also if it happens that I visit Australia and have a bad experience with a bunch of people this doesn't really mean that all the Australian Society are like them. Today Ive decided to share a few lessons with you that I learned from the whole experience. Russian words that used with partners, children and other loved ones. Ma poule 25. This is really a frustrating reality for us , every father needs to know that his daughter will have a good standard of life and you can't blame them for that , you are not in the west , it's very hard to live on your own in Egypt , and it's even harder to support a family . In English, children often address their father as dad, daddy, papa, pap, etc. Egyptian marriages are very hard if you are in love with the woman and her family has control. Rouhi and Hayati should only be used in romantic contexts only. is something not easy i get to know that only who have a true feeling, efforts. Doostet daram ( ) It literally translates to "I like you" but is a common and widely recognized way to say "I love you" to a loved one, family or friends in Persian! 2 yr. ago. i was a Muslim. And your food is permitted to them. I am Iraqi, and I was seeing an American for 2 years. The girl you were with was obviously from an extremely conservative family I'm assuming as it would've been much more flexible if she was going to an international university or from a more westernized social group in Egypt where dating is tolerated and everyone I know has had long term relationships without the need to meet the parents until you're serious (keep in mind that I'm actually still in college too). Social life in the UAE is full of terms of endearment. I wanted to marry a man who loves me that much I did not care how much he makes or if he could afford a house. Hey, Great to read mate! It can be frustrating to be feeling something and not able to properly express it to somebody. This is another way to use the word 7abib. Theyre very narrow-minded which makes me hate living in this country! Lesson learned: Being in a relationship with someone who doesnt speak your language really teaches you a lot about properly expressing yourself in their tongue. I can understand that it may not be the right choice for everyone, but for us, merging our two cultures has taught both sets of parents to be more tolerable. All we wanted was reassurance that they love each other I apologize to you for what happened to you here, but not all of us so, I love Egypt and generally I found Egyptians nice and friendly. The Ak and the Ik at the end are object pronouns to second person masculine, and second person feminine respectively. This carried the expectation that we intended to get married. great experience you touched every aspect of our Egyptian life, " "thanks for sharing, hahaha omg you are so funny especially when you said you are not only marrying her but you are marrying the whole family i started dieing lmaoand duck haha even though am egyptian it sounds a little funny in english and having privacy only in the bathroom sooo truee omg loll i love this article xD, you are lucky that you left her god damn Egyptian girls , they are not simple you need lots of stories to tell and don't forget the religion stuff OMG that's why i wanna immigrate. Ha!) I didn't meet directly her parents, but both we know to be in the same place. My wife's family is Muslim. And most likely the only way to do that is if the girl agrees to leave the country. (An-Noor, 24:26). would survive all this. If your relationship outwardly shows your love for each other, and each of your unique personalities are displayed with positivity, the people walking alongside you on the street will respect you. The title immediately bestows a level of respect reserved for societys intelligentsia. However, when we talk about women, and describe one using beautiful as an adjective, it could mean either her looks or how good of a person she is. hey there, honestly i am gonna say that you are really brave to date arabian girl, i am an arabian girl but not an egyptian, i am a yemeni. At the end of the very long discussion the girls father concluded by simply saying Tayib, ana mawafi2 (Okay, I agree). My nearest experience is a relationship with an egyptian man( Tarik Yusuf/ Tarik U-suf), I'm from Colombia, we had been talking for almost a year, everything started in linkedin, as he wanted to be in contact with me and I did not see any problem as he has the same career than me and has similar professional intertest. My advise to anyone egyptian or non egyptian stay away from marrying an egyptian girl Get someone who love u for who u r not for how much u got. Amarin means two moons. Here in USA people are materialistic too they judged you based on what brand name are you wearing, which car you drive, Etc I really think it's disrupted world, sadly! You can either use it singularly, or add on to the person's first name. We learned earlier on in the process that