Tourism and Teacher -Cruise part 7

Waking up in a completely different place than the one you went to sleep in is a wonderfully addictive feeling. To wake up not only thinking, what will i do today, but also where are we...? It’s fun!

‘Today’ we were in Iraklion, Crete.

And today was my first day as a proper solo tourist. It was good to get out and take lots of photos. it is have a look at Lorna's holiday snaps time........... 

(I especially like this shot with the fort and harbour in the foreground and the MS Noordam in the distance!) 

Strange to walk into a church and see locals walk in with their short sleeve on and kiss and the icons, light a candle and leave. 

(Sorry this one is fuzzy, but I was trying to take the photo without people realising I was shooting them mid prayer!)

Me playing with my Zoom... Jesus ( I presume it is he) not looking too happy up in the centre of the high ceiling!

Amazingly beautiful detailed ceilings. They reminded me of the coptic churches I have been in in Cairo.

So very different from the experiences when I have been a tourist, visting ancient mosques!

Can anyone explain to me what the point of the metal discs with body parts on them that were hanging from some of the icons in the cathedral?

Of course I had to try the local temptations... This is an orgasm in a tub... (not their name for it- but definitely mine!)

And after taking this opportunistic shot... which I am rather proud of...

of course I also got caught by charlie chaplin himself for a photo... as one does. Not exactly sure what the link is between Mr bendy legs himself and Crete. But it was entertaining! Especially when he tried to get 10Euros out of me for having a photo with him! I did actually laugh out loud in his face.

I felt a little sorry for this next chap. Imagine being so important in the history of your country that they made a huge statue of your face, so that pigeons can deface it for centuries. So kind...

Really enjoyed my day. More than I thought I would. I am not good at being on my own, but actually, there were moments that I actually enjoyed it, just sitting taking in the peace and beauty, and greenery!

What was funny though was being a complete tourist in a new place, wandering on your own and hearing (about 5 times that day) ‘Look.... its the bellydancer....’ and ‘hi teacher!’. Everywhere of course was full of guests from our ship. I felt like a celeb!

Then, at night, I went to the show ‘dancing with the stars’ where guests were actually competing in ballroom dance on the huge stage. That was fun... and I got chatting with some of the guests afterwards, in the dining room, one of whom actually said that he had been so impressed by my show that that is what had encouraged him to dance with way he did. He said that I looked so happy on stage that he knew that as long as he kept smiling he too could make people enjoy his show too. How sweet is that?!!! It was nice to feel appreciated, and useful! 

so... I admit it. I do like this cruising thing......well... it has it's moments anyway!

Rock and Roll and Resolutions. Cruise part6

After the MS Noordam sailed away from Alexandria, I forgot completely that we had had to change our clocks so it was by complete chance that I woke up that next morning with only about 10 minutes to get to teach my class! A rocky start to a rocky day.

I had not been aware at all of the movement of the ship up until that day. It is very interesting trying to teach dance when the ground is literally moving about underneath you. My balance was seriously challenged. I spoke with many of the guests who were repeat cruise attendees and who were telling me all sorts of stories about the sizes of the waves at sea and it made me realise I should feel grateful that actually the Noordam was an exceptionally smooth sail! Still, despite feeling grateful, it is a very strange feeling trying to rock your hips from side to side when the ship is rocking you front and back at the same time. Really enjoyed teaching though. It's lovely to see how many of the ladies keep coming back over and over again. I love the giggling and female comradery in every class. I have to try and do more teaching. it always makes me feel good!

Other than teaching two classes on that day at sea I also went to see their stage show Droom. I couldn’t get over the professional quality of the shows on board the ship. Amazing costumes and sets. Breathtaking dancing and singing. And this was on the stage I had done my show on while we were in Alexandria...!

(photo taken from google! not mine!)

(My photo- which isn't exactly clear, sorry, but gives you an idea of the colour and spectacle that we were treated to!)

