And who ever said Libya was boring?

The more time I spend the Libya the more I realise, that no matter where you are, or what you do the right attitude and the right people is what makes it fun.... (well actually the right attitude should suffice, cause the right attitude automatically brings in the right people! :))

So, another great weekend in Tripoli...... a perfect anti climax after a superb weekend in Malta....

Thursday night started off with a Maltese Girl's night out..... it was great...... a big dinner in an amazing restaurant..... loads of Maltese noise, gossip and chocolate cake.... it was amazing.... I actually only knew 2 girls living in Tripoli..... Michelle, and the Maltese Consul..... now I know at least 10 more of all shapes and sizes.... some were working here with their husbands in Malta, some were here keeping their husbands company, others making sure their husbands keep them company.... and others..... were unmarried and young.... just like me!! :) We exchanged loads of cards and promises of meeting up again......

When the dinner was over, the night was still young..... so I called another Maltese friend of mine...... and in a matter of minutes found myself driving to his house, where another group of Maltese had gotten together for dinner and a laugh.... I missed out on the dinner, but I definitely didn't miss out on the
laughing.......

Friday was then yet again another day full of activities...... the day was spent at one of Tripoli's amazing beaches, once again with a large group of friends. We swam, attacked the waves, played 'beach' tennis, played cards, gossiped, listened to music sunbathed and met other met new people by the beach.... apart from the horrible sunburn I discovered I had after the shower the beach was great.....

What is the best thing to end a perfect day by the beach??? A BBQ!! Kurt had invited us all to a bbq on the roof of his house...... a great mix of cultures and the most amazing food - obviously cooked by a Maltese guy - Maltese know how to make BBQs (however this is obviously not one of my best Maltese qualities.... I can only bring the people and eat the food!!)

Finally Saturday the last day of the weekend...... the idea was to go to the hammam early on Saturday morning with Neasa and Michelle, enjoy the steam baths and get scrubbed..... however my sun burn would not allow me to pat myself dry with a towel, let alone get scrubbed by a big Libyan woman.... so I skipped the hammam and headed off to the Medina to by Stefan's Wedding present.....

After loads of indecisiveness, walking up and down the same street and bargaining I found the perfect present for my favourite couple....... and one of my dearest colleagues and friend while living in Belgium......

Saturday ended with a night of DVDs and popcorn on my sofa.......

Next Friday I'm off again..... off to Sudan, Ethiopia and right after up north to Romania..... I can't wait to go to Romania..... to meet old friends, my old team in Belgium..... and attend Stefan's and Irina's beautiful wedding in the middle of the mountains of Bran..... right next to the legendary Dracula's Castle.....

Memories of a Good weekend...

What is a Good Weekend?....

It starts on Friday with a Good Night out...a good night out only takes:

- My favourite Irish Pub

- A handful of good Friends

- Loads of Cisk

- and a Jagermeister promotion........

Acheived results:

- Loads of Laughs

- Cool conversations

- A massive headache the following morning

- and engraved memories

The Jagermaister (sour tasting herbal strong liquer!!) Promotion Picture... downed so many of those Jagermaister full test tubes that we deserved a picture :)

My dear Cisk... there can't be a good night out without you!!!! - and the empty jagermeister test tubes...

Andrew, my university and Scout Buddie..... we're now planning to trip for the scouts next summer to Egypt..... guess who convinced him to go to Egypt!! :)

The cool thing of the evening is that Demicoli was visiting from Iraq!!! He's in the arm doing work in Iraq..... so cook hearing all about it.....

The good night out is only necessary once a weekend.... to top up the rest of the weekend a relaxing Saturday at home watching the Euro Vision with your Daddy and Sister is the perfect ingredient..... I love watching the Euro Vision, guessing who gets the 12 points, watching the mix of cultures... I would love to attend a live Euro Vision one day.... Malta always hopes to get it, but somehow only managed 2nd place...... I WILL attend a Euro Vision one day!!!!

my sis and my daddy

And finally a Sunday hearing Mass ( I also got to see the weeping Maria.... a statue that cries tears of blood... tests have been made - no gimmicks and real blood - amazing!!)..... celebrating your grandfather's 85 birthday - he keeps on insisting he's 58 - but he looking so happy and full of life.... and a good sunday Lunch.

So with loads of hugs and kisses from family and friends I ended my weekend and flew back to Tripoli..

hugging my aunt good bye..

This weekend I'll be enjoying a Maltese Girl's night and a day by the beach in Tripoli...

Traffic Culture Shock

One of the biggest culture shocks I've experienced while back in Malta is the Traffic Culture Shock...... there definitely is one between Belgium, Malta and Cairo, but somehow, as Libya is the only country in which I drove for a long period of time (after Malta) this trip back home made me realise that its not that easy to adapt from one country's driving habits to another.

