Our roommate

When we brought Benjamin home for the first time it was really odd to see that all this stuff we got would actually have some sort of use to it.  That cute lamb swing, all those different shaped towels and cloths, all those clothes and the Pack and Play we had set up by our bed, were now being used.  I'd see his baby wash, baby lotion, baby oil  and other baby items mixed with all my stuff.  His clothes were in our laundry loads.  His diapers in our trashcan.  It was odd.  Like we had this new roommate who just blew in the house and took over.  If he was an adult you would have a house meeting to discuss how he was sneaking his clothes in your wash and keeping you up at night...not to mention peeing the bed all the time.

Now, 2 years later, I still stop and realize that our house is consumed with reminders that this isn't just a house for adults.  I realize it when I step on his most favorite "Big Truck" (which is a Hot Wheels Land Rover Discovery- kid has good taste) at 1am, or open our spoon drawer to find the case of his Toy Story DVD mixed in with everything else.

I decided to take some time to capture all the signs of how our home life has changed. And how our 2 year old roommate totally dominates everything.

Our bedside table
Normally by your night stand you would  have the usual things.  Lamp, books, US Weekly...uh, I mean, New York Magazine and The Wall Street Journal.  Not anymore.  Now the books are devoted to Pigeons, Pookies, Good Night to all kinds of places and things, and the ever important "how to raise your 2 year old and reference this to make sure they're normal" guide aka What To Expect.

Our bed
Aaaaaah, bed.  A lovely place to rest your weary head and sleep.  As of November 14, 2009 our bed became something else completely.  Our bed became a pee, poop, puke (the 3 P's of Babies, if you will) collector.  It became a place I'd look at longingly at 2am and try to remember what it was like to sleep through the night.  It became a place where I get into and feel something weird at my feet.  It's normally some kind of truck...

My purse
Do not ever, and I mean ever, leave your house without a snack, several toys (one Monster Truck is a must), and some watered down juice of some sort.  My life revolves around snacks and juice now.  Oh yea, and I guess your wallet and cell phone are important too....but don't you forget that snack!  Take my eyes but not my 2 year old's goldfish!

Wall space is white, thus mus be colored upon
Two year old's can't be trusted with crayons.  Especially mine.  Yea, you get the obligatory coloring on the wall, but we also get the coloring on the gate in front of our house.  How he managed to get out of the house with that one is beyond me.  Then again, I probably figured that tearing it away from him was more trouble than scrubbing it off the gate.

Your light beige chair you loved so much

Rewind to Summer of 2009. A young couple walks (on waddles due to her 7 month pregnant belly) into a furniture store in Houston, Tx.  They decide on a couch set and a nice looking, but comfortable, reclining chair.  The waddler likes this chair because it doesn't look like it would recline.  The walker likes it because he's envisioning watching LSU games and playing Death War 2 or whatever the thing is that he plays on his Xbox.

The couple insist on a dark colored couch set, but somehow think the chair can be any color they choose.  Why would anything happen to this chair?  Not with this $50 extra we're paying for the "no stain" spray that the company will put on it!

Cut to March 2012.  Who knows what's on this chair now.  Juice, Pee, wouldn't surprise me if someone puked on it once or twice.  Was the $50 worth it?  I'll let the picture be the judge of that...

Food consumption.  Often lack thereof 
And then there is eating.  I'm all for my roommate eating, since there is a mini panic that sets in every mother's chest when you realize he hasn't eaten anything all day long. So, in the times when he will actually eat you do a mini dance of joy and happily remove food from your plate to give to him.  Here he is playing sly after he decided to spit out a large wad of chewed up Cinnamon Toast (which he says toast just like me, the way Seth makes fun of, which makes me a little happy on the inside).

So, life has changed to obsessing over what he has eaten, and continuing to eat while there is a gigantic wad of half eaten bread on my plate.  

All good times, and just some ways our lives have changed.  For the best.  Because 1/4 juice 3/4 water concoctions, Goldfish obsessing, Where God? Where is that Monster Truck?!! mini panics and sleeping with your husband, your 2 year old, and his entourage of a monkey, a "biii truck" (big truck) and whatever else is his favorite are now the best times of my life.

Egyptian Lemon Juice

Egyptian Lemon Juice is amazing.  I crave it on a daily basis.  Also- it's something that's seasonal.  Pssh! Who ever heard of this only eating fruits and vegetables when they're actually in season?! Madness!  So since it's seasonal I get it while the gettin is good, and oh man is this stuff good.

I tend to use this pic a lot.  I still swear the kid loves this stuff.

Lemon Juice on a ridiculously hot day at the Khan el Khalili Souk.

