moving

it's not that we're not used to move...we practiced quite a lot in the last years but one thing within our decision to move to Cairo (change company) was to have a little break of MOVING!
ok, we did miss it a little bit but we found a way to deal with the "lack of excitement" and started to rearrange our living room and ordered a new bed for Clara.

just to let you know...a little revolution didn't stop the carpenter to finish the bed just in time...means it's waiting for Clara, ready to move in!

as we are still not allowed to go back to Cairo AND we do not even have an idea when "the company" might think of sending either Christian or us back or not, we can train our moving and adapting skills a little more again. only problem - no need to train! especially without any luck of real interest in a new place or interest in real settling.
it's not that I don't know that situation we're in too well...I've done it and I always loved (and still do) to move as it is a very special time also for us as a family. yes, it's tough for all of us but it also puts the 4 of us together for a special time and well I see it as special family time where we all learn a lot...

now, here we are in our 3rd apartment here in Vienna. we moved while the kids were at school (luckily) and when we got "home" after school the first thing Mia asked was: "is that the last apartment we'll be in?" and my answer was...no, definitely not!
no - because we'll go back home and then this will be the last "house" we'll be in for a longer time
no - because I don't like the apartment and where it's located too much...

I don't want to sound demanding but hey, think about yourself, the 4 walls that surround you do play a role in how you feel, isn't it!?

well, nobody seems to give a sh... and in that quite strong expression you can see that I am really angry about the fact that a company possibly doesn't give out any kind of information! I don't mind the information being not what I want it to be or being complete nonsense or whatever but there has to be at least some kind of information in a situation like that...isn't it...

should be off to bed now to be ready for a calming yoga session tomorrow morning and to blow away all that thoughts and facts and just enjoy a day with my FAMILY..............................

a little bit of this and a little bit of that

the kids have a school holiday this week and so we try to keep them happy and entertained...
last Sunday we met our friends from Cairo in their house in Vienna/Schwechat. friends of ours with whom we often met in Cairo at weekends to have a swim in their ridiculous large swimming pool at their compound or to go to the desert together...this time temperatures were a bit different but still the kids were happy to see each other and play and we grown ups discussed our situation again...




















on Monday we went to the "House of Music" and the kids especially enjoyed the room that made us hear what the baby hears in the belly and Mia was most excited to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :-)

on Wednesday we went on with our tour and had a wonderful afternoon at the "House of the Sea". we saw the feeding of the sharks and agreed that we liked the lovely turtle "Puppi" best followed by the little monkeys!

and I feel the girls and I are really lucky to have Christian with us. still we would love to go back to Cairo as soon as possible and join our friends who are already there. unfortunately no news for us yet and so we'll move to apartment nr.3 next week. Mia is not happy about all the moving and for the first time in her life I heard her say: "I don't want to go to school!" I am sure the Vienna International School is a wonderful school but Mia just wants to be with her friends and teachers in Cairo...
nevertheless we talk a lot and try to make things as easy as possible for the kids. unfortunately it does not always work that well as also we grown ups a bit tensed sometimes.
here I can only say thank you to Karin from Benghazi who opened the way to yoga with me. I don't know where she is at the moment and I can only hope she and her family and so many other friends of ours from Benghazi are safe!

to cheer us all up the girls with their new shower hats ;-)

Sunday

for quite a long time this is the first Sunday that we live as an "Austrian" Sunday (not counting holidays). I have to admit it is quite nice to know all shops are closed because sometimes we're quite stressed at our "Sundays" to go to certain shops we cannot go during week when Christian's working. but here and now there is no stress about anything and the girls are doing some drawing and I did some reading and now, as they play with their Daddy, I have the time to write this.

yesterday some of our friends from Benghazi/Lybia did leave their homes as the situation there seems to get really violent and awful. not that anybody knows anything for sure but it is definitely not a peaceful place at the moment. I am very glad that most of our friends are out but there is still some there and I was lucky and happy to dedicate my morning yoga to them and build up positive energy.
all that thanks to Mia who got up at 7 today and after I couldn't go back to sleep anymore I rolled out my mat while Mia was reading.
when I usually do that the kids would wake up the moment I start or just disturb me every minute. not so today. Clara woke up when I was already in Shavasana and she and Mia joined me and I was astonished and happy about this wonderful peaceful moment...before the girls jumped up to wake up their Daddy :-)

since we're in Austria we also enjoy the many possibilities to go to restaurants and have all the yummy stuff we don't have in Cairo. but since we've just been on holiday in January and spoilt ourselves there already it's not that exciting anymore and I do miss cooking! I know, for some of you that might sound a bit silly, but I really do. even though I have the chance to cook in the apartment we have, I am quite limited without my tools and don't want to buy all the essentials and so on...

