Just writing

Dream high

 

Image result for riding a donkey facing backwards

 

Once upon a time, there were three friends; they were poor, very poor, unnoticed and worthless. What they owned in their life was three donkeys and their job was to transport people, goods and luggage from one place to another. This was how they earned their living.
One night, after a long day of hard work under the sun of the Arabian summer. They threw their bodies over the smooth sand of the desert. The full moon and the shiny stars lit the dark doom; it was no longer dark and a beautiful sparkly night was all they can see.
One of the three men closed his eyes and said: ‘Imagine my friends that I become the ruler of this country; the sovereign majesty, make a wish?
His friends laughed and laughed.

The first friend looked at the dreamer and said: ‘you be the ruler, the sovereign. No way.’

The dreamer said: ‘Just imagine, man, you wouldn’t lose anything.’

The friend said: ‘ Ok, Mr dreamer, I want a house with a magnificent garden.’

The dreamer looked at the other friend and said: what about you?

The other said: ‘This cannot be. This would never be. A donkey cart plodder would never have dreams. We’ve no future, friend.’

The dreamer did not give up: ‘It’s me who imagine not you; this is my thought, my idea. Imagine!’

His friend got-up, collected his stuff, rode his donkey and said: ‘Let your guards carry me backwards on a donkey and let them announce to everybody that I’m a fool who didn’t believe that dreams can be true.

‘As you wish, my friend,’ said the dreamer.
In the morning the dreamer deserted his friends. He sold his donkey and looked for a different way to earn his living; a watchman, a constable, an officer, a member of the town authority, an advisor, a consultant,… finally, he married the deceased ruler’s wife and became the guardian of her eight years son. He ruled the whole country until the former ruler’s son was 16 years old.

Thirty years had passed since his friends laughed at him dreaming of ruling the country. At his prosperous days, he remembered his friends and ordered his guards to bring them.
His old friends were still donkey cart plodders but their friend, the crowned head, reminded them of their wishes.
The first was mad with happiness; he was granted a house with a magnificent garden.

The second regretted that wish ever since.

Ps, this is an old story in the Arabic history with real names and incidents but what I can remember is just the main plot; therefore, I have made some adaptations.

Dream high. Dreams can be true.

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

Just writing

The journey of the lifetime 3

 

Image result for hajj 2018

 

Last year I wrote about Hajj under the title of the journey of a lifetime, I will leave the links at the end of my post so you can check them if you like.

These days Muslim Pilgrims are on their way to Makkah and this is why the memories of my Hajj journey become fresh again. In my previous posts, I explained how it was so hard for me to leave my boys who were at that time about 4 and 6 years old, even though I left them with my mother. On the day I went with my husband to Cairo International airport, I wept deeply from my heart and my friend, who was waiting for us there, hugged me tight trying to soothe me though I knew it was even harder for her because she also left her daughter who was younger than my boys and she was pregnant in the first two months. She knew about her pregnancy when we got all the documents of hajj done. I told her to postpone hajj: ‘You can apply next year. Hajj is a hard journey. You’re responsible for this pure soul growing inside you,’ I said trying to persuade her to change her mind but she said she wanted both and she would go for Hajj. And we went.
When I decided to write this post, I thought of sharing one of the very funniest moments that happened on that journey. On the day of Arafah, one of the main rituals in Hajj, we spent the day praying, making supplications and reading Quran. Food and water were available to everybody all the time. But we didn’t expect to have ice cream too. One of our friends was dead tired and was just having a nap when we discovered about that ice cream surprise. Her friend wet her lips with some yummy vanilla ice cream. She got up immediately and told everybody that she thought she was dead and was having ice cream in heaven. I couldn’t stop laughing when I heard her tale but I also thanked my Lord that I wasn’t next to her that day or else I wouldn’t be able to concentrate in any of the rituals.

 

There were lots of those funniest moments but I think one in enough this time.

By the way, my pregnant friend did well in Hajj and gave birth to a beautiful girl on her due date.

Wishing you all the best,
Nahla

Herewith my last year Hajj posts:

The journey of a lifetime!

The journey of a lifetime/2

I hope you will like this song too.

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Just writing

I love holidays

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This summer holiday, my children wanted to visit the pyramids and go to any nice beach in Egypt. The beach was a good idea but visiting the pyramids in August means we would melt.  Anyway, both plans didn’t work which was great because the weather was too hot to go out during the day.

As usual, we spent the holiday visiting the family which was good for my children to practise their Arabic.  Sometimes, we went shopping at night; big shopping malls have been one of the modern characteristics of Cairo. My children liked to go to some of them but this holiday they were shocked at the prices; when I asked them to calculate the difference between the Egyptian and English pound, they realised that it’s the same.

One of the main things I always mention in my posts is that I really love being on holiday with my children. Together; we laugh, we play, we talk, we eat, we try new things, we go shopping, we see old photos, remember old days,  listen to old tales, we sleep by sunrise, we get up at noon, and we really have fun even though we couldn’t have any of our plans done.

Let me know how was your holiday?

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

 

Just writing

Giving Alms

 

Image result for gülmek sadaka

 

Smiling is like giving alms, this is the title of the song I have recently listened to. I don’t know any Turkish and I wish I would learn it one day. I found its translation on the internet.

I think It’s a good way to teach children the importance of a simple act like smiling in such a bright cheerful way! What is more important, is that I knew about on the first day of the school holidays; let’s be optimistic!

Herewith the translation and the song,

Happy holidays everyone!

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla.

