Picking nose ...

My children, like any children like to pick their nose... the worst part is that they eat whatever they find inside!! :D One little boy, even said with a mischievious smile on his face that boogers are his second favourite food.

I don't blame them, as I used to do the same when I was little; but I am still trying to do my job and tell them it is not appropriate, that dust gets collected in the nose and "monsters" (our word for germs); so, I keep telling them that the monsters are going to go into our body and make us sick. At that point one boy stands up and looking very serious, says: "Well then I will drink a lot of water and the monsters will drown!"

I started laughing and thought that was very smart coming from a 5 year old.

On cultures and standard of living

"The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. OTHER CULTURES ARE NOT FAILED ATTEMPTS AT BEING YOU, they are unique manifestations of the human spirit." Wade Davis

I found this poster at a friend's house.... I liked it the first time I saw it and thought: "It really speaks to my soul!".
I've always thought of myself as a very open person ... open to culture, to diversity ... thinking I accept the South-American tribes and their nakedness, I accept the Asian culture with the weird cuisine, I accept the Muslim world with their burkas....
however, I seem to get annoyed when I hear people living in a different culture than theirs complain over one thing or another. I guess that is one sign that I do not accept those people because they do not have the same understanding that I have, the same perspectives that I have... therefore, it somehow puts me in the same boat as them: complaining over other cultures and the way they perceive life. I am not sure if it makes sense ... but it does to me!
I learned a lesson this week: "other people are not failed attempts at being me!" and I am not better because I do not wear a burka, or on the contrary go naked thinking the proper way to go dressed in public is to wear the clothes that I am wearing;
I am not better because I live in a nice flat with running water and a toilet that flushes instead of a hut with no insulation.
I am not better because I have a toaster, washing machine, a dish-washer instead of an open fire or the river to wash my clothes.
I am not better because I eat what I call proper food like chilli, bbq chicken, apple pie instead of tarantulas, rice and beans, cats!
I am not better because I drive a car compared to a horse and cart.
I am not better because I am educated ...
I am not better because I can use a computer and have access to information...
I am not better because I have a bank account and I organise my savings...
I am not better because I can speak 4 languages .... one should be enough!

I remember growing up during the communism and not having satellite, Internet, toaster or dish-washer ... but my world was ok and I was happy because I DID NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE! I can look back and say: "How on earth did we manage without cell phones or even landline?" I guess the sense of community was stronger, people were more attentive to their neighbour's needs, concerns, joys ....
While the world felt sorry for my country, the common man/woman was ok, because they did not know any better... Now, was that better BETTER? From some points of view, yes .... from others, no. Not that I regret the communism... God forbid! But the simplicity of that life was so much better!!
Now we think we can do it on our own and we become individualistic, self-centred ... I hear people say that in their country, they do not even know their neighbours ... because we don't need them! We can do things OURSELVES! We have a TV to keep us company, a cell phone if we need to order food, a car to go places ...

Is the one or the other life-style better? My answer: NO! I am not to judge any person for their way of living ... A very wise man told me last week that I have been fortunate to experience both ... I have witnessed history!
Indeed ... I guess I have been blessed and I hope I can pass this to my children and grandchildren.

Just a day

I burnt the porridge this morning (that is because I was reading some exciting emails) ... But I ate it anyway - or what was left of it! I don't like throwing away food - it was not too bad.. what was left of it... I added maple syrup to it!
Anyway I decided to leave the house and go to Rd 9 and get some things done... nothing exciting about that... What I like to do when I have time, is to go into the Pharaonic Flowers Shop and look at the flowers. They had my favourites: calla lillies - even in different colours - white, yellow and dark red!!! I was tempted to buy some, then I heard the price and it put me off! That shop tends to be very expensive...
Anyway, I made friends with the guy from the carpentry shop next to El Greco Coffee and he gave me a piece of wood that I need to stretch paper. :)
My little getaway had to end up the same way it started - I got a taxi back home and apart from the fact the guy took me all over Maadi he had "problems" with his meter. I've been watching it the whole ride (due to previous experiences); it was stil 2.50 LE, then 30 seconds later it was 4.90 LE. I pointed it out to him and immediately he pressed the start button again, that brought us back to 2.50 LE.
I was reading an article in the CSA magazine some time ago and they were talking about the white taxis that have meters etc and what a brilliant idea that is!!! Well, some drivers still try to rip you off and they have found methods to do that...

