Well, I'm not sure that's a word but it sounds good to me. lol
We have tentative plans to get up early (early for us that is) and go downtown and walk around.
Hubby is printing out some maps at the office so that I can get my bearings and note things down. Like if there's a restaurant we see that we want to try later or a store I want to come back to.
I'm excited and it should be fun.
It should also be less noisy and crowded if we truly get there before 10 a.m.
:::
Turns out that my sister in law has bronchitis. She's basically been in her room for the last couple (2 or 3?) days and while I do hear coughing on occasion it doesn't sound too bad. I guess she got some antibiotic in shot form. Which sounds much better to me than shoving pills down throats.
Insha'Allah she'll be well soon.
:::
My mother in law really cracks me up. When I first came, she really only knew a couple of words of English, but it seems she practices with a cousin on the phone or something. But sometimes she pops out with something that just totally makes me laugh.
Her English has advanced much more than my Arabic, though she did know English before. She just didn't have much reason to use it in the last years I guess. Not sure how long actually.
We both know a little bit of French, so that gets used at times. Though I think she knows more French than I do.
And from what I am told, I think she knows Nubian and possibly Ethiopian??? I don't think she knows either one well enough to speak it fluently but.. neat.
:::
The weather has continued to be mostly cooler with just a few days of higher temps. It's nice to be able to use covers while sleeping. And feel that little nip in the air.
:::
I stayed up til 6 a.m. reading this morning. I haven't done that in longer than I can remember. As a teenager I know I used to stay up all hours reading Stephen King books and scaring myself silly and then having to sleep with the light on. lol
Well, after turning the light off this morning and laying in bed, I was listening to the birds outside. It is one of the things I like best about being awake when dawn comes. I counted at least 4 different bird calls, possibly 5.
There's just something so wonderful about being up to see the new day come. It's so fresh, so tender, and so full of potential. It is not sullied yet by the sounds of traffic and a big city and it doesn't have the hurried pace of people running off to work or other commitments. It's peaceful. It's hopeful. It's full of life.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Hungry hungry hippo
Well, it seems as though my sister in law may have got swine flu. I'm not sure as I've been kind of behind doors all day, trying to avoid getting sick myself. But I can hear her coughing occasionally through the wall.
I went out of the room at 8 tonight to try to see about something to eat, as I had lunch at 3:30 and I was feeling a bit hungry.
I got to the dining room where I saw my sister in law, my brother in law and my mother in law, all sitting at the dining room table.
It turns out that her doctor appointment which was supposed to be at that time has been put off a bit as the doctor is not yet at the clinic.
And since I didn't want to sit at the table with someone who has contracted unknown medical condition, I head back to the bedroom.
Forty five minutes later, I decide to open the door to see if I can hear anyone about.
But what happens when I open the door, is that I am hit by the overpowering stench of what seems like about 1,524,865 roses.
My grandmother in law has a perfume that is made from rose oil or something and although it smells nice for about 2 seconds, I can't tolerate it for longer than that.
Now, grandma's room is at the other end of the house. And yet when I opened the door, honestly it smelled like someone dumped the whole bottle of perfume out.
So, I did not venture out into stink land, as the dining room is also adjoined to grandma's room (hence foiled again in my mission of stuffing mouth and belly).
Therefore, with door closed right back up, I am waiting (at 11 p.m.) for hubby to get home from a work meeting and find some way to rescue me from this situation.
I know this all sounds kind of whiny but you know what? I've been living with my in laws since the middle of May and I'm just tired of being patient about it. Really.
I went out of the room at 8 tonight to try to see about something to eat, as I had lunch at 3:30 and I was feeling a bit hungry.
I got to the dining room where I saw my sister in law, my brother in law and my mother in law, all sitting at the dining room table.
It turns out that her doctor appointment which was supposed to be at that time has been put off a bit as the doctor is not yet at the clinic.
And since I didn't want to sit at the table with someone who has contracted unknown medical condition, I head back to the bedroom.
Forty five minutes later, I decide to open the door to see if I can hear anyone about.
But what happens when I open the door, is that I am hit by the overpowering stench of what seems like about 1,524,865 roses.
My grandmother in law has a perfume that is made from rose oil or something and although it smells nice for about 2 seconds, I can't tolerate it for longer than that.
Now, grandma's room is at the other end of the house. And yet when I opened the door, honestly it smelled like someone dumped the whole bottle of perfume out.
So, I did not venture out into stink land, as the dining room is also adjoined to grandma's room (hence foiled again in my mission of stuffing mouth and belly).
Therefore, with door closed right back up, I am waiting (at 11 p.m.) for hubby to get home from a work meeting and find some way to rescue me from this situation.
