Song: I'll Stand By You by The Pretenders

Oh, why you look so sad?
Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
Don’t be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
’cause I’ve seen the dark side too
When the night falls on you
You don’t know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less
I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
So if you’re mad, get mad
Don’t hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide?
I get angry too
Well I’m a lot like you
When you’re standing at the crossroads
And don’t know which path to choose
Let me come along
’cause even if you’re wrong
I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you
And when...
When the night falls on you, baby
You’re feeling all alone
You won’t be on your own
I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

Emotional Rollercoaster

MIS was emotional for me...I watched the people I loved feel so upset that this was their last AIESEC conference...they saw it as the last time they'd be there to inspire and learn...I felt for them and found myself slowly succumbing to my own tears and my own saddness...I was shaking inside but for reasons that could only be my own and could not be shared with others coz their were no others who felt the same...what I found myself crying about was for all the years I seemed to have wasted, the years where I could have been sharing this experience with these same people who were now leaving. I found myself wanting the years to go back so I could grow with these specific people, see where I could have ended up because I am so proud of where THEY have ended up. I was also crying because I simply did not want these people to go! They are AIESEC for me...I didnt want to do the role calls, the dances, the conferences without them and it was hard seeing them feeling so lost. I felt all these emotions much earlier than MIS...its what made me NEED to go to the conference because I wanted to share this last memory with them...I wanted to be there to celebrate their work, their passion, and to simply be with them in a conference for the last time. Just imagine what would have happened if I had joined when Tamer told me to years ago? What relationships would I have had with the people I adore so much now? Would I have become more of the person that I really want to be? That last point is actually the most important to me...for me AIESEC was never about the leadership positions alone...it was always about allowing the greater self in me to come out...it was a place where I could be the person I really wanted to be...its a place where you can really reach your highest potential and I just felt that I had only just started scratching the surface of who I can be after my Faci experience...so to see MIS close the AIESEC chapter for so many of the people whom got me into AIESEC and whom have kept me in AIESEC all this time all of a sudden shook me and made me realize all that I may have lost...I've already been working for almost a year...too late now to start feeling this way about what I can do in this organization in the long run...I hate the fact that all I am seeing at this second is the bad...but today all the bad came pouring in and convincing myself of the good just wasnt working for me today...

Sleep, eat, talk, walk, swim...the best formula for a great vacation!

We had 3 days off work this week so a few close friends and I went to ain sokhna for the full 3 days. All we wanted to do was talk, walk, TOTALLY relax, cook our own food, and just hang out...we neither wanted to party, nor to socialize, nor to do anything too energetic...it was freakingly AWESOME! Lina, Askoura, Tarek and I took the car sunday morning and drove to Sokhna, getting lost a few times on the way. Once we arrived we relaxed for a while then went to the beach for like an hour...we were brave enough to jump into the sea while the sun was setting! It was cold but sooo nice. Then we spent our evening shopping for food, cooking the food, drinking tea in the balcony, playing cards, and just talking. We stayed doing that till 4 am and we were planning to do it all over again the next day! So we reluctantly go to sleep but wake up super early to again be lazy! We were up at 9 but got to the beach at maybe 1pm! We swam again...thanks boys for staying in with me as long as you did. You made the fish very happy and content! Then we slept in the sun and went back to the chalet to meet the sweethearts Martha and Maggie!! We went for a long walk, sat on the beach till they kicked us out, then cooked dinner. Then began the game of scrabble, the rounds of tea, and the half asleep half awake conversations till 5 am this time! The next day we went to the beach very late yet again then had to run home pack and have lunch. It was over way way way too soon! I loved every minute of it. I love hanging out with people whom I absolutely adore! We could be sitting staring at each other and not talking but totally happy & content. Here's to another antakha trip with the same people very soon!

My belief in the level of safety in Egypt has been shaken...