"Don't cry over the spilt ...YOGURT!!!"

How a yogurt can spoil your day
Usually, it shouldn't... but if your name is Gaby and it is the 27th of January it surely will! So, while flying to South Africa in December we were served with a delicious yogurt for breakfast. I loved it and i was sad i couldn't get it in Cairo. Well, i went to the supermaket this week and there it was!! So i bought a couple.
I took one to school thinking i will have it for snack. I walked into the kitchen around 10 thinking I will have my delicious yogurt; there was a note on the wall about this yogurt that fell out of the fridge and was all spilt on the floor. As soon as i read that i thought: I hope it is not mine!! Well, lucky me, IT WAS!!!!!!!! (this happened after another yogurt has misteriously vanished).
Well at that point i felt i had had enough of the "yogurt story", so like most women do, i shouted!! (bad thought, i guess ... actually not thought, but more of an impulse!).
Yogurt therapy followed with Gina.
Yogurt therapy 2 with boss (:O).
Yogurt therapy 3 with Cristina (sort of - or different kind of therapy).
Yogurt therapy 4 with Gina.
Yogurt therapy 5 with blogger.
How fun! (wish there was a sarcasm font!)
Don't cry over spilt yogurt ....
- it's just a yogurt
- I have another one at home
- it's just 2 LE
Well it is Wednesday and it is nearly the end of the week ... my nerves can't be stretched any more!

South Africa .... just thoughts

I have recently returned from South Africa ... i spent 3 weeks there. It has been long with many exciting things to do and see, but i have richly enjoyed it. When you say

South Africa, you immediately think of the continent and expect it to be a shady country with not much to offer (I do have to say that a lot of people do not know it is actually a country and not an area of the continent. There are still people who say: "ohh, South of Africa... where exactly in the South of Africa?"). As soon as I said South Africa to a friend, she said: Charlize Theron! That is good to know, isnt it? Anyway ... back to my trip.... I traveled Ethiopian Airlines .. not bad, not bad at all!! We first stopped in Khartoum (Sudan) to get more people, and then took off again to land in Addis Ababa where i changed planes. Another 8 hrs of flying from Addis to Johannesburg.

There is so much to say ... i do not even know where to start. As soon as you land, you think you're in Europe. At least, that was my first impression. The country itself is very developed with very good infrastructure and then ..... the scenery is breathtaking!! No wonder Lonely Planet has declared Cape Town the most wonderful city in the world! Coming from Egypt, where green is not a colour that you see very often (unless you live in Maadi, like me!) i was delighted to see the fresh green everywhere.

From getting locked in the bathroom somewhere near George to trying snails, it has been quite an exciting adventure!

I was able to experience a couple of days in a safari, chasing after leopards, looking for the elephants, seeing the rhinos, zebras, looking for the lions in the middle of the night ... being waken up in the morning by the sound of hippos bathing in the river...

I was quite blessed to get a diverse experience of what South Africa is: not just wild life and safaris, but city life in Johannesburg and Cape Town; going to see "Cats", the musical in Cape Town and watching "Cinderela on Ice" in Johanneburg.

Stopping at Plattenburg for a breath taking view was unforgettable ... Just as we were driving from George on N1 (or 2?) towards Cape Town on the Garden Route, you see the townships (places where the non-whites used to live during the apartheid (and some of them still live there)... it is such a contrast!! Some of them have their huts on a hill where you can get a gorgeous view of the ocean, but i am sure they do not appreciate that, and there is nothing wrong with it! While Westerners go for the view, some people are just happy to have a place to lay their heads at night.

