Making Friends

Tonight I met a friend of a friend of mine back in the states who works here with his girlfriend in Kuwait. He is Moroccan and she is American. They are both sooo nice. We had a lot of fun this evening together and enjoyed some delicious fruit milkshakes. We talked mostly about Islam. They are both very intelligent and open minded and kind. I am happy to have met them both.

Last night at my friend Salma's house a surat just popped into my head, one I thought I had completely forgotten how to recite. It was surat Al-Nasr, this means "The Help." The surahs were given titles later down the line, just fyi. Anyway, it is a beautiful surah. I wonder why it popped back into my head at that time. I figure it happened for a reason so I thought I would just paste it into my post today for you to benefit from it insha Allah.

An-Nasr
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

When Allah's succour and the triumph cometh (1) And thou seest mankind entering the religion of Allah in troops, (2) Then hymn the praises of thy Lord, and seek forgiveness of Him. Lo! He is ever ready to show mercy. (3)

سُوۡرَةُ النّصر
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

إِذَا جَآءَ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡفَتۡحُ (١) وَرَأَيۡتَ ٱلنَّاسَ يَدۡخُلُونَ فِى دِينِ ٱللَّهِ أَفۡوَاجً۬ا (٢) فَسَبِّحۡ بِحَمۡدِ رَبِّكَ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡهُ‌ۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ ڪَانَ تَوَّابَۢا (٣)

Gurgey3an (Traditional Kuwaiti Holiday)

Assalamu alaikum,
I am very happy for many reasons, and I am always happy, but today I am extra happy because I spent time with a wonderful family and I finally had the chance to do a little community service here in Kuwait and because I tried out for my university soccer team here. I am a baseball, softball, and tennis player, but I have not played soccer since I was like 8 years old so I was a little nervous about even trying out. I knew the girls in Kuwait would be good because most of their brothers play and are very very good at it. I wasn't mistaken. The tryouts for the American University of Kuwait soccer team were last night and when I arrived I saw many of the girls playing and they definitely knew what they were doing. I was very excited to join them. I have been wanting to do something active since I arrived in the middle east since I am normally a very active and healthy person.

I was not too afraid to try because I feel very comfortable with sports and athletics in general and I know how good it can be to play a team sport for your own development as a person. I knew I would also get to meet a lot of nice new people through it. So I first played goalie position for a few minutes and enjoyed it very much. I like it because it reminds me of fielding grounders and making catches like I did in baseball. I just had to make sure to keep my eye on the ball and I had a lot of experience with that through my other sports. But I felt like I wanted to try to play forward or mid-fielder because I really wanted to try kicking a goal. and do some running.

So for most of the game I was given the chance to play forward on the right side. I had such a good time. It was a great challenge. I was very aggressive and I pushed myself to do well. It was a big learning experience for me because I don't know much about the rules or technique of soccer. But I managed to do well just out of my determination to do well. I actually ended up kicking the most goals out of the entire team so that was a surprise I kicked 2 of the 3 goals of the game. AlhamdulEllah. After the game, the coach named of the 16 girls who would make the team out of the 30 something that came to try out. I was selected for the team!!!!! So I am now a member of the AUK official team!! I can't believe it. I'm really excited for this experience. All of the girls on the team were very welcoming and nice. I look forward to getting to know them better.

Today I went to my friend Salma's home. Today is the full moon and it is half way time through the holy month of Ramadaan. During this time there is a traditional Kuwaiti holiday called Gurge3an. It is a time of gift-giving and zakat and making fun for the children. Salma and her mother had a great project in memory of their beloved mother and grandmother, Allah yarhamuha, a very admirable lady, just as Salma and her mom and family are too. It is clear this wonderful lady was an excellent woman to develop such a beautiful family.
They had a project of giving clothes and every other necessity you can imagine from detergent to dates, from shoes to hair brushes, from pretty outfits to baby clothes. You name it, they had it to give to the needy. I was so impressed with what they have put together. Masha Allah. May Allah greatly bless all those who have contributed to this amazing annual project. I felt so privileged to be a part of it. I wish I could do more. May Allah help me to know what else I can do. I was so happy to be there them and their friends working together.

Salma's mom even made for us personalized cupcakes. It was so cute. There home is so beautiful, it is done in Japanese style with a very artistic and creative twist to it. Salma's mom is a great artist mashaAllah. Her photography of Japan was breathtaking. She really captures the soul of that which she photographs. It left me speechless. Her children are more amazing still. All of her kids are spectacular and admirable. I wished they were really my family as I am an only child and felt a very close bond with them instantly. What is very ironic is they actually lived in Japan for two years and Salma even went to school there and speaks some Japanese just like me!!! :) What a small world. That is sooo cool.

It is so clear that this family really loves ALLAH. It is obvious through their fruits and through their warmth and through their words. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks as Jesus said in the injil (Pbuh), and you shall know them by their fruits. I felt so at home there, the time just flew by. Salma's mom gave me some very inspiring words about Islam. She told me about how our duty to our parents is even stronger than duty for jihad in battle according to Mohammad (SAAWS). I hope to find the hadeeth that talks about that so I can further elaborate on it in a later post insha Allah.

