I wrote a note for FaceBook entitled "25 Things About Me" and I decided that I would use it as a blog post as well. The following is copied from my FaceBook post.

1. My zodiac sign is a Scorpio...it is the only sign in the zodiac with three animal totems..the scorpion, eagle and the dove.
2. My Chinese sign is the Monkey. I assume this is where my insatiable curiosity about the world comes from.
3. My mother told me I never slept in a fetal position as an infant and I potty trained earlier than children my age. It seems I preferred to potty instead of wearing dirty diapers. Who wouldn't?
4. As a preschooler, I did not like to wear socks. I did not like the way they felt on my toes..I felt constricted. That was a daily argument.
5. I did not like to wash, brush, or wear hair barrets, pig tails, and/or pony tails in my hair. My mother and Nana (the black lady who raised my sisters and I) were both heavy handed and rough. That too, was a daily argument and one that I won on many occasions as witnessed by several preschool photos where my hair looked like a Crisco commercial and let's not even discuss the way my hair was parted.
6. I did not like black patent leather shoes. They were hard and the soles were slick. I refused to wear black patent leather shoes. If I had my way, I would have been barefoot daily.
7. My mission in life as a primary student was to make sure I was at my grandmothers every Saturday morning by 7:00 am to have a cup of instant coffee with a slice of hoop cheese in it, eat eggs and toast, watch cartoons, and help her "clean her house" before we went "shopping" at Roses dimestore later that afternoon. I was making my phone calls to her home by 6:30 a.m. to get my grandfather to come and pick me up....and he always would.
8. I remember trying to get "rid" of my sister Emeri by placing her in the middle of Bonner Street and sitting and waiting on the curb for someone to come and "pick" her up. There was not much traffic, but finally a neighbor came by and got both of us out of the street and I of course got in trouble for that.
9. We lived beside a cemetary and I used to play and set up camp in and around the gravestones. I was so scared when some of the neighborhood boys told us that dead people came out of those places at night and would come to get anyone that messed with their graves and KILL them. That was the end of my play days in the cemetary.
10. I realized when I was ten years old how words can hurt to the core when those very same boys called me a "N**gg*r lover" and I quickly proceeded to ask my beloved Nana (the black woman that raised my sisters and I) what that meant, and I can't forget the look of hurt and pain on her face. That was a defining moment in my life.
11. I refused to learn math in Mr. Tettertons 3rd grade math class. I could not understand why I had to learn division and multiplication tables when it made no sense to me in the "reality of my life" at that time. I would tune him out, turn the class off, and open a book and read through the whole math class. I REFUSED to do it and both Mr. Tetterton and my parents were at a loss to manage me. I never did math that year. I read the whole of the Nancy Drew series in his math class that year.
11. Reading and books were my passion. I found a new passion during the 5th grade and that was about the world. I got a library pass one day for whatever reason (probably math class) and when I went to the library, the librarian gave me a book to read called "Born Free." Elsa and her familys adventures became my new passion. After that, I was onto a whole new level of thinking and I realized there was a big wide world outside of Washington, NC and I needed to see it.
12. When I was 14, I realized that I never wanted to get married and have kids. I can't remember how or why I came to this profound inner knowledge, but I knew that I never would.
13. I did get married, and this is my second marriage. I married foreigners on both occasions. I do beleive I have found my mate in this one. I never did have kids.
14. I once flew back from Dubai with refresh wipes over my face to block the horrific body odor of the passenger sitting next to my husband. I had to ask the steward to bring me extras. My husband was embarrased...but I didn't care. It was either the refresh wipes, or me giving that passenger a lecture about the foul effects of poor hygiene. I think the wet wipes were better.
15. One day while I was studying for my teaching certificate from Cambridge University, I went to the on campus bookstore to purchase some study guides. While making my purchase I had a conciliatory conversation with an African man about the weather and etc. I paid and said goodbye. When I went back to my class, I was a huge hit with the staff and students as it seemed that the African gentleman I was speaking to was Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe. I had no idea who the man was and it seems that all campus traffic was halted while he was ordering books for his schools. I have no idea why they let me in while he was there, but I did start reading more about African politics from that point.
16. I have met many well known people while living here in Cairo. I had a well known female singer tell me that I needed to go on a diet. I met Yasser Arafat's nephew at the club through my husband, and I had a member of parliament ask me for private English lessons. That was a bit shady, and I never did. I also saw one of Osama bin Laden's sons at the grocery store next to my home. I didn't know who he was at the time, but I told my husband "check out that Arab with the dread locks." We later saw him on a local TV program promoting a desert horse race through the Arab Peninsula. He is very attractive by the way.
17. I have no fear of death...and no fear of my immortality. I feel that nobody lives past the time that God has designated for them. I do fear one thing, and that is a DENTAL visit. That is the ultimate test of my courage, the dentist.
18. I suffer from body dysmorphia. In my mind, I am a dynamic, articulate, well read, well traveled, poised, highly energetic, mover and shaker with abounding confidence. When I look at my figure in the mirror, I see some saggy breasts, donut rolls, cottage cheese dimpled skin, a rear like a dump truck, and some serious vericose veins. I think, whoooo, who is THAT, and I have to take a second look. I still can't align the body with the spirit even now at 40+.
19. I dislike men with a weak character.
20. Even more than I dislike weak, cowardly men...I have a distaste for weak women who accept anything less than common courtesy and consideration.
21. I love to eat local and ethnic food from the carts on the streets of places that I have traveled. This is not a good thing, and is a serious cause for hepatitis..but I adore these places.
22. The older I get the more suspicious I am of other peoples motives. I rarely allow people into my personal confidance.
23. I hope to grow old gracefully, without Botox injections and medical interventions with the sags and bags. So far I don't beleive in that plastic surgery farce, but you never know what may happen in 10 years.
24. I am fearful that I will grow old and be a burden on my husband in our old age. I do not want this to happen, and I can only PRAY to God that it will not. I told him if I ever get senile and crazier than I am now, just drop me at the nearest nursing home and drive off, they will know what to do.
25. I am my biggest fan, and so should anything ever happen to me, know that I DID NOT commit suicide.
Until next time,
A Woman of Egypt

