Yeah... I know.... went missing again!

Salaam Alaikum everyone!

Yea.... I know.... it's been a LONG while but I've been incredibly busy with daily life and all my babies. And I've also found it much easier to jot a quick blurb on Facebook... with life being the way it is, I only have a quick sec to post something and keep moving!

But I must tell you, I've been pretty much up to date with info on the daily lives of some of the sisters here on Blogger since they post daily on Facebook as well: some have added new additions to their families, others have had their first arrival (MashaAllah!) while others are dealing with family issues and some are still battling their demons, psychologically speaking.

Egypt has improved immensely since my last post- I have basically surrounded myself with expats and I have 2 really good Egyptian friends so my inner circle is tight and I'm in a good place right now, Alhumdulillah. After all that initial drama, I finally have some relief, some peace of mind about my state of "being".... so overall, I feel like my old self again!

My Papito is 3 months old now- yes. Three months have flown by and the Naughty Princess and Big Papi started school the beginning of October but since this past Sunday, school has been shut down until December 1st (alledgely) since a few boys in the primary area have been diagnosed with swine flu... we're supposed to have a meeting next week at the school to discuss how we're to handle their work load while they're out.... so I guess we'll receive a complete lesson plan to follow until school resumes. Gotta keep them busy.... especially since both of them are doing exceptionally well, MashaAllah! :)

Planning a trip home, InshaAllah, while they're out- hopefully, I'll be successful in finding some decent fares- and I plan to use my frequent flyer points to purchase at least one ticket .... I gotta buy more than a few! Thank goodness, I only have taxes to pay on Little Papi and Papito!

My family and friends are eagerly awaiting the actual arrival news so I need to get crackin' with my ticket search.... and this is the start of the busy holiday season so tickets won't be cheap- but just landing in New York and being able to smell my city is worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY! Must haves when I get home: Junior's cheesecake from Brooklyn, a bacon & egg sandwich from Al-Noor halal deli on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, a FEW containers of Haagen-Dazs (well, gotta make up for ALL those months I wanted and couldn't get it!), a Nathan's hot dog with some fries and a REAL Pepsi down in Coney Island, have some delectable orange beef with fried rice and yummy spring rolls from my favorite Chinese restaurant and consume enough pizza at my favorite spot, Gino's, to last me for a year...... LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL.... but I'm not kidding! And a visit to my nail salon for a SERIOUS manicure/pedicure and an elaborate hands, legs and feet henna job at my favorite Indian henna palace! NO ONE does it like this sista........ unless your name is Ashkumar (professional world reknown artist)!

Okay.... gotta run as it's lunch time for the rugrats.... and I'm waiting for the Olympic man to come service my washer/dryer for the 2nd day in a row: he checked it yesterday, it started to work with no problem.... as soon as he left, it had an error message! So much for expensive, state of the art machinery.... oy!

Everyone be good and safe.... take care of yourselves and remember to love each other... even if someone doesn't love you back!

Forever grateful.......

Salaam Alaikum, my sisters!

Just wanted to give everyone a "heads up" that baby Papito came along on Wednesday, August 5th..... alhumdulillah, all went VERY smoothly- like 1 push smooth..... I could never complain about my deliveries!!!

With all my running around, not eating or taking care of myself as good as I would've if I was home in New York, Papito was my smallest one yet! But I can't complain as he is healthy and as cute as a button, MASHA ALLAH!!!! He's resembes Big Papi but time will tell if his face changes into something totally different.... all of my kids look different from each other but you could tell that they're related.....

And the hubby made it here JUST in time- he arrived Monday evening and by Wednesday afternoon, I was heading to the hospital! I kept telling Papito to hang in there and wait for his Baba and like a good boy, he listened! I was ready to come home the same day but the doctor had already left the hospital and when the staff called him, he said just stay- as usual, I felt like I didn't even give birth! Ready to go home to my own place and relax with the clan around me... but he and I had the chance to bond overnight as we spent the night smelling each other and him sleeping on my chest- this is my process with all of them and it does create a tighter, closer feeling bond between you..... and when they smell you and kinda sigh, you know they recognize you!

