Cheers to the new decade (old post from January 2020)

I was about to write a new blog, after several years of stopping writing anything.. and found this post still in the draft.

I know between the time I wrote this and now a lot has happened... but I'll publish it as it is since I guess this was my intention to reflect on what I have lived and what I thought at the time.

I know there are a lot of other important moments I have lived and maybe it was still in the draft because I wanted to add more. 
And as I'm adding photos to show a glimpse of these moments caught it time, I found others that probably I would have added if I worked on this post for some more time.

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It's the start of a new year, of a new decade.. It has been long time since i stopped by to write. Maybe it's time to come back to writing among other things I'm trying to restart in my life.

Since we are celebrating the start of the 2020's. I thought it's time to remember the great moments marking the last decade (now that sounds a big a word).

The main highlight would be, welcoming new members in our family, the new generation Alpha and of course welcoming my niece Rita.

Travel has been a big part of my life, reaching country #40 last year. I have been to many places in all continents. It's really difficult to pick the best city or country because each place has its own charm.

The top moments (not in a certain order):

• Swimming with Ray fishes and small sharks in French Polynesia in the pacific (furthest place I have been to in my life) - Dec 2016

• Attending a rocket launch in Cap Canaveral (Aug 2019), 20 years after seeing the first rocket Ariane 4 in Kourou, French Guyana and missing the launch due to weather conditions (1999)
  
  
  
  
  
• Attending the holy mass with Pope Francis on Copa Cabana beach with estimated 3 Million people - July 2013
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Hiking in the mountains of Sinai - 2010
  3 photos from 3 different places (El-Galt El-Azraq, Serabit El-Khaddam and Abbass mountain)
  
  

  
  
  
• Visiting Gaudi landmarks in Barcelona - August 2011
  
  
  
  
  
• Visiting Foz de Iguazu falls in Brazil and Argentina - August 2013

• Traveling alone on vacation hopping from one city to another in Italy - August 2012
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Traveling 1000km by bus from Florence, Italy to Riga, Latvia - December 2016
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Watching Federer play live in Montreal's final in his perfect 2017 season although it was just his 5th match he lost that year (lost to Zverev). I reserved ticket for the final as I had arrived the night before so this was the only match I could attend and I just hoped he make it till the end.

• Attending matches in the Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros - May 2011
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Obtaining the MBA. It has been 2 hard years, running around the clock, running around Cairo from one side to the other, pushing for the extra mile not taking stops (taking 2 summers and 1 winter in between the normal spring and fall semesters) - 2012-2014
  Photos from the graduation, Feb 2015
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Living a dream of a better country, after Feb 2011 (for a moment of time), aka Tahrir Square

What is more important is the journey itself and all the friends I made throughout these trips.

A day to remember: "Memory, Courage, Future"!

A month ago was the last day of the World Youth Day, Krakow 2016. It was the most unexpected day of the 2 weeks I have spent in Krakow.

It started on the previous day, the day of the Vigil at Campus Misericordea. Once again, I attended it online as I was working... more about it in another post.

There was an idea to catch up the final mass with the Pope early Sunday morning. By early, I mean taking the bus for media at 4:30 am. I really wanted to attend the mass as it was one of the most memorable moments in Rio... but I had to let go of the volunteers meeting with the Pope as it was difficult to do both. It was a tough choice for me but I decided to go to the mass even if it was a challenge itself.

Arriving at Campus Misericordea brought back the memories of WYD in Cologne, 11 years ago.. a big field, people waking up early morning, the queues for bathrooms and for food.. But the mind and heart have changed in between.

I had to depart from my friends which whom i made the way as I didn't have a pass to the media section. I was supposed to meet another friend at the volunteer section. Going there, one Spanish pilgrim, asked me for help. She wanted to return to her section but the security didn't let her pass and she didn't have her ticket pass with her nor the mobile to contact her friends. She was really anxious on how to get back. I guided her from another way following the map and made sure until she found her group. I felt joy seeing her so relieved and thanking me for the help, as if I rescued her life. You never know the impact you have on people even for doing small things until you see it in their eyes. That's what volunteering is about.

