Play Practice

So, I've been working on this play with my sixth graders. My sister and I wrote a 35 minute version of "The Hobbit" over Christmas break and now I am twisting my students into performing in the next couple of days. Costuming is a foreign concept and so is set building. Directing a play is stressful. But, they seem to be having a great time and are really well behaved about it all. Below you see my three trolls (the hat will not be included!) and Bilbo sneaking up on them. This is just a rehearsal.

From Back in the States...

So, because we eat no pork here in the ME, we take extra special pleasure in the sausage and stuff we get back in the States. And we also enjoy laughing about the wierd things we like to eat.

The Bazaar...bizarre...

On Death...

A kiss...

One of my friends here recently wrote on kissing in the Middle East. It is full of social norms, expectations, and confusing meanings. But suffice to say, I have weathered it decently since it is gender restricted.

Last night, we had several men from Bangladesh come to an movie event put on by a small group of internationals here. They made me nervous at first--all men make me nervous when I am in the ME. Even when I go home to the States, men make me nervous. It is all the staring and leering. But me and my other single female friend did our best to make them feel welcome without being forward. I usually go by my intuition and they didn't scare me. But after the movie, as they were leaving, they each went out of their way to shake my hand. And one of them (I can neither remember nor pronounce their names), took my hand in both of his and kissed it. It was full of thanks and appreciation. I was touched; I felt like a princess; I had been a part of blessing someone and they appreciated it.

There have been many kisses in the world. I am reminded of the lines in the Princess Bride about kisses that left all others behind. This wasn't that kind of kiss, but the contrast between this kiss and another historical kiss hit me hard. Nearly 2000 years ago, another man was kissed, but it was a kiss of betrayal. Even though that man had done and would do more for his betrayer than could comprehended or deserved. And here I was, being appreciated for so little.

Why Me?

Sometimes I marvel at us women. At least I like to think that I am like most women. I can go out and have a lovely day, nary a trouble, nothing new springs up to torment me, and yet as it gets later, I am weepy! Why? you might ask. To tell the truth, I haven't the foggiest idea. I am happy doing what I do. I love my teammates; they are so wonderful and so much fun. I am happy. Why do I feel like crying! This is so irrational! I had a wonderful day today. But half an hour ago, I was almost in tears. For NO REASON! At least not a reason that I can think of. Maybe there is something going on in my subconcious? Feelings come upon me that I don't understand? Ha.

I laugh at myself. I suppose God made me this way for a reason. I must be patient through it.

From the mouth of a 10 year old boy...

"Guess what! Mom said I could start staying up later when I got hair in my armpits!"

Those Coloradans!

So my new teammate is from Colorado. She puts honey on her pizza crust. This is something I have never seen or experienced before. Who does that? Is it just people in Colorado? I am asking around... Let me know if you know.

Helplessness

A heart fretting
mood -fettering
utter dullness
sharp anguish, aching
shaking and sad
unsure and shattered

Trust, trust—the whisper…

speechles screeching
screaming struggle
drowning the pounding pulse
if only, if only—I, We, He, They—

Trust, trust—the whisper…

grieving unleashed
throat-catching chaos

Trust, trust—the whisper…

What can I do?

Trust, trust, trust, trust…

New Vocabulary

Over the last several weeks, my friends and I have been coming up with new words to represent things and feelings that don't exist in the United States. I am putting a few below.

• ahspeedbump (perhaps the most often used of our new vocabulary) means the feeling of when you are approaching a speed bump and you are going too fast and don't have time to slow down. [There are speedbumps everywhere.]
• mudding is the precipation of mud in the place of rain. While rain and snow do exist, the amount of dust blown up from the south sits over our city and then is joined with a little moisture which descends on everyone and everthing. Nearly every car in the city is the exact same shade of tan.
• archiumphl is the feeling of congestion in the throat and lungs when a combination of dust and illness attack.
• electrament is the feeling of novelty when the power goes out. This state of functioning wears off over time until one does not "miss a beat" or even pause during a conversation which is then continuing in the dark.
• visorate is the effect of seeing your breath in a room that experience would tell us is not actually cold enough. It undoubtedly has something to do with humidity, but an interesting phenomenon all the same.

There are some concepts that we have yet to invent words for. As an example, the feeling of taking a shower with cold water and yet the shower still gets steamy (it isn't actually that hot yet, but I experienced it before). Another one along the same track is when you put on your clothes and they feel like they came out of the dryer although they really just came out of your closet. If you have any suggestions, please comment.

A Poet I Recently Discovered

THE OLD MAID

I SAW her in a Broadway car,
The woman I might grow to be;
I felt my lover look at her
And then turn suddenly to me.

Her hair was dull and drew no light
And yet its color was as mine;
Her eyes were strangely like my eyes
Tho' love had never made them shine.

Her body was a thing grown thin,
Hungry for love that never came;
Her soul was frozen in the dark
Unwarmed forever by love's flame.

I felt my lover look at her
And then turn suddenly to me,--
His eyes were magic to defy
The woman I shall never be.

