Being a full time employee and then switching into a housewife is really a big change in the life of any woman. That’s why many women, after having a baby, prefer sticking to their jobs and have someone help them out with their kids, or have any kind of arrangement they’d feel will give them the best of both worlds, like get a part time job for example. But you already know that I chose becoming a mom and a housewife, full time (when I was still pregnant). To be honest it was really difficult, especially that I’m a morning person, I love waking up early, I love to work, even if I hated my job, and I just love this hectic city life that’s more like a race…

I remember the first few days, they weren’t the hardest, I still woke up early, I had my parents visiting me back then, and I love being around my family, ours is like no other, 2 parents and 5 children (all grown ups now), with all our news, problems, discussions, misunderstandings, longings, it all gives it this feeling of living in your own version of a hit-tv show Anyway, they helped keep me busy for a while, but then they left, and I was all alone at home, and I had to find a way to adapt to my new life and make the best out of it. So I made my own schedule, and let me tell you, being a housewife is NOT EASY! and of course I don’t mean it in its traditional sense, that with the house chores; cooking, cleaning, and coffee mornings, no I mean it in the way I picture it (mainly because I grew up seeing mom be like that) and that’s being a housewife, a mommy, a friend of all family members, a very well-educated individual that will not let home limit the development of her braincells, and who will continue to follow her dreams and fulfill them no matter what, and most importantly, be the one to hold the whole family together, comfort them all, be strong for them all, and give them hope in better days.

Back in mom’s time, she didn’t really have access to internet or any form of “technological luxury” if I may call it, but our fridge was constantly packed with self-esteem-boosting newspaper and magazine articles, that she’d cut and hang with fridge magnets. Everywhere in our home you’d find a poem in English or Arabic, or a verse of Quran that gave you hope, strengthened your belief in yourself and just drew a smile on your face. In her free time, I never saw her on the phone, or at someone’s place sipping coffee, she’d rather read something, or do crosswords, the love of her life… and when she had an extra little time (very rare) she’d be writing down some note while listening to music… lovely writer!

Anyway, I had to grow up somehow the same, although I don’t think I could ever manage 5 kids, but I’m always either reading, or writing, or doing some search on some thing. I have made my home, my own workplace, I took my new “position” very seriously, and never stopped trying to become better at it, without forgetting Eman, the employee, even the single Eman, and what she always wanted to achieve . And many people don’t really get the fact that I’d prefer be alone at home, rather than being out with a group of friends doing something else, it’s not that I’m anti-social, in fact there are many people whose company I really love, and when there’s a chance, I’d join people in a gathering if I was invited, but I love quite, I truly find myself in pages of books, magazines, and messy newspapers. The internet is a very good friend of mine, and TV is my very dear entertainer when I’m too tired to write, type or read. I’m not a phone person AT ALL, if I call, it’s just because I know the other person loves it as a means of keeping in touch; I hate to have my mobile ringing all the time, I feel in peace when I’m doing things I like, alone in the quite.

In every country I go, I must have a favorite place, outdoors, green, quite, water, and that’s close to where I live, this becomes my sanctuary, when I’m feeling down or sad. I love having a mix of busy city life, and this rather laid-back lifestyle of the suburbs, that’s why my home has to have as much green and little clutter as possible, while I live in a crowded city.

But the workaholic in me kept popping up every now and then, and that pushed me to find a way to keep it from tearing me apart, so I started my latest job as a freelance translator and proofreader as soon as my Adam turned 3 months. And believe me, working from home with a baby is very challenging, but again, with a bit of order and planning, everything turns out to work for everyone’s best. I didn’t take as many projects as I wished I would, but it was, and still is, something I’m proud of, something to link me to the world of employment. But you know what the only thing to quench the thirst of the workaholic in me is? ok, be prepared because you’re about to have the shock of your life (or just think I’m silly), it’s this: (drum rolling): pens, pencils, and organizers/notebooks… they truly work wonders in making me feel like an employee. Which brings me to my most recent possession, and what have very fast become my precious precious “thing”: my very own HomeBook, (design A). It’s an organizer. I love its artistic cover, the quality of its paper, its divisions, and the tips it has, it’s AWESOME! it has all the following sections: recipe, garden, health, finance, travel, fashion (yes fashion :D), dates, and contacts; how cool is that? It just makes life more enjoyable, I LOVE IT!

I guess what I’m saying is, whether you’re a housewife or an employee, or even an employer or looking forward to get employed, whether you have kids or you don’t, whether you’re married or single, whether you’re old or young, whether you’re in a country you’ve known for ages, or in a new one, there’s always a way to make yourself love who you are now, and what you’re doing at the moment, even if it was only a pretty pen, or a cute organizer. Do not stop being you, don’t give up on your dreams, don’t be upset that you still haven’t achieved what you wanted to achieve, and never let anything hold you back from what you wanna become, but let this not affect your current life, love it, embrace it while you work on a better future, because there’s no such thing as being a desperate individual if you make the best of what you have, it’s rather an individual who is rejecting what’s good in their life, because it’s not as good as how they pictured it or wished it’d be.