it was not going to happen. (I would say "terms of endearment" rather than "endearments.") In general, I think it is much more common to apply such terms as those you have suggested to one's daughters. Palestinian Singer, Elyanna, Making History in the Music Industry, Prominent Arab American Activists in Arab American History, Arab TV Shows You Must Watch this Ramadan, MATE Muslim Singles Event in New York: Single in Central Park, Sham En-Nessim: Egypts Spring-Welcoming Festival. When I went home to Australia we maintained contact via Skype and telephone several times a day for a whole year. As an Egyptian I have to say you were very spot on. Other common words that can be used as terms of endearment include loving words like "babe," "baby," "love," and "dear.". NWE5ODgzYzVhYTgxZmMxZGQyMDk0MGMyNmZjYjlhMDA5ODBlODYxMjAxNTRl I must say getting pre-engaged on a third date must be a scary process for someone in their early twenties. To hell with that! All I wanted is a hard working man who is loving and trust worthy. it depends on the social and educational classes. (my dear, come finish your dinner) Wife to a husband: Azizam, khayli doostet dram! My Arabic is getting better and better every day. Hope to read more of this kind of posts soon. Although you'll also hear a surprising number of savory-food-inspired names for children, like "peanut" and "potato.". My parents are against dowry. ( I wonder if its normal for Egyptian grooms family to be demanding ? Unfortunately, parents usually mis-use their rights of giving advice. I have been in a relationship with an American man 30 years, and i am an Egyptian Muslim girl 25, we really love each other for more than a year and a half now, we met abroad and he came to Egypt to meet my family who were so rough on him, just as you said they need a flat a shabka and a lot of money, they want him to relocate and leave his job abroad to come and live in Egypt, and turn Muslim,, my guy agreed to do all that because he really loves me, but we cant find a good job for him in Caior, he is a professional English teacher. I am interested with an Egyptian girl and your post gave me some idea of their culture and I'm sure it will be helpful for me. I aught to point out though that we Egyptian girls do love our gold but not as much as diamonds :) cheers and keep up the excellent writing. In all honesty, I think that some of the traditions are simply practical (eg 'guy should have a job and a home of some sort), but the fact that you had to have the 'agreement' talk after having met her only twice is a bit extreme on the conservative side. MTgzZWM1MWQzYTUzNjVmNzU1YzhhODBjY2I0NGJhODdiYjkwN2E0MTJiM2E1 It's the term for 'beloved'. NjNiZDFiMGNmMDU3NDAxNzhhMDFiY2Q0MWM2Y2Y1ZjY1MTQxODA5ZWMzZTNi He actually did not want me to move to America and asked me if I could live in Algeria with him. Does this sort of thing happen much out there especially with this dynamic and age gap? there are other places, decent restaurants in Zamalek, clubs in Mohandesin and Ma3adi and other places in New Cairo. Also I wanted to ask you were you were living in Cairo and why you were wearing a "Galabeya" ? Most of the time he takes things the wrong way and does not understand how I am feeling. 2. For the rest, read this for an explanation.). An Emirati term frequently used in conversations between males. and it goes both ways of course. That is another thing I have experienced much like you, Egyptian families are generally very close to one another, they stay under the same roof together for this quality. I regret my experience, it destroyed my life, families make it difficult, they are involved in everything and control every. well, that must have been a hard shot for you, marriage system here is soo hard, those 12 Lessons would have been 12000 lessons if you went on and got married, good thing that things worked out for both of you :), I just wanted to ask, did you get her permission to post this picture? Here are some examples: Mi vida. No to these kind of people! One of their favorite things to ask me was how I like the Jordanian guys, but I always told them that I didn't know-- girls aren't supposed to talk to guys or it's bad for the girl's reputation and the guys will get the wrong idea. I married my husband after dating online for one month! Egyptian men do marry at a very high age, but so as women as well, now because of all the freakin' demanding regulations! He starts the song with saying Habibi ya Nour El-Ain and now you know exactly what that means! :(, Thank you for your pos. It had to happen eventually. i dunno how ur relationship rili was, i dunno this girl, but i do knw the egyptian girl, the typical one! Interesting, in Nigeria we have same similar issues, most especially the northern part. From egyptian terms of endearment works cited list of communication, mohamed . I love you as much the sea Then I love you as much the moon. It's often used to end a phone conversation with your loved one. cheers. 