place in Cairo. The law of the jungle applies, only the strong survive. I had a difficult time learning that one, but now I would probably have a hard time acclimating if I moved back to the US. Once we completed everything in the Mugamma, we had to walk to our health department and the police station to register all the papers to obtain my Egyptian identification card. I love very much walking the streets of Cairo. They are dirty, crowded and full of interesting sights. I walk a lot in this city. I can remember when I was young, I would walk to John Small school from my home on Bonner Street. I can remember thinking that it was a travesty that I had to walk to school and how scared I was to walk past the vicinity of Butterball Brook's home. Later, I became very good friends with one of his daughters and realized that I had nothing to fear. When looking back, walking the couple of blocks to school in small town Washington past the notorious Butterball Brook's home with all of his kids is like a Norman Rockwell post card image in comparison to the streets of Cairo. Who would have thought I would go from Bonner Street to Tahrir Street? We managed to complete this little adventure in two days. That is not small accomplishment for a citizen of Cairo.
My husband was tired and fed up from our two day adventure. For me, I found some new short cuts to the souk (market) behind my house, and some new shops to check out. From his perspective, dealing with people in the streets, the broken doors of the taxi's, the non air conditioned offices, the general apathy and total disorganized of our city in the heat of an August day was to much. He is more of the air conditioned, drive your own car with parking type of guy. For me, I like to be out in the street with the rest of the city, looking in the shops, bargaining and sweating. I feel alive and a part of my surroundings. I can look past the dirt, and the apathy, and I see the people and life around me. This is what ties my heart to the country, I think. My ability to pull back the layers of living in a city so full of insanity and complexities and find the heart and soul of it resting quietly within. Just thinking of it takes my breath from me.
I will close this post for it was a long one. I hope you will visit my blog again and until then,
A Woman of Egypt

Welcome to my kitchen! Ok, part of my kitchen. This photo was taken when I moved here and it looks about the same with some additions and a bird cage. This is the area of my home that is my personal jihad (struggle). I hate cooking! I really lack all the domestic characteristics of a female. Sad, but true. The kitchen for Egyptian women is not a big deal, and many of them...My mother-in-laws (MIL) age spend the bulk of their day there. Our homes here in Egypt are not centrally cooled or heated. Most affluent Egyptians have air conditioners located in each room, BUT the kitchen and the bathrooms traditionally are not cooled or heated. My kitchen is on the south side of the building and it is in the sun all day. Folks, it can get pretty darn hot in there in the summer.
A normal schedule for me puts me cooking here...mmm...every other day. Most affluent Egyptian women do not have to do such menial labor. My sister's-in-law-(SIL) have full time maids and normally these maids do all the cooking and cleaning while my (SIL's) supervise their activities. I am sure I would be classed in the same standard as a more affluent Egyptian household, but I CANNOT stand someone in my house 24 hours a day, nor do I want to eat their cooking as these maids are not really clean themselves. I prefer to eat my own dirtiness!! hehehe In the summer I start cooking as soon as I wake up. Cooking in Egypt is a project. First of all, you have to clean the kitchen before you can begin cooking. Cairo is very dirty so you must clean daily. This is one of the reasons why so many households have full time maids. Once I clean the kitchen, then I spray an aerosol spray on the floor to combat the flies that are attracted to the food and body sweat. Once all of this is done, then I have to clean the food I wish to prepare for the day. Fruits and vegetables here have to be cleaned CAREFULLY to avoid getting sick. I scrub all my fruits and vegetables several times. Meat needs to be cleaned and washed as well. I usually wash all my chicken in a sea salt and flour mixture, making sure to scrub well to remove leftover feathers and other yucky things before freezing or cooking it. Meat is cleaned and rinsed well, too. Rice has to be washed and cleaned prior to cooking to remove rocks and other unmentionable debris. As you can see, just the preparation for cooking is a job. It is very humid in the mornings in Cairo, and so cooking is an undesirable burden. One sweats continually while working and I usually go around with a paper towel stuck to my forehead! :) I have a maid that comes twice a week to clean my home from top to bottom and everyone is telling me get a full-time maid to do all of this. The man power here in Egypt is very cheap. You can have a full time maid for $60 to $80 US dollars per month. She will cook, clean, wait on you, whatever you like, for this amount of money. Again, you have to supervise every thing she does and they are not clean. It is easier for me to do this myself, as I have become accustomed to the life here.
I hope you have enjoyed learning about my personal Jihad in the kitchen! :) Perhaps next time I will share some of our Egyptian recipes with you and you can try them at home!
Until then,
A Woman of Egypt