I'd see Lemon Juice on menus when we first came here.  I can not describe my love for all things citrus, so when I saw that I got excited.  However, I had visions of getting a full glass of pure lemon juice and then not knowing what to do about that.  I love a lemon, but not a pure lemon.  I was so happy when a friend of mine ordered it one time and I see this glorious concoction before me.  Lovely lemon aid style lemon juice, but with a total kick. Like a little zip to it.  Where is this flavor coming from?  The peel- it comes from using the peel along with the lemon.

We order it with mint- makes it off the charts amazing.

So now you can enjoy it at home.  You'll love it.

Moving to Egypt?

Night view of Cairo.  Looks so much cleaner at night...

Before we moved here I spent countless hours researching, planning and reading anything I could get my hands on about expat living in Cairo.  I'd go here a lot.  Having real life experiences was a big asset to me.  I was so glad I found that website.

I also read a lot of books. A lot of information was helpful, but a lot of it was totally out of date. One example being a book I read saying that you couldn't find Diet Coke anywhere.  Totally false.  Coke products are everywhere, even Coke Zero.  I'm sure that when they wrote that (sorry, name of book and publication date's name have escaped my memory)it was true.  Not anymore.

A ton of great information was to be found, so I figured I'd write something too in case this is ever found by someone searching the internet looking for any type of information about packing up and moving to the Middle East.  Just in case your husband comes home and says "You want to move to Egypt?" then you have a good laugh together, he says no, then you figure what the hell and go for it.

So, if the random ramblings are found by someone trying to figure out exactly what they'll be doing in Egypt, here you go. I wrote two blogs about living here already like here and here. They may also help.

These were my concerns or what I was curious about*...

Is it safe?
That's a tricky question.  Do I feel like I can walk out my house with my son and take him to the playground? Totally, without a doubt.  Do I feel like I can walk around Mt Sinai anymore?  Nope.  And honestly, if I didn't have a 2 year old in tow I wouldn't hesitate to go there.  So, that's why it's a tricky question.

Post Revolution Egypt is, from what I've been told, less safe than it was before.  This is true because police are pretty scarce and are not feared like they once were. However, I see police all the time.  There are at least two or three sitting outside on my street corner everyday.  We also live in Maadi, so that's a huge reason (affluent area, a lot of expats, a lot of oil company HQ's, home of many Ambassadors) why they're very present.

So, it's a tricky question.  Yes, I feel safe.  If I didn't feel safe  I wouldn't live here with my 2 year old.  Like any enormous city there are dangerous aspects to it, but I do not go looking for trouble.  I play it safe.  Just like you would if you lived in New York or London or anywhere else in the world.  There have been reports (2 reports that have been told to me) of taxi drivers mugging and trying (thankfully, not successfully) to sexually assault women, so now I use an extremely trustworthy driving service.

It got heavy there for a minute, so I figured I'd put a pic of me and the kid for  a change of pace.

What about grocery stores?
There are four grocery stores within walking distance to our apartment. One, that isn't in walking distance, is on the Nile. That's kinda cool. I can get my laundry detergent 12 feet from the Nile.

Typical produce for sale at Kimo Market in Maadi.

Deli section.  You can get a ton of brie here, just know that.  

Like grocery stores in the US, some are great and you like them and some suck but you go to them because they're convenient.  On a typical once a week grocery haul I have to go to two stores.  One because it will typically carry the diapers I like (see below), and I can get most of my list there.  The other one is for  produce.

Can I get diapers?
Yes, diapers are very easy to get.  The three brands I've used here are Pampers, Molfix and Baby Joy.  The Pampers here are not like the ones in the US.  Pampers and Molfix aren't good at all.  They're the most expensive brand and for whatever reason always give Benjamin a diaper rash.  Two of my other fellow expat mom's have said the same.  Baby Joy is inexpensive and awesome.  I highly recommend that brand.

Is Milk available?
Yes, fresh milk is very available. I get Dina Farms brand because you can see through the bottle.  So many times I opened the Labatina brand milk (it does not have a clear bottle) to clumpy, disgusting curtled milk. If shelf stable milk is okay with you they have that as well.  Shelf stable milk freaks me out, so I don't get it (in the US and here in Egypt).

Juice?
Welcome to Egypt, the land of juice!  There are tons of fresh juices available that are extremely delicious.  Like Egyptian Lemon Juice (that recipe isn't too accurate because what makes it good is they add the lemon peel to the juice too). It's amazing and one of my most favorite things here.

Don't be fooled by the face.  He loves this stuff.