I am home now and ready to get some rest. See you tomorrow insha Allah.

Change

Salam! Today I went to my friend Lamia's home for Iftar. It was sooo good. We had really good mechbous diyay and sambosas. I really loved her mom and dad. They are soooo nice. I hope to visit them again soon insha Allah. After that I went to the lecture at my school. The two lecturers speaking are very well known teachers of Islam in Kuwait. They wanted me to share with the college students about how I came to Islam. People really liked to hear my story. Even the teachers were happy for me. I am glad I told the story because it is for the glory of Allah. All that is good is from him. It was a very inspiring night and I met a lot of very nice Muslims. So many people came to ask me questions after the lecture and many people were so happy. AlhamdulEllah. Here is part one of my talk. It is a bit rough because it was my first time to talk to so many people about my experience in Islam. But alhamdulEllah :) it was a beautiful.

From Surat 23 of the Quran

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[23.1] Successful indeed are the believers,
[23.2] Who are humble in their prayers,
[23.3] And who keep aloof from what is vain,
[23.4] And who are givers of poor-rate,
[23.5] And who guard their private parts,
[23.6] Except before their mates or those whom their right hands possess, for they surely are not blameable,
[23.7] But whoever seeks to go beyond that, these are they that exceed the limits;
[23.8] And those who are keepers of their trusts and their covenant,
[23.9] And those who keep a guard on their prayers;
[23.10] These are they who are the heirs,
[23.11] Who shall inherit the Paradise; they shall abide therein.
[23.12] And certainly We created man of an extract of clay

ELOHIM ETANO ** ALLAH MA'ANA الله معان

Assalamu alaikoum wa rahmatAllah wa barakatoh
I had a very pivital moment in my walk with God yesterday. I seem to have these type of experiences every day as I learn more and more and come closer and closer towards attaining Taqwa, my life ambition. I was reflecting while listening to the athan yesterday before Isha salat, of the images of brotherhood and love and compassion and consideration and a fear of God and of observance of God that I have observed since arriving in the Arab world. Many people had warned me not to be shocked by many secular muslims here. But from the moment I arrived in an Arabic place, I saw so much love and so much good Islam and I felt the presence of God everywhere I went until now. AlhamdulEllah.
The people I have met, have treated me so kindly and so welcoming. I pray with my friends in their homes, side by side, or with their little children. We say a blessing before we eat or make petitions to God and thank him as we break out fasts. Every other word out of peoples' mouths is Allah, and you can hear praises to Him and read ayas from the Quran everywhere from inside taxis to the loudspeakers from the mosques. In the states we have a starbucks on every corner, but here you can find a mosque instead. The people here tell me I am an inspiration to them as a person from a more secular upbringing and environment to actively choose to submit to Islam whereas they are born muslim and see it everyday and take it for granted, yet to me THEY are MY inspiration because of their big hearts, as the most important thing for all believers to do is to love God and others and I see this in the way they are with each other and with me. They also possess so much knowledge, they know God's word by heart, they pray and commune with God throughout the day. They put him first in all of their activities. You can go a long time without hearing God's name mentioned or see someone saying a blessing or the like in the states where I live, but here you cannot escape it. It is in everything. I am not saying it is the ideal here, but I am definitely impacted by this exposure I have had to Islam in the middle east. It is exciting for Arabs to see that Islam is growing throughout the world, and that you can find even better and more observant Muslims in countries that are not even Arab. Just because the Quran was revealed amongst an Arab community, does not mean that the Arabs are the best Muslims. You see, it is not about ethnicity or race or creed or culture. It is about our submission to God's will, and anyone of any background can do this.
But nonetheless, I still feel that there is a lot here to be appreciated as it pertains to God. I went to futoor yesterday to my friend Alia's house, she is a relative of my Kuwaiti friend May from my university. I met her when I had futoor at May's grandmother's house (Allah yarhamuha). It is my step grandparents' birthday. One was born on the 23rd and the other ont he 24th of the same month! Nice! Anyway, after futoor my friend Salma picked me up with her friend Sarah. We went for Taraweeh prayer at the Rashad mosque in Adailyia. It is the most beautiful mosque I have been to yet here in Kuwait. I really liked it. Especially the imam's voice for reciting the quran and leading the salat. Masha Allah. After we prayed and made du3a (petitions to God), we sat together and chatted.
When I told them my story, I began to cry out of joy and my spirit wept with me because I felt so overwhelmed by the power of God in my life. He is so awesome. He has showed so many wondrous things just in the first couple of weeks I have been here that have touched me so deeply. Whenever I think of these things I just want to throw myself to the ground in worship of Him.
This experience has affected my entire life for the better. I feel like I have been traveling already for a lifetime and it has only been less than a month because of all that I have learned and seen and felt. I was telling them about my experience and I couldn't help but get choked up and had to push the tears back out of the happiness and awe of Allah. Allah really is most gracious, because I am unworthy really of all that he has blessed me with and the many special people he has put on my path in life and the many things I have been privileged to experience. Really his grace is so abounding. It is through his grace and his mercy that I have had these many blessings in my life. It is not through me but from him, and I never get tired of saying Alhamdulellaheerabbil Alameen, arrahmaneer raheem. He really is that. We say that many times everyday and I could say it all day and all night and still not tire of it because it is sooooo trueee and may he be praised for ever and ever.
After talking with my friends, we went back to Alia's house and they went home. I was watching TV while Alia was putting her 3 beautiful children to sleep and I found a channel that was showing the salat at the Mosque Al-Haram in Meccah during hajj. I had seen video of it before but i had never heard the salat being said before. It was absolutely amazing. I had never seen or heard anything so beautiful. There were actually two reciters who would echo each other and each had a distinctly beautiful voice. The experience was amazing to see everyone prostrating before God together and hearing the quran recited amongst all of the masses of people all in white. The reciter was reciting Surat Yusuf, the chapter about the prophet Joseph (pbuh) well known and loved by all 3 monthotheistic religions. His story was one of the biggest influences in my life. It taught about how to handle change and how to be a leader and how to hold my tongue and how to have integrity and much more. What's more, when he was reciting it, they were showing the translation in English in subtitles, so I could understand the whole story from the Quran!! The Quran version of the story is absolutely beautiful masha Allah. I again began to feel my tears coming into my eyes. SubhanAllah.

