Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Baa baa black sheep
The last few hours of morning here, before waking, were quite strange.
Because of Eid and the animal slaughtering, some people bring animals to their apartments and tie them up outside, and then have a butcher come to them instead of just buying an animal from the butcher. I don't know how common that is, but the last couple of days, we've been listening to a cow (or steer/buffalo/something!) across the street, and also a sheep or goat somewhere nearby.
Hearing this animal make noises on occasion (probably from some kid irritating it) was slightly disconcerting. Not a noise you expect to hear on your residential street. Out in the country, sure, but in the city??
In any case....as I was saying, the last few hours here have been strange.
I turned the light off at the somewhat decent hour of about 3:50 a.m. It wasn't long before I slept, maybe 10 or 15 minutes.
The morning call to prayer would have happened sometime around 4:50 or so, though I don't recall hearing it.
What I do recall hearing was rain. Lots and lots of rain. Heavy rain. The thing that made it so entirely loud, aside from being able to hear it on the tree leaves outside the window, was the rain coming down hard on the outside portion of the window a/c's that everyone has. Not quite like hearing rain on a tin roof I imagine, but maybe something similar.
I remember thanking God for so much rain, because I sat and listened to it come down for some minutes, but I also remember asking God to make it last so that when I got up in the morning I could see it. lol
I had wanted to know what time it was when the rain was coming, but I was also very tired and didn't want to open my eyes and focus enough to check the time and risk not being able to get back to sleep.
Sleep won me back shortly though it was broken intermittently by the cries of both of the animals that were down on the street.
At some point after that I was awoken by the sound of people going to the morning prayer for Eid, during which people speak (not exactly like chanting, but something like that) a particular phrase on their way to the mosque (only during Eid, not for regular prayers). I remember wondering if it was still wet out and if they were going to get rained on, and if so, what would happen. I don't think too many Egyptians have umbrellas. No idea what time it was when I heard them. I asked hubby later and he said around 6:30.
And then next thing I know hubby is out of bed and through my bleary eyes I can see that he's getting dressed to go out. I ask him where he's going and he says that he and his brother are going out to the butcher to get the sheep that the family has purchased.
I look at the clock. It's 7:39 a.m.
I wonder to myself why it can't be later and am resigned to the fact that I'm going to be up for a while now, and hopefully I'll be able to sleep later.
I ask if he heard the rain in the night and he said yes he had heard it. I hadn't wanted to ask him while it was raining, as he had gone to bed with a toothache and if he was sleeping, I didn't want to wake him.
I told him it lasted for some time, but that I wasn't sure what time it was when it rained. He said it was around the time of the morning prayer, as his brother had mentioned it to him.
Well, it was a strange night/morning. A little less than four hours of sleep, which was broken up by rain and prayers and bleating animals.
Hubby and his brother will take some time at the butcher, depending on how many other people are there. The butcher doesn't actually kill the animal til they are there, and they actually WATCH!!!!
Gross yeah?
I guess it should take about an hour or so for the whole process, but if they have to wait for anyone before them it could take longer.
They will come home after that, with the WHOLE sheep, and stick most of it in the freezer for the time being to store it. But, they will give a lot of it away as you are supposed to. Some to the poor, some to friends and family and some to keep as well.
After getting up I opened up the balcony door to see what it looked like outside and if I could see any traces of the rain from the night. The air was unexpectedly thick with ... mist? I don't know what it was, but it was thick and the skies were gray. I didn't go all the way out as I was still in jammies, so I couldn't see if the ground was wet, but I'm assuming it is still damp.
Not sure what the rest of the day will bring. I hope sleep is included somewhere.
Eid mubarak!
Because of Eid and the animal slaughtering, some people bring animals to their apartments and tie them up outside, and then have a butcher come to them instead of just buying an animal from the butcher. I don't know how common that is, but the last couple of days, we've been listening to a cow (or steer/buffalo/something!) across the street, and also a sheep or goat somewhere nearby.
Hearing this animal make noises on occasion (probably from some kid irritating it) was slightly disconcerting. Not a noise you expect to hear on your residential street. Out in the country, sure, but in the city??
In any case....as I was saying, the last few hours here have been strange.
I turned the light off at the somewhat decent hour of about 3:50 a.m. It wasn't long before I slept, maybe 10 or 15 minutes.
