The German author has, herself, been married to an Egyptian for more than forty years. Today she lives in Alexandria, Egypt, for most of the year. Her encounters with other foreign women were the trigger for her book. Fifteen women told the very personal story of their lives and Annelies Ismail collected them and wrote them down with her daughter Mona Gabriel.
In the 1960s, some of these women followed their husbands 'blindly' into a foreign country, where they had to learn a new language (Arabic) and face the challenges of living in a foreign culture. Often they had to overcome financial difficulties, sometimes even survive intrigues. All of these families have prevailed and have found their own way.
The experiences of the women with the people in Egypt, with their hospitality and their attitude toward women, perceptions of Egyptian politics and manners, from their present perspective, are as varied as the women themselves, but there is one conclusion: "Of course, it was not easy, but in general it has been an enrichment," say the fifteen women who openly talk of their lives. The story of the author is included.
The book also contains the most popular recipes for Egyptian cuisine.
About the Author
Annelies Ismail was born 1942 in Berlin, Germany and has been married to an Egyptian since 1965. She worked for more than forty years in the computer industry, eighteen of these with her husband in their own company. After living in Germany, the USA and France, since 2004 the couple lives in Alexandria, Egypt.
Mona Gabriel was born in 1968 in Endicott, NY, USA As the daughter of an Egyptian father and a German mother (Annelies Ismail) she has experienced the advantages and the drawbacks of such a colorful family set-up. After studying advertising and marketing she worked in international marketing at a publishing house. She has been a freelance copy editor and journalist since 1997. Mona Gabriel lives in Leipzig, Germany, together with her husband and two children.
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Well these ladies are already older; they belong to a different generation. Back then you just didn't divorce like that.
I did read books of German women who had a hell of a time in Egypt (not at all positive I mean), left eventually their kids behind and returned back home.
Could I, would I leave my child (children) behind???? I don't think so.
In another case the ex-husband even killed the children because the marriage was over. He was planning to go back to Egypt with them but his wife didn't agree. Sad, sad.
But you hear also good stories. Last year while on vacation we met a lovely German - Egyptian couple, they are married for 41 years now, with kids and grandkids. They come at least three time a year back to Egypt on vacation. The good thing is they only live now one hour drive away from us. Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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