During my trip I also managed to the Gym I think 3 or 4 times. Each time I went, I wished I had done more though. How can you be a dancer, yet feel so unfit. It is scary how I can dance for literally hours and hours without even stopping, yet put me on a treadmill and I am out of breath and deep purple! The body really is an amazing thing. I must try to cross train more often though. It can only be good for my body and for my dance!

(photo taken from google! not mine- since I was too busy working hard in the gym to think to take a photo- honest!)

 Many of the guests on board took evening strolls (or speed walks!) around the decks and by the end I was doing what many of the repeat cruisers were doing which was using the stairs constantly rather than the lifts. It was 150 steps from my cabin floor to the dining area. I figured if I climbed that rather than use the lift I could eat an extra homemade cookie with my ice cream! I still managed to put on 3 kilos in my 12 day trip. That shows you how good the food on board was! Mind you... perhaps it was my choice of food...

 (you couldn't just try one could you? well, I couldn't!)

 (I cannot begin to tell you how good the food was.......... I suspect the photos speak for themselves...)

(and what a breakfast to wake up to each day... I did try to resist. but, well, I wasn't as strong as the pull of pancakes! Apart from those days where I had eggs benedict instead!)

One lovely couple I met from Australia were kind enough to send me some photos they had taken during their trip. Here’s me after my first show on board.

(Aren’t you impressed with how well the sunburn clashes with my costume? Impressive huh?!)

Days at sea are strange. Busy, since these are the days I work the most, which is fun, but also somewhat isolating too. I suspect strongly that has more to do with my facebook addiction and not being able to get online rather than anything else!!! Thankfully, I was prepared and took some reading material with me. During the whole trip I managed to get through 3 books. I love reading and need to try to switch off the computer more and open a good. My mum taught me that reading was never a waste of time and it has always made me relax and distress which is quite often the complete opposite of what facebook does to me. Yes, more reading is needed....

So- today’s blog is about remembering three main resolutions ... 

-more teaching

-more general exercise that is not dance

-more reading/less social media (she says writing a blog which she will advertise via twitter and facebook, Doh!)

Hmmm- wish me luck!

From Greek club to Greece. Cruise part 5

My second day in Alex was much more enjoyable than my first because my friend Ellie came up from Cairo to spend the day with me. She was impressed with the train service, and there was only a little panic when I was waiting at one station, and she had left the train at another, but we sorted it out and met outside the fort.

When you are based in Cairo any excuse to get away even for a day and smell the sea air is a blessing. We went to the Greek club and sat with a drink and some nibbles beside a small but beautiful and quiet beach for most of the day catching up. 

That place really is a haven and one of my favourite places in Egypt.

It is always a stunning view walking along the corniche afterwards and photos of pretty boats are going to take up the majority of this blog entry!

We had a wander round town,

 and ended up back on the corniche at a street sheesha cafe just relaxing and watching the world go by.

 The day went too fast and before long I had to rush back to the ship so I could give Ellie some things to take back to Cairo with her on the train and save my weight allowance for the journey back. Unfortunately I didn’t give her enough and still had problems at the airport the following week, but even that turned into a nice evening when I shared out the Italian wine I had brought to take back as presents but which put my grossly over the baggage allowance but made me some new friends!

Returning to the ship there was a lovely sunset and the ship did look impressive.

and huge....

I did feel sad though. I was returning to the ship to head to Crete, so I should have been excited about the next step of my adventure, but I felt that nothing could beat the high of the show the night before and just wanted to leave on a high! The good news is that, fingers crossed, even if I am not crew on future sails, HAL might use me to provide the local entertainment whenever they are in Alex. I really hope so. That would be fabulous for me, and for my band, and I think good for the guests too to hear about the country they are in from someone who really loves it, despite being aware of its failings. I suspect my low mood though was due to the fact that my stomach wasn’t too happy all day (well, for most of the week actually- although generally I had put it down to my self induced over eating due to the stunning food on board the ship!). I have to admit that I went back to the ship, ate some dinner and was in bed by, wait for it, 8.30pm. Not only that, but I slept through until my alarm at 9 the next morning!! 8.30pm- the girl who normally goes to bed at 5am! Guess I was tired. All this excitement!