--Sara Teasdale 1916

Just for Fun...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? not really but my mom had a roommate with my name...
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? during a movie a week ago
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? 58 students... does that count?
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I don't know... probably.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Define A Lot...
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Only if you paid me boatloads of money.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Granola
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? No.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Peppermint or Moose Tracks
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? voice
15. RED OR PINK? Red
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My size
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Laurel (my sister)
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? yes.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Jeans, no shoes indoors here.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Hot cocoa and a cookie...before that, fabulous Mexican food.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My kerosene heater, people outside, my typing, Laura typing and laughing.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Dark Purple
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? The ocean, the air after a heavy rain, hot fresh tortillas, newly cut wood, tatami, chicken soup
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Bob Keenan
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Anything my siblings play.
27. HAIR COLOR? Blonde
28. EYE COLOR? Brown
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Chedder Cheese
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Straight from the Heart (Bollywood)
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Tan tee with a light blue sweater/sweatshirt
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
35. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Carrot Cake...maybe.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Laurel
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Naomi
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Little Princess (teacher's reading group), The Hobbit (6th grade Lit), Genesis and Psalms, The World and Its People: Eastern Hemisphere.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have a mousepad, but my desktop is of the desert in Dubai.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LATE LAST NIGHT? I haven't watched TV since... well, January in Nashville I think.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? waves, birds, children laughing, thunder, silence
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Hmm... well considering that I have 2 homes that are about as far away as you can get from each other...how do I answer this question?
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? No
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Moscow, ID (not Russia)

If you read this, you are now tagged!

Sunshine and Shadows

This evening I saw the sun setting after several days of rain. Suddenly everywhere was flooded with light. The raindrops still glittered on the bare tree branches like white Christmas lights. The rooster across the way decided that it must be sunrise instead of sunset and I felt the warmth of morning in my soul. The dull tan concrete houses were blotched and dark with wetness that stood out from the grey and blue sky. Two small girls from the house across the street saw me standing on the glassy wet balcony and waved yelling "Hello! Hello!" Raising my hand to wave, I smiled, hoping that they knew that I was trying to be kind. The air smelled cleanly damp and the cars that drove by made a splashy noise like a mother hushing a small child. As the sun dropped further and further it became colderand darker, I retreated indoors where, although I can still see my breath, the rooms have been blessed with light.

Zebra

A zoo in Northern Iraq recently spent a large amount of money to purchase a zebra. The vet that inspected the animal recently resigned his position after a drenching rain storm. The paint manufacturer can no longer claim that their product has not been tested on animals. We wonder what will happen to the donkey.

Back at My Other Home

I am finally back in my home in the ME. I am so excited to see my kids (students) in the morning. But now...off to sleep. Happy!

Delayed in Dubai

Well, our flight got changed and no one told us and maybe the airline changed names too... we can't tell. Whatever the case, I am in Dubai for a bit more time than previously planned. We hope to fly out within the next few days and are calling the airport daily to keep track of the next flights out (make sure they don't get changed too!). But this allows for a little bit of sightseeing. Yesterday we went and saw the Ibn Battuta mall. Believe me, this place was impressive. There were areas of the mall for different places that this man Ibn Battuta had traveled from Spain to China. Below is a picture of the Persian area. I don't care for malls much, but I could have wandered around in this mall for ages. Although I don't know if that would be too good for business because I barely noticed the shops. I was only looking at the ceilings and walls. It is set up to look like you are outside almost, until you get to these huge rooms like cathedrals done up in that style. Then you move on to the next one. Anyway, it was fun and a good indoor alternative to the beaches. We wanted to go out to the beaches or something, but there was a sandstorm so we couldn't have seen anything anyway.

Nashville

Here I am... Nashville. It has a certain moist smell most of the times I have been here. It is a city full of roads that I haven't begun to understand despite my multiple visits here. The houses are beautiful with brick and pillars. The people almost all talk slow and add extra syllables. "Hill" comes out more like "Hee-yull". I can do a pretty good Nashville now. I haven't met any famous musicians...or at least anyone that I knew was famous. But maybe famous people like to meet people that don't know who they are. It means that they get to be normal, if only for a few minutes. Who knows...

So, it's been a while...

I have been terribly lax in posting this Christmas. I suppose that part of the reason is that I haven't been doing much of note. I have had snowball fights, lime juice fights, made funny hand signals with my sister, laughed until my head hurt, played Settlers of Catan lots and lots, read some Agatha Christie mysteries, had coffee/lunch/breakfast with people, laughed, gone walking by myself, played with my dog, cleaned my room (it kept getting messy), visited my grandparents, sang hymns, laughed, and laughed, and laughed. I have had a fabulous time.

Pictures... Pictures... and More...

So, I have all these pictures on my camera that I never put up because I forgot about them. Here are a select few. =)

Happy New Year!

I like Christmas. New Years is okay. It is a nice time for reflecting on what one has done. Although perhaps it ought to be done more... or less. Why do we decide that the change in the little numbers that we write at the top of letters or journals decide when we reflect, but "time and chance happen to us all".

Whatever the case, I looked through my old journals to discover the entries of January 1st. I have journals all the way back to when I was 7 years old. I find that there is a common thread, that weaves through them all, that is uncertainty. There is a great unknown out there, and I don't suppose that that will ever change.

I was talking with a friend as we contemplated our individual uncertainties and despite the fact that we dislike them, we also both knew that a life where we knew everything ahead of time would be rather boring. It is really more fun this way!