Tuesday, May 03, 2005
The Journey continues...Nov. 18, 2002
Nov. 18
Karim is all I could have hoped--and more!! On the plane, I prayed that he would be worth all of this travel and that I would not have left my kids for a bad situation. But, now, I am convinced that Karim WAS worth every worry--every heartache and every mile! He is polite and kind and worries about me so much so that I cannot scratch my finger without him wanting to take me to the pharmacy. We bonded immediately and have not only become good friends, but good lovers as well. I have never felt this way with anyone...He is a gentle lion and he creates in me peace and security. He is my protector and comfort and passion. I feel as though I'm living in a novel. I love this man so much that I am lonely when he is away from me. But, I try to give him space (though he doesn't ask for it) so that he doesn't grow tired of me. I could look into his eyes all day long...but I need to be careful. There are so many things that could go wrong. My soul and my heart cry out constantly--Karim, Karim, Karim...
We drove home from the airport (Nozha) in his friend S--'s car. Instead of going to Smouha to his Mother's place, we went to Agamy to his Father & Stepmother's house. Ahmed & Angele are the sweetest people I have met in a long time. They have taken over the role of parents to me and look out for me as their own daughter. Angele is "my Mommy" and I respect her wisdom. We don't communicate with words too much unless Karim is present to interpret. My French is too little and my Arabic is contained in about 15 words--10 of which are numbers! Ahmed is Karim's best friend. I love to watch them play together. "AboHemad" is what Karim calls him--it is a fond playful name--"Lion of the Desert" and in turn Ahmed calls Karim "Son of Dog". (which is a pretty bad obscenity...)
Karim's mother is kind and quiet and his sister & stepfather also, but they have not accepted this situation too well which causes much worry for Karim. It breaks my heart to watch these emotions on his brow when he thinks too much about it. I know that he is hurting and I wish I could do something about it, but there is nothing I can do save for behaving well around his family and giving him a massage.
We traveled to Cairo yesterday and stayed till this afternoon. (I got to see the pyramids from a distance!) the purpose of this trip was to meet Karim's Father's family. First, we stopped in w/Ahmed's sister who is kind and said I was very nice. She told Karim that he should try to convince me of Islam. She also said to visit after we are married. We left after a 1/2 hr. While there she served me a drink that is only served during Ramadan call Amar'dine, made with apricot and various other fruits--delicious!
We then went to Karim's cousin's house where we were to stay overnight. (Mahmoud and Mai and Ahmed's aunt). They have a 4 year old, Seif, who is a very BUSY but extremely adorable child--like Jess--who likes to shoot people. He will be a heartbreaker. He's a kisser--like Georgia!
I caught flu while there and must have been a complete pain for everyone, but they seemed to like me alright anyway. I did get to drive though. Karim & Mahmoud took me up to Mo'aatam mt. where we looked at the view of Cairo--you can see all of Cairo from this place & it must be one of the most beautiful places in all the world! We came down from there and on the way to view the Nile, they let me drive--hee, hee, hee! I drove for about 2 miles before they decided they'd had enough. Mahmoud was in the back groaning & holding on to the ceiling & Karim was telling me to slow down.
This morning we went to Karim's Uncle Ahmed's house where there is a beautiful garden. They have 3 sons one of which, Faisal, is Colin's age--and thought I was very nice. He was very polite and quiet. They served me a new form of coffee that was green. It was good but had a little more pungent flavor. I liked it, however. Karim's cousin "zizu" was his buddy while growing up and it made me think of Suzii and I growing up together...
We drove home after breakfast (which during Ramadan is at dinnertime) stopping halfway at an oasis (rest area) for coffee & "Hamam" (toilet). Karim bought a tape of music with a lovely poem about a man who consults a tea leaf reader about his love. (The singer is named Abdel Halim Hafez, and the song is called "Tea leaves".) The reader tells him he will spend his life searching for her. Very sad poem! The orchestration was fabulous! But now I am tired. I will write about the city later.
