Messages from home

A website and newsletter i haven't ever mentioned on my blog is worth a look.

The Bellydance club newsletter keeps me up to date with reviews of workshops and performances, books, cd's and lots more all over UK and is based in fife, Scotland. Run by an enterprising and enthusiastic bellydancer, Annette McCann, she sends out your newsletter direct to your email inbox, once a month and it never fails to entertain!!!

To find out more and to register for your newsletter (for only £10 per year!!!) click the following

http://www.bellydanceclub.co.uk/register/index.html

Also if you are a teacher based in Scotland- its a great place to advertise your classes (didn't notice any mentioned in Edinburgh yet!!!!!!) and if you are a student interested in starting out its a good place to search for more info!

I love it when I know whats going on at home, even when I am over here in Cairo! Mind you- sometimes I hear of events going on over there and I half wish I was there to attend!!!!!!!!!!!

instead I'm here........ biding my time, waiting for more dates to perform- a struggle just now since one of the boats is out of action- so there REALLY isn't enough work for all 4 of us right now..............very stressful........... roll on summer!

quote of the day 'the Dalai Lama treated me really badly' ( yes -a friend actually said this to me today. I live in a bizarre wonderful world!!!)

Robert Burns night- in Cairo!

On friday night I went round to my friends Ruth and Mohammend's place to help celebrate the birthday of the great Scottish Poet, Robert Burns.....

They have a LOVELY flat (in which they rent out room as a bed and breakfast.....)

and Mohammed even donned his tartan trous for the occasion........

In fact- most people had some tartan on of some discription-

from a kilt...........

to a scarf...........

to a fleece.........



or even just a ribbon............



some people really went the whole hog.... well- I guess he did have the job off addressing the lassies- so it was only right! Check out the shoes! Ruth modelled the lovely new 'gold tartan' sash............. with interesting footwear too..........



and I got to wear my lovely new shoes and bag.... both bought in Cairo this week!!!!!!!!!! Was so chuffed with them... everyone kept asking if I had had the shoes specially made!!!!!!!

We danced that great traditional burns night dance of 'balancing the 'caber' on yer heed'...............

and of course...........we ate lots of haggis........... after talking to it- as you do- well- we do in Scotland... but then we'll address anything if it means a drink after!!!!!!!!!!!

oh- and did I mention my shoes and bag..................................?!!!

St Andrews Day Ball

I am an idiot. I went to the St. Andrews Day Ball at the Nile Hilton here in Cairo last night.... the dance floor was carpet (???!!!!) and I kicked off my lovely, suede soled, orangey/gold salsa shoes to dance and then wandered home at the end of the night and just discovered I left them behind (yes I had other shoes with me- didn't wander off barefoot!) Really hope they turn up in lost property tomorrow- fingers crossed!!!!

The Ball itself was ok. The meal wasn't what I would have expected for the ticket price and I was really disappointed there wasn't either haggis, or a Burns recital of any kind. The speeches were not loud enough or interesting enough... and the ceilidh band was good- but the caller wasn't the best I have ever seen and a few people wandered off down to the salsa night downstairs in 'Jazz up' because they just weren't following the dances enough to enjoy them, because of him. It was a band all the way over from Edinburgh too.

However, there were liqueurs pre and post dinner and wine and whiskey on each of the tables (probably the reason I left my shoes behind!) and the atmosphere was nice- lots of very friendly people. I really miss the Scottish humour living here!

It was also great to see men in kilts again- it's been a while!!!

Only thing lacking was having a bellydancer from Scotland perform in a tartan bellydance costume- now THAT would have been memorable!!!! He he

Me and my beautiful friends all dressed up for the ball....................

Amazing end to Scottish tour....

... they say the best way to appreciate your own country is to leave it. well- it's true!

On my last night in Edinburgh before coming back to Cairo, 3 wonderful things happened.

I went to the nature reserve at Aberlady, to watch the sunset, not knowing til I got there that lots of twitchers were there too- to see, and photograph the annual migration of geese! It was amazing to see V after V, thousands upon thousands of geese fly in to nest, at Sunset, after feeding all day- some flying in from as far as Iceland. Seemingly, they are only there for about a month each year- so to unexpectantly catch this amazing sight made me feel overwhelmed! It was cold, very, and i got a crookin my neck... but the sight of those squadrons of brids (far more than in any hitchcock film!) coming into the sunset above me will always stay in my mind.

Then I walked down to potobello beach - to say fairwell to the sea before my flight home (to Cairo that is!!!) and the sea was much further out than normal so there was huge expanses of sand in front of me and no clouds at all and the stars were soooo bright and so numerous again that my neck was in that same position for quite some time. I really don't remember them ever looking that amazing.