Freshly squeezed juice is always available. I'm talking fresh mango, fresh pineapple, fresh orange juice, fresh watermelon- if it's in season they'll have a juice. No high fructose corn syrup for us.We get freshly squeezed orange juice every week. We're super spoiled with that. There are also tons of packaged selections in the grocery stores.  Everything from apple to red grape to pineapple.  Juice boxes are everywhere too.  One thing that's different here than in the US is they sell them individually.  Nice because you can get a variety.  Annoying because then you have a lot of loose juice boxes to deal with.

What's tv like over there?
Out of 400 channels there are about 6 or so ones in English.  We get BBC News, Euro News and CNN. However, CNN has just vanished and I have no idea where it went.  For local news we check out Aljazeera in English.
Movies on tv are plenty and typically pretty good stuff.  Then again, I have seen Step Up and The Way She Move like 100xs- the things we will watch for just a little bit of English and American culture.

You can get a paid network called OSN for (I think) $50/month.  We have to move apartments this month and may end up getting it.

Meat?
Do not buy local beef.  It's disgusting!  One of the first meals I made here was spaghetti.  It was something that  I knew I could get (because there is pasta all over the grocery stores, tons and tons of different sizes, etc) and spaghetti sauce in brands I knew (and you'll pay a good bit for as well...now I make it from scratch) and saw that ground beef wasn't at all expensive.  We ate our first bit of spaghetti and something was way off. It was gritty and had a nasty fat coating.  It took me several more tries to realized that local beef was nasty.
So now we get beef from Gourmet Egypt. You order it online and it is delivered to your home.  Simple.
Local chicken is fine.  They sell it just like at home.
You can also get turkey.  It's fine too.
Pork is available, but it's going to cost you.  Unless you're here for the US Gov and can go to the Commissary. If you have Commissary privileges just know that you need to share the wealth and slip your buds a bacon or a bottle of wine from time to time.  It's just the nice thing to do for us less fortunate oil people.

Please US Govnt workers...can I have some more?

Alcohol?
Warning: Local Egyptian wine is on average really rank.  It's very hit or miss.
If you're going to get Commissary privileges then you have nothing to fear.  And just remember that thing I said about helping the less fortunate out...

If you're a regular Joe then you have to either stick to the local stuff and pretend it's good (it is not good) or stalk anyone who has returned to Egypt from an out of the country trip.  You have two days to take them to the Duty Free shop and get your 3 bottles (4 at the airport) of whatever you like.  If you have family coming in then you have hit pay dirt.  There was no shame in our game when we asked if Benjamin's passport counted and we could get 3 more bottles.  They said no, he was too young.  I wanted to point out the 7 year old driving the car and smoking outside, but figured I'd leave it.

You know how if you go to a friends house for dinner you typically pick up a bottle of something to bring? Yea, doing that here is a huge commitment.  You have to really like those people.  Because parting with your hooch is difficult to do.  A friend of mine said how they brought a bottle over to a dinner party and the hosts didn't serve them the wine they brought, so she sneaked it out the house when they left.  Normally that would be really rude, but I can't say I blame her. I would of been right there sneaking my wine under my coat.  And if I have to burn a buddy bridge for some wine then so be it.

If you're a beer drinker then you have three brands to choose.  All three are local, but not that bad.  I like them okay.

Will we make friends?
Absolutely!  However, you're going to have to step out of your comfort zone and introduce yourself to people.  I joined a Mommy and Me class our first week here to meet other moms, find out what they do with their little critters and get contact information. I got the name of a lady who ran the local playgroup and off I went. I was meeting a friend and she received a text from someone she didn't know saying she was a fellow Aussie and wondered if they could have coffee sometime.  We all agreed that if that happened to us back home we would think them a stalker, but here it's totally normal to do stuff like that.

At a friend's Halloween Party

Yaaaar! A Pirate, his monkey hiding in the bush looking for treasure.

Halloween party at his nursery school.  The pirate thing had been done, so we went with Drew Brees.

Dying Easter Eggs with new friends

There are other organizations where you can meet other expats too.  Visit the CSA (go to their New to Egypt class- you will not regret it), the BCA and Ace Club. I'm also friends with some women I met in my spinning and Pilates classes.  I met them at Body Fit Cairo.

Also, the expat community in Cairo is wonderful.  The majority of the people I have met have been completely helpful and generous with their advice and time.


And here are some discoveries that I've found...