Karim is all I could have hoped--and more!! On the plane, I prayed that he would be worth all of this travel and that I would not have left my kids for a bad situation. But, now, I am convinced that Karim WAS worth every worry--every heartache and every mile! He is polite and kind and worries about me so much so that I cannot scratch my finger without him wanting to take me to the pharmacy. We bonded immediately and have not only become good friends, but good lovers as well. I have never felt this way with anyone...He is a gentle lion and he creates in me peace and security. He is my protector and comfort and passion. I feel as though I'm living in a novel. I love this man so much that I am lonely when he is away from me. But, I try to give him space (though he doesn't ask for it) so that he doesn't grow tired of me. I could look into his eyes all day long...but I need to be careful. There are so many things that could go wrong. My soul and my heart cry out constantly--Karim, Karim, Karim...
We drove home from the airport (Nozha) in his friend S--'s car. Instead of going to Smouha to his Mother's place, we went to Agamy to his Father & Stepmother's house. Ahmed & Angele are the sweetest people I have met in a long time. They have taken over the role of parents to me and look out for me as their own daughter. Angele is "my Mommy" and I respect her wisdom. We don't communicate with words too much unless Karim is present to interpret. My French is too little and my Arabic is contained in about 15 words--10 of which are numbers! Ahmed is Karim's best friend. I love to watch them play together. "AboHemad" is what Karim calls him--it is a fond playful name--"Lion of the Desert" and in turn Ahmed calls Karim "Son of Dog". (which is a pretty bad obscenity...)
Karim's mother is kind and quiet and his sister & stepfather also, but they have not accepted this situation too well which causes much worry for Karim. It breaks my heart to watch these emotions on his brow when he thinks too much about it. I know that he is hurting and I wish I could do something about it, but there is nothing I can do save for behaving well around his family and giving him a massage.
We traveled to Cairo yesterday and stayed till this afternoon. (I got to see the pyramids from a distance!) the purpose of this trip was to meet Karim's Father's family. First, we stopped in w/Ahmed's sister who is kind and said I was very nice. She told Karim that he should try to convince me of Islam. She also said to visit after we are married. We left after a 1/2 hr. While there she served me a drink that is only served during Ramadan call Amar'dine, made with apricot and various other fruits--delicious!
We then went to Karim's cousin's house where we were to stay overnight. (Mahmoud and Mai and Ahmed's aunt). They have a 4 year old, Seif, who is a very BUSY but extremely adorable child--like Jess--who likes to shoot people. He will be a heartbreaker. He's a kisser--like Georgia!
I caught flu while there and must have been a complete pain for everyone, but they seemed to like me alright anyway. I did get to drive though. Karim & Mahmoud took me up to Mo'aatam mt. where we looked at the view of Cairo--you can see all of Cairo from this place & it must be one of the most beautiful places in all the world! We came down from there and on the way to view the Nile, they let me drive--hee, hee, hee! I drove for about 2 miles before they decided they'd had enough. Mahmoud was in the back groaning & holding on to the ceiling & Karim was telling me to slow down.
This morning we went to Karim's Uncle Ahmed's house where there is a beautiful garden. They have 3 sons one of which, Faisal, is Colin's age--and thought I was very nice. He was very polite and quiet. They served me a new form of coffee that was green. It was good but had a little more pungent flavor. I liked it, however. Karim's cousin "zizu" was his buddy while growing up and it made me think of Suzii and I growing up together...
We drove home after breakfast (which during Ramadan is at dinnertime) stopping halfway at an oasis (rest area) for coffee & "Hamam" (toilet). Karim bought a tape of music with a lovely poem about a man who consults a tea leaf reader about his love. (The singer is named Abdel Halim Hafez, and the song is called "Tea leaves".) The reader tells him he will spend his life searching for her. Very sad poem! The orchestration was fabulous! But now I am tired. I will write about the city later.