The longest journey ever between Cairo and Alexandria! -Cruise part 4

So, to recap the cruise story so far.

I flew to Rhodes, via Athens. I joined the ship MS Noordam... and then we promptly sailed directly back to Egypt.

When we did arrive at Alexandria one of the first things for me was the relief that my internet worked again.  Sad, but true. The day at sea was too far away from anywhere to pick up 3G, so I had been a day without internet. No facebook, no connecting with friends, no IMessage. If I had been ready for it, I suspect I would have dealt with it better, but I hadn’t thought about not being able to use my phone on ship at least and felt trapped. It is amazing isn’t it, how in the few years that wide use of the internet has developed our dependency on it has increased so dramatically. You can buy internet cards on the ship, but they are very expensive and the connection very slow. I have to admit- I did panic and buy a card. I think it would be healthy for me to try to go for longer periods of time offline. So as soon as I publish this blog and update my facebook, and check twitter for latest Egypt news, then that’s what I will do... for an hour or so at least!

I digress. So, the ship is in Alex. I plan to meet a friend who is from there for lunch. I walked from the ship to the corniche, though some of the most rubbish strewn streets I have seen for a while which really saddened me. When I walked from the ship to shore I met guests from the ship coming back saying to me- ‘don’t do it... it’s filthy, don’t go there! I laughed, thinking they were just comparing ‘normal Egypt with their spotless clean ship’. No. They were right.

   I know things are tough financially, politically, every which way really, but please- have some pride in your country, even just your little bit of it. Imagine how all these two thousand tourists, getting off their 5 star ship and stepping directly into that view you and your country. And their opinion should count, if you want Egypt to do well the tourist rates need to increase. Unfortunately, our two days docked at Alex made almost everyone on board totally confused as to why I would choose to live in a dump like Egypt. Their words, not mine. I found myself having to defend my chosen home over and over again, although with a lot of it, I unfortunately did agree with them. How much respect would it need to put your rubbish in your pocket until you get home instead of throwing in the street? To smile and welcome people to the country without the hard sell that actually most found aggressive and frightening (and didn’t result in sales?)? Come on Egyptians, I know you can do better than this. Please.

Actually, while I am on my rant, humour me please readers. On my way to the corniche the call to prayer was sounding. It was Friday. One man tried to walk up close to me, making sexual comments. I shouted at him, ‘shame on you, cant you hear the sound from the mosque?’ he looked mortified that I had pulled him up on what he was doing and apologised and ran away. Egypt needs more reminders about the respect involved in following Islam. For yourself and for women. It shouldn’t need the infidel bellydancer to remind a Muslim man that he should be paying attending to the prayer, not to my backside. And while I am on the subject. On the way back to the ship after drinking my fresh juice (lunch got cancelled so had a wander about Alex instead- which totally closes on a Friday- good to know if you ever want to do tourist stuff there- Not on a Friday!!) a man tried to do the usual, ‘hello... whats you name? Where you from?’. I answered him in Arabic asking him to leave me alone, he replied... ‘Ah you are Arab...are you from Syria? Do you think the way you are dressed is appropriate for an Arab?’ It is the first time someone has openly tried to control what I wear in this way, and if my Arabic had been better I would have told him exactly what I thought of him and his attitude. As it was I ignored him and kept walking and felt sorry, yet again for what Egypt is becoming. Alexandria, the ‘European city of the middle east’, yeah right. The next day I saw a much nicer side to the city and I'll show that to you in the next blog entry! It wasn't all disappointing!

I need to balance all the above with a positive, in case people reading this think I am just using it all as an excuse to bash Egypt. I love this country and I see it’s potential. I do see the positives too. The lovely place I had my juice at laid out a tray of juice and a box of oranges and were handing them out to people as they came out of the mosques and to the beggars in the street. The caring and sharing that Islam does preach in action. It was good to see.

