Saudi Arabia : No Woman's Land

I just got back from visiting my dad in Saudi. It was the first time for me to go there and I couldnt help but wonder HOW women were living in such a country! I mean the country is VERY rich and the city itself is clean, wide, modern but the culture was too difficult for me to swallow. I mean, as an independent girl I felt trapped there. I have to wear a 3abaya when I go out, I cant go down alone, I cant drive, I cant work...it was just too suffocating for me. Most of the buildings as well have windows that you cant look through so as not to look at anyone else in the other houses! And to shop, there are no changing rooms in the stores! You'd have to do your shopping, go to the bathroom, or go home, try on the clothes then get a bigger, smaller size or get your refund. It was just weird. Of course the shops/restaurants close at prayer time which I can understand but then again they close for 30 mins in every prayer time and if u r in the shop/restaurant when they are closing up you are locked in till they open again...so its absurd when you think about it. I know women who used to live there and they loved it...but they loved it coz they had zero responsibilities...they had a cook, a driver, and a maid. They had all the money in the world to shop, travel, and do whatever else with. Plus they could go to other girls houses and wear as they please and do as they wish. If they enjoy this lifestyle good for them, but for independent girls like me...its just too much to accept. But, it has opened up in one sense, in some Saudi cities girls dont have to wear the head veil anymore but in others you are still forced to do so. In general it was an interesting trip and it made me think about how people can be so different even though they share your same religion and ethnicity. There's a pic of me in Starbucks with the 3abaya (no head veil needed in that city) and I got locked in for about 30-45 mins due to prayer time.

Pool day!

Today was a nice day! I went to Mohamed Aly to swim with some of my girlfriends. I enjoyed it very much. Other than the fact that I'm a fish (I have stayed in water for up to 5 hours without getting out to rest!) and love the water, I enjoyed the chit chats and funny moments we had. We were talking about shakra, the whole thing about having good or bad energy and it was just funny the scenarios we came up with where there was definite bad energy! Plus we started getting so bored that we started discussing who created ice cream! And I wont tell you what that led too! We concluded that all we know for sure is that ice cream must have been created AFTER fridges! Hehehe These girls are fun, gorgeous, and real sweethearts. Most of them have been my roommates at some point and have been a real support to me when I needed them. So girls (Noha, Rana, May, and Nour) just wanted to let you know that I love ya and thanks for the great day! I look forward to travelling with you guys again soon! (That's them in the pic but Rana is missing and the girl in pink is Lina, and she's been my friend for a really long time and I consider her my sister now!)

Being a working girl

Your first day at work feels like your first day in a new school or your first day in uni...do you remember how that felt like? You start becoming more self-conscious and start asking yourself questions like: will they like me? Will I like them? Am I going to be happy? Will I be able to do the work? And guess what...a week later these questions become less important. You think less about them and think more about getting into the routine, about getting more involved, about making this new workplace home as quick as you can...why? Because we humans dont like staying miserable for too long. Sure we thought and thought about these questions the night before the first day but by the second or third day you become sick of asking them! You start realizing that you can do it! You adapt because you must! And bottomline is, you do want to be there...you wouldnt be any happier stuck at home unemployed. So, we all adapt, we all get past the nervousness and we survive. The question then becomes am I happy here? Do I want to stay? How long do I want to stay? And I am happy to say that after working at Arpu+ Orascom for almost 2 months now I am content. The people are HILARIOUS and not a day goes by without me smiling...believe it or not it is the people that keep you coming back. Sure the type of work itself will keep you going there longer but at least the people give you the encouragement to really give the job a chance just to be around them. That's the case for me at least. The job is ok but the people are great. I look forward to seeing their faces in the morning and it encourages me to try harder to like the job so I can stay with them. So, keep your eye out for nice working environments coz even if u love the job you will leave if you hate the people. :)

Now I am officially a graduate

June 26th 2005 was the day I graduated from AUC and received my Bachelor in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. It was a very important day of course but not only because its was a day to celebrate an important accomplishment, nor was it important only because I was surrounded by my family and closest friends, but it was an important day because a very important chapter of my life ended on that day. My university years were over...I was one of those people who LOVED university...I mean I didnt mind the classes, nor the projects, as long as I got to hang out with friends and take part in activities at uni and just act like a kid, I was happy! I just had so many reasons to smile during my uni years...I was afraid of what came next... Since I was born it was known what would come next...it was sorta automatic...u finish kindergarden, you go to primary, then to prep, then to secondary, then to uni...now uni ended...you dont automatically go anywhere! Now your life is in your own hands. This was exciting yet scary too. I realized the day I graduated that I had grown up and life was gonna become more serious from now on...lets wait and see if that's true or not coz so far I'm still having fun even though I dont see people as often as i used to.

My mum returns!

Ok, my mum took my little bro Hassan and went to visit my dad in Saudi. They've been gone for about month leaving me at home in cairo with my other bro Basel. Its been an interesting experience because its pretty hard leaving in egypt on your own for one reason, its damn hard to cook something easy around here! I am not a cook at all! So we lived on take out, cornflakes, and pasta! Thanks Lina, you taught me alot about pasta over the years so I was able to keep my brother alive! But other than that it was great having the house to myself...very relaxing. I would go to work everyday for about 9-10 hours, come home to find my bro getting ready to go out so I'd be free to do what I want! And you know I took advantage of the situation! Put on my music really loud! Sang and danced my heart out! I could never do that with my family of 5 all in the house and I love to dance (as my friends could probably tell ya)! So yesterday my mum and bro returned to egypt...so its back to listening to music at a reasonable volume and no dancing for a while! But I must admit, I really did miss them. My little bro Hassan is my sweety, I can never be away from him for too long! And my mum's support is what keeps me going so I cant live without her either so I guess after not having them around for a month made me appreciate them more. Love ya mum!