De vorba cu Egyptul, Talking to Egypt, Ramona-Sandrina ©

Beduin Woman

Siwa Man

Nubian Girls

Kids from Aswan

Old singer from Upper Egypt

Old woman beduin

 Nile Valley

 Nile on Cairo

 

 Sinai Mountain

 Nile Valley

(Sursa fotografiilor: Pinterest - folosite in scop exemplificativ)

Niciodata sa nu condamni un popor pana nu ii mananci painea, pana nu ii gusti lacrimile si nu ii citesti istoria. Pana nu ii simti vantul, pana nu gusti apa si asprimea vietii. Iar unora, pana nu le simti furtunile, nisipul umplandu-ti ochii, narile si scartaindu-ti in gura pana in suflet. Asa, poti trage in suflet un popor...inspirandu-l cu tot ce inseamna el: bun si rau, sarac si bogat, frumos. Popor urat nu exista. In toate popoarele este o bucata de Dumnezeire! Trebuie doar sa stii sa o gasesti. Pe Dumnezeu nu il gasim in culoarea pielii, nici in straie, nici macar in religia unui popor. Pe Dumnezeu il gasim in sufletul si credinta unui popor! In bunatatea lui. Iar Dumnezeu este in tot si toate.


Sa nu condamni un om daca nu il cunosti numai dupa cum arata si dupa cum e imbracat! Inima unui popor si a unui om o poti cunoaste doar la schimb cu a ta. Aprofundand si daruind incredere, poti invata adevarul nefardat despre tot si toate! Nimic din ce e mai valoros nu se gaseste la suprafata, decat in adancimea sufletului! Apa cea mai rece o gasim in fantani, iar puritatea in suflete!


Sa nu condamni un om daca nu il cunosti numai dupa cum arata si dupa cum e imbracat! Inima unui popor si a unui om o poti cunoaste doar la schimb cu a ta. Aprofundand si daruind incredere, poti invata adevarul nefardat despre tot si toate! Nimic din ce e mai valoros nu se gaseste la suprafata, decat in adancimea sufletului! Apa cea mai rece o gasim in fantani, iar puritatea in suflete!


***


(Fotografiile sunt exemplificative, de pe net. Nu voi folosi fotografiile personale din carte, deoarece doresc sa fie o surpriza :). Fotografiile reprezinta: femeie beduin din Sinai, barbat Siwa, fete Nubian, portrete de copii si varstnici, peissaje cu valea Nilului, platoul Giza, Valea Regilor si Muntele Sinai!


De vorba cu Egyptul, Talking to Egypt, Ramona-Sandrina )

retorice cu voi.. ( pricepe-ma! )

Cand am fost mica, mama m-a invatat sa nu vorbesc cu strainii! Cand am crescut, viata m-a invatat acelasi lucru. La timp. Eu insa, m-am prins destul de tarziu. Cand am fost mica, mama m-a invata sa nu ma las amagita cu dulciuri, jucarii sau vorbe mieroase. Cand am crescut ca adult, viata m-a invatat sa nu ma las amagita cu zambete, iubire si cuvinte. Viata m-a invatat din nou la timp, dar eu m-am prins ca de obicei destul de tarziu, deoarece toti avem anumite repere in viata dupa care ne ghidam aproape cu sfintenie. Ale mele, au fost intotdeauna: increderea, onestitatea si bunatatea. Mi-am zis ca daca eu pot sa daruiesc tot fara sa pun la indoiala, asa vor face si ceilalti. Si m-au demonstrat ca nu e asa, dar eu m-am incapatanat. Si ei iar mi-au demonstrat ca nu e asa, iar eu iar m-am incapatanat sa cred. Pana am invatat! Am invatat ce sunt defapt strainii. Strainii nu sunt intotdeauna oamenii cu care nu ne-am vazut vreodata, nici cei pe langa care trecem pe strada, nici cei care ne zambesc in treacat sau ne ating cu un gest sau o vorba. Nu! Strainii, de cele mai multe ori stau cu tine la aceeiasi masa, impart cu tine sufletul, gandurile, patul, casa sau viata o lunga sau scurta perioada de timp. Uneori, se numesc familie, alteori prieteni, alteori iubit/iubita, sot/sotie. Si atunci stii! Atunci inveti! Inveti ca in viata, totul ramane ca in copilarie. Tu crezi in ganduri, fapte si oameni buni cu aceeiasi naivitate copilareasca, iar ei te amagesc cu dulciuri, jucarii si vorbe mieroase. Atunci inveti ca increderea, iubirea si prietenia sunt cele trei elemente esentiale si vitale care ne pot urca si cobori in proprii nostri ochi, in propriul suflet si ne pot schimba in altcineva. Cineva cu care nu suntem obisnuiti. Cineva care nu ne place, dar ne face bine sa stam in pielea lui. Cineva care ne tine "safe" intr-o carapace. Si totusi, nimeni si nimic nu are dreptul sa ne faca sa ne fie teama sa fim noi insine, sa zambim, sa daruim, sa avem incredere, sa stim ca in viata singurul reper dupa care trebuie cu adevarat sa ne ghidam suntem chiar noi insine! Putem alege orice si pe oricine, dar nimeni nu va putea vreodata sa aleaga si sa traiasca in locul nostru asa cum stim noi! Putem intreba, dar deciziile pentru noi si viata noastra, trebuie sa le luam mereu singuri. Nu din nepasare, aroganta sau lipsa de respect pentru ceilalti cu care ne-am sfatuit sau discutat ci, pentru ca, oricat de bine poate fi pentru cineva ceva, pentru tine poate fi total gresit. Viata este o manusa, o haina, un inel de logodna cu tine insuti. Nu se potriveste nimanui altcuiva la fel de "perfect" decat tie insuti! Tu te-ai nascut cu un scop: sa iti traiesti viata! Incepe sa traiesti! Nu te lua dupa mine. Eu doar am scris aici ceva. Ganduri, flash-uri, nebunie, zambete, bucati din mine, raze din sciliprea inelului meu de logodna. Sunt ale mele. Le poti potrivi pe tine. Le poti ajusta sa iei curba in viata mai bine, dar, totodata trebuie sa stii ca poti lua curba direct in zid sau prapastie! Eu expun din experienta mea de viata. Din experienta mea cu mine. Conversez cu mine in scris. Apoi, se face sa conversez cu voi cand ma cititi. Va multumesc! Dar retineti, acestea sunt doar niste retorice de ale mele pe care le auziti si voi! Va pup si va imbratisez!