Getting around town with a stroller is hell, but you just have to do it.  If you're staying at home with your little guys then you'll need to be mobile with them.  You'll soon discover that people here walk on the roads for a reason.  They walk on the roads because 9 times out of 10 there is something wrong with the sidewalk.  They're finished but then the tiles come up, so you have a gaping hole in the middle of your path.  They have street lights smack in the middle of the sidewalk, so you can't get around them.  Getting off and on the sidewalks takes all your upper body strength because the sidewalks are at least 2 feet from the street.  It's a total pain in the ass to get around.  A necessary pain in the ass thought. So, get a jogging stroller.  The best quality and needs to be the easiest to fix if it breaks.  You will not regret it.

Tea is king in Cairo.  However there are a ton of coffee shops that offer latte's and all the delicious foamy goodness you've come to love.  I didn't try to see if they had a Tall Non Fat Moca Peppermint latte.  One pump Peppermint, Easy on the Moca because who knows what I would of been served.

Sweets are everywhere and they're delicious.  Egyptians have a big sweet tooth, so you don't hurt for delicious baked goodies.  Ramadan sweets are the best.

If you recognize the brand it's likely it's going to cost you.  There are the exceptions to this like Coke and Heintz products.  But, just as an example: Ragu Spaghetti Sauce is like $6.00 here, Lucky Charms is $7.00 and Oscar Meyer sliced bacon was $20.00.

If you find something in the grocery stores that you just love then buy a lot of it. Something I've found is that just as you have grown to love it it's gone.  Stores can be totally inconsistant with what they have in stock.  They're going to have the usuals (bread, butter, milk), but not always the brand you like or in the amounts you need.  There is this drinkable yogurt here that Benjamin just loves.  For whatever reason it was nowhere to be found during Ramadan.  An entire month of having a crying toddler shouting "Go-gie!  Go-gie Mok!" (Yogurt Milk) was the worst. One weakness I have is for gummy things.  The more sour the better.  There is one brand of lovely gummy sour goodnss that can't be found anywhere anymore.  Since Ocotober, poof, gone.  If I see it again I'm buying 20 bags.

If you stand out in any way (me: 5 ft 10 inches, pale pale pale, and blonde.  Or "blonde" wink) then people are going to want to take a picture of you.  There probably going to want to take a picture of your kids too.  This will happen a lot when you go to the Pyramids or other touristy places.  You can tell them no.  I usually don't mind.  Unless I get a creepy vibe from them.  It's mainly couples or groups of girls anyway.

Having a maid/nanny/housekeeper is the most wonderful and amazing thing in the world.  We have been lucky to have 2 (one left to go back to Ethiopia) of the best women work for us.  Sara, our current maid/nanny/housekeeper, is amazing.  I have written about her several times in here.



If I could re-move here i'd bring...

Our bed.  Don't get me started on one of the dumbest things I've ever done and said "nah we don't need our lovely pillow top American style bed.  We will be fine without it."  You won't. Bring your bed.  If you bring it and don't want it call me. I'll buy it from you.

Benjamin's infant stuff.  When we moved we had a crazed 18 month old that woke up at 5am every morning. Having a second baby was the last thing on my mind.  Now we have a somewhat calm 2 year old and baby noise has started up again.  And all I can think of are his wonderful baby things stuck in some warehouse in Houston...and how we're going to have to beg to borrow things from our friends OR buy them at 30000% mark up.  Luckily Seth's company is awesome enough to send it for us.  Hopefully it makes it here by next month.

A lot of diapers.  Why I didn't buy the farm on diapers and have the movers send them is beyond me.  Live and learn.

Beach stuff!  You're only one hour away from the Gulf of Suez in Ain Soukna and five hours away from El Gouna.  Both great beaches.  Bring your totes, mini ice chests, sand toys and swim suits.

Bday and Christmas gifts for the following year.  Especially if they are large ones.

Think about the next time you'll be going back to your home base.  If it's two seasons from now (and you have little kids who will outgrow their clothes) then bite the bullet and get the mother load of the next size in clothes.  There is a Gap here- I haven't been to it- but if it's anything like the one in Dubai you're going to pay big time for the clothes there.  I kinda suspect that it's that way, hence why I haven't made the trip over to Mall of Arabia to check it out.

Favorite snacks you need? Protein Powder/Gatoraid/Cliff Bars (my husband cycles, can you tell?)  Get yourself to Costco and load up.  Don't pack them, have them sent with your other things.


Other blogs about living here...
Go with the Flow





*these are things that worried me before we moved here in April 2011.  Your concerns/questions may be different.  If your curious about anything you can email me or contact some of the other links I have on here.

Sarah Golden

I can cook.  Kinda.  I have an expensive degree that says I should be able to put a meal or two together, but on the whole I'm not that great.  I fully understand I'm not talented.

