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