Flowers

Today in class we finished up the totes that we started yesterday.  We had our first broken needle, which I got to replace for the first time in my life.  They thought it was the most brilliant idea to use a coin to help unscrew the screw keeping the needle in place.  I got the new needle in with no problems so that was a relief :)  After we finished up the totes, we made flowers.  They were pretty excited that there were different kinds of flowers to make.  They kept thinking we were just going to make one kind.  I wasn't picking up on everything they were saying to each other, but I heard lots of comments being thrown out about where you could put/use/wear the flowers.

Sewing Class Totes

For the past two days this week, we have been working on making tote bags.  The ladies are really grasping the concept of how fabrics fit together to make something, the problem is, so far, they are not too keen on doing all the little details that make something really look nice and put together, like ironing creases, measuring seams and sewing straight lines :)  I am struggling with how to reinforce the need for details with my limited Arabic.  I started out by trying to correct them when they started to skip a detailed step but they didn't really want to listen.  Now I have moved to letting them make the mistake by skipping something, then showing them how it doesn't look good and they have to redo it.  It seems so far that the second method is working out better.  It is difficult for me too though, because when I sew, I am more loose and see what happens kind of mentality, but they need a bit more structure than that right now.

Day Two

Here is our project from day two of sewing classes.  I'll try to take a picture from now on of what we're making each day.  This project was fun, but it was a bit time consuming since we had to do a lot of the stitches by hand instead of on the sewing machine.  Oh well, they're excited about projects to come and I am too!  And thankfully the completely Arabic classes haven't proven to be "too" challenging...yet.

Family Visit

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged.  I apologize.  Things have just been going fast around here lately.  My family came out to visit for two weeks, and when they left it took a little bit to get back into the groove of things and life as we now know it.  It was great to have my family come out and visit and see where Andrew and I live.  We had an extremely busy time while my sisters were here trying to get in all the site seeing.  The second week, after my sisters left, and it was just us with my parents slowed back down to normal pace.  A little too slow for my parents I think :)  Since it is so hot here during the daytime.  Most people simply stay indoors until the sun sets and then everyone comes out.  Quite a different routine than we are used to in the States.  And, even when we are out and about, it is a lot of just sitting around, sipping coffee and watching people.  Much more relaxed and slow paced.

So, without further adieu, here are some pictures from when my family came out to visit.

The Family getting ready to leave from the Atlanta Airport

Getting to see my family for the first time in 9 months!

Down by the beach, showing the family around our town

Andrew and I at a fancier restaurant in the capitol

Doing some hiking (or riding of camels and mules) around the Rock City

At our favorite restaurant :)

Nice resort on the Dead Sea

Visiting Jerusalem

Me and my sisters in front of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem

Mom really wanted some henna done before she left

The second week my parents were here, my Mom and I went to a local handicrafts center where low income ladies make recycled handicrafts to sell.  We had a three day intensive sewing seminar for some of the ladies to teach them another trade.  Here my Mom is helping some ladies make beads out of magazine papers.

Since my Mom and I went to do the intensive sewing class, it has opened up some doors for me to go back.  For the next four weeks, I will be returning to this center to do some more in-depth sewing training.  I am excited about the opportunity, but a little nervous about being the only one who knows how to sew.  Please keep me in your thoughts over the next four weeks as I struggle to teach ladies to sew (in Arabic!) and hope that it opens up opportunities for friendship.

Mancef

Yesterday I got to learn how to make one of the favorite traditional meals people love to eat where we live. I wrote about this meal previously here.  The same friend who made it for us the first time, came over yesterday to teach me to make it for myself or "lonely" as they like to translate it.  I am not entirely sure I could make it exactly right, but it seems that most foods here just throw whatever you can find spice wise together with rice and chicken and it makes a meal.  This particular meal, Mancef, is singled out because of the liquid jameed, you pour onto your rice and chicken.  Jameed, is basically a warm, salty, milky substance.  I think it would be similar to buttermilk if you warmed it up and added some salt.  It sounds a little scary at first, but it does taste quite good if you give it a chance.  The other important spice for Mancef is some kind of yellow spice that gives the rice and chicken it's yellow tent.  My first thought was that it was Saffron, but I have been told many times that it is not, but I have no clue what it is.

It was an experience preparing this Mancef.  A few mistakes and burnt edges, but in the end I think it turned out pretty well and quite delicious!

The ladies Mancef, the men got a much bigger tray :)

Some Days

Some days I just miss the comforts of the States...

Heat Wave

I am sorry I have not been blogging as much as I should be lately.  One word to sum up the ten days since my last blog: HOT!  Incredibly, stifling hot.  It is really hard to get motivated to do much, including blogging, in this heat.  It takes a lot of energy to do much of anything.  The scary thing is, it is only the beginning of summer!

Last week we had language lessons every day!  Quite an accomplishment and it made our week much more busy.  We also had some people come in to visit from the capitol.  Andrew and I spent the weekend boarded up in one room of our apartment with our little wall AC running full blast, only making appearances in the evenings when the temperature dropped down closer to 100.  I am beginning to understand why this culture is such a night culture.

Today, Andrew had his first language lesson with a prospective new teacher.  Andrew really enjoyed his new teacher today and hopes that it will work out more permanently.  So be keeping that in your thoughts :)  Unfortunately my teacher cancelled today, and since Andrew was meeting with his guy teacher at our house, I had to make myself scarce.  I spent the morning at Gloria Jean's coffee shop studying Arabic and making a few more final plans for when my family comes out to visit this summer.

Well, this was not much of a blog, but I just wanted to keep ya'll updated on the things going on in our lives here.  Not too much since we returned from Prague, just sticking with the grind and trying to stick out the heat :)