OK. So, the surprise I was writing about my blog last time; usually when a ship is in port they contact the port agent who gets them a ‘local band’ to come and entertain them. I got very excited when Margo (Entertainment manager) said this... does this mean I get to dance with them? With a live band? She said yes. Then I told her it was a shame I hadn’t known about this, I could have brought my band up from Cairo. She asked me to quote a price. My band came back with a price, that to be honest I felt was way too expensive, and I told her just to get the Alex band. She however told me the port agent was asking for double what I had quoted! I couldn’t believe it. The amount of money that man must have been pocketing for himself was mammoth! She asked me to bring my band. Yippee. I was getting to dance in this huge theatre, with my own band. I was so excited!

The band arrived late. The port agent created problems because he was so angry at them and me since he lost out on the deal. He told security that they shouldn’t get into the port etc. It took about two hours to clear up. To see their faces when they saw the ship I was working on was worth every second. It didn’t harm that Margo is stunningly beautiful and they all though that a real life Barbie was greeting them! 

Most of the band haven’t been abroad at all. So, to come aboard and find this other world, full of different peoples and luxury and way of talking with each other, It blew their minds a bit! They all commented when Margo bent to pick up some nails that had dropped on the floor in the pools area, amazed that a manager would do that, not just stand and shout loudly for someone else to do it. They wanted her to come and take over the Pharaohs. I have to agree with them! Said, the tannoura when he was checking the stage before our show said,’ I can’t believe we are still in Egypt. I feel like I am abroad’. I felt proud I had been able to bring them this experience.

They played in the gazebo by the pool on top deck while everyone was eating their BBQ. It went well. I of course had been busy organising security clearance etc etc and was needed to translate everything for them, so hadn’t even gotten changed yet. I left them to what I knew they did best, and ran for my 20 minute shower, hair make up costume! It was all very stressful getting them from that stage, via a super fast food and cigarette break down to the main theatre on time. Herding cats might have been easier. We made it 2 minutes before curtain! I of course still hadn’t finished make up or gotten into costume so I told them to play a song before my entrance. It worked well.

The show went really well. I danced. The tannoura span, I took the mic and got everyone doing some audience participation from their seats. I love dancing, I love teaching and I love entertaining. This show combined all three and I felt totally at home. I just wish we had had longer. The hour was possibly the fastest in my life!

Everyone loved it, and Margo told me it was the best local entertainment they had ever had on any ship she had been on. What a relief! We went up to deck again for a cup of tea and relax before getting the band onto their bus and sending them back to Cairo. Oh and the photos.. Everyone was desperate to get a picture beside the beautiful Margo. It was very funny to watch!

And, the good news, the whole show was filmed... so watch this space until I manage to work out how to edit and upload it!!

What a day! I was totally drained, but happy, when I collapsed into bed!

Out at sea – cruise part 3

This was a big day for me; my first day waking up on board the ship, from a deep sleep in a very comfy bed, and my first day of ‘work’.

The days schedule (that was put in the little box outside everybody’s room on a daily basis) told us all that today would be an Arabic class, two bellydance classes and a bellydance performance. Busy Lorna!

So half an hour before the Arabic class was due to start I sat down to work out what I was going to teach. Not exactly a lot of preparation, but I already had a fair idea of what basics we would get through in the half hour I was allocated. If we got past ‘hello’,’ thank you’ and ‘yes and no’ I’d be lucky! I was pretty nervous though- I had a fear that someone who spoke Arabic would come along just to pick me up on something or make fun of my pronunciation. So the beginning of the lesson was a huge disclaimer that I was not a native speaker, but that I had lived there for seven years and had ‘got by’! 

