Gabriel Class Concert

I am always bad in posting on time. Normally it took me days of even weeks before I manage to post the posting which I wanted to have on my blog. This posting was back dated to 26th February 2008, the day when Gabriel had his class concert together with the Pre K and KG students in school.
Gabriel was one of the 2 student in his class who were choosen to sing solo. He was excited and so was mummy and daddy. Peter took a day off from work that day as the concert started in the morning at 10.

The actual 2 days before the concert, I took Gabriel out to the mall as he wants to buy a cowboy costume. He has to say, in his part of the concert,"I can ride a horse, it makes me feel terrific." The other part he came out again as he have to sing one line solo.
We managed to find one really nice good looking cowboy costume. He likes it so I bought it.




On the actual day of the concert, Peter and I went to the school at 9.45am, we were quiet early. The concert started at 10 sharp.
The little kids lining up in a straight line walking to the auditorium. They were all soooo cute and Gabriel was not afraid at all. He sang with so much confident. His words were very clear.

On and on.........

Years, Months, Weeks and Days passed by and here I am still blogging. I maybe away and disappeared for a while, somwhow somwhere somtimes I do find the time to click again my thought for the moment to keep my blog updated.

Today I was not feeling too well, came back from work early and was laying on the sofa for few hrs. Later I got bored, I asked Vel to hand me over my laptop.
I decided to write whatever that came into my head.
I know it's probably the same story about my kids, my family so on and on and on...

PART 1 You see..... it is true as I just told myself, it will be about the kids......

My children grew up very fast and sometimes I felt my responsibilites is getting much tougher.
Gabriel which was once a baby 4 years ago, has been picking up multi language over the years, questioning, reasoning and very happily going over to a friend house to play for hours after hours.
Lately, he started having to bring home one homework each week. I know when I compared to Europe which we are so used to, kids of that age are never given any homework. All they do is play. Which is actually very good for a kid of 4 years old to play as they developed much better by playing and interacting with other kids.



Gabriel first homework and it was in Arabic as you can see below. It can be a little difficult to teach or guide him when no one in the family is familiar with arabic.



Elrener my eldest daughter is going to start her First Year of the University after this summer holiday. She is so used to ,moving from school to school depending on where we lived. Somwhow I am very proud of her, she did well in school even with the tremendous changes she had to go through in her teenage life. I know that changing school from one to another in the same country is considered an uneasy task for most children as they have to start all over again with friends.
Elle(given name in short)has been going though changes from different country to country. Sometimes, she may be coming back home and start crying when she began telling me what she have been though the first few days at school. She spent thorugh tough time with the stupid treatment from her classmate when she was new. Eventually after weeks, sometimes even months, she somehow manage to blended herself into the team well.




Elle with her classmate when she and her sister Vel was living alone by themselves in an apartment in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the shortest one in her class. I guess this was the most difficult changes she have been going through the first few months in the school.
She left this school to moved back with us in Spain. She was sad as usual but now she is happy again in a new school and new friends.




Veldiner the middle child is turning 16 this year. She loves ridding. Vel is totally different from her sister. She hardly goes out with friends over the weekend. Her time is spent with the family much more than any other teenage kids does.
Every Saturday, Peter would send her to her ridding classes. This is basically what she have been doing over the past years in Sweden.
Unfortunately, she stop playing violin which she used to played in Sweden for almost 2 years.
I guess it is better to keep herself busy with different activities that she enjoys doing rather than hanging around without getting any benefits.

My ohhh my.... I am not young anymore.


Peter and I, the mid age couple with a grown up teenage girls and a small little boy.

PART 2

Turning back to the memories which I use to do when I was young, I love partying till late morning, going out with friends every night and yet be able to wake up and go to work the next day. Freedom which cannot be explained or describe.

Family life is wonderful. I love every minute of it and I cherish every moment I could when the children are still living with me. Sooner or later, somehow I would say,"sooner" one by one will start having their own sets of life and move out someday. Having a daughter which will be 18 this year, will not be long enough for her to have a dream of moving out in a couple of years more and probably loves to experience living on her own.

