Snow in Egypt... What?

I am surprise that I have to say this,  is absolutely freezing in Egypt!! If you do not believe me last Friday it snowed!!! Yes, you heard me right it snowed in Egypt after more than 100 years. It was that cold. Good thing my habibi came home on Thursday night with a heater! My reaction? I jumped up and down hugging him and saying  thank you more than once. Needles to say people in Egypt are buying heaters like crazy.

I re-tweeted some pictures in my Twitter account so you can go check it out if you are interested. One of the pictures was of a Camel sitting in the snow! I wanted to share this with you. I got this Via @belharesya from Twitter.

He looks kind of relax considering the weather and all. I am happy to say that I already put my Christmas tree!! This year I went with red and silver decorations. Unfortunately the snow mans are suffering from depression thanks to Tuktuk and Halawa. Every day I find a murder scene on the tree! The cats just hide because they know I hate it when they mess with my tree.

 Anyways, among other things I decided to enter a writing contest for expat bloggers. The post I wrote is about the top five things I love about Egypt. I hope that if you enjoy my blog and like what I write, you could spare some time and read my participating post and vote for me. Is very simple and easy. Go to the link below and read the post, at the bottom you will find the instructions on voting.

Top 5 Things I Love About Egypt

Thank you so much for your support I am working on changing a few things on the blog and adding a lot of more content that will be to your liking. Wish me luck!

Simple Egyptian Recipe

My Caribbean blood is fighting the cold weather and asking me for sun and beach! Winter is here and of course my polar bear of a husband is as happy as ever! Seriously we are the perfect match Habibi absorbs heat like crazy, he is always warm while I am always cold. I love to use my oven in winter it serves as a heater for me. So today I have a very simple but delicious recipe. Is nothing fancy and honestly it can be done in less than an hour.

Hawawshi  is literally a meat sandwich. You get some ground beef and some bread a few spices and voila! You have yourself a meal. I like it because is simple and easy. It's full of flavor and there is no mess after to clean up. I am sorry to say I do not have a picture... I kind of eat it before taking the picture. I am sorry! I was so hungry I eat two sandwiches instead of one. Don't judge me please! I make four sandwiches and well both of us ending up eating two, guess it was good. This is the way I make it. You can of course as any recipe adapt it to your tasting. Bare in mind that is suppose to be a little spicy but I do not use anything spicy because I can't eat it but if you like it you can add some chili powder or some hot chili peppers.

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground beef
salt and pepper ( usually I use about 4 teaspoons of salt and 1 of pepper but is up to you)
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 onion finely chopped you can use two if you like onion
2 small green peppers diced
water
4 Egyptian or Libyan bread ( you can use Pita bread)

Directions:

In a bowl season the meat with salt, pepper and Cumin. Mix in the onion and pepper with the meat. Open the bread from the top so you can stuff the meat inside.Leave the meat with the spices to set for about 15 minutes. There is no need to open up the whole bread just make a cut in the top and start pulling it apart so you have space to fill it. After opening the bread, fill the bread with the meat. Do not over stuff is suppose to be a thin layer of meat.  Is not a burger! After you fill it up with a layer of meat brush the bread on the outside with water, then wrap it up in foil. Heat your oven before putting the sandwiches to 350F. Place the sandwiches in the oven until meat is cooked. Should not be more than 20 minutes. After just unwrap and enjoy!

Directions:

In a bowl season the meat with salt, pepper and Cumin. Mix in the onion and pepper with the meat. Open the bread from the top so you can stuff the meat inside.Leave the meat with the spices to set for about 15 minutes. There is no need to open up the whole bread just make a cut in the top and start pulling it apart so you have space to fill it. After opening the bread, fill the bread with the meat. Do not over stuff is suppose to be a thin layer of meat.  Is not a burger! After you fill it up with a layer of meat brush the bread on the outside with water, then wrap it up in foil. Heat your oven before putting the sandwiches to 350F. Place the sandwiches in the oven until meat is cooked. Should not be more than 20 minutes. After just unwrap and enjoy!

You can make some french fries if you want or a salad. There you have it an easy Egyptian meal. If they ask what it is just say Hawawshi!

I leave you with a picture of my two kids. My cats are like my kids and they sure as hell behave like it! The boy is the gray one and his name is Tuktuk. The girl is the white one and her name is Halawa. I wanted Arabic names and honestly this two words are funny and one of the first I learned in the language so it seem appropriate. This is a TukTuk. (Picture below) and Halawa is a sesame seed sweet spread.

Here is a picture of both of them in their new favorite passtime. Looking out the balcony. Seriously TukTuk seats on that chair the whole day!