After that, Alia took me home and gave me a banana and water (mouz and mai in Arabic). Then I did some homework and slept until suhoor time and fajr salat. Then I went to school later in the morning. After class one of the members of student government who is a practicing and good muslim asked me to meet with him and a director of the student affairs at the school. We talked about Islam for a while and then he told me about the event happening tomorrow at my university. Two men whom I have seen on TV who teach about principles and guidance about Islam are coming to do a lecture at the school. I am very excited because they are both very good teachers of Islam and good leaders. Nizar surprised me because he told me that he talked to one of them, Sheikh Mohammad Al3uthey and he wants to meet me. Not only this, but he also wants me to speak at the event to the students about how I came to Islam. I feel so shy to do it but I accept without hesitating because anything that is good is from Allah and it is good to talk with others about the truth. Insha Allah it will inspire someone to come closer to Allah. May the glory be to Allah. I may also be interviewed on TV by him as well. At any rate I am very excited for the lecture. I am sure I will learn a lot insha Allah. I have been looking forward to it since I heard they were coming.
I will let you know how it goes insha Allah. Tonight I had futoor again with Alia, she is sooo sweet. We had a nice time and then I went to pray Taraweeh at the mosque just across the street from her. She is also a block away from the Aware center so that is good news. AlhamdulEllah. The Aware center is a place to go to learn about Islam. That is where I hope to do my studies insha Allah. Then I went with my friend Deena to a lecture at the Regency Hotel about how we can make a change for the better and how God can turn our life around if we just make the choice to change our way, and how it is never too late to change. Also, he explained how change is just one step, but we also learn to be strong by handling the consequences well of the changes we make. For example, when we decide we will fast during Ramadan, we stop eating in the day and that is good, but then we feel the consequences of that choice, we feel hungry, or maybe weak or thirsty or tempted, but we must be strong to face those consequences and handle them right. Then when we do that, we are refining ourselves from the inside out and truly changing our ways. It was a very nice lecture and what was funny is that the speaker happened to be my History professor!!!! It was his first public lecture. I feel honored that I had the chance to be there to see it. AlhamdulEllah.
After that, I went with Deena and my other friend Heba and my roommate Kara to the coffee shop and talked for a little while.
Ramadan is like Christmas or Thanksgiving times 10000!! In the states, we make a big deal about having a special dinner once or twice and get with our family once a year. But for Ramadan, every single day for the entire month and beyond, we are sharing and spending time with our community, sharing our food, our love our charity, our homes. We pray together, at the mosque and at home. We have an abundance of blessings and treats and events. It really is an amazing time. Imagine having Christmas night every night. That is how it is here every day. And the best thing is, there is no commercializing, it is just about glorifying God and putting him first and growing and loving. So muched to be learned from this.
Now I have to get back to my homework. Until next time! Allah Ma3kum.

God is with us, always, forever. He is here now and he will always be there.

Alhayat fee Alkuwait

Assalamu alaikoum.
Yesterday I went to futoor at my friends' house. They are three sisters from Oman and Kuwait. They are so sweet. We had fun together. They dressed me up in traditional Kuwaiti style and we had a nice iftar. After that we went to Sofia's brothers' engagement meeting. This is where her two brothers would be seeing their future wives along with the rest of the family and start making plans for the wedding and such.

