Becoming an Aussie

This past week I began the process of establishing Ezekiel's Aussie citizenship and getting him a passport. As he was born overseas this meant I had to fill in a form proving he was eligible to be an Aussie (ie. because his mother is), get an official English translation of his Arabic birth certificate, have his identity 'verified' and, of course, pay a fee. None of this was especially difficult, just time consuming. In the end we received his Citizenship Certificate which meant we were then able to apply for a passport.

Ezekiel's Citizenship by Descent certificate

As I write this his passport is in processing, and then the next step will be to deal with the local authorities and get an Egyptian visa. As soon as possible after that, we will be on a plane to Australia to see the family.

The hardest part of this whole process was probably getting the photo. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get a photo of a baby's face where they are awake, looking at the camera, eyes open, no pacifier/dummy, and nobody holding their head straight and still????? Thank God for digital cameras. We took a gazillion photos and finally got one that fit all the criteria.

Ezekiel's passport photo - he has already changed so much since this was taken 2 weeks ago.

MCD & MCN

With the birth of Ezekiel I have become aware of, and "seduced by" the counter-cultural world of MCD. But don't worry - there is no need for an intervention. MCD simply stands for modern cloth diapers. In Australia it's MCN (modern cloth nappies), but it all means the same thing - an alternative to the gazillions of plastic, disposable baby buttwrappers that end up as land-fill.

The first company I came across, Eenee Designs (http://www.eenee.com/), make the Eenee Eco nappy which consists of a washable fabric cover and plastic liner, into which go a cloth or 100% biodegradeable nappy insert. I am proud to say this is an Australian company, from 'tree-hugger central', AKA Tasmania. Some years ago the company founders took their product to the ultimate land of consumerism, United States of America. In America these amazing nappies are called gDiapers, and they have some very dedicated followers, including me and Zeke. Users call themselves gMums and gDads, have a yahoo group to talk about the product and swap ideas, and post photos of their babies wearing the diapers. And this is just the tip of the MCD iceberg.

Ezekiel wearing his 'good vibe stripe' gDiaper

When you begin to delve into this 'world', you soon learn there is a whole other vocab going on here - liners, boosters, AIO's, AI2's, pockets, flats and prefolds - just to name a few. And then there are the company's - bumGenius (http://www.bumgenius.com/), Fuzzi Bunz (http://www.fuzzibunz.com/), Tots Bots (http://www.totsbots.com/), Happy Heiny's (http://www.happyheinys.com/), Monkey Doodlez (http://www.monkeydoodlez.com/), Pea Pods (http://www.peapods.com.au/), plus many, many, MANY more.

Recently I found out that some bumGenius diapers (which MCD-er's rave about) are made here in Egypt, so now I going to procure some of these direct from the factory and give them a try.

the gold standard in MCD's - bumGenius

Mena House Hotel

One issue you face when your child is born in a foreign country is establishing his/her citizenship and getting a passport. This is a multi-step process for either US or Australian citizenship - both of which Ezekiel qualifies for. As we are still in the midst of the paperwork, we were not able to travel to another country for the 5 day Eid break, celebrating the end of Ramadan.

Instead, we found a wonderful hotel deal and booked two nights at the 100+ year old, 5 star Mena House. This hotel has one feature no other hotel can claim - it backs right onto the pyramids at Giza. From the balcony of our room we looked onto the hotel's garden and pool, and the Great Pyramid. From the tranquility of the hotel, we could also see the poor sods on their organized tours getting on & off buses, and battling the heat & crowds.

The view from our balcony.

We enjoyed the chance to do very little, and spent time paddling in the pool, reading by the pool, having leisurely meals and we each booked a massage.

Dave and Ezekiel in the pool.

At times it all just got too much for Zeke.

Zeke crashed out by the pool.

While we were at Mena House Ezekiel had his 1 month birthday!! We celebrated on his behalf with a bottle of German sparkling wine, given to us by an AUC friend, Moshira.

Happy 1 month birthday Ezekiel.

A child is born

We returned from our vacation at the end of July, and proceeded to wait out the next few weeks until our little guy arrived. Dave went back to work and I 'nested' at home.