The morning call to prayer would have happened sometime around 4:50 or so, though I don't recall hearing it.
What I do recall hearing was rain. Lots and lots of rain. Heavy rain. The thing that made it so entirely loud, aside from being able to hear it on the tree leaves outside the window, was the rain coming down hard on the outside portion of the window a/c's that everyone has. Not quite like hearing rain on a tin roof I imagine, but maybe something similar.
I remember thanking God for so much rain, because I sat and listened to it come down for some minutes, but I also remember asking God to make it last so that when I got up in the morning I could see it. lol
I had wanted to know what time it was when the rain was coming, but I was also very tired and didn't want to open my eyes and focus enough to check the time and risk not being able to get back to sleep.
Sleep won me back shortly though it was broken intermittently by the cries of both of the animals that were down on the street.
At some point after that I was awoken by the sound of people going to the morning prayer for Eid, during which people speak (not exactly like chanting, but something like that) a particular phrase on their way to the mosque (only during Eid, not for regular prayers). I remember wondering if it was still wet out and if they were going to get rained on, and if so, what would happen. I don't think too many Egyptians have umbrellas. No idea what time it was when I heard them. I asked hubby later and he said around 6:30.
And then next thing I know hubby is out of bed and through my bleary eyes I can see that he's getting dressed to go out. I ask him where he's going and he says that he and his brother are going out to the butcher to get the sheep that the family has purchased.
I look at the clock. It's 7:39 a.m.
I wonder to myself why it can't be later and am resigned to the fact that I'm going to be up for a while now, and hopefully I'll be able to sleep later.
I ask if he heard the rain in the night and he said yes he had heard it. I hadn't wanted to ask him while it was raining, as he had gone to bed with a toothache and if he was sleeping, I didn't want to wake him.
I told him it lasted for some time, but that I wasn't sure what time it was when it rained. He said it was around the time of the morning prayer, as his brother had mentioned it to him.
Well, it was a strange night/morning. A little less than four hours of sleep, which was broken up by rain and prayers and bleating animals.
Hubby and his brother will take some time at the butcher, depending on how many other people are there. The butcher doesn't actually kill the animal til they are there, and they actually WATCH!!!!
Gross yeah?
I guess it should take about an hour or so for the whole process, but if they have to wait for anyone before them it could take longer.
They will come home after that, with the WHOLE sheep, and stick most of it in the freezer for the time being to store it. But, they will give a lot of it away as you are supposed to. Some to the poor, some to friends and family and some to keep as well.
After getting up I opened up the balcony door to see what it looked like outside and if I could see any traces of the rain from the night. The air was unexpectedly thick with ... mist? I don't know what it was, but it was thick and the skies were gray. I didn't go all the way out as I was still in jammies, so I couldn't see if the ground was wet, but I'm assuming it is still damp.
Not sure what the rest of the day will bring. I hope sleep is included somewhere.
Eid mubarak!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Coming up!
Well, there are two celebrations during the year for us Muslims, and the second one is coming up in just a couple of days.
In Egypt, this Eid celebration (called Eid al Adha) lasts for 4 days. During those days, many people are off work as businesses close to observe the celebration. That includes basically all government services.
According to wikipedia, which is better at summing it up than I am:
"Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in an open area or mosque. Muslims who can afford to do so sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels, cows and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice.
The regular charitable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid al-Adha by the concerted effort to see that no impoverished person is left without sacrificial food during these days.
Distributing meat among people is considered an essential part of the festival during this period, as well as chanting Takbir out loud before the Eid prayer on the first day and after prayers throughout the four days of Eid. In some countries families that do not own livestock can make a contribution to a charity that will provide meat to those who are in need."
Don't know that we are doing anything special during those 4 days. Hubby will be off work but so will the rest of Cairo, so trying to go do things becomes a little more of a pain since it will be so crowded everywhere.
Maybe we can do some cleanup in our apartment or just take some nice walks in the area where we will be moving to so that I can get more familiar with it.
:::
Sometimes I have wondered, if I was given the chance to do things over, to erase something from my past or change things or just have another chance, would I take it?
There's definitely one thing that I wish I could change, however if I changed that, I don't know what effect it would have had on everything else.
