Where do I even start to talk about my new roommate/friend...
Khalda : use your throat (a slight cough helps) and say hall-lee-da
Likes: Bollywood, Dancing, Chips, MiniMe, Michael Jackson, everything Sudanese, Shopping, the color Pink, Pizza, the Sunset
Dislikes: My Hair, Cats/Dogs, Camels, Egyptians/Egypt (we're trying to work on that), Stairs
Oh this woman. She is always making me take pictures of her and following it with, "So you won't forget me", but in reality I couldn't forgot her if I tried.
Khalda is 29 years old and originally from Sudan has been in Cairo for 3 years. She is living in the city as a refugee, which doesn't make her life easy here. Not helping out her situation is the fact that her heart (Mr. Anwar) lives in Des Moines, and has been for the last 4 or 5 years. But still she almost always has a smile on her face. Her ultimate goal is to make it to the US to live with Anwar in Iowa. The best way to describe Khalda is by her former jobs- a nurse and primary school teacher.
We've been clicking well.
Most apparent with a quick review of our sleeping situation is our shared amount of stubbornness. Khalda believes that because I am the guest I should sleep in her bed, and she on a mattress pad in the living room. I feel that she should be able to sleep in her own bed. So most nights one can find Khalda sleeping on the mattress pad in the living room, and I on the couch. This set up has lead to nightly 13 year old giggle sessions over our men in Iowa, some of our best English/Arabic lessons, once there were sit-ups, and a lot of movie watching (mostly a mix of Bollywood and old 90s movies). I've been learning a lot about Khalda from her reactions to American movies.
Here are some Khalda reviews (remember- MBC MAX Cairo Movie station has limited options):
2Pac the Resurrection: after a full two hours of rap, drugs, arrests, and rape charges all Khalda had to say about 2Pac was, "What a shame he never got married".
Austin Powers 2: even the mention of MiniMe can get this lady on the floor laughing... and the dancing, she loved the dancing.
Fighting Temptations: after this movie Khalda couldn't stop proclaiming her love for Beyonce, the word 'booty', and African American church choirs.
Anyway, we use the bed mostly for clothing storage and napping.
If it wasn't for our love our humor and laughing - A. I'd be home already or B. one of us would probably be seriously injured by the other. I need to record her laugh before I go home because its the definition of sweet and so dangerously contagious. Most of our laughs come during our nightly "intensive" (our normal lessons are all day/every day while we simply live and help each other out with vocab, grammar, spelling, and reading) language lessons ... usually including snacks, TV, lots of soda, pajamas, and a lot of making fun. Right now I'm helping Khalda with her reading (trying to really emphasize Past/Present/and Future). While I am working my way through the Arabic alphabet... omg it is hard. I'm not used to using my stomach help me speak nor doing crazy tricks with my throat and tongue. Needless to say, we are both struggling through each other's native tongue... but trying to have a good time doing it. Khalda is at an early intermediate level of English and doing SO WELL. Daily she is my personal translator. Sometimes I wonder if I'm teaching her at all.
I must confess- there is one thing I know I'm not teaching her... "You're welcome". Khalda has learned somewhere (I have a theory that it was The Godfather or something) that the best response to "Thank You" is "Don't mention it". Kind of normal, yes, but not when you hear Khalda's mobster/slurred version of it. I know that I will have to teach her "You're welcome", but for now I can't bring myself to end the hilarity.
More than just teaching language we've been learning a lot from each other. I am learning to dance, cook, and how to dodge cars in Cairo traffic correctly. Khalda really wants me to help her loose some kilos - we'll see how that goes. As much as I keep reminding her that 1. the gym is my idea of hell, and 2. I came to be a personal English teacher NOT trainer - she just won't loose the idea. So we'll see what happens... if anything I can use a gym for their shower (the basin bathing has been getting old and a bit awkward). I am doing my best to teach her basic things about American culture though (including a few lectures on hygiene, cleanliness, and food safety). We are both having a good time, and even when the woman frustrates me all she has to do is say, "Jeannnnna don't be mad at me" and hand me a chicken sandwich (true story) and all will be forgiven.
Khalda Khalda Khalda. It's going to be an interesting two months.