 They love to cuddle together. This is one of the many pictures of them sleeping together. You will see Tuktuk in this position a lot, he loves it.

 Thank you for reading and following me until next post!

Eid Al-Adha- Feast of the Sacrifice

As promised last time I will explain a little about the holiday that we had in Egypt from October 14-17. In English is known as The Feast of the Sacrifice. This is a very important holiday for Muslims, it originated when Abraham follow God's command to sacrifice his first born Ismail. Since both Abraham and Ismail were willing to go with the sacrifice and follow God's command, before Abraham could sacrifice his son God stop him and provide it a lamb to be sacrificed instead. Muslims honored this by sacrificing animals and feeding their families as well as the poor during this holiday.

The day before the holiday starts Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, the first day of the Eid Al-Adha they go to Mosque to pray the first prayer. After this everyone goes visit family and of course prepare to eat the animal they bought. Also very important here is that in this time Muslims that can afford to do so go to Pilgrimage (Hajj). The person goes to Mecca and does a series of things like rounding the Ka'baa seven times, drinks from the well of Zamzam and a few other rituals to get closer to God. As my understanding is like going on a quest and forgetting about everything while you try to get close to God.

I have given you a little bit of the holiday as I understand it, if something is missing or wrong please I apologize. Saying that I must explain how things really are in Egypt when this holiday is here! First off weeks and day before this day you can see places were you can buy sheep's and goats. Funny thing is you see the animals in the cars with the people! Some even leave them outside their house and stuff is really funny.

They eat meat all this days! Seriously you wake up and all you smell is meat! Is like a carnivore festival! LOL I know this is weird since I'm a girl and all but I absolutely love meat! My Habibi bought a huge cow shoulder that we eat for like three days. For some it may sound barbaric but is absolutely not is a safe thing and no animals are harmed in any way. Is just like the old times you know, you hunt and kill what you eat. Also you see they sell this little sheep toys that are just so adorable! Even they make e-cards with them saying Happy Feast.

Anyways that is basically what we do during this holiday. Is a very religious and family oriented time. Is a time to get close to God and to give to those who are less fortunate.

Thank you for reading and following me! 

Back from vacation...

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I wrote and so much has happened that I have no idea were to start! Right now we are celebrating Eid Adha Holiday in Egypt. Is a very important holiday I will explain in a later post. I just want to share with you a few things. I have been stuffing my face with all types of food and to my surprise there were a few things I didn't even knew existed!

For example this bread called Fatir is so freaking good! Is like a mix between puff pastry flakiness and some soft and buttery layers! Oh my! I just want one right now! Is very good and honestly you can just eat it alone. You can find this bread on any bakery. I am so hooked on this bread, seriously I call my husband just so he can pick it up before coming home.  Here is a picture of the bread.

Since my habibi knows how I love food and how I like to try new things, he introduce me to two new fruits, I didn't even know existed and we had to google them for the translation to English. Here is a picture of the first fruit is called and known by the following names; Indian fig opuntia, barbary fig, cactus pear and prickly pear.  Is a little sweet and slimy but overall is surprisingly refreshing. You don't eat this fruit you just swallow! Is very dangerous to try and cut it yourself, usually you buy it and someone cuts the part that can hurt you. This fruits comes from cactus. Surprising, right? I thought so, I mean cactus are just green and all spiky! Who knew that they produce such a nice and refreshing fruit? If you want to know a little bit more about the fruit here is a link to Wikipedia Opuntia ficus-indica

The other fruit that I had the pleasure of trying is the Persimmon in Arabic they call it Kaká which in Spanish well let's say I started laughing when my habibi told me the name of the fruit. He just looked at me and said is a nasty word in Spanish isn't it? To what I just laugh twice as hard. Anyway after that I tasted the fruit, is so soft, you turn it upside down and push to the tip until it comes out so you can eat it. Is very sweet but the consistency is unusual  is almost as if you are tasting a very hairy mango. Is good but is not like I'm dying because is soo good. But it was a very nice treat and is a seasonal fruit. Here is more information about it and of course a picture Persimmon. 

I will be posting very soon again and letting you in on my chaotic life with my two cats! Thank you for reading and following me! 

Very details and facts account on Egypt

I was asked by the website that interviewed me if I could write a post of what was going on in the country and my perspective. I wrote an article that I am not sure if it would be published. I really hope so! Anyways I am posting the whole thing here with picture and all. PLEASE PICTURES ARE EXPLICIT. So be careful.

I know this is not something you usually read here but I am just telling the truth. Everything I wrote can be corroborated in the internet.  Enjoy!

