So just under 3 weeks ago i made my big move back home - to Cairo, Egypt.
With the revolution still very much in motion i couldn't bear being away and sitting on the sidelines any longer.
I quit my job, broke the contract with my landlord and prepared to ship most of my life over.
I left behind 5 years of me in Liverpool. It was very difficult packing, i kept putting it off day after day - and the sun being out during my last week didn't help very much either! I said good-bye to great friends and places and a lovely flat that had been very much my home for the past year and a half and also said good-bye to my 9 month old cat that i had to leave behind because of a mixup with her vaccinations resulting in her not being able to fly at the time i had booked.
my closest friends came out for one last meal at my favourite place in Liverpool - The Quarter and they then joined me at mine and vowed to keep me awake until 3.30 am when i had to catch my taxi to the airport. It was very much appreciated and i only wish i could've just relaxed and enjoyed their company fully instead of worrying about everything!!
I ended up with two huge overweight bags, my handbag and a cabin bag - i almost missed my flight from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Amsterdam as i ended up falling asleep in the waiting section. But the rest went well. It was my first time to arrive in Cairo airport during the day and seeing home as we started to land and recognising different landmarks got me all emotional. It was my first time back since the political uprising, since the revolution, since Mubarak had stepped down. Home wasn't yet free but it had smelt freedom and was marching towards it.
I still haven't really quite settled in yet, every day is different for me. I received my shipped packages yesterday and was quite upset to find several fragile items broken including one of my guitars which has a cracked head - very obviously from where someone had taken it out of its case and slammed it on something - possibly while putting it back in the case. Egyptian customs were ridiculous and charged me for everything even the documents and files i had in one of the bags! Ahhh well nothing i can do about that now...
Im still searching for a band to start rehearsing with but in the mean time ive decided on doing a few solo gigs to get me warmed up. I haven't performed on my own in a while and haven't performed in Egypt since 2008 so i'm feeling quite a bit of pressure but since my first booked gig is only a couple of songs long i think it'll be alright. I've managed to find a great drummer and bassist who are up for playing for me, but the search for the rest of the band is still ongoing.
Ive managed to get all paperwork sorted (as far as i know) for being issued a license to print my album and so hopefully soon (insha'allah) printing El Mahrousa should be underway and i can begin to arrange for the album launch party and its tour. Hopefully the wait wont be too long!
xx
With the revolution still very much in motion i couldn't bear being away and sitting on the sidelines any longer.
I quit my job, broke the contract with my landlord and prepared to ship most of my life over.
I left behind 5 years of me in Liverpool. It was very difficult packing, i kept putting it off day after day - and the sun being out during my last week didn't help very much either! I said good-bye to great friends and places and a lovely flat that had been very much my home for the past year and a half and also said good-bye to my 9 month old cat that i had to leave behind because of a mixup with her vaccinations resulting in her not being able to fly at the time i had booked.
my closest friends came out for one last meal at my favourite place in Liverpool - The Quarter and they then joined me at mine and vowed to keep me awake until 3.30 am when i had to catch my taxi to the airport. It was very much appreciated and i only wish i could've just relaxed and enjoyed their company fully instead of worrying about everything!!
I ended up with two huge overweight bags, my handbag and a cabin bag - i almost missed my flight from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Amsterdam as i ended up falling asleep in the waiting section. But the rest went well. It was my first time to arrive in Cairo airport during the day and seeing home as we started to land and recognising different landmarks got me all emotional. It was my first time back since the political uprising, since the revolution, since Mubarak had stepped down. Home wasn't yet free but it had smelt freedom and was marching towards it.
I still haven't really quite settled in yet, every day is different for me. I received my shipped packages yesterday and was quite upset to find several fragile items broken including one of my guitars which has a cracked head - very obviously from where someone had taken it out of its case and slammed it on something - possibly while putting it back in the case. Egyptian customs were ridiculous and charged me for everything even the documents and files i had in one of the bags! Ahhh well nothing i can do about that now...
Im still searching for a band to start rehearsing with but in the mean time ive decided on doing a few solo gigs to get me warmed up. I haven't performed on my own in a while and haven't performed in Egypt since 2008 so i'm feeling quite a bit of pressure but since my first booked gig is only a couple of songs long i think it'll be alright. I've managed to find a great drummer and bassist who are up for playing for me, but the search for the rest of the band is still ongoing.
Ive managed to get all paperwork sorted (as far as i know) for being issued a license to print my album and so hopefully soon (insha'allah) printing El Mahrousa should be underway and i can begin to arrange for the album launch party and its tour. Hopefully the wait wont be too long!
xx
1 comment:
This gave me goosebumps. Good luck in Egypt :).
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