Vampires

Well, yesterday was the day that we finally made our marriage "legal" in the country of Egypt and the U.S.
We went down to the ministry of justice around 11:45. It took about an hour and a half to get through the process. There was lots of waiting around in the crowded waiting room out front, which had all sorts of people (another good people watching spot).
There were several other couples there to be married, and you can tell who they are because they have to bring two male witnesses. It isn't that hard to figure out the ones getting married.
But there were also people there for other things, though I'm not sure what. Whatever other things the ministry of justice does I suppose.

The first man we saw was a judge, sitting at a desk. he looked over our passports and ID's and Ahmed gave him our original wedding contract to look at. The judge agreed that we could use our original marriage date as the date for our legal marriage that we went to the ministry to do.
After seeing the judge, we went to another room (all the rooms are pretty small, and all of them are pretty dingy), to get some paperwork looked at and to pay the fee.
Then we went back outside to the waiting room and waited.
Ahmed had mentioned that there were signs that said no cell phones and no cameras allowed. I had wanted to take some pictures while we were there, but hubby explained that this was a sensitive area, and the government didn't want people taking pictures of the buildings.
Well, while we were waiting in the waiting room, I went over to the area by the elevators, which has a wall that is full of huge open windows. I figured if I couldn't take a picture inside, at least I could take a picture of the outside, because we were 4 floors up and the view was great.
Well.... I got the camera out and actually had taken one picture when a guy came over frantically telling me in Egyptian that I shouldn't be taking any pictures, it wasn't allowed. Ahmed translated for me.
Honestly I was pissed off. Who the heck cares if I take a picture of what is *outside*?????
But, whatever.
I didn't tell the guy I had already gotten one picture.
:p
So, after some more waiting in the waiting room, we went back to a third dingy small room and a lady did our final paperwork. This is where my hubby's brother and father came in with us, to be our witnesses.
We had to sign our names about a million times on the contracts, since they make 5 copies and we had to sign in more than one place on each copy.
We also had to put our thumbprint on the 5 copies of the passport sized photos that are attached to the paperwork, so we each had very blue thumbs afterward.

All in all, it was not so much like a marriage, and more like applying for a business license or something. lol
And I was a little sad that it wasn't our first time getting married. I mean, that first time when we got married, we had all the nervousness and excitement, and this time... well... we've been married almost two years now. It just wasn't the same.
And hubby didn't think much of it at all I don't think.

Anyways, we are now legal.
Hurrah!

I had two days with almost no mosquito bites, alhamdulillah, but then last night they really went to town on me. I think I got 5 or 6 bites. Too many whatever the number was. Hubby calls mosquitoes vampires.
Well, that's the nicest thing he calls them.
lol
But, it is an appropriate name, since they do suck your blood.

Hubby is supposed to be buying his tickets for Kuwait today.
He is thinking about going either tomorrow or Saturday, but I won't know until he gets home which day he picked, if either of those.

Still haven't made it to the dentist, and at this point maybe we'll wait til he gets back. I'd like to get it done and over with, but also don't want to go.

My sister in law has been off work for the past month (she decided she wanted a break), but will go back to work on Monday. Of course this coincides with when hubby will be going on his trip.
Boohoo.
At least she will be home in the late afternoon/evening.
My mother in law is getting better at her English, and I'm slowly learning some words in Arabic, but it still isn't easy as pie yet in the communication department.

Maybe tomorrow I'll post some of the words I've learned. I think I mentioned doing that the other day didn't I?
Perhaps I'm becoming more Egyptian than I thought.
lol