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HeshamHaroon

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بعد معاناة لأكتر من ٦ ساعات لأن المكان كان زحمة جدًا، خرجت ومعايا الورقة اللي كنت عايزها.,And will she also keep this innocence?

المُضحك أنّي في خلال ال٦ ساعات المملين دول، اتعرَّفت على ناس من محافظات مختلفة ولمَّا خرجنا مع بعض، احتفلنا لأننا كنَّا حاسين أنَّنا عملنا إنجاز.,"I hope so, of course."

من فرحتي وأنا خارج مبصيتش في الورقة وخدتها وجريت، وبعد ما روَّحت، اكتشفت أن اسمي مكتوب عليها غلط، قعدت اضحك بشكل هستيري.,Allow me now to eat a piece of cake and drink a cup of juice from Habiba’s hands.

طبعًا رحت تاني والمرة دي اتأكدت أن كل حاجة صح لأن زى ما المثل بيقول: “محدِّش بيتلسع من الشوربة مرتين”.,Alexandria.

أتمني أنِّي مضطرِّش اروح المكان ده تاني خالص.,"the Bride of the Mediterranean, which most Egyptians love."

من اكتر الأماكن اللي كان نفسي ازورها النوبة او بلاد الدهب زي ما بيقولوا عليها… معرفش ايه سر حبي وفضولي الكبير للتعرف على البلد دي وثقافتها… يمكن عشان واحنا صغيرين اتربينا على شخصية بكار… او يمكن عشان طول عمرنا بنسمع ان اهل النوبة ناس طيبين… الأسباب كتير بس في الآخر قدرت ازور المكان ده … ومن اول ما وصلت وانا كل حاجة مستغرباها وحاباها في نفس الوقت… من اول البساطة اللي في كل حاجة… للغة النوبية الغريبة اللي مش فاهمة منها غير كام كلمة شبه العربي واللي دايما بيتكلموا بيها مع بعض لكن معانا يتكلموا باللهجة المصرية العادية….,"But as for me, I don’t like it."

الجمال والبساطة في كل حاجة هناك من اول الطواجن اللي بياكلوا فيها… للألعاب اللي الاطفال بيلعبوا بيها وبيعملوها من الطبيعة حواليهم لبساطة بيوتهم من جوة والوانها من برة واشكال المثلثات اللي مزخرفة كل حتة… حالة من البساطة والروقان مش هيحس بيها غير اللي راح وشاف الناس دي في صفاء ونقاء وجمال قد ايه… لدرجة تخلي ست تطلع على الجبل الصبح تسوي الرملة على الارض لمدة ساعة واكتر!,"Really, I had gone there several times before, but I never could like it."

برغم كدة في حاجات خلتني احس بغموض ورهبة وخوف… النوبة الصبح كلها الوان وبساطة وحيوية وانبساط لكن بالليل حسيت بخوف شوية… ومن اكتر الحاجات اللي رعبتني هناك التماسيح!,"But last Friday, we woke up early and decided to go there for a change of scene."

التماسيح جزء اصيل من ثقافتهم لدرجة ان الاطفال بيلعبوا بالتماسيح الصغيرة!,We arrived around noon and went up to our [hotel] room overlooking the sea.

وبيوت كتير في النوبة فيها تماسيح حية جوة قفص حديد طبعا… في واحدة من البيوت دي قلت اطلع على السطوح عشان ابص على المنظر من فوق وبلف بعيني كإني باخد صورة بانورامية لقيت تمساح طوله مترين جمبي على السور في اخر اللفة الـ 180 درجة دي!,The view was amazing.

طبعا اترعبت ونزلت جري رغم ان بعد ثواني من التفكير اكتشفت انه متحنط… بعدها بقيت بشوفه متعلق على ابواب البيوت وابتديت اتعود على الفكرة.,"The sea, the sky, and the cleanness and quietness of the Corniche."

يوم الاربع اللى فات كان يوم مهم جدا بالنسبه لى.,What beauty!

كان مناقشة ماجستير واحده من اعز اصدقائى وصحاب عمري.,"The weather was beautiful, not cold, so we took the kids to swim."

كان لازم اصحى من بدرى عشان الحق اكون معاها من قبل ما تبدا.,The place was so lovely that we stayed until sunset.

تفاصيل اليوم ده اكيد بتبقى مهمه جدا للشخص اللى هيتم مناقشته… حاجه كده شبه تحضيرات لما يكون فيه فرح او خطوبه.,"We went back, and we were so tired, so we went to bed early."

