This will be a short blog post, but possibly a long rant! Now, I understand I am in another country. It can be dangerous to start comparing your country of origin to the one that you are currently visiting or inhabiting. Sometimes however, it is difficult to not begin to list in no particular order the things you miss. For some reason I find that these “things” you miss are really just an annoyance when you are at home. So why? Well, I have concluded that these “things” that I miss are tools or ways that help me complete the basics that I need in my life routine. At home in Canada, it is either just a chore or a common convenience that you come to rely on and really, take advantage of. Meaning, you do not realize exactly what luxuries are when you are faced with a situation that strips you of those luxuries. So here is my list. I am sure you will recognize a theme, and will probably think I am crazy. Also, please keep this in mind too, I met my husband in Paris. There we lived together, again in a place other than my home without my conveniences and luxuries that just help me along as I go through my day and life. And although the husband and I have built a household where tasks are shared, there is something to be said about having the ability to just care for your partner in the smallest and most basic ways, and when you fail to do this in a way or standard that you are happy with, you feel, or at least I do, an incompetent fool.
The things I miss the most:

1. Laundry: I miss my washer and dryer! Here I have something that you can call a washer. In fact you can call it Fresh Torbin 6 kg. It comes with three waterfalls and next to it is your little spinner. Simple enough right? Well, the water hose connected to it only has cold water. So of course, because I am not use to this, I buy detergent but not for cold water. You have to fill up the mighty Torbin, load your clothes, add your soap, select your wash time. When it is over you have to drain it, then fill it with water again to rinse the clothes. Once that is over there is a spinner compartment next to it, but careful you do not shred your clothes. Fair enough? Easy enough? Nope. Ring-a-round-the-collar. Still there. Okay, maybe presoak then, groan. Forget it. Scratch that. New plan. Hand wash. So now I hand wash. Rather than laundry, which please know I LOVE, really, once a week, I am now doing it every day. Hot water in a wash tub. Soak over night, scrub, hang to dry. Beautiful! The bloody stain, gone! However one of my beloved tunics has some red dye because one item of mine had a small, hidden, red label. Well, at least I have not ruined the husbands clothes. However I did shrink a pair of his sweat pants in Paris. I did not tell him. He just chalked it up to it being a cheap brand. Sigh.
2. The bed: This bed has literally been a pain in our ass, our neck, and our back. The bed frame is old and lose so it creaks and squeaks with every movement. It is simply a frame with wooden slats, oh and the box that the mighty Torbin came in it lies neatly across it to give it some support? And then on top the thinnest, hardest cotton futton you could have ever imagined. The little, little, old, old lady that we rent from says she prefers it this way because it is great for your back. She invited us for dinner. I am tempted to go just to see what she sleeps on! I can bet you it is not the Torbin! So we have become creative, thinking this could solve our problem. We took the two single mattresses from the other bedroom and placed them on the bedframe and then the double mattress on top. At first it seemed to work, but later we realized we were only fooling ourselves. Eventually the husband would sink into his side causing my side to rise. At first it did not bother me, but finally the sleepless nights caught up to me. I was going to bed at sunrise and waking up later in the afternoon. We have now reverted back to the single, torturous mattress. We slept like babies. And yes, we thought about moving the two single beds together, but we only had one set of sheets and blanket.
3. Food: The basics are here. However the quality of produce is depressing and dangerous. They spray the shit out of their produce! I long for a peach but refuse because I am not about to peel a peach and the membrane is too thin, and when I cannot smell the sweet essence of fruit, to me it is damaged goods. I later found out that organic produce is exported. Good job Egypt. Not only are you killing your people with unemployment, you are also killing them with poisonous food. Now it is not just the food but it is this bloody old gas stove that I am struggling with. We both have yet to cook a decent pot of rice! I know, pathetic. We either burn it or it is too mushy. No, we do not lift the lid, and yes we turn the heat down or completely off. This little propane stove packs a wicked punch of heat. It’s possessed. I’m convinced. But we are getting by. Day by day the cooking improves. But the accessibility to great food and the ease of cooking it is gone. Maybe because it is not my kitchen.
4. Internet: Yup, I am sorry, but this happens to be my connection to everything but Egypt. And this bloody connection is driving me crazy. It’s on, it’s off, it’s on, it’s off. It’s on but with limited access. It’s on but it is so slow it kills me, hence the long time between posts.

Ok, I am going to stop with my rant. There is more, but I don’t want you to get the impression that I am just unhappy and ungrateful, because I am not. The other day I told the my husband that I could be anywhere in the world just as long as I was with him. He is my light and my number one fan!I could not do any of this without him, especially kill the cockroaches that seem to be larger than my foot, that’s when I scream!