He sits quietly outside of his laundromat, alone, wearing a jalabyah and a traditional taqiyah (a short, rounded cap). Daily, as I walk past him, this lovely, elderly Sudanese man…

Later in high school and in early Uni, I would pop into her apartment daily on my way home. We’d eat tuna on toast, drink coffee, and talk talk talk…

On the first night here, we drove past these little kiosks along the water. Each one is an individual space, surrounded by white lights. They have never been, so tonight,…

His momma cooked me one of the best Palestinian meals I have had since my own momma cooked for me in late November, right before the sabbatical began – ma2looba…

My heart is so full, it might explode. First, I spent the entire day with my beloved uncle and his family. I have not seen them in years, and only…

Interesting, isn’t it? We call someone shooting crack a ‘junkie’, while we offer the gentler ‘active addict’ to someone snorting cocaine (secretly, they think; not so secretly, in reality) from…

A few hours of walking a day ain’t never a shabby way to play. We spent a couple of these hours at The Global Village where Omar ate his way…

I am happy. At both my present, and at the circumstance which led me here; which means that I am moving further and further away from where the rock landed…

There are many extravagant masjids across the UAE. This one, however, is the one which makes me most at peace, the one closest to representing Islam as I understand it….

He turns 92 in March, inshAllah. His intention is to keep working until he is 100, so that he enter the Guinness World Book of Records. Nizar and me spent…

Unplanned, and with the best falafel sandwiches I have had since Gaza, Reemo and Omar took me out to the Arabian Gulf. This ridiculously simple afternoon, I wouldn’t trade for…

We had just finished Friday prayers when I stood to pray asr. Reem was sitting next to me, so did not notice when a random stranger woman came up to…

“Mother.” “Nice.” We played a word association game called Password, and this was the littlest 6 years old’s answer. As lovely as this unfiltered sunset, it was. Today, I am…

They received the news just recently, that he has been approved for PR status in Canada. (💃💃!!) Domino to that shortly, they plan on leaving the UAE. Domino to that…

They flew in yesterday, so I didn’t anticipate I would have a chance to see them before I head out tomorrow. When I received a message from Y asking if…

Superpowers told me to go to The Greek Club, “a Downtown institution and a popular hangout with liberal Egyptians, artists and foreign residents.” (Lonely Planet) At first, I thought that…

We did the selfie, and isn’t she the loveliest? There is a religious / cultural thing which belongs to Muslims / Arabs – it is the belief that there are…

We did all of the puzzles this morning, and ate all of the cheese. I can stare at Baby A, The Philosopher King, all day; so easy on the eyes…

My mother’s cousin whom I’d only met as a child, found out I was in the country. As did a relative of my father’s, who is my namesake. One person…

At home, I don’t have or want a car. We have excellent public transportation, and I have my legs. If needed, there’s uber and both momma and baba’s cars. Really,…

Merry Christmas! They had to wrangle me away from this guy, he was so well stuffed and cuddly. A spa day, I spent it exchanging well wishes with everyone home…

I spent the better part of my day rambling through a Nubian village, admiring the unadulterated use of all colours more vivid than I had expected. Beauty lives here, and…

Again this morning we woke before the sun, and travelled three hours through what the Egyptians call the ‘Western Sahara’ (not the actual Western Sahara, but rather the Sahara to…

Today was a different kind of soul-full. We spent the morning at Temple of Edfu, and the afternoon at Temple of Kom Ombo. First, the entrance. At the Temple of…

More pictures after the post, for those on Instagram. I am writing this while floating down the Nile toward the Temple of Edfu, and having a cup of fantastically strong…

Preamble: For those following on instagram, there are more photos after the words. And over here are photos from today’s trip to Valley of the Kings, and the Temple of…

They gave me a forklift with which to eat my fruit salad, y’all. Maybe they looked at my mouth and thought I needed help? Point is, if you need me,…

My deen directs that taqwa (piety) is best attained through ihsan (a kindness, well above and beyond, given without an expectation of anything in return). As example, take when we…

It was a sound unfamiliar, and I wasn’t sure if it was human-made. As I entered the hospital this morning, she was in the hallway, surrounded by women. Her child,…

He asked me why I had never married, and I told him it was because I had not yet met a truly honest and trustworthy man. Later, he said “I…

Before departing for Cairo, we stopped in the town of Bawidi to pick up some food for the long Saharan road back. Here, interestingly, by the man from whom I…

Late last night, Bedouin music took us to the Black, Crystal, and White deserts, in the heart of Egypt. I am most calmed next to water; today, sitting alone hearing…

I spent my morning volunteering at 57357 Hospital. As mentioned yesterday, I wore my Cookie Monster t-shirt which was a definite big hit. I plan on dressing for the kids,…

I am now a volunteer at 57357 Hospital, an extraordinary institution dedicated solely to children, aged 18 and under, with cancer. I will volunteer with them every day I am…

Pro  Tip 2: You never know where a bidet will target. If you don’t like surprises, turn the knobs very slowly. *** I went out for a 2 hour walk…

Pro Tip: Always carry tissue with you while in Cairo. Though all public washrooms have bidets (yay!), they do not all have tissue. I mean. I’m all for a clean…

I spent more one-on-one time with Baba today than I have since possibly 2009. Quite happily, he took me to masjid Mohamed Aly (mosque), Al-Azhar Park, and then for a…

We got our hair did, after which Heba was nice enough to agree to a partial walk home. During our walk, we received a few polite, albeit very curious looks…

It was our final day in Sharm, spent primarily by the water. But not before a breakfast at which, though we were only five people, there were 27 threads of…

Today was a great day split two ways: Hiking, and snorkeling. I am sharing only my favourite three moments, these a hard draw because everything was so wonderful – 1….