Surviving EGYPT Episode 1, Season 4

(And the saga continues)

Alhamdulillah, it was been a week here in Egypt and things are looking good. This is a big deal considering the heated discussions and arguments we have had about me visiting again. First and foremost, I'm in the 8th month of pregnancy... and I really do not want a repetition of what happened during the last pregnancy. I came back with rashes, on almost everywhere on my body. Itcy red painful blisters that caused me sleepless nights, and about 2 weeks in hospital, and countless doctors appointments from every faculty u can imagine. Yup, even dental!

Secondly, I'm truthfully bored to death here especially because I'm mostly stucked at home and couldnt even tell someone that I"m hungry, and No, Thank You to Foul. I"m honestly uncomfortable because the apartment where we lived is basically undone, just bare walls with essentials that was dragged from the old house. Even the carpets are not glued on the floor because they are supposed to be temporary. His parents live a floor below us, and that's crowded already with his 2 other siblings.

Habibi insist on coming anyway because he has a moral obligation to fulfil to his alma mater University students by conducting a seminar to help them in their career later on. He also need to visit his office there. This is also why I hate to come to Egypt - erm, am I sounding selfish? But this is the only vacation he ever takes in the whole year, but I don't even see him around! And he left me, translation-less, hungry and without internet connection! So what should a faithful, filial, supportive wife do???

After months of discussions, arguments, fights, and so on so forth, we finally come to an agreement. First and foremost, the treat at Hurghada was a good move on his part to welcome me to Egypt all over again. Albeit it having to be a secret from his family (he doesnt like them to know that he was there when he could be here instead), it was a nice time for all 3 of us, in fact, the very first time we ever had a real holiday together as a family.

Secondly, if he is going to leave me alone all day, he should at least provide me with the amenities to do my own things for survival.. for example cooking! And so, months ago, when I saw an ad for a portable electrical stove, I didn't waste a minute.

And then, he finally also agreed that we could invest some money on the apartment so that its live-able (for me at least), and so I can spend my quiet time there reading, writing or just termenung lah, I need a nice backdrop for all these activities! And ta-da I packed at least 40kgs of house stuffs....and since we came, we have visited paint shops, ceramics shops and now men are busy working in our aparment. I've always wanted a parquet flooring, but the ceramics here are just too good to ignore, and so, I chose a parquet-wood-like design ceramics, and will have my walls painted in colours that I simply adore - dark reddish brown..muahahah... Yup, finally I can live in Egypt. I don't care if the donkey push-carts are just outside the house, or if we have chickens and ducks on our roofs, I finally, have my own little space, a space that I can be comfortable in. The work is still going on now, so I can't share yet what it will look like, but it will be done in a couple of days, inshaallah. Since the bricks and sand started coming in (oh i raised a few platforms in the room too), I"ve been so excited and watching its developments day by day. The ceramic job was done in a day only, and boy, it made the room looked much cleaner already. Whilst sitting in the other spare room, I doodled what our future toilet would look like, and have started lobbying my design to Habibi. At first he didn't even want to consider reconstructing the toilet we have, but somehow, he changed his mind, and yes, inshaallah, when we leave, work will start for our new toilet. Smaller, sleekier, modern, functional and easy to maintain. Inshaallah.

So finally, everything is coming together. It is much clearer to both of us when we understood what need to be done. Before, I was unhappy but couldn"t put a finger to it, and couldn't think of what to do about it. Habibi expected me to bear with it, afterall, its only 3 or so weeks of vacation! But he can never understand that being isolated and confined, is like being chained with an iron ball. Being handicapped from doing things I usually have access to, is frustrating and not to mention depressing. Language can be a barrier, but after being in Germany for awhile, I realise how (on top of it) a non-systematic and disorganised environment is even harder to cope with. I cannot take a bus and go to town if I want because its dangerous, I can get lost, I cannot seek help. It's not like we're living like expats here, we're surrounded in a lower income sub-urban area where its not likely to find processed kraft cheese. Occasionally MIL would freak out when she finds out how much I've been spending at the supermarkets here, and often compare them to her finds in the dingy street markets.

I've been to the local flea market recently. Fleas are what you can really find there. I can safely go in and out of the 1km market without spending a piaster, because nothing is worth it. Ladies sanitary napkins and babies pampers are sold in thrash bags for the women to pick out and buy. Cheap lipsticks and mascaras looked like they've been used before. Personal things like used baby bottles and pacifiers are being resold by poor peasants. If I do find something good enough, there are usually reject stocks made in China. Local products? None.

None of good local products are sold here in Egypt, they are all exported for overseas, what's left are mostly 2nd grade and below. That's what we were told by our ceramics supplier, we in fact, have floored our apartment with 2nd grade ceramics because the 1st grade ones are simply, not available. That goes also for food and vegetables.

And to help kill any chance of a competitive industry, big brands like Cadbury comes in to steal the big share of the market with their name. I bought one, and I knew straightaway that's not the Cadbury I used to have. Poorer quality products comes in the packaging of big names so that the local market could buy it, but it doesn't really matter if they are eating THE cadbury or not. So for very low price, Egyptians can buy Cadbury, but who cares whats inside it? At least, if another local company wants to compete, its dead before it can even start.

Well, thats a lot of bickering for today. We have a wedding to attend to. My BIL's. It will be more or less the same thing like what I"ve experienced at mine. A street wedding this evening complete with flashing lights and a D.j playing all the local favourites as the guest circles around the bride and groom while they belly dance. Lots of noise, actually, its just noise. This one's for the local neighbours and relatives, whereas tomorrow, at a medium sized hotel, another party is organised for friends and colleagues. And tonite, the bride and groom will start living together as husband and wife (though the nikaah was actually yesterday) in their newly built and overly decorated apartment just above ours.

I will be back to update.. Got a wedding to attend.