A little glimpse of "home"

I know it's been an inexcusably long time since I last posted. Since we arrived in the gulf region, we've found an apartment and settled into something of a routine that currently includes class, visits with the neighbors and an anytime-we-can-get-there (weekly sometimes every few days) trip to the internet cafe because internet and phone service are two things that, among many many others, either don't ever get done (even when there are scheduled appointments) or it takes fifty million times too long to get it done.

"Insh'allah" is the phrase we hear most often. It means "If Allah wills it." There is a recognized and demonstrated fatalism that goes along with a language and culture entirely rooted in the will of Allah.

Sometimes it's in a nice way: Layla (our house mom in Morocco), "Insh'allah you will come back here and visit us again." Look, we both know that it's probably not happening, but it's a really nice thought, right? It's the invitation to come back and the hope that we will, but it's just not for certain.

Most times, though, it's like "Bless your (his/her/their) heart(s)." in the south: Lunching ladies at the club, "Oh, that little strapless dress that so-and-so is wearing is so very modern, bless her heart." Doesn't everyone know that you aren't allowed to wear strapless in the clubhouse, could someone get her a shawl at least, for heaven's sake?!

So, when we hear that the internet company "lost" our paperwork and cancelled our order not one but two times (the paperwork, of course, magically appeared in it's proper file when we appeared in the office the next day), and then we hear that "Insh'allah the technician will come tomorrow for the umpteenth time, you can imagine just how much faith we have in THAT (not a great testimony, I must say).

Generally, though, life in Buraimi is pleasant and we continue to find new things and people to experience. For a little glimpse of home, I'll post a few albums on picasa and things should pick up soon on regular posts (Insh'allah!).