Egypt’s Media War in the perspective of an Expat

Wednesday morning was like any other, I woke up to make breakfast for my husband while he got ready for work. At seven in the morning his work phone interrupted the routine. A call from a friend changed the day completely. From that point on we rushed to the television to see the police making The Muslim Brotherhood abandoned the premises were they were in.

As I looked I knew this was coming. Ever since the Ex-President was thrown out, his followers have been protesting on different parts of Egypt. This has caused a lot of anger, the fact that this people have been saying we are peacefully protesting while of course being armed with weapons and attacking the police, army and the people.  

I guess we have been hearing different things from different points of view.  I will explain what is happening and let this be my opinion and what I am seeing with my own eyes not the manipulation of the news.

A lot of you are wondering what is happening?  Is Egypt really going crazy? Civil War? Well what if I told you that things are definitely not good and to top it all off we have a Media War.  Personally I do not like politics but unfortunately we live in a world full of it. So after the Ex-President Morsy was thrown out there were a few things the western media and CNN forgot to mention. Let’s get a little history here to understand the outrage of the Egyptian people and me of course, on this political party.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been looking for power for more than 80 years. You know how we heard stories about the Illuminati and all that? Well let me tell you that the Brotherhood is an entity that is looking for power ruled by extremist.  They are a bad example for Muslims and there goal has been power. Their organization is composed by followers who are in very good financial situations here by contributing the political party. I know by now you are surprised but sometimes people amaze me. We have a great tool known as the Internet and unfortunately the only way we use it, is for fun.

All of what I’m saying is history and this people have been planning things and hurting people in a very violent way since the foundation of the party in 1928.  A few things you probably do not know. The army had compelling evidence and they have released a few videos on the local media here in Egypt of the Ex-President Morsy in acts of treason. He was not removed only because the people didn’t like him. He was removed because he betrayed his own country and on top of that he was claiming to be more religious than anybody by writing a constitution that violated the principles of Islam and the principles of Democracy.

The Muslim Brotherhood has said that they will not mind losing their lives for defending Morsy.  The members of this party have been previously arrested including the now Ex-president.  The Egyptian people call them terrorist. Before ending the regime of Mubarak Egyptians were armed with Media. They went to the streets but also they equipped themselves with their cellphones and twitted and posted on Facebook letting the world know what was happening. Since then everything that happens in Egypt is being documented in the same way.

Hence the overload of media madness! You have Muslim Brotherhood supporters calling for protesters and saying lies, that thousands of people were killed while the Minister of Defense says that only 630 people were killed.  Be careful what news you watch because Aljazeera is all about the Brotherhood. Since this started they have posted pictures of dead people that are not dead, they have posted videos of little boys dying that are not from Egypt, there from Syria! All to make themselves look as victims. Ask yourself this. The Egyptian people in the revolution went to protest and in the pictures did you saw people armed with weapons? After many were murdered did you see people burning buildings to retaliate against the Army for the murders? The answer is no. Every time the people gather to protest they do it peacefully. I am a witness. I was there.

Now every time the Brotherhood protest they fight everyone who is not with them.  They want Morsy back to power and they will do anything to achieve it. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz announced on Friday that the kingdom supports Egypt in its fight “against terrorism.”  Meaning they do not support the MB.  All this is like out of a movie but its real and I live it every day. There is a trend in Twitter #ObamaSupportsTerrorism. Wonder what that is about? Well I am sad to say that as part of the investigation of the Military they found documents in which the Obama administration provided The Muslim Brotherhood with 8 billion dollars. Also it’s known that the Muslim Brotherhood is in bed with Al-Qaeda. The facts are all there for you to see. What amazes me is that this morning Mohamed Al-Zawahiri the brother of the Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri was arrested here in Egypt and they have evidence that he was supporting Morsy. I don't know about you but this are very nasty implications. 

For my safety I only say that I want these people out of the streets. Egypt has gone through a lot of things and the Egyptians deserve peace. Is not safe to do anything right now. I am safe for now and I plan to keep it that way. As long as we stay in our homes and be careful we should be fine. But really people are getting angry with the bloodshed and the confrontation. Enough is enough. This has affected everything in our lives nobody is working and everybody is watching over their shoulder.  Yesterday they burned a blood bank with people inside while they were outside the building preventing the fire department to do their job.  The police station in the city I’m living was set on fire. I hope that the Army and the Police eliminate the threat to the Egyptian people caused by the Muslim Brotherhood who say that “Those who are not with us are against us”.

My opinion is not influenced by anyone. When you are living somewhere is easy to see with your own eyes what is going on. Especially if you have to be vigilant and careful for your life. I know a few expats that are still in the country many of them left before the June 30 confrontation, even not speaking the language and not being a local we see that the brotherhood is not friendly. I never thought I would find myself in the middle of something like this but neither the Egyptians.