3. Check out Crowdfire review to learn how to buy likes! She just mentioned recently she's getting divorced and I congratulated her. He asks: This is one of my favorites and a perfect way to give a Lord of the Rings reference! *Even society act like women are not responsible for their actions. stella and its diminutive stellina - "star" and "little star". MjgwZDhmZGEwZjI0MGJjN2EyNmRmYmVlYzZjNDQxMmE5ZTRlMzNhYWFjYWJj It is a healthy mix of all walks of life. YWIxYzdiYjhhMGE3NzFhOGU3OGE4MmNlYWY0YzA3N2ZhNjE4MDhlM2EwZTU2 ZjFhMGIwOGM1N2U4OTVkZjlmYmE0ZGM1OGZmYmM3MmU4Y2U0NTE2NDRmZmQ0 It's sometimes used by parents addressing young children. and there are many places you can be alone at on a date, this romantic spot on the nile you went to is the most unromantic place anyone could ever go to! we went out togetherhad lunchbeen to the movie and made many activities together with holding all respect for eachother, and actually this helped alot in making our inner feelings for eachother grow and now we really can't wait to be joined together in one home. There is definitely a less conservative sector who is much less concerned with religion (if at all). I do not think i will ever get over this , i think of it everyday and have tears, thank you , Aurelia. The big problem and red flag I am encountering is that he is a traditional muslim man. its because the father will give his daughter to a man that soon to be his daughter's husband and before letting go of his daughter he has to make sure that his daughter gets the best :D maybe sounds a little bit weird but its true! As an Egyptian/Libyan-American I have found myself explaining the most traditional/conservative version of Egyptian dating to my American friends and it always amazes them. ZWIxOTRkODM1YWNkYzQwOWFmZTg3YTYwYWVhMWIxZWFmOTI2ZWU4OWE2OTUy Egyptians are drowning in a pond of materialistic world; all they think about is MONEY MONEY MONEY!!! If you really love that girl, go make an effort and study/learn their language. AL-Wahsha means to be alienated or desolated. That shows respect. I am of Asian descent(Laotion) . Meeting my wifes childhood friends and families reinforced this over and over. We had a romantic spot in Cairo by the Nile where a lot of couples go but the place was supervised at all times by older Egyptian men. Habibi or Habibti Habibi (to a male) and Habibti (to a female) means "my love" or in Arabic. And that's why the number of Egyptian men getting married to foreigner women, even from other Arab countries such as Morocco and Syria, has been skyrocketing in recent years. I am continually being shown the love that sensible Muslims have for their fellow human beings and humanity in general. She is 18 years old and I am 23. rooh 'albi "soul of my heart" . I can rightly state that I have always been searching for knowledge from other parts of the world and religions outside of Christianity and Judaism. Her family, much like mine and most US parents with 20-something kids, approached our marriage with the idea that - if you two are getting married, you must be prepared for it financially and be prepared for the independence that comes with that. My email is faybonita@hotmail.com if you could help me I would be so grateful. But many times things get complicated,,, and that's why I ended up reading this article. Im not talking about being able to say I am happy or I am sad Im talking about all the various, detailed shades of those emotions. If anyone knows her, I would love to have her contact details. Yes, the majority is, unfortunately, materialistic and like expensive gifts and gold and shabka, but there are many Egyptian girls who understand that all this is nothing but bullsh*t and there are parents who don't like to put so much pressure on the man proposing to their daughter as long as he's a real man in terms of responsibility, manners, personality, love and religion. Ma joie 18. For example, you might say: Male: Mon petit chou Say mon petit chou to men and young boys to mean my little cabbage. I'm sad that your story didn't go well. When I told my boyfriend that my parents are religious and don't believe in premarital sex, he thought I was joking. Brother Waleed Ahmed Najmeddine, a consultant at Ask About Islam, added: Interfaith marriages are generally not allowed in Islam except under certain conditions: {Do not marry unbelieving women (idolaters), until they believe: A slave woman who believes is better than an unbelieving woman, even though she allures you. You may have experienced that as well, as you stated the reluctance of your own family, though you didn't go too much into detail so I won't paint a picture I don't know fully. A polite word that'll come in handy when trying to get an Israeli's attention or when trying to avoid a brawl. Our relationship was tumultuous. Yes, egypt is a class-based society. anyway dating someone who's too far away from ur culture, religion and langue barriers. That was a fascinating