(Retorice cu voi..., Ramona Sandrina)

Good morning, Egypt! ♥ Buna dimineata, Romania!

My beautiful home, Alexandria, Egypt

Talking to Egypt - Coffe shops in Egypt ©

 (Photo by net)

In Egypt is a coffee shop on every corner of street or on every ground floor of block. Sometimes, we could find one coffe shop next to another and nobody doesn't have any problem with that. In Egypt, even competition has a different meaning than in other countries.

Those coffe shops are all different and all similar. Them have something special not through what the coffe sellers offer but through what we found in every place there, every person by each bartender who greets us with a smile and a warm welcome.

All coffe shops in Egypt are open to the street. Some of them are very old, business from father to son, motives for pride and reminder.

There, in coffe shop, men drink tea, coffe, smoke shisha (water pipes), read the newspaper, play table game, chess, talk about their problems, about football and spend time together in a familiar and friendly way. Many people there, know each other from their childhood.

Many people when they see pictures of "shisha" ask themselves what "shisha" is ?!

I was ask myself too when I saw it for first time. I did not know what a hookah is, to my great shame. Some people smiling, find for me excuses because I do not smoke. I didn't find for me any excuses, because it is not just a tool but a tradition of smoking, a habit, even an art. For the Egyptians, to smoking shisha is an art, part of themselves.

ALL ABOUT SHISHA

Shisha smoking, also called narghile, water pipe, hookah or hubble bubble smoking, originates from the Middle East and certain areas of Asia, but has recently become very popular in the UK and Europe.

It is a way of smoking tobacco through a bowl with a hose or tube joined on. The tube has a mouthpiece that the smoker uses to breath in the smoke.

The Shisha idea was invented in India by the physician Irfan Shaikh of the Mughal emperor Akbar I (1542 - 1605 AD) and was constructed from a coconut shell. Anyway, following the European idea of tobacco to Persia and India, Hakim Abu’l-Fath Gilani, another physician in the Mughal court, subsequently envisaged a system which allowed smoke to be passed through water in order to be 'purified', because he was concern about people health.This new system which included a glass vase filled with water was widely accepted by most cultures in the world and became popular very fast. The aspect of the water pipe hasn’t changed too much on this 500 years.

Shisha have many names:

- Shisha, Nargeela or Argeela, in the Arabic language,

- Narghilè (but sometimes pronounced Argilah) is the name most commonly used in Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria. Narghile derives from the Persian word nārghile, meaning coconut (the first shisha made by indian physician).

- Hookah In the United States,

- In South Africa is called as a hubbly bubbly or an okka pipe

- Narghilea in Romania

The original shisha,is the Middle Eastern word for “glass”.

How Does a Shisha Work?

The shisha is setup in the configuration shown to the right. The vase is filled with water to submerge the down stem. The bowl is then covered with a perforated foil sheet or metal screen. The hot coals are placed on top of the foil sheet or metal screen, which causes the tobacco in the bowl to heat up and smoke. Sucking through the hose draws more heat on the tobacco and helps accelerate the heat transfer.

By sucking on the hose, the smoke is drawn down through the down stem and underwater. The smoke then rises up above the water in the vase and into the hose port opening. The hose port opening connects directly to the hose port and does not connect to any part of the main stem or down stem. The smoke continues its path through the hose port and hose until it reaches the smoker's mouth.

The release valve is not a necessary component for the hookah to function. However, it is useful. It is used for clearing out stagnate smoke. By blowing into the hose, smoke is pushed back into the vase and through the release valve port opening up to the release valve. The air pushing up through the release valve causes a metal ball bearing to rise up, which allows the smoke to be released. The ball bearing is in the check valve to keep the hookah air tight when smoke is being inhaled.

***

(My daughter, me and my husband go to Omar Coffe to look at Al Ahly Meci)

The air in those coffe shops had a particular smell. I cannot tell you what it was, but sometimes now, when I close my eyes, I will catch a whiff of it. The smell brings with it memories I thought were lost, memories of visits there in my amazing and beloved Egypt and my passing over a magical realm of true joy and happiness!

Why do smells have this power to unlock forgotten memories? I not know, but I feel like I am home when I think on Egypt.

My beautiful Egypt, my sweet home, Alexandria