Here are some pictures of the Brotherhood and the damage they are inflicting in the country. Pray for Egypt and for the end of this harassment to the Egyptians by this fanatics. Here is a post by another expat living in Egypt and her opinion of what is happening. Be sure to follow her on Facebook her information is good and she translates everything which is a plus!  

This is one of the cars that was attacked by the mob of MBs at San Stefano on Aug 15^th

St. George Church, Sohag, Egypt. Totally burnt, Aug. 14, 2013

Mohnad El-Mahdey — at cairo aug 15. CNN International and all world-wide news media, do these look like peaceful MB protest...

This guy posing for the Muslim Brotherhood victims supposedly died 5 times in 5 different places in 5 different positions. 

This is the scene at the blood bank. 

More Unrest

Hey everyone since waking up on Wednesday, things have been a little dicey to say the least! I just want to say that for now me and my family are safe. We live far away from the danger zones. It has not been easy and the scenes on the television are those of a movie!

In the end we are once again on a turning point in Egypt. Not only the government is trying to restore order and finally get a move on. The Muslim Brotherhood as I said before have been nothing but a pain in the .... to all Egyptians. We knew this was going to happen. The government was giving them warnings to abandon what they were doing and to leave peacefully. To accept that the now Ex-President Morsi was out.

Instead of listening this people took "peaceful protesting" to whole new level. I just want to say that in my opinion I am glad that the government is taking action against this terrorist and that finally we are going to see some expected changes. Do not be fool by the media people. If you are not in Egypt I don't think you could understand the enormity and the seriousness of the matter.

On that note I would advice that vacationing in Egypt is not an option I recommend right now. Even if they tell you that there is nothing going on in the Red Sea area do not risk it. Things are heated up and the MB is trying to create chaos and uncertainty in the whole country. Is not safe to go anywhere. Even Egyptians know this and people are going out in groups and if you are out, you stick to the curfew. I would be making a guest post on Easy Expat explaining in detail what really is going on. I will post it here as well so if you really want to know what is happening be ready for the next post!

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Surprise!

A few weeks ago I received an email from BlogExpat.com that they wanted to interview me. At first I thought it was a joke. Really, an interview for me? I have a fair amount of page views and only two followers in blogger and 41 followers on Facebook!! Not much so I was surprised, but can I say I was also ecstatic???! I mean I do not care what force in the Universe provided me with this opportunity to reach more people!

I mean the world hasn't had enough of my craziness and Habibi is already exposed to me too much! So in light of that, my interview was published yesterday. So I am going to put a link here so if you are interested you can go check it out. From Puerto Rico to Egypt. 


It also happens that I am eligible for the Top Expat Blog Awards!!! Wow seriously? Amazing I know so if you like reading me and my crazy ideas, input and recipes and think more people should read me please vote for me. Vote Top Blogger Awards

Since I am so giddy I found this on Bitstrips and I could not help myself! Cute, huh?  Last but not least I want to thank everyone for reading me and for following me. I feel that something that started as a way to communicate with my family has expanded in to something else. Nothing prepare me for this and even if its something in a small scale I am truly happy and amazed by your support.

On another note, I found the most interesting read this last week! Is a great book I really enjoyed while being sick so I decided to share it with you! New author Jenny Doe is about vampires and it has an interesting twist I just loved it! It was an easy read for my sickly self at that time but it got me hooked. I decided to share it with you because the first book in the series is free! I mean you can't get better than that right? 

I am so looking forward to the third book and Mark's story! So Please support this author I really like her work. Here is the link to the first book The Iron in Blood by Jenny Doe 

Thank you for reading, following me and writing! 

The Power up! - Desserts

I have been stuffing my face with so much Katayef that I'm honestly considering becoming one! Other than that I have come to be a fan of this new dessert or appetizer and decided to share it with you. Last year when my habibi introduce me to it I was not so into it but this year to my surprise I was craving it!

I do not know the name of this drink and habibi told me he does not know either so I am going to call it "The Power Up" Why? It is so full of sweetness and energy that honestly one drink and eat of that and you are off like a rocket!

Usually its use to break the fasting. Is very good on the stomach when you have not eaten or drank anything during the hole day and is very nutritious. One cup goes along way and believe me it gives you energy and everything about it is natural.

Here is the recipe and some pictures of the drink while I was making it the other day for Iftar. For those of you who don't know what Iftar means is basically the time for eating after fasting during Ramadan.