I can say that I wouldn't be where I am right now if I changed something, but honestly, I fully believe (sorry to get all God on ya!) that God puts us where we are for a reason, and if we avoid path A and take path B, I believe that if God really wants to, he can make both paths end in the same place.
Does that make sense?
I think we're all where we're supposed to be, no matter what road we took to get to where we are.
There's a certain amount of satisfaction in that. In being okay with where you are and accepting it, instead of fighting it or being disappointed at times.
:::
I almost forgot, it's Thanksgiving tomorrow for those of you in the States. I hope you all enjoy it and find plenty of things to be thankful for, the least of which is having life!
I had wanted to try to do a Thanksgiving meal for my in-laws, but I was thinking about that when I thought we would be in our own apartment. I don't think I could ever manage it here at the in-laws place, not with the kitchen/stove here. So, insha'Allah next year I can show them what an American Thanksgiving is like.
And if you get a chance, watch the Thanksgiving day parade for me will ya?
In Egypt, this Eid celebration (called Eid al Adha) lasts for 4 days. During those days, many people are off work as businesses close to observe the celebration. That includes basically all government services.
According to wikipedia, which is better at summing it up than I am:
"Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in an open area or mosque. Muslims who can afford to do so sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels, cows and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice.
The regular charitable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid al-Adha by the concerted effort to see that no impoverished person is left without sacrificial food during these days.
Distributing meat among people is considered an essential part of the festival during this period, as well as chanting Takbir out loud before the Eid prayer on the first day and after prayers throughout the four days of Eid. In some countries families that do not own livestock can make a contribution to a charity that will provide meat to those who are in need."
Don't know that we are doing anything special during those 4 days. Hubby will be off work but so will the rest of Cairo, so trying to go do things becomes a little more of a pain since it will be so crowded everywhere.
Maybe we can do some cleanup in our apartment or just take some nice walks in the area where we will be moving to so that I can get more familiar with it.
:::
Sometimes I have wondered, if I was given the chance to do things over, to erase something from my past or change things or just have another chance, would I take it?
There's definitely one thing that I wish I could change, however if I changed that, I don't know what effect it would have had on everything else.
I can say that I wouldn't be where I am right now if I changed something, but honestly, I fully believe (sorry to get all God on ya!) that God puts us where we are for a reason, and if we avoid path A and take path B, I believe that if God really wants to, he can make both paths end in the same place.
Does that make sense?
I think we're all where we're supposed to be, no matter what road we took to get to where we are.
There's a certain amount of satisfaction in that. In being okay with where you are and accepting it, instead of fighting it or being disappointed at times.
:::
I almost forgot, it's Thanksgiving tomorrow for those of you in the States. I hope you all enjoy it and find plenty of things to be thankful for, the least of which is having life!
I had wanted to try to do a Thanksgiving meal for my in-laws, but I was thinking about that when I thought we would be in our own apartment. I don't think I could ever manage it here at the in-laws place, not with the kitchen/stove here. So, insha'Allah next year I can show them what an American Thanksgiving is like.
And if you get a chance, watch the Thanksgiving day parade for me will ya?
Monday, November 23, 2009
The unsaid
The fact of the matter is, there are many things that I don't talk about here.
The reason I don't talk about those things is out of respect for other people. Whether I feel they are respectful of and to me or not.
No, I'm not happy living with my in-laws. We've been here 6 months now and I lost my patience 5 months ago.
It's not easy. I don't like it. Every day, every single day, there is a struggle inside of me.
There are sometimes days when I'm not down and I'm not upset and the sun is shining and I can feel happy.
But more and more, those days get farther and farther apart.
I am only human. I am just a girl.
I wish I could say all the things I want to. I wish I could be unkind and hurtful and speak about all of the things that make me angry and drive me crazy. I wish I could.
I love my husband and I am not sorry I moved here. Life is there for us to live it. And I am living.
The reason I don't talk about those things is out of respect for other people. Whether I feel they are respectful of and to me or not.
No, I'm not happy living with my in-laws. We've been here 6 months now and I lost my patience 5 months ago.
It's not easy. I don't like it. Every day, every single day, there is a struggle inside of me.
There are sometimes days when I'm not down and I'm not upset and the sun is shining and I can feel happy.
But more and more, those days get farther and farther apart.
