Latest news with #Tamer
CairoScene
12 hours ago
- CairoScene
How Egyptian Explorer Ayten Tamer Built a Travel Movement for Mothers
Mama Retreats and Me is all about curated adventures where mothers and kids explore, learn, and make lifelong memories together. For most mothers, travel is a luxury, something to be penciled into the calendar once the laundry is folded and the school pick-ups are done. But for Ayten Tamer, travel is not a break from motherhood—it is an extension of it, a way to model curiosity, resilience, and a sense of wonder to her children. Her work, embodied in a quietly audacious venture known as Mama Retreats and Me, is a testament to this philosophy, a belief that motherhood need not be the end of adventure, but its deepening. Ayten's story begins in the folds of a family already steeped in the travel business. Growing up, she was the child who rarely stayed still, trailing her family through souks in Marrakesh, desert camps in Oman, and quiet fishing villages in Southeast Asia when the conventional family trip was simply Paris or the USA. 'Those were weeks-long immersions where the line between home and abroad blurred,' Ayten Tamer, founder of Mama Retreats and Me, tells Scenetraveller. Travel, for her, was never about escapism. It was about immersion, about standing barefoot in a rice paddy and understanding the world from the ground up. That ethos, rooted in experience over consumption, became the backbone of 'Gazef,' an Egyptian adventure travel company founded by Tamer in 2013. As Tamer's first venture in the world of exotic backpacking travel, the company specialized in immersive group trips across Egypt and beyond. Finally, she was realizing her vision of travel. But after stepping away from the company she built, moving to Australia, and becoming a mother, it seemed like her passport might get tucked away for good. Tamer, however, had other plans. Despite finding herself faced with the kind of exhaustion that turns even the simplest outing into a logistical headache, she decided to strap her six-month-old son onto her back and boarded a plane. The destination was less important than the act itself—proof that a baby carrier wasn't a leash, but a ticket. She often jokes that her firstborn had more stamps in his passport before turning one than most adults do in a lifetime. But the heart of her story isn't just the miles logged or the borders crossed. It's in the shifting logic of what a 'family trip' could mean. Where others saw obstacles—nap schedules, picky eaters, overstimulated toddlers—Ayten saw possibilities. 'The tantrum is part of the journey,' she says, with a smile that suggests she's learned this lesson many times over. To her, travel is a mirror. It shows you how your child reacts to novelty, to discomfort, to joy—and it reflects back your own capacity for patience, for adaptation, for openness. When the pandemic brought the world to a halt, Ayten, like so many others, found herself grounded. But stillness is not in Ayten's nature. She turned inward, literally. With borders closed, she began exploring Fayoum, a pastoral oasis southwest of Cairo. There, amidst the fields and date palms, she and her son harvested crops, learned about soil, and rediscovered the rhythms of local life. Soon, others began to tag along. What started as a personal experiment became, almost organically, a new form of retreat: one with more toddler diapers stuffed into backpacks, more sunscreen smeared on little faces, and way more snack breaks along the way. It wasn't about ticking off destinations but about slowing down, noticing the light on a field at dusk, or the way children's faces light up when they taste a fruit plucked straight from the tree. It was about recalibrating the relationship between mother and child—not in the frenetic context of modern parenting, but in a space where time stretched and expectations softened. And so, Mama Retreats and Me was born. From the volcanic landscapes of Bali to the rugged coastline of South Africa, these retreats now promise not just intimate time away, but transformation. 'The retreats are framed around themes—surfing, cooking, cultural immersion, environmental stewardship—but beneath the itinerary is a deeper promise: a chance to cross 20 things off your bucket list, yes, but also a chance to see your child in a new light.' Yet, the true beauty of these retreats lies in their diversity. There are single mothers traveling solo with their kids. There are mothers of autistic children, seeking a space where meltdowns aren't judged but embraced. There are teenagers learning to surf alongside toddlers building sandcastles. The eclectic mix, Tamer says, is intentional. 