For the first part of the evening I sat with all the women in one room and the men were in another. After a few hours and many cups of coffee and tea (by this time i had had like a gallon because I had also drank some after futoor), my friend Dodi called me from Saudi Arabia. He told me he had good news. He had met a Sheik who is from Kuwait who helps people do umrah. Dodi knew I really really want to do umrah this Ramadaan so he told the sheikh about me. He told him he would be happy to help me go there. But the problem is that i did not take care of getting a visa before i am here and now everybody wants to go to Saudia. So it looks like I might not get to go until later. But I hope it will be very very soon insha Allah. When Allah wills it.

Then we went over the men's room. The two young men were sitting in a couch together and the two girls to be married to them sat down across from them. All of them were so shy. They didn't say one word to each other except small greetings and the girls were giggling to each other a lot. It was fascinating to observe this. I was wondering what was going to happen but then after about an hour or so, the girls got up and then everyone said good night and that was it. All the family was there. It was a nice family and cute couples. Two brothers were going to marry two sisters. Then one family took me home. I did not get home until very late so today I did not get as much accomplished as I had hoped but alhamdulEllah.

I went to futoor dinner with May today. She is such a sweetie pie. It was at her late grandmother's house, Allah yarhamuha. We ate some very good traditional Kuwaiti food. Excellent. I had a soup called Haseera or something like that with some lemon and salt. It was delicious. Then we had tea in the sitting room and the family asked me how I came to Islam. People here are very interested in knowing what brought me to Islam and I am more than happy to share my story.

I really liked meeting May's family. They are soooo great. They are all very educated and polited and friendly. We prayed maghrib salat together too. They talked about how there is a lot of problem in Islam when people want to create innovations in the religion that did not exist in the time of the Prophet and we need to use our intelligence and the Quran to discern between the good and bad. I share in this sentiment with them. We need to remember that Allah desires us to succeed and that his book is complete. We also have the hadeeth to provide us with even more guidance. AlhamdulEllah.
Tomorrow I will be goig to May's aunt Alia's house for futoor insha Allah.

O Allah, on this day, make us, among those who rely on You, from those who You consider successful, and place us among those who are near to you, by Your favour, O goal of the seekers.May Allah include us among those who’s fasting and prayers will be accepted, among those whose evil deeds will have been transformed into good deeds, among those whom Allah will allow by His mercy to enter the Garden

Traditional Kuwait

Assalamu alaikoum
I have met some very nice people in Kuwait masha Allah. This morning I went to class and I found the Arabic class to be a big challenge because most of the students in the class are native speakers of Arabic. But I have faith Allah will help me. I am enjoying all of my classes alhamdulEllah. Yesterday after class I met with a young man named Nizar with student government who is studying to be a scholar of Islam like his uncles and his friend Heba from Eqypt. She is studying management and psychology. Both of them were so nice and helpful. Heba gave me a gift and a nice letter because she was very happy I came to Islam.

In my international business class each student was assigned a country of the world. I was happy because I got all of the Bilad al-Shems countries. I was hoping the teacher would assign to me an Arab country or Iran because it would give me an opportunity to learn more about the region of the world I am most interested. The gulf countries would have been great, but I am happy I got this part of the world. After my classes I went with my roommate to Kuwait University. I love it there! It's so great. I hope to study there too someday. I went there because I want to study Persian and Arabic at that school. I will sign up for it tomorrow insha Allah. After futoor, my friend May sent to me one of her dura3aa, which is the traditional Kuwaiti dress. That was soooooo nice of her. I really am happy to have her as a friend because she loves Allah and has such a big heart.

After Isha salat we went to the mbaraqiya, the traditional Kuwaiti market. It was so interesting and there were so many people shopping. We got some dura3a and we also got some head scarves and my roommate, Kara, got her first muslim hijab and jilbab. Masha Allah. She is also fasting with me for Ramadaan. AlhamdulEllah. Then we had some fresh juice. I had pomegranate (Roman) and she had Cactus Pear. We bought some mamouls with walnut filling, yummy, and then we bought some head scarves, and then my shoe broke so I had to buy a new one at the first store I saw and the shoe was over-priced and painful and a funny color but the experience was sooo funny. We were laughing so much. AlhamdulEllah.

Then we went to the university for the Kuwaiti Traditional theme event but we came too late for it. Insha Allah there will be another opportunity like that. I am learning now to recite Surat Maryam during Ramadaan. It is my goal this month.

Ramadaan Kareem

I am so happy to be in Kuwait during Ramadaan. It has been a very blessed month until now, masha Allah. I just came back home from Futoor (the breaking of the fast) with my friends. They are such a nice family masha Allah. They introduced me to some students at my university also. I am excited to get to know them better as they are also very nice. I have made some nice friends here already.

I am excited to go to Saudi Arabia sometime soon this month in sha Allah for Umrah. If you do this pilgrimage during Ramadan it is as if I had done the Hajj before Allah. So I hope I can do it if Allah wills it. I am excited because Sheikh Al Afasy will be coming back to Kuwait by the 15th day of Ramadaan so I will go to hear his recitation for Tajahud insha Allah. I hope to go buy some dura3a soon. Those are nice traditional dresses here.