I decided to find some of my pilgrim friends until my other friend arrived but I failed to reach them as they closed the main intersections before the Pope's arrival for security.. when I decided to return back to the volunteer section after staying stuck for a while, the moment I turned, I saw my friend I was supposed to meet.. Imagine seeing the person you were supposed to meet (at another point) in the middle of hundreds, thousands.. or shall I say 3 million people! It's like, divine providence, you don't need to worry about the how, you just leave it to God and everything will be managed on its time.

At the end of the mass, we started to walk to the bus drop off point.. at this point I realized how many people were actually there! It was so huge! I saw families, parents with children, even babies. People from all the places around the world.. all together in one place, chanting, praying, even dancing. I sometimes wonder, what if we remove all barriers and notions we have about countries, languages, culture, stereotypes. Wouldn't be a much nicer world to live in? 

Many people started to walk, everybody talking, and also waiting to hear the announcement of the next World Youth Day. We stayed a little in the shades waiting for the bus and watching pilgrims passing by. 

Of course no World Youth Day without rain. It stared to rain a lot.. luckily for us, we had the bus to go back to the media center, to continue working from there.. Everybody else had to walk under the heavy rain. I still had my fair share of the heavy rain later in the day. 

The day didn't end at this point. We went back to the media center to prepare for the last hours before leaving. We watched the Pope at Tauron arena, with all the volunteers. It was really amazing specially when Pope Francis decided to discard the prepared speech and to speak from his heart. Lucky for me he spoke in Spanish so I could understand it directly as I'm not that good in Italian which I started now to learn to be prepared next time.The speech (link in English) was so inspiring and can be summarized in 3 words: "Memory, Courage, Future"

"...Do you want to be the hope for the future or not? Two conditions that cost nothing. The first is condition is to remember. Trying to understand where I come from: the memory of my people, my family, my whole history... Second condition. If I am hope for the future and I have memory of the past, then what about the present? What must I do in the present? Have courage, be strong, don’t be afraid..."

Reflecting on the speech, it's true that to carry on in the future, we need to know our past, our history and heritage.. but not stop at this point and live in the past. Many Egyptians would say, we are the 7,000 years civilization, we are the builder of the pyramids.. but this is not enough.. the past is already gone, we live in the present and it's the present that will determine the future. If we live on the memory of the past then we will be stuck in our place. We need to have courage, not to be afraid and fight for a better future, our future and the future of our children and grand children.. Looking back on the past 5 years, we have gone through a lot in Egypt, politically, socially, economically, emotionally.. you name it.. 

At some point I had lot of hopes and waiting for the change. I was doing my best to be part of it, to be engaged in everything. I was always the person looking to the half full glass not the empty half. But gradually this has changed to being indifferent to the fights and divisions between people and just watching from far cos I know that we reap what we sow and these are the consequences of the peoples' choice.

The present may not be that optimistic, but I have faith that someday it will get better, but it will only get better if we have the courage to be part of the present. We are the hope of the future, we must act now and not wait for something to happen.

As every story comes to an end, to start a new one, the World Youth Day came to its end in Krakow, to start a new journey to Panama.
For this last night in Krakow, we met with some of our Social Media team for dinner in the city center.. On the way back, I was so tired and maybe feeling a little bit sad for leaving with the hopes to meet again someday, somewhere. It was my last walk (not counting walking under the heavy rain to the bus station and train station few hours later). Every step was becoming heavier, with tiredness, with bitterness.. Streets were empty compared to the previous days as many people already left Krakow. One last discussion until it was even tiring to think or speak or walk.. I remember my friend saying that the best thing was to see how we are part of the change of people. This includes me on a personal level as he was part of my transformation during this journey even without knowing it. We may not realize it but surely we impact the people we encounter. Like the girl I helped on that day or the discussions I had with friends or people I may never see again, or even family and friends.. I remember once my brother told me that he is proud of me and I never realized that I really could affect him in that way before that moment, cos we are brother and sister.