After 36 years of my life, I did realised one thing as always that I wanted a good life and future for all my children.
Peter and I have started several business venture to be able to pass on to the kids someday. Insyallah.. our dreams slowly by slowly has come true. Never give up what you doing and keep on working to aim for them, which have to come perfectly true.

Part 3

Although the past days was crazy with all appointment and meeting for Peter, I had to get myself onto the feet to support. Since there have been many major chances in my life, I am very well aware that it will be many more changes to come. Accepting changes can be difficult for some people as everyone likes the idea of being comfortable to do something which they are so used to on their daily basis.




Part 4
Completely two different story, Elle is out tonight to stayed over at her friends house as tomorrow is a school holiday. While the children are free, parents are invited to the school for a parents and teacher meeting. Sort to get my mind off the free relaxing day tomorrow, I will be spending few hrs in school while the kids can be free and have a good rest at home.
Meeting Gabriel teacher first thing when we are there will only takes us maximum 20 mins. Somehow in 15 mins after the meeting, Peter and I will have to attend the seminar to decide which University will be good for our daughter. A friend whom have been living here for years, have advised me to put into consideration to put her into the American University in Cairo. Somehow since she is in the American school at the moment, I would guess it will be a brilliant idea to look into that.

Now I just ordered a home delivery KFC. I am too tired and too sick to be standing there cooking and since Peter will not be home for dinner, which left Gabriel, Vel and myself, we decided to have something fast.

It's 22.00 hrs now and Gabriel is rubbing his eyes. It is too late for him now which he normally goes to bed latest by 20.00hrs.

Hope I will feel better the next morning...

Busy weeks

The past days have been very intensive for Peter and I. We spent lesser and lesser time with the kids. Not that we want to but we have to. It's kind of difficult not to be able to see them before bedtime. Gabriel have been asking me why do I have to go out everyday and not home before he went to bed. The heart hurts when I hear this. Somehow this Thursday all will be back to normal again as the meeting will then be over when the client are back to Europe.


From the Left : Eva Carlson, Jetta, Gianni Pertile, Staffan Carlson, Peter Tornquist, AbdulAziz BL, Saleem Rehman, Mohamed, Carrie and the empty chair is supposed to be me. Waiting for 2 Sherif with different family name and Khaled BL to arrive.

Four Season Hotel. We were waiting for everyone to come before we move to the dinner table where we have made a reservation in the Lebanese Restaurant.
This dinner was meant to be business/social as to introduce every side to one another. The food was great. We finished at 12 midnight and I could see that everyone are very tired. It has been a very long day for eveyone who has been for their first meeting very early in the morning.


In between, those busy schedules, we had free time on the first day when Staffan and Eva arrived where we took them to see the Pyramid. Who doesn't want to see the Pyramid when they come to Cairo.


The Cleopatra ship that found nearby the Pyramid which was now a Museum of boat inside.



We sat having our simple small lunch nearby, overlooking the view of the wonderful Great Pyramid.

Yesterday Monday 11th February, I booked a Limousine service to sent Eva and me around to see the historic places in Cairo which I have never been there myself even after been living here for the past 8 months.
We went to Citidel, a Castle called Mohamed Ali Castle. Eva have never been inside the Mosque and she would like to see it.


This is the historic mosque. Beautiful big and surrounded by tourist.

We went inside the mosque where we have to take off our shoes and since Eva had a knee length dress, she have to put on this green over coat which her leg can still be seen and makes no difference to me.
I was prepared with long jeans and a long sleeves sweaters, so I was walking free without that green sack around me.




From inside the mosque.



After visiting Citidel, we went back to Sheraton Hotel where our husbands had just finished with their meeting. I went back with Peter home to spent few hrs with the kids before we went out again for a dinner/business/ social meeting at 8 to Four Seasons.