The Final Outcome

from the pottery birthday celebration.....



This drink here is MARVELOUS! For lack of a better description..here goes!
Warm coconut milk with choc drizzle in the cup, on top is 4 raisins, chopped peanuts, shredded coconuts, cinnamon and I don't know what else! IT'S A TASTE AND TEXTURE DELIGHT, TO BE SURE!!!



My mom said today - well we skipped school, I think I'm sadder today than the kids, I can't teach.....last day w/ my mom here.....couldn't teach! We spent the day at the club....and I needed my warm comfort food! We got burgers at the club..and my mom said with strong disdain
I'VE SEEN ENOUGH CATS TO LAST ME A LIFETIME, WENDY!
lol
and just when I shoved the garbage in the can - this is how I found Jasmine and one cat.....so I quick grabbed a photo - sorta sums up the cat situation here....LOL

The Party Rages On.....

Jasmine requested Korean food for her birthday. In the U.S., I could make it, but haven't figured out how to make that happen here. So the 5 of us went out for Korean!! MMMMMmmmmMMMMM!! *love* celebrating our princess! This is Tuesday night (Rob's available evening this week, glad we all could honor her!)






Wed was "the" day - HAPPY FIFTH, JASMINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
koll senna wa enti Tawebba, habiibi! baHebbek!

In keeping with my birthday DAY traditions....there was a candle in every meal - even OATmeal - lol



She passed out lollipops at school (did I say lollipops instead of suckers? oh my ENGLISH! ugh! lol)

Grandpa R (my dad) baked a cake, we sang together and the kids blew in one of the biggest "noreasters" - lol. They got them all on the first try - from Maadi to Michigan! (via skype)








After almost one week of celebrating, I guess I need to accept that she's 5 now. Five is SUCH a big deal to me! Officially no longer a toddler or baby. Officially a little girl.....such wonderful things ahead!! oh but....sigh...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JASMINE!

Your flare, your laughter, your funny faces, your new-found compassion for others, your new-found desire to pray your own thoughts.....you're a joy! A unique, wonderful joy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO GLAD YOU'RE MY DAUGHTER!!!

Happy Birthday, Jasmine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jasmine will not be 5 "technically" until next Wed. When Rob is around, we'll go eat Korean (per her request) on the 27th....but she is five in all the ways that count already today! ha ha!!

We had SUCH a fun time celebrating! Enjoy browsing a few moments from our day!

Final Friday Falooca

I love falooca's!!!


We have endured about a week of rainstorms and drizzle, even relaxed to the hum of thunder cracks now and again. And so I must take opportunity to expound on living in the "winter" weeks here.

The asphalt here is so poorly made, that just a bit of rain eats it away! There is absolutely no drainage system here to support any type of precipitation! For added fun, the roads are not created with a "crown" forcing water and gunk to the sides, but rather it stays evenly across the roads and hiding manholes and potholes. Even more exciting is that manholes are not "built up" when asphalt is added to the roads...when the asphalt is finished, they dig out the manholes....so there are manhole covers that are 6-12 inches BELOW the road surface itself! And lets not forget the speed bumps - the speed bumps range in...

ok WAIT! HOLD ON HERE PEOPLE!

isn't the topic something about falooca's?

Yes, Yes....take a chill pill...I must first digress!

So the speed bumps range from 2" metal rectangles to 4" of paint built up to 8" metal "ramps" installed in the asphalt to 3' (yes, THREE FOOT HIGH) built up asphalt bumps! Rest assured, plenty of cars bottom out on these even at low speeds.

Now that you have a bit of a visual.....think of the photos with all the dirt, not just the sand, but the black silt dirt in the area and add a few inches of water to that and the garbage and the piles of human and animal feces on the side of road where the 12" high sidewalk meets the road (my mom got to see humans use this for a toilet first hand at Khan el Khalili - eew! but really what else can they do?)

Now perhaps you can imagine the loss of the fresh smelling rain and instead of replacement of a new smell - a richer, sweeter (as in the comparison of cow vs pig manure) smell that doesn't allow you to ever take a deep breathe...while attempting to walk anyway in the slippery sludge with floating, hanging, dangling garbage, bugs and dead rodents.....mud slapping up the back of you, cars throwing it upon you......

as I cringe while remembering, I do believe I'm creating more wrinkles in my face! ha! My mom reads on and nods heartily in agreement. I am *very* ready for the couple weeks of winter to end!

Every day the boab will tell me in Arabic with an unhappy expression "the weather is ugly, the streets are ugly, your clothes will be ugly"

BUT NOT TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH THE GLORIOUS WEATHER TODAY! The temperature has raised to 64 and the sun is almost full (few scattered clouds only). Oh how glorious!!!!!!!! So...we took our final Friday together of 4 here (me, kids, mom) to enjoy the falooca one more time!! Here are some moments captured today. Thanks for looking!!

Shaving Sherwerma - mmm!!! YUMMY!!



Vikings at Sunrise (Magic Tree House)




Wadi Delga behind the buildings - today we took a new route! I took this route at night on my birthday falooca - but today was our first glimpse this far South on the Nile during the day!


gum drops? or bushes? the jury is still out

Girls Go to the Khan *By Mom*

Wendy and I went with her friend, Yrene to Khan el Khalili (from Wendy - you've seen her and her family with us before!). It is quite a huge area full of street side shops and upstairs there are shops. In some shops they have an upstairs with more of their items.

It is really funny how every doorway you walk by, the guy stands out front and wants you to come and look - might have what you need. You cannot stop very long and look because they will really bother you with stuff.

Streets and streets of shops, it would have been fun to take in everyone but I needed to get some shopping finished. Very expensive for alabaster there so I will get that in a shop here in Maadi.

We ate pigeon for lunch! Not much to that bird but it is always fun to try different things. We had their bread and sesame hummus (teHiina). I think it was also pickled carrots to put in the bread and dip. Really delicious! I had fresh mango and orange juice to drink (mixed together).

We walked quickly through a couple of mosques. One we had to cover our head and take off our shoes.

I just can't begin to explain all the narrow streets with many tiny little shops. It was just truly amazing!

It was a wonderful day, lots of sunshin and nice warm air.

Thanks for reading and looking at my photos that Wendy will load. I am leaving next week, the 28th.

now you see 'em.....


now you don't!


the shirt shop! and glass store! Got some ornaments for family and neat t-s we hope they'll enjoy!



above, walking the Khan
below, Yrene and mom couldn't decide if they were eating rat or bat....goofy girls! They're flying rats from Flint Lockwood! yeesh!




look closely - there are 4 women. 3 have loads on their heads, one has a baby on her shoulder. this is the most typical way of "carrying" here in Egypt.


18th century Egyptians must've been GIANTS to knock on THIS door! lol








There is a joke here that a 4 x 4 truck translate to Arabic as "carries 16 people"
look below...at the GIANT load of garbage.....on top....is 2 men that we saw! now THAT is a load!