I truly miss the World Youth Day for all these small moments, the talks and discussions, the encounters, the connections with people. Getting to know each other, learning something new every day, a new experience, a new information, a new feeling. The feeling that you can do whatever crosses your mind, the freedom of being myself, the true me that's sometimes hidden as people see what they are used to see in their mind. I miss all the moments I could connect with myself and listen without thinking of everyday's preoccupation. It's like switching off and reconnecting.

Those precious moments will be in my heart, until we meet again.

SDM Krakow 2016! A life changing experience!

Once again I am part of this incredible journey, the World Youth Day, this time in Krakow.
I can't describe all my feelings but definitely this time it has really changed me from inside. I feel more connected to myself. I listen to my real voice. I totally let myself be guided and open to everything.
I may have not participated in the main events like I did the two previous times but I don't regret it cos I lived something deeper.
It is hard to explain but I believe that everything happens for a reason; the people I meet, the friends I make, the things that I see. It is all connected together.
I may not have done everything I planned for but I learned to let myself just be free. It doesn't matter because every step will add a new encounter, a new experience. So maybe not what I have in mind but I am certain that it will lead to something.
I may still have doubts, I may still wait for answers but I just leave all the worries away and live the moment.

I'll try to summarize all what I have experienced in those two weeks in several posts.. It's not that easy to recount everything but I'll try to capture the essential.

A month ago, I left Cairo with lot of excitement. Excitement to meet my old friends, my team in social media since I've been working with some of them online for more than a year and meet new friends.
On the way to Krakow, we were 4 volunteers taking the same flight. We already arranged to meet before boarding the flight from Paris as we were coming from different destinations. By the time we arrived to Krakow, we were a bigger group of volunteers on the way to our accommodation. In the bus, we kept all talking and trying to figure out which will be our stop.. I remember there were several Polish old people and they were looking to us with happiness and maybe admiration. I believe they knew why we were here. The next challenge was to find our accommodation "Wisla". It was a Sunday so everything was closed, it started to rain while we were walking but we managed to arrive finally to our home for the next coming weeks. 
As soon as we entered, I felt happy. Someone playing music, others gathered and talking.. All international volunteers were grouped in two main accommodations, but for the early comers, we were all together in one big hall. It was a challenge to find an empty bed but luckily there were still some places.
It was a like a very big hostel where you can hear all languages spoken, yet I was not feeling a stranger but rather being with my family.

The main hall where I spent the first night..
after that I was sleeping on the floor of a Judo hall

The following morning, they turned the lights at 5am, don't ask me why.. some people had to leave to their other accommodations, the rest, we were waiting for our volunteers kit. 

The church

Kościół Najświętszej Maryi Panny z Lourdes

I heard that there is a morning mass at 7am in a nearby church but I was too tired to go out and by the time I was on my feet and ready people already left. I decided maybe I will try it another day. I didn't know at the time that 2 days later, i'll go every single morning to this little church at 7am to attend the morning mass. Sometimes I was late a little bit but still I went. 
This experience has transformed me. To be united in prayer with volunteers as well as with local people even if I don't understand every word (1st week mass was in Latin, 2nd week it was in Polish). I was doing my best to participate whenever there is a text I can read from and even if I don't pronounce correctly every single word. This little church next to a garden was so peaceful and yet energizing. At first I didn't believe I can get up early enough to attend the mass but I was surprised that almost during all the 2 weeks in Krakow I was even getting up earlier than I did in Egypt.
After the mass, sometimes i was staring at the nature in the garden early morning, or walking in silence and enjoying some quiet time with myself away from all the noise or talking with friends on our way back.

Staying all together in one place, made it possible to meet my old friends who were in different assignments, even just to say hi while passing or to meet on our way back home. I may have wanted to spend more time with them, but in a way or other, we are already connected.

