If you think that you have just one life, think again. There's the life you think you have, the life others think you have and the life you really have- three lives!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

HAPPY EID

Happy Eid ul Fitri everyone.
May the new moon bring happiness, prosperity, peace and love into all your lives.

Cheers

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Eid :)

Anonymous said...

Happy Eid :)

Anonymous said...

Doh! I saw 3 comments and though somebody else commented here... but it was only me commenting twice! Sorry!

The Usual Suspect said...

Hey Egpypeter
welcome welcome ya masri!

The Usual Suspect said...

Hey Craig
Thanks so much mate
Thanks so much mate

Yes, I know I repeated myself.

The Usual Suspect said...

Hey egypeter
tried to get on your blog? Is it out of circulation?

The Usual Suspect said...

HI Egypeter
Thanks for all your comments and well wishes- am getting better slowly but the bloody cyst persists!
It's so great to find someone on the same wavelength and with the same passion for Egypt's wellbeing. My parents migrated to Australia when I was only two so I've grown up Aussie but lived in Egypt as a teen and into my twenties where I went to the AUC.That was in the early 90s.
It's hard to accept that Egypt has changed so much in such a short time. My sis lives in Egypt and despite growing up like me as Aussie, she has also succumbed to the mind set there. When I was visiting this year, my 15 year old neice had just started wearing hijab. I asked her why and she said because the girls at her school kept on calling her a Christian. I asked her why she thought that was a bad thing and she said that she didn't but it would mean that if people thought she was Christian her older sisters might miss out on a suitor. I cried.
I cried because it really drove home how much Egypt has changed. When young girls are putting on the hijab for no other reason except because of the social pressure to openly show your differences- then that's a really really bad sign.
When I was at Uni, I dated a Coptic guy and one day Police el Adab caught us parked by the Nile in his car (what can I say- I was cheeky!) As far as they were concerned it wasn't that we were together that was the issue, it was that he was Coptic and I was Muslim.
Thankfully, my boyfriend was from a fairly well to do family and he bribed the police to let us go.
Back then, my circle of friends were both Muslim and Coptic- sometimes we discussed religion but mostly in the context of human rights. In terms of our friendships and our kinship- it didn't matter what religion we were- we were Egyptians and that was all that mattered.
Now I'm ranting- but I share your pessimism about the future. Perhaps things have to get worse before they can start getting better?

The Usual Suspect said...

Peter
Believe me the story was not cute at the time. I was shitting myself!

I remember back then my Mum used to have a saying about the Saudi's because every summer they would take over Egypt with their filth- I couldn't even walk in the street without them making lewd and disgusting comments and staring me up and down. Ok OK- the Egyptian men aren't much better but they don't aakess with filth- usually it's just a bit of fun.

Anyway, my Mum used to say "if you take an old shoe and stuff it full of money, it is still an old shoe. That's what the Saudis are- old shoes with money"

The Usual Suspect said...

Peter
Yeah I love Sharm too.
When I was living in Egypt, my friends and I used to go camping at a place called Basata on the red sea near Hurghada- beautiful place.

Marina is the new hot spot and supposedly very European but I didn't get a chance to visit when I was there.

Many years ago Agami used to be a hot spot but now it is 'zabala'.

As for the stares- I got them the whole time I was in Egypt but what really pissed me off was when I could hear them whispering "di Messiheya di wala eh" because I don't wear hijab.

Don't worry- stare back and make faces- then they leave you alone. That's what I've always done. I don't care if they think I'm magnoona- I just stare back and if that doesn't work tell them to "piss off freak" in English- they usually stop then.

I will never forget my friend and I being chased through the streets of Zamalek by a taxi driver because I told him to fuck off when he wanted to charge me too much. He started running after us yelling "ana fahim, ana fahim". We laughed so hard- it was hilarious.

If you have time check out www.yallabina.com it's a great site for getting to know what's hot in Egypt.