Goodnight My Cairo

I can't bring myself to edit our location or anything that says we still live in Egypt on this blog.  Even though we have moved to Dubai, UAE.  It has been a far more difficult process to let go of Egypt than I had expected.

One of Benjamin's favorite books is Goodnight My Cairo.  I bought it at a CSA book fair shortly after we moved to Egypt. It's a really sweet book that's a take on Goodnight Moon.  He asked for it other night, and I found myself getting choked up while reading it.  I've been reflecting a lot on our lives in Egypt lately.  I really miss living there, and I enjoyed our time there so much. 

Three years ago (ish) we began our new life in Egypt. Both Seth and I had traveled to different countries before, but this was the first time we'd be actually living overseas.  Not only overseas but also in a region/continent/country/city/house/culture that was night and day different than our lives in the US. We put our best foot forward, made a go of it, all the while thinking we'd only be living overseas for 2 years.  Now we find ourselves with 3 years under out belt and living in another country. I can't tell if I like it yet.  It's an ongoing process.

Egypt is a totally polarizing country.  People say they either love it or hate it.

Ancient structures everywhere! So much culture!  I love you Egypt!

Frigging traffic.  People cutting in. Non stop horns.  I hate you Egypt!

However, in my opinion, it's not so black and white.  You can go from love to hate to love again in 30 minutes.  Your love/hate changes from day to day, and it's exhausting! Egypt is like one of those highly dramatic relationships where you're either fighting or making up all the time.  There isn't much in between.  So, when our relationship with Egypt ended so abruptly we didn't have any resolve.  No make up's or final good bye's. It just ended without any closure. Now I find myself totally romanticizing about our time in Cairo. I'm forgetting all the frustrations and difficulties (and there are a ton) and just remembering the ease of everything.  It's a good thing look fondly on our time there, but it's hurting my move to Dubai as well.  I can't seem to fully embrace my new relationship with Dubai.

So, what's the hang up with Egypt?  If it's so dirty, noisy, and crowded why is it so hard to let it go?  It's a couple of things.  I absolutely miss the culture of Egypt.  Living in an ancient city like Cairo is unbelievable.  Especially for an American who, as one tour guide put it, was from a "baby country."  We get excited if something was built in the early 1900's.  So the Giza Pyramids are a total mind blower when you think about how Cleopatra's life was closer to the moon landing than it was to the Giza Pyramids being constructed.  Now in Dubai...uh...y'all want to go to the mall?  A Mosque that was constructed in 2012? Get some Rain Forest Cafe or PF Chang's?

Baby Dior and Gucci. For all your $400 baby outfit needs.

Pyramids in Ski Dubai.  We can't escape you, Egypt!  

I miss the culture shock.  I've read a lot of blogs and books that talk about how to overcome the culture shock in Dubai.  Yea, nice try everyone. No. Just no.  There is no culture shock* in a city that has a Jean Paul Gaultier for Kids store.  (*the culture shock that I'm finding is from expats living here, but more on that later) 

Roman Aqueducts in Cairo

Buying freshly squeezed tamarind or coconut juice right outside your door.

Same with buying fresh fruit off of a kid driving a donkey cart.  

or camping in the Sahara Desert in areas that was once the bottom of the ocean

On the other hand, Egypt brings things like evacuating with your kids because of a military coup, getting constantly harassed on the streets because I dare to be a girl who has to get groceries and pay her cell phone bill, painfully loud  construction work going on in the apartment above you that starts right when you finally get your child down for a nap (and goes on for 9 months), drivers who think nothing of going the wrong way down a one way bridge, people trying to cheat you at every turn, and military coups- you know, culture and whatnot.

Morning after evacuating Cairo.  Political refugees before reaching kindergarten.  

 So, while I'm completely romanticizing our time in Cairo, I also need to remember the wonderful things about living in Dubai.  There are many.

It's clean here!  No trash on the streets, no broken glass in green spaces, and no stray dogs travelling in packs terrorizing everyone.

beautiful and clean beaches all over

You can wear tank tops here!  I wouldn't if going to certain locations, but if I'm in my neighborhood then it's okay.  I never wore tank tops in Egypt.

Locals here are more tolerant of how people dress.  Basically, you're not going to get groped if you dare to wear a tank top.

It's great for kids!  Not that Egypt wasn't (even after the first point- it's still a great place for kids to grow up).  However, there is little league here. We have easy access to a clean and well kept up pool- that's a second's walk from our house. We have a ton of parks in our neighborhood, and in all of Dubai.  They have a Pottery Barn Kids.  Not even being snarky.  I love a PBK.

He finally got a trophy like all his cousins back home.  

It's a freakishly cool looking city!  Step back, Chicago.  Dubai is an architecture nerd's dream.

my personal favorite.  The Dubai Marina.  Infinity Building to the left.

Bacon and other pork related products!  Nobody has to kindly pick some up for us from an undisclosed location.You know who you are- and I'm forever grateful for you keeping us in bacon heaven.

Here is where I'd put a picture of the bacon at my local grocery store, but it's getting messed up and going to another location.  Anyway, you know what bacon looks like.  Haram deliciousness, is what it looks like.

So while I'm not ready to give up on Egypt I do feel like it's time to break up.  This is going to be difficult...Egypt, we had a great run.  I really do love you, but I can't look back.  I gotta more forward so I can begin my new relationship with Dubai.  I can't say I'm enthusiastic about it, but I have to give it a try.


I'll still hold a strong torch for you though, Egypt. You'll always be my first.  Um, first expat experience that is.  There's something about you that gets in people's blood and stays forever.  Your culture, your people, your smell (weird, I know, but Cairo smells really good), and your way of life.  I grew to love it among all the bad.  It's authentic, and I miss that terribly. Goodnight, My Cairo.

In your eyes, Egypt.  In (tear) your eyes...