I know this all sounds kind of whiny but you know what? I've been living with my in laws since the middle of May and I'm just tired of being patient about it. Really.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
I miss
driving down to the post office to put a piece of mail in the bin
listening to the leaves blow on a windy autumn day
the plants which lived on the patio
a fridge with food that i like eating
the feeling of coming home every day after being out
a shower with decent and steady water pressure
wandering down shopping isles full of familiar and enjoyed products
my car and driving
the sounds of squirrels playing in the tree out front
mail delivery
doing my own laundry in a machine that doesn't eat my clothes
whole foods grocery store
the feeling that the holidays are coming
central a/c - heat
my sewing machine
tv in general (with English speaking shows) - TBS and the Food Network specifically
my allergy doctor
having my own bathroom that i don't have to share with 4 - 5 other people
stoplights
thanksgiving day parade
my almost new cell phone (which doesn't work here)
emtpy streets at night
even, clean and paved sidewalks for walking on
seeing houses lit up with Christmas lights
so much rain you think it will never stop
corn tortilla chips
wall to wall carpet
blue skies
a heaven full of stars at night
steamy windows
the library
(this list is not all inclusive, and family and friends are of course a given)
listening to the leaves blow on a windy autumn day
the plants which lived on the patio
a fridge with food that i like eating
the feeling of coming home every day after being out
a shower with decent and steady water pressure
wandering down shopping isles full of familiar and enjoyed products
my car and driving
the sounds of squirrels playing in the tree out front
mail delivery
doing my own laundry in a machine that doesn't eat my clothes
whole foods grocery store
the feeling that the holidays are coming
central a/c - heat
my sewing machine
tv in general (with English speaking shows) - TBS and the Food Network specifically
my allergy doctor
having my own bathroom that i don't have to share with 4 - 5 other people
stoplights
thanksgiving day parade
my almost new cell phone (which doesn't work here)
emtpy streets at night
even, clean and paved sidewalks for walking on
seeing houses lit up with Christmas lights
so much rain you think it will never stop
corn tortilla chips
wall to wall carpet
blue skies
a heaven full of stars at night
steamy windows
the library
(this list is not all inclusive, and family and friends are of course a given)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Who knew?!
I frequently learn words while sitting around the dining room table, either during or after lunch.
Usually what happens is that I'll hear a word and ask what it means.
Sometimes though, someone will ask me what a particular word is in English.
Today, my sister in law was talking about amber, and how women here like to wear it in jewelry. But she was calling it by its Arabic name, which escapes me at the moment. When she asked me what it was called in English and I told her it was called amber, she laughed.
Amber, in Arabic, means big butt. lol
Not just kinda big but I guess REALLY big. :D
So, that's the exciting new word for the day!
:::
The noise level outside seems to have risen quite a bit in the last week or two and we figured out that it wasn't actually the noise level that has risen, it is the fact that the fans aren't on 24/7 anymore, so we can just hear everything better.
As annoying as the fans are to listen to day after day, I think I prefer it as a noise muffler for all of the outside noise. The fan is kind of like white noise, but it does get irritating when it's on ALL the time.
So now instead of slight noise and fan, we hear lots of noise. All the talking, shouting, traffic, horns, dogs barking, vendors walking down the street shouting out the name of what they're selling, kids scampering, etc., it all seems so amplified. And particularly at 3 or 4 a.m., when the rest of the city is quiet and sleeping.
Our neighbors have been quite loud lately as well. Our upstairs neighbors. They fight quite frequently, and I mean knock down drag out fights. Very loud yelling and pounding on furniture and I'm sure there is hitting going on as well. Even when they aren't obviously fighting, they are VERY loud upstairs. They seem to always be banging furniture around. It's quite a mystery as to what actually goes on upstairs, but it goes on at ALL hours and it's really irritating. And not just to me, to hubby as well. The whole family can hear it I suppose, though it seems to be centered above our bedroom. Lucky us.
:::
Couple of pictures.
This first one is hmmm... can't remember where I took it at. Near downtown I think. But what I like about it is the no honking sign. Because really... just... LOL. I've never heard so much honking in all my life as I've heard here. The sign is clearly someones idea of a joke.
And this picture shows the street below us. They were doing a whole bunch of work on the street a couple of months back. At this point, they were doing something with the manhole covers. I think they were making new ones or something, who knows. In any case, what you can see here is the total lack of any protective equipment. No gloves, no safety glasses, no hard hats. And also, no blocking the street off in any way. People and cars went right on by like they weren't even there! Crazy!
Hoping to update soon with apartment news. Nothing for now.
Usually what happens is that I'll hear a word and ask what it means.
Sometimes though, someone will ask me what a particular word is in English.
Today, my sister in law was talking about amber, and how women here like to wear it in jewelry. But she was calling it by its Arabic name, which escapes me at the moment. When she asked me what it was called in English and I told her it was called amber, she laughed.
Amber, in Arabic, means big butt. lol
Not just kinda big but I guess REALLY big. :D
So, that's the exciting new word for the day!
:::
The noise level outside seems to have risen quite a bit in the last week or two and we figured out that it wasn't actually the noise level that has risen, it is the fact that the fans aren't on 24/7 anymore, so we can just hear everything better.
