BTW I got hitched

Salaam!
Well its been almost exactly a year since I last blogged... Not that I have been very good at blogging in the first place. But I need to update the cyber world on whats going on in Fah's life.
December 24th 2009 I got married. :-) His name is Tammer... He's from Al-Arish, the city I have lived in the past 2 years here in Egypt. He's a dreamy, kind, laid-back businessman. Totally different than me in every way... Those who know me know that I am not laid-back at all. And maybe thats what keeps us strong. He claims he met me almost a year before we officially met. He saw me at work and thought it was intriguing to see a woman in a suit... managing a staff of men. So from the get go he knew I was bossy. LOL.
I was pretty sure my dad would not approave. But love prevails over all... and we got married! Is it strange to say that I knew from the day I met him I would be his wife.? And within 3 months we got hitched... We probably would have wed quicker if I was back home, but I waited for my dad and brothers to come and get the party started. Ofcourse!
I have to say alhamdullah for everything that has happened this year. Maybe the moment I began writing I wanted to talk about how work sucks and I don't want to eat bamia for dinner or how I was making Tamar Hindi yesterday and the pitcher blew up in my hands. But writing about the wedding makes me smile. (And that never happens at Sinai University).
We honeymooned briefly in Sharm and then got back to working. We both took tons of time off from work. Not that we are independently wealthy individuals... but you only get married once!
Maybe my lack of updating has been due to wedding planning, honeymooning and getting back into the swing of work. I surely want to share with everyone how happy we are. And how I want everyone back home to meet the Mr.
I have 15 minutes till I get to go home and watch the French Open Final.: Nadal vs. Soderling. Definitely a Nadal fan (since Federer is out)! And eat Bamia. (Say it: Bil Hana Wa Shifa!)

They were wrong; uncertainty killed the cat

Before you jump to conclusions... Obama (the kitten) is doing okay. He's clean, he doesn't have fleas, and he only pees outside the litter box once a day.

Our generation needs one thing right now. We need to know that tomorrow we will have a nice place to live, justice, a caring government, a place to raise kids, or to know that we can just live in peace. But right now, we need to know if we have jobs.

I left the states on a prolonged vacation when my employer went under. And the employer before that left me victim to downsizing. I just graduated with my Master's and all along the way thought that if I study hard and earned good results and built a good resume I would have employers chasing after me. In the end I felt hopeless. I was uncertain where I would be in 6 months, let alone in 6 days. So maybe I made some quick decisions, just to say I made a decision.

I never wanted to be a statistic. An unemployed professional, or worst an underemployed one. When I finished my Bachelor's, I never left retail. And I know far too many people who have finished their Master's and never left waiting tables. Is that what my generation wants?

We want to know that we have a place in society and we can contribute to America's success just as our parents did, and their parent's did.

But hold on, uncertainty and fear don't only plague the kids at home. It plagues our generation around the world.

I'm currently working at a private University in Sinai. And with me I have seen many unemployed, underemployed, and underpaid. I currently work with an individual with a Bachelor's and experience and references galore who is making 600 EGP a month and working 8am to midnight, traveling with the boss and getting not a cent in overtime. Thats pretty much the story around the copy machine. Everyone is overworked and underpaid. 

So what are we to do? Not everyone can hop a plane to change their scenery and open up a new opportunity. And who is to say that is the best option anyway? I'm doing far more in my current position than I have in my entire life. I'm using every course I ever took at the Bloch school to do everything from handle student transactions to audit income and expenses to administer payroll to writing a budget for the entire University. But in the end my boss gets the credit. 

Okay, chalk it up to experience. But when can we stop doing things to get experience, and actually start doing things because we are good at it?

All this uncertainty is killing me. At first maybe I was curious as to see what would be next and what the future holds. Now I'm just scared. And I'm not scared just for me; I'm scared for a whole generation that is doomed to be overworked, overeducated and under-appreciated.

What a negative blog entry, my apologies. But its definitely on my mind and I think needed to be said.

I'll try to write something nice tomorrow.