This has been a very exhausting week and I am so happy to see it wrapped up. If someone told me on Saturday what my work week would be like, I may have taken an exten
ded holiday. Living in Cairo is not for the faint of heart. Its dense population has created horrific traffic challenges, short tempers, and a mindless disregard for others. I faced the aforementioned as an educator this week. The mother of one of my students came to school and interrupted my first class to tell me that she had informed her son that should any student hit him, then he should hit him back, with force. I explained to this mother that we had a "Hands Off" policy at school and are trying to teach our students to use words not fists when facing a problem. She said "No, this is wrong, and it doesn't work." She felt that each child has the right to defend himself and that our school policy should be changed. After realizing that I would never be able to convince her otherwise, I asked her to please speak to my principal about the matter. On one hand, I do understand the complex reasons behind her feelings and I can appreciate her logic. Even armed with an understanding of the complexities of our culture, I still felt let down that she didn't trust the school enough to support our endeavors to create change within our school community. That was just the first day of the week, things deteriorated even further. Our fourth and fifth grade class were scheduled to go on a field trip. The day arrived, the kids were outside ready to board the bus, and from out of the blue two of the fourth grade parents showed up and would not allow the bus to leave with the kids on it. Their sons were in in-school suspension and were not allowed to go on the field trip. Both sets of these parents created a scene in the middle of our street, in front of our school, used inappropriate language, took the keys from the bus driver and refused to give it back until their children were allowed to board the bus. Cars were backed up on the street and began blowing their horns and drivers started yelling. Our school director arrived to take care of the situation and the bus finally left for the trip. It seems that several threats were used by the parents to persuade our director to let the boys attend the field trip, and thankfully, our director held firm to her position. After several other issues cropped up during the week, our school secretary decided to play quron and burn bohur in the early morning to rid our school of the evil elements. Even though this is a nice thing we do as a part of our culture, it didn't seem to work. My week ended with a parent and her two sons in the principals office confirming what we knew to be a family living in a very difficult and trying family situation. Each person in that meetings was brought to tears and I ached for this family. I left immediately after school with a very heavy heart. I reflected on the week on my way home. How can we as educators try to instil in our students respect for others, respect for self, community awareness and philanthropy, and small acts of kindness when our parents are not modeling approprate behavior nor supporting our efforts... or if providing support, then only superficially? Where did we go wrong as educators in communicating school policy? Have we lost the parents trust in our school and its judgement when it comes to school policy and enforcement? Could it be that we live in a city where just getting out the door of your home is a struggle, to move your car out of a parking space on the street or garage costs you money, a city where we don't have space to move, a city where Peter robs Paul, then Paul robs Peter back, just to stay afloat? A city where nobody trusts or beleives in the other? I am not sure....but it is depressing. I hope that the upcoming week is going to start on a high note.

