Blogless in Cairo

OMG!!!! I'M BAAAAACK! Going blogless cold turkey was a painful evolution and something I wouldn't recommend to the weak spirited. Good thing I'm strong willed or else I wouldn't have made it through the blog-out. LoL. What happened, you ask? Simply put, I MOVED. Feb 19th to be exact. It was a bittersweet move. On one hand, I no longer had to live out of suitcases. On the other hand, I lost internet capability for 40 days. It was like being on Noah's Ark during the flood: trapped from the outside world and completely at the beck of God's will... or "in Shallah", as the Muslims say here. LoL. Hello, my name is Gina, and I'm a blog addict. [group chorus] "HELLO, GINA!!!"

So, annnnyways, I moved to a highrise flat overlooking a canopy of rooftops and sweet, sweet sunsets. I LOVE IT! It's a 3 bedroom / 3 bath flat with lots and lots of light (and PLENTY of room for visitors). I love the airyness and spaciousness of my new home. Here are some early pics. I've since added more decor (which will be seen in a later blog), as I've tried to make it more homey and comfortable ---with a Middle Eastern edge. Mandated to store 80% of my possessions prior to coming here, I was thankful that the furniture they provided me was new and tasteful. This, combined with my cache of wall art and other decorative essentials that I shipped over, miraculously transformed my new crib into a relaxing sanctuary.

So, make reservations now to Gina's Egyptian Lair n' Sanctuary!

My House is Homesick

It's 6pm and I am completely exhausted. The movers have JUST left. Today was packout day. My second one truth be told because I had a small one (2,000 lbs) a couple Fridays ago. That one was going to Egypt by cargo barge. Items that I can do without for a month upon arriving, since said items will still be chugging across the seas. My flat in Cairo will be furnished and is located in the part of the city where the Westerners dwell--- oil people, military, diplomats, ex-patriots, and of course Egyptians thrown in the mix. Should make for an interesting social that I'll throw when I arrive, or rather when my social platters and wine glasses arrive. As my friends can attest, I'm an Asian-eyed Martha Stewart.

But I digress.... Today was the big packout: 10,000 lbs that will remain stored in the States while I'm living abroad. Furniture, books, decorative items, exercise equipments, winter clothes, and other odds and ends that I've managed to collect. It's sad that for a single gal, I have accumulated a total of 13,000 lbs of household schtuff .... um, this is household weight mind you that is normally attributed to a "family".... and something that "I" managed to do on my own. Have I mentioned that I have one more packout left to go? Wednesday's packout, however, will be short and sweet. Basically 1,000 lbs worth of clothes, hygiene and beauty aids, linens, and professional and personal files that will be flown over waiting for me when I arrive in January. Sadly, my shoes alone will make up half of my packout weight. Sigggh... I do share the same nationality as Imelda Marcus, lest you forget.

My home is gone and in its stead is a house. 2400 sq ft of bare rooms echoing sadly for the comforts that made it home. And, on top of everything else I am missing Dancing With The Stars tonight because my tv is packed up. I could go over to a friend's house, but I am tired and I want to zzzzz off to dreamland. I've been up since 3:30 and the packers will be here at 7 am again tomorrow to load up what they packed up today. Hopefully someone recorded DWTS, so I can catch it later. It's Season Finale Week (Go Team Burke). While everyone has been gearing up for Thanksgiving, I've been focusing on this move... but ever the entertainer, I'm helping a friend with a Thanksgiving feast at her house. I'm doing the turkey and some trimmings as 25 people are expected to show. Should prove to be a festive day.... but I'd rather be home with my family in NC.... Wishing Happy TG thoughts with heavy-lidded might.... Off to bed I go .... To all.... a g'night.

Where Art Thou Mi Italiana Villa?

Oh how I miss my Italian Villa. I have vivid dreams that I still live there. I had beautiful arched terrace doors in all the front rooms that looked out to the providence below and the Mediterranean Sea beyond. You could walk out on my terrace that ran along the entire front of the villa, which provided a breath taking view of land and sea. However, the view from my roof patio was even better, which could be accessed by climbing the marble stairway up to the top floor landing. Often I would dine outside on my second level terrace or throw a wine and cheese party on my rooftop patio with a live jazz trio playing to the ambiance of the evening, their sillouettes casting shadows along with the flickering candles that were lit throughout as twilight danced to the rhythms of the evening. My favorite memory though was the idyllic pleasure of reading outdoors on my patio hammock, eventually lulling to sleep by the sounds of Mother Nature singing to me as I crept into the stories I was reading. Ahhhh such a poignant memory of mi bella Italiana villa.