Well, always when you proclaim that you would never do something, something usually happens to make you eat your words- I said repeatedly while pregnant, that this one would more than likely be the last but now that he's here, talk about crazy but I think I wouldn't mind another!!! ;p

The troops are loving him like crazy.... my family thought that Little Papi might "flip out" since he's attached to me like glue (literally sometimes) but he's the main one kissing him and rubbing his head! Alhumdulillah, I'm glad I don't have to worry about the hitting, biting and scratching that usually happens when the youngest meets the newborn.... oy! And Little Papi just turned 1 a few days ago..... Alhumdulillah, my life has been blessed by yet another addition to the clan- Allah (SWT) is merciful and I am forever thankful for ALL that He has given me in this life..... please make dua for us!!!

Okay, break time over.... back to Momma duties.... time to make din din! ;)

the Barefoot Empress Beauty Emporium is open for a limited time...

Ladies in the Cairo area!!!

I have some items in my home I need to clear out if I can... Victoria Secret bras and other style bras, panties, organic scented bath salt and a few home-made brown sugar scrubs I made in New York before I left... the lovely folks in customs here turned them all upside down so the labels were ruined with the oil from the container.

I also have superb hair colors and relaxers for those looking to spruce up their look!!! :)

I brought these things from New York and looking to get rid of least some of what I have left- customs help themselves to most of it....

If anyone is interested, let me know.....

Did ya miss me???

Salaam 'Alaikum sisters!!!

Yeah.... I know it's been awhile but believe it or not, I JUST finished up my last bit of settling in and down business here on last Sunday. It's been a long haul but now, I can finally stay home in my apartment and relax and wait for the hubby to arrive (which is in about 2 weeks) and count down the final days til my bundle make his or her appearance!!! :)

I wanted to let everyone know all is well, children are good, Alhumdulillah.... apartment is FINALLY finished, have everything I need for the new arrival, InshaAllah.... met more cool Muslimahs which is always a blessing, the hubby is due to arrive soon (Wooo Hooo), still trying to adjust to some of the local yocals but my new but old approach to this tiresome, daily problem: "let it roll of my back, let's not care too much about it" attitude will get me through!!! (InshaAllah)

Okay, I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to log in again anytime soon.... Queen, I miss ya- haven't had the chance to read your blog in awhile... hope you and your family are doing okay!!! And I miss communicating with everyone so much but my life has been consumed with getting it all together here so I can start to "live" again.....

Next time you might hear from me, I'll have arrival news to share!!! I love you all for the pleasure of Allah.... please make dua for me and my family!!! Smooches!!!

In need of an English and Math tutor.....

Assalaam 'Alaikum sisters!

Quick post... do any of you sisters here in Cairo have a GREAT, reliable English/Math tutor? I would like to hire one ASAP for my kids who will be 3 and 5. I believe in being proactive and I'm not in the place to devote much time to them right now (meaning being totally consistant with everything) with all I have going on in this house! They'll both start school in the fall and I like to be ahead of the game.... especially since the educational system here in this country is lacking greatly. I've heard many, many wonderful things about the school they'll attend but I need to know they'll at least to "up to snuff" with their classmates. I brought alot of workbooks with me from New York but I don't want to start to stop... because of stuff coming up and the likes, ya know what I mean? And with my Little Papi who requires a great deal of time, I know a tutor would do them better justice than me at this point! And I feel with someone else in the house, they'll pay closer attention than with me.

I'm looking for someone as soon as 2 weeks to start- I'm finishing up my house and I need to go away for a breather before the hubby arrives... so we're looking for someone twice to three times a week indefinitely... I will ask some of the many sisters here but I wanted to get the word out there.... let me know!

This evening I met a sweet sister, MashaAllah.....

I had the pleasure of finally meeting my sweet sister, Molly from over at " The Sandbox Confessions of a Multicultural Muslimah" ( to check out her blog, click here). She such a sweet, warm Muslimah.... we chatted, ordered dinner (whose cooking in this heat???) and had a great time!

It's a blessing to be able to see a sister and warm up to one other like you known each other for years... you can't get that with alot of people but you can experience it with a down-to-earth person which I found her to be! We went from sitting on the couch to lounging in the bedrooms... how's that for just meeting someone? When it's real, ya know it! (smooches)

I'm grateful to have met her and hope we link up often.... I love you, my sista!