 

Smiling is like giving alms

Look up at the sun, look up at the moon

Look at the sea, look at the rains

How beautiful is this life, Masha’Allah…

Look to your right, look to your left

Look happily at people

How beautiful is this life, Masha’Allah…

Why don’t you give it a try

Put your hand on your heart …

Smile whatever happens

Smiling is like giving alms

Come join us…

Put your hand on your heart…

Smiling is like giving alms

Smiling is like giving alms

Please, open up your heart to people

You will surely find happiness at the end.

Your smile suits you, Masha’Allah…

What will happen if you open your arms

The hands will be clasped and you will be like one person

in this beautiful world, Masha’Allah…

Why don’t you give it a try

Put your hand on your heart …

Smile whatever happens

Smiling is like giving alms

Come join us…

Put your hand on your heart…

Smiling is like giving alms

Smiling is like giving alms

Masha’Allah, wonderful!

Why don’t you be happy always

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

Smiling is like giving alms.

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Just writing

The teacher

“The teacher and the taught together create the teaching.” An Eastern saying.

Does this refer to the good teacher and the clever student? I do not think so.

In the same class, with the same teacher, there will be students who fail and others pass. I think It’s more about the student’s effort than the gift of having a good teacher. The teacher, the student and the subject create education. They all have to be there to make the process.

In my undergraduate studies, I had to choose another language to study. My choice was Spanish. Our tutor was Espanol and his teaching method was to give us long different topics in spanish. He was the one to read and explain and we were the receivers. He was too fast to follow or understand. I remember how my friend and I spent most of the time laughing; we could not understand anything, just looking at the translation most of the time. However we had never failed and surprisingly I used to have good grades.

I’ve almost forgot all of what I learned; it’s been long time ago, but I still remember my teacher.

Wishing you all the best,

Adios,

Nahla

Just writing

Football

 

Image result for fifa world cup 2018

Do you like football? Which team do you support this world cup?

I am not a big a fan of football as a game or any special teams. In fact, I don’t understand that much about the game rules and strategies; I just know the basics or it can be less though my boys are good players and love the game. This world cup, I found it so funny to watch the game with the boys and teasing them by asking questions; I just want to understand what is going on. They like it when I watch but they found my questions a bit annoying, ‘mama, look at the screen,’ they would complain. Of course, I did but I just want more details; why the goal was cancelled if the ball lodged like a bullet in the middle of goal net, something like that.

I watched the game between Egypt and Russia but I couldn’t stand it. Yes, that’s true. I support my country but I found it so boring. I looked at my son, he was on his phone. He was bored too. This means I was right. There was no intense in the game, the players were not playing, they were scattered everywhere. And the star Mohammad Salah looked so poorly and couldn’t do his best without being supported.  I gave up and left.

Yesterday, it was Iran and Spain. My question was which team is best-known? ‘Really, mama. Is this a question?’ My son exclaimed and laughed as if it was a jock. ‘Spain, mama. Spain is one of the top teams.’ I really don’t know but when I watched the game, I realised this fact. They really played so well but the Iranian played well too, most of the time they were defending but they did what they were planning to, I think.

This is part of my humble experience about football this world cup. Let’s see how far it will go!

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

Just writing

Universal language

 

Image result for dictionaries

 

Have you ever understood anyone speaking not your language?

It can happen and it did happen.

Many years ago one of my neighbours was from Mexico. She moved to the UK with her husband and her little boy, about three years old. Whenever I saw her on the stairs or the road, she was talking to herself. My neighbours and I thought she might be insane but she wasn’t. One day I gave her a leaflet about the English course centre which I was attending at that time. I cannot describe how her face changed that day. She smiled and thanked me and I felt her words were coming deeply from her heart. From that day, we became friends though we didn’t understand each other that much, she used to say that she doesn’t know why she understood me more than anyone else in the city. Honestly, neither do I. I just used to repeat what others said to her.  I wish I could have her details to keep in touch because once we moved I don’t know whether she was still in the UK or went back to her country.

I remembered her and remember how we can understand others with a different tongue on the day of Eid.  I was sitting next to an elderly woman. Probably, she was from Pakistan. She couldn’t sit on the floor, her daughter and granddaughter brought her a chair. So I was sitting on the carpet next to her on a chair. While I was talking with a friend on my other side, she tapped on my shoulder and talked as if she knew me. I understood from her looks and the tune of her voice that she didn’t like how women are chatting and didn’t listen to the Imam’s Eid speech. This was true, I was talking too but this was because the Imam’s voice was too low, probably he didn’t notice that his speaker didn’t work well. I nodded and admitted that she was right and repeated in English what she was saying in her language. She held my hand and smiled at me which I think meant she was happy I understood her though I couldn’t speak her language.

Can this be a universal language?   I think there can be a language that we can feel even though we don’t understand.

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

 

Just writing

And the month has gone!

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Eid is expected to be tomorrow. This means the month of Ramadan is 29 days this year. Yesterday, while we were having Iftar, my son said; ” Ramadan has gone so fast this year.” I thought I was the only one to notice that but we all did. Really the month has gone so fast. I cannot believe that 28 days ago, I wrote about my plan to post every day during this month. I tried but I couldn’t. Anyway,  I’m happy I’ve started writing more posts than before.

I mentioned in one of my posts that I was determined to make no experiments; no new recipes to try. I kept my word. However, there was a tiny problem; I usually forgot if I added salt or not and I cannot taste the food; I’m fasting. If there wasn’t enough salt, we would add some, no problem though the food wouldn’t taste as nice. The major problem happened when I added too much and it did happen, a couple of times. One of them when we have guests but their hands didn’t reach that plate. Thanks God, I prayed and wanted to take it away before they would think about it.

By the way, I didn’t cook the food in this photo. It was on my son’s birthday and we had our iftar out that night. It was Yummy Yummy.

Eid Mubarak,

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla