A month of the new year has already gone by. The apartment has enough furniture, lamps and wall hangings now to look like a home. We now have a certain level of comfort navigating the roads. There are plenty of other Pakistani families here, about 5 in Schlumberger itself, and I think now we have what is called a social circle. Cairo is beginning to feel like a familiar place and over the past couple of months, the weather here has been enjoyably pleasant.
We made a surprise visit to Calgary in November. We didn't know until the very last minute if Humair would be able to get time off so we never told my parents. We had given them the impression that the earliest they would see us there would be Feb or March this year, so we gave them quite a surprise by showing up unannounced at their doorstep! Despite it being November, it hardly snowed during the two weeks we were there and the sun was out and about in clear blue skies. It was the first time we were in Calgary and there were no embassy/visa appointments involved, and the first time Humair was able to enjoy a full two weeks of vacation. It was great to see Abbu - this was our first meeting with him since his heart attack. He was doing much better, excercising regularly and going in for therapy.
We brought back some of our winter stuff since people had told us Cairo tends to get a bit nippy in the winter. The day we returned, it rained like it hadn't rained in years! Cairo is used to a little drizzle now and then during winter but it was just pouring all day long! People came out in their balconies and streets spreading their hands in thanks... and then getting sick because, not being used to such weather, they didn't cover themselves properly.
By the grace of God, Ammi was able to perform Hajj last month with Jani Maamu (her brother) and his wife who went with the ISNA group. We convinced Ammi to stay over in Cairo on her return (Her flight route had her going through Cairo both ways and we couldn't have her come to Cairo Airport but not stay with us even though she kept insisting on returning straight home). Unfortunately the Haj may not have been as exhausting for her as her experience with Egypt Air. She was supposed to arrive at 3:30 am (Wed, 26th Jan) but didn't get here till around lunch time, not to mention they had her going from one gate to another since 8pm the evening before because Egypt Air has a special system whereby they board people like they're boarding buses (in a thrid world country), trying to fill every seat, rather than simply assigning a flight number to each passenger. She caught up on much needed rest the first couple of days. One evening we were able to take her out to enjoy dinner on one of the Pharoah boats that cruise the Nile for 2-and-a-half hours at a time while they provide live entertainment on board and on Sunday, even though she hadn't planned to go sight-seeing on this visit but because just about everyone she talked to or came across asked her if she'd seen them, I took her to see the Giza pyramids -site of the Great Pyramid and Sphynx. It was terribly windy but still enjoyable.
Our nephew Taimur turned a whole year in January. Humair's brother, Faisal Bhai and family have settled into their new home. Mom & Dad are looking for a new dog after Simba fell sick and died mysteriously too. There is some construction going on next door and the theory is the dogs are getting poisoned by the cement or other material that falls on this side of the wall.
Abbu & Ammi's new kitten is wreaking havoc jumping into toilet bowls, wrestling all the plants to death and pestering the older cat and stealing her food. But one look at his face and all is forgiven.
Humair's work and clients here are exceptionally tough and keep him busy, but we've learnt that to be true for eveyone in this geo market. I had to give up my yoga classes but I took charge of the SSA Cairo quarterly newsletter. We have our good days in Cairo and we have our bad days. I don't know if it feels like home just yet, but we've definitely grown more used to it.
October 2004
It's October already! In fact, it's half past October, even a quarter to November! It's the month of Ramadan, and the Egyptian's working hours for this month are more than accomodating. They come to work after nine, and then leave by two! Unfortunately, Humair's boss happens to be Russian and he isn't warming up to this idea very well. Still, Humair is able to make it in around 4:30pm about an hour before iftar time, although he still leaves for work early and is usually the first person there. Egyptians are night owls, they stay up all night. In fact, more popular at this time of year than iftar parties are Sohour parties. The traffic here is bad enough as it is, and during Ramadan it becomes treacherous. However I like how they decorate some of the trees with these special lanterns in honor of the Holy Month. These colorful lanterns come in all shapes and sizes and are often seen hanging outside of shops and homes. They add color and a festive mood to an otherwise brown and gray city.
August saw Abbu suffer a heart attack, and thankfully he's doing much better now. His work has been moved to Calgary which means the family gets to spend more time with him. And there was Bhaijaan's wedding... very hectic and not as much fun without Abbu and the kids, but still quite enjoyable. His wife, Mahwish is just wonderful and they seem very happy together. I will post details and photos soon. We were also able to clear our container in Karachi and find space for it in Humair's parents' home.
If you read through the site, you may have learned that Mom's long time dog and pal, Zeus, died. They bought another puppy, this time a German Sheppard, but he died too while we were still in Karachi, and so now they have another Puppy, this one a cross between a Dobberman and a German Sheppard, named Simba, who's doing very well. Meanwhile, as if my parent's hadn't raised enough kids, they bought another kitten... this one a chocolate point persian male.
I decided to participate more in the Schlumberger Spouse Association (SSA) and signed up for the welcome committee and took up some Yoga classes. Humair has just been busier than ever with work. We've gotten all of our furniture, except a mattress for the guest bedroom. Our landlord has been nice enough to get us lamps from IKEA Dubai since he practices there half the month... he's a dermatologist. We've settled in, finally, although getting used to Egypt is a whole different story.
August saw Abbu suffer a heart attack, and thankfully he's doing much better now. His work has been moved to Calgary which means the family gets to spend more time with him. And there was Bhaijaan's wedding... very hectic and not as much fun without Abbu and the kids, but still quite enjoyable. His wife, Mahwish is just wonderful and they seem very happy together. I will post details and photos soon. We were also able to clear our container in Karachi and find space for it in Humair's parents' home.
If you read through the site, you may have learned that Mom's long time dog and pal, Zeus, died. They bought another puppy, this time a German Sheppard, but he died too while we were still in Karachi, and so now they have another Puppy, this one a cross between a Dobberman and a German Sheppard, named Simba, who's doing very well. Meanwhile, as if my parent's hadn't raised enough kids, they bought another kitten... this one a chocolate point persian male.
I decided to participate more in the Schlumberger Spouse Association (SSA) and signed up for the welcome committee and took up some Yoga classes. Humair has just been busier than ever with work. We've gotten all of our furniture, except a mattress for the guest bedroom. Our landlord has been nice enough to get us lamps from IKEA Dubai since he practices there half the month... he's a dermatologist. We've settled in, finally, although getting used to Egypt is a whole different story.
July 2004
Well, we have finally moved in and are getting settled in to our new apartment. We didn't realize it initially, but as much as we had prepared ourselves for this move, the drastic culture change did take it's toll on us. Moving to a third world country after living in a first-world country for so long calls for some major adjustments - getting used to delays, poor workmanship, adamant lying to cover up for their carelessness or procrastination, not to mention the congested traffic.... but there are the good parts too. There's the availablilty of affordable maids and babysitters and other help that makes day-to-day living so much more convenient. The great thing about Cairo is everything is just a phone call away. Just about everyone delivers, from grocery stores and restaurants to even the laundry service! After a month and a half of just fast food and restaurant food, it was wonderful to finally break-in the kitchen and have a home-cooked meal! We have received one sofa and expect to have the rest of the furniture come in by the end of this month... but there's so much that goes into turning a house into a home and starting from scratch isn't easy. It is a good experience, though, and Cairo is a great place to call home.
Important News: July 25th - Abbu suffered a heart attack Friday afternoon in Fort Mcmurray while the rest of the family was in Pakistan preparing for Bhaijaan's wedding... He was able to get himself to a hospital in time, Alhamdulilla, and Bhaijaan and Farooq Maamu are with him now, although we do not yet know how much damage his heart has suffered. Click here for more on Abbu's condition which I will update as I get more information. We ask you to keep him in your prayers and thank you for your support and well wishes.
Zeuser... we'll miss you! July 25th - We found out this morning that Mom's best friend, her dog Zeus, died yesterday. Poor Zeus had been struggling with illness for some time... He'd been Mom's companion for several years, her wakeup call every morning, and sometimes in the middle of the night when a stray cat threatened to intrude the premises. He has been the reason behind many smiles and we will miss him dearly.