- firstly there is the driving direction..... why the hell does Malta have to drive on left when all its surrounding countries drive on the right!!!! - Ah we're just unique. I somehow thought that it will be hard for me to adapt my driving from left to right and not have that much of a problem adapting back from right to left...... alas... all those mirrors I've knocked and friends I've terrified by subconsciously driving in the opposite direction and losing my sense of calculation while in Malta this weekend...... coming back to Libya and driving back on the right was somehow a relief..... I'm losing my Maltese Driving skills....nooooooooooooo

- you have to stop on zebra crossings and traffic lights.... and you have to be nice to people in other cars and let them pass..... this is not the habit in Libya.... people don't stop for you when someone wants to cross the road, let alone let you go through when coming out of a side street..... so I did it the Libya way in Malta, which made me seem rude and also dangerous, as people expect you to stop. Traffic lights are worse!!!! Traffic police in Malta are stricter and you actually do get a fine if you cross on Red (the police would just appear out of nowhere!!)

- Parking ... parking in Malta is hard you have to obey the yellow lines and no parking signs and cannot just double park.... putting on hazard lights also doesn't count... hazard lights doesn't mean that you are allowed to park anywhere..... while the opposite applies in Libya... in Libya people also park in the actual driving lane thus obstructing one of the two lanes (or very often the only lane) in the street!!! Then they complain about traffic!!!!

- Crossing the road is a nightmare in Tripoli and Cairo.... these countries have taught me how to close your eyes and run for your life so as to get to the other side of the road.... this is not applicable in Malta....... you don't only terrorise your little sister who is holding your hand and screaming all the way while you cross the road but you also frighten the drivers, as they don't expect people to jump out in the middle of the road.... they would have actually stopped for you!!!

- Police men do stop women in Malta..... I have been told that Police men here in Libya are not allowed to stop women driving on their own......... however no such law applies in Malta.... so no airs!!

- Finally the blessed roundabouts!!! I have learnt my lesson last Christmas through a little accident, but it seems as though the 'learning though your mistakes' expression does not work for me!!!!! Ideally you should stop at roundabouts, cause the car going round the roundabout has the right of way..... not like in Libya where drivers have decided that the car coming out of the side streets have the right of way and cars going round the roundabout should stop!!!

Day One - Mission Accomplished

So now that I've had my 24hr dose of home I feel much better..... and slowly slowly ready to go back to Libya with a boost of Energy...

The illusion of coming home for a long weekend and relaxing is WRONG!!!!! - Which I somehow knew but hoped it would come through..... the things you have to do flying through your head while you are embarking on that 45min flight to Malta are insane.... I feel pretty happy to have accomplished most of them yesterday......

- Gave out all the presents to my parents...... gave my mother her pearls from Libya, my sister the jewellery from Ethiopia, my daddy the wooden statues from Sudan and Coffee and Nuts for everyone....... (my brother didn't seem to want anything.... so he got nothing! :P)

- Plucked up the courage to go to the dentist.... yeah only one filling and a comment that my teeth are now perfect!!! :)))

- Gone shopping in Valletta with Mummy and Daddy :) Not something I particularly enjoy, but I actually had no choice.... they are now my shadow for the next 3 days

- Met up with Cynthia - my best friend - who is also getting Married next March.... we spent most of the night speaking about the wedding arrangements and the house etc etc.... who ever thought that one day we would be talking about these things!!!!! :)))

- Anita - a friend who was supposed to be in Brussels but coincidentally had a 2 day meeting in Malta - met up with us for more snake bites (my favorite drink!!) and a laughs.... we had a good time reminiscing the past and discussing life...... I miss my friends!!

- Ate Rabbit!!! Ahhh I love Rabbit, and my daddy prepared the most delicious Rabbit stew I've had in ages.

Today is another jam packed day.... I've just finished writing down my never ending list of things to do.... visiting grandparents, more and more shopping, eating pastizzing, doctor, meeting other friends........ and God knows what else will pop up...... ahh its good to be home! :))

... only 6 hours to go...

yeah only 6 hours to go for home...... I haven't felt as excited as this in a long time!!!

The last time I've been home was 5months ago, which is actually quite odd considering that Malta is only 40mins aways!!!!

So with a suitcase packed with Ethiopian Coffee and Bags , Sudanese Ebony Statutues, Egyptian Scarfs and Shoes, and Libyan Jewely and Nuts...... I'm heading home.... for hugs, mummy food, chats with friends and a nice cold beer!

What's the hidden agenda?

This morning, as I was going through my usual CNN Notifications, I came across this one..... surprise surprise.....

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States is restoring full diplomatic relations with Libya and removing the North African country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism after 27 years, the State Department announced Monday.

My womanly 6th Sense.... and 6months experience of socialising with US workers in Libya (and after having attended an American's Farewell party I have met quite a few!!) gives me the feeling that there is a hidden agenda to this...... why would the US suddenly decide to restore full diplomatic relations?

