Welcome

Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. Everything has been figured out, except how to live. One always dies too soon or too late. And yet, life is there, finished. The line is drawn, and it must all be added up. You are nothing other than your life. There is only one day left, always starting over. It is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk. We do not know what we want and yet we are responsible for what we are, that is the fact. When you live alone you no longer know what it is to tell a story: the plausible disappears at the same time as the friends. You let events flow by too.Suddenly you see people appear who speak and then go away; you plunge into stories of which you can't make head or tail. You'd make a terrible witness. It is true that people who live in society have learned how to see themselves in mirrors as they appear to their friends. Luckily, I only have a few...

Dr Shaw is a lecturer in Further Education at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk. She also offers philosophy courses at the School of Continuing Education, Lifelong learning, at the University of Liverpool. In 2015, she has completed her Doctorate in philosophy with a focus on existentialism, the equilibrium doctrine and narrative. She has worked as a teacher of English and Comparative literature and Philosophy at The American University in Cairo, Egypt where she also obtained her BA (Hons). Dr Shaw has an MA in Philosophy and Literature from the University of East Anglia where she also taught on a number of humanities subjects. Whilst working in North Wales in Further education, she gained a PGCE aimed at teaching in FE and HE sectors. Dr Shaw moved to Liverpool in 2010 where she now resides.

Interests: Existentialism, Narrative, Comparative Literature, Feminist Thought, Public Speaking, Arab Existentialism, Philosophy of Education, Art, Music, Film and Theatre, Greek Mythology, Existential counsellor and psychotherapist.

https://liverpool.academia.edu/ShereenHamedShaw


Saturday 5 December 2009

well well....

Finally, I booked my flight and will be leaving Wales for the land of the Pharoh, for home sweet home. I can't really say that I do not like living in Wales. I like to see the mountains as I drive through the lined up trees in all shades of green, yellow, and orange. Autumn is my favourite time I'd say. What a lovely postcard picture I see everyday going to work. But home... is something else. The warmth, the life, the food, the people, family...this all that counts. Egypt is where my heart is no matter what. For the sake of love I left to live in Wales. But in doing so I realised that there is another kind of love that I will always miss. I say sometimes to people "I feel rich at home and poor in Wales"--Could this be the terrible reality of living in a city versus the country side. Which do I prefer? Well...well this is a question I can never answer I guess.

Anyway,will be packing soon and saying my goodbyes for now till January. I will not be having any christmas in Cairo, but I guess new year is enough to put a smile on my face knowing that I spent it where I would like to be most and with those I love more than anything.

Friday 20 November 2009

Hello...

Welcome to the memoirs of an Egyptian philosopher. For some time now I wanted to go buy myself a diary book to note down my experiences and feelings being probably the only female Egyptian living in the UK, in North Wales to be specific. I finally came to the conclusion that being on the verge of 2010 probably means new improvements and advanced technology, so why buy a diary when I can have my own blog!

This site will have "most of" my life experiences, my thoughts, my refelctions and emotions. I may pour my heart out here If I so wish or I may hide my deepest secrets and show denial. What matters is...that I will be able to read it later on and perhaps realise things that I may have not noticed at the time of an event, or an encounter.

And what matters even more and more...is YOU! You who will read it and be able to reflect, comment and feedback. You may know me in person so you'd understand more what I say or go through or you may not.... what will count at the end of the day will be words...Words on a blog that may not matter at all.

After all "in the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away" and funny enough "we always knew looking back on the tears would make us laugh, but we never know that looking back on the laughs could make us cry"!!