However,

I know a lot of talented people.  I have a friend who is an amazing painter, I have a friend who actually cooks really well and can serve you her food in dishes she made herself AND I have the most talented friend (who is also my cousin) who is an amazing singer/songwriter.

She's going to be on Season 2 of The Voice.  For obvious reasons (just check out where I'm located if you're lost on that one) I haven't been able to watch the first two episodes of the show.  Good news for you is that you haven't missed her!  She hasn't auditioned (is it an audition by this point?) yet.  I don't think she can say how far she got.  Probably one of those Bachelor type contracts where you can't say what happens, and if you do you owe them your kidneys.

So, ladies and gentleman, I give to you Sarah Golden.  Whose diaper I once changed, so Sarah remember the little people when you and CeLo go out for sandwiches...

 

and I think I put the same video twice.  And I can't delete it.  Awesome

El Mono

The main reason why I started this blog was to keep a journal of our time in Egypt and to add things from our everyday life.  One because it's a great way to keep connected with family and friends, and two because I'll forget about 99% of the things I've written (or will write) about.  Plus, having a spell check is awesome.  I don't want to look back in 20 years and be embarrassed that I would of put spell check as spellcheck.  Which I originally did.  I'll admit it.

So, on to talking about monkeys. This one in particular is about 7 inches long, has light brown fur and smells like Gain, baby lotion and, sometimes, pee.

El Mono was purchased in a frenzy by my mom who had taken on the responsibility of watching Benjamin at the mall while I tried to grab stuff at Gymboree on sale.  Gym Bucks!  He, being the child that requires constant movement and excitement all hours of the day, wasn't too pleased that she had stopped in The Gap to pick something up.  She saw him eye that monkey and knew it was love at first sight.

Mono is actually from a British company called Jelly Cat.  They make great stuff animals that are a great size for toddlers.

Mono is really a Brit.  Pip pip old boy.  Bob's your Uncle.  Spot on.  Tea and vit-ah-mins.

There she saw El Mono and tossed it at Benjamin in hopes he would chill out.  He did (which is a miracle) and a strong buddy-ship was created.

Seth and I started to call this new monkey El Mono because of a gift one of our friends gave Benny for his 1st Birthday.  My First Words En Espanol....or My First Words in Spanish for all you non bilingual types.

Our baby's baby's name didn't come from Top 100 Baby Names of 2009.  

El Mono literally means The Monkey.  We thought it would be cute since we were living in Houston at the time and mono is really easy for a 16 month old to say.

5am.  Mok, Mono and blanket time.

Cheers with Dad.  Mono likes formality. 

Mono is one continental kind of guy.  He has crossed the Atlantic twice, lived in Cairo for almost a year, seen the Giza Pyramids, been to the Red Sea, traveled to Dubai, and thrown around the dreaded Charles De Gaulle airport.

A trip through the desert just isn't right without Mono there.

Going to Dinner at our resort in Ain Soukna.  Mono just loves a  buffet.  

El Mono started to be attached to Benny at all times shortly after we moved from Houston.  And thus began our constant asking "Where is M-O-N-O?" when we're about to put him down for a nap or bedtime.  And thus began the constant fear that M-O-N-O was nowhere to be found.  Sometimes Mono is under the couch and sometimes Mono is found in our silver drawer.  I guess he wanted to polish our stainless?  Mono always turns up despite all of our mini panic attacks at not being able to find him.

Except for this past Monday....

Benjamin started going back to daycare (aka "nursery") this week.  I decided to get him before his class ate lunch this week for several reasons.  One because he really doesn't seem to eat very well while he's there (too many distractions), two due to his not eating very well he's a total low blood sugar grouch supreme when I bring him home and three, the most honest reason, I was going to miss him!

We began the whole process of getting breakfast cooked (cinnamon toast), milk poured, diaper changed, me into some kind of workout gear (spinning bike how I've missed you...lots of stuff to burn off), Benjamin into layers because it's cold in Cairo, post breakfast snack packed (PB sandwich, no crust, cut into fours, strawberries, juice box), a change of clothes handy, and into the car.  I've arranged for a driver to come pick us up at home which has been really great.  No more trying to get a cab at a busy intersection all the annoyances that come from that!  Plus, it's just safer and gives me peace of mind.

Last but not least is finding Mono.  He's safely tucked away under a couch cushion.

Okay, spot check.  Everything in it's place.  Mono's tail in Benjamin's hand.

Benjamin starts to cry the minute he sees where we're going.  Poor guy has been with mom and dad 24/7 (except for the lovely mini vacation we took in NOLA...thanks mom!), and has been pleased as punch to keep it that way.  Sorry pal, if mom has to get back on a dreaded spin bike you have to enjoy some playtime and learning with your peers.

