the bibs are separated, sadface

before you start freaking out, rest assured that we are still married! psych! 

as you're all aware, we've been going through the long and tiring process of getting bib's visa to come to the states, for almost a year. things got a bit delayed with the paperwork, making this visa seem to be nowhere in sight. so after a lot of thinking, a lot of me feeling like a bum on the couch while bib slaved away at this nightmare project he's been working on, and lot of emails about job opportunities in NYC, bib and i decided that it would be the smart (crazy) thing, for me to return first, and get a head start on settling in and starting our future life in da nyc, yea son!

our last few weeks in Cairo were fun and bittersweet. and I am happy, proud, and grateful to say that i left egypt on a high note, loving it and appreciating it for what it is.  i had a few going away outings, and we even dug into our wedding cake (usually reserved for the first anniversary). 

a beautiful day at the saqqara country club

our 7-month old wedding cake!

enjoying the wonderful hummus el sham on my last night

in preparation of our trip, we took zooba to the vet to get groomed, with the idea that he tends to overheat in his carrier and shed when he's stressed, so we wanted to make him comfortable with the 16 hour journey door to door. despite being knocked out with sedatives, the cat was so upset to be groomed that he managed to deliver bone chilling shrieks that were heard from the lobby. 

someone isn't happy.

it took him 15 hours to come out of his drunken state, and I can't say it was worth the trauma. Read about my trauma of having to go get his health certificates to travel, that NO ONE in customs even glanced at at JFK!! but zooba was a real trooper on the flight, enduring the entire trip, calmly and settling in immediately upon arrival. 

zooba was such a trooper on the plane!

it is nice to be back home, especially during my favorite time of year, but it feels awful to be separated from my other half. It's amazing how much someone can mean to you and how your two lives can become so intertwined, that once separated, they have neither the same function nor the same strength.

we are staying optimistic and keeping our fingers crossed that we don't have to endure this separation for too long, and that the visa comes soon.  thank the geniuses for technology, because we manage to talk and FaceTime all day long. so that really helps to minimize the distance. 

in the meantime, here are some pics of what I've been up to while here (besides job hunting)

got the new iPhone 6, can't you tell the difference in the pics!?

i took all of bib's old swimming medals and framed them for him!

dim sum!!!

my first cronut!

our last weekend at the beach - a wedding in sokhna!

one of bib's good friends from college got married over the weekend, at a wonderful wedding at the red sea, in sokhna.  it was hands down, the best and cutest wedding we'd ever been to.  sadly, i didn't take pictures of the decor, but it was your quintessential pinterest wedding- with long rows of tables, multi-color painted wood chairs, and lots of colorful ribbons strung between umbrellas, between the tables.  it was so picturesque and adorable.  the couple had arranged this wedding exclusively for friends, so we just partied the night away on the shore.  it was so much fun.

the guys were advised to dress according to the theme, and i was shocked to see that they did all follow suit!  everyone had the most adorable preppy/geek chic look going on, it was great!  guys were wearing bow ties, suspenders, pastel colors, loafers, it was adorable!  bib looked so good, as usual.  i am a huge fan of the geek chic- and bib is not afraid to wear colors, so it's always fun for me.

i have no idea why i'm making this face, but it's the only pic we took together

the following morning, we woke up and spent the day at the beach.  we both realized that one of the best things about living in cairo is that in any direction, you're just a few hours from some of the world's best beaches.  they're right here, a day or weekend getaway away.  europeans flock here, divers come on pilgrimages here, and i have to say, we definitely did take full advantage of this opportunity together, and went to the beaches often.  this was my last chance to get to the beach before moving back home, so we savored every moment.

bibi's birthday surprises!

sooo, it was my birthday, and bib had a series of surprises up his sleeve.  we went to sahl hasheesh on the red sea, and had a fabulous stay.  this was the best getaway in egypt, and i recommend everyone to go stay at the oberoi.  it's outstanding.  the hotel is beautiful, the service is great, and the food is amazing.

on my birthday, bib had arranged a private dinner for us on the pier in the middle of the sea.  it was decorated with lanterns and candles, so romantic.  for my gift, he had custom designed a nameplate with my name in a abstract arabic writing.

hands down, best birthday ever!

ramadan fitars

egypt is considered to be the best place to experience ramadan. cairo is a city that comes alive at night, so it's twice as exciting and lively during the month of ramadan.  restaurants are booked solid for both fitars and sohoors, traffic is insane, stores are jam packed with eid-outfit-shoppers, and everyone from friends to family to colleagues get together and have a fitar together.  add to all of this, that the world cup was playing this month- it was a busy month!

festive decorations hung between buildings

summer is the season for cactus fruit… the BEST!

in addition to that, dozens of new soap operas are released for just those 30 days, and people become addicted to the series' that they follow.  so much so, that most of the fitars that are set up in restaurants and cafes host private tvs at each table.  towards the end of ramadan, i was feeling very conflicted about the outings in all the restaurants.  restaurants feature totally overpriced set menus, and the food and service are notoriously terrible.  meanwhile, as you watch your soaps, you're overwhelmed with heart wrenching commercials for charities seeking donations.  halfway through the month, i withdrew myself from the ramadan nightlife and felt extremely hypocritical for supporting these restaurants for stealing our money, when those charities could use the money we were wasting, so much more.

there was one, unique fitar setup this year, on a felucca.  the organizers decorated each boat with different colors and fabrics, and arranged the two hour rides on the nile river for guests.  the fitar was catered by crave, and halfway through the ride, they sent out a felucca with a live band, playing music for us.  it was such a lovely evening, by far, the best of all ramadan events!

bubbalicious brunch!

the week before ramadan was our last week in zamalek, so we decided to walk over to one of our favorite brunch spots, bubbalicious.  it also happens to be the only place to get my beloved bubble tea in cairo, so i love it that much more.  bib is actually a major fan of the taro flavor (my favorite).  

we'll miss this place!

bib was on the phone setting up the internet at our new place

a wall of colorful sticky notes left by patrons

sahel, before ramadan

i managed to successfully beg bib to let us spend a few days at the beach before ramadan.  after moving into our new apartment, we repacked our unpacked bags, grabbed the cat, and went on our road trip!

the fresca guy

fresca!

leaving zamalek, sadface

leaving zamalek and moving into my grandmother's apartment is one of the saddest things we've done. although we had fun shopping and finding our personalized suitcases, the actual experience is not so fun.

it was an extremely arduous task, too many bags and things to count, but to offset the insanity, each week i went through our things and filled up plastic bags of things to be donated or thrown away, to lighten the moving load.  some things are harder to let go of than others, but for the most part it is so refreshing!

zooba was determined to ensure we'd bring him along, and as the loyal parents we are, we happily brought him with us.  turned out, he was even more devastated to leave zamalek than we were!  he spent hours panting heavily, foaming at the mouth, and drooling at our new place.  he's slowly coming around to it, but we can tell that he misses the old, larger apartment.  he just needs to make the best of it like we are trying to do!

wish us luck.