Busy

Since several people have made comments as to why I haven't been online (via email, Skype or blogging), here's my response: I'VE BEEN BUSY! Beyond packing, cleaning, paying traffic bills, last minute doctor visits, last minute work, and all the goodbyes, I've also been out having some fun!

I've been shopping ALOT for different gifts and souvenirs. However... Here are some things you couldn't PAY me to purchase! Framed bats, scorpions, bugs and giant spiders? I had enough live versions in my home in Sri Lanka, don't need a framed memory, thanks!

I went to the camel racetrack one afternoon with a friend, and watched as the men excercised the camels around the track. You can see the big city sky scrapers in the background.

I don't know who came up with the name for this drink, but I sure don't want to have any!

Sweat? No, thanks!

One night we did a little tree trimming celebration at Miss Sally's.

The little blonde girl is what I call 'My Little Blond Shadow' and she was learning how to rock around the Christmas tree. It was pretty fun.

Sparky and I went out to one of my favorite places this week to do some Christmas shopping. It's sort of like a world fair. There are different pavillions decorated like countries of the world, and then merchants fly in from their countries to sell typical wares from home. I would have to say India is my favorite, but we definitely had fun in some of the other pavillions. We went to the pavillion of the Central Asian country that we've been studying their language and got in some language practice and made some friends! Good times.

This guy here, was very dramatic in selling his concoction. I thought it was chai, so I asked how much. He waved his arms and out came this liquid into the cup. He told me 5 dhs. I looked, and only had 1.5 dhs. He said no problem, and gave it to me anyway. Ummm...glad I didn't pay more, that stuff was nasty! I think it was date juice.
Gross.

One of the things I had done this week (in the four trips to beauty salons) was have my hands henna'd. Someone wrote and asked me what that meant. Henna is a plant that gets crushed up and then painted on the skin or hair as a temporary tattoo. The 'artist' draws beautiful designs all over the hands or feet with the henna (sort of like paint), and once it dries and chips off, it has stained your skin. The stain fades after a few days or weeks. I took an 11 year old friend for her birthday gift. It was quite fun.

Last night, we were in a town that is a bit more conservative than where we live, and so nearly every local we saw was covered. I got so tickled by the pedestrian crossing signs. Istead of the normal one with a man in western pants crossing, it's a man in local dress--the dishdash (I think is what it's called). So does that mean if you're not dressed like a local, you're free game to be hit when crossing?

These toilet signs have cracked me up every since I moved here.

A bunch of us went out to the sand dunes one last night for one last shi-bang together. I figured, since I started my life here out in the dunes, I should end out that way too.

It was so wonderful to get to be with friends. Sparky and I finally got some pictures of the two of us together that we both agreed on and liked. My friend in the picture that is wearing the green shirt--she and I went to school together and have no trouble saying goodbye since we always seem to bump into each other anyway.

We all had a good time playing in the sand, laughing at each other, marveling at the moonlight (it was so bright I ha a shadow!). The desert is a wonderful place and I will miss going out to it. I will miss this little band of nomads as well.

I took in a view of the sand dunes at sunset one last time.

Sparky and I had fun writing our names in the sand.