I signed up for the the Mock United Nations Club and the Tennis Team at my school today so I am looking forward to that. I wanted to join the community service club but there was no club like that. I thought there would be. Well I hope I can do some sort of community service while I am here. I would feel empty if I didn't. I am looking forward to starting Persian language classes and Islamic Studies too. I will be going to Kuwait University soon to see about the language classes. Possibly tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I hope.

My classes at AUK are excellent. It is a bit segregated. My International Business class is all girls, all 40 students. So that is a bit different than the states. I don't know if it is supposed to be like that or just a coincidence. My other classes are somewhat mixed. But it doesn't matter to me. It is just different. I am taking Arabic, International Business Management, and 20th Century Arab History. I am settled in almost 100% I just need to figure out how to take the buses here and find a gym and I will be complete insha Allah.

I hope to post a daily thought about Ramadaan each time I post something this month, so here is some sent to me from a friend. May it enrich you as much as it enriched me:

Here are some petitions to Allah (or in Arabic - Du3aa) you can say during Ramadaaan, the month of the Holy Quran, the month of fasting:
1) O Allah, on this day, take me closer towards Your pleasure, keep me away from Your anger and punishment, grant me the opportunity to recite Your verses (of the Qur'an), by Your mercy, O the most Merciful.

2) O Allah, on this day make my fasts the fasts of those who fast (sincerely), and my standing up in prayer of those who stand up in prayer (obediently), awaken me in it from the sleep of the heedless, and forgive me my sins , O God of the worlds, and forgive me, O one who forgives the sinners.

And here is a Hadeeth from the Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh):

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “If someone draws near to Allah during Ramadan with some good act he will be like one who fulfils an obligatory duty in another month, and he who fulfils an obligatory duty in it will be like one who fulfils seventy obligatory duties in another month”. (Tirmidhi Hadith 1965)

Iftar

Assalamu alaikoum wa rahmatAllah. Today I went to Suq Sharq, I thought it would be a market but it turned out to be another mall. On the way I saw the Persian Gulf in the day light for the first time. It is soooo beautiful. The water is a beautiful turquiose color. We bought some baklawa in the pastry shop at the supermarket that was connected to the mall to give to my friend for inviting me to her home for Iftar dinner and then we went to the mbarakiya. That is more like a real marketplace. It was amazing. So many interesting people and things. We saw many perfume oils and foods and spices and clothes. It was a lot of fun. Insha Allah we will go there often. It is my favorite place in Kuwait so far.
Later that afternoon, my friend Sofia picked us up. She was the lady that the professor at Kuwait University referred me to. She is soooo nice. Her children are incredibly cute. She has three. She took us to her home where I prayed maghrib with the children. We had a wonderful iftar dinner, my first time eating Mechbous Diyay in Kuwait (btw, u can find my recipe for this on my recipe blog; mimisrecipes.blogspot.com). We had a big feast on the floor traditional Kuwaiti style. Then we had shai and gehuwa and pastries after. Then the girls took me to pray taraweeh for the first time in the mosque. It was great. Then she took me to her sister-in-law's home. It is absolutely beautiful. When I walked in to the welcome room, there were about 5 beautiful ladies in their dura3as and intricate eye makeup and nice scarves having gehuwa. We all sat and chatted for a while. I really liked them all. They were so feminine and so nice. We stayed there for a while and they fed me even more treats. Then they brought out bukhour and a tray full of beautiful perfumes and oils. We tried them all. I think we will smell good for the rest of our stay after that!!! It was a nice ramadhan day, alhamdulEllah. Today was my first real experience with traditional Kuwait culture within the household. I better sleep now, it is late and i had a long day and I'm sick and I have my first day of school tomorrow. I wanted to write now so I wouldn't forget the details. I will be sure to let you know how school goes insha Allah. Salaaaaam!

AlKuwait

Salam! I'm finally in Kuwait. I have been here for a couple days now. Everything is good. Kul shey tamam, alhamdulEllah. I had missed my flight in Jordan, but the flight I got on was great because I was sitting next to Doctor Suleman Shoyty a professor of Islamic Studies at Kuwait University. We had a great conversation after he had noticed I was studying Arabic on the flight. He helped me with it, it was a lot of fun. He gave me the number of a lady named Sofia who also works for Kuwait University and knows a lot about Islam. He and I got along very well and he told me he has daughters also studying Islamic Studies at KU. I hope to meet them sometime too.

After the nice plane ride, I felt my first experience with the heat of Kuwait. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. I actually felt an emotional response to it, just happiness and astonishment I was actually here. Then I had to go get my visa which took like 3 and half hours because of a problem with their systems. My plane to Kuwait was also delayed like 3 hours too. But I was too happy to feel annoyed with anything. It was so cool to see all the people walking around in their dishdasha. The dishsasha is the white robes and head covers the men wear in the gulf. It is sooo cool. I saw two men walk past me in white dishdasha and each holding a REAL falcon!!! It was soooooooo awesome!! I LOVE falcons. When the man handed me my visa, I was sooooo happy to have it, that I just took the visa and passport and left behind my wallet and everything else in my hands! I went downstairs to go through immigration and to get my baggage when I realized I had left everything behind. The security had no problem letting me back through, everyone was so nice.