Click below to view a musical slideshow for Zeus, or right click and choose "Save Target As..." to save on your computer. You will need the Adobe Reader to view it, which can be downloaded here.
For Zeus(1.6MB) May 2004
I am writing this as I take in a breathtaking view of the Nile and Cairo from the window of our room here at the Grand Hyatt, Cairo. The past month and a half bore a whirlwind of activities involving a lot of praying, an unexpectedly wonderful transfer letter, rounding up last minute bills and address changes, selling off whatever we could before the rest got packed up and shipped to Pakistan, packing our four-and-a-half suitcases, living out of the Drury Inn, Sugarland, bidding farewell to fellow co-workers, friends, family and the US, and getting on our British Airways flight to Cairo, Egypt. We arrived into Cairo sometime after midnight, the early morning of the 10th, where the dusty air impaired visibility and the Nile Corniche was alive with the hustle bustle of people out to enjoy the cool tempratures.
Since our arrival almost two weeks ago, Humair has been busy with his "hand-over" and making field and client visits, essentially just diving into his new job. That left me with the task of finding an apartment for us, which is quite a task here since real estate prices are rather high because of the expats here but most construction is poor and rather old and all the apartments arew remarkably different from one another. After viewing some 30-35 apartments in a single day and taking pictures of all of them until my camera battery ran out, and after Humair's was able to see the final four I had selected, we finalized on a rather nice apartment in a new building just four minutes away from his office. I still have the task of finding furniture stores here to pick out furniture for the apartment, as well as, of course, shopping for linens, cutlery and what not.
The stay at the hotel is very comfortable, but we're looking forward to moving into our own place soon and officially commencing this new chapter of our lives in Cairo. We're definitely excited and hope to enjoy some very cherishable and blessed moments here.
Since our arrival almost two weeks ago, Humair has been busy with his "hand-over" and making field and client visits, essentially just diving into his new job. That left me with the task of finding an apartment for us, which is quite a task here since real estate prices are rather high because of the expats here but most construction is poor and rather old and all the apartments arew remarkably different from one another. After viewing some 30-35 apartments in a single day and taking pictures of all of them until my camera battery ran out, and after Humair's was able to see the final four I had selected, we finalized on a rather nice apartment in a new building just four minutes away from his office. I still have the task of finding furniture stores here to pick out furniture for the apartment, as well as, of course, shopping for linens, cutlery and what not.
The stay at the hotel is very comfortable, but we're looking forward to moving into our own place soon and officially commencing this new chapter of our lives in Cairo. We're definitely excited and hope to enjoy some very cherishable and blessed moments here.
HOUSTON, TEXAS
March 2004
It may be a while before this site is everything we want it to be. More recently we were caught up in taking pictures of our furniture and putting them up on our "Home Items for Sale" website. As May 11th draws near (the day our visas end), the reality is beginning to sink in that we'll have to leave things behind, and it's almost heart breaking. These items don't just decorate our house, they make our home. There's an entire story behind each..... they are small pieces of our history together, and no matter how insignificant they may be, we are having a great deal of trouble parting with these little memories.
Nevertheless, we are quite excited about embarking on our new journey and basking in the unknown opportunities that this turn in our life will throw our way. Having spent our entire career and married life in Texas, life abroad will definitely be different, but it will offer us a chance to experience life in a new way, to explore cultures and geographies, and perhaps to grow as individuals and as a family as we never thought possible.
We don't know when we're moving or where just yet, but we're ready. We hope for the best.... and brace for the unexpected.
Nevertheless, we are quite excited about embarking on our new journey and basking in the unknown opportunities that this turn in our life will throw our way. Having spent our entire career and married life in Texas, life abroad will definitely be different, but it will offer us a chance to experience life in a new way, to explore cultures and geographies, and perhaps to grow as individuals and as a family as we never thought possible.
We don't know when we're moving or where just yet, but we're ready. We hope for the best.... and brace for the unexpected.
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