'It's when you're surrounded by people who parent differently, who have different lives, that you learn the most,' Tamer says. And the kids, exposed to peers of all ages and temperaments, learn too—about empathy, about sharing, about navigating differences. That spirit of flexibility carries through behind the scenes too—with a team made up entirely of mothers, or a 'super mama crew,' as Tamer calls them. There are no rigid hours, no office walls. The team knows what it means to pause a Zoom call because a child is crying, or to reply to emails after bedtime. This is a business built not in spite of motherhood but because of it. Of course, none of this is easy. Tamer will admit, with a dry laugh, that she sometimes feels like a juggler on a tightrope, balancing logistics, childcare, and the unpredictable chaos of travel. But she also believes in the power of showing up—of modeling, for her children and for the mothers who join her, what it looks like to pursue a dream while holding space for others. In the end, Tamer's work is about reimagining what it means to be a mother in a world that often tells women to shrink their desires. It's about rejecting the false choice between self and family, adventure and responsibility. For Tamer, the two aren't in conflict—they're intertwined. Her life is proof that you can hold your baby in one arm and a surfboard in the other—and that both matter equally.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Potwin veteran shaped by overseas unrest
POTWIN, Kan. (KSNW) — June 13 marks the 23rd anniversary of a U.S. military incident in South Korea that left two teenage girls dead and sparked international outrage. While Army veteran Mitchell Tamer wasn't there when it happened, the event would come to shape his most challenging year in uniform. Now living a quiet life in Potwin—working at the post office and making music—Tamer reflects on how the tragedy and its aftermath left a lasting impact. 'There had been an accident between a convoy and two little girls who ended up losing their lives,' Tamer recalled. 'And the Korean people weren't happy about us being there after that.' The 2002 'Yangju Highway Incident,' in which a U.S. military convoy accidentally struck and killed two 14-year-old South Korean girls, occurred before Tamer arrived at Camp Red Cloud. But protests continued long after. Tune into KSN News at 10 every Wednesday for our Veteran Salute 'Here we are on our very own camp with our weapons in our hands, linking our arms to make a human wall so demonstrators couldn't come through the walls or the doors,' he said. Though targeted by protesters, Tamer said he came to understand the anger. 'It took a lot of years to process it and come to terms especially when you understand why the people felt the way they did,' he said. That empathy was born of curiosity—and a deep respect for other cultures. 'When you're a small-town country boy like I was, you're thrown into everybody's culture. People from all over the country, and you get to understand and experience their culture a little bit, and then they bring you overseas and there's a whole new culture there,' Tamer said. After South Korea, Tamer joined the Army Reserves and narrowly avoided deployment to Iraq. 'I found out, pretty much the same day I was going to become a father for the first time that I was also going to get reactivated,' he said. 'And I was lucky. I was lucky I didn't have to go.' He retired from the Reserves as a sergeant in 2007. Today, he shares life with his wife and continues to reflect on the value of all experiences. 'What I want people to think about is how the experience in their lives, good or bad, it's all learning and it's all precious. All of it.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Arab News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli army flattens Rafah ruins
CAIRO: Israel's army is flattening the remaining ruins of the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, residents say, in what they fear is a part of a plan to herd the population into confinement in a giant camp on the barren ground. No food or medical supplies have reached the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip in nearly two months, since Israel imposed what has since become its longest ever total blockade of the territory, following the collapse of a six-week ceasefire. Israel relaunched its ground campaign in mid-March and has since seized swaths of land and ordered residents out of what it says are 'buffer zones' around Gaza's edges, including all of Rafah, which comprises around 20 percent of the Strip. Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Saturday that the military was setting up a new 'humanitarian zone' in Rafah, to which civilians would be moved after security checks to keep out Hamas fighters. Private companies would distribute aid. Residents said massive explosions could now be heard unceasingly from the dead zone where Rafah had once stood as a city of 300,000 people. 'Explosions never stop, day and night, whenever the ground shakes, we know they are destroying more homes in Rafah. Rafah is gone,' Tamer, a Gaza City man displaced in Deir Al-Balah, further north, told Reuters by text message. He said he was getting phone calls from friends as far away as across the border in Egypt whose children were being kept awake by the explosions. Abu Mohammed, another displaced man in Gaza, stated by text: 'We are terrified that they could force us into Rafah, which is going to be like a cage of a concentration camp, completely sealed off from the world.' Israel imposed its total blockade on Gaza on March 2. UN agencies say Gazans are on the precipice of mass hunger and disease, with conditions now at their worst since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. Gaza health officials said on Monday that at least 23 people had been killed in the latest Israeli strikes across the