Where have I been? If you only knew....

I honestly had a lot of little things going on and just couldn't find the time to write this post. SubhanAllah....can you believe that I spent all day Weds outside the house, all day Thursday, part of Thursday night and a half of Friday!! (which is today here in Egypt!) I've been busy! And so completely tired, that I'm literally falling on to the floor at night in exhaustion. Even my spelling has been affected to the point where I can barely converse in IM without a hundred spelling mistakes....which TOTALLY gets me in a foul mood!

So lets go back a couple of days, and I'll tell u what went on....

WEDS

I went to Carrefours and took my darling 9 yr old with me. We had a nice long drive in the car...talking and talking....(she did most of it!) I had this islamic tape with me called "Haqq al Zowg" and listened to it for awhile. (The husband's rights) And eventually, we made it there at 9:30 am. Now here's the funny thing...we get there and the entrance is thru the food court, cuz they are doing construction adding 40 new stores, (including a STARBUCKS! SHOOT ME NOW!!) so we have to walk thru the long strip of the mall, cuz Carrefours is on the other end. As we start to walk the strip part, a security guard stops us and tells us the mall is closed until 10 am. Ummm, okay, I say....so we can't even WALK in the mall and look in windows? Nope. "Itfadallee, a'oodee" (please sit somewhere) SHEESH! So we sat down what seemed forever.....no one to talk to, no one to text cuz it's about 2:30 am in other parts of the world....B O R I N G!

So I just sit and veg....and come 10 am come out of my self imposed stupor and we make our way down the strip. Get to Carrefours, with the buggy and the faulty microwave in it and proceed to try and exchange / return it. The lady asks me whats going on...so here's what I say..."I got this microwave home and it's not working, so I'd like to exchange it, I don't think I will take the same microwave, I will get a better one." So she makes a phone call, which confuses me. "Why are you calling someone? Do you not process this yourself?" To which she explains that because it's not working, they will get someone to come and test it. Okay, I say. But what does that have to do with me? Let's say it works perfectly...and I don't want it....I just want my money and will get another one....is that okay as well? Yes it is, she says. So I say....so while you figure out just which reason I'm returning it for, I have to stand here and wait while you check? I came from far, and just want to get my new microwave and am not willing to stand here and waste my time! (I know I wasn't so nice.....but I found this ridiculous! I've got small kids!) So she told me that it was routine and that she'd process things while I was shopping.

So that's what I did....

Here's something just short of amazing.....it's that originally when I was there, I saw this stainless steel microwave that I really wanted. It was $100 LE more than the one I bought. But I was leaning towards that one, cuz when I move to the villa, I plan on buying stainless steel appliances...so I was thinking that the microwave would fit right in. As well...the Stainless microwave is made by a good company, whose main warehouse just happens to be in my city. So repairs and things would be pronto, u know? So alhamdulillah, when I went back, I bought that one. Naseeb, my friends, naseeb. It's working wonderfully, and we are enjoying it. Alhamdulillah. I took my daughter out for lunch....we went to McDonalds...although there was a Hardee's and u know how much I love Hardees. I had a big mac, and wasn't impressed and promised myself not to eat it again. LOL!! Now here's my second ornery moment of the day. When we are leaving Carrefours I want to buy 2 milkshakes and a chocolate sundae. So we make the order, and the manager hurredly makes the sundae. But MAN! Did he ever THROW it together. It looked like a blob of ice cream floating in an ocean of chocolate sauce. When I went to hand it to my 3 yr old, she refused and pointed at the perfect sundae in the picture. I was PO'd. Not at my daughter, because honestly? I didn't blame her.....it looked so unappetizing. So I told the manager....I don't want this...I want a sundae. He says to me...it is a sundae. So I point at the picture and say to him...is this the same as that? He says, yes it is. Really? I question him. So I tell him...look....and try to hand it to my daughter, who shakes her head and points at the picture. So I say to him, it seems that her and I see something that you don't. So he says to me.....the quality is the same. SHEESH! And he refused to make me another one. GRRRRR!!! CURSE YOU AQUA SCUM!!! Darn! So my two girls walk out with the milkshakes while I walk out with the sad looking excuse for a chocolate sundae that I paid $5 LE for. YUCK!