As annoying as the fans are to listen to day after day, I think I prefer it as a noise muffler for all of the outside noise. The fan is kind of like white noise, but it does get irritating when it's on ALL the time.
So now instead of slight noise and fan, we hear lots of noise. All the talking, shouting, traffic, horns, dogs barking, vendors walking down the street shouting out the name of what they're selling, kids scampering, etc., it all seems so amplified. And particularly at 3 or 4 a.m., when the rest of the city is quiet and sleeping.
Our neighbors have been quite loud lately as well. Our upstairs neighbors. They fight quite frequently, and I mean knock down drag out fights. Very loud yelling and pounding on furniture and I'm sure there is hitting going on as well. Even when they aren't obviously fighting, they are VERY loud upstairs. They seem to always be banging furniture around. It's quite a mystery as to what actually goes on upstairs, but it goes on at ALL hours and it's really irritating. And not just to me, to hubby as well. The whole family can hear it I suppose, though it seems to be centered above our bedroom. Lucky us.
:::
Couple of pictures.
This first one is hmmm... can't remember where I took it at. Near downtown I think. But what I like about it is the no honking sign. Because really... just... LOL. I've never heard so much honking in all my life as I've heard here. The sign is clearly someones idea of a joke.
And this picture shows the street below us. They were doing a whole bunch of work on the street a couple of months back. At this point, they were doing something with the manhole covers. I think they were making new ones or something, who knows. In any case, what you can see here is the total lack of any protective equipment. No gloves, no safety glasses, no hard hats. And also, no blocking the street off in any way. People and cars went right on by like they weren't even there! Crazy!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
In with a gust
It seems Fall is here at last, though I see a temp of 89 forecast for later in the week.
It's been down into the 50's at night, which is pretty chilly and requires the use of a cover while sleeping.
And after a very long summer of 100+ degrees or so every day, let me tell you, anything in the 50's feels VERY cold. lol
It's also strange to feel the onset of Fall but without the usual visual cues.
There are no shopping ads or displays, no Christmas music playing, no one talking about Thanksgiving or other holiday plans.
I think the thing I will miss the most is the lights that people put up on their houses. Even though Muslims don't celebrate Christmas, that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the beauty in something, and many people create quite a beautiful display of lights during the holidays.
In Islam we have the two Eid celebrations, which happen a couple of months apart from each other, but they are not always celebrated on the same date, since the calendar we use is based on moon sighting. So, the holidays move forwards by about two weeks every year. Right now the second Eid is around the holidays in the States, but in a number of years they will be closer to summer. Which makes Winter seem long with nothing to break up the dark dreary days.
However, I will say, I've never seen so much sunshine in my life as I have since I moved here, and while I've enjoyed the recent few days of partly cloudy skies here, that's really enough for me. I always got so blue in the winter and spring in the States, because even though it wasn't always raining, we had gray skies for sometimes weeks at a time.
So... maybe it won't feel so much like the Winter needs breaking up if it isn't so gray and dreary all the time?
We will see.
:::
Nothing to report on the apartment.
:::
We've been watching some older movies lately. The original King Kong (which we then followed by the newer version), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, South Pacific (which we're in the middle of) and I think I mentioned we had recently watched African Queen.
It's nice seeing the older films. The acting was different, the clothing styles quite different, and the feel overall is just very different than the films of today.
We still have some oldies to watch, not sure what's next.
It's been down into the 50's at night, which is pretty chilly and requires the use of a cover while sleeping.
And after a very long summer of 100+ degrees or so every day, let me tell you, anything in the 50's feels VERY cold. lol
It's also strange to feel the onset of Fall but without the usual visual cues.
There are no shopping ads or displays, no Christmas music playing, no one talking about Thanksgiving or other holiday plans.
I think the thing I will miss the most is the lights that people put up on their houses. Even though Muslims don't celebrate Christmas, that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the beauty in something, and many people create quite a beautiful display of lights during the holidays.
In Islam we have the two Eid celebrations, which happen a couple of months apart from each other, but they are not always celebrated on the same date, since the calendar we use is based on moon sighting. So, the holidays move forwards by about two weeks every year. Right now the second Eid is around the holidays in the States, but in a number of years they will be closer to summer. Which makes Winter seem long with nothing to break up the dark dreary days.
However, I will say, I've never seen so much sunshine in my life as I have since I moved here, and while I've enjoyed the recent few days of partly cloudy skies here, that's really enough for me. I always got so blue in the winter and spring in the States, because even though it wasn't always raining, we had gray skies for sometimes weeks at a time.
So... maybe it won't feel so much like the Winter needs breaking up if it isn't so gray and dreary all the time?
We will see.
:::
Nothing to report on the apartment.
:::
We've been watching some older movies lately. The original King Kong (which we then followed by the newer version), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, South Pacific (which we're in the middle of) and I think I mentioned we had recently watched African Queen.
It's nice seeing the older films. The acting was different, the clothing styles quite different, and the feel overall is just very different than the films of today.
We still have some oldies to watch, not sure what's next.
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