While on vacation this past Monday, I heard the horrible news that Dahab had been bombed and that over 20 people were killed and alot more were injured. I felt a rush of panic for a few minutes then I made myself ignore what happened and not think about it. I couldnt believe what was happening in the country in which I had always felt safe. I'd be scared to walk around in Canada past 10pm alone but in Egypt I could walk around at any time and not have any worries. Our country can be dirty, can be crowded, but can never be unsafe. After the bombings in Taba, Sharm, Dahab, and now Sinai I'm not sure anymore...for the first time I'm starting to question how safe Egypt is. These events will not stop me from travelling to Sharm, Dahab, and Taba but they have affected me and saddened me. The areas that were bombed in Dahab were dear to me because I was there for New Years with my closest friends...that trip was one of the best trips I've ever had and now that same area has been bombed...it is now a place where people have died, a place that will be remembered by some as a place that was bloody and scary. That is what upsets me...I will always remember that place as where my friends and I would walk, talk, laugh, and sing...I hope everyone can remember Dahab, Sharm, Taba, etc as places where you bonded with people, had nice walks, danced the night away with friends, and tanned in the sun. I won't allow these bombs to stain my good memories...dont allow it to spoil yours either.

Happy Birthday Bebz, Ashraf, Abbassi, and Rana!

I have had quite a few birthdays this month! First we have Sherif Beblawi's birthday, aka Bebz. Bebz was my boss for the longest period of time at my current job, and I adore him and so do most of my colleagues at work. He's just funny, understanding, and looks out for you all the time. I can always go to him and discuss any concerns I have from work-related issues to personal issues. He's just awesome! He orders 2 lemonades together all the time at work, when he's lost he finds the answers on Google, he buys stuff off of Ebay, and he loves little gadgets! We celebrated his bday at the office after a failed attempt to take him out after work. We brought a cake and sang him Happy Birthday.
Less than a week later it was my current boss', Ashraf, 26th bday! This one was planned expertly by my work colleague Ronda. She actually managed to plan it with Ashraf's mum so we can surprise him at his house...she even managed to get a baby picture of Ashraf to put on his bday cake! So anyway, we all go to Ashraf's house and wait for him to show up...he takes forever to arrive then comes home and stays in his room and wont come upstairs! Haha by the time he came up the candles had melted! But he was definately surprised.
We hung out with him for a while then I had to jump to another birthday...the birthday of one of my closest friends in the world...Ahmed Abbassi. He had his 24th bday in Seqoia. It was a nice gathering...got to catch up with alot of my close friends whom I dont see as much as I'd like to: Lina, Mariam, Bassem, Sarah, Hany, Tamer, and others. We were also pleasantly surprised that we bumped into Moose there! We hadnt seen him since university so that was awesome!
Then the next day I had the bday outing for Rana El Nahas who's the sister of one my close friends, Noha. We went to Bliss to dance the night away for her bday. It was great since I love to dance and hadnt seen these girls in ages! And by coincidence all my other friends were there too...Lina, Sarah, Bassem, Abbassi, etc. So it was nice to see everyone. And now I have Hany Seif's bday tomorrow...another close friend of mine. It's a month full of birthdays and vacations...dont you just love the month of April??

Tom Cruise has a baby girl!

If you guys know me well you would know that I have loved Tom Cruise all my life...I have seen all his movies and own quite a few of them actually. My favourites are Jerry Maguire, A Few Good Men, Interview with the Vampire, Top Gun, and many others. Don't you just love him in Interview with the Vampire?! My favourite part is in the end when he says "Louis Louis Louis...still whining Louis...I have had to hear that for centuries!" Hilarious! He's sooo cool! Yes I'm obessed! My obsession started when I was really young and it was much more intense in high school than it is now...probably coz he's now marrying a girl who's close to my age! I mean I had a freaking chance for God's sake!! Haha. I just love his smile and he's hot! So anyway, before I go on and on again about how cool he is, yesterday I heard he is now a father to a little girl. Congrats Tom!

I've never been prouder...