My fears were justified. I had a woman from Iraq come along with her American husband (I presume for him to learn?). Every time I said something I would give a sideways look towards her, which she always caught, but thankfully she would also nod in approval! At the end she said I had done very well. Phew! Our half hour actually stretched to an hour because everyone was so interested and asking questions. There were at least 50 in the class! They liked it so much they all wanted handouts so they could practise. There was yet another thing to add into my day- I did type them up and I actually posted the lesson in this blog in case you missed it... http://bellylorna.blogspot.com/2013/06/basic-egyptian-words-to-use-on-your.html

Then, the bellydance class. I decided since there were only about 15 or so ladies I wouldn’t use the head mic, however, by the time we had finished the introduction I realised I probably should have, since I had nearly 60 people in the class! Great hilarity ensued and we were all shaking it to our hearts delight by the time the lesson was over. After nearly 17 years of teaching experience I still love that first class that people do. Their facial expressions when they are concentrating hard to move their hips in a figure of eight, their joy when they ‘get it’. It is a small scale version of having children for me- experiencing  elements  within the dance anew through their fresh eyes. I should do more teaching. I get so much out of it for me. When I moved to Cairo I decided to do very little teaching and focus on the performance. My thinking was that I could teach when I am 60 – but by then I wouldn’t be able to be performing on a stage in Cairo! Now however, looking back over my over 7 years here, I realise that actually teaching is important to me. To my own dance and development, but also on a psychological level, that interaction with women who want to learn. I plan to teach more from now on....

In the second dance class of the day I was impressed that yet again we had fairly high numbers and that many from the morning had come back for more! So I had to teach a class that was suitable for complete beginners, but also not a repeat of the one earlier- in fact that was the experience for the rest of the cruise. I taught 8 classes over the course of the 2 weeks, and in everyone I had the die hards that come to every class, and I also had total first time beginners too. I don’t know who people who plan their lessons allow for these things? I teach almost every class as I perform every show. Improvised. When I perform it allows me to gauge the audience reaction, to do more of this, less of that, depending on their response. In teaching, exactly the same. If I plan something too much then a lot of the joy goes out of the class for me, the interaction is lost, or at least greatly reduced. It becomes (read with a robot voice)’must teach x,y then z....’  rather than (normal voice!) ‘Oh let’s do x... oh that works well.. but maybe since that was hard we will do j and k, oh and then z and then c and ... ‘ well you get the idea. I end up doing a lot more usually, but it flows, there is reason to it. Not a logical one that I could have planned in advance. But one that organically grows within the class between my students and me. Whether it is a taster session beginner’s class or an advanced professional private one to one class.

Anyway- back to the ship.

My 3 classes of the day over with I had 45 minutes to get to my cabin, shower, dress, make up – AND sync my playlist onto my iPod. This last bit was my downfall. It always is. I can never decide which songs to dance to until the very last minute- which is why working with a talented band in Cairo is my ideal situation since almost always I turn to them after one song and say- oh do you guys know..... and usually they do and we perform it without any rehearsal. I guess I am addicted to the adrenaline! So- the iPod, of course, decides it doesn’t want to sync. No reason (ok, maybe in my time related stress there was a logical reason but I sure as heck couldn’t see it!). What to do?

Ah. IPhone... phew- thank god I have that. Ok- sync done tick... get to the crow’s nest (the bar I was to perform in at the very top of the ship, which is now FULL of people, literally a couple of hundred – let’s just say, most were standing because all the seats were taken!) 5 minutes before I was due to go on. Phew.

Now all I had to worry about was how much they would laugh at my bright pink skin that was clashing beautifully with my lime green costume. Yes I know- stupid stupid me!

Or at least that is all I ‘thought I had to worry about.

I haven’t had an iphone for long. I didn’t even know it had a shuffle option....

Oh yes, I found out the hard way. Tell me I am not the first bellydancer this has ever happened to please?

I spent the entire show (30 minutes and 7 tracks) praying that the next song wasn’t going to the ‘outro’ music!!!! The gods were on my side... every thing else was completely mixed up, but somehow worked anyway, and the outro was the outro! Yippee. My relief was tangible!