"The Power Up"
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of milk
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup of nuts (it can be your favorite here walnuts, peanuts or almonds) I use peanuts
1/2 cup of almonds (optional) I like both!
1/3 cup of dry apricots
1 1/2 cups of dates
1/3 cups of dry prune

It's very simple really just take all the dry ingredients in a mix bowl and mixed them together. Honestly you can add more and less of each thing depending on what you like as well as take some ingredients out that you don't like. After all is mixed up you pour the milk. After that mixed everything again and cover up. Put in the fridge for at least two hours those ingredients need t come together and believe me the milk is going to taste good.

After that serve up in a glass with a spoon and enjoy! Here are the pictures with the steps. I hope you enjoy this Middle Eastern treat! Until next post thank you for reading and following me!

Ramadan Kareem!

What have I been doing that I did not wrote a post? Well I have been stuffing my face with Katayef!!!!! If you do not know what it is please read this post Katayef.  After one year of waiting to eat this wonderful dessert I finally have the opportunity to eat it again. I have to thank my habibi because the first day of Ramadan he came home with a bag of katayef! So I have been making them and eating them for the past weeks!

For those of you who do not know what Ramadan is please check last year's post on the subject Ramadan. This year Ramadan started on July 7 so its been kind of an up and down time for Egypt with all that is going on in the Country but never the less you can see people united. Yesterday people took the streets again to protest against the Muslim Brotherhood and their terrorism tactics. I believe things are starting to look up!

The ex president was charge with treason, finally and people are starting to see a change. I think there is a lot at stake right now and I don't want to be political or anything but I just had to say what is going on right now. So one pretty neat thing I learned this Ramadan is that the Lanterns that they use to decorate during Ramadan started because the children use to play on the streets and there was no electricity by that time so all they had was a lantern.

After that it became tradition to use them. I in all honesty I'm in love with them! I believe they are beautiful and the different designs are just perfect! I believe I was destined to be here I mean I love everything that is Islamic art (I will write a post about this soon). Here are a few pictures of Ramadan decorations and lanterns.

Thank you for reading and following me! Until next post oh! I forgot I got interviewed this past week so that will be coming soon!!!

Political unrest in Egypt

Once again Egyptians are making history! Since Friday Egyptians were gathering in Tahrir Square as well as other locations all around Egypt to ask the President to abandon his position. Yesterday was the day set for this; June 30 the anniversary of President Morsi's Election. More than 20 million signatures were gathered saying that they want the Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi out of the Presidency and they were not taking no for an answer.

After the Revolution Egyptians were taking no more abuse from the government and ever since the MB (Muslim Brotherhood) and President Morsi won people have been furious. The elections were hijacked so that they could win and after that the attacks an actions of the President and his allies has been beyond what the Egyptians could handle. Therefore moving Egyptians in unity once more to rally and protest against the President and the one thing that is for sure the protest won't stop until he is out! Yesterday 17 million Egyptians protested on the streets and today we are hoping for the same.

Believe it or not after all that has happened I am very happy for Egyptians to take a stand against the MB and the President this people are really terrorist! The way they handle things and the way they view Islam is an embarrassment on it self! Yesterday the police caught a lot of MB people with weapons and ammunition to fire against the people peacefully protesting. The news don't give you what exactly is going on in the country and knowing that MB has people in powerful places controlling what goes out helps gives the wrong message.

For those of you wondering is it safe to go to Egypt? Every foreign country has issued a warning over flying and to be honest is the truth. If you want to come for Vacation is not the best time I suggest you change your vacation. Now if you are here like me, do not worry. You are safe as long as you are in your house not on the streets! If you are with the protesters well is at your own risk. I say this with all honesty and I hope that some would listen. If you want to go to protest and be a part of history at least try to blend in. Do not call attention to yourself and try to be surrounded by people you know that are locals.

Going solo is kind of crazy so I do not recommend that one. If you are a woman please be extra careful and check on Twitter for the safest location. They are people in Tahrir who offer space against the sexual harassment so look it up. Everyone communicates via Twitter while in the protesting  is the best. I can say for myself I am safe and far away from the protests. I am happy with what is happening my friends and my other family are Egyptians and believe me if the people don't fight for this country now is going to be too late!

The Revolution marked a new beginning and if the people let Morsi in the Presidency Egypt will be far worse than it was when Mubarak's Regimen was in office. So to the Egyptians I say good luck and keep going strong! To Morsi I think he should seek asylum somewhere else because people want him out no matter what.

Little intense huh? Oh well that's what happens when you live somewhere and you see the injustice and how people want their country to be successful only to have the Government sinking it with stupid ideas and bad management. For telling the people that they have Democracy only to arrest those who opposed to anything said to the President!

