Sports Club in Egypt

Location: Sports club in Egypt

Me: Wow this club looks amazing.

Jordan: Yeah, let's go check it out.

Location- Inside the club

Jordan: Excuse me miss, we were interested in the sports club. Where is the gym?

Miss: I don't know.

Jordan: Well do you know where I can find a brochure? (again in arabic)

Miss: No

Jordan: OK, thanks.

Kristina: That's weird...Isn't the gym kind of a big deal in a sports club?

Jordan: Excuse me sir, do you know where the gym is? (again in arabic)

Sir: It is closed for men, only open for women. If you walk this way you will find it. (in arabic)

Jordan: OK, Thanks.

Sir: Hey, where are you going?

Jordan: To the gym.

Sir: Only she can walk to the gym.

Jordan: Where do I go?

Sir: You stay here on this side of the sidewalk

Kristina: OK, I guess I will walk to the entrance by myself.

Location-gym

Kristina: Excuse me miss, the door to the gym is locked. Do I need a key? (Again in horrible attempt at arabic)

Miss: I don't know (in arabic)

Kristina: OK, thanks

Location-on the other side of the sidewalk

Kristina: The gym is locked. Let's go see if we can find someone who can tell us about the club and hours.

Jordan: Sir, can you tells us about the club and hours?

Sir: Go to gate 1

Location-gate 1

Jordan: Sir, can you tells us about the club and hours?

Sir: Go to gate 5

Jordan and Kristina: We give up!

Birthday @ 26

Yay 26! I'm not typical when it comes to getting older. I say "bring it on!" What would possibly make me say this? Well, with each year tacked on to my impressive 26 years, there seems to be more opportunities, experiences, more sense of what really matters in life (a perspective you might say), more days to be spent with my husband, my family, and my friends, and most importantly, a better understanding of who Christ is.

In regards to my family, each year adds a depth to our relationship...one with more of a bond and respect. Life as an adult is hard at times and I can look at my parents and appreciate the fact that they can stand up to anything that comes their way. Time with them isn't wasted and feels more bittersweet the more I realize how uncommon it is for my parents to still be happily married in these times and the more I realize I've come full circle in applying things that I have learned from their marriage to my own.

Time with my sister is well spent! I have always been amazed by her. I can learn a lot about loving people from J. Her heart is so big that if you stand too close, she will suck you in like a sponge. She still thinks of me as 16. It's kind of funny when she is shocked every year on my birthday. This birthday, my card from her said "Happy 4th Birthday!"

My in-laws are the perfect example of living gracefully. Time has blessed them with knowledge of Christ, endless love, and an unexplainable gift to comfort. Maybe to Jordan, time with his parents is different, but for me, time with them is like comfort food (mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, etc.) Ok, I'm sure Jordan's perspective is very different. Their comfort stems from contentment and that is a product of the grace they have been given.

With friends, time seems to slip too quickly away in all our encounters together. Maybe it is because time flies when you are having fun, but I think it's because we see ourselves in each other and it makes us focus so deeply on the matters on our hearts that we pay no attention to how much time we spend sharing our lives together. That time is never cataloged, only later dearly missed.

Jordan, time spent with you is a gift from God! I love that I know things, random things, about you that no one else will ever know and time with you gives me more insight to who you are. Sharing my life with you will never mean watching the clock tick by. We learn so much about each other everyday. It's precious time with you added with past memories of us that make each day seem like not enough. I get to grow old with you. How cool is that!!

I am truly blessed. These hours, days, and years are time that God has given me! Thanks and glory be given to him in all the time that he has willed.

Happy Birthday to me!

Summer

It is officially summer! I have been blessed to travel with Jordan as early as April, so for me it has felt like summer for some time now. Currently, Jordan is finishing some work in Beirut and then he is heading back to Cairo before joining me in the states.

We did find an apartment in Cairo. We had to completely furnish the place including the lights and all the appliances. I still don't have kitchen cabinets yet or any decoration that makes it look like a home that is lived in, but it will soon! The place has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big open living room, and 4 balconies!! The white walls and floor tile make it feel a little like a hospital, but when we get back in July, Jordan and I will attempt to put a splash of color on the walls!

We look forward to a summer full of visiting friends and family back and forth between Tulsa and Dallas. This will be my first 4th of July in Tulsa with Jordan's HUGE family and I can't wait. It is my favorite holiday and this one will be special (first one married). Speaking of marriage, it will soon be our one year anniversary on July 26~I would do it all again in a heartbeat! I also have lots of friends getting married this summer and feel overwhelmingly blessed to attend. Anna and Mark Gronotte and Christina and Travis Hyde just to name a few!

Cheers to summer!
~Kristina

Far away

Jordan and I are enjoying our time in Egypt. It is a beautiful city full of history and interesting people. I love that it is so different from anywhere I have been. Sometimes it reminds me of a mix of Peru and China, but much more international and 22 million people more than the cities I have been to in other countries. There are more people that speak English here (except for the Taxi drivers)

The first thing an American woman will notice when traveling in Cairo is that the dress code for women is fairly strict and international women really do need to be careful how they dress. The women wear skirts down to their ankles or pants and they wear long sleeve shirts even in the hottest times of the year. I felt akward just wearing a fitted t-shirt that would be considered modest in the states. I immediately went shopping for scarves to use to cover my arms and my neck. The women cover their heads, but it is understood that I wouldn't because foreigners in Egypt just don't cover their heads. It would actually be offensive if I did because then I would be expected to follow their customs of praying during the call to prayer.

Let me just say, the call to prayer is beautiful to hear, but at 4:30am it is no fun to wake up to arabic singing through the loudest speakers EVER!

I am taking advantage of being a tourist. I have plans to take a cruise on the nile, visit the pyramids and muesums, and take pictures in the tower in Garden City. There is a lot to do here and a suprisingly vast amount of modern restaurants and cafes. Jordan and I enjoy Maadi because of it's international feel and comforts. It has some amazing restaurants, shops, spas, and neighborhoods. We drove by the ambassador of Mexico's villa in Maadi. It is the only suburb in Cairo that has trees.

I will update and post pics soon. Ma-salaama!

Job news

I got a job at the American International School in Egypt. Jordan met with the principal and they went over the contract. He should be emailing me with more details, but it basically is a job with all the perks. The school will pay for a furnished/unfurnished apartment. Jordan said the school has an auditorium/stage, a classroom for me (no more teaching on the stage), orff instruments, textbooks and a beautiful campus. These are things that Florida doesn't even have! There will be a bus that will take me to work which is nice not to have to take a taxi! I am so excited. I will give more details as they come. I will also take pictures over spring break. Jordan and I are planning to travel to Cairo, Alexandria, and Beirut.

Couple Thousand Miles Away

Jordan is in Lebanon, soon to be back in Cairo and then off to Malta. He is gone for 18 days....18 days of torture. The funny thing is we dated long distance, got engaged long distance, and when we got married in the summer, it was the longest we had seen each other face to face. I have gotten so used to having him around. It's funny the transition we have to go through when he comes home. I get used to taking out the trash, the dishes, paying bills, gasing up the cars, grocery shopping, carrying the groceries up stairs. Then Jordan comes home and I jump everytime he turns a corner. It is pretty hilarious. I have screamed bloody murder just because I saw a relfection in a mirror of him walking by. Despite all the transistion and the lonliness of having him not here, it is all God's plan. I couldn't be more proud of what he is doing. I told Jordan before we got married that I don't want to be the one to stand in the way of what God had planned for him. I love that God is giving us an opportunity to serve like this.