زى اى مناسبه اول ما بتبدأ كله بيحاول يصور.,"The next day, we woke up at dawn, opened the balcony to see a fascinating view."

و بيبقى فى مواقف كتير على جنب و توتر مع بداية الحدث.,I took a picture for you.

على قد ما كان فى حاجات كتير كوميديه على قد ما كانت حاجه مؤثره وج ميله جدا.,We had tea.

و مش هنساها و هى بتقدم فى المقدمه لما اتاثرِت وعيطِت و هى بتشكر اهلها على دعمهم.,And then we noticed the Alexandrians walking along the Corniche.

من المعروف ان اليوم ده لازم صاحب الرساله يسمع انتقادات كتير بس فى الآخر بيبقى معروف انه كده كده ما دام وصل للمنصه يبقى اكيد هياخد الدرجه فى الآخر.,"We said, “Come on, some activity in the morning!"

الا انه لما الدكاتره قاموا وقفوا فى الآخر بعد ٣ ساعات من الانتقادات والتعليقات على الرساله حسينا كده بنفس احساس العد التنازلى و وكإنّنا بنستنى لحظه النطق بالحكم.,"” We went down to have a walk, and we watched some guys catching fish."

بعد ٣ ساعات من كلام فى تخصص اغلب الحاضرين مش فاهمين منه حاجه و مستنيين اللقطه الاخيره دي… اخيرًا جت اللحظه اللى كلنا كنا مستنيينها… ووقفت لجنه التحكيم و وقفنا كلنا عشان نسمع النتيجه… و صاحبتى اخدت الدرجه و باباها بدأ يدمع… و احنا كلنا الفرحه مش سايعانا و احنا بنسقف.,Then they offered their catch for sale.

و رغم كل التعب و القلق و التوتر على مدار السنين دى كلها الا ان فرحه النجاح او الوصول لهدف واتمامه فرحه ليها طعم تانى كده.,I was so happy.

الفرحه اللى عبر عنها عبد الحليم لما قال “ده مفيش فرحان فى الدنيا قد الفرحان بنجاحه”… الاغنيه كانت فى ودانى و احنا بنتصور و بنحتفل بعد ما خدت الدرجه و اتمنيت لو كان ينفع زى اى مناسبه تانيه نشغل موسيقى خلفيه وتشتغل الاغنيه دى فى الآخر.,I always wanted to eat fish straight from the sea.

بس مين عارف يمكن فى يوم من الايام تقاليد واعراف المناسبات دى تتغير ويسمحوا بحاجه زى كده.,We took it to someone to grill it.

من يومين، كنت قاعد في البيت بحاول أذاكر عشان عندي امتحان مهم تاني يوم.,Then we went to visit the Royal Jewelry Museum.

كنت حاسس أني مش عارف اركّز.,"Afterward, we went to the Library of Alexandria and watched a show in the sky dome there."

وفجأة، اتّصل بيّا صاحبي عمرو، وقالّي أنٌه كمان زهقان من المذاكرة، فاقترحت عليه ننزل عشان نذاكر سوا في المكتبة على أمل اننا نشجّع بعض، ووافق.,"Honestly, both places were fascinating."

قمت لمّيت كل كتبي في الشّنطة وخرجت.,"After that, we finished our trip with the fish meal–and I won’t talk about how delicious it was."

عدّيت على صاحبي الأوّل وبعدين اتمشّينا لحد المكتبة.,"Really, I discovered after this visit that I, too, had become a lover [of Alexandria]."

لمّا وصلنا، كنّا متحمّسين جدّا، وبدأنا نذاكر فعلًا، لكن كانت كلّها نص ساعة بس قبل ما نفتح حوار ملهوش أي علاقة بالمذاكرة عمرو قرأ عنٌه عالنت.,I didn’t believe what was being said about Mogamma El Tahrir by people and in the movies.

وهو ان نظريّة التطوٌر مش حقيقية.,"I thought they were exaggerating, until one day when I had to go get a document processed."

حاولت اقنع صاحبي ان مش كل حاجة عالنت صح ولازم نصدّقها.,"The first time, I went at 12 noon and things were quite normal, but I found out when I asked that I was supposed to have been there at 6 o’clock, before employees’ working hours and stand in line in order to get the form that I would use to issue the document."

عمرو كان فاكر أن الّنظريَة بتقول أن الإنسان أصله قرد، وعشان أثبتله أن الكلام ده غلط، فضلت أدوّر على كتاب داروين نفسه، ولمّا لقيته، ورّيته أن معظم المعلومات اللي قرأها تلفيق من حد معندوش فكرة عن النّظرية أصلا.,"I became annoyed when I learned this because the Mogamma is in Cairo and I am from another governorate, so I had traveled for a long time to get there."