It went very well. I had people up dancing and everyone was very receptive and complimentary! A good job well done. Pat on the back for me, Ouch, No... Too much sunburn for that!

I am kicking myself now that I don’t have a single photo of any of the classes or the shows. I was too busy doing them. I am sure there will be photos kicking around facebook and YouTube... and if they ever appear I will attach them!

After I had finished I called Margo about something and she said, 'oh, I am up at the captains champagne meet and greet, come and join us....!' So I threw on a little black dress, as one does, and headed there. 3 glasses of free champagne later I still hadn’t met the captain who was too busy shaking hands with everyone but I had met and chatted with a great number of Dutch guests, who were a lot of fun!

After having responsible for the entertainment so far that day, I then decided to see what the ship had to offer in its own entertainment! After a huge dinner of course. I am lethal at a buffet. Maybe it’s my Scottishness but I want to try everything and end up with way too much food. Everytime. Ah well- to be honest- the food was so good, every meal, every single thing I tried, that it was impossible not to put on weight during this trip! It just had to be done!

That evening I watch Jodie and the Halcats in the ocean bar, Ben and the Halcats (a different band!) do the British Invasion night in the Queens lounge and the amazing full show, Aces High in the vista lounge. Lounge is the wrong word for the last of those venues. It is a full blown theatre. The Show was fabulous. Far better than anything I expected to see on a ship and far better than many things I have seen in actual theatres over the years! The voices were superb and the dancing was wonderfully choreographed and professionally performed. The stage setting and backdrops were impressive. The whole thing beautiful.

Everything on ship seemed to go to sleep about 11pm. I suspect due to the average age of the guests....! The staff bar however partied until 1am. I didn’t go there very often in my time aboard, mainly because you had to go through the bowels of the ship to get there and I could never remember how!

That day I received some wonderful news and did some organising to arrange a special treat. You however, will have to wait until my next blog entry to find out what that was!

Apologies for lack of photos in this entry- more tomorrow I promise!

All aboard at Rhodes - Cruise part 2

What a beautiful Island! I flew into Rhodes in the afternoon. I was collected at the airport and taken to the hotel that HAL (Holland America Line) had booked for me. A lovely hotel right on the beach front. Within minutes of arriving in my room, I had changed into short skirt, strappy top and ship ship, all ready to go explore in the sunshine. It felt rebellious, being able to dress as I like for the weather after living in Cairo all these years where I have to be careful that my top is not too low, my skirt is not too short and that is before you even start with length of sleeve! I forget sometimes how exhausting it is having to dress for the morons who comment on the street rather than for myself!

I then walked for about 3 hours around Rhodes. Photographing the sea:

the boats in the harbour;

The beautiful old city walls,

 and the sunset;

Everything just felt so relaxed. I felt relaxed. It’s been a while....

I felt my apprehension grow every time a man was about to walk by, or a group of kids were standing where I would have to pass. All the fear was for nothing. No-one said a word. It was as it should be, and such a huge relief!

It was only right at the end of the walk that one old man ruined it all, doing the 'I am talking on my phone trick, but really I am talking to you.. 'It was disappointing it happened, but laughable. He was shaking while he was talking, frightened of my reaction. Asking my name and where I came from, not ‘how much for a night ?’ or such like charming comments I have become used to from the aggressive over confident manner of the street dogs (two legged variety not 4) in Cairo. Plus I suspect I may have wandered into a not so nice part of town by then, and he went literally running from the earful I gave him. So thankfully it did not manage to affect my overall mood.

To walk past shops where the shopkeepers are all standing in the doorways, smiling and chatting with each other, not trying to jostle for your custom. 

