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.

Somebody! Please help!!!

I have come to realize within the past few weeks that I have an addiction.... yes, addicted to Haagen Dazs. I've tried to sub with the mall Carvel ice cream (which isn't tasty... more like some sort of ice milk) and nothing will satisfy my cravings for my favorite brand. I've checked all the markets already- including the biggest one around, Carrefour- there the ice cream selections are just plain weird and NOT very appealing... at all.

Can someone PLEASE tell me where to find my love in Cairo??? If I can't get to an actual store where the selections and toppings can NOT be compared, I'll settle most definitely for frozen...

It's gotten so bad that even when I look at my kids Hershey's chocolate sauce in the fridge, I start itching for ice cream... sick, right? All the "little" things we take for granted.... sigh. I need help..... please...... somebody! ;)

Mesmerized by the fab UAE lifestyle, aren't you???

Well, as we all know by now, I don't have much time to post lately.... and I really don't have much going on to post anything interesting but I did have the chance earlier today to sit down and read a few.... our brother over at One Root posted a mind-numbing story about the "real" lives over the in UAE. I know many people are sooooo fascinated by the sick wealth, glitz and glamour that most people especially alot of our Muslim brothers and sisters, can only talk about moving there... as if THAT place is the end-all, be-all.

If you read his post and STILL feel like you wanna pack your bags and go live amongst the masses in that desert oasis, then I personally feel you need some serious pyscho therapy... may Allah (SWT) bring relief to those suffering at the hands of their oppressors, InshaAllah (Ameen)

To read the stomach-churning post, click here

Random things....

Greetings all!

Just wanted to take a minute to let everyone know I haven't disappeared but just busy getting things sorted out here. I was feeling bettter but now coming down with something else... ugh. I HAVE to get some probiotics from home ASAP!

Moved into my apartment but not quite sorted yet- I found out today my vast shipment from New York has finally arrived in Alexandria so I'm assuming by this weekend I should be able to arrange to have the stuff brought down to Rehab... can't wait! Basically, my entire life is in those 30+ boxes!

Anyhoo, I have a lovely big flat here, MashaAllah, but I WILL be moving... sounds crazy? Well, after being here for about 3 1/2 weeks now, I can't deal with my other tenants I found out I had sharing my kitchen.... yup, roaches. I CAN NOT do the roach thing. I'm totally crazy when it comes to this... I start to imagine that the damn things have crawled all over everything, leaving masses of germs for us to consume in some sort of way. So how have I been dealing with my psychosis??? Washing everything in the bleach-laden egyptian water (this stuff is beyond horrible- just think putting bleach water mixed with acid in your mouth... that what I felt like the first time I came here and made wudu) and then use my Nestle delivered bottled water to sterilize everything... I sit and boil, boil, boil. So you can imagine it's costing me a pretty penny to keep using my drinking water but I have no choice- I can't consciously give my kids their cups or fix food in a plate where one MIGHT have been. Now, don't get me wrong- the place isn't crawling with them at all- one here and there on occassion.... but I KNOW they're there. We just can't co-exist. And they don't venture out of the kitchen either... so the rest of the place is totally okay but I won't wait around to see if they opt to broaden their living quarters. When I told the hubby, he laughed... he KNOWS me when it comes to this issue: had a wonderful, fabulous apartment we moved into after we first married- everything a girl could ask for but about after a week or so, I saw my first roach there. I can't kill them- don't want carcass on my slippers or anything else for that matter so I usually just cringe (sound like a baby, I know). Then I saw another, then another, then another- so I started to cry- my hubby thought that was the funniest thing! A big womanl like you, crying over seeing roaches... needless to say, he didn't think it was hilarious when I demanded we move.... ;)

So, next month I'll have another flat to fix up- this one I rented is furnished- or semi furnished really... so if you know anything about Egypt, you have to buy EVERYTHING: light fixtures, cabinets for your kitchen walls, closets, sometime a bath tub (some only come with very small stand up showers)- basically, the places only come with bathroom and kitchen sinks and toilets! But it'll be nice to fix it up the way I like and make things comfy for the babies....

Haven't seen any sights as of yet- and since I'll be moving, everything for pleasure will be on hold until that project is complete. An associate of mine have an apartment down by the Red Sea so I might take the kiddies over with some friends one weekend when it's a little warmer to play in the sand... they'll love that.

