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Welcome to my blog!
I'm Michaela Elgendi and I'm from Slovakia. I have been blogging on & off since 2017. Let me tell you more about me and what topics you can expect to be discussed in my journal.
I moved to NYC shortly after I turned 20. I met my husband 4th year into my stay. He was not American though. Something a bit more exotic! He was Egyptian, from Cairo. And that time, also a lost tourist. We married eventually and I followed him to Middle East, to start the biggest “journey” of my life. And here I am. In Cairo since 2013.
I have two kids, but I would not call myself a mom blogger. Cause EVERYONE HERE HAS KIDS and tons haha. It’s nothing rare in this region. But it’s a huge part of my identity now and I think it’s good for you to know about it. It also explains why I’m more into home décor, family, fresh produce, healthy food or local artisans topics, rather than nightlife and wild weekend getaways topics (some parents might relate).
What I do for living
I don’t like corporate life. As a former IBMer and then employee at one of the a biggest construction companies here, I can frankly tell you, I don’t see myself going back to “9 to 5 –do this- do that” kind of a job. I had realized, I was a creative soul. The one, that wants to make impact and leave the "footprints". I like to look back and see the results of my work. That leads us to why I started blogging, while staying home with kids. The hardest and yet the least valued job of all times, with no visible results, other than your growing kids and clean house for time duration of 3,5 second a day. While for some it feels super rewarding task on it’s own, for me not so much. It felt more like pouring water out of a jar and not refilling it again. Never. Ever. I had to take an action to keep my own sanity.
I love photography. I have no formal education yet. Ok C’mon, let’s be honest, I will never have. My priorities are somewhere totally else these days and seems also these upcoming years too. I prefer to study Youtube tutorials, rather than sit through the entire course with a notepad and pencil, that I throw away afterwards.. Who am I kidding here?
But let me tell you, my passion is slowly turning into a small business and to my surprise some people are willing to pay me for my work, What else could I ask for, than doing what I love and get paid for it, right?
I’m a big Marie Kondo fan
People ask me how do I like Egypt. I like it, why else would I be here? Ask me about pros and cons and we can talk bit deeper… Pros are the usual, every foreigner will pretty much answer the same. Weather, food, sea…I think even cons are pretty much similar. But I gotta tell you one thing, that is really a big CON for me. ZAHMA. I know people call zahma a traffic jam here. For me, I see zahma everywhere. Everything is so crowded, full, busy, disturbing, just too much, over the top. I find it exhausting sometimes. I’m more of a minimalist and I have been interested in decluttering for the previous two years. It feels great to declutter. It just does!
My dream is to have a minimalistic clothing line
It’s very hard to deal with people in services. My dream is to create a small linen and cotton clothing line. What first seemed as an easy-peasy task, turned into a real battle. We are searching for the proper people to work with and suppliers for a while, trying to make our dreams come true. Slowly, but steady. Go ahead and show us some support, if you like our project at www.minimalcotton.com
What I write about
I'm not strictly sticking to one topic, to be honest. I write about life in Cairo, the way I see it as an expat. I really like to share my honest reviews about some good finds I come across from time to time. I think my audience can benefit from my blog or have a good laugh at least. And I hope so will you. Welcome.