I was self reflecting today at work and I started thinking of some good things that have been happening that have made me SO unbelievably proud. I remembered how much I enjoyed being a Faci in NLDS and how much I loved the newies whom I was working with for hours for 3 full days. These newies now have moved on to bigger and better things...literally! Abdo has been in the CC team of IPM 06 and is now CC VP of IPM 07!! Maher Azab has become a VP for CU!! Sara El Sayeh applied to be VP but didnt get it but got a leadership position in the LC, plus she's a faci in MIS!! Hisham went to Nigeria to attend an international conference and is also a faci in MIS!! And there are many others from my own LC who were not in my team in NLDS but with whom I've been working with for the past year in the learning team who have also moved on to be VPs next year, Dina, Sara, and Sherifa...you girls rock!! And Fawzy, our VP, is now part of the MC next year too!! I'm just soooo happy for them all and so impressed!! The people who were newies with me just half a year ago are now the leaders of tomorrow...its just awesome! I just couldn't be happier!

Ain Sokhna at Samer's!

Since I started working in ARPU+ Samer has been inviting us to his place in Sokhna almost every weekend and always something would come up and we wouldnt end up going. This time we actually went! This was on the same day that I had the selection board meeting for LCP of AIESEC AUC so I was worried I wouldnt make it on time but I wasnt even a minute late ilhamdolilah! So anyway, we all woke each other up in the morning, got into our cars and went. We had some coffee and tea at Samer's place then we headed for the beach. All 9 of us got into one car to head for the beach! That was hilarious...the girls were on top of each other and 2 guys sat in the trunk of the car dangling their legs. The bumps in the road were damn tricky with the car being so heavy! What was funny was our colleague Diana was sticking her head out of the window as we were going haha we made fun of her saying all she needed to do was stick her tongue out and she'd be a little puppy hehe. So we get to the beach, we talk and relax then the guys go off to play volley and they lost miserably! So we head back to the house and I decide I'm not leaving sokhna without jumping in the water. So I took Samer and Mourad and we took a quick dip in the man made little pool in front of Samer's chalet while the girls started cooking pasta back at the house. It was great being in the water...I'm such a fish! I get out of the water and rush to take a quick shower so I can have time to eat and leave sokhna to get to my meeting on time. So we leave at 5 and run like the wind to get back. Ronda wouldnt let us hear any song till the end! We'd hear the first few seconds then she's move on to the next song hahaha so I was laughing all the way back. It was a nice day that ended even more nicely when Salem got elected as the next LCP of AIESEC AUC! Thanks Samer for having us over!

The most fun I have had in a loooong time!

Today I went to work and had quite a long day that ended up finishing late! I was rushing to get out of the office coz I was supposed to meet the learning team for the HOW project at 5 then celebrate with the new VPs at 6 then go to the general meeting at 7. I ended up leaving the office after 6!! So I was sooo late but I got to the meeting to find everyone cracking up and having a good time. They had already discussed everything and were just acting silly hehe. So we all got up, got into Amr Youssry's car, and put on LOUD music and drove the streets of cairo dancing and singing in the car! It was awesome! I sung my heart out and I laughed sooo much. We ended up driving around for maybe an hour an a half...stopped to eat shawerma...had Hazem jump in the car...then we went on singing in the car for another hour and a half! SOOOO MUCH FUN! Thanks Dina, Sherifa, Sara, Hazem, and Amr for the great night of cruising, singing, laughing, and getting way too much attention from people in the streets!