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THURS

I spent this entire day, driving around my city looking for some clothes for my apparel challenged 14 yr old. I have some rules....COVER UR BUM! NO NECK! NOT TIGHT! and afterwards anything else is up for discussion. She really pleased me and bought this cute skirt and jacket in stretch corduroy....very good looking. I also bought her a black abaya, the crossover kind, so that she can wear it to the prayer. She must have tried on 1,000 pair of jeans that day...but we didn't find the perfect pair. (is there such a thing?) So we got the important stuff, including some tights for my 3 yr old...extra socks for the 9 yr old...and a little bit of groceries. Oh ya....my 14 yr old also pressured me into taking her out for KFC....citing the "I have a BAD craving for it". I relented, thinking that soon enough, their father will prolly be here....and I won't have much time for one on one with them. KIDS! So after the whole day out...I go home and make dinner....pot roast, mashed potatoes and boiled brussel sprouts. YUM! We eat dinner, and then I switch kids and take out my 11 yr old!

It's LAMB TIME!! Woohoo! So we get to the place, and wait and wait and wait....OMG...we wait so long. And then finally about 2 hours later...around 6 pm.....we are about to get our lamb. Funny thing is...as we are looking at all the lambs inside this fenced area...the lambs were looking at us, too. Then suddenly, the entire first row of them turn around and give us their butts. ? Did they mean it? Should I be offended? Me and the cannibal laughed about it.

Now, I didn't want a HUGE one...cuz it's with MY money....so I asked them to pick me a medium size lamb, not more than 50 KGS in weight. After them weighing about three of them....I picked one that weighs 45 KGs....it's a short lamb, but fat...I liked it. So the guys hog tie it, and carry it over to my car and put it in my trunk. (thank Allah for the HUGE trunk on a mercedes!) And we proceed to drive to the villa with it. I was praying the entire way....YA Allah! Please let the lamb hold it's bowels until it gets outta the car! YA RAB! CUz I've already had a lamb in my car one year that had a severe case of the runs, which WAS NOT pretty to clean up! We were also laughing a bit of the way, thinking about driving a car with a tied up animal in the trunk...would that be allowed in Canada? Cruelty to animals? I could just see me telling the officer..."Oh, I was just taking it home, cuz I'm gonna slaughter it...." LOL!

We get it to the villa, the gardener comes out and brings it inside....they are surprised at my sheep....not the egyptian kind...LOL!! Masha Allah, the fur is so thick on this one, that your hand just sinks inside. I am going to look up how to preserve a sheep skin....that would be interesting. Usually the butcher takes it as payment. Oh ya....who asked me about butchering it?

(HA, skip this paragraph...cover ur eyes...I'm talking about bloody things)

Here in Egypt, on Eid al Adha....butchers literally walk around from house to house, willing to slaughter and butcher the animals for you. Some people prefer to slaughter it, but have the butcher complete it. You can also make arrangements to have a butcher at your house at a set time. If I wasn't pregnant, I'd like to slaughter my sheep. But because I'm preggers, I'm scared it would kick me or something. LOL! I've slaughtered chickens and cleaned them....and slaughtered pigeeons and ducks. But it's been awhile. Last time my husband was present in Eid al Adha he slaughtered, and jumped back just in time to miss the spray of blood. EWWWW! But u know....it's a form of ibadah to slaughter your dabha, u know? How many of you would be willing to do this? Do you realize the reward that you would take? Just curious.....