I leave for know with a good hope that today people will win and that tomorrow (that is the deadline for President Morsi to quit) I will see Egypt with new hopes!

`

 Photo by AP AMR/Nabi

Thank you for following and reading me!

Interview Madness!!

Here I am again! Barely eleven am and I am with my AC on high! Is H.O.T. in Egypt! Today's broadcast said it was going to be 36 C (97 F)  so with that I think I am better staying here today. I decided to recap some of my interviews here in Egypt and to give you a general idea of how things go sometimes. 

This is my experience only and believe it or not here there are no labor laws or discrimination law whatsoever! So take your "that is not right by law" hat and welcome to Egypt! First off, I said before that I am from Puerto Rico. I am going to give a little history here so we understand we are not a US state but since a treaty made in the 1900 we are American citizens.  So that being said I am American. Gasp! I know you are surprised! 

Believe me here your nationality is important. Here unfortunately is not your Education that matters is up to the fact if they like you or not. There is no salary scale anywhere and you can get paid less or more depending on your negotiating skills and on your ability to be like by the one who is hiring you. So as you see is a totally different play here in Egypt. 

My advice to you is to be strong if you are applying for a job and you have the experience and qualifications for it do not be shy to be heard. First off sometimes they do not specify the salary which can be really annoying! I mean I remember back home you made an ad about a job and you put how much was the position offering! Here you basically have to fight with them to see how much the salary is. 

Why? Because they want the best and they want you for less money! So beware and always ask! I always answer my phone and my first question is; What is the salary? 

Answer: "Well it depends on your qualifications and you have to speak to the owner." 

Me:" What if I have no experience. What is the starting salary then?"

Answer: " I am sorry I don't have that information" 

Me: "Look I need to know how much it is to see if is what I am looking for"  

Answer: " What is your expected salary?" 

Basically that is how it goes! Hard and maybe pushy if I am trying to find a job? Yes, but believe me is necessary! You don't want to pay for transportation make a demo and then they tell you that the salary is 2,500 pounds! Which if we convert it to US dollars is $356.68 a month! Definitely not what I am looking for. The thing is foreigners get paid way more than Egyptians our Education is different and if you are looking for a teaching job your native tongue means pretty money. So do not be afraid to ask and push as much as necessary. Parents pay a lot of money on school tuition for native speakers to teach their children. 

After the Revolution things here job wise are not good. So everyone is looking for the best piece of the cake and some expats are leaving the country due to the following protest coming on June 30. Which I will explain in a later post. One of my frustrations in finding a job is that my native tongue is Spanish I am American but in Puerto Rico the language is Spanish. Try to explain that here! My English thank God is very good and I barely have an accent believe it or not! So is not so hard for me to get jobs. The fact is when I am looking for a Spanish Job they don't believe me! hahahha They think only Spaniards speak Spanish! 

Anyways also another advice always ask how much time you are going to be in the interview and tell them once I was eight hours in a school because can with their bus and they talk to me for 20 minutes being in those 20 minutes the buses were leaving so I had to wait eight hours to get back home for only a few minutes for a meeting!!!!!!! Not my best day believe me! 

My advice to you if you are planning to come to Egypt try to find something before being here is better. Second if you are already here do not despair and try to find the best for you. 

Thank you for reading and following me until next post! 

The Job struggle

Recently I have a hard time figuring out what is a normal day. I have not been working for two months now and honestly time has gone by too quick! I mean I have went to interviews and everything but still things are not as I want them to be.  It's been like two years of constant change in my life.

I started with the journey of losing weight and then after that the falling in love again after a very messed up relationship, moving out of my apartment, selling my car, selling everything I owned and moving to another continent! Not much right? Don't get me wrong I am super happy about all these changes but suddenly I am met with the struggle of What do I really want?!

Before moving here I was working as an office administrator in a marketing agency for five years so before coming my Habibi told me that I could not do the same work here which was fine with me honestly I learned a lot from that job and it did not fulfilled  me at all. The part I love about my job was the challenge of marketing campaigns and the new clients and stuff but being in the management part I was working more with payroll, HR and Accounting! BORING!!!!

I am too creative for that shit!  Anyway I started on a new career path... Teaching English.... Yeah worlds apart! Now is a great job honestly and you have to be so dedicated to do it that I am impressed and I found new appreciation for teachers everywhere. Is hard work and well here in Egypt is a total mess. The schools are not worried about Education at all they just want money from the students and no matter what you have to pass the students because if you don't they will take the student away and they lose the money.

So its been a challenge to find something that I truly enjoy. My days are fill with basically me finding my right place in the world. I pray every day for guidance because definitely with out God I would not be who I am and where I am today. In all my frustration with this job  situation I have somehow found peace. I know that I will find my true place and that God will guide me in the right direction.

