Who is SKY?

I usually don't care about other people's opinion, but when it comes to the people I choose by my side (AKA almost only the 200 Facebook friends I have) I definitely care about their opinions and advice.

I asked friends and family to describe me and this is what they said (with minor editing). Each statement is followed by the relationship type (whether friendship, blood or acquaintance) then its length. Now you know me a little better! This article may be updated later. Also, super long. Enjoy!

"I see her I tickle pink. I know distance will never tear us apart. Boredom never crossed my road walking with her, I'm just myself in her presence. One of the few persons that I can trust or actually not a few, there's no one else I can trust. I really have to work on my "texting" for her, she deserves it" -friend, 6 years.

"Samaa is a cheerful, helpful person. She's funny and has a good sense of humour. Not dumb at all and not arrogant" -friend, 8 months.

"An energetic, friendly and sociable person who is not afraid to speak her mind and express her opinions." -acquaintance/ colleague, two years.

"Samaa, like any other human being, is someone with so many layers underneath. Right when you'd think you know her you realize that you still don't. At first, you'd think she's the loud, fun girl with a dirty mind. After a while of knowing her, you'd see the blunt girl who says all what's on her mind fearlessly. You'd blame her for saying something out loud though you think of it all the time. She's sort of intimidating for opinionated people. Right when you start to judge her for not being so religious you'd find her encouraging you to pray and reading about whether or not something is halal before doing it. See, the difference between her and the rest of the world is that she doesn't take any piece of information for granted. She has to check for its validation. So you'd judge her based on your shallow knowledge and you'd never think that she knows better. That cheerful girl hides so much pain in her heart that she chooses not to share except with her close friends, which are, to be honest, A LOT. She does have some negative qualities like we all do. She's too stubborn that you can't easily make her change her mind, even if she's harming herself. She doesn't always make logical decisions because of that. She may, sometimes, come out as heartless or self-centred, though I don't know how true that is. Overall she's one of her kind, which is somehow fortunate, but you'd enjoy her company more than anything else." -friend/colleague, 5 years.

"Funny and curious, it is a pleasure to talk to her." -acquaintance, 6 months.

"Samouaa, my long-distance best friend, the hidden mermaid, I know that because she has a personality and looks of a mermaid. I love her because she's always there for me, makes me laugh, we also judge people together." -friend, 2 intensive years.

"She is different. Weird, loud, crazy, hard-headed, crazy sometimes. She's really smart. She's strong. She doesn't give a damn sometimes. She is not to be broken easily." -friend, almost 6 years.

"Samaa is an adventurous courageous girl. I met her in 2014 at the regional WRO. We've been friends since then. I knew that she is courageous when she jumped from the bridge in Russia. She is a person who loves food and likes to enjoy eating healthy food. She's also a person whom you'd like to spend time chatting with her and I guarantee that you'll enjoy every single message. You'll always meet ordinary girls with boring characters but she's an extraordinary girl with an awesome character."-friend, almost 3 years."

"If I am going to mention what I like about Samaa, then I can describe her as beautiful, energetic, funny, inspiring and friendly. However, she is also very stubborn, a drama queen, sometimes annoying (but I actually love that), very unexpected." -friend, 5 years.

"As goofy as we both can get, the best thing I have learned from her is to be my own hero; it doesn't matter how tough it gets, you must stand up for yourself and fight till the end. She is with no doubt my sister, not by blood, but by her standing by me when I most needed her and never leaving my side. The thing is, anyone that has the fortunate to have someone that astonishing by their side is extremely lucky. No matter how far she is, or how different she'll be when I see her again, she will always be my sister and one of the best thing that happened to me." -friend, almost 5 years.

"An oppressed child trapped in the body of an adult." -xxx, 16 years.

"I'm happy I met someone like her. She's so funny, so cute. I'm so happy to share some moments with her. She's addicted to taking photos and music, especially Rockabye! But she's kind. I just love her."- roommate/ friend, a month.

"She is an ambitious Muslim girl who has the courage to do whatever she wants. She's brave, loyal and funny. However, she's a bit careless and unorganised in general and she needs to be more honest with herself, her friends and her family. Sometimes it seems like she doesn't have any red lines and she says or does anything that comes to her mind. She could be a better person if she wanted and worked on it." -colleague/ friend, 5 years.