Then I finally left the airport and headed for my apartment. My roommate was already there when I arrived. Her name is Kara. She is also American but studied for a year in Lebanon. She is very laid back and nice. We get along well alahmdulEllah. The apartment is spacious and nice and has everything we need. The only bad part about it is the location. It is a bit far from school to walk so we will have to find a driver if we stay here. A friend already offered me to stay with her but I can't leave my roommate but that is fine. It is nice to have this place and we can also help each other out.

The first few days I was exhausted from my travels before and had a bad cold. But I am doing better now. AlhamdulEllah. I slept a lot the first few days too. But the first day we arrived we went straight to the supermarket and realized that Kuwait food is not as cheap as people had been telling us. Yikes!!!!!! It was pretty expensive. We put a definite dent in our pockets from the very first trip. But we are still just learning about things so it's okay.

Another lesson was the taxi drivers. They take a bit getting used to. I got proposed to on a five minute long taxi ride at one point. My friend got stalked by a guy and I guess it is typical for men to follow women home here. Strange. But in general nothing dangerous. We just have to take care and be smart and try to understand we are in another culture. It is fun and people are very nice for the most part. I am very happy here so far.

My friend and I went to Marina Mall the other day. This was the most popular place for Kuwaitis for a while until Avenues mall opened. It is very nice. The marina is absolutely beautiful. There are many good stores like Zara and such. I had a cinabon while I was there too, yummy! It is cool to hear the Azan, the call to salat everywhere I go, even within the mall. It was prayer time when I was there and there is even a mosque inside the mall in addition to prayer rooms. I remember the first time I heard the call to salat in the middle east was in the old city in Jerusalem. That was an incredible feeling. Masha Allah.

The next day my friend who also attends University of Washington, May, picked us up and took us to the Chocolate Bar. It was sooooooo good. We had dinner there and then shared chocolate fondue!!! MmmmmmM!!! She taught us a lot about Kuwaiti culture. She is a sweetheart. She is going back to the states on the 24th but I hope we can hang out again maybe to attend Taraweeh in the grand mosque insha Allah before she goes. She is going to tell us where we can find good dura3as. This is the traditional dress for Ramadan. My other friend Fatima invited me to the mosque with her but her grandmother fell ill today so she had to cancel. May Allah bring her health and peace.

Today was the first day of Ramadan. This morning I went to my university here and paid my tuition. I really love my school. It looks like it will be a lot of fun insha Allah. Then I went to another supermarket I like much more than the one I went to the first day. It is called Sultan Market. It's a lot like an American supermarket plus a Target in one. Then I went back home and rested since I still have a cold. I fasted anyway though because I was so happy to be fasting for the first time in a middle east country where EVERYONE pretty much fasts during Ramadan. Very different in that aspect from the states. I made mansaf for iftar dinner. It turned out pretty good alhamdulEllah.

I love hearing the athan every day and there is a good mosque next to my apartment so that is also great. AlhamdulEllah. On our satellite tv there is a channel just for Alafasy. That is awesome. He even teaches tajweed on it to the kids. I watch and try to follow along. Well, I just wanted to get caught up on my blogs. I will be writing more about Ramadan next time insha Allah. m3 alsalama

Free Palestine

For my second half of the trip, I stayed in Palestine in a city called Taibe next to the West Bank. I stayed with my friend from the university, Amal. She is so super smart and educated and kind and a good Muslima. Masha Allah, May Allah grant her the success. I stayed with her and her family in their home there. It was amazing. I loved being with her lovely family and with her cute little cousins. I enjoyed the children the most out of everything in my trip. I wish I could have taken more photos. When I arrived, I had chocolate milk and homemade sweet bread. Then I met all of her family. Then we had a traditional Arabic dinner. It was sooo yummy. Amal's mom made for me Kufta and something very similar to Mansaf. I was in heaven. That evening the family took me to the mosque to pray. It was my first time to pray in a mosque in the middle east.

Then we went outside and looked for some stores that sell hijab. Then we went to buy Kanafa, my favorite dessert, but the pastry shop was out. Then when we were there, we chose a platter of baklawa and the pastry shop owner gave it all to us for free after he heard from Amal that I was Muslim. It was soooo kind of Him. Wao. Masha Allah. Then we went back home and sat around the table with the family on the patio and enjoyed the baklawa and talked religion. It was nice. The next day we woke up for fajr, it was the first time I ever prayed fajr with someone. Amal lead the salat. It was so cool. Then we had some toast with zatar and tea and headed for Al Quds.