and as I am talking about missing things... I called my maid in Cairo yesterday to see if she's alright and ask her to check on our house again this week and to tell her that we still don't have an idea of when we'll be back. she is lovely and sometimes asks me to bring back some clothes for her when we go to Austria. so I asked her yesterday if there is anything I could bring her back and she said: "Yes, bring back you!" that was so sweet...and I know that she really loves the girls and will ask about them whenever I call her to make sure they're alright. and also the girls are asking about her and if she is ok and they do miss playing with her too...

it's already 3 weeks for us to be here now...I have to admit that I was relieved to get out of Cairo that day but still not sure if it would have really been a problem to stay. from lots of our friends I know that the situation in Cairo, especially Maadi is ok and school started again today... most of our friends are going back to Cairo this weekend and the next...I still hope we might be on a plane next weekend too...

it's worth these smiles

it's hard to describe the roller coaster of feelings we go through every day. us grown ups just like the kids. luckily the kids can live them and get them out. unfortunately not that easy for grown ups all the time but I am lucky enough to have Christian at my side now to make this a bit easier.

Vienna does make it easy for us to "forget" the situation we're in and enjoy different things and of course there is worse to be in...

today the girls had their last day at Vienna International School - maybe - we still don't know when we can go back to Cairo. we do think that it's time for us to go back although we know that there is still lots of "buts", BUT it's hard to except that when I know most of my friends will be back that weekend and also school will start on Sunday... anyway, we have to be patient, BUT can anyone explain to the girls please!

as usual Clara cried when we picked her up today because she didn't want to go home and Mia was excited to present us her work - a book she illustrated and wrote this week (pictures to follow).

but Vienna does not only give us grown ups the chance to "forget" there is also plenty of things for the girls...playgrounds, friends, bakeries and all the things I don't think of now... and all these things can put these wonderful smiles on the girls faces

today

freezing, with little snowing, on our way to school
moving to another apartment
coffee and arabic breakfast at a nice little coffee shop with a friend I haven't seen for ages
a coffee to go in the metro on the way to pick up the girls
a donut for Mia and a cookie for Clara as an after school snack
meeting Christian at the metro
play date at another friends house who I haven't seen for ages
quick stop at a doctor to stock up my medicine for my thyroid
getting the girls to bed
curled up with Christian in front of the TV..................................

we're in motion, we're healthy, we're together

let go and sink in

Om bhur bhuvah svaha
tat savitur varenyam
bargo devasya dhimahi
dhiyo yonah prachodayat
Let us honor the unity of Divine Spirit 
that pervades all realms of existance:
the earth, the atmosphere and the heavens.
May That most brilliant Divine Light 
protect us, sustain us
and illuminate our consciousness

that we might realize 
our inherent goodness, 
our inborn divinity
and our unity with All That Is.

By this knowledge may our actions be inspired.

drizzle - Nieselregen

We're in Vienna - at least the girls and I - and so I thought of starting this blog to keep you updated, as I can't work on our webpage from the laptop and I don't have a camera and and and...whatever.

After we've been evacuated from Cairo exactly 18days ago we've been in Austria, Germany and back to Austria and had all the nice winter weather you can wish for. Today - drizzle and of course no sun! For a family coming from Cairo this is not very pleasant but hey, we'll try to make the best out of it.

If you read this I'd ask you to think of Mia today as she wasn't very happy this morning to go to school. She has lovely new class mates there but of course we can't speak of friends yet and this morning she really missed her friends from Cairo and her school and well, just the places she knows and feels comfortable with. I was tempted to keep her home and cuddle up in bed but that doesn't really solve the problem. If the weather stays like that and she is still in that mood after school we'll cuddle up in front of the TV all together :-)

For me I'll treat myself with coffee and a book until it's time to get the girls...

enjoy the drizzle..............................