insight into another culture! YWE4ZmQzYTJiMDg5NGU0NmEyMzIxMmMzZDdiNjE4MTcwZTJhOGI3ZTU5YzNh I'm feeling language envy. ,,, it is heartbreaking that although i am an independent grown up woman, i cant make the choice of my life, and cant choose my life's partner,, even if we ended up divorced one day then at least i would have tried, but it is extremely unfair to just let go of my love and he is a very good person just because my father and brother doesnt agree :( the saddest part is that my twin brother is married to his love, a Russian white non-muslim woman :D ,,and no one said a word to him :( ,,, to be honest, i am thinking of running away and marrying him abroad,,,it is my life ,,and i dont want to spend my years with someone else who i dont really love, and keep missing and secretly loving my man :(. Hey I'm an Egyptian girl and I've been reading this and some of the stuff soud just terrible. You may discover that Great Aunt "Sissy" actually had a given name. Murad was totally weirded out. It happens. Any family from any country could concern themselves with these customs just as easily as not concerning themselves with these customs. Also, keep in mind that Egyptian girls will get married off to Egyptian guys only because there's a lot of them. I'm reading this and thinking to send the link to my british boyfriend, as I am a tunisian muslim girl, the traditions that you described are very similar to ours, it really helps to make him know better about it.My boyfriend is monolnguage and my english isn't very good, but we love each other and I want to make him propose to me and don't know how because I don't wwant to make pressure on him, and at the same time I want him to move to the next step as we're couple since 10 months. Yes my love. Itd be an opportunity to make a verbal contract of sorts between the father and myself. I found out that most of the mothers in Egypt are controlling their sons and their husbands which is really ridiculous but I can realize that most of the Egyptians currently they go for Moroccan or Russian and polish women! Wifey A sweet way of addressing your wife. Getty Images. Christian and Jewish men, on the other hand, are not required by their faiths to love or respect Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or the traditions of Islam. But really, it's so difficult for west men to get engaged to women from middle east countries. As Florida State University neuroanthropologist Professor Dean Falk explained to Broadly , baby talk plays an important role in language acquisition for infants, especially in terms of mother-child bonding. In the US Army and Marines, "Bubba" can mean a lazy soldier, similar to "grunt", but with connotations of endearment instead of derision (e.g., "Can . I met this girl over Facebook and fell deeply in love with her, she lives in Iraq and she also wants to be with me but the religion difference is the problem as she is Muslim and I am an Indian hindu guy so she is very scared of the results..and she is not allowing me to go see her in Iraq becuz she believes that her family will kill.. It should give you some idea of whats usually expected in Egyptian society if you ever meet the man or woman of your dreams. YWZiN2ZkOWVkMmJlZWVkMTExMDMyYjQ1ZDYzZDcxYmZjZGEyYjdhYTVkZmE0 This means someone who did not have any sexual relationships before marriage; was divorced, or widowed and had only relationships within marriage. Your story more or less reflects everything wrong about the Egyptian culture when it comes to marriage. Without a heart, you cannot live or love. at the end it was nice to read this exprience :), I totally feel you man ! But more specifically, when I was a child, my mother would also call me "toota" meaning "little berry". Do you see this structured marriage process changing at all? Click to visit It's so complicated and people there are so materialistic they only value u for what u have not what u r. I am fortunate enough to have a good life and decent career and future, but i don't wanna fell that any women is getting married to me because how good my salary is or how much gold i can give her. I went through a very similar one.My ex boyfriend is deaf, I am hearing, and I was learning sign language when I met him. Getting called cute is fun, but getting asked how cute you make all the difference. and I can tell that from the way you talk about your girl and how respectful you were to her traditions.. Did she call you batta hhh , its like calling you (sweetie) so don't worry she loved you! After all the years you've been married, it's a fine thing to keep calling your wife all those pet names. u absolutely say facts about middle east but I you do not tell us about the reason for each of them and you can success and get married. plz we r living in the modern society now how cud u obey the girl when she asks u to meet her parents so soon n wt the hell ask there permission to see her? Bahlam feek (to male) or bahlam feeki (to female) is translated to Im dreaming of you or youre in my dreams. noor 'eini "light of my eyes" . I'm an Egyptian girl who grew up in a western country and even though I I'm perfectly bilingual and probably more western in my thinking than Egyptian, I can say that a lot of these problems are still realities! So this background could easily be shown the door from a Muslim perspective, I am not ignorant to the fact that not all Muslims are moderate. One of the best blogs I ever read before. Really interesting, Donovan thank you for sharing. While I didn't have any romantic relationships, I did get to stay with a host family. I really love how you narrowed it down to bits and pieces with such accuracy like youre an actual citizen. Asking for a women's hand in marriage should be done by all guys, no matter the country. Most people never marry legally, so the lines are pretty blurry and I am introduced as friend, girlfriend, fiancee, wife--whatever the person speaking chooses. I'm agnostic, I wonder if it would be feasible at all to date a Lebanese girl Wow, just wow. This is an interesting one and can give you an idea about how the concept of beauty is understood in Arabic even when it comes to the same exact word describing a man or a woman. Oh by the way she can speak very good English and we live in Canada. I am Egyptian Female and Proud, Sorry for your experience , you have mentioned right things though and it goes for us as well. It sounds really harsh to have to decide after such a short time. When uncle Bassam and aunt Sarah get here. I'd be on my 4th or 5th marriage at this point (I know, I know, divorce would not have been an option for me in Egypt). ba6a (): Duck. For example no privacy? Habib is the male beloved while Habibais the female beloved. I probably ask her parents more questions than they ask me, I can't get rid of this enthusiasm to learn everything I possibly can about Islam, the history of Egypt, and the cultural qualities of modern and traditional Egyptian life. Our relationship was passionate. I completely understand about expressing feelings to a foreigner. So when you said there is no privacy in egypt and that religion is very important, does this mean that you didn't even hug/kiss or touch her at all? For Muslims especially theres the issue of a dowry which can be money, gold and assets. I paid out nearly 100k usd and we loved each other. Hinduism) as well. n no it wont be like two families getting involved .. just me n him against the world! NDg3ZThhMjFlM2U0YWJjNDVlNmI0YTY1MzEwMTlmMzZiZGNiYjkyNGU2NWJk because there are some places here and there cafes, streets, etc. A casual and cool way to say teacher (note: it is all in the delivery), a mualem is that grizzly dude who has his own reserved table and holds court at his local coffee shop. All this does is reinforce how much I am in love with the open arms attitude, complete acceptance and love that her family shows toward me. 1. But i wish i can get some help from you, I am in the same boat like this poor girl who loved you. There's no need to overwhelm the Latin spelling (abcde..) of Arabic words with tons of numbers though. It was also hard when he met my family, since none of them spoke nothing but our "mother language". I dont know what happened, its kinda mind boggling what happened i hope she is safe & well and that one day she will tell me i do miss her, she got into my life in a shout period of time. Sad to know your girlfriend family and dad could not have been patient and waited til you came back within a year. Learning new ways to tell people that you love and appreciate them can even introduce you to new modes of feeling and new layers of understanding to how other people and cultures experience the same universal feelings of love. but she denied to stay until December cuz she had a boyfriend and she's just broken up with him and i want to try sth with her but i dont know cuz her father has a lot of power even she is scared and she was suppossed to marry her exbroyfriend and dont know ?? I'm an egyptian girl, and almost half of this isn't true. In more relaxed, less devout families, hand holding and one-arm hugs can be tolerated to a certain extent but thats about as far as it goes. If I thought a woman in Egypt is treated like a child, in India she is treated like a prized piece of livestock. . N2RiMDNjMzMzZjgyZGU4YzNhMTNkMjZmMDIyZmZiOTU2ODViNGQ0ZTRkMTMx Maybe it's how he follows you to the bathroom (and pounds on the door while you're trying to poop . pronounced "hoe-bee" and it means " my love.". Female: Ma choupette Dont call your manager or professional acquaintance habibi or habibti, unless you are certain of the quality of your relationship. Dating is not permissable so u go against the grain and make up your own stories.Respect our Deen as its pure and clean unlike others who break every law of God and follow their own desires and wants to compare an impure life to a pure life cumon get a life.So