Likes: Bollywood, Dancing, Chips, MiniMe, Michael Jackson, everything Sudanese, Shopping, the color Pink, Pizza, the Sunset
Dislikes: My Hair, Cats/Dogs, Camels, Egyptians/Egypt (we're trying to work on that), Stairs
Oh this woman. She is always making me take pictures of her and following it with, "So you won't forget me", but in reality I couldn't forgot her if I tried.
Khalda is 29 years old and originally from Sudan has been in Cairo for 3 years. She is living in the city as a refugee, which doesn't make her life easy here. Not helping out her situation is the fact that her heart (Mr. Anwar) lives in Des Moines, and has been for the last 4 or 5 years. But still she almost always has a smile on her face. Her ultimate goal is to make it to the US to live with Anwar in Iowa. The best way to describe Khalda is by her former jobs- a nurse and primary school teacher.
We've been clicking well.
Most apparent with a quick review of our sleeping situation is our shared amount of stubbornness. Khalda believes that because I am the guest I should sleep in her bed, and she on a mattress pad in the living room. I feel that she should be able to sleep in her own bed. So most nights one can find Khalda sleeping on the mattress pad in the living room, and I on the couch. This set up has lead to nightly 13 year old giggle sessions over our men in Iowa, some of our best English/Arabic lessons, once there were sit-ups, and a lot of movie watching (mostly a mix of Bollywood and old 90s movies). I've been learning a lot about Khalda from her reactions to American movies.
Here are some Khalda reviews (remember- MBC MAX Cairo Movie station has limited options):
2Pac the Resurrection: after a full two hours of rap, drugs, arrests, and rape charges all Khalda had to say about 2Pac was, "What a shame he never got married".
Austin Powers 2: even the mention of MiniMe can get this lady on the floor laughing... and the dancing, she loved the dancing.
Fighting Temptations: after this movie Khalda couldn't stop proclaiming her love for Beyonce, the word 'booty', and African American church choirs.
Anyway, we use the bed mostly for clothing storage and napping.
If it wasn't for our love our humor and laughing - A. I'd be home already or B. one of us would probably be seriously injured by the other. I need to record her laugh before I go home because its the definition of sweet and so dangerously contagious. Most of our laughs come during our nightly "intensive" (our normal lessons are all day/every day while we simply live and help each other out with vocab, grammar, spelling, and reading) language lessons ... usually including snacks, TV, lots of soda, pajamas, and a lot of making fun. Right now I'm helping Khalda with her reading (trying to really emphasize Past/Present/and Future). While I am working my way through the Arabic alphabet... omg it is hard. I'm not used to using my stomach help me speak nor doing crazy tricks with my throat and tongue. Needless to say, we are both struggling through each other's native tongue... but trying to have a good time doing it. Khalda is at an early intermediate level of English and doing SO WELL. Daily she is my personal translator. Sometimes I wonder if I'm teaching her at all.
I must confess- there is one thing I know I'm not teaching her... "You're welcome". Khalda has learned somewhere (I have a theory that it was The Godfather or something) that the best response to "Thank You" is "Don't mention it". Kind of normal, yes, but not when you hear Khalda's mobster/slurred version of it. I know that I will have to teach her "You're welcome", but for now I can't bring myself to end the hilarity.
More than just teaching language we've been learning a lot from each other. I am learning to dance, cook, and how to dodge cars in Cairo traffic correctly. Khalda really wants me to help her loose some kilos - we'll see how that goes. As much as I keep reminding her that 1. the gym is my idea of hell, and 2. I came to be a personal English teacher NOT trainer - she just won't loose the idea. So we'll see what happens... if anything I can use a gym for their shower (the basin bathing has been getting old and a bit awkward). I am doing my best to teach her basic things about American culture though (including a few lectures on hygiene, cleanliness, and food safety). We are both having a good time, and even when the woman frustrates me all she has to do is say, "Jeannnnna don't be mad at me" and hand me a chicken sandwich (true story) and all will be forgiven.
Khalda Khalda Khalda. It's going to be an interesting two months.
*the Picture is Khalda and our friend Rusha in Ismalia City
2 comments:
it makes me sad i didnt read this sooner. i hope that when she does move to iowa you will let me meet her. i would love to meet the women you where rooming with for 2 months. im sure she knows some funny things about me ;)
jeanna bean... this is the best entry. i am jealous of your relationship with this woman! ...and, here goes, ANA BEHEBAK.
hahahha... i hope i spelled that SO WRONG.
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