"Spontaneous, silly, loud, a chatterbox, kind and you can count on her." -cousin, 20 years.

"She is a child who is fighting to grow up in a world where everyone else is fighting to come back a child. Full of dreams and enthusiasm, she has no idea about what is coming after. Anyway, I am sure she will handle it." -roommate/ friend, eight months.

"Well, Samaa is a very interesting person, although she drives me crazy with her mood swings and everything but she's very funny and she's really a positive person and I like talking to her to be honest."-friend, ???.

"One of the most humorous, sociable and energetic people." -friend/ colleague, 5 years.

"Pretty much independent; with or without anyone she'll have the most out of her time. High achiever, doesn't follow any trend but rather does her own and follows it. Wouldn't mind walking in a path different than the one everyone one else is taking." -colleague/ acquaintance, 2 years.

"Despite her craziness, loud laughs and inappropriate comments, you fail not to get attached to her in a weird way." - friend/ colleague, 5 years.

"Crazy, outgoing, she loves trying new things and doesn't care about people's opinion." -friend/ colleague, 5 years.

"Samaa has shown academic excellence, commitment and hard work since she was a little kid by explicitly being the top student in her school and scoring the highest grades. This has never deteriorated her social life. On a more personal level, Samaa has a very random, unique and amusing personality. You can never get bored from her hilarious punchlines (and sometimes pranks) when she is around. Her remarkable and sociable personality has allowed her to acquire a lot of friends everywhere (in her school, during competitions and in her social clubs)." -mentor/friend, 5 years.

"I may not be the best one to write descriptions about their friends, but what I can say about Samaa that she resembles for me a pure heart, kindness and the most spontaneous childish soul I have ever met. I do hope she keeps that charming spirit but I also want her to be careful as others might misuse these traits. and of course I wish her best of luck." -colleague/ acquaintance, 5 years.

"Everyone agrees that I was way quieter before I met her. I don't know what happened and how we became friends but I'm more than grateful that I met her, my very first true best friend. We both were in French schools, love mermaids, (we actually want to be mermaids) we are shopaholics. We have much in common (at least I think so). I guess we became closer when we travelled together to the states where all the good memories started and we became shopping partners. I threw a bowl full of ice on her to wake her up, she screamed so loud people hear outside!
She is still the same spontaneous crazy beautiful child but a more fearless lady in her 20s. It's actually a blessing to be always a child at heart and I'm more than blessed to have her in my life. Sometimes those traits get her in trouble but we get through them and honestly my life would be boring without her. She might not be sugar, spice and everything nice but she is definitely special in her own way and our life is full of spice."

I want to thank every soul who contributed with those honest words. I love you all.

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My Trip to Berlin

Hi! It's been a while since my last article, I know! I have a good excuse though, I was planning for my vacation, studying and then at Berlin. I've always wanted to go to Berlin to make use of my not-so-advanced German. I liked it very much, beyond the language part, so let's get started!

A selfie in front of the Reichstags Building. This was the sky's colour by the way.

Planning Phase

Shortly after I decided to go on a vacation during spring break, I searched for a European city that a) isn't far and b) interests me. Berlin was the ideal option. Few days before leaving Paris, I had to do some research: museums, transportation passes, food, weather.... I've never been a museum and history enthusiast, but I tried to change this by forcing myself to try.

I downloaded Google Trips app which is really useful to organise your day, where you save the places that interest you and get the directions for them easy peasy lemon squeezy. Some bookings and purchases were done and I was ready to go.

Huge Mistake

Since I decided really late to go to Berlin, I had to go by bus as the plane tickets were almost double the normal price. But the bus was a terrible idea, especially for someone with car sickness, the irony. I bought some pills in hope to reduce the sickness and I tried to convince myself that they were working. Also, I had no time to pack some snacks and I forgot my water bottle in the big backpack so I was starving and thirsty for some hours until we stopped for thirty minutes in Belgium. My planning was kilometres away from perfection, but I survived the bus trip of 20 hours (?!).