u havent experienced true Islam u will be amazed at the teachings and cleanliness it has to offer. See, I actually moved in with her family for a while when I lived in Egypt so I was with her and her family every single day from the minute I woke up till I went to bed. In Arabic, you may find children addressing their father as but rarely. YzUwOWU4YTAyZTAyM2M3M2I5YmNjZmY4OTE3ZTI1YjFlZTE1NzhlMzgxY2Rh Poor people who can't have sex should make it easier to get married not hard! It is very true about husband/wife nicknames, though me and my wife don't take it to the extreme of talking in baby voices to each other. Here are some terms that you may consider using. This is especially interesting as most intercultural experiences of this kind, that I heard of, are about a european woman and a man from that part of the world. Enjoy! I can imagine how odd it was for you to deal with such traditions.I am an Egyptian girl I know what your talking and it is sad for me. * Egyptian women good actresses they will let you dream of heaven after marriage then they'll take you to hell, And much more from injustice unfair relationship y, How Much Are Spanish Lessons? a girl that ill raise your kids ..manage your life and will be your support all the life. Popular terms also vary greatly from culture to culture. That is expected. With respect to the Muslim man marrying a non-Muslim woman from among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians); Prophet Muhammads wife Maria was a Copt from Egypt. If you do a simple google translation, it will be translated to Age, however it doesnt give the same deep implication. One of the big barrier in dating a foreign woman is their language! I do really hate these traditions and stuff. The honorific "ji" is sometimes added as a suffix to create the double honorific "babuji", which in northern and eastern parts of India is a term of respect . My experience has lead to us in being able to freely date one another. Even though it never got far enough for it to be a serious issue, it would have most definitely been extremely difficult. Egypt is diverse community , so u cant generalize that way. It was a heartbreaking end and one that neither of us wanted but in the end it wasnt our decision to make. What would red flags be? The Kom at the end is an object pronoun for second person masculine but plural. I realized that she comes from a below-average background the moment you said she called you "ba6a". My advice, don't fall in love if you can help it until you are absolutely sure your divine debt is paid first. Most Egyptians I grew up with and know are extremely westernized, open minded, well traveled and educated. Arts and Architecture The Arab world laid the foundation for most of the arts and architecture we know today--the pyramids of ancient Egypt, for example, were tremendous featsRead More, By: Yara Jouzy/Arab America Contributing Writer. This is on top of all the other wedding expenses that the man has to come up with. All's fair then. Lesson learned: Being in a relationship with someone who speaks another language teaches you a lot of their romantic terms and expressions. Last but not least are ana bahibik (for male) or ana bahibik (for female), which mean I love you. This is the first way that most people learn how to express their love which can be articulated in so many ways, whether its metaphorical or rhetorical; it all brings us back to the same meaning of love on Thanksgiving and always. -_-. The young women in her family do not wear a hijab. Things could have been much easier if you dated someone from a different social class. A non-Muslim man is in a position to enforce his will upon a Muslim wife. Muslim girls just cannot marry of different religion unless either one of them changes his religion to match the others', this is due to the fact that we were ordered so in our Qur'an. i read your article and yes there are true things ,but you know not all egyptian girls are the same ,you just weren't lucky ,iam sorry for that but you had an experience and i can tell you about tourists who married egyptians,i know them ..one of them was my father . And yes you are marrying not just one girl but a bunch of idiots! 3. Structural analysis is fight to decoding Chinese. I am her Habibi and she is my Habibty. Since some time I live in Egypt. DONOVAN,YOU HAD QUITE THE RUN HERE IN EGYPT, AND YOU MADE ME LOOK TO OUR MARRIGE TRADITIONS FROM A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW, ESPECIALLY AT THE INTERVIEW PART HHHHHHHHH WE GOT BAAALLS.BUT IN A SENSE I FELT THAT AT SOME PARTS YOU WERE CRITCIZING EVEN SARCASTIC RATHER THAN JUST TALKING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE HERE IN EGYPT.AT LAST I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT YOU ONLY SAW A SINGLE CASE WHICH DOESN'T AT ALL SUMMERIZE EVERY THING AOUT THE TRADITIONS, AND THE RULES YOU IMPLIED BREAKING YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE, NOT COOL.