Being on the Selection Board

This year I was chosen to be in the selection board that would decide who the next leaders of AIESEC AUC would be for the coming year. I was very aware of how important being on the selection board would be but I didnt feel it till I attended the elections. I could see the applicants sweat, smile, shake from nervousness, and I also saw them pouring their hearts out to us prove how much they wanted it. All I could think about was how incredibly brave they were and also how I was planning to be in their same position if I had not gotten the CC position. I found myself answering the questions they were asked, and I didnt even realize I was doing that till much later in the day! I realized that I could do it which was a nice feeling in itself because in the year before I couldnt imagine answering the questions that were asked to the candidates. And because of that same reason I admired the candidates even more because they were all newies and it must have been sooo tough on them. I didnt even consider applying after my first year in AIESEC so I am very proud of all the candidates just for applying and going through this huge challenge.
In the selection days themselves I found myself thinking...we are now about to decide the new leaders for AIESEC AUC next year, WOW! I saw the candidates again pour their hearts out, stress out, and surprise me with their great answers. I started thinking could this person do it? Could this person handle the pressure? We all had to start thinking about the person's personality, how much he/she could handle, and also ultimately what's in the best interest of the LC. I enjoyed the experience very much and I was so proud of all the candidates. Congratulations to all the candidates who took this challenging step! And congratulations to Salem, Sara, Dina, and Sherifa for making it! You guys did a great job! Enjoy it next year to the fullest!

The simple pleasures in life

Today I was out with two of my closest friends and we were talking about what amuses us or makes us smile now after we graduated. We realized that the things that make us happy now are different from what used to amuse us in Uni. Now we appreciate a good meal, a good night's sleep, a light hearted movie, the company of our friends even if its for 2 hours, a phonecall, a message, a good song...things that we never used to really notice or count in uni. In uni, we used to hang out with people in between classes, after classes, in outings, in classes, in clubs, etc. Now we dont, so we miss each other more and therefore seeing each other for coffee for 2 hours makes us smile! In Uni, going out for coffee would have been the most boring thing in the world...we used to always want to go ice skating, or to some club...now a good chat in a cozy coffee place is like heaven. Now having a friend ask about you through a message or a phonecall makes you feel so fuzzy inside. You appreciate the call so much because you know that now finding the energy to ask about your friends is hard. In uni, we used to call each other every 10 mins whether its to meet someone after class or if its just to tell a girlfriend that her crush just passed by. Now also we value a good night's sleep because we work for over 9 hours at work so we like to wake up for the new working day fresh...in uni, we'd stay up really late just for the hell of it and who cares if we go to classes fresh or half asleep or even skip it altogether! Now watching a deep movie can be too mind draining after a long day at work so we appreciate the light hearted movies that dont make you think alot more. This is not necessaryly a bad thing...but like I was saying before I like to keep the inner child alive and kicking so I enjoy all the above but I still like to do spontaneous and crazy things in between. Going out with friends without planning the outing, traveling for a weekend, going to dreampark, taking a day use by the pool, calling people or messaging them just to tell them something silly, dancing in my room to my favourite song when noone's looking, watching a really deep movie when I have the time, etc. The only problem is it takes an effort to do that...going home and just relaxing in front of paramount TV with a bowl of ice cream is sooo much more appealing than going home, eating lunch super fast, changing, calling people to plan something, and going down. But I believe in putting in that extra effort...its worth the extra effort in the end :)

I got it! I'm CC VP!

Today Maggie called me, right after my dad left to catch his flight back to Saudi, to tell me that I had been chosen to be CCVP delegate servicing!! I was sooo happy!! I was not expecting it at all. The fact that I was given a chance to participate in such a large scale event was great for me to hear. I was so scared of the position, of how challenging it would be, and of the responsibility attached to it...but because I know that, I also know that achieving it will be HUGE for me and I will feel the achievement even more. I know it will be hard, but I know I will learn so much about myself and will have alot of fun. The fact that it is a position I am scared of is a good sign...it means that i will do my best not to let anyone down and it means I will take it as seriously as I need to be. Plus, I have so many people to be thankful for who have been a huge support for me this far and whom I know will continue to support me in this adventure as well.

I wanted to thank the people who called me today to congratulate me because their excitement really touched me. Your calls and messages meant alot to me :)
Hazem
Mohamed Fawzy
Tamer Zikry
Abdou
Maggie
Amr Youssry
Ahmed Maan
Shady
Maher (CU)