I've been writing Midterm exams this week and working non-stop, so I am extra sleepy. I'd much rather be reading one of my current fluff books, "A Common Life," which I haven't found time for yet. It's been raining off and on and humid/hazy for the last three or four days, so that adds to the sleepiness.
Somewhat recently, we were able to visit our friends Mike, Destiny, Bethany, and Dan in the UAE. I always put off editing my pictures, so this is what I have for now; I don't seem to have any pictures of Dan, who lives in Dubai/Sharjah, because he had been sick for most of the week.
M, D, and B are currently living in Mumbai, India while Mike is working on his International MBA program, so we decided we'd meet somewhere in-between. For us, it's only a 1.5 hour flight, so it's easy to do in two days. For them, I think it's three hours, so they took a longer stay during one of their holidays.
We enjoyed the company of our long-time friends, and hope to see them again sometime this winter in Kuwait. If anyone else wants to join us...
This past weekend, we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving with my friends from school. It's probably the biggest one that I've celebrated in a long time, but certainly not the "home-iest." We pitched in to order the bird, stuffing, and accompanying gravy from a local grocer, and then everyone signed up to bring a specialty. Though I wouldn't necessarily say buffalo chicken dip is my specialty, it certainly is easy to make and doesn't take long once everything is thrown in the crock-pot. (Special thanks to Erin W., who I think is the first person to bring this culinary masterpiece to my attention. Whenever I make it, I feel like I should be at your family's watching a Steeler game with the Holutas.)
I don't think that we'll go crazy for American Thanksgiving, as it falls around the same time as a Muslim holiday- vacation time for us. Chris and I are batting around the idea of going to Sri Lanka for four or five days, but that has yet to be officially decided. Once we decide, I will be sure to post the result.
Along the same lines of vacation, I am planning on going with one of my friends to Paris around Christmastime. Chris and I do not have the same vacations during that time of year, so I figured that I would spend five or six days somewhere that at least resembles the Christmas I know. White lights, cold weather, and people actually celebrating Jesus' birth are all things I'm looking forward to. A bonus is that I should be able to get back for the Christmas Day service at our church here, which we missed while in Egypt last year. Friends who have traveled there, I would appreciate your travel input and suggestions via email!
Enjoy the snow that's already fallen in our families' states of Massachusetts, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. There's still a high of 100 here.
A stroke of marketing genius: Even though the name "Seven up" is written right to left in Arabic script, it still looks like the 7-up logo. Amazing.
I know I've been missing from the blog-o-sphere for awhile, but it has just been so busy! I am into my second week of a full schedule with students, and let me tell you, I forgot what block scheduling is like. I have three classes every day, and each class for 90 minutes. That extra half hour may not look like much in print, but it feels SO SLOW sometimes. I've adjusted all of my lessons plans accordingly, but my brain is still in need of adjustment. No comments needed from the peanut gallery.
There's more on the life of the Freemans to come this week, but I thought I'd leave an update that we're alive and well.
