To Give, or Not to Give…

On my way to the grocery store, a young boy, maybe 9 or 10 approached me, wearing torn jeans and dirty clothes.  His hands were held out, making gestures as though he was putting food in his mouth.  Without even thinking about it really I just turned away and kept going to the store.  At the [...]

Maintaining Good Health

Arggghhh!  I don’t know what it is, but our family keeps coming down with these stomach illnesses.  I’m just getting over weeklong nausea/diarrhea, and ds had bout of vomiting the other day. 
NO MORE OUTSIDE FOOD (I really mean it this time)!!!  It’s not like we’re addicted to eating out.  It’s really occasional, like when I’m [...]

What a day!

My daughter is getting bigger mashallah, so we went to Ataba to shop for abayas.  Ataba is a shopping district in Cairo.  It’s like the New York shopping district on steriods.  There are sections for clothes, electrical appliances, plastics, fabrics, books, and much more.
I was too intimidated to go there alone.  Alhamdulillah my daughter’s Quran teacher offered to go [...]

Finding an Quran or Arabic Teacher

There are several options for studying Quran and/or Arabic in Cairo.  Al-Azhar University offers virtually free classes,  with programs targeted to foreigners.  However, it can be a major hassle going through the proper channels to register.  There are also the Arabic language centers (Arabic centers are a whole ‘nother post), many of whom have carved [...]

Oasis in the midst of a concrete desert

One challenge of living in Cairo is finding safe places for play and recreation for children.  I really have to make myself go out nowadays, especially in the heat.  One good thing about Madinat-Nasr is the abundance of gardens around.  You really need to see some green after all the ugly concrete buildings that predominate.  [...]

Talk like an Egyptian…

While the official language is Arabic, the actual language of Egypt is a weird mix of colloquial Arabic, English, French, and words left over from Turkish rule.   Due to a variety of factors; high number of language centers, relatively low cost of living, easy entry, Egypt can be a good place to study standard or [...]