Until next time,

A Woman of Egypt

Change....the new buzz word. Change is coming to America, change is coming to Washington. Yes We Can t-shirts, bumper stickers, and pins can be seen everywhere. On January 20, 2009, America will embark upon creating a new history for itself. Personally, I am more than ready for this new president to become a part of creating America's new history. The world is ready to create a new history. Change on a global level, a national level and a local level. Change is relative. For instance, while waiting for my husband to do some shopping for his son on the day after Christmas, my sister Jackie and I sat in the center of the mall and did some people watching. After about 20 minutes I told her "I have not seen one authentic person walk past us in this mall since we have been sitting here." In the time that we sat waiting, all the women that walked past us had the same style haircut. The inverted bob, like Victoria Beckham. They carried the same style handbag, the knock off from Dooney & Burke...the one that looks like cow leather and they all had the same style shoes. It tells you a lot about society.....change is relative on many levels. My stepson is the same way, not one authentic thought in his brain. If society says Gap is cool, he will wear Gap...if society tells him Gap is out, then out with all the Gap. I find the "herd mentality" draining. Authenticity and character are high on my priority list. Authenticity is one of the reasons I voted for and support Barak Obama. The man is completely authentic. As soon as he held a press conference and addressed the issues of race in America, I knew he would be our next president. Not many people have the balls to go against the "herd mentality" and address the American public in regards to race relations in America as he did, and so eloquently. Even that garnered respect from his critics. The second reason I voted for him is that he is culturally aware. He has substance. The third reason is because he is pragmatic. I hope that he will use those same character assets to go against the "herd mentality" regarding American foreign policy. America has never really changed its status quo in regards to foreign policy in the world. Some issues are impervious to change. I am not banking on Obama doing much "changing" there. One can only go against the herd for so long before getting trampled. I have faith that he will find a pragmatic way of dealing with America's foreign policy problems, though. He certainly seems to have the substance to do so. I do believe he will take on a different posture from the previous president. On a personal level, I embrace change. I started making significant changes in my life after my parents died. I have never looked back, only forward. Change for others is not so easy. It takes skill and confidence to live a life without regret. My principal told me the other day she wished that Obama had never won the US presidency...maybe then I would not be leaving her and my school to move back to the states. Change on a local level....perhaps for her it's not so easy. Obama is not the reason I am moving back to the US, but the change in the American administration sure is a perk. I need to make some changes in my own attitude towards people. For instance, I have zero empathy for weak men. Once I realize that a man has no backbone, no strength to stand up for what he knows to be right in the face of adversity....I immediately lose respect for him and can completely emasculate him without regret. I am putting a half hearted effort into changing this tendency, primarily due to the fact that I cannot get past the point that if a man doesn't have the balls to stand up for what is right on his own, why should I empathize with that? I also have zero tolerance for whimpering, simpering women who tolerate maltreatment from others and never take responsibility for their own happiness and well being. I am working on developing more empathy in this area, too. It is not easy, but I realize not everyone is a lion heart. I also need to change my tolerance level for others that have no interest in becoming more aware of what is happening in the world around them, or their uncanny ability to be superficially informed from only one news source??!!!! Change...it is all relative. Americans are pinning their hopes on Barak Obama to bring about change in the US and our image abroad. I wish him luck and I have no doubt that he will be a faithful steward to the United States. I just hope that Americans realize that the word change can be used as a noun and a verb......which requires action. Action not only on a governmental, state and local level...but an individual one as well.

Until next time,

A Woman of Egypt

A new year....2009. I spent the holiday in the US for the first time in several years. My husband and I decided to take advantage of the poor economic situation here and purchase a home. We spent the past month looking at every home in Raleigh, NC. I dare say we left no site unturned. We made 3 offers, two of which were rejected and one still pending. We leave tomorrow and I am sure we will be in Egypt by the time we here from the last. We have been so busy I really haven't had time to think about moving back to the US. I thought perhaps I might feel torn between two countries with a sense of not belonging to either place. I now know that is not an issue. I feel very comfortable in both places and they both feel like home. I am very sure that if I move back to the states that Raleigh is about the smallest city I could live in. I don't believe I could live in a small town after residing in Cairo for all these years with its mass population. On the other hand, I cannot deny my general discontent of living in the city of Cairo and its traffic, noise, and general daily chaos. I do hope we can sell our flat downtown and find another one in the suburbs of Cairo before we move back to the US this summer. I guess that will have to be put on my "to do list" upon returning back to Egypt. I found out during my time here that many people are reading this blog. I was rather amazed and astounded. I started this blog for my family and friends in the US a couple of years back to eliminate writing the same email over and over regarding my life in Egypt. It evolved from just my life in Egypt to ramblings and thoughts of my own mind. I tend to place it on the back burner when I get busy. I hope that I can post more often this year. While here, many of my fellow Americans inquired as to the state of affairs in Gaza. I feel at an unfair advantage many times when I discuss that issue with others. Due to my proximity with my neighbors Israel and Palestine (and the Middle East in general) my understanding and knowledge is deeper and less superficial than Americans. That bothers me tremendously. I feel that I am completely "cut off" from the rest of the world when I am here. My Aunt Sandra and Uncle Bobby asked my husband and I at dinner one evening "Well....isn't that a good thing??" and we both answered a very strong "NO!!"". That is one of my greatest concerns about returning to the US....living unconsciously in a bubble. I have been living as a citizen of the planet for the past several years of my life in Egypt. I will never be able to return to a mindless and unplugged existence relying solely on local news programing for information on in the rest of the world. For this reason, I hope to always keep a residence outside of the US. I am sad that we couldn't get a firm yes and close this home buying ordeal prior to leaving tomorrow. I am happy that we know which neighborhood we wish to live in and I am very grateful for the fact that I am looking forward to coming back to the US for a couple of years. Prior to arriving, I wasn't keen on the idea completely. Thankfully, those apprehensions have been erased. I am also grateful for the peace and quiet of the morning, with nothing but the wind blowing through the trees to catch up my blog. One of God's gifts to North Carolina, pine trees.

Until next time,

A Woman of Egypt