Feeling Better

I am really feeling like myself again – YAY! I started on the antibiotics on Friday after visiting the Dr, and finally began to feel like I was turning around. I went back to work on Monday and have spent the past couple of days catching up. Thank you for all your thoughts over the past week.

Last night I ran into our neighbor Moustafa (the one whose house I was eating at when I got sick last Sunday) as I was coming home from work. He was really glad to see that I was finally doing much better. Last week he kept asking my roommates how I was doing and they kept telling him I was still sick. Then on Friday when I was going out to the doctor I passed him and he asked how I was and I told him I was going to the doctor, so he got really worried. So, it was great to be able to reassure him that I was finally well. He asked me to come and say hello to his wife and have tea with them. I stopped by their apartment, wanting to reassure Fatima that I was OK. Their daughter Khadija and a couple of her friends came home right about then, so we all had tea together. Tea here means green tea steeped with fresh mint leaves and lots of sugar. It’s delicious! We had a good visit too. Fatima and one of Khadija’s friends were fasting in preparation for Ramadan, so I was there for the breaking of the fast marked by the sunset call to prayer. The fast is traditionally broken with dates – yum! We also sampled some of Fatima’s home-made fig jam on bread. The next round of food was a plate full of sweet bread that was rolled in the form of cinnamon rolls. It was full of raisins in some type of syrup mixed with crushed peanuts. The name sounds something like “bekhilia”. It was delicious! We drank some more tea, and then a chocolate cake was brought out… they weren’t too worried about spoiling my supper! They told me about all sorts of delicious things that are made for Ramadan which starts in approximately 2 weeks.

Thanks again for all your notes & well wishes last week!
I miss you all!