Sabeen

Assalamu 'alaikum..

Hmmm the time has finally arrived to end updating this blog. Hold up...I don't even know if the previous sentence makes sense. Lol..I kinda take time making up my sentences now (Reason: Arabic). Anyway yeh so I can't be asked to keep updating this blog anymore.

Im feeling home sick a lot lately. I thought I would be saying GoodBye when I was going to leave Egypt (5th June InshaAllah) but nah its come abit sooner. I havent got very long to go now but time seems to be taking long. I miss home a lot and cant wait to be with family again. Though I have to say this has been a lifetime experience for me and I have learnt a lot from it. Meeting people from all over the world, different personalities etc has moulded me into a different person (InshaAllah a better Muslima).

You might find be back on here blogging if I someday feel like it but for now I have decided to stop. I have no particular reason to, just can't be asked. lol. Anyway take care people and enjoy :o) Don't forget me in ur du'as. Lots of Love Sabeen xxx

It was 12am on 23rd February when we (me, sis, friends) decided to go the Jabal Mousa (Mount Sinai). Booked a car and prepared the food. Was really looking forward to it. After a 4 hour journey we eventually arrived at the Red sea where the stick miracle took place with Mousa Alahi salam. We played around, ate food and then headed towards the mount. The journey was amazing, seeing the desert, the sea, time to time some camels, SubhanAllah. I was so tired but couldnt get to sleep coz didnt wanna miss anything outside. Anyway as we arrived at the mount, the mountain seemed tooooo huge. we began to walk, walking n walking n then hired two camels since sis has asthma. I think I sat on the camel for 20mins max and the rest was a walk. Now it started to get dark, we had no descent torches unfortunately. I won't deny that I was scared, but at the same time I wanted to do it. Three of us gave up half hour before the top, however, me and two other girls decided we wanna go to the top since we've got so far. so we took off again whilst the others waited at this little shop. It got colder and colder as we were getting higher. I was just wearing a t-shirt under my Jilbab. My hands and face were really cold but I didnt wanna give up, I wanted to do it. I wanted to experience it. After about an hour we reached the top. The journey was 3 and a half hours long. SubhanAllah, I didnt think I could do it but I tried and tried and Alhamdulillah I got there in the end. The journey down took only 2 hours, in the dark all linking arms since there were cliffy bits (come on we were at the mountains sabeen). It was a total different experience. I loved it. I wouldnt mind doing it again so let me know if anyone is up for it?

O by the way I forgot to share one thing. I mentioned that I sat on the camel. First thing that came to mind was how am I gonna sit on it since I wear a jilbab. The problem got solved easily, Alhamdulillah. My legs were covered with a blanket that they (the people who guide the camels) carry. The scary bit was when the camel stood up. I remembered when I was 8 years old I got scared when the camel lifted it self from the ground. Exact same thing...sabeen screams. hehe. Funny when I think back to it. The camel behind was coming too close to me. I started screaming. The camel wouldnt move its face. How could it? It doesnt understand sabeens scream. Sabeen the silly girl starts screaming louder. Nobody around apart from me, sis, friends and of course the man guiding the camels. Help Help!! Noone helping, the guide wouldnt move the camel. Sabeen screams "get me off the camel, I wanna get off, move his face", when noone helps what you meant to do man?? Anyway take a guess with what I done?!! *Laughs* cant believe im so silly.

It was a great experience and I like challenges, makes me more confident but what am I meant to do with the animals man!! I really wanna sort this out. I know its silly but I dont know why its like this.

Here are some pics of the real thing...



The short stay at the Red Sea. Yeh thats right, you got it...we are asians so we take curry and roti with us for lunch. Just to know the oil leaked out. lol. Well 24 hours without "descent" food, nah...it would have been hard :oP. Check out the potatoe curry in the plates...yum yum..





This was the start of our journey to the top Jabal Mousa (Mount Mousa). The guide is leading us...These people do this mountain climbing stuff everyday, SubhanAllah. They must have a lot of energy, plus its a good way to keep fit :o)





Still walking. The sight is amazing isn't it?? I loved it. The creator of this Universe...what can I say...SubhanAllah.





Check out the blanket over my legs. kewl isn't it?!! Also, look at the camel...its sooo damn close to the edge. He slips, and down go Sabeen and the camel..weeeeeeeeee! But nah, the camels just know where to take the step. Strange. Allah knows best :o) It was damn exciting sitting on that camel, was like a roller coaster ride when the camel stood up. hehe. Oh yeh and look at the size of the camels leg. Its so thin (lower leg), yet it carried me, amazing stuff.

Will post some other pictures sometime soon InshaAllah...till then enjoy :o)

Goodbye should have been called Sadbye. Well in my case anyway. I get so emotional when someone leaves me. Come on being in Egypt alone isn't easy. My sister, friend and her two sisters were here for two weeks. I was so occupied with them and totally forgot that I will be alone again. I really felt like going back to London once again. I mean its happened loadsa times before but Alhamdulillah I have somehow found ways to get myself used to being here in Egypt.

They all left this morning and the house felt terribly quiet when I returned from the airport. I just wanted something or someone to somehow tell me I was also going back with them. I just have to keep reminding myself my purpose and objective and I pray that Allah (swt) makes its easy, Ameen. I start my lessons on Sunday inshaAllah, I guess I will catch up with my beauty sleep in the mean time.

The two weeks here were great. I hadn't done any sight-seeing since I have been in Egypt which is pretty amazing coz the river Nile is only half hour away. Anyway the these two weeks allowed me to do almost everything I wanted to. It was excellent. A few great experiences which I will give detail on later inshaAllah. Took tonnes of pictures for memory, by the way I do have a pretty good memory Alhamdulillah.

Now after 2 weeks of break from Arabic I need to get myself back into it because I really don't have long to go. Believe it or not but I have just 12 weeks to go inshaAllah. I would love to come back at some point but Allahu 'Alim. Im so determined to become fluent in Arabic, I hope Allah (swt) makes this possible, Ameen! Don't blame me man, Arabic is just Don.

Here are a few things that we visited:
- River Nile
- Red Sea (The stick miracle)
- Mount Si-nai (10 commandments)
- Alexandria (Another city - its gorgeous)
- Shopping (Loadsa Khimars, Jilbabs, Material for Jilbabs)
- Restaurants (Mc Donalds, Pizza Hut..all Halal..yum yum...Citedel..This is a famous
Egyptian restaurant, excellent food)
- Malls etc for more shopping
- Egyptian Museum (Mummy room...amazing how the bodies have been preserved)
- Pyramids (Horse Riding..in my Jilbab, its possible and scary too..hehe)

Actually this covers majority of the things we done. I'll give detail on some of it later inshaAllah. Till then dream about these places..hehe..Keep smilin :o)

Lastly, summer has started here but when did winter come and go?? Hmmm...