Is it cause of the increase in Oil Revenue and the rush of European Companies to grab this revenue...... do the US want a piece of cake? Is it cause of the overly increasing problem of for a US National to get a Visa for Libya ? (I have been told that it could take from 6 months up to 1yrs to get a Visa.... even for diplomats!!!) .... or is it cause really they feel that Libya has been a good girl lately and want to reward her with their relations?

However the US Secretary of State assures us.....

"We are taking these actions in recognition of Libya's continued commitment to its renunciation of terrorism,"

However according to the Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs....

"This decision was not undertaken because Libya has oil, this decision was undertaken because they've addressed our national security concerns," he said.

really????? then why....

The move is likely to have a major impact on oil markets and could even bring down fuel prices, CNN's David Ensor reports.

I believe that such a step is great for Libya...... Libya has loads of potential economically if it is well managed - it is strategically located with loads of economic resources - oil, tourism, agriculture, ports........... we'll see what the massive influx of Americans will do our GSPLAJ.....

Success..

Although not 100% as planned, this weekend turned out to be a great weekend......

1. Got an English Man to cook for me..... and it actually tasted good!!!

2. Attend an English School's party.... it was great fun.... danced to Arabic music, and brought back memories of my teaching days....

3. Got myself to buy octopus and cook it..... the cooking was not successful, although I followed all the instructions on the recipe it did not turn out to taste as I expected it to..... I think I'll just leave the octopus cooking to my father and restaurants for now......

4. 4th attempt at making Maltese Bread Pudding - yeahh and this time it actually tasted as it was supposed to!!!

5. My first attempt at making cannelloni turned out to be better than the octopus attempt :) and the person I invited for dinner is still alive....

6. Had lunch in Regatta with the girls..... I'd been saying that I want to go to the Regatta Restaurant... :) DONE!

7. Went bowling!!!! And I actually scored a strike at the first throw.... (though it was beginner's luck!!!) no more strikes after that!

Michelle showing us her Bowling Techniques in the oldest bowling centre I've ever seen.....

8. Bought DVDs from Borg Al Fateh.... I finally get to see Lion King!

9. Packed all the stuff I want to take with me to Malta can't wait to give my family all the Sudanese and Ethiopian stuff I bought for them

10. Made my 1st proper cup of Ethiopian Coffee.....

11. Read the 1st chapter of Essential Writing Skills for my Masters Course (although not what I planned, but at least its a start!!!)

Back to School

My last day of university was June 2002.... 3 days after my final exam I flew off to Belgium to start off my new stage of life and career... 4years later, you find me here, in Libya, working in the Human Resources field..... this is when I realised..... hmm, now that I've settled and decided my career path, its about time I complete another one of my ambitions and work on getting a Masters Degree !?!!

So 2 months ago I headed on the mission to find the right university and the right course.... as I want to keep my job and continue growing in this field I decided that working in Libya and doing a course through distance learning would be ideal.... I figured that there isn't much of a great social life here that would keep me off studies ...... So I chose my university and decided to sit for a Masters of Science in Human Resource Development and Performance Management

Yeahhh two weeks ago I got the acceptance letter, and the first (massive) batch of material to read and analyize, as well as my first assignment questions....... Great.... ready to start working for my mission

Thus on Sunday I cleared the house, and on Monday I went to work determined to start doing my reading after work...... alas!!!! Easier said than done......

I opened the files and started flicking through the documents.... "hmm interesting.... hmm not so interesting.... hmm complicated diagrams, too tired to concentrate, will read later.... hmm lets see what TV has to offer..... hmm very interesting channel...... ahh will read after this episode of King of Queens.... ahh now there is Yes Dear... that's funny, will start reading after this...."

Ring.... Ring.... Ring...... (mobile rings)

Friend - 'Hey Thea, you're free?, I want to go check out lamps for my appartment feel like a drive on Gargaresh and some dinner?'

Thea - 'Erm I'm supposed to be busy studying..... ahhh I can study tomorrow pick me up in 20mins'

And there goes my attempt to start my studies.......

So on Tuesday, pretty pissed off that I did not start studying I figured that stationery would motivate me (I love stationery, and love using it even more) so I headed off to a big stationery shop in Tripoli and bought all the things I thought I'd find necessary and fun to use....... files, notebook, different coloured highlighters, pens, pencils, ruler(With Winnie the Pooh), sharpner, rubber, puncher and super glue!!! (don't ask me why I bought super glue... and how it would help me in my studies.... but anyway!!! I bought it!!)

So now... I have all the stationery in place (including the super glue just in case the table or chair breaks and I cannot study!!!), the material, internet at home for research...... and the determination to start first thing tomorrow morning......

updates on Sunday morning.......

Good to know...

I was surfing the net looking out for news on Malta, and came across this....

Around two million babies are estimated to die during their first day of life each year worldwide, with Malta having the second highest newborn mortality rate in the developed world, CNN reported.

To be honest with you its not something I expected from Malta.... Latvia is number one for the developed world, and Sub Saharan Africa remains number one for the developing world.....

Most of the causes are either being born too small or too early.....

...Interesting