On the way there, I saw the Apartheid Wall. It was very emotional to see that and how they have planted trees to make it seem like it's not there. But it is still unmistakable. That is just so against human rights. I noticed that in the country it is not like Palestine is in one part and Israel in another. The people are much more integrated than that. You only reall see the segregation within the specific towns. But among the gas stations and businesses and out on the streets its all interwoven, Arabic with Hebrew, Jew with Muslim. The tension between the people is not thick but definitely there. You can feel it when a Palestinian walks into a gas station and the worker inside gives him his change and says thank you. You can feel it everywhere. It's constantly on the tip of everyone's tongues too. You can't escape being impacted by what is going on there. It is a fascinating place, and at the same time, not just a place, it is a feeling, more than a feeling, an electricity, that forever stays with u once it has entered in you. You feel it from the moment you get off the plane. It is beautiful and at the same time shameful. Uplifting and at the same time depressing. It is the only place in the world like that. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to go there. I went with Amal to the Muslim quarter of the old city in Jerusalem and we had a nice breakfast of hummos and fuul.

When we arrived at the door to the plaza of the Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, the Israeli Soldiers stopped us and asked if we were Muslim. They didn't believe me and asked to see my passport. I showed it to them and they said my name was Christian. I told them Christians can also become Muslim. Anyone can be a Muslim. Then he said sorry you can't come in very firmly. But then when I stood my ground he asked me if I could read anything from the Qur'an. I then recited Surat Fatiha to them. Their mouths dropped open as well as my friend's as she had never heard me before. Right away they let me in. I said thank you and good bye to them in Hebrew and we entered the plaza.

It was unbelievable to see the Dome of the Rock mosque in person. I could not believe I was standing there. It was so unreal. The most spiritual point of my life was this trip. It changed me forever. I prayed in both mosques. I also prayed under the rock. Then We left for the airport. When I arrived at the airport, I missed my flight and so I had to wait 9 hours for the next one. When I checked in with the airline, I got interrogated again by security and passed without a problem. I then passed my bags through the xray. I was just checking in with the counter when security came up to me and said I had skipped one of the security steps. I then went back and stood in line for another security checkpoint. I ended up being there for 3 hours. They were nice but they searched everything. They made me leave all my stuff there and took me to a room to search me. Then I went back and they had to make me rush to pack everything because they made me late for my flight. They had to escort me to my flight just so I wouldn't miss it. It felt so good to be on the plane to Jordan finally but I would not change my experience here for anything. AlhamdulEllah.

My First Experience in the Middle East

I can't believe I went to Al Quds, Jerusalem I was in Jerusalem!!!! This is unbelievable to me. I am still in awe. For my first half of the trip, I went to stay with the Jewish family that I knew from when I studied Jewish studies at the University of Washington through Hillel back in the day. I was really happy to have gone with my host family. They are sooo nice and kind and loving. I felt fortunate to have had the blessing and opportunity to see this beautiful country from the different perspectives. Not many people get to see things here the way I did. AlhamdulEllah. On my way there, I had a nine hour layover in Frankfurt. There was a prayer room there so that was really cool. Then I left for Israel.

The plane ride was interesting. I was the only hijab-wearing muslim on the whole flight. Everyone was looking at me. Some people were nice but most seemed a bit scared of me. It probably didn't help that I was also carrying a black tennis racket bag. It looked like a gun bag or something. When we got on the shuttle bus to go to the plane it was packed but no one sat next to me, except for a lady from Austria who had never been to Israel before. Then when I got on the plane I felt everyone looking at me again. But the person who was sitting next to me was really nice and we had a great conversation. He was from Madrid Spain, just doing business in Israel. A few people had asked me if I would be wearing hijab going to Israel and I was like yes. They told me to be prepared to be interrogated for many hours in the Israeli airport because of that. I do not believe a head cover to be obligatory but I do it to be modest and to remain in constant rememberance of God over me.

At any rate, I was prepared for ny interrogation or intimidation i might face at immigration, but little did i know I would get it at the door of the plane. Yes, there was Israeli security there waiting for me and not only that. They didn't just take me to a room, they interrogated me right then and there in front of all the passengers pouring out of the plane. It completely caught me off guard. They were very good at being patronizing and intimidating. But at the same time it turned out to be an educational conversation for both sides. AlhamdulEllah. I am glad I chose to face that, for many reasons, to better understand what others go through, to not have fear, and for many other reasons. I continued on to immigration and dealt with that a little bit there but not so much. Then I went through and the uncle of the family picked me up. I learned some more Hebrew on the way to the house. It was before dawn when I arrived. I stayed at the grandparent's house the first night. They were soooo nice. When I arrived, the grandma, who is also Mariam, had nexcafe and chocolate crossiants waiting for me. Then she showed me my room and let me sleep.

