new visa, new life

home is a funny word. i've always associated it with the house i was born and raised in.. but as soon as i stepped off the plane and back onto cairo soil, after just a month of being away from this place, i felt the word home creep into my mind (luckily, very soon after, an egyptian man attempted to charge me 5 times the amount for a cab fare from the airport back to my "house" in maadi.. and any euphoric feelings towards egypt/egyptians/cairo/cairoans quickly dissipated). nevertheless cairo does feel a lot like home now, in an odd way. i think it may be my subconscious attempting to brace myself for a few years of life here. but either way, its a nice feeling. and its nice to have nima back here with me.

in more exciting news, in a very lucky feat, i got a one year visa granted!! so i'm well and truly on the road to settling in cairo.

i've become a wife

around a month ago i became nima’s wife. it’s really a lovely feeling, being a wife that is. i always thought the step into wifeness was a major one. i thought that marriage was this awfully big commitment, fit only for the awfully brave.. but i now realise how wrong i was! maybe it's because nima is absolutely fantastic in helping with the transition, but whatever the reason, being married is really wonderful. i liken it to being 5 year old kid who is allowed to eat chocolate icecream for breakfast everyday (bar any serious health repercussions).. it's fun! it's like always having your best friend around.. that works for some people. it certainly works for me!

i'm happy.

on love, in egypt

and the girl looked at me and said,

"i belong to my love, and he wants me."

also! i got hit by a car again today

a taxi this time.
and he yelled at me too. rude.

i have essays due

(which is why i'm procrastinating)

definetely one of the most fascinating bonuses of living here has been experiencing a true middle eastern education (excuse the "American University Of" part of the institution). despite the american style classes, don't allow yourself to be fooled! the university is very much tied up with egyptian beaucracy. after all, if egyptians are running an american university, its going to become an egyptian university, right? right!

that aside. i never really felt challenged in my undergraduate studies. i did the commerce part, i did the law part and i got out there. this, i'm finding is a VERY different experience!

par example. i'm currently (trying) to write a paper on classical islamic law. i can't just write it. i'm trying to really understand it.. but i can't just understand it. its very dense. i'm a very stressed little bunny.

i'll finish this post later

sunset over tahrihr square

most days i hate find it challenging to be in egypt. i find it terribly difficult.

so why oh why why why do i stay?

it's all about the "melting moment".
egypt, no matter how much you hate it, always manages to find the perfect time, your melting moment, to charm you.. she never fails with her graceful timing.

example. a month ago, shoving through the hoards of people in tahrihr square, having just had my visa denied, lost my new scarf, been groped by a man on the metro, and down to my last 20 pounds, i was spent. done. i was packing my suitcase in my head. then i glance up, and there it was...

HOW does she do it?!

two peas in a pod

they were kittens born to a street cat, and then they found an aussie girl to give em a home..

introducing:

BAILEY

and

MOZA

reflection of the day

spotting a pyramid at a distance, late at night, is really very eery.

11 months ago, i met a boy.

i don't exactly remember the first occasion. but i started seeing him around. i'd heard of him because he was roomates with a good friend of mine years back.

6 months ago, i started to get to know the boy.

i liked him. he was really funny, but kinda shy. he was always around people, and had a sparkle in his eyes. he was never clean shaven, but his clothes were always perfectly ironed. he understood persian, and spoke with a very aussie accent. he laughed a lot, in the humble sort of way. he was the best listener i'd ever met. he opened the car door for me once. he had pet lizards, which i found refreshing. he had a younger brother who looked exactly like him. he never called me "tash", always "natasha". he worked really hard, but took time out to play. he took me out for chinese food, and refused to let me pay. he was enthusiatic when i wanted to run devotionals, and he helped me pick readings. he shared his views on spiritual topics and i shared mine. he let me drive his car.

then he proposed to me, and i get to marry him in 5 weeks time.

and because we didn't spend much time in the same country, we have but a handful of photos together.. and this is one of them

i can't wait to take a few more.

i hate it

yes. "i hate it" has become my new mantra.

i realised this yesterday after both nora (my gorgeous german/egyptian friend) and linda (my equally gorgeous italian/australian roomate), on two seperate occassions, shouted it in the same irritated and naggy tone of voice that i often shout it in.

and the truth is, i do hate it.

egypt hasn't been a walk in the park for me. it's been a struggle. i've found it all hard, from the culture, to the food, to the vast oceans between it and my fiancee.

this explains the lack of enthusiasm for my blog. i've been afraid to start complaining, because i know the complaints won't stop. and being a generally non-complainy person that generally tries to enjoy life, its been hard to adjust.

but i've unpacked my emotional suitcase. i'm here for the long haul.. and dammit, i'm going to start to enjoy life in this crazy beautiful city.