I am only human. I am just a girl.
I wish I could say all the things I want to. I wish I could be unkind and hurtful and speak about all of the things that make me angry and drive me crazy. I wish I could.
I love my husband and I am not sorry I moved here. Life is there for us to live it. And I am living.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Another trip
I always feel bad when I don't post for a few days, but most of the time there just isn't much going on. Or nothing exciting anyways. lol
:::
The brouhaha with Algeria over the whole football (soccer) thing has escalated beyond belief. Hubby has been following it very closely on the news the last few days.
After the last match which was held on Wednesday night in Sudan, there were quite a few happenings endangering the lives of Egyptians in both Sudan and Algeria. And it seems even in some other countries, Egyptian citizens are being harassed. I really don't get this whole thing.
Here's a couple links if anyone is interested in reading further, though the links aren't telling everything there is to tell.
link 1
link 2
:::
It appears that hubby will be making another trip to Kuwait sometime soon.
We've known about the trip for some time, just weren't sure when it was going to be. It was originally going to be in October I think, but now perhaps it will be sometime early in December.
And once again, I'm very unhappy about hubby going away and leaving me alone with his family for a week or however long he ends up staying. The trip length keeps increasing.
At first it was maybe 3 days. Then 4 or maybe 5. Now it's a week. Who knows how long it will actually take. Hubby seems to be an optimist when it comes to how long something will take, and while I appreciate his optimism, what I would prefer is some realism. Optimism isn't comforting when he's in another country and I'm alone.
I don't think we'll be moving at least until he is back from the trip. I'm guessing at least another month, though of course it's hard to say.
On top of that, he has brought back up the possibility again of moving to Kuwait if things go well when he's there.
I didn't understand how he could even bring it up when we are still in the process of trying to furnish and move into our apartment here!
It seems things remain uncertain in the housing area, at least in terms of living anywhere other than the in-laws.
:::
Hubby and I have many little discussions about words, usually English words and their meanings.
The other day I was mentioning to hubby something about a series Michael Palin had done called Sahara. It was about his travels through the Sahara desert. Hubby asked, which desert, and I said the Sahara. And he said, yes, but which one?
We were a bit confused with each other, but it seems that sahara is actually the Arabic word for desert, so he thought I was just saying the word desert, not the particular desert in Africa.
Never a dull moment in the language department at least!
:::
The brouhaha with Algeria over the whole football (soccer) thing has escalated beyond belief. Hubby has been following it very closely on the news the last few days.
After the last match which was held on Wednesday night in Sudan, there were quite a few happenings endangering the lives of Egyptians in both Sudan and Algeria. And it seems even in some other countries, Egyptian citizens are being harassed. I really don't get this whole thing.
Here's a couple links if anyone is interested in reading further, though the links aren't telling everything there is to tell.
link 1
link 2
:::
It appears that hubby will be making another trip to Kuwait sometime soon.
We've known about the trip for some time, just weren't sure when it was going to be. It was originally going to be in October I think, but now perhaps it will be sometime early in December.
And once again, I'm very unhappy about hubby going away and leaving me alone with his family for a week or however long he ends up staying. The trip length keeps increasing.
At first it was maybe 3 days. Then 4 or maybe 5. Now it's a week. Who knows how long it will actually take. Hubby seems to be an optimist when it comes to how long something will take, and while I appreciate his optimism, what I would prefer is some realism. Optimism isn't comforting when he's in another country and I'm alone.
I don't think we'll be moving at least until he is back from the trip. I'm guessing at least another month, though of course it's hard to say.
On top of that, he has brought back up the possibility again of moving to Kuwait if things go well when he's there.
I didn't understand how he could even bring it up when we are still in the process of trying to furnish and move into our apartment here!
It seems things remain uncertain in the housing area, at least in terms of living anywhere other than the in-laws.
:::
Hubby and I have many little discussions about words, usually English words and their meanings.
The other day I was mentioning to hubby something about a series Michael Palin had done called Sahara. It was about his travels through the Sahara desert. Hubby asked, which desert, and I said the Sahara. And he said, yes, but which one?
We were a bit confused with each other, but it seems that sahara is actually the Arabic word for desert, so he thought I was just saying the word desert, not the particular desert in Africa.
Never a dull moment in the language department at least!
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