We did our shopping on the weekend. The turkey, potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, jello (you must have jello) and so much more. As this time of the year comes around I think of Thanksgivings we have spent all over the world and all across the country. Pakistan, Chicago, Essex, Haiti, Egypt, Phoenix, Cambridge – all … Continue reading In Which I order Two 25 Kilo Turkeys in Cairo, Egypt
Today I am excited and proud to share the work of my youngest daughter, Stefanie, with my Communicating Across Boundaries world. Stefanie is an amazing photographer. She captures the world with her lens and I view her works of art, amazed. Enjoy Cairo through Stefanie’s eyes and thanks for taking a look. Have a blessed weekend! … Continue reading Through Stefanie’s Eyes – Cairo, 2011
As a mom who is miles away from all but one of her children, I am acutely aware of my inability to protect them. There are also times when I realize how much I don’t know about their lives. This awareness reached a new level when I read a post that my daughter had written … Continue reading Guest Post: You Know You Live Downtown Cairo When….
Sitting in crowded outdoor coffee houses, drinking mint tea and partaking of the occasional shisha, talking for hours while time stands still – this is the Cairo coffee house. People watching, politic talking, reminiscing and bonding, the evenings during our recent trip stretched long into the night. Occasionally Backgammon emerged and two of the family played … Continue reading Cairo Coffee Houses
Bloggers Note – Thank you everybody who responded and chose to follow this blog following the post Tahrir Square – Walls and Graffiti being Freshly Pressed. I hope to respond to all your comments and appreciate that you decided to follow this blog. Here’s hoping you won’t be disappointed. One of my readers and friends commented on … Continue reading Cairo in Review – Travel is Fatal
“We had barely drifted out of Alexandria’s harbor when I heard my father cry ‘Ragaouna Misr!’ – Take us back to Cairo! It became his personal refrain, his anthem aboard the old cargo ship…from The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit“ Just as the Call to Prayer greeted us at midday on arrival a short … Continue reading “Ragaouna Misr” Take Us Back to Cairo!
There is no Christmas tree and no turkey. We have not not heard “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” one time since arriving four days ago and our gifts fit inside small stockings. Our world is stripped of some of the traps that catch me at Christmas time in the U.S where slick advertising tempts … Continue reading Cairo Christmas “A Weary World Rejoices”
Jet lagged bodies and eyes are suddenly awakened through the comfort of familiarity. Traffic that would send many in the west into fits of frustration over “inefficiency”, crowds of people, and the sun and pollution hanging heavy over the city of Cairo have instead sent us into a state of contentment in that which is familiar. … Continue reading Beyond the Pyramids – Glimpses of Cairo
This article was featured on Freshly Pressed. Thank you WordPress! 1:30am Cambridge time – 8:30am Cairo time: Annie update “Whole families, tons of woman, little kids (really cute!) and not an ounce of anti-American sentiment” were the words my daughter used to describe Tahrir Square. She went on to say it was the old and … Continue reading Update from Cairo: March of a Million
There is chaos in Cairo and we have not heard from our daughter Annie in 2 1/2 days. We are glued to the live-stream from Al Jazeera, currently watching repeats of video clips shown earlier in the day. Tahrir Square in the center of Cairo is the focal point of much of the chaos. Footage of … Continue reading Chaos in Cairo and a Mother’s Heart
Sometimes we come to points in our lives where we seriously question the sovereignty and wisdom of God. While I know this is ill-mannered and audacious, I still do it. I had one such moment 25 years ago when I found out that I was pregnant with our fifth child. Did God not know that … Continue reading Babies and the Sovereignty of God
In a book titled Tomorrow, God Willing, a Norwegian anthropologist writes from her experiences befriending a family in a poor neighborhood in Cairo. The book gives a portrayal of life in Cairo, primarily through the perspective of Umm Ali (Mother of Ali) with others from the extended family lending their voices to the narrative. It is one of … Continue reading Talking Together Makes Wise
عيد مبارك Each year, the sighting of a crescent moon tells Muslims around the world the date of Eid al Fitr. With that date, a month of fasting ends and festivities and celebrations begin. Today is Eid al Fitr and I wake up full of memories of past Ramadans and Eid celebrations. I indulge these, … Continue reading Eid Celebrations & Memories
“A Syrian painter recently told me that we all have a map in our bodies, composed of the places we have lived, that we are constantly in the process of redrawing. A street from our childhood might be traversed by a train car in which we once fell in love. A garden from a year … Continue reading A Life Overseas – Living Borrowed Lives
Posted by Marilyn Our family albums tell amazing stories. Picnics in the shadow of the Great Pyramids of Egypt; bucket baths in Swat Valley – home to Malala the brave; hiking in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains; feeding pigeons outside the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul; climbing on canons in Quebec City; wandering through Topkapi … Continue reading A Life Overseas – On Family Albums and What I Didn’t Know
Wingaersheek Beach is a beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts. A winding road off Route 128 takes you up hills and around curves, like you’re traveling to nowhere. But beyond the winding roads and heavily wooded area you realize there is an extraordinary beach, hidden from the unaware traveler. Wingaersheek beach is unique among beaches. Massive rocks … Continue reading Low Tide at Wingaersheek
We have been back for 10 days and it’s already beginning to feel like Kurdistan was a dream that never really happened. A dream with a few nightmare like qualities, but a dream nevertheless. The last time we went through a period of transition of this magnitude was when we returned from Egypt with five … Continue reading On Needing Grace During Transition
