run to the border

so, got to take a fun little rendezvous for a weekend. went with a friend to check out a country close to us here. it was a quick trip, but such fun with many laughs. we travelled by boat for part of it and were totally blown away by the fanciness of our boat. very nice. we were totally stoked.





so, as we were trying to find our way to the beach after arriving to our destination, we stumbled upon this--i was so happy! what fun. i was very happy to see such a fun thing like this street, but was also very happy to be in some short-sleeves. it was quite freeing and interesting to step into another culture where ladies don't get the comments that we do here.
honestly, it felt nice to be just part of the crowd for the first time in a few months.


when i saw this cafe' i just had to take a photo! a big shot out to all my central AR peeps for sure:) i didn't eat there cause i had bigger and better food things in mind--as you will see below....







...so, when visiting a English speaking territory i about flipped out when i saw an actual SUBWAY sandwiches. you can ask my friend, i about fell out. ha! i was so happy to see this familiar and favorite eatery. i definitely enjoyed the Subway Melt i got all toasted with ham and bacon and all the veggies. oh yeah!

there were many other stories from this trip that may be hard to completely share through this medium, but i hope to get them up here ASAP. just didn't want to leave you guys wondering.

oh and check out those bare arms! it was a refreshing trip for sure.
life is good and learning a lot each day for sure.

a mix of updates

so, i didn't think that i had given you all a look into our 4th of July celebration here. it was a lot of fun and was filled with incredible food. it was nice to gather with friends to celebrate this holiday. i was also so grateful to talk over the phone with some family that i hadn't gotten to talk with yet. a true joy, indeed.

pictured here is our fabulous spread of food for the holiday. check out the lovely jello creations and those hot dogs--some actually being pork, while others are made of duck is i think what i was told. beans, salads, cole slaw, and potato salad--wow.














later that weekend a group of friends went with some birthday folks to go bowling at our local mega mall. when we walked through the doors to the mall we heard this major techno music going on. i got really excited. we looked over the railing onto the ground floor to see this stage set up and local kids gathered. there was a techno dance competition i guess. it was way fun and made me want to dance. i didn't enter the competition--maybe next time around. it was fun to see these kiddos in their element and to see the European influence lived out in these kids.

earlier that week i got the opportunity to visit the local beach with a new friend. it was an interesting experience as i had just been to another beach a few days earlier. this beach was definitely more frequented. my friend was totally fear-less as she was about jumping right in and swimming out into the waves--it was fun. she even went to the other side where the river comes in and totally dove off these rocks and was hanging with the guys--which was so interesting to watch in the midst of this guy/girl polarized culture. she is a sweetie and i look forward to getting to know her more soon.

trip #2

i was able to take an overnight trip to visit some friends in another city. it was great to check out what it is like in their neck of the desert-ha! it was also fun to learn some interesting history and let them tour me around their city as i was able to have them to my city about a month before.

here is the bab (door) into a pretty swanky golf course. i was told that even the king plays here! fancy!
here is me and my riding buddy. we took all the sites in via horse drawn carriage. it was a fun way to see the different sites and was ultra convenient as the guy would stop at all the sites to let us out and take tours and photos. it was a perfect way to stay out of the 104 degree F sun.
this archway was at a mausoleum we visited. it was an interesting set up as we walked through several rooms to get to the actual holy site. the tile work and architecture is just so fabulous. this was the mausoleum of a king that claimed this particular city as the capitol of the country for a period of time. he was part of different dynasty than the one currently ruling today.
so much interesting stuff!






we were also able to visit the stables and granary that once held/served thousands of horses. the inside part was naturally cooled and our guide called it natural air conditioning. and these stalls in which i am posing with in the photo were set up so that from one spot a person could see every stall--not sure how they did it, but great minds were at work here.

it was a blast to of course see friends, but i also enjoyed learning more about the culture and life here in another city. cool!

friday afternoon: take 2

mmm good! the couscous is ready and is served! it is quite funny cause it got a little warm that afternoon, so the ladies insisted that we all strip down to our tank tops to eat this oh so delicious lunch. i started out eating with a spoon cause they gave one to me, but they were all eating with their hands. i decided that i wanted to join in on the fun and...
...i learned how to roll the couscous in a ball just like they do! my couscous balls weren't as large as theirs, but is was a great start. they were very happy to teach me and see me get the technique down. i was so stoked!
it was seriously delicious and they insisted that i keep eating and eating and eating--even after they were finished and left the table!
i was oh so full to say the least.
well, then everyone started getting all cleaned up and dolled up. i wasn't really sure what was happening next, but figured out that we were going somewhere else. i thought maybe we were going to a friend's house for coffee, but realized that when we arrived to the other house, it was the mama's sister's house and all of her family. and it was just after the call to prayer, so they were about to dig in on couscous! so, i had another round--they insisted that i eat, eat, and eat some more! it was fun to practice my arabic for sure. they were a really neat family.
the ladies let me help prepare the batter for what i like to call north african pancakes. it was so cool! i felt so welcome and this family loved to laugh and enjoy one another. it was an honor.
it was interesting because in some families the men will not be in the same room with the ladies, but this family wasn't like that. these brothers wanted me to drink some tea with them after couscous. the one on the left was enjoying his tobacco pipe while enjoying his afternoon tea. then the pancakes were served with apricot jelly. mmm delicious! i was so full by this point though.

i am just so thankful to be here and learn about this place, the people, the food, and the language. what a joy!

friday afternoon: take 1

so, i was invited by my friend (that i mentioned earlier taking me captive for a day:) to join her and her family for the Friday couscous. it was a really great time to spend with her, her mama, and two sisters. it started out with my friend meeting me in town and then we took a bus to her home in a neighboring city. we then went to her house so i could meet the family. i felt so welcome and was excited to be there. the food was not quite ready, so i went with the older sister to go call a friend at a teleboutique. then my friend decided to go for a stroll and sohw me the neighborhood. it was funny cause we ended up stopping off at a salon to have her eyebrows done. that was an interesting thing to watch happen:) my friend hasn't quite gotten used to tweezers, so part of the way through she had the lady shave the undesired sections off. hmmm.
well, then i mad a comment about the tikshetas/caftans that they wear here (we were passing by a boutique with them) and asked if she had one. she got really excited that i asked and i mentioned that i had my camera, too. so, we got back to her house and ended up doing a fashion show! it was a blast!
the first photo is of my friend's sister and i in tikshetas--i loved the one that i tried on cause the under-layer was blue and the top layer was yellow (one of my fav color combos). the ladies also decided to khl me, which is the black eyeliner that they wear in a traditional sense. it is pretty intense as it kind of burns and lasts for a few days!

now, i am here with mama and the younger sister. we were all wearing caftans. the difference between a caftan and tiksheta is that the caftan is just one layer and isn't quite as dressy and the tiksheta is two layers and a bit more formal.
now i am with my friend! she is wearing a tiksheta and i have another caftan on. these ladies had the hook up on some formal wear! it was a lot of fun to get all dressed up and take photos of all the outfits.










then, it was time to get the couscous ready to serve. i was decked out in a jellaba this time to pose for this shot helping dish out the couscous. they were so great! there were very happy to let me document this neat afternoon. so, after the couscous was dished out of this pot, mama added some water to fluff it and then poured it back into this huge serving dish to then pour over all the veggies and meat. in the next post you will see more about the actual meal and what was to come later in the afternoon:)