The next morning I had tea with the grandfather, Sholomo (Suleman), and he put mint leaves from his own garden in the tea. We had fun trying to communicate with the little Hebrew I know. Then his friend Moshe arrived who knows perfect Spanish. He is from Spain or North Morocco, I forget now. He has a daughter in NY and one in Puerto Rico. We talked about Islam for a while and about my country. Then Sholomo showed me his giant fish tanks and fish that he put together himself. Then I had lunch with fresh vegetables from their garden. I said the blessing as I know it from studying Judaism before. Then Mariam took me to see the kids I had known from internet. They were sooo cute. One of them, Arbel is the cutest little girl in the world. The other, Novat is an amazing piano player and he is only like 8 years old. He played a beautiful song for me. I played with the kids for a while and then I went to see Elad and his girlfriend at their house. I stayed with this family for the rest of the 3 days.

We went to Ashkelon to see the ruins of where Samson and Delila had been and we saw the marina of the Mediterranean sea. It was awesome. Then we saw the ruins of a Bizantine church built in the 4th century. It still had the prayer room and baptism pit. I had my first falafel sandwhich in the middle east here. I have to say it wasn't as good as the falafel I eat at Aladdin on the Ave near my university. That was interesting. I really loved the father of the family. His name is Moshe and the mom is Rachel. They were so good to me. I felt so comfortable with them. I miss them a lot.

Then came the day to see Jerusalem. Held sacred by many religious, Jerusalem is one of the most holy cities in the world. To the Jews it is Zion, the City of David and Solomon's temple, and the heartland of the Israelite nation. The Jews call this sacred site in Jerusalem's Old City Temple Mount after the temple built by Solomon in the 5th century BC to replace Herod's 10th century constructed temple. Herod's temple was destroyed by Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon who plundered the temple for the enshrined Ark of the Covenant. Since I was taken there by the Jewish family to sight see, I was limited to just seeing the Jewish quarter for my first visit, but they also go the courage to venture into the Christian quarter too.

First we went to the Holocaust Museum. I saw the photo I drew back in high school of three Jewish girls walking along the fence in a concentration camp. Then we went to the old city. It was absolutely amazing. I can't believe I walked where some of the prophets (Pbut) walked. Amazing!!!!! This is such a privilege. We drove through the small cobble streets and passed by many Armenian art and pottery stores. So nice. I didn't expect to see so much Armenian culture in Jerusalem. The old city is like literally going back in time except for the souvenirs. We walked around the city until we arrived at the weeping wall, which the family I lived with there called "The Kotel."
From wikipedia.org: Weeping Wall: Hebrew: הכותל המערבי, translit.: HaKotel HaMa'aravi), or simply The Kotel, is a retaining wall in Jerusalem that dates from the time of the Jewish Second Temple (516 BCE - 70 CE). It is sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall (Arabic: il-Mabka), referring to Jews mourning the destruction of the Temple. The Western Wall is part of the bigger religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem called Har ha-Bayit (the Temple Mount) to Jews and Christians, or Al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims. The Western Wall is revered for its proximity to the sacred Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount, which is the Most Holy Place in Judaism. This means that for Jews the Western Wall is the holiest location that is currently generally accessible to the Jewish people for prayer. There is a small area below ground level, called "The Cave", in the Western Wall Tunnel, that is closest to the site of the Holy of Holies. However, as this area is not amenable to the large groups that frequent the wall, most people limit their visits to the outdoor plaza. At any hour, Jewish men and women can be found praying at the wall, which is actually a large outdoor synagogue. As is traditional in Jewish synagogues, there are a number of holy arks containing Torah scrolls, tables for reading of the law and a mechitza, or divider, separating the men's and women's sections of the wall. When I was there, I prayed at the wall with the family and read from one of the prayer books. I also put a prayer petition on a piece of paper and stuck it into the wall as is tradition there. Looking closely at the wall, one can see hundreds of tiny, folded papers stuffed inside every space that will hold them, apparantley this tradition goes back 100s of years.

History

According to the Bible, the First Temple or Solomon's Temple was built in the 10th century BCE atop a pre-existing megalithic platform. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Second Temple was built in 516 BCE, the sixth year of the reign of Darius the Great (Ezra 6:15) and destroyed by the Roman Empire in the year 70 CE as a result of the First Jewish-Roman War.

According to Judaism's religious texts, when the legions of Titus destroyed the Temple, only a part of an outer court-yard "western wall" remained standing. Jewish texts teach that Titus left it as a bitter reminder to the Jews that Rome had vanquished Judea. The Jews, however, attributed it to a promise made by God that some part of the holy Temple would be left standing as a sign of God's unbroken bond with the Jewish people in spite of the catastrophes which had befallen them.

Hmm. Strange, I was going to add the video of my time at the Western Wall and I couldn't find it or that of the Israeli Army girl soldiers I took there. Strange. Hmmm.. I wonder where it went. All my other video is there. I saw it on my computer when I was still in Israel. Maybe something happened to them during my 3 hour stint in security at the Israeli airport when I was leaving??

Here's someone else's fun experience with Israeli Airport Security:

http://desertpeace.blogspot.com/2007/08/security-at-israeli-airport-experience.html