I do my thing, shower and then get a cab to pick him up.  Only doing the driver in the mornings because I plan to walk to pick him up...just not right after spinning this week.

I do the usual spot check of all his things while Benjamin is in my arms and NOT letting go.  He had a good day, but seeing mom come back must be all that awesome.  Plus, who didn't love getting out of school early?  Lunchbox, check.  Backpack, check.  Artwork, check.  Kid, check.  Mono, check.  And home we go.

Getting out of the cab involves getting Benny, all the things mentioned above, his stroller and avoiding the kids across the street that always want to come into our house and destroy it.  I was distracted, so I didn't do my usual Where is Mono spot check.

Lunchtime, watch a little Megamind, and then off to nap.

Where's Mono?
 Search the usual spots.
Nowhere to be find.
Search the sometimes spots.
No Mono.
Hot flash of panic sets in.

A quick mention about how Benjamin won't go to sleep if he doesn't have Mono.  He won't calm down without Mono.  Plus, in a way- okay a big way, Mono is kinda like my comfort object too.  He was purchased when Benny was still a baby, my Mom got him for Benny and anything my toddler loves (short of trying to pet stray cats) means a lot to me.  His "woobie" is my "woobie".

So, you can see why the hot flash began to set in...

I then retrace my steps and think of all the times I saw Mono with Benny in the past hour.  My last mental picture of Mono is Benny holding him and getting into the cab.  It stops there.  I then recall what a pain it was to exit the cab, make sure we had our things, make sure we had our stroller, hold his hand while managing to carry stroller, etc...

and then I imagined Mono in the back of that cab headed who knows where.

Panic set in full mode.

Luckily Sara was here, so I was able to have her watch Benny as I went out to retrace our steps.  Full on Find Mono Mode.  I had tunnel vision to the 10th degree.

I have two spots where I find cabs.  One is by the CSA where there are the two usual guys parked there.  They're friendly and if I say "Bank, Metro, Bee-bee" they know I need to go to the ATM, to the grocery store then to pick up Benny.   The second spot is one that I tried for the first time that day.  It's also close to our house, but new/less they know me cab drivers.  I speed walk up to the spot where I got the cab.  Luckily one of the cab drivers there spoke perfect English, and I was able to tell him that I left Mono in another cab drivers car.

"What's his name?"-other cab driver
"Uh...it was difficult to pronounce.  Like Tajjjjaaahhhaaa or something like that"
(It was possibly the most difficult to pronounce Egyptian name I've ever heard)
Other cab driver stares at me blankly
I describe what he looked like
Other cab driver knows who I'm talking about and calls the guy
No answer
I'm starting to tear up
I ask other cab driver to keep an eye out for him and explain about Mono.
I begin the short walk home that ends up being very long due to me trying to fight back tears.

I ask Sara (who speaks perfect Arabic) to ask our Bawab (doorman/errand runner/car washer) to go see the cab drivers a couple times that day to see if there have been any developments in the Case of the Lost Mono aka Mom Forgot to Spot Check.  She goes to talk to him while I take a deep breath and try to take on nap time sans Mono.

In my mind I see poor Mono in the back of a cab and some stranger picking it up.  They have a mustache and they're laughing maniacally about how we left a monkey in a cab.  How they'll be rich, rich I say!  when they send us a ransom note. Meanwhile we're up all night with a crying toddler who's missing his best friend.  I then call Seth and explain the situation while mixing in a huge sob between words.  I was a wreck.

Benjamin and I go to my room to lie down.  I was hoping beyond hope that he would drift right off to sleep and the door would knock and Taaaajjjjaaahhhhaa would have Mono.  Benjamin actually closed his eyes...could it be?...could he be going to sleep without Mono?! Then he looks up at me, smiles, and says "Mono.  Wan Mono."  Yikes!

What to do?  I pat his back, give him Giraffe, pray

Then I hear Sara "Ms Kristen?"
I jump out of bed and saying prayers that some miracle has happened.  Then I see the brown fuzz that's been so loved that's it's in mini-dreads, the smiling face and the little tail that's so easy to clutch when you have 2 year old sized hands.  I breathe the biggest sigh of relief I've ever had in my life.  Forget getting an extension on that paper I forgot about, forget finding $20.00 in change to deposit so I don't get over drafted, forget all that. Mono was safe at home!

Benjamin, not being the wiser that we almost lost Mono, grabbed him and held him tight.  He then laid down and went to sleep in 5 minutes.

