winding down
the days are slowing to a steady routine.
i have obviously misjudged my budget slightly, and what with paying this week for a months rent and my extra, unexpected month at the school, i find myself here, with three and a bit months to go, and with very little money to my name. not at all enough, in fact, and so the fine folks at the visa credit system will be shouting me for a few months, unfortunately.
mostly the nights consist of large kusharis in plastic tubs, arabic homework under the ceiling fan, and long hours in the neighbourhood alleyways with joel and liam, playing too much towla, drinking zabadi and karkadai, being boys, which is something i've probably been unconciously missing. its a week until ramadan and the stores are stocked up with food, the men constructing big facades with coloured banners and lights and lanterns. i have two weeks left here, and just now, the language is starting to click, the classes starting to totally make sense. Arabic is a beautiful, intricate, mysterious puzzle to be solved, with a thousand tricks and red herrings, but finding your way through it, and to all the gorgeous vistas and treasures along the path, is one of the most fulfilling and wonderful things I've ever experienced. It will be mighty sad to say goodbye for now.
So, what would y'all say if i got this tattooed in big black letters all the way up my arm?
ستانصرص لين دلفاري سيستم
It says 'standard line delivery system' but in english using arabic letters, not in arabic. i am totally joking about this, of course, of course. No need for gentle put-downs.
i have obviously misjudged my budget slightly, and what with paying this week for a months rent and my extra, unexpected month at the school, i find myself here, with three and a bit months to go, and with very little money to my name. not at all enough, in fact, and so the fine folks at the visa credit system will be shouting me for a few months, unfortunately.
mostly the nights consist of large kusharis in plastic tubs, arabic homework under the ceiling fan, and long hours in the neighbourhood alleyways with joel and liam, playing too much towla, drinking zabadi and karkadai, being boys, which is something i've probably been unconciously missing. its a week until ramadan and the stores are stocked up with food, the men constructing big facades with coloured banners and lights and lanterns. i have two weeks left here, and just now, the language is starting to click, the classes starting to totally make sense. Arabic is a beautiful, intricate, mysterious puzzle to be solved, with a thousand tricks and red herrings, but finding your way through it, and to all the gorgeous vistas and treasures along the path, is one of the most fulfilling and wonderful things I've ever experienced. It will be mighty sad to say goodbye for now.
So, what would y'all say if i got this tattooed in big black letters all the way up my arm?
ستانصرص لين دلفاري سيستم
It says 'standard line delivery system' but in english using arabic letters, not in arabic. i am totally joking about this, of course, of course. No need for gentle put-downs.
this is our budgeting scheme on the whiteboard at home.
Look now, outside: The children have their noses pressed to the glass and are shouting welcomes. And the internet man chases them away with a broom handle.
hey you,
ReplyDeletenot to be bursting your bubble, but it actually says 'stansars line delivery system', maybe the arabic keyboard is a puzzle you havent yet solved completely..? ;)
xx habibi
Hey blogger.
ReplyDeleteWhat's funny is that I had to confer with this here computer's calendar to ascertain what today's date is, thus how far away Nov 9th is. I really was clueless. Time must've lost track of me.
But yes, ahem, by my forecasts, I'll be piloting my very own yak or camel or horse across an ice-cold Gobi Desert come said date, which nullifies any potential of a rendezvous. So it goes, sadly.
I guess we'll just have to keep scoping on one another's blogs, eh? My God, I never thought I'd turn out this geeky.
M.S.
Your blog critic here - no, no, just identifying myself as that person who once cautioned you against the evils of "too cool"!
ReplyDeleteA wondrous, almost tangible entry; one can nearly see the people you describe and smell the air that surrounds you. You are still one of my favorite reads out in this cyberspace system. The way you write is somehow so agreeable with my mind and spirit.