Cairo, the 13th December, 2009

“Luxuries”

I enjoy a few luxuries in my life. For me, luxuries are those things that may seem superficial to others but are, indeed, essential to me and my well being.
Luxuries have nothing to do with money or expensive vacations. It all depends on your input in life and what you value the most.
For me, spending quality time with my man is a luxury.
Falling asleep in my family’s garden during a lazy summer afternoon is another luxury.
Observing a great sunset on the beach is another one…

Egypt has helped shape me as an adult and that includes my very own list of luxuries which can seem quite strange when observed by strangers.
Here they are (some of them):

1.Having great quality dresses for my work. This is a MUST for me. I work daily and spend more time dressed in dance suits than in normal clothing. Great materials, original design and comfortable pieces with which I can dance freely are a LUXURY I cannot avoid having. This is one of the reasons why I decided to design and make my own dresses myself. This way, I always have what I imagine and know it works for my body and style.

2.Silk and pure cotton robe to cover me in the end of each show (in the winter) and a high quality Saudi Arabian “abbaya” for the summer. I need to feel comfortable and relaxed between shows and cannot live without those.

3.Spending time – much less than I wished for – with the few REAL friends I have in Cairo as well as keeping in constant contact with my family and friends spread all over the world. This is one of my greatest luxuries and one of the most difficult to maintain due to my lack of free time.

4.Eating “aish baladi”/ “baladi/Egyptian bread”. No matter how cheap this bread is, this is THE ONLY one I want to eat when in Egypt. There is also Lebanese bread and western kinds of bread but nothing better than baladi bread or, even better, “fellahin” bread from Sakarah Road (the bread farmers bake in their ancient ovens). I never forget my farmer roots and always know how to appreciate the best coming directly from the earth.

5.Portuguese olive oil. I bring litters and litters of olive oil from Portugal every time I return to Egypt. This is a luxury I cannot live without. Another reminiscence of my “fellahin” past.

6.Doing my occasional horse riding in the desert of Giza (near by the famous Giza Pyramids).

7.Once a month, letting myself be washed away with a moroccan bath. The only treat I give to my body besides some massages I manage to receive once in a while.
As a dancer, I know I should take care of myself better.
Body, face and hair treatments, hairdresser, massages, pedicures and manicures and many plastic surgeries are included in the many things most dancers do while performing in Egypt (the ones who make enough money to cover all these constant expenses or the ones who have a rich guy covering it for them).
I am an exception (like in most things).
Not even mentioning the fact that I am an alien who never got any plastic surgery procedure done…I don’t have the time, money and patience to go through all the things most dancers do in order to keep in shape and stay youthful and beautiful.
I am a low maintenance dancer, it seems.
Lots of EVIAN water, some care with eating healthy food (most of the times, not always), not smoking or drinking alcohol or even coffee and a monthly Moroccan bath. Those are my luxuries as far as taking care of me is concerned.

8. My books. Ohhh…..I cannot live without reading and purchasing books. Take away my make-up and creams, but never take away my dear books. Having tea with carrot cake with some friends in a shop full of books is also one of my biggest luxuries. English, Portuguese, Spanish, French…you name it. I read it all if the theme interests me.

9. Learning from two beautiful artists who also happen to be my dear friends: Mahmoud Reda e Azza Sheriff. Love them both and all opportunities to be in their company are pure luxuries to me. They have so much to teach me and so much love in their hearts. Better jewels than the ones you can find in the shops of Cairo and no real diamond can compare to their worth.

10. Living my life the way I want. FREEDOM is my biggest luxury and the one who makes all the others possible.