(okay...All done HA)

One of the things that I don't like about Eid al Adha is the beggars. SubhanAllah.....because you have to give 2/3's of the meat as sadaqah, beggars walk around the city, looking for people who are slaughtering. Since most ppl slaughter outside their home, in their garage, or on the driveway....it's not hard to find. They wait patiently, until the meat starts getting cut up, and take away a bag of meat for sadaqah. Some beggars come in packs. Like the entire family, and act like they don't know each other so that they can take more. Astaghfirullah. Their kids come back two or three times.....and by the time they finish for the day, they go home with about 50 KGs of meat. More than the weight of my entire lamb. These people (and there are many of them) sour the spirit of Eid...making you look out for theives, rather than feel like you are genuinely giving charity. It's with a cautious eye, that you hand over bags of meat....and instead of your crowd thinning out, it seems to get thicker, as they call to one another to come take. SubhanAllah.

Last Eid, we slaughtered at the villa.....and then took the meat to our home, and divided it up there. This year, I'm thinking to actually divide it up in the villa. I'll bring my knives and the bags and figure things out from the house. By the time I get it home, I still have to re cut things and bag them. So by staying in the villa, I can get the maid to help me and bring things home already packaged and ready. Insha Allah, that's what I'll do. Especially considering that this year, we'll have 1/2 a cow and then the lamb. It's a lot of work.

OMG..haven't I gotten to Friday yet? You sure I just shouldn't stop? I've already typed until my thumb is killing me cuz you know I"m hitting the space bar with it...but OKAY! OKAY....let me go on so I can finish with my few days.....

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FRIDAY

Friday is Farmer's market day. Open from Fajr, all the farmers bring their goods and dickering is abundant. Every person wants to walk away with the best price for things. This Farmer's market is so interesting and amazing....that I'm sure many of you would just want to come and walk around. Most of the farmers spread their wares on the ground on blankets, huge rice bags....u name it. Tons of men in galabiya's, more than tons of women....picking out their food for the week...all fresh and ripe...piles of veggies everywhere, mountains of fruit, fresh made molasses and tahini, ppl selling freshly fried Falafel and fuul.....even young boys walking around with trays full of about 20 glasses of hot tea for the vendors. Masha Allah...its quite a sight. And its so loud! THe vendors yelling, trying to attract customers....dont' be fooled by what they yell....they only want to get u to their area. If you hear someone yelling "PINEAPPLE!! NICE AND SWEET!" I'm 100% sure what you are going to find is canteloupe. Some people yell, "RABBIT! And the molokhia is on ME!!" But they are selling the molokhia, not the rabbit. LOL...it's fun.

So I went and got my groceries.....alhamdulillah. And then I found out that ducks are selling really cheap. How come? I asked. Well, cuz it's Eid of Sacrifice and most ppl want meat right now...so the price of chickens and ducks has gone down. So I make my way over to the duck and chicken sellers and check it out. Yup....really good prices. (all alive, btw....) So good are the prices, that after buying a nice huge duck, I find this woman selling 8 medium size ducks that still need to be fattened up. I dicker with her...and talk her down somewhat in price....and decide to get them. LOL!! So I now have at the villa....chickens on my roof, with my new ducks, a lamb in the storage room soon to be joined by a cow. I'm a farmer!! LOLOLOL!!! And the funny thing is.....it's a house....with a nice sized front lawn...small backyard....LOL! A house, not a farm. But here in Egypt....it's normal. Those little ducks will take about 2 mos to fatten up. But I've done a good thing, insha Allah.

Lets talk prices.....my 1 duck, that's ready to be killed and eaten...cost me $50 LE.....those 8 ducks cost me $120 LE. After two months...they'll be worth at least $50 LE each, depending on their weight, maybe worth more. So basically, its an investment. They get fed good food and when it comes time to slaughter them, u feel good about it. You've raised them. Alhamdulillah.

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So that's it.....Friday is still happening here...we aren't quite finished yet, with only half of it gone. So here's the plan.....come time for me to have the muslimah night....I'm serving DUCK! WOOHOO! Or better yet, you guys can all come when I have the aqiqah for the baby....what do you think?

(no word on hubby's tickets...he told my oldest he's on a waiting list....we'll see!)