We have all complained about having to pick up after our family members. We pick up socks, shoes, dishes, glasses, bags, and a multitude of other items that would take too long to list. I have decided to conduct an "unofficial" study of the behaviors and habits of the occupants of my home. I want to see just how long it will take for them to notice these items and "if" they respond by A) picking it up (and/or) B) leave it for me to pick up. I have collected four forms of evidence that I will be "tracking" over the next few days.
Evidence Exhibit A) In the photo above you will notice that our "family/tv room" is well used. It is always occupied and a place for computer games, school work, watching tv, eating breakfast, snacks, drinking tea, eating biscuits, talking on the mobile, and gathering. If one wishes to take an afternoon nap, it would be much more comfortable for HIM (and us) to sleep in the BEDROOM and leaving the rest of us to eat, snack, talk on the mobile, watch tv, play computer and gather in peace.







Evidence Exhibit B) This is a basket where I keep prayer rugs, blanket throws, and the days newspaper. As you can see, it has now become a catch all for empty plastic bags. As you may see, to the immediate left is a TRASH CAN. Go figure?!

Evidence Exhibit C) A gym bag has been thrown on the floor in the hallway in front of a bedroom door. This is a high-traffic area and this bag needs to be stepped around to enter and exit the bedroom. It is also sticking out a little from the wall inside the hallway and one could possibly get tangled up the handle and fall into the outer doors which happen to have glass, thus injuring themselves. Mailesche, what is a cut or two?





Evidence Exhibit D) A towel used after the shower has been left on the bed. I am sure the person will bring another tomorrow to join this one. Never mind that it is all wet, and crumpled.







Now, I have other exhibits...tea cups, cookie wrappers, dishes and other items I could include. Socks, that is a whole blog in and of itself. However, I will track these few items over the next few days and we will see what has transpired. I am sure that I will be the only one bothered....but I am willing to let my need to control everything around me to go for this experiement. Stay tuned to the updates over the next several days!
Until next time,
A Woman of Egypt

In the past couple of months two members of the Nedi Gezira (Egypts version of a Country Club) have had heart attacks and died on the way to the hospital. One at the squash courts and one in the mens locker room. My husband was in the vicinity of both of these emergencies, along with several other doctors, and neither one of these men lived. Our club has an ambulance which is located on the club premises. Basically, this ambulance is a microbus. The ambulance contains a stretcher, 2 air tanks, and the drivers. On both of these occasions, only one air tank was working and it seems that it had critical air flow problems. Every single physician that attended to both of these poor men felt that if they had a decent ambulance with the neccessary lifesaving equipment that perhaps both of these fatalities may have been avoided. Egypt has recently implemented much more stringent traffic laws. I am hoping that they will consider equipping their ambulances with the things that one needs to save lives here in Egypt as well. Training for personel and basic life saving support is a must.
Until next time,
A Woman of Egypt

Only a few weeks left of my summer holiday and my Mind, Body and Soul Mission Summer 2008. This summer has been spent in reflection and introspection and I do believe I made progress towards a higher level of personal awareness. I finally acknowledge that I dislike living in a classist society and that I will never really FULLY integrate into the mindset of those around me. I am relieved on one hand to know that my moral compass is strong, but burdened knowing that my moral compass and the society around me will always live in conflict together. I understand now that I will battle this personally whether I am in America or here in Egypt. I finally recognize that I have an innate sense to understand people around me and what makes them tick. I believe this comes from a deep capacity to feel empathy at many levels for others. This is also taxing, as I find myself putting myself in everyone elses shoes, which leaves me little time to stand in mine and also leaves room for me to loose myself in others issues. I have zero tolerance for racism and social injustice and at times see these complex issues in black and white. I also view the world now as a whole, not broken up into continents, countries, or cities. I see people pluralistically, instead of through nationality, race, gender, religion, etc. I hear the news and I can relate to the place and/or subject. Take Georgia for instance, a five hour flight from Amsterdam to Cairo, during which I had a lengthy conversation with a gentleman from Georgia. I thought of that man every time I watched the news this past week. I wonder about him, his family, if he is ok, is he displaced, does he need medical help. It is real to me now. Sudan's Darfur is real, I have a sudanese maid....I often wonder what he has been subjected to in his life and I wonder about his family. Iraq, Afganistan, Japan, Spain, everything is real to me now. I will continue my efforts over the next couple of weeks to improve my level of awareness and hopefully implement my new personal knowledge about myself to create a better life. I am still working on the same character defects and personality issues that I have been working on for 20 years, these may never change. I am happy to be able to declare that they exist and own them. I find serenity in the understanding that you never live one minute longer or one minute less than what God has deemed for you to live on this journey in life. I also find peace in the affirmation that we take nothing with us when we leave this world, but we are responsible for what we leave behind. There is great power in that knowledge and with great power comes great responsibility. I hope that I will be able to move forward in my adult life as a faithful steward to the people and issues that I care about. I pray that when I leave this earth, I will leave the people and the places that I have visited a little bit better from having known me.

Until next time,

A Woman of Egypt

I read an article online yesterday about middle class families in the US turning to food pantries for help feeding their families. The article had a photo of the family standing in front of their kitchen cabinets with the doors open. The cabinets were sparsly filled, a few packets of macaroni, some salt, maybe a couple of cans of some unknown item. The mother of this family was very embarrased to have to resort to such methods in order to manage her families day to day food needs. It seems her husband was injured in a work related accident and they are now living off of disability. I felt for this family, but I cracked a smile because that is exactly how my kitchen cabinets look. I guess my kitchen resembles a needy family, too. My fridge has milk, eggs, cheese, bread, tomatoes and cucumbers...my kitchen cabinets have some macaroni packets, tuna, beans, and some oatmeal. I only cook meals with meat or chicken twice per week now. We eat a lot of pasta, beans, tuna and salad, and I never throw food away. We have really poor people in Egypt so I always give any leftovers to my bowab and he gives it to a poor person on the street. Food costs have risen to international prices in Egypt over the past few months. On an average, my husband and I spend at least 900 USD or more, depending on the month, for household expenses, and our home and car are paid for. For Egypt, this is a lot for two people. I have friends here, who have several maids, drivers, and kids and they are spending 3,000.00 USD on household expenses. That is not including their private school tuition, traveling abroad, and other similar expenses. The world is expensive now, and Egypt has not been spared. I am always looking for ways to cut expenses and save money, and I have no problem with my cupboards looking the way they do. I know that a lot of other families in Egypt and around the world are living with less. Reading that article made me feel sad for my fellow Americans who need to learn to live within their financial means and perhaps be happier with less. It is always good to check into reality.

Until next time,

A Woman of Egypt