Everything that I do in my life I take it as a learning experience. The more you are exposed to things the more you learn. So I am enjoying the time with God and focusing on learning more from him. Talking to my family, reading, cooking for habibi and my cats. Looking for jobs and decided to learn a new language by the end of summer.

I guess there are a lot of people in jobs they hate. Knowing that they need the money to support their family and to put up with bad bosses and circumstances all because they needed it in a bad way. For those of you do not despair I was in your shoes and I seen a lot  but God will bring new things and blessings for you. As I pray for my new path I will also pray for those in situations like this I wish that God will help you find your true passion and a better job.

I am feeling confident in my future and I know something great will come out of it. I love blogging also so that is a plus! I have ideas in my head that are coming together too so is about timing! Anyways I leave you with my thoughts I have a few ramblings about past interviews that I know will make a great post! You won't believe the things that happen to me! LOL Anyways until next post!

Are you happy with your job?

Thank you for reading and following me. 

Sharm Sheik: Resort Critique

All of you know of my recent vacation in Sharm Sheik, while there I stayed in a supposedly five star hotel! The name of the place is Shores Amphora and honestly it has some good things and some bad ones too. First off this is a resort and is huge! The entrance of the hotel is not that majestic or impressing but believe me when I tell you the grounds of the place are amazing.

It has five or six pools of which I only saw two, and of course it has a beach. The most incredible thing is that we have a Coral reef just in the beach is one of Sharm favorite diving spots and honestly is beautiful! You just go to the beach and at the end of the pier boom! Is like more than 60 feet deep and the most amazing reefs and corals are there to your display. 

A part from those things everything else sucks! The food is bad! I mean they made a lasagna one of the nights and it was so bad and tasted nothing like lasagna! The staff is so used to having Russians as guest that most of them are not that good in English! The cleaning of our room was not good. When we first arrived at the room there was a mosquito dead on the mirror and another one on a wall. After they came to clean still there! You are only aloud to have one towel a day for the beach and pool. 

Only good thing was the food on the bar, pizza and french fries :D So the place is good but the service and food are just plain horrible me and habibi got food poisoning. Thank God we brought medicine with us and it helps that my habibi is a doctor otherwise our vacation would have been ruined completely! 

Is not nice to wake up with nausea and with diarrhea or pain in your stomach because the food was bad! We survive it because we went and bought chips and well basically ate safe stuff like bread and grill meat. Anyways I would not be staying there again! Oh, and let's not forget! Do not wear formal clothes in this place EVER! We were going to dinner and we saw this Italian couple going and he was so formal! Wearing a suit and she had such a nice dress but honestly the place was not up to their attire. Guess they thought it  was five starts too!   Here are some pictures of the place so you see how it is. 

Any wacky things happen to you on vacation? 

Thank you for reading and following me! 

Food! Basmati Rice

Well here I am again writing today's post. I was thinking if writing about Basmati rice or writing a review and critique of the Hotel I stayed in Sharm. Anyways I will do this one first and then I will share with you the experience I had in this so called five star hotel. When I was first introduce to this rice I was speechless! The combinations of flavors is so exotic and perfect there is no doubt in my mind that you will love it!

Basmati rice is a long grain rice which is traditionally from India and Pakistan. Here in Egypt the way they showed me to do it is a mix between salt, sweet and crunchy. You can make it just plain white rice or in India they make it with curry of course and they are different recipes out there that are quite delicious. 

In my case I have tried the recipe I am going to share and believe me is b-e-a-utiful! You can serve this with any type of chicken or meat. It really is up to you and what you like. In my case I made lemon chicken in the oven with some carrots and potatoes. Here is the recipe for the basmati rice. 

Basmati Rice 

3 cups of Basmati rice (after washing in water at least three times. Yes this is necessary!) 

1 tablespoon of butter

1 onion diced 

3 Bay leaves

1 cup of raisins (you can use half cup) 

1 cup of peanuts 

1/2 cup of cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon of powder cinnamon 

4 cups of water 

oil 

salt 

First wash the rice three times or more this is very important this rice I do not now why needs to be wash this way. After you wash it set it aside and fill  a pan with the 4 cups of water. In it boil the peanuts and cinnamon sticks. While the water is heating up to a boil in another pan cover the bottom with oil,  not much just enough to saute the following onion, raisins, bay leaves and butter. Throw all of it inside at the same time and keep steering until onion is translucent. All in medium heat. 