Thinking about my daughter's wedding......?????

I dunno what's with me lately but as I watch my little Hijabi Princess run around, screaming and making all sorts of weird noises with Big Papi, my mind starts to drift off thinking about when it'll be her turn to get married, InshaAllah. I start to think about the many things involved: wedding location, the massive families to coordinate that are scattered all over the world, bridal clothing, cake, amount of gold jewerly bought for her and the list goes on. Now, I'm not psycho since my Mami is only 4 going on 5 but since she's my only girl who will be the eldest with three siblings, I wonder how her Baba and I will handle it all when the day comes?

I dream about the type of wedding I would LIKE which will not necessarily be of her taste... to which I'll probably get upset but she's kinda like me when it comes to stuff- I dunno if it'll last but if so, we might be okay with planning! ;) Her Baba will have his own set of ideas for sure... I think it'll be interesting!

I watch her run around, care free and laughing while I sit and think about her education and future... what will she do? What will she like? How might she change in the years to come? I don't know if other Mothers dream of their daughter's wedding but I have been thinking about it alot and I don't know why! She's just a baby and she will not be getting married any time soon but I guess maybe because I know she's my only girl? And I told her Baba start saving that money NOW for the event... and you know Pakistani families usually don't do small weddings and since she's definitely "the Princess", it won't be something taken lightly!

I've thought of fancy cakes.... you know, the kind that don't even LOOK like cakes (like the one above that look like pillows... definitely, my style)? The amount of family and friends from all the world- my family is huge and my hubby's family is massive so it would be a spectacle to see (hence the reason to start saving NOW... lol). Her wedding will more than likely be nothing like mine: very small, right after Friday kuttbah with an average sized walimah the next day...

Anyhoo, just thinking aloud... we have many, many, many years ahead of us to think about the event, InshaAllah- I guess I'm just being a Mommy right now... watching my little Hijabi Princess grow up before my eyes..... sigh.

Now, all we need is the right boy: practising, religious and from a good family...hmmm......

Sisters are makin it happen... would you like to join us?

Assalaam Alaikum, my beautiful sisters!

Just a moment to give all the sisters here in Cairo the info on that meeting I mentioned in my last post... it's all about sisterly support for us expats, remembering Allah (SWT) and coming together to learn from one another with classes, workshops and the sorts... children included!

The next meeting will be this Thursday, June 4th at the Global Net Cafe located at 25 Hassan Haamid St. in Hayatul Ashr (sic) from 10AM-1PM. Hassan Haamid St, is located 2 streets BEHIND Eltaweed & Nour store- it's on the 1st floor in a pink and blue building... hope that's enough info!!!

For sisters living inside Rehab, there is a bus that can take you to the meeting but you must notify the sister, Umm Layla if you need a spot- first come, first serve.... I actually didn't get her permission to post her cell so please send me a line in comments and I can pass along the message- please include your mobile number for contact. Fee for the bus I believe is 10 LE to cover the cost and the price of admission to the meeting is 5 LE which is to cover the cost of using the facility.

They do send out info reguarly via email so those who are interested in receiving the info already shared, send me your email addresses and I can forward it to you- when you attend the meeting, the sisters will take all your contact info for future updates and contact.

They have a buddy system here within Rehab- you are assigned a buddy which is someone who lives close to you and you exchange personal info between yourselves just in case the sister needs to care for you or your children if you fall ill or need other assistance and vice versa... it's a great concept and it's already very much in effect! I wasn't feeling well and my buddy visited and met me for the 1st time over a week ago- just to say hello, introduce herself and offer her assistance! And we linked up again last night since I suffered from a mishap here in my flat, she made dinner for me and brought it by! What more can you ask for? The sisters here REALLY look out for each other and it feels great to be associated with them!

For those sisters living in Nasr City, Umm Layla mentioned the buddy system can be created for you as well- this is definitely a wonderful thing, MashaAllah!!!

Okay.... duty calls with the kids... hope to see all of you there.... I love you all, for the pleasure of Allah!

There's NO place like home....