I've worked most of the 2 weeks as first I was by myself then my friend arrived. It was very tiring at some moments but nothing compares when I see lot of messages from pilgrims sending their photos, asking questions or followers who couldn't come to Krakow and this was their way to follow live the World Youth Day.
Arabic may be small compared to other languages but what I saw was far beyond the numbers. It's how we touch people's live and make them all unite together regardless of the distances or the difficulties they are facing in their countries, giving hope and spreading joy. This what kept me going and pushing myself to do even more, knowing the impact I have on others.
This is the spirit of the World Youth Day volunteers, to serve others and through them to experience the love of God and live the World Youth Day.
Yes I may not have the possibility to attend many of the events, but sharing these moments with my team in the social media room watching what's happening on the big screen and sharing everything with the audience in social media is truly something not to miss either.
Also seeing how the impact of the social media has grown since Rio is like seeing your baby grow. You feel like you were there in every step, watching it evolving over the time.. and this made possible with the hard work of all the team who made it possible to have all this content (graphics, videos, gifs....) and managing all this together.
All the team cheered at the end of the facebook life session recordings, or when we see someone we know on the big screen, or when reaching milestones... we are all one family, praying together, caring, encouraging and cheering for each other.



The world of the Social Media Team



These 2 weeks have been the most rewarding and most incredible experience I ever had and I'm thankful for every single moment.

Nos vemos in Panama!

Hiking, a journey in life

The tragic event of a group of hikers caught in a snowstorm this week in the mountains of Saint Catherine in Sinai was a shock for the hiker communities. Lot of discussions, some blaming people including the hikers, the authority, the guide.. others trying to analyze what went wrong in order to prevents such tragidy. I couldn't help myself but remember my hikes in the mountains of Sinai.
What many people don't know what hiking is about and some even never knew that hiking existed in Egypt!. They could ask why people go up to walk in the mountains? I remember when i was telling my friends i'm going over the weekend to Sinai just to hike they were surprised why i would sacrifice my rest days to do something very tiring with people i might not even now. Their notion of a vacation is to go on the beach and do nothing but enjoying the sun and the sea.

My first real hiking experience was 4 years ago, March 2010. It was a hike to a place called El-Galt El-Azraq. It was supposed to be an easy hike but we discovered that it was more an advanced level, especially that we travelled after flood period so the guide had to change some of the trecks in our journey. I remember that I had to go beyond my limits, to walk the extra mile but reaching our destination was a big wow. I didn't imagine such beauty, in the middle of the mountains. I thought that it is all about mountains but i discovered another amazing world. This hike and others i did later showed me another face of the superb nature and the diversity we have in Egypt. Imagine to see waterfall or a lake, trees and gardens... rocks with different shapes and forms, untouched by humans. The smile of our bedouin guides, their warm feelings and their deep knowledge about the nature, about their worlds. The help of the hikers, some i met for the first time and others i already met. I remember when i discovered that the tent i had which belonged to my parents (was the first time for me to use) was not ok. So a friend invited me and my friend to share so we don't sleep outside. I remember at some diffiult places that we had to cross, there were many hands to pull you and catch you. I remember when on our way back it was getting dark and we were all tired but still everyone was taking care of the other and we were supporting each other. Hiking is a great experience by all means. It helps you to go beyond your limits and you feel actually you achieved something despite all the troubles. It make you trust the others and know that they will help you if you get in trouble.
And most of important of all, you see the beauty of the country that is not revealed to so many. You learn that outside your own world there is even a bigger and a greater one. you feel disconnected from your own fast life but you feel reconnected to yourself.

Hiking is not just a hobby, it's a journey in life. and you have to try it one day to see it with your own eyes because photos and stories are little compared to the reality. You have to experience yourself with all your senses and believe me it will be beyond your own expectations.

Links:
My post about El-Galt El-Azrak Hike
Photos of Secret Garden Hike
Photos of El-Galt El-Azrak Hike