On Tuesday Aug. 18th we were at our scheduled dr's appointment when he asked us when we wanted to have the baby - on Thursday or Friday?!?! A few phone calls later, lining up the anesthesiologist, operating room, etc. and we were set for Thursday. Ah, the beauty of a planned C-section. The next two nights at home were interesting, realising it was probably the last time (for a long time anyway) that it would be just the two of us. Last minute packing was done, family and friends notified, our ride to the hospital organized, and we were as ready as we were ever going to be.

The morning of Thursday Aug. 20th we left home around 7.30am and were in our hospital room by about 8.15am. My doctor came by around 9am and then I was prepped and we 'got the show on the road'. I had a lovely female anesthesiologist who took her time finding the right spot for the epidural and made me feel at ease during the procedure. Once that was done and I was numb/ready, the fun began. This was my first ever experience on the operating table and it is a weird sensation, being awake and knowing what is going on, but not being able to feel anything. The time went by very fast and before I knew it I had my first look at, and hold of, my son - Ezekiel. While I was being stitched up, Zeke was taken to the nursery and his anxious father. Soon afterwards we all met up in my room.

First day of life. Ezekiel David Wlodarski - born August 20, 2009

The one thing I was unprepared for in this whole experience was the next morning and feeling like I had gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson - and lost! Thank God for pain meds. The hospital staff were good, but the problem with doing this in a foreign country is, of course, the language barrier. Some staff had a little English, but most had none. Somehow though we muddled through. I am very thankful that is was an uncomplicated birth. By Saturday we were more than ready to get home, so once my doctor gave us the all clear, we packed our bags, paid our bill and left.

Our doctor, Youssef Simaika, sharing a glass of wine with us after the birth.

It has now been almost 3 weeks and everyday I give thanks for our little boy who is happy and healthy and doing so well.

5 days old.

Miami and 'Burn Notice'

Today we met up with a friend in downtown Miami. Julie is a friend from our Oklahoma days and we try and catch up each time we are in Florida. Today we saw Julie 'at work' - she was working as an extra on the set of one of our favourite TV shows, Burn Notice. Filming was taking place in one of Miami's top hotels, the Fontainebleau.


The lobby of the Fontainebleau Hotel.

Unfortunately the filming of the pool scenes that Julie was in wrapped up early and they were already done by the time we arrived at the hotel, but we could see them still filming on the balcony of one of the rooms high up in the hotel.


Filming 'Burn Notice' at the Fontainebleau Hotel

And while there, we decided to enjoy some time soaking up the atmosphere and people watching by the pool.

A sign of the (swine flu) times

One part of life in Egypt that never ceases to amaze and amuse me is what I call "metro-shopping". The train system here is called the Metro, and on any given journey at least one fellow traveller will come through the carriage selling some product or another. Usually it's pocket-sized packs of tissues, but I've also seen colouring book, earrings, pony-tail elastics, superglue, lifesaver-type mints, and even socks. Most of these items can be had for just 1 or 2 Egyptian pounds, about 20 - 40 cents!!!
Yesterday, the product du jour was a sign of the mass hysteria sweeping the city - face masks, and the woman selling them was doing a brisk trade.
If only the population would put as much effort into observing sensible hygiene practices and educating themselves on the truth about swine flu, the city would be a lot better off.

Swine Flu

Swine flu has finally hit us a bit close to home. Two students at the American University in Cairo have been diagnosed with this dreaded flu strain. They both live in the university's dormitory in central Cairo, which has effectively gone into 'lock-down' for 24 hours.

This is the article from Associated Press.

2 swine flu cases at American University in Cairo

Mon Jun 8, 3:59 am ET

CAIRO – The American University in Cairo says a dorm building housing foreigners is being quarantined for 24 hours after two American students were diagnosed with swine flu.

Rehab Saad from the university's public relations office said Monday the two cases were discovered Sunday night along with a third suspected case. All three have been hospitalized.

The dorm in the Zamalek area of Cairo houses about 100 students.

It was not known where the students contracted the disease.

Egypt announced its first confirmed swine flu case June 2 after an Egyptian-American girl arriving in the country tested positive.

Egypt's government has come under criticism for its decision to slaughter the nation's pigs in response to the swine flu problem.

An Egyptian police stands guard next to a barrier at an entrance to the dormitory of American University in Cairo