Then, for no apparent reason, or intended audience, 2 men on the beach started to lit firework after firework- a lovely show which went on for over half an hour..............

So , in all an amazing night, celebrating the wonders of Scotlands nature- the clean air, the birds, the sunsets, the stars, the beach and then fireworks to round it all off. All things which if I had been living my normal life in Scotland and not doing 'something special' to end my month there, I would have missed out on totally!!!! Wish I had photos of it all to show you!!!

So.................... This , along with the 1st hours of my arrival in Cairo, make up for and help console me, somewhat, for the horrors of the 1st day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm Scottish- not English!

Last night I attended a party at a friend's house, with Kay (who runs Farida Holidays) and her group. They had music and food and drink and the atmosphere was lovely- lots if dancing! After a small group of us went on to the Arizona Nightclub (VERY shabby little place downtown) It was the usual low class club with too much reverb on the music and 'dancer' after 'dancer'. Except that last night there was one at least who could really dance. She was really nice to watch. We got up and did our thing too of course….good fun.

The fun ended for us, when the singer (a large, red faced, saaidi man) decided to pick on us tourists. One of the girls had told him she was from England and that gave him the ammunition he needed unfortunately. He started singing-

'These people are from London- they may as well be from America, I am Saaidi I am Egyptian. In Egypt we had people like Nasser who fought to get the British out of Egypt'…………… at this point I ordered the bill and we left. I wasn't going to wait for the next line in the song!!!!!!!!

I guess he didn't realise that I would understand, or maybe he did. Anyway- it made it easier to leave that’s for sure. I can understand why Egyptians might feel resentment to the British… I really do…. (After all, there are some Scot's who still feel a similar way to the English even though those wars were not within even our parents lifetimes!!!) However it was a very uncomfortable situation, and the whole event made me realise how much of that type of attitude I avoid by telling people here that I am Scottish (much better than saying I am British, but neither obviously as bad, from last nights example, as saying you are English!)

Scottish wedding in Cairo

On Saturday night I attended a wedding in Maadi. Ruth, from Aberdeen, and her husband, Mohammed, were celebrating in Egyptian style in their flat.

There was a select crowd…. With many people flown over from Scotland (and one from Australia!) especially for the event. I felt it a pity it coincided with a holiday weekend that meant many of her friends from here in Cairo were out of town. They had a Saaidi band play (one large drum and 3 mizmars!!!!!!!) you can only imagine how loud that felt in their living room!!! They also had a whirling dervish and the 'backing dancers' not to mention the pantomime horse!!!. I did the bellydance duties…… stick dance first –getting the bride and groom up to dance etc etc… and then I danced again later with a cd (to do the oriental set in my new tartan costume!) All went very well and I enjoyed dancing probably as much as people enjoyed watching! We had sparklers and party poppers for the cutting of the cake and many zaghareets….. heaven only knows what the neighbours all thought about it all! If anyone who was there sends me there photos I'll add one in here!

The following day we met up again to spend a couple of hours in style on the Nile. They had hired a yacht 'the Christina' (which I highly recommend and will definitely do with future groups) and in wonderful luxurious style we cruised up the Nile for 2 hours while the staff on board served us drinks and acted DJ so we were all bellydancing on deck! I felt on top of the world- a yacht on the Nile, with lovely people, wine, music and dancing my heart out. It was a wonderful feeling… total decadence!

Burns Night

Do you know... in all my years in Scotland, I don't recall ever attending a Burns night supper. Yet last night- along with 60 other people I was in a friends house- eating haggis and listening to the words of the bard himself. It was bizzarre looking out over the Cairo night yet hearing scots and seeing men in kilts. OK so there was only one in a kilt- but never mind- you get the jist! Min you- the Scots let the side down somewhat with everyone going home really early- it ws only a few of us hardcore scots who coud even begin to keep up with the egyptians!!!

Scottish Music

I'm so glad to be here in Cairo and learning about my own culture- because everything that seems new here in Egypt reminds me of how we do things differently at home in Scotland.

Even to the point of being in a Scottish wedding in St Andrews during my recent visit home, and seeing people up ceilidh dancing, which has never been my favourite thing. The energy and enthusiasm, not to mention the levels of skill, all reminded me of everyone up dancing at an Egyptian wedding- the style is different, and the music… but the enthusiasm is exactly the same. Its all about the socialising aspect of the dance and the fun of it. Not about the technique or the look of it all. Seeing it all from that Egyptian perspective, as it were, gave me a much greater appreciation of my own Scottish heritage…the dance and the music, to the point where I even listened to Scottish folk music on the radio one night while I was driving home to Edinburgh, rather than switching it off as I would have done normally. I even enjoyed it!

I guess you don't appreciate your own country, and what you have there, until you leave it!