العجيب في الموضوع أن رغم ده كله، صاحبي فضل مصمّم أن النّظريّة مش حقيقية.,"The second time, I went so early, at 5 in the morning."

ولأنّي متأكّد أن عمرو دماغه ناشفة، كبّرت دماغي، ومحاولتش أقنعه تاني.,"And despite that, I wasn’t the first person present in the Mogamma, and I found people had spent the night there."

بعد ما خلّصنا كلام، بصّيت في الموبايل لقيت أن الوقت سرقنا، ومذاكرناش كتير زى ما كنّا عاملين حسابنا.,We stood in a very long line until the Mogamma opened at 9 o’clock.

كان لازم نمشي عشان المكتبة هتقفل.,"I thought that as soon as I entered, everything would be easy, but I saw when I entered that I would stand in another long line for the elevator, and after that, a line for the department that I was going to."

مكنش قدّامنا حل غير اننا نسهر لمّا نروّح.,"The word “line” suggests that things are organized, but the Egyptian line is different."

شربت قهوة كتير، وطبّقنا أنا وعمرو ليلة الامتحان.,It doesn’t have a consistent structure and requires experience in dealing with it.

لمّا رحنا الجامعة تاني يوم الصبح، كنّا متوترين جدّا.,"After struggling for more than six hours because the place was so overcrowded, I left with the document that I needed."

عمرو كان بيهزّر ويقول: “أنا مستعد أقتنع بنظرية التطوٌر لو الامتحان طلع سهل.,"The funny thing is that for those six boring hours, I met people from different governorates, and as soon as we got out of there, we celebrated because we were feeling that we had accomplished something."

” خرجنا من الامتحان وكنّا مبسوطين جدّا، لكن طبعّا عمرو مغيّرش رأيه ودا اللي كنت متوقعه!,"Out of my joy, while leaving, I didn’t look at the document, took it and ran off."

رحت الغردقه.,"And after I had gone home, I found out that my name was misspelled on the document, I laughed hysterically."

كنت فرحان خالص.,"Of course, I went again and this time, I made sure that everything was right because as the saying goes: “No one is burned twice by soup."

بس كنت لازق في مكنه.,” I hope that I don’t have to go to that place ever again!

معرفش ليه كنت لازق.,"One of the places I wanted to visit most was Nubia–or “the Golden Land,” as they call it."

كانت بتضحك.,I don’t know the secret behind my love and curiosity to know this place and its culture… maybe because we grew up as children with the Nubian cartoon character Bakkar… or maybe because we usually heard that Nubian people are so kind.

كل يوم في البحر في البحر.,"The reasons are many, but eventually, I managed to visit this place… and from the moment I arrived, I felt both surprised at and in love with everything… starting from the simplicity in everything… to the Nubian language that I didn’t get except a couple of Arabic words, which they always spoke amongst themselves while speaking in Egyptian Colloquial Arabic with us… The beauty and the simplicity are in everything over there, from the pots they eat out of… to the games and toys the kids play with and create from the nature around them to the simplicity of their homes inside, and their colors outside, and the triangle shapes decorating everywhere… a state of simplicity and relaxation that no one could feel except those who have been there and seen how these people live in purity, clarity, and beauty… to the extent that would make a woman keep spreading the sand over the mountain for an hour or even more!"

بفضل اعوم اعوم مع صاحبي محمود.,"Despite that, there were some things that made me feel a sense of mystery and fear… Nubia during the day is all about colors, simplicity, livelihood, and cheerfulness, but at night, I felt a little scared… and among the things that scared me most were crocodiles!"

كنا بنلعب مع بعض كل يوم.,"Crocodiles, over there, are a rooted aspect of their culture, to the extent that kids play with small crocodiles!"

ماشي؟,Many Nubian houses have living crocodiles… in metal cages of courses.

وبعد كده، كنا بنسبح.,"In one of those houses, I thought of going up to the roof to see the scenery from above."

وكان فيه لعبة شطرنج كبيره.,"And as I was taking a panoramic view, with my eye, I spotted a two-meter crocodile lying next to me at the end of this 180-degree turn!"

كان فيه اجنبيين.,"Of course, I was terrified and ran down the stairs, although I was able to realize it was mummified after a couple of seconds."

انا صاحبت واحد اجنبي اسمه روما.,"Later on, I started seeing them hung on the doors of many houses, and so I began to get used to the whole idea."

