Behind me the widow sits at the corner-stall, her family awash in the sea of fate, their memories ebbing with her sighs…their solemn silhouettes caressing her grief-stricken heart, but to what avail? Do not recount their names before her, for they but bring a wicked sorrow that would but gash away at a heart whose numbered beats have become faint and senile. Watch as her parched tears etch the arid sands below her -- carving her anguish -- jagged letters of agony... Let the torrent of her tears cascade and the soil imbibe her sorrow, let the letters become words, for perhaps now the heavens would lend their catholic ears and listen. She says nothing, but of course she needn't say -- everything around her has so gravely spoken. The maroon blood stains blotch her noticeably tattered clothes; it’s a sight no less grim then the ravaged streets that surround around