keeping in mind

[DMT]

by Mahmoud Fouly


CAIRO， July 5 (Xinhua) -- "I took my car and drove from Kuwait to Egypt to spend the last days of the holy month of Ramadan and the Fast-breaking Feast (Eid al-Fitr) with my family and friends. Ramadan and Eid are tasteless without loved ones，" said Essam al-Sayyid， a 43-year-old Egyptian man who runs a small store in Kuwait， after coming back home.


Known among his Egyptian friends as "the Kuwaiti" due to the long years he spent in the Gulf country， Sayyid is one of hundreds of thousands of Egyptians who prefer to spend Ramadan concluding days and the Eid in their homeland， surrounded by loved ones and enjoying traditional gatherings and festivities that they miss outside home.


"The Eid time is a perfect time to visit home because of the joyful atmosphere that makes people get over any hard feelings and only makes room for happiness and good time，" the returnee told Xinhua， describing his driving journey from Kuwait to Egypt and taking a ferry to cross the Red Sea with his car as "exhausting but exciting and interesting."


As for the last day of Ramadan， Sayyid said that seeing people rushing back and forth before the fast-breaking meal (iftar) time， frequenting juice and pickling stores while the Quran is heard in the background in the streets "is a scene that you can only find in Egypt."


Marked right after the last day of the Muslim holy month， the post-Ramadan feast is a three-day official holiday in Egypt where people of all ages， families and friends， gather and go out for entertainment. Parents buy new clothes for their children， mostly referred to as "Eid clothes，" give their children pocket money to go out and buy what they want during the joyful occasion.


However， the scene is not like that in the West in general and in Denmark in particular， according to Khaled Rashad， an Egyptian man in his 30s who arrived a day earlier in the Pyramids City of Egypt's Giza province where he lived before traveling to the Scandinavian country 10 years ago.


"For adults， Eid in Denmark is not an official holiday， and we may have to go to work during Eid，" Rashad told Xinhua while accompanying his little child Salma at a coffee shop near the main street of the Pyramids City.


"Although Eid is a normal day in Denmark， they try to make it different for Muslim children. So， we go to the mosque where our children are given food and gifts to make them feel the joyful Muslim festivity，" the man added， stressing that it is important for him to spend Eid with his mother， brother and sister in Egypt after years of absence.


Egyptian expatriates exceed eight million of the country's 94-million population， most of whom work in oil-rich Gulf states. Saudi Arabia is the number one host of Egyptian workers worldwide， accommodating about 985，000 Egyptian labors according to Egyptian reports.


Hany Mostafa， 36， who works at a supermarket in Saudi Arabia's Dammam city， the capital of the kingdom's eastern province， said that the aspects of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia is normal in terms of entertainment but massive in terms of worship.


"We expatriates choose to go back to Egypt during the last three days of Ramadan to catch part of the holy month and spend Eid in our homeland， with all the aspects， gatherings and entertainments that we lack in the kingdom，" Mostafa told Xinhua.


The man added that in Dammam Egyptians miss all the entertainment atmosphere of Ramadan and Eid back home， noting that shopping after iftar is the basic fun for people in Saudi Arabia during the holy month.


"Although Dammam is a domestic tourist city in Saudi Arabia frequented by people from all over the kingdom for entertainment， the city during Ramadan and Eid is quiet and cannot be compared to the liveliness of these occasions in Egypt，" he added.


Most Egyptians are currently excited on the Eid eve as the countdown is ticking to mark an annual farewell to the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of a vast three-day feast full of entertainment activities for people of all ages. Enditem

Chinese player Chi Zhongguo reacts as Icelandic players celebrate scoring in the match at the China Cup on Tuesday in Nanning http://www.nmdsaleuk.com/men-s-nike-air-max-95-shoes-black-uk.html , Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. China lost 2-0. Photo: CFP

Marcello Lippi's impact on the Chinese national team setup has been immediate, even if things have quite gone his way on the pitch.


China may have been sunk by two second--half goals from Iceland in last night's opening match of the inaugural China Cup in rainy Nanning http://www.nmdsaleuk.com/men-s-nike-air-max-95-kpu-shoes-triple-black.html , but it was Lippi's team selection that conveyed the -extent of his influence so far.


An experimental squad saw six of the starting lineup make their international debuts, with another 10 squad members having also never represented their country at senior level.


Back when the Wanda Group announced plans for this tournament in the summer http://www.nmdsaleuk.com/men-s-nike-air-max-95-jacquard-blue-uk.html , it appeared that the intention was for China to use home advantage to beat some understrength, but highly ranked Adidas Men's NMD CS1 Primeknit Black Sneaker Shoes , international opponents, hoping for some cheap wins in order to appear to have made some progress. But Lippi's decision to use this tournament to try out some new players in the international arena contradicts that line of thought.


Of course Adidas Men NMD CS2 Primeknit Black UK , with all of China's biggest names elsewhere and stars from Chile, such as Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez and Manchester City's Claudio Bravo Men's Pharrell X Adidas Human Race White Blue UK , remaining in Europe, the tournament has become far less attractive from a spectator's point of view.


But Lippi is keeping in mind the -primary goal of the government-backed mission: improving Chinese soccer.


All the millions being lavished on -players such as Oscar and Carlos Tevez does next to nothing to achieve this aim. Perhaps a nice trick here or there rubs off in training Women's Adidas Originals NMD R1 Vapour Pink/Running White/Aluminum , but little else.


Equally, it's hard to believe that the next generation of Chinese players is truly being. Cheap Manchester United Jerseys Cheap Manchester City Jerseys Cheap Borussia Dortmund Jerseys Cheap Bayern Munich Jerseys Wholesale Barcelona Jerseys Wholesale Tottenham Hotspur Jerseys Wholesale AS Roma FC Jerseys Wholesale AC Milan FC Jerseys Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Portugal Soccer Jerseys