party.....without the people.

i'm not sure what gets into me.....one minute, i'm making miniature bags out of cool fabric coasters i bought today and then the next minute: custard (yes, MORE custard!) in the oven, keish waiting for it's turn in the oven, and "rooz belaban" (similar to rice pudding) cooling in the fridge.

one liter of milk, gone.
six eggs used: three in the keish, two in the custard, one on the floor.
a bunch of other stuff.

there's a few bananas perfect for banana bread......but i think i'll resist since the keish hasn't even started it's turn in the oven. i'm not even sure i like keish.

i miss entertaining guests. this causes me to think about all my options when i return home:

weekly craft nights with copious amounts of custards - caramel custard one week, toffee the next
since i now drink teas besides green tea, i can have friends over for tea and.....keish? rice pudding?

you see where i'm going with this? my options are endless........i can feed many, many people. that's the point, there's people to feed, guests to entertain. but it's different here. everyone has a family. everyone has this and that......i'm always being hosted and, because i'm a single female, don't have many opportunities to host.

a cup of tea, a bowl of custard, piece of keish, scoop of rice pudding, a miniature bag made out of coasters, srawberry jam, salsa, kettle corn, sugar cookies, lemonade, and perhaps even a slice of banana bread......

bon appetite, roommate!

summer in the city.....

ClearWind: S at 19 km/hHumidity: 14%

Sun 39°C 21°C
Mon 38°C 12°C
Tue 27°C 8°C
Wed 23°C 9°C


Sun 103°F 70°F
Mon 102°F 54°F
Tue 82°F 47°F
Wed 74°F 49°F

I am

so

BLESSED!

and completely, inexpressably

GRATEFUL!

My family and friends put the BIGGEST

S M I L E

on my face............and inspire

JOY

in my heart!

THANK YOU!!!

early buses, baked custards, big discisions

This morning I made custard.

These past two weeks at school have been so enjoyable. I started art classes for the younger students and, each morning, I look forward to working with them and with the teachers.

The ladies in my office are like my family, but since a few teachers quit, we've become more than a family but also a team. We work together as we enjoy each other's company. At night, I look forward to going to sleep by 10:30 to wake up excited and ready for a full day.

This morning, I made custard. I'm still not entirely sure why. While talking to a friend about pending decisions, I thought custard seemed like a good idea at the moment and a tasty treat for later (even though I've already eaten my half).

As many of you know, I always have ideas bouncing around like there's a trampoline in my head (or a bouncy castle...); either way, my life constantly feels like it can go in various directions at the same time. Usually this is good because it keeps me learning, motivated, and excited about life, but on the rare occasion that I want to focus or pursue a specific dream, I find myself unsatisfied with the notion of channelling my interest into one direction as if having to simultaneously sacrifice other dreams.

Perhaps some people are made to focus their attention, and others are made to constantly expand their horizons while expanding the horizons of those around them. Perhaps this is me. Or, perhaps I'm just as my aunty recently noticed: "Janean, you're really not headed in all sorts of directions, all of your interests focus on one goal -- to serve the whole person. You're not just concerned with a person's education, but with his/her physical and spiritual well-being. You care about the whole person and all your interests reflect this."

As the words came out of her mouth, it all made sense. Pursing one aspect of this goal isn't taking me away from other interests but better equipping me to be of service to people in various capacities. I feel like I've known this for so long; like I didn't know that I know, but I knew. You know? :)

I have some pretty big decisions ahead of me and am excited to see where they lead. I've never been the type to freak out or feel burdened by such decisions but pray for wisdom. When the decisions are made, you will know.

Many Blessings,
Janean

In no time at all: "JUST a second"

from: http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/in-no-time

No one keeps track of time better than Ferenc Krausz. In his lab at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany, he has clocked the shortest time intervals ever observed. Krausz uses ultraviolet laser pulses to track the absurdly brief quantum leaps of electrons within atoms. The events he probes last for about 100 attoseconds, or 100 quintillionths of a second. For a little perspective, 100 attoseconds is to one second as a second is to 300 million years.

El Hahm Du Lah Leh!

EVERYTHING has been returned!!!

sheihk it up!