My youngest sister is obviously back in university. I know this not because she told me, but due to the fact that I have received e-mails from her for the first time this whole summer. Of course, she needs something. It seems she has to write a paper for a professor about what is going on inside the Middle East. I feel she finds me her "One Stop Source for Information" instead of exerting herself to stay enlightened of the world's affairs. Alas, she is a a busy fourth year student and I am sure she does not have time to read the newspapers and/or watch the news. As for myself, I cannot give her an unbiased opinion about that war in Iraq. Honestly, at this point, I am wondering what war are you talking about? First of all, I would like to see the draft and finalized plan of this war in Iraq from the US. What was the plan? I keep hearing the same rhetoric "stay the course" but what is the course? Forget the reasons for entering the war, we know those are suspect, and forget the past three years of lives and money lost on both the "Coalition" side and the Iraqi side... completely flushed down the toilet. What are the "plans" from this point to fix this misery we are in? If we get out of this quandary and save face as Americans I will be grateful and relieved. I once knew a man that worked for my father and he told me, "Before you go over to your neighbor and start trouble, you better check out his back yard to see who and what is in it". I have never forgotten what he said, and I think about that now when I think of American troops inside of a religious, Arabic speaking country that has cultural and societal values that are foreign from what they know and comprehend.
I hope that my sister can find her information and complete her paper, as I seem to be of no use to her in this area. In my opinion, this "war" is over and it has been over for a long time. The US military doesn't even believe it can defeat the resistance. One cannot defeat what he does not understand. The likelihood that Iraqi politicians can agree on anything and create a stable central government is unlikely. They have never had the chance to express an opinion, much less hold a position of power. Americans are fed up from footing the bills and being treated like the villain.
Let me know when someone knows the plan.
until next time,
A Woman of Egypt

The weather today is beautiful. Amazingly, we have had fantastic weather for the past four days. What a lovely way to end the month of August. I spent the early part of this morning composing an e-mail to my youngest sister about information she requested regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. That took up some time so from now on out I will answer such e-mails on my blog. I am not an expert by any means on the situation in the Middle East, but I am sure I have been exposed to more information than most Americans. In my humble opinion, I do feel that most of us as Americans do not really completely understand all the things going on outside of the US. For some of us, we do not know what is going on outside of the county lines! I say that with all respect, as I am one of those county lines citizens. I guess that the internet has made us more mindful that we are now a pluralistic and global society. It would be beneficial for us to learn more about other cultures and their languages, and the same for those societies regarding the US.
I have only a few more days left before I start back to school officially, and I have to complete many small errands before I do so. I am a "to do list" fanatic. I have no idea where I obtained this little affectation, but for sure I live by it. I had my summer to do list made up in March! :) I am at the end of it now, and I am very satisfied!! haha What is so amusing is that I have managed to maintain this little oganizational obsession living here in Egypt. Egypt as a whole, is not organized. It is also indifferent to time. Time, organization, and planning are relatively foreign words for this society. I have found that it is pulsating to its own beat, but if you try to determine the rhythm you find yourself standing exhausted somewhere in the middle of blurred lines and noise. After a lot of frustration and aggravation, I finally realized my limits and boundaries and I have grown to respect them. Perhaps the society as a whole has grown to regard time, organization and planning as trivial. Conceivably, their history has lead this to this conclusion.
As for today, I will go out and join the rest of my fellow citizens in the frenetic chaos of the streets and try to chisel away the last fragments of my "to do list".
Until next time,
A Woman of Egypt

I wake this morning to quiet and peace. It is Friday. The normal work week for Egyptians runs from Sunday through Thursday. It is the weekend for most of us, although some Egyptians work on Saturday's. I make myself a cup of coffee and look out of the kitchen window onto the street. Aside from a few taxi's, a couple of women on donkeys, and the bread vendor -the street is empty. I love Friday mornings in Egypt. I normally run all my errands on this day. I like to go to the markets and get all of my personal shopping out of the way. If one goes out before the noon prayer the shops are not crowded and you can enjoy spending time looking around. Friday prayer for Muslims is like going to church on Sunday in the States. Egyptians spend the rest of the afternoon with family and friends so the activity outside picks up. We have been blessed with beautiful weather today. Egypt is hot in the summer. The problem for me lies not in the heat, but with the pollution and humidity. Cairo is very polluted. That pollution lies over the city like a dark, heavy blanket in the summer time. That blanket acts as an insulation for the heat and humidity that we are privy to at times..and when it is humid, it is absolutely miserable. For today, I think the weather will be very enjoyable and I will not have to run my air conditioner all day. I am always ready to save a few piasters (pennies) on my electricity bill.
I will close my entry for today as it is time for the noon prayer and I have to wake all the sleepy heads here to have breakfast and get ready to go and pray in the mosque. It has been a busy week and I think for sure it is only fair that Allah (God) deserves his time and consideration as well. I know that we have many things to be thankful for in my household, although my cooking (breakfast) may not be one of them! hehehe
Until next time,
A Woman of Egypt

Welcome to my blog! My family and friends always ask me what it is about Egypt that I love so much. I have decided to create this blog in hopes that they may be able to answer this question for themselves. I have been immensely happy and content in Egypt since I arrived here in 2002. My new home welcomed me with open arms and and with the first embrace, made me a part of her. I have my life and my love here, and I do not feel that I would be able to part from her for long. I hope that you enjoy my blog as much as I will in sharing it with you! Cairo is never boring, with 20 million people moving in and out of her everyday. It can get a bit crowded!
Visit often, as I share my beloved country with you!
For I am,
A Woman Of Egypt