 Not harassing you to spend your money. To be able to smile at them, male and female alike and have them smile and greet you in return, without any follow through. Oh Egypt, what have you done to me....? Normal behaviour now seems angelic! I understand that times are hard and every pound counts, but Greece are not doing very well right now either. They have 35% unemployment (and that’s the official figures!) and their economy is also in crisis yet they manage to be welcoming and respectful to tourists, understanding how important our role is in their economy. Not bullying and threatening. Sorry to paint such a bad picture of Cairo, and of course it is always the minority that spoils things for the majority, but the fact is that tourists often feel  intimidated when they come to Cairo. We need to change this Ya Masr!

Anyway, back to Rhodes...

The hotel had put a complimentary half bottle of wine in my room and after dinner I sat on my balcony with it, reading my book feeling that maybe this cruise trip would not be so bad, that maybe in fact it was exactly what my soul needed. Some time out from the stresses of my ‘normal’ life. What can I say? It was a nice wine!

But oh the Greek yoghurt... ! So thick and creamy that it would not fall from the serving spoon at breakfast. That topped with honey for breakfast was truly the food of the gods!

A short taxi ride to the port brought me the first glimpse of what was to be my home for the next two weeks. I could not get over the size of it. I’d never seen these huge cruise ships up close before. A floating hotel for sure.

Up the gangway and to the front desk to check in. Seems they had forgotten to book me a crew room. I lucked out, after a short wait the in the stunning atrium by front desk, the perfect backdrop for any bellydancer...

I was awarded a guest stateroom. Huge and spacious and lovely.

In fact, add a kitchenette to it and I could probably live in it quite happily!

Margo was the entertainment manager and she took me around the ship to collect my name badge and staff pass and all such things and then the time for that day was my own.

 So I went up to the top deck of the ship;

 Took numerous photos of Rhodes;

And proceeded to fry myself until I became lobster coloured! That was completely unintentional... but after the heat of Egypt the weather really didn’t feel so hot, maybe being over the water made the difference but I regretted my low factor sun cream for the rest of my trip (and I am still peeling!!!). SO attractive- the pink, day-glo pink, bellydancer. Embarrassing, painful lesson learnt! (and no I am NOT adding a photo of my flourescent skin since I don't want to blind you!)

Finding my way around the ship took most of the day after that. Two pools, a casino, numerous bars and a nightclub and two theatres and a gym and spa. They even had a basketball court on the very top of the ship surrounded by nets so your ball wouldn’t fly out to sea!!

Anyway... bye bye Rhodes... it was lovely getting to know you a little and I really hope sometime I get a week in your company. One of the four locations over the course of my trip that went on the ‘must do again with more time list’!

Word of warning- if you are turning green reading about my lovely cruise already, then don’t read my blog for at least another week..... I have too many photos I want to share! There, I warned you. 

Going Cruising...From River Nile to the Mediterranean Sea..

So, my ‘normal’ job is that of a bellydancer on the Nile, Cairo. Granted there are perhaps few that would call this ‘normal’ but there you go. That’s what I do.

My UK agent, Taste of Cairo, contacted me 4 weeks ago and asked if I would like a wee holiday away from my normal Cairo job. The contract was to be bellydancer on a cruise ship, the MS Noordam, part of the Holland America line for 12 days. Sailing Rhodes, Egypt, Crete, Athens, Santorini, Katakolon and ending my contact in Venice. All I had to do was teach an Arabic lesson, 7 bellydance lessons and perform 4 times total over the 12 days. Ok, the pay wasn’t great, but all the flights food and accommodation (obviously!) was thrown in. A busman's holiday (ok- so more like a boatwoman's holiday!)

I have to admit, it took me a week to decide whether to take the job or not.

I know reading this you are probably surprised that it took so long... a 5 star cruise in Europe...What on earth is there to think about?

The truth is I am a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to doing new things, meeting new people and travelling alone.

Honest. I am.