Well, I have about 3 minutes to sit at the moment and I've been thinking about my beloved home for the last few days... and I started to look at pics and the mind started to drift away- thinking about normalcy, family life, friends, GOOD food, cleanliness, wide open spaces, fresh air, the beautiful ocean, the vast cultures all co-existing in that huge melting pot called New York!

Eventually, most of us can learn to adapt to our surroundings at some point and time, while others may NEVER be able to adapt at all- this is LIFE and we're all built differently. What I can take and make a joke out of it, some may feel bitter resentment and hate things even more- and no one behavior is right or wrong- how we cope is part of who we are..... I must tell you the obvious: visiting is one thing but when you're forced to live the day-to-day in this forsaken place called Egypt, it's not easy. The biggest problem I feel is how people put their "culture" before religion- to most of them, this is what it's all about. We're ALL to be the same, regardless of where we come from... and this is what we as Muslims are taught and THOUGHT... be here, this is not necessarily the case- you are the OUTSIDER and most will NOT let you forget it. Forget about being brothers and sisters in the most glorious religion on this earth: you're from where YOU are and we're EGYPTIAN- so stupid. And if I could speak a lick of the local slang dialect, I would ask: what exactly IS IT to be EGYPTIAN??? Not to rant, but most feel for some really odd reason that they're better than us... and how so do I ask? Is it the ancient culture that have absolutely nothing to do with you nowdays... or is it the country that you so disgustingly neglect in almost every way imaginable??? I must tell you, I have had alot of contact with some very nice Egyptian people here and even they agree: their people have some serious issues.... and alot of them don't even like us, Muslim or not- but if you stop and think, if people like us from ALL over this world didn't come here for one reason or another whether it be to live indefinitely, study for a period of time, vacation, buy property,etc. what ELSE EXACTLY WOULD BE GOING ON HERE??? I will tell you... nothing.

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In my lifetime, I have mixed and mingled in many different circles: rich, poor, middle class, no class, super highly educated, no education whatsoever, average education, morons and uber-intelligent so I know HOW to hang with the good, the bad and the indifferent. I have tried to immerse myself somewhat with understanding the mentality of the locals to which some things I have figured WHY they do what they do but still again, most stuff you just can't understand WHY... and even their own have said so- to me! But I think the biggest problem is all the boisterous pride, the blatant ignorance and the moronic arrogance and the REAL belly buster: the huge aire of SUPERIORITY that they try to "flaunt" in your face (this one I really laugh at) but I ask you, WHY? Maybe some Egyptian sisters care to comment so maybe people like myself living here can get a better handle on what we're dealing with or HOW to deal with the natives. I truly want to understand since I do plan to stay, InshaAllah, but to co-exist like this IS NOT condusive. I can honestly say, I wouldn't advise anyone to come here UNLESS you've been here and know what you might be facing in the long run. I want to make it bearable not perfect- to be able to look at the natives and feel like I belong here and they ARE my brothers and sisters... not the things that run through my mind when I'm faced with the uncalled-for idiotic behavior (Astagfiruallah)- you're not hurting me but you're making yourself and your people look bad... think about it. Because I know, at the end of the day, I CAN pack my bags and hop a flight back to my native land- no questions asked... but is this the solution? WHY shouldn't I be able to stay and feel like one of them? A person, a sister, a Muslim and still yet know I am a foreigner? I've heard MANY things over the years about what people think about the people here and I said to myself, they shouldn't say things like that: they ARE people just like us- but until you have to walk a mile in someone else's shoes, don't judge- living here for 3 months have put things into perspective as to WHY they've said what they have- and I can't fault them. But I don't want negative feelings and total resentment be my memory of living in this country- I want to walk away whenever I leave, with a positive experience and be able to say, I lived amongst my brothers and sisters and it was good! I don't want to report that the experiences were all bad: they're HUGE liars, thieves, arrogant, ignorant and such- even writing that doesn't look NOR feel good- but this has been most of the interactions here so far- I can totally relate to Umm Travis's gripe. For those who might think she complains- life here everyday is like this... imagine this being your daily fight... would YOU feel good or even remotely "appreciate" the people? I think not. I want to understand the mode of thinking- someone "enlighten" me, please!!!