Strip. At least 10, some of them children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia in the north and six were killed in an airstrike on a cafe in the south. Footage circulating on social media showed some victims critically injured as they sat around a table at the cafe. Talks have so far failed to extend the ceasefire, during which Hamas released 38 hostages and Israel released hundreds of prisoners and detainees. Fifty-nine Israeli hostages are still held in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to be alive. Hamas says it would free them only under a deal that ended the war; Israel says it will agree only to temporary pauses in fighting unless Hamas is completely disarmed, which the fighters reject. On Friday, the World Food Programme said it had run out of food stocks in Gaza after the longest closure the Gaza Strip had ever faced. Some residents toured the streets looking for weeds that grow naturally on the ground. Others picked up dry leaves from trees. Desperate enough, fishermen turned to catching turtles, skinning them, and selling their meat. 'I went to the doctor the other day, and he said I had some stones in my kidney and I needed surgery that would cost me around $300. I told him I would rather use a painkiller and use the money to buy food for my children,' one Gaza City woman said. 'There is no meat, no cooking gas, no flour, and no life. This is Gaza in simple but painful terms.' Since October 2023, Israel's offensive on the enclave has killed more than 51,400, according to Palestinian health officials.
Irish Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Israel flattens Rafah ruins; Gazans fear plan to herd them there
Israel 's army is flattening the remaining ruins of the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip , residents say, in what they fear is a part of a plan to herd the population into confinement in a giant camp on the barren ground. No food or medical supplies have reached the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip in nearly two months, since Israel imposed what has since become its longest ever total blockade of the territory, following the collapse of a six-week ceasefire. Israel relaunched its ground campaign in mid-March and has since seized swathes of land and ordered residents out of what it says are 'buffer zones' around Gaza's edges, including all of Rafah which comprises about 20 per cent of the Strip. Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Saturday that the military was setting up a new 'humanitarian zone' in Rafah, to which civilians would be moved after security checks to keep out Hamas fighters. Aid would be distributed by private companies. READ MORE The Israeli military had yet to comment on the report on Monday. Residents said massive explosions could now be heard unceasingly from the dead zone where Rafah had once stood as a city of 300,000 people. 'Explosions never stop, day and night, whenever the ground shakes, we know they are destroying more homes in Rafah. Rafah is gone,' Tamer, a Gaza City man displaced in Deir Al-Balah, further north, told Reuters by text message. He said he was getting phone calls from friends as far away as across the border in Egypt whose children were being kept awake by the explosions. Abu Mohammed, another displaced man in Gaza, said by text: 'We are terrified that they could force us into Rafah, which is going to be like a cage of a concentration camp, completely sealed off from the world.' Israel, which imposed its total blockade on Gaza on March 2nd, says enough supplies reached the territory in the previous six weeks of the truce that it does not believe the population is at risk. It says it says it cannot allow in food or medicine because Hamas fighters would exploit it. Gaza's Hamas-run officials ministry said on Monday at least 23 people had been killed in the latest Israeli strikes across the Strip. At least 10, some of them children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house in Jabalia in the north and six were killed in an air strike on a cafe in the south. Footage circulating on social media showed some victims critically injured as they sat around a table at the cafe. Talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt have so far failed to extend the ceasefire, during which Hamas released 38 hostages and Israel released hundreds of prisoners and detainees. Fifty-nine Israeli hostages are still held in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to be alive. Hamas says it would free them only under a deal that ended the war; Israel says it will agree only to temporary pauses in fighting unless Hamas is completely disarmed, which the fighters reject. In Doha, Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza had made some progress. The Gaza war started after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza in the October, 2023 attacks, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave killed more than 52,000, according to Palestinian health officials. − Reuters
CBC
28-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Israel flattens remains of Rafah ruins as latest strikes on Gaza hit 3 homes