Meeting old friends from Cairo in Bloemfontein has been wonderful!! You kind of get the feeling that you finally know someone or a place ... and it brings a sense of comfort in a way. You get to meet new people as well and with it come all the facebook friend request (lol).

I spent 5 days in Cape Town ... the weather was terrible during the whole time .... Table

Mountain was constantly covered with a cloud and i thought i will not be able to go up there and view the whole city. I had already bought a ticket for the cable car, so i had no choice but to go. Anyway, i took the hop on-hop off bus and that too me all over the city; one of the stops was the cable car to the mountain. Guess what? That day, the cloud was gone and i was able to get a very good view of the city and take some cool shots!!!

Food... well, when it comes to food ... i've tried some South African stuff (billtong and a poikje -

still not sure of that spelling), but i got to hate sushi and fish even more than i did already! lol. I still like my mum's fish best, though (it is the only fish that i would eat now!). Litchis were my favourite!!!!!!!!!!!!! I recall i had them once before, but they were canned... now i got to taste the real thing!! I wish i had a tree at my house! :)

Spending Christmas by the Indian Ocean, in a cottage by Riet River has definitely calmed my troubled spirit ... walking on the beach has never been more peaceful than then!

One of my favourite things was seeing the Kappse Klopse - it is a traditional festival of the coloured population, to celebrate the New Year, on January 2nd.

People in bright coloured costumes, with their faces painted, holding umbrellas and playing different instruments take over the streets of Cape Town. They are organised in troupes, each of them representing something (a minority, as far as i understood).

Now there is a whole dynamic of the white and non-white population ... i will not got into that, for political reasons ... i do have my opinion, but i guess it is better to keep it to myself.

I got to meet Keisha, Harry and Sally, 3 elephants that conquered my heart (plus a few more others) - i got to touch them and talk to them! Holding a lion cub's paw has been another amazing thing!!!

These things and the feelings that come with them, cannot be put into words nor shared, so i was content to just absorb everything and hold it inside, hoping that it will stay there forever! These are things one should experience, not just read about. As we were driving i was just content to look around, take everything in, like a deep breath and keep it in ... maybe until next time, because there will be a next time for sure!

PS: I am starting to hate blogspot as it messes a lot with the post and pictures!

Get on with your life!

Staff morning meeting this week ... many things were mentioned... one thing caught my attention: one plastic bag, laying around from Chilli's. On it, these words were written: "Get in, Get out ... Get on with your life!"

"Get on with your life!" ... i like that! :) It reminded me to stop clinging on to things from the past, people in the past/present and just continue. Like a very old friend of mine in high school used to say: "no one and nothing is irreplaceable".

I've always said: "money comes and goes" and i like to think i have been very wise and generous with it. I am learning to adapt it and say: "people come and people go". Just like money - you can give it away (or invest in people) - if it comes back to you, great ... if it doesn't, life is still good!

Take your "Chili's" (whatever that is) and "Get on with your life"!

Flying ... just like a bird

Recently back from my South African adventures, i have learnt a few lessons, but a very important one that God keeps reminds me of: to rise above. I have written about this before (first of all inspired by Dr. Bailey from Grey's Anatomy), but it is worth mentioning it.

As i was at Riet River, right by the Indian Ocean, celebrating Christmas, i couldn't help not walking down the beach .... it was so nice and peaceful, especially after so many weeks of teaching in Cairo. The weather was just perfect...

Anyways, i was watching the birds that were on the beach trying to eat some of the shells that were brought on the shore by the waves .... they were in the water, eating peacefully, when a wave came and just like that, they just flew above it and then landed again, and continued their search for more food.

I couldn't help not thinking of myself .... and how often waves come into my life, but hardly ever i am as peaceful as those birds... I never seem to be able to just fly above the wave of difficulty/stress/worries/etc.... Why? I guess it is in the human nature to worry and stress... I am still working on that.... Somebody told me stress comes from uncertainty, but i think of myself as a very self-confident person. Anyway, this is another subject for another time. For as muc has i try to keep positive and on top of everything, there's little things that knock me down.