So, where was Mono?  Did Taaajjjaaaaahhhhaaa come through and deliver him?

No.

Mono was chucked by his owner under the stairs and was hiding under a stroller we never use.  He was in a new hiding place.

Apparently Benny had Mono in his hands all during the exit the cab fiasco.  I should know better than think Benny would of left him in the cab!  I underestimated the powers of buddy-dom.  Or the codependency that my 2 year old has on his furry pal.  Not like I was the one reduced to heavy sobs at the mere picture of a lost monkey.  When Sara went to ask the Bawab to do us the whole ask the cab drivers about Mono thing he told her that Benny had "the monkey" in his hands the whole time.  Sara, who wasn't the blubbering mess that I was, found him.  Have I mentioned how much we love Sara?

Even as I type this Mono is right by his owner. Just hanging out and happy to be useful.

Cold Winter in Egypt?

It's cold in Cairo!  Not like the people who aren't accustomed to cold weather so they think it's cold cold, but actually cold.  I had no idea it would be cold here!

If I knew how I'd put the 10 day forecast right here, but I have no idea how to do that as my internet skills are terrible.  However, just know that the low tonight is 43.  To top all that off is the fact that homes in Cairo aren't built to retain heat.  They're actually built to push it out.  Last night Seth and I were catching up on our shows and we both looked like Nanook of the North. Even with our heater on we were freezing cold. Good thing I bought the entire fleece footie pajamas collection at Carter's for Benjamin (it was buy one get one free!).

That's us.  That's what we look like.

Also, when the wind hits you it's pretty jarring.  I've heard that's the desert wind.

I will say that's it's awesome to have actual consistent weather.  Everyday highs in the low 60's and lows in the 40's.  Every single day.  I'm loving that!  Not like when we were back home and it would jump from 70 to 80 to 60 to maybe 40.  Sadly it was not a cold Christmas in Louisiana this year.

So I'm glad that I figured what the hell and brought every single piece of clothing we own.  We're good on coats and layers. Which is nice.  Because we need them to stay warm indoors.

First visit back home

We survived!  50 hours of travel, 6 flights, at least 2500 miles on I10 and countless calories consumed.

Our first trip home as expats was amazing.  We had a great time and enjoyed every last minutes (the evening of January 9th being the one exception).

We arrived in New Orleans after flying from Cairo to Paris, Paris to The Azores, The Azores to Atlanta then Atlanta to New Orleans.  Why the Azores?  It's not like it's a regular stop or anything.  Shortly after we left Charles De Gaulle (aka the worst and most confusing airport ever ever ever) in Paris the captain came on the air and asked if there were any Doctors on the plane.  Several scholarly people went to the front to attend to a medical issue with one of the passengers.  We forgot about the whole thing until the captain came on the air again, and in that serious twang that only airplane captains have, said "Ladies and Gentleman, uhhhh, we're going to have to make a stop off the coast of Portugal due to a medical emergency, uhhhh, so just sit back and we will get you in the air again as soon as possible."  Me flying solo wouldn't of cared.  Me with a 2 year old cared a lot.  Of course you want the best for the medical emergency, but images of a crazed blonde child running up and down the aisle flashed into my head.  Luckily Benjamin was the perfect child during our 2 hour delay in the Azors and then went right to sleep and stayed that way all the way to Atlanta.  

I Googled the Azors.  Good thing we didn't get off the plane to see this ugly place. Eeeew...beautiful flowers and scenery.

We had to seriously book it in Atlanta.  We had 30 minutes to get off the plane, go through customs, change a poop diaper, go through security, go through security again (cause Seth looks suspicious.  I blame the beard), get on the train, go from I to B on the train, go from B1 to B15 and board the plane to New Orleans.  And we did it!  All while cursing (quietly so the 2 year old didn't hear) and calling my mom telling her we will probably have to sleep in Atlanta and get on the next flight.  This scene and song was in my head the whole time.  

There is nothing like stepping into your parent's house after you haven't been there in a long time.  Especially at Christmas. The smells and memories and warmth hit you all at once, and for a little minute you're a kid again.  I immediately did what I always do- look in the refrigerator for goodies.  I wasn't hungry, but who can resist delicious mom-cooked food and goodies at 3am?  This ended up being a common thing with me during our entire visit, and by the end of the trip i was sporting anything with an elastic waist due to that.  I opened the fridge and there I saw....

and

and all was well in the world.

We relaxed the next day because Mimi, Pop and Nanny were coming and we had to go to NOLA airport again to pick up Kellie, Hayes and  Nolan.  Busy and awesome day!

