Thank you sooo much to everyone for all the birthday wishes and kind words! It is very much appreciated! And also thank you so much to my guys for this fantastic set-up! They had been sweating away during a very long power cut to shape the heart and make the letters and I have no idea how they kept the dogs and cats and donkeys from ruining it - its made of wood flakes so very easy to destroy! Sherif told me Kareem had even had a bath before getting all decorated. Whenever Kareem is outside he always puts on a very stallion body language and curves his neck and wants to neigh at everyone, but he just looks completely confused here, and probably wondering why on earth he is not having dinner! The highlight was the birthday song video below this post though, and I have now been told that Mohammeds son was the lead singer, taking them through the English part! Someone commented that its so nice to see colours and laughing in the midst of all the sad photos, and this is something that Egyptians are very, very good at. Their circumstances might be difficult, but they are so skilled at creating little moments like this - moments of kindness and human interaction. They never refuse an opportunity to seize the moment and create a happy occasion, whether its spontaneous dancing and clapping, or making coloured Ms in saw dust, and they have taught me a lot about looking up from my Scandinavian work mode and see the people around me more. Its a really dark photo, but from left to right we have: - Maher, supercleaner extraordinaire, who keeps Fluffyland spotless even when fasting. - Arabi, our trusted nightguard, tea-maker, cook and premature goats revival expert. - Zaki, the tea-making peace maker when everyone is having a grumpy day. In 2 years, I have never seen him angry. - Mohammed, another supercleaner with the cutest little son ever - The other Mohammeds son, who will ambush me if I try to do any work he can do, and tear the broom away from me so he can sweep the patio instead. He also asks permission to go elsewhere, just in case I should need him, very military style. Also now revealed to be a very talented lead singer! - Mohammed, the man of constant water trough cleaning (he carries a sponge in his shirt pocket) and menage exercise scheduler. He is extremely polite, but sometimes gets slightly insistent if he thinks Akwal hasnt been lunged enough (Akwal is extremely lazy and doesnt move much on his own) - Kareem, wondering what the heck happened to dinner. - Nadis son, one of the four of his sons that have all worked with us. The oldest has now been called to the army, and so Mahmoud has come to take his place in Fluffyland. - Nadi, the first cleaner we tried who was efficient enough to be permanently employed. Nadi drives me nuts at times, but he is also my psychologist who always manages to find me when Im crying somewhere in the stables. - And lastly, the third Mohammed, Zakis son, who is working with us every single day that hes not at school. He is kind of a slow mover, so the guys jokingly call him Ghazal, which means Gazelle, but let me tell you that when he goes to do something, it gets done. Because Mohammed is the youngest, he often gets the less desirable jobs, like go and get things in 42 degrees, but he never EVER even furrowed his brows at anything he was told to do. - Sherif, camera man and director! These guys are like family to me, and Im extremely lucky to have them. There would be no PFK without them! (Marte)
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 07:12:06 +0000
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