Day 1

It began at 6 am on the 11th of April, after my arrival at the main bus station of Berlin. I was supposed to go to my host's home, I had the directions and everything. I had to buy the bus ticket from the machine, but unfortunately  it didn't accept credit cards for some mysterious reasons. And also because I had no time, I haven't had any cash. So I went on a discovery trip to find the nearest ATM. I was praying the whole time that I'd work. It did, thank God! After being lost for some time, I made it back to the station. I waited for the bus for 20 minutes and then it passed me without stopping! I was perplexed because I was sitting in the station waiting.. I learned the hard way that they only stop if I stand up at the edge of the pavement. (Which is not the case at Paris by the way). The ride was almost an hour!

When I arrived home, the host, Ela, welcomed me with a warm smile and asked me what took me so long (three hours) to reach home. I explained the whole thing while we had breakfast. I took a shower and changed and then took off to go sightseeing a bit. Even though I was super tired. But, I don't get to visit Berlin everyday, so..!

The fountain.

I went to Checkpoint Charlie where I felt like being somewhere else. Then I went to the Berlin Cathedral Church but didn't go inside, because it wasn't free, which is weird. The Cathedral was so beautiful and I adored the light blue domes and statues. Then I went to the Funkturm, the fountain that has Triton (I hope) and I don't know its name. The weather was cold by then but the sky was blue and the sun was shining so I decided to sit on a bench and read a little while having a snack (a sweet nutty German thing Ela helped me pick). I was too happy then.

I brought some souvenirs from Alexanderplatz and then went home. We cooked dinner, also something "German": asparagus, boiled potatoes and Hollandaise sauce, I really liked it. Even thought it was so weird eating whole boiled potatoes. I chilled at home a bit then I went to bed. It was of course early, but since I hadn't slept well in the bus I had to.

Day 2

Reconciliation statue.

I woke up relatively early, we had breakfast and then I took off. Bernauer Straße (street) was my target. During Berlin division, the windows of the buildings in this street were used to escape the western side. Also, some short tunnels were dug. Of course, there were fatalities during these escape missions. There is a reconciliation statue few meters away from the street's famous buildings. Next to this, there's a small chapel: Die Kapelle der Versöhnung (The Chapel of Reconciliation), small and simple but warm and beautiful. 

Reichstag Building.

I took the S-bahn and went to the Reichstag Building. A mixture of modern architecture (the glass dome) and the 19th century architecture (the rest of the building). Brandenburg Gate is a walking distance away. It used to mark the start of the Berlin- Brandenburg road. I visited next the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe.

It was lunch time by then, so I ate at a vegetarian Asian restaurant. (I should've packed lunch with me instead, but totally forgot)

East Side Art.

A trip to the eastern side took place then. I really enjoyed the East Side Gallery, which had tons of different street art/ graffiti.

Computerspieleinmuseum
Selfie!

What I visited next has to be the coolest museum ever! Computerspieleinmuseum! (Museum of Video-games) It showed the evolution of video games, from chess to Xbox. Even though it was super small for a museum, but it was a unique experience to be honest. I strongly recommend!!

Then, I returned home and had a light dinner then stayed in bed till I fell asleep, I can't remember really. I was exhausted anyway from all the walking and wandering!

Turkish Breakfast!

Day 3

I woke up relatively energetic and decided to have breakfast with Ela at a café nearby. The weather was good enough to make me want to eat outside in the semi-sunny weather. 

A Time-line of Germany, Historische Museum.

I then headed to the Historische Museum. Ela warned me of how big it was. But I wasn't expecting it to be this big! Germany's history turned out to be impressively long, guys! I spent around three hours, even though I didn't read the descriptions thoroughly in the last exhibitions. I had to have many pauses and an apple pie break in the middle.

Since I was exhausted from standing for so long and my back was hurting so bad, I didn't visit any other museum that day, even though I wanted to. I went to the Mall of Berlin, I enjoyed the walk in the sun to get there but didn't buy anything at last. Except for a sweater from a shop somewhere with "Berlin" on it, I'm sorry, but I had to! 

There was a beautiful cathedral nearby (with a splendid light blue dome as well) so I thought maybe I can go to the mass. But then my host told me it'd be for an hour long at least so I took off. 

Dinner: Spätzle.