UN agencies say Gazans on precipice of mass hunger and disease, with conditions reported at their worst Image | ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/GAZA Caption: A Palestinian man sits on debris while covering his face with his hand at the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday. (Hatem Khaled/Reuters) Israel's army is flattening the remaining ruins of the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, residents say, in what they fear is a part of a plan to herd the population into confinement in a giant camp on the barren ground. No food or medical supplies have reached the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip in nearly two months, since Israel imposed what has since become its longest ever total blockade of the territory, following the collapse of a six-week ceasefire. Israel relaunched its ground campaign in mid-March and has since seized swathes of land and ordered residents out of what it says are "buffer zones" around Gaza's edges, including all of Rafah, which comprises around 20 percent of the Strip. Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Saturday that the military was setting up a new "humanitarian zone" in Rafah, to which civilians would be moved after security checks to keep out Hamas fighters. Aid would be distributed by private companies. The Israeli military has yet to comment on the report and did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Residents said massive explosions could now be heard unceasingly from the dead zone where Rafah once stood as a city of 300,000 people. "Explosions never stop, day and night, whenever the ground shakes, we know they are destroying more homes in Rafah. Rafah is gone," Tamer, a Gaza City man displaced in Deir al-Balah, farther north, told Reuters by text message. He said he was getting phone calls from friends as far away as across the border in Egypt whose children were being kept awake by the explosions. Abu Mohammed, another displaced man in Gaza, told Reuters by text: "We are terrified that they could force us into Rafah, which is going to be like a cage of a concentration camp, completely sealed off from the world." 27 Palestinians reported killed in latest strikes Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight into Monday killed at least 27 Palestinians, according to local health officials. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. An airstrike hit a home in Beit Lahiya, killing 10 people, including a Palestinian prisoner, Abdel-Fattah Abu Mahadi, who had been released as part of the ceasefire. His wife, two of their children and a grandchild were also killed, according to the Indonesian Hospital, which received the bodies. Another strike hit a home in Gaza City, killing seven people, including two women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service. Two other people were wounded. Late Sunday, a strike hit a home in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing at least 10 people, including five siblings as young as four years old, according to the Health Ministry. Two other children were killed along with their parents, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Gaza on precipice of mass hunger, disease: UN Israel, which imposed its total blockade on Gaza on March 2, says enough supplies reached the territory in the previous six weeks of the truce that it does not believe the population is at risk. It says it cannot allow in food or medicine because Hamas fighters would exploit it. United Nations agencies say Gazans are on the precipice of mass hunger and disease, with conditions now at their worst since the war began on Oct.7, 2023, when Hamas fighters attacked Israeli communities. The UN's highest court began holding hearings on Monday into Israel's obligation to facilitate humanitarian aid to the territories it occupies. WATCH | At least 23 killed in overnight strikes on school shelter last week: Media Video | Deadly Israeli strikes set tents ablaze in Gaza City school-turned-shelter Caption: At least 23 Palestinians sheltering inside of a school in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City were killed in Israeli strikes overnight Wednesday. The strikes set fire to tents and classrooms, leaving behind extensive damage. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt have so far failed to extend the ceasefire, during which Hamas released 38 hostages and Israel released hundreds of prisoners and detainees. Fifty-nine Israeli hostages are still held in Gaza; fewer than half of them believed to be alive. Hamas says it would free them only under a deal that ends the war; Israel says it will agree only to temporary pauses in fighting unless Hamas is completely disarmed, which the fighters reject. In Doha, Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza had made some progress. On Friday, the World Food Program said it had run out of food stocks in Gaza after the longest closure the Gaza Strip had ever faced. Some residents toured the streets looking for weeds that grow naturally on the ground; others picked up dry leaves from trees. Desperate enough, fishermen turned to catching turtles, skinning them and selling their meat. The Gaza war started after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza in the October, 2023 attacks, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave has killed more than 51,400, according to Palestinian health officials.