Oh yes, if any of you sisters have a RELIABLE house cleaner looking for extra work, please let me know- the one I had was a good cleaner but lazy so her last day was yesterday... me, I don't have the patience right now to argue with people- they want money but don't wanna work... go figure. And no, I wasn't slaving her- this seems to be the Egyptian way- my friends DID warn me- first they all start out wonderful, on time and clean like you wouldn't believe. Then they start to show up late (like I'm talking hours late), miss days (without calling mind you)(just happpened to me over the weekend) and then come to clean and clean whatever they want, not what you tell them and expect to be paid- mind boggling to me. One of my girlfriends told me most Egyptians just don't value your time so expect to be waiting, waiting and waiting- if you want to have something done you can't accomplish yourself- this is the way it is. Looking to make my life as easy as possible right now so I need reliable people in my camp since I'm flying solo at the moment..... can't wait for the hubby to get here!

I promise, InshaAllah, more interesting updates with pics when the craziness of adjusting has slowed down- I miss my random entries but just no time to share at the moment. It's ALOT to be in a new land, don't speak the language (at all), with 3 very small children by yourself and have to set up your life again... my poor hubby worries everyday and he's totally stressed since he's not here yet but I tell him I can manage which I'm trying like hell to... most days are good but some days you're like, "Just where can I purchase an automatic weapon complete with silencer???"....

Anyhoo, extremely tired- have another health issue I'm dealing with right now but we'll save that for a later time... gotta go get some sleep while the troops are knocked out! :)

P.S. Just wanted to thank Umm Travis for stopping by the other day and spending the morning and early afternoon with me and the bambinos... it was nice to actually sit down and chat- we had the chance to really talk about ourselves- and even discuss how we both came to embrace Islam, Alhumdulillah. She's a beautiful sister, MashaAllah... I'm glad I've had the opportunity to have met her!

Finally... greetings from Al Rehab, New Cairo!

Well.... we finally made it, Alhumdulillah! Been in Rehab since the 27th of February, waiting for an internet connection (to which I was told was already in my flat) so I was literally cut off from the REAL world until yesterday when I met the fab Umm Travis! She called me since my other sister, Umm Ismail, has been in constant contact with me and knew I wasn't feeling so great since arriving (another wonderful perk about living here- constantly sick) so she reached out to my sister- and she called!

We met at one of the most popular malls here and it was great... I can honestly say, I felt like I knew her forever! I developed an instant love and bond with her in my heart- InshaAllah, I hope it grows ever so stronger! (hugs)

So, getting back to this internet thingy, you know, I wouldn't have been soooo pissed if people would just actually be forthcoming with info. Don't tell me the guy is coming tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow never comes. If you tell me, "Hey, Anisa, can't have internet for 3 weeks", I can accept that but to keep blantantly lying to me is NOT cool. Quickest way to my bad side? Do just that... things will go sour in NO TIME...

So no more waiting for a stupid DSL connection as my fab sister told me about the store where I already hooked up my mobile service thru, that they offered a wireless modem (and I didn't know anything about this- not very computer savvy at all) so when we went in to check it out, I was sold! At bit more than I was looking to spend for the internet but at this point, I would pay almost any amount to be in touch with my friends and family! They all are going bonkers in New York (and the rest of America for that matter) wondering what the heck is going with me and my kids over here- most didn't want me to leave anyway so you KNOW the imagination is running wild with all sorts of weird stuff. People in their right mind wouldn't pack up their very small children and willingly fly them to a 3rd world country to live... lol

So... we are here.... dealing with the arrogance that is the way of the locals, and feeling like I've been placed in a time warp- dragged back about 100 years but I knew about all of this before I came so I can't complain by acting like I didn't know- just takes some getting used to. Having almost everything in life at your finger tips to going back to a "one horse town" like Umm Travis said in her post (more like donkey cart town)(lol) is alot to deal with at once- and I don't care HOW modern they seem, it's just NOT when u look closer... oh well.

Not feeling great today at all, went to bed shivering from chills like my poor daughter the night before so I'm coming down with something. So I think we'll be in the house for the next few days until I can feel up to snuff and the children are okay- they still have some lingering congestion and stuff going on.

Umm Trav, sorry for not such a fab first meeting (which is TOTALLY not me) (LOL) with all the running around shopping but I PROMISE, InshaAllAh, to make it up to you! Even my daughter took an instant liking to her- when she realized when we were getting in the cab that Umm Travis was missing, she said "Mommy, where's Auntie? We left her inside the store!" (meaning the mall). Yes, you left an impression with her. And my Big Papi was trying to pull up her niqab to see her face in the store.... always him, my little sourpuss! lol

Oh yes, Umm Trav.... met yet another character from Blogger? I know I'm pretty much very animated but THAT much? LOL LOL LOL

To all the sisters here in Cairo, looking to link up so send me your mobiles and home phone numbers, InshaAllah, so we can get together in the near future. And to all those who have my New York number- just give me a little time to figure stuff out here as how to connect everything and set it all up- then, InshaAllah, we'll be chatting like I never left!

Signing off to lay down for a hot minute- feeling rather yucky. More post to come, InshaAllah, about our adventures and the sorts here in the land of the pyramids!