We picked up Kellie and Co then went directly to visit Granny Mac.  I wrote about my Granny in another blog because my mom and I had just talked about how she wasn't doing very well.  She didn't have much time left.  It's because of that reason that Seth and I left a week earlier than originally planned.  I'm so happy to report that our visit with Granny was awesome.  We walked into her house to see a pot of seafood gumbo on the stove and all the party food I wrote about in that blog entry.  My awesome Aunt Patricia made sure that we had it because she wanted it to "be like old times" one more time.  Granny wasn't well, but she was still her usual sassy self.  She teased and laughed and asked us a lot of questions.  I got to say goodbye to her, which is something I'll always treasure.  My last memory of her alive is one of happiness and laughter.  Two days after our visit Granny fell into a coma.  She past away before Christmas Eve.

Normally we would of canceled our trip to Houston due to Granny's condition, but we couldn't miss Benjamin's Nephrology appointment at Texas Children's Hospital.  He got the all clear and everything looks good!  We will return next year, and however many once a year trips after that, but all is well in kidney land.  Visiting Houston was awesome.  We stayed with Benjamin's Parrin O and Allison (who is due in May!) and got to visit with most of our good friends.  I got to visit the new location of the Houston Food Bank and see the paver we bought for Benjamin.  It was great to see all my old buddies.  I also went to the Keegan building (my old office) for a potluck lunch.  I miss all of them a lot, so it was great to see everyone.

the not filled in part of the R had me worried, but i'm happy to report it's filled in now and easy to read

After Houston was all about Christmas Eve celebrations in Lafayette and Scott.  Going to Mass at St Peter and Paul was eventful.  Two year old's don't enjoy being pent up for two hours, so he took to playing with two older girls (older as in 4 and 5) who one whispered to me "He's cute but he's a copy cat."  Benjamin then came up to me and whispered "Shushubsheshubbb."  After Mass we headed to the Sonnier family get together where I ate tons of rice dressing.  I'm sure there was more options, but after my twelfth plate of rice dressing everything is a blur.

Christmas Day was in Baton Rouge at my parent's house.  We had a full house with my trio, my brother's family, my parents and my Uncle Tim, Aunt Patricia, Little Timmy and his wife Heidi (due in July!).  It was a great visit.  We ate and then spent the rest of the day and into the evening talking about Granny and telling stories about her life.  It was like our own private wake.  It was really special to have that time with them.

Granny's funeral was December 28th.  It was a beautiful day, the kind of day where she liked to sit outside and enjoy her backyard.  She lived an amazing life and past away at home with her three son's and two daughter in law's at her side. Hopefully we can all be so lucky to have a life filled with laughter, the perfect Bloody Mary, leopard print anything and wonderful family and friends.  My little Granny will be missed, but honestly Heaven just got better because there is one more sassy New Orleans lady to play Bridge and make legit seafood gumbo for everyone.

We were back in Lafayette for New Year's Eve.  Will (aka Pop) and Charleen (aka Mimi) treated us to dinner at Charlie G's. 

Another highlight of the trip was Seth and I's mini vacation within a vacation.  We stayed the night in New Orleans sans 2 year old.  We drove in time for lunch and ate at La Petite Grocery on Magazine.  Holy Cats is that place delicious!  It's amazing!  After our lunch and a walk around Magazine we checked into our hotel.  We stayed at Soniat House on Charters Street.  We then did a min pub crawl to different bars in New Orleans.  We stopped in Boondock Saints, Laffite's Blacksmith House and a Evangeline's (which was by far my favorite). 

We took a quick visit to Mississippi to visit our two furry children.  Brew and Hops are living the good life of bottled water, fancy pet food and daily walks outside.  Benjamin was happy to see them.  Hops was happy to see Benjamin.  Brew, as always, was indifferent.

Then January 9th....that ill fated day.  I can't put into words what happened, but I think this picture best represents our feelings 

There were times when I would get sad and feel like we miss out on so much.  That Benjamin misses out on seeing his Grandparent's, Aunts/Uncles and Cousins and they miss out on seeing him.  I then realized that we were home for Christmas, and it's not like you can live like that all year round.  You don't always have parties to go to or family dinners to attend.  People are not normally off weeks at a time just because.  After awhile we all have to return to our normally scheduled programs and get back to it.

For me getting back to it is getting back to spinning and pilates.  I ate my weight in ham, crawfish, crab, pumpkin pie, ice cream, rice dressing, fish covered in a cream based sauce, bread pudding, beer, red wine, spaghetti, cheeseburgers and fries.

See you all in December.  Happy 2012- I have a feeling it's going to be an amazing year!