I returned home, replaced my banana bag by a normal handbag and Ela and I went to eat at a small restaurant at a walking distance. We, as usual, chatted during the walk, about almost everything. We had Spätzle which is a pasta (that looks like weird French fries) and some stuff on it: lentille for me and cheese for Ela. We drank some German soda/ jus drink. End of day 3.

Day 4- Last Day

I was really sad leaving Berlin...

Neues Museum.

Charlottenburg Schloss.

My bus was at 8 pm so I had so much time on my hands.  The Neues (new) Museum was my first destination; it had an Egyptian exhibition and Nefertiti's head statue. I didn't visit the other exhibitions because they were similar to the ones I've visited in the Louvre. 

I met up with two Indonesian girls from Couchsurfing, Sarah, who was visiting as well, and Rima, who's studying in Berlin. We had lunch together, Turkish kebab for me and a burger for Sarah I then went to the Charlottenburg Schloss (castle). And again, the light domes never failed to amaze me! 


I waited for Rima to drop her friend off and then we had dessert and coffee at a cosy homelike café. A cherry cake with decaf black coffee and a cheesecake and cappuccino for my new friend. 

Cherry cake and coffee!

Rima insisted on helping me go to the bus station and long story short, we ran A LOT and changed transportation a couple of times. The good news is that we arrived half an hour early! Which is a victory for your fashionably late blogger (I'm trying to change I swear).

Final Thoughts

I did it on my own! I DID IT, I DID IT! A year ago, the idea of travelling alone and couchsurfing seemed deadly to me. It seemed as something impossible, but here I am, a beginner solo traveller.

I did it despite every single unadventurous soul that doubted I'd enjoy it alone. Well, having company is great but being alone is also good. I got to do what I wanted when I wanted. I got to stare at the paintings that interested me without someone yawning next to me. Most importantly, if you wait for someone to be available to come along you might end up not going at all. Bottom line: don't depend on anyone to travel.

Credit: germanyflag.facts.co

As for Berlin itself, it's great! I was afraid it wouldn't be much different than Paris, but thank God it betrayed my expectations. I'll definitely go back for more local spots or something.

Also a huge thank you to Ela for welcoming me and being such a great host in general and Rima for helping me go to the bus station on time! Shout-out to that friend who kept encouraging me to go beyond my boundaries but also yelled at me for not telling anyone prior my trip.

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ارجعوا ابتدائي

أنا مُعْتَرفة تمامًا إني مش ضليعة ف اللغة العربية الفُصحى و لحد ما ده يتغير، هكتب بالعربي المصري العامي. الاعتراف بالحق فضيلة...

بسم الله!

أظن كل معارفي (أو بمعنى أصح، كل اللي عندي على شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي) عارفين إني نازية نحوية وإملائية. مش هيهمني قد إيه المَثَل اللي إنتَ كاتبه جميل وعميق وهعلق على الأخطاء الإملائية، عادي جدًا. أي حاجة مكتوبة غلط بتبقى مستفزة وشبه مؤلمة كمان للي زيي.

 فيه ناس اتعودت وبيفوتوا وناس بتحاول تستفيد من خبراتي اللغوية وناس تالتة، أعوذ بالله، لسة شايفين ده نوع من قلة الأدب أو الغلاسة أو التنطيط. ومن الجدير بالذكر، إن النوع التالت ده بَدَل ما يعترف بأخطائه ويصلحها بمنتهى البساطة، بيحب يطلعني أنا اللي ببالغ وبدقق ف حاجات صغيرة.

أعزائي الناس اللي من الفئة التالتة، ارجعوا ابتدائي. أه والله! لما تبقوا بتكتبوا "تعزيب" و"مدايق" و"كنتى" و"إنشاء الله" في حين إن إنتم ف العشرينات أو حتى الخمسينات، يبقى مكانكم ف ابتدائي! وياريت محدش بس يقول لي "أصل ديه العامية يعني ما إحنا ممكن نكتبها زي ما إحنا عايزين!!"، لإن العامية أصلها الفصحى ومهما غيرنا وبهدلنا ف اللغة الجميلة ديه هتفضل العامية متفرعة من الفصحى رغم أنف الجاهلين. أما بالنسبة لجرائم اللغات الأخرى، فهتكلم عنهم ف مقال تاني.

