Last night I had a really fabulous evening.
I decided that in Scotland I have a large network of women who i care about and we all support each other and it feels good, essential. Here in Cairo I have a few close friends, and lots of woman I know to say hi to... but there never seems to be enough opportunity to either deepen those friendships or to meet new women.
so- in keeping with Egyptian culture and tradition, i decided what we needed was a Ladies night in. There was about 12 of us in the end.... and it was such a positive, enriching enviroment that i am getting excited about planning the next one already!
It is the 'thing' that Egyptian women have I guess which helps them cope in such a male dominated community... these gatherings of the women... and its not just about meeting when you don't have to have your hair covered!!!! I can see now that is the secret to the Egyptian woman's strength... other women. Not exactly an earth shattering realisation- but one thats taken 4 years before I did anything about it! So I am adopting that element of the Egyptian culture. After all- in Scotland when i was teaching so much I would literally see 400 women on a weekly basis, on top of my contact with close girlfriends. I can't believe it has taken me so long to realise that this is how to fill the massive gap in my life!
So last night me and my 'gals' sat for HOURS chatting about every topic under the sun. A marvelous mix of ages, nationalities and life experiences. Women from all walks of life, all loving the opportunity to relax and be 'themselves'.
We are fabulous!
....Girl Power!!
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4 comments:
Thanks for this post Lorna, We ARE fabulous!and it's good to be reminded now and again.
Nice, Lorna. I did something similar recently (attended rather than hosted) and we all contributed money which went to a girls education in India as part of the Because I am a Girl campaign. It was a really lively mix of ages and professions. Kristina x
Yay! That sounds so happy!! Big hugs. Can't wait to see you, soon. Speth xx
Girls nights are a great idea, recently I also got a real insight into how important they are in Arabic culture: I was asked to teach an hour class to a Lebanese lady and her Arabic girlfriends.
In public some of them wear hijab, some don’t, so it was nice to see them in a ‘safe’ female only environment. They dress impeccably, hair, makeup, designer clothes and we basically just boogie around for an hour having a laugh.
Anyway afterwards we sit down to a gorgeous traditional Lebanese meal, then Arabic coffee and chat for a couple of hours (half in Arabic half in English), just all girls together. You are right that this is how the women are strong, not just in male dominated environments but also far away from their country of origin, and it is a real treat to be included.
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