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So, even though this place will be my home for some time to come, InshaAllah, I can't help but miss my beloved New York... I might be biased but it's one of the most beautiful places in the world! NO PLACE can EVER compare to it whether it be the wide open spaces, huge homes, friendly neighbors, landscaped lawns and uber-clean parks in Long Island or the hussle and bussle in one of the greatest cities that NEVER sleeps- New York has it all!

Maybe, if I close my eyes and click my heels three times, I might find myself in my old neighborhood: there's no place like home... there's no place like home... there's no place like home....

Just here... for the moment.....

I've received sooooo many emails from people telling me to "come back!" and "I miss your posts!" and "I miss you!!!".... and I thank you all from the depths of my heart for not forgetting me! Well, my story is the same- but thank Allah, I've finally gotten the new flat to where everything I have is in it's right place- still waiting for my bloody boxes from Alex, though... but that is a whole other diaster. The good folks here decided in customs that I shipped too many things and that ALL of it couldn't be for me and my kids- like I brought my entire life here to sell! The nerve! The guts! The gall! And they charged me a HUGE HUGE fine as a penalty for sending my things here to set up my life- soooo very nice of them- a few THOUSAND US dollars.... thank you, Egypt. pfft..........

And I'm extremely exhausted still from the initial move, the move again and all the unpacking... and with my little hijabi Princess, Big Papi and Little Papi in tow, things haven't really slowed down much. And for those who don't know (only those who were closest to me have been privvy to the details) I'm expecting.... again! So, there's the other reason for all my tiredness- came here with my troops, alone and pregnant and trying to make it all work- even my ob/gyn here has told me he's in complete awe of me! Foreign land, no help, no hubby here at the moment, came alone with small children, moved, moved again... and all while very much pregnant and not feeling well. Well, me, I believe you do what you gotta do- at any cost so, there it is in a nutshell. If you see me, I look about 2-3 months OVERDUE but I'm not due until sometime this summer.... it's funny how much bigger the belly gets with each baby! Just to give you an idea: when I was pregnant with my first, the Hijabi Princess, everyone thought I was having twins and I even heard triplets... and you know how the belly expands with each one- so imagine what I look like now??? :)

The looks before when I wasn't so big was like "Maybe she's still carrying that baby belly from that baby on her hip" but now people just look at me like "???" and some are like "MashaAllah...." yes, I AM carrying a baby on my hip and VERY much pregnant- again.... HA!

I will try to post more now that things have calmed down some- take my new camera out the box finally so I can take some pics of some sites soon... I promise to post them- don't expect anything fancy... just random shots of stuff and life around Cairo.

Please make dua for me and all my babies... we're here and making it by Allah's (SWT) mercy- and I feel we just might be able to make it work here. I've found some good people, Alhumdulillah, to be in my camp so I think with my new network, I just might elect to stick around for awhile... not to give up just because of the sometime crazy culture that exists here and the extremely rude, arrogant people- and let's not forget the lot that feel that they have bigger, smarter brains than the rest of us but are very HIGHLY uneducated- makes me chuckle. Gotta take the bad with the good- I've also met some fabulous Egyptian sisters, MashaAllah- the kind I wanna be around: good, practising sisters who have it together: Islam over culture! I've decided to do my usual- laugh at the rest mentioned above and keep moving... stupid is as stupid does.... and my girlfriend from England who is married to a nice Egyptian, has explained some of the customs here to me- she also used to think most stuff was crazy but when you do dig a little deeper, you realize WHY they do some of the things they do and it makes sense when you stand back... but other stuff, you're still like ??????????????????????????????????????????????????

Anyhoo, time for tea and put Little Papi down for his morning nap- maybe we'll get a chance to go out and enjoy the weather today! I love you all, for the pleasure of Allah!

UAE lifestyle- Part II

Well, since I posted the link to the original, disturbing story concerning the lives of foreign workers and other expats over in the UAE, our brother over at One Root has posted some more information in regards to this- and have included some video from the KSA.

I must say, my concern with the original story was the lives of the workers... not those who foolishly go over there and run up debt without common sense and are not "informed" of the laws of that country so let's be clear on that. Before anybody embarks on the quest to relocate anywhere, they should familiarize themselves with the laws of that country or at least be with people who can tell you the "dos" and "donts" of the land...

To read his new post, click here and to read his original post, click here.