I'd like to thank... (Part One)

I've lived in Cairo for almost four years. It seems incredible to me that this much time has passed. Sometimes, when I'm going about my daily life, I stop and think "how the f**k did that happen?" Well, the truth is that without certain things, I would probably have been gone within the first six months. I found moving to Egypt unbelievably traumatic, and I think it's taken me most of the last four years to get used to it. So, in no particular order (or rather the order they pop into my mind), I would like to thank:

View from the Rooftop Bar, our favourite watering hole

Pussy Whisperer (PW) and his wife, Chilly Girl (CG). If you're (not unnaturally) wondering where these names came from, this blog post has the answer. I met PW when I joined the writing group, Cairo Write Stuff. In fact, he persuaded me to come, when the whole enterprise of leaving the apartment by myself and finding my way there seemed completely daunting. Out of that meeting I have gained benefits beyond price. As well as PW I met other people who have become good friends, in fact most of my social life revolves around these people. I have discovered that I can write stuff that other people want to read. I have had articles published. I have been TRENDING on Egyptian Streets with my article about Uber and white taxis. On top of all that, I have, as Sundae Bean would say, hit the friendship jackpot with PW and CG.  

Talking of Uber, they get a bad press, but they saved my life in Cairo. I mean this seriously. I'm too scared to drive here, the taxis can be scary (see above article) and I live about 10 minutes walk from the main road where I could get a taxi. This might not seem a lot, but when it's over 40 degrees and you're prone to heat exhaustion, it's a long way. I have gone all over Cairo in Ubers, and whilst they have their issues, I am enormously grateful that they gave me my independence. That's not to say I don't have to yell "f*****g" slow down!!!!" on a weekly basis.

WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook and Messenger, but especially WhatsApp. I was crippled with homesickness when I first moved here. In fact, I still am from time to time. Homesick for my friends and family, homesick for Britain, homesick, believe it or not, for rain and cold. Until I moved to Egypt, my answer to the question "would you rather be too hot or too cold?" was, too hot. I have been living a lie! The answer is, undoubtedly, too cold. I have spent a good proportion of the last four years too hot. I truly hate it. Anyway, I digress. The point is that I missed everything. Thanks to my smart phone, messaging apps and Facebook, Britain was only a text away. My parents sent me photographs of the local area and my dog (who, I might add, was living a life of riley as far as I can see). I spent hours WhatsApping my friends. I could call people on Viber. I could feel part of people's lives on Facebook. As well as keeping in touch with people in the UK, Facebook has also been a key part of developing my life in Egypt. It's how we keep in touch, share events and arrange to meet up. It's also how I found various activities, such as Art Therapy. I've also joined a number of groups for expats which have been helpful. To be fair, I've probably left just as many (Women Married to Egyptian Men was a particular low). In all the criticism of Facebook (justified for the most part, I agree), I think some of its benefits have been forgotten. 

There are so many people and things I have to thank, that I'm going to have to split this blog into two, not least because I'm going out with the above mentioned PW later. One has to have priorities! So I'll finish this part by thanking Expat Nest who are an e-counselling service for expats. One counsellor in particular, who knows who she is. Let me tell you, intercultural relationships are HARD. Without her support, I wouldn't still be in Egypt and I definitely wouldn't be married. It's been a real slog at times, made harder by the difficulties I faced with homesickness, culture shock and heat exhaustion. I have told my counsellor things that no-one else knows, and it's been such a comfort to know that I have the space where I can do that. I realise I'm waxing lyrical a bit, but it's made such a massive difference to my life. 

I'll go off and live that life now. Look out for Part Two.