Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The Package
Today we received a package from Karim's family in Egypt. It really made him feel like home and I was so happy for him because I remember what it was like missing my country and wishing for things that were unattainable there. Karim had been missing Arabic movies and in this box was probably a dozen or so DVDs for him to play. There was also a stack of papyrus--the kind you find in the tourist kiosks--that we intend to matte, frame and hang on the walls of our apartment. Incense for me was included in various scents. There is nothing like the incense from the Middle East. We don't make it quite the same here, at least not where I have found it. The best fragrance for me is the least expensive brand which is made in India. The fragrance is Panchavati, and when I lit it this evening, I was transported back to Egypt.
Among the treasures were about twenty papyrus bookmarks which we can use not only for books, but for the rear view mirror in our cars and as gifts for others.
The most wonderful part of the package, however, were the letters from his mother and his niece. His mother expressed how she misses him very much and looks forward to his calls, among other very beautiful personal things, and his niece, who is ten, included a photograph of herself so that he can see her when he wakes up in the morning. She has grown very lovely and will be a beautiful woman in no time at all.
Karim needed that package more than words can express. He even saved back a piece of papyrus and a bookmark for the evil one (his boss). His eyes sparkled as he left for work this evening, and a piece of him has returned from the dark side.