المصرد: السومرية

إيه المغزى من المقال ده بقى؟ لو قريت كل ده و مش شايف هدف للي أنا كتبته ده معناه إنك فشلت ف فهم الرسائل الباطنية. و بدل ما حد ييجي يلومني على نبرتي الحادة ديه، وفر وقتك ومجهودك وإقرأ حاجة لنجيب محفوظ أو توفيق الحكيم ونمي لغتك الأم شوية! والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته!

أحب أوضح حاجة بس ف الآخر، أنا كسماء مش منزهة عن الخطأ وكذا مرة بعمل أخطاء سواء بسبب تسرع أو عدم معرفة، بس على الأقل لما حد بيصلحلي حاجة، بحاول أستفيد من المعلومة ومش باخدها على نفسي وأكَبَّر الموضوع بشكل أهبل وغير هادف.

لو عجبك المقال ده اعمل +1 وشاركه مع أصحابك! اعملي فولو عشان تتابع مقالاتي كمان. اضغط هنا عشان يجيلك إيميل أول بأول!

I Grew Up - 20.1

On my birthday, I wrote an article about what I've achieved so far, read it first in case you've missed it, click here! During the few following days, I remembered even more important information and skills I've learnt. So here we go again!

Celebrating my birthday with my paternal family, 2002. I'm the girl in the middle, in case you didn't know.

After receiving a big order
from Amazon

An Egyptian friend would understand the struggle of buying anything online. From the expensive shipping fees, to the different currencies and finally the lack of a credit card to use, I've been there, I did that. There was a time that I asked an older friend to place an order for me because I had no credit card (or even a bank account). But now, ordering online is even a cheaper option! I'm now able to buy used books that are like brand new ones which cost much less than buying them from stores, even considering the shipping from England (because I order English books only). So glad I have my own bank account...! 

Speaking of bank account, I can do money talk now. My parents taught me that talking about money is impolite and wrong, but I grew up to need to discuss money. Sorry mom! Money is important, whether you're applying for a job or have a roommate who shares cleaning products with you! I try not to believe that we live in a pragmatic world, but we kind of do...

My organisation skills grew a little. Every single task even if it was just printing a paper at college is documented in my calendar with several reminders. Important events that I'd never remember on my own such as renewing my residence papers in 22 weeks and that project due after the holidays are documented twice, on my Google Calendar and on my college agenda for maximum organisation. Hundreds of to-do lists were made, even only mental ones. Example: When I Get Home To-Do List: Take a shower, do laundry, cook, revise, do the dishes... That's how I'm trying to get over my goldfish memory and attention deficiency. 

Some adult stuff: original documents. Never hand in original documents. That was a tough lesson to learn. And, always carry a scan of the important documents with me on the phone, it's more than enough in most cases. 

Giving compliments was discussed in the previous article, I'm aware of that. But what I need to add here is that criticizing people instead of giving them compliments says a lot about your self-esteem... Spoiler: you have none! Always give a warm constructive feedback. 

After a long time of reflection at my life events, I came to the conclusion that an abuser was once a victim. And in order to fix the victim, we need to fix the abuser first. Nevertheless, nothing gives a human the right to harm another human. Physically, morally or sexually.

Another conclusion I came to after thinking and reading and researching was that sacrificing too much is harmful. As I said before I decided to put myself first, but being told to make sacrifices for others, when I don't want to, is annoying and insensitive. Also, here's a serious question, why are people who put too much pressure on themselves, neglect their own needs and go too far in sacrifices, so pissed at people who are living their lives healthily and normally? Unfortunately, I've not only met such people, but I still know them...

In this "Me, Myself and I" situation I'm living, with no "adults" to back me up, some people tend to find me an easy target, they talk trash, expecting me to shut up and nod. But hell no, this will never happen! Not here, not in Egypt, not in Mars! If I was right, I'd defend myself in the most polite way possible. I'd write some bullet points with evidence! Witnesses could be called in as well. I'm not the kind of person who accepts such treatment because she's alone or shy to defend herself. If I was wrong, God forbid, I'd acknowledge committing a mistake, ask for forgiveness but then state that I'd prefer a better way of speaking! Adulting...!

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