وبعد كده انا فضلت …ارمي سهوم كده.,Last Wednesday was a very important day for me.

حاجات كده انا برميها.,It was the MA defense for one of my best and lifelong friends.

نيشان.,I had to wake up early to be able to be with her before it started.

بعد كده فضلنا نلعب مع بعضنا ونمرح.,The details of these days are definitely very important to the person who will be asked to defend their thesis… a bit like preparing for an engagement ceremony or a wedding.

وكان تلات ايام بس.,"Just like any ceremony, once it starts, everyone tries to take photos."

بس كانوا فرحانيني*.,There are always side situations that occur and stress when the event begins.

والبوفيه حلو خالص.,"As much as there were so many funny situations, the whole event was so touching and very beautiful."

وكمان كان كان… كان فيه مكنه بتنزل لبن بالشكولاته.,I will never forget when she was reciting the introduction and was moved and cried when she was thanking her family for their support.

انا كنت باخد ايام وايام لأ.,It is common on that day that the MA holder-to-be will listen to a lot of criticism but will eventually take the degree anyway since they have reached the stage already.

بعد كده كنت انا ومحمود بنلعب مع بعضنا دايما.,"However, when the professors stood up at the end, after three hours of criticizing and comments on the thesis, we got this feeling of a countdown, as if we were waiting for them to verbalize the decree."

كل يوم نروح البحر ونلعب شطرنج مع بعضنا.,"After three hours of talk in a specialization which the majority of the audience had no idea about and was only waiting for that final scene, at last, the moment that all of us were waiting for had come."

ونعوم ونلاقي اسماك.,"The jury committee stood up, and we all stood up too to listen to the result."

انا شفت اسماك ومحمود لقى سمكه ميته.,My friend got her degree… and her father started to weep… and we were all clapping and over the moon.

ومش شاف اسماك عايشه.,"Despite all the effort, worries, and stress throughout all these years, the joy of success or reaching and finalizing a goal has another taste of its own."

انا شفت اسماك عايشه.,"That kind of joy that Abdel-Halim expressed when he said in his famous song, “There is no one happier in the world than someone who is happy with his success."

بعد كده انا كنت فرحان جدا جدا جدا.,” The song was playing in my head while we were taking photos and celebrating after she got her degree.

وكانت تحفه.,If only we could play it as background music just like at any other occasion.

الغردقه كان طريقها طويل بس انا مش زهقت.,But who knows!

كنت بلعب مع محمود دايما.,"It may happen that, one day, the traditions and protocols of such [academic] occasions change to allow something like this to happen."

مش بزعل ابدا ابدا ابدا.,"Two days ago, I was home trying to study as I had an important exam on the following day."

السلام عليكم.,I couldn’t really concentrate.

أنا سلمان.,"Then suddenly, my friend Amr called me and told me that he, too, was sick of studying, so I suggested that we go out together to study at the library in the hope of encouraging each other, and he agreed."

هحكيلكم قصة عن لعبة كابتن أميركا.,"I got up, packed all my books in the bag and went out."

كان يوم في الأيام أنا كنت بلعب.,"First, I went by my friend’s, and then we walked to the library."

فا بابايا نده عليا و ورّاني لعبة على النت.,"When we arrived, we were very excited, and we indeed started to study, but it was just half an hour before we started having a discussion that had nothing at all to do with studying… something about which Amr had read on the Internet."

فا عجبتني.,It was that the theory of evolution was not a fact.

و قلت لبابايا: بابا ينفع تشتريهالي؟,I tried to persuade Amr that not everything on the Internet was true or we need to believe.

قام قالّى ماشي.,Amr thought the theory stated that humans’ origins were monkeys.

اشتراهالي.,"And to prove to him that this was false, I started looking for Darwin’s book itself."

قام لعبت بيها.,"When I found it, I showed him that most of the information that he had read was a fabrication made by someone who basically had no idea about the theory."

و بعدين بعد ما لعبت بيها بشوية، بقت مش عجبتني.,"What’s strange is that, despite all that, my friend still insisted that the theory was not true."

فا أنا فا إدتها هدية لاخويا.,"And as I was sure that Amr was stubborn, I let it go and did not try to persuade him further."

توتة توتة خلصت الحدوتة.,"After we had finished talking, I looked at my cell phone and realized that we had lost track of time and had not studied as much as we had planned."

حلوة ولا ملتوته.,We had to leave because the library was closing.

حلوه.,There was nothing else we could do other than stay up late when we got home.

مع السلامة!,"I drank a lot of coffee, and Amr and I pulled an all-nighter the night before the exam."