Update: A sheihk found my wallet in a mosque. He called the only number he could find in my wallet -- a local tour guide. She called my director who called me. We'll meet him on Saturday.

He said he will give only me the wallet since "there's money inside and other precious things." Perhaps everything is in there, perhaps not. Either way, God is faithful, and I have the BEST FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!

Stay tuned for more details :)

there's always a story....

i love stories. i enjoy hearing stories and telling stories..........there's always a story.

but today, no story. just the details:

FACT: My wallet went MIA somewhere between the backseat of a taxi on Sherda Hegez and my flat.

FACT: My passport and ALL my money were (are?) snuggly tucked in my wallet.

FACT: On my way to apply for a new passport, the Metro Station worker threatened to bring me to the police (like I said, there's always a story).

FACT: I am so blessed! My friends and family are more than I could ask for! THANK YOU for everything.......you know who you are. I cannot clearly articulate my appreciation (even if I mastered the art of emoticons :)


There are moments when I want to go out on my balcony and inform my whole neighborhood of my presence (Maybe a sweet seranade or a simple, loud YELL!).....

It'd go something like this:

itsfunnyhowthoughtsjumbleinandoverlapintowhatseemstobeanneverendingprocess:livereflectlearnlivereflectlearn.thelivinghasn'tstoppedneitherhasthereflectionandneitherwillthelearning.itjustkeepsgoingandgoingandgoin.sometimesalittlebreakwouldbenice.butonthebrightsideihavewonderfulfriendsandfamily.ourinterdependence(currentlymydependenceonthem)issoencouragingandincredibleandwithanupdatedpassportpictureiwonthaveanymoreproblemsatpassportcontrol!

Okay, so maybe it's more like a rap, but there you have it...that's the "song" I'd graciously seranade my neighborhood with in a sorta yell rap. At this point, all I can do is laugh. The situation isn't the most humorous, but there's only so much I can do -- laughing and moving on is one of them.

I really am grateful for all the encouraging emails many of you have sent throughout these past months!

Around the aisles

With a free afternoon, some hit the beach, others wash laundry, snowboard, hunt, watch movies, play video/computer games, facebook/myspace, and whatever other entertainment suits each.

What a person does with his/her "free" time is quite interesting. For example, this past weekend, I toiled into the wee hours of the morning to make a few necklaces and bracelets, wash laundry, and sort through a growing pile of papers. Today, I headed straight for one of the largest consumer-convenient stores in the area for an afternoon of grocery shopping (don't worry, Walmart; Spinnies' got nothing on you!):

Mental shopping list -- check.
Money -- check.
Comfortable shoes -- check.

Up one aisle, down the next. When I'm not exhausted, hungry, and in a rush, I enjoy perusing the various aisles at the grocery market. Baking goods, canned foods, pastas, rice, candy, snacks, juice, soda, chipsies, condiments, dairy, produce, bakery goods, seafood, poultry. There's so much to look at! So many ideas race through my head:

Customers should be allowed to throw all expired food at
impatiently-rude-run-me-over-with-their-cart customers.

I can make Mexican refried beans for 6 L.E. cheaper if I use Egyptian
beans (fava)....but would they still be Mexican?

Strawberries are on sale, I'll make jam.

Chinese parsley and cilantro are the same thing, but parsley and Chinese parsley aren't. Coriander smells more like cilantro than parsley.....is coriander related to Chinese parsley?

"SOY MILK!!! SOOOOOY MILLLKKK!" as I pick up my first carton of soy milk this
side of the Nile!

I don't understand a word you're saying Mr. Aisle Attendant Man, and even if you keep talking, I still will NOT buy the expired eggs no matter how good the
prices

All these thoughts eventually come to an end as I finally roll up to the cashier.....excitement subsiding as I remember that all these adventures around the aisles come at a price.

Two hours later, a jar full of home-made salsa (with coriander instead of cilantro or parsley) and a jar full of home-made strawberry jam in the fridge, a small pot of pinto beans (soon to be Mexican refried beans) on the stove, a glass full of soy milk on the counter, and yes, expired eggs in their carton, the price of a not-so-FREE afternoon strolling through the aisles of the grocery store are well worth the price........my wallet and waist size agree ;)