I know, I know... I gave up my entire life in Scotland and moved to Egypt over seven years ago to be a bellydancer here, how could I possibly be scared of doing new things. In fact, what could be braver? Truth is, I suspect if I had had the slightest idea of how difficult things were going to be here in Egypt, Getting work and work papers, living through a revolution, just day to day living at times, if I had known all that, I am sure I would not have made that move! Plus of course, in the beginning when I was young and naive, I really thought I was just coming here to Cairo for 6 months and then returning to my friends and family and dance business back in Edinburgh! 6 months, oh how the fates have enjoyed that wee joke. I am glad I did it, of course, but I do sometimes wonder how different my life would have been if I hadn't. It certainly wouldn't have been as interesting or as challenging! Being a Bellydancer in Cairo now defines me.

Anyway, even though I was so scared about doing something new, I decided, after a 'get a grip of yourself woman, its a 5 star cruise on the Med!!!!' talk from my friend Ellie, to bite the bullet and go. 

After all, How bad could it be? The ship had a pool, and a gym and I would have lots of time to catch up on outstanding emails and work I had to do (oh how much I laugh at that idea in hindsight now!!), and it would be nice to get a break from Cairo pollution and chaos for a little while!

I flew to Rhodes (via Athens) 2 weeks ago, and then the adventures began.

You have to excuse me, but the next few blog entries are going to be about my experiences as the Guest entertainer on a cruise ship! Some of you were following me from one port to another via facebook, however here is a little more of the story. Let me take you on a Mediterranean journey on board the MS Noordam.... 

From this;

To this.... 

... and back again! (yes I am back in Cairo now!) 

Thanks to Tracey at www.TasteOfCairo.com for the opportunity!

Basic Egyptian words to use on your holiday in Egypt

I was asked recently to teach a basic Egyptian language class. Just half an hour on some of the main words and phrases that might be useful for a tourist spending a day in Egypt.
I am not a fluent arabic speaker by any means, but have lived in Cairo for 7 years. I thought I would publish this list for any of you who are planning a trip here and might find it useful. If you are an Egyptian arabic speaker and notice any mistakes- please do feel free to advise me! so here goes- some of the basics for a complete beginner!

Egyptian Arabic- just a few basics to help you get by!

Most common greeting- ‘peace be upon you’- is’sallam aleykum

-Answer that with- we aleykum es’sallam

Hello- Ahlan                       Hello and welcome- Ahlan we sahlan

-Answer that with- Ahlan beek (m) / Ahlan beeki (f)

Good Morning- Sabah el kheir,    Good Afternoon (which you use in the evening too!)- Miss a el kheir

Goodbye- ma’asallama (but most people also use is’sallam aleykum to say goodbye too!)

How are you? – Izzayack? (to m)/ Izzayick (to f)

How do you do?- Amal eh? (to m) / Amla eh? (to f)

-I am good- Ana Qwayees (m) / Ana Qwayeesa (f)

-I am not good- ana mish (or mush!) Qwayees/ Qwayeesa

What is your name?- Ismack (m) / Ismick (f)  eh?                                 

 -My name is... – Ismi ....

Where are you from? – inta min ain? (m) / inti min ain?(f)  

 to reply; ana min.......... ‘your country’

Yes- Aywa     No- La’

Thank you- Shukran  (remember La’ shukran with a smile works wonders!!)

Please – Min fadlack (m) / Min fadlick (f)

Excuse me (to get attention) – Lough samaht (m) / lough samahti (f) (both with breathy ‘h’)

Is it possible?- Momkin?  

Eg Momkin shey? To order tea in cafe!

Also momkin da? (pointing at something) - is it possible to have ‘that’

Tea- shey,    Turkish coffee- ahwa,    ‘normal’ coffee- Nescafe,    water- maya

Sorry- asif (m) / asfa (f)

I don’t understand Arabic- ana mish fahim arabee. (m) / ana mish fahma arabee (f)

How much? – be kam?                

Too much! – Kateer

The word you will hear most often – Inshallah – it mean ‘god willing’ !

Inshallah that will be of help to you if you are planning to travel to Egypt soon... have fun, and enjoy my chosen homeland!