I'm not doing terribly well with my objective to write a new blog post every two weeks. Sorry about that, my only excuse is that due to the exam session, it's been unbelievably busy. Maybe every two weeks was a bit optimistic. On top of that, one of my cats (more about that later) knocked my laptop on to the floor and it took me ages to get it fixed. I think things are back on track now though.
First I want to report some sad news. My lovely Bracken died. You may remember I wrote a
letter to Bracken in a previous blog post. I am devastated obviously, as are my Mum and Dad. She had quickly become part of their lives. I think she made it to the grand old age of 17 but I never knew her actual birthday so I can't be sure. She was an incredible little dog anyway. She hardly suffered at all at the end, and my Mum and niece were with her until the end. I still miss her dreadfully.
So - what's been happening? Well it's been around 40 degrees in Cairo for months. I am not coping well. Obviously I was expecting it to be hot, but I must admit the extent of the impact on my physical health has been a real shock. I have a permanent headache, aching joints, tingling sensations from head to toe and I could just sleep and sleep and sleep. I've felt so crap some days that I've actually been off sick from work. I feel like I drink gallons of water but I probably don't (water is so boring) and I could probably drink more, and being honest a bit less coffee would probably help too. It's not just the water though apparently - it's the salts. So I've also been taking re-hydration sachets. It doesn't help that the air conditioning in our office doesn't work properly - although to be fair I got an unexpected but welcome shower from it this morning. I always knew my equilibrium had really narrow parameters, so obviously my body's tolerance to heat is pathetic. To be fair I'm not designed for heat, being from Scotland and having the palest skin it's possible to have, and red hair of course. Apparently one does acclimatise so I'm hoping that by 2025 I'll be fine!
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| Mishmish |
I now have three cats. Yes, three. I still have Chico, I have a kitten called Mishmish who although blind in one eye doesn't let that get in the way of being a complete troublemaker, and as of a few weeks ago I have another kitten that my husband has named Shams (Arabic for sun). As I have mentioned before, Egyptians aren't too hot on animal welfare in comparison to the UK. There is a tendency with some Egyptians to get a pet and then abandon it when it starts costing money. Shams was found wandering around outside our apartment block, crying pitifully. One of our neighbours rescued her but he couldn't take her permanently, so he spoke to A, who amazingly came and asked me if I wanted to take her! I say amazingly because he's not too keen on the other two. He's really taken with Shams though. She's beautiful in both looks and personality, as you can see from the photo. Mostly the three of them get on OK. Mishmish wasn't happy about Shams to begin with but now it's a total love fest. I'm really happy about this because he needed a friend to play with, and the pair of them spend their lives cuddling up, wrestling or racing round the apartment chasing each other. Mishmish also has a tendency to attack Chico's tail while he's asleep, and gets his ears boxed for his troubles. Chico isn't keen on Shams at all and can get a bit aggressive, and I'm convinced it's jealously. Cat politics. I never knew it was so complicated.
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| Shams |
My job is still going really well (Insha'Allah - see I'm becoming Egyptian!) I do love it and feel like I'm doing a job which makes an actual difference to real people. For example one of my colleagues held an Iftar (the fast breaking meal during Ramadan) for some local orphans during Ramadan. There are many orphans in Egypt unfortunately and because of Sharia they don't have many prospects for a happy life. It was an amazing event, but I only know this because I saw the photos. I couldn't bring myself to go because I knew I'd never cope with the plight of the orphans. Looking at the photos was bad enough. So I do my job in Exams and feel thankful that the British Council does amazing work in Egypt and all over the world.
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| Chico |
I'm still going to Writer's Group and Reading Group, both of which have been the foundation for my social life, and more importantly, finding true friends here in Egypt. Unfortunately with this expat life they tend to leave, and two good friends have left already for new challenges. But there is so much to do in Cairo that you could live here for a lifetime and still not see everything. Which is just as well, as I'm planning to live here for a long time.
My husband is in the process of renovating four apartments in Downtown Cairo into a hotel. Whilst extremely stressful, particularly for him, it's a very exciting project. I'll keep you posted.
Can you believe that I have lived in Cairo for over a year? Goodness what a lot has happened in that time. I know this blog post probably doesn't contain as much Carol "spice" (as a good friend calls it) as normal, but I want you all to know that despite the frequent challenges and many many differences between Britain and Egypt, I do love it here (mostly). I love my husband, I love my stepson, I love my apartment and my cats, I love the warmth, friendliness and humour of Egyptians, I love my job, I love living in a place which is genuinely steeped in layers and layers of history just waiting to be discovered. I have managed the challenges with the support of my families here and back in the UK, and my incredible friends across the world. And Facebook and WhatsApp. Couldn't do without them.
