Bismillahi Rahmanu Rahim!
Salam Alaykoum wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatoh!
I was thinking to present Egypt like in the usual way... describing and sharing things about Egypt., posting images and videos with famous places from there.. but no! I changed my mind! I don't want to speak about pyramids, Sphinx, resorts or other touristic stuffs! Everybody knows this! Everybody knows about touristic side even if not all people have seen it! But just a few know what is behind all these things and less more know that Egypt is much more than a Sphinx souvenir or a camel toy or a pyramid necklace!
Today we are going to speak about Egypt from behind pyramids, Egypt that lies in the cities, villages, Egyptian houses, Egyptian markets, streets, Egypt from one normal day at work, Egypt from the day off on Friday, Egypt from the mosques, Egypt from the churches, Egypt from schools... shortly Egypt from each one of your hearts!
I asked my husband and my friends from Egypt to tell me what is the first word that comes into their minds when they think in Egypt. Here what they said:
"Home" - Karim Youssef
"Egypt - history and civilization" - Asmaa Ghoniem
"Egypt is the spirit that the body can't live without it" - Mulan Hafez
"Mother of countries" - Sara Ashraf Ramadan
"Egypt is my life" - Lovely Hearty
"Safe, peace, much love" - Sahar Ali
"History and civilization... long history...so much to tell about it" - Monna
"Breathtaking" - Asmaa
"Homeee" - Salma Ahmed
I will try to present every of these sentences in the best possible way and I pray to Allah that HE guides me in the right path to do it!
Egypt as Home...
Home is where you feel safe and comfortable, home is where your heart lives in peace, home is where you can breath without choke... but What it means Egypt as home?
Morning... Al Azan starts... one by one people are moving to the prayer... a new day has come and new things are about to happen and sure there is no time to lose... I open the window and...
"Tid Tid Tid!" I can hear the cars passing on the streets and between them a lot of people are moving to job, school, to their ordinary life activities: "yalla yalla" "aiwaaa" "sabah el hair" - says one and another one answers "Sabah el nour ya Ahmed! Emla eh?" "Alhamdulilallah..." and the voices get lost in the crowd.
I look over the street, just a cross and I see the merchandiser opening his shop and waiting for customers to come. There on the corner of the street, a mother with her child waits the cab to go to school and near to them is my niece waiting the car to take her to school too. She is waving her hand to me, I respond and there she is... she got into the car and bruuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm to the school.
"Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid" ... yeah someone is in a big hurry after the sound of his car's buzzer... another "TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID" now he really is pissed of because the cars in front of him don't step away and let him pass. But in fact, all what he will obtain is a painful head ache because of his buzzer. :)))))) You think we should say this to him? Neah.... I let him in peace... beside I am distracted while mama was brought to me the breakfast "Kol ya Bianca habebty"... And I kol (I didn't eat in breakfast from years) coz it is not good to upset mama (shhhhhhhhh she is the big boss as someone was telling me here)...
I get myself dressed coz really I have to arrive to the kindergarten (uh yeah guys... while I was in Egypt for the engagement, I was not behaving like the tourist... I had a normal day life with work, shopping, cooking... usually activities and yes... that happen in those 2 weeks, Allah is my testimony)...
1 -2 -3 ------ 20 looks in the mirror (despite my husband despair :D) and I am ready to purchase.
We are out of the building and I can feel my husband's hand keeping mine tight so that he be sure I will reach the other side of the street safe... because yes traffic is a chaos like in all big cities... and whenever you hear a big furious TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID you just move your legs as quick as you can!
And here we are on the other side of the street waiting this time the car to take me to the kindergarten, after we were hunting an opportunity to cross it... I felt like in a safari... or better... a cat in the jungle... hunting my meal... because really traffic is a jungle everywhere in the big cities!
After a long speech from my husband ("call me when you reach the kindergarten" - of course in the first days as in others too I was forgetting to do this so my husband was calling the manager of the kindergarten ... oups!; "if you need something, call me anytime" "call me when you finish the classes and don't go out until I come"; "You are my responsibility and I have to make sure you will return home safe" - well probably some would think that maybe he was exaggerating treating me as a child and others maybe not... but I'm telling you this: when you are in a totally different country, in a big city, where people speak a totally different language that it is not similar to yours... well you are helpless like a child! I have nothing just to thank my husband for his concern for me! Shokran ya Goozy!
Heyyy! My car just arrived (I am speaking like a VIP haahhahhahahaha) so I am leaving to my job...
Egypt breathtaking...
While I am in the car, I am feeling like in a movie... I am experiencing now the traffic from inside... but still behind a window... Now the "tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid" sound I can feel it in my ears from all the parts. People in the same hurry, taxi drivers, micro buses... all trying to find a way to escape from the traffic... We are crossing next to the sea and I can feel how my breath is frozen... the infinity of the blue Mediterranean sea water is leaving me speechless... All my view is catch in this infinity blue... I can see on the sea shore boats and far far away a ship crossing... I am looking all behind me because I am really kidnapped by this image.
Safe, peace, much love...
I am done with the classes and as in the other days, my husband arrived to take me from the kindergarten. We walk together hand in hand and I feel so safe while he is with me... in peace... I know that nothing from this world can touch me while my husband is taking care of me because no power is greater and no protection than the real love... Indeed in Egypt there is a lot of love: I have love from my husband, my family from Egypt, my friends and love from the land I am walking on it... this land received me and he recognized me... I came back home!
History and civilization....
Well... here we are in front of a place where I spend almost all my life... except on the times I was sleeping :D... yes yes I admit... I am a library mouse and where a library mouse can go??? to the library!!!!! but not just any library: Alexandrina Library!
After I fixed the thing with the bag (someone here will know about what I am speaking :D), we entered in the library while I was keep looking to everywhere and wondering if it is really true and I am really there... I remember that even when I was in the middle of the books and catch the book, I was still thinking that is the most beautiful dream ever! I even did something so crazy (but if it comes from me you can expect to this :D)... I entered on facebook in that day and write from the library that I am in Alexandrina Library!!!
I saw so many books and even more... extraordinary well organized library, with high technology and ultimate IT dopes! When I look to the pics now, I am pinching myself again... History and technology hand in hand! Alf Mabrouk ya Alexandrina!
Egypt - Mother of the countries...
From all the parts of the world, people from all the countries are coming to Egypt... are coming back to Egypt... some of them return, drink water from the Nil and remained... so yes Egypt is the mother of all the countries... I am the life example... I came... I return and return again... and always return... should I mention here that Romanian people and Egyptian people have connections from the old Antiquity times? well it is true and I will speak about this in another article.
Egypt is my life...
I will apply here the most simple math rule: I love my husband so much. I love Egypt so much. My husband is my life... so there is no way that Egypt not be too my life! Egypt is the Egyptians themselves. Egypt is life itself!
Egypt is the spirit that the body can't live without it!
I totally agree with this line! I can see and feel, that no matter where is an Egyptian, inside of him is burning the spirit of his country, the most powerful fire from an Egyptian heart!
I feel my soul connected with this fire and kept alive by the great love that I have for Egypt, for my husband, for my family and my friends!
Thank you to all my friends that took a time to give me an idea about the Egypt from their hearts and took a time to read the second part of the article!
Allah hafiz!
