Learn Arabic as it is really spoken. Listen to and read Egyptian Colloquial Arabic.

Yomna brought her son to work. Was it a good idea?

امبارح مع بداية شهر سبتمبر، كان لازم ادفع لابنى مصاريف الشهر الجديد فى الحضانه. و مع تأخير مرتبي، لقيت ان افضل حل انى موديهوش خالص. طب و بعدين؟ قررت آخده معايا الشغل. طبعا كان قرار ندمت عليه بعد كده. طول الطريق للشغل فضلت احفظه الوصايا التلاته: النظام، الهدوء، النضافه. بصراحه منكرش، الولد كان ملتزم الى حد كبير. طلب نسكويك و مسك الـIPAD و فضل يلعب. اكل سندوتش و شرب عصير و دخل الحمام تمان مرات. كل ده جميل. المشكله بقى حصلت النهارده. خلاص، الحاجات اللى عملها امبارح و كانت مسلياه، اتعود عليها، و بقى عايز اثاره اكتر. بعد ما شرب نسكويك و قعد قدام الكمبيوتر شويه، بدأ يقوم يستكشف المكان، يفتح الدواليب و يقفلها، يفتح فى الادراج، يشم الـUHU، يدبس اى ورق بالدباسه. اكتر حاجه ضحكتنى لما لزق tape على عينه، قعد يقوللى: انا مش شايف حاجه! الاسوء كان لما دخل الحمام. طبعا انا اعتمدت على انه دخل امبارح تمان مرات، خلاص اتعود و عارف المكان، وسبته يدخل لوحده. فجأه سمعته باعلى صوته بينادي: ماما ماما رحتله جري، خير: يا حبيبي، فيه ايه؟ لقيته بيقوللي: ماما، انا مش عارف افتح الميه. اتغظت منه بصراحه. قلتله: يا حبيبى ما انت استعملتها امبارح. خلص يلا و اخرج. و خرجت من عنده و فى نيتى قرار، قرار واحد بس: بكره الصبح هستلف الفلوس و هيروح الحضانه.

Yesterday, the beginning of September, I needed to pay for my son’s fees for a new month at pre-school. But with my salary not paid yet, I found that the best solution was not to send him [to school] at all. Well, and then? I decided to take him with me to work. And of course it was a decision I later regretted. All the way to my work, I kept dictating him the three commandments: Order, Quiet and Cleanliness. To be honest, I can’t deny that the boy was committed to a large extent. He asked for a Nesquik and held the iPad and kept playing. He ate a sandwich, and drank a juice, and went to the toilet eight times. All that was okay. Today was the problem. Well, the things that he did yesterday and were fun for him, he’d gotten used to, and he needed more excitement. After drinking Nesquik and playing on the computer for a while, he began exploring the place, opening and closing cupboards, opening drawers, smelling UHU [glue], stapling paper. What made me laugh most was when he put tape on his eyes and kept saying, “I can’t see anything!” But the worst was when he went to the toilet. I trusted in the fact that he went eight times yesterday, and he is used to and knows the place now, so I let him go by himself. Suddenly, I heard him shouting loudly, “Mom! Mom!” I hurried to him and said, “Honey, what’s the matter?” He replied, “I can’t turn the faucet on.” Honestly, I was so peeved. I told him, “Sweetie, you used it yesterday. Come-on, finish up and come out.” Then and there I had one intention: Tomorrow morning I’ll borrow money and he will go to the pre-school.

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