After the onion is ready add the cinnamon powder and mix for a few seconds with the rest of the ingredients by now the smell should be enough to tell you this is good! Sorry moving on put in the rice in the medium heat and keep moving until all the ingredients and the rice are mixed together. Keep moving until the water with the peanuts and cinnamon sticks is boiling. Add the boiling water to the rice and move it should be covering the rice not much but above it. Add salt to your taste and then cover rice and put in low. 

When the water is absorbed move the rice and close the lid again. The rice should be done in about 20-30 minutes. The thing about this rice is that it should be very moist and lose so if is dry you can add a little bit of boiling water while is still cooking. Check it occasionally and if you see that is too dry add a little water. The way I did it it didn't need any water so just in case that is my advice for you. I hope the instructions are clear enough if not please comment and I will help you any way I can! Good cooking! 

After is done serve in a plate and enjoy! Here is a picture of my result and how I served it to my guests! 

Thank you for following and reading me, until next post! 

Sharm El Sheik

Well as you know I went on a road trip to Sharm El Sheik. Sharm El Sheik  is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. I was so excited to finally be able to go to the beach! Another thing that had me excited was that Sharm is a touristic place so I could wear anything I wanted! You have no idea how liberating the experience was!


I packed my shorts, bathing suit, flip flops, hat, sleeveless shirts and short dresses and got in the car with so much enthusiasm that it did not diminish in the long car ride. Of course Habibi was just smiling and amused by my attitude but I know deep inside he was happy to see me like that. Anyways moving on! When you enter Sharm you see this beautiful Red Sea and you see blue clear water. Is so beautiful and breathtaking.

I lived all my life on an island so I am practically a fish like habibi likes to call me. So the sight of the water and the smell of the salt was so amazing.We checked in the hotel went to the usual where is this let's have some lunch and finally let's go to the beach!!!

Things to do in Sharm are very simple people. You go to the beach, enjoy good food and of course great diving and snorkeling sites. That is all no ancient pharaoh's tomb or anything like that. Just plain and relaxing fun.  Sharm has become one of the favorite spots for divers around the world due to its beautiful reefs and believe me I can attest that myself! Red sea scenery is just out of this world.

The town is a touristic one so expect to pay a lot of money for simple things that's the way it is everywhere when you are on vacation! The town is small but it has such a good calm feeling and everything you need you will find close to the hotels. One very famous spot is Naama Bay be sure to stop there if you are visiting Sharm. Here are some pictures of the town and if you love snorkeling please gear up and be ready to enjoy beautiful colors and majestic corals!


 Thank you for reading and following me! Until next post!

Food! ZALABIA TIME!!

As you might know I am very fond of food! Like I love the stuff too much. My latest discovery and obsession is a round and crispy sugary treat called Zalabia. This little donuts, as I called them before I learned to pronounce the name, are so yummy! They are crunchy, sugary and to be honest if done right they are super moist and soft on the inside.

They are sold all around Egypt and they are very famous in the Gulf Region. They are originally from India and then they were introduced in the Middle East. They used them to hold ice cream. That sounds like a good idea for me to try... anyhow continuing with the history is a very famous dessert and is super easy to make!

I found a recipe for those of you who want to give it a try and do something different. I found this recipe online and to be honest I have not tried it yet but if you search for it, is the same recipe the only difference is the syrup.

If you are in Egypt and want to buy it, try it from Zalabiano is a great place to buy them and they are clean and done right in front of you. Here is a picture of the ones my Habibi brought me last night! Ain't he the best? He just came home and said surprise! Me: OMG! ZALABIA!!!! YUMMY! I think he knows me pretty well. Enjoy the recipe and if you here please try them!

Thank you for reading and following me! Until the next post!

Zalabia recipe :

Sweet Syrup Ingredients:

- 3 cups sugar

- 1 ½ cups water

- Lemon juice

- Vanilla

Zalabia Ingredients:

- 1 cup flour

- 3/4 cup water

- 4 cups oil

- 1/16 tsp salt

- 1 piece (or powder is better) of yeast.

Sweet Syrup Directions:

1- Dissolve the sugar in water in a medium saucepan.

2- Add lemon juice and vanilla then bring to boil.

3- Reduce the heat and let it slowly boil for 8-10 minutes.

4- Remove from heat and put it aside.

Zalabia Directions:

1- Mix the yeast in the 2/3 cup of water.

2- Add flour and mix until it is dough.

3- Cover it and leave the dough in a warm area for about 2 hours.

4- Heat the oil and with a small scoop, take from the dough and fry until it is gold.

5- Add the hot fried Zalabia in the cold syrup.

6- Now it is ready to be served.

Try our Zalabia recipe and have a terrific Zalabia dish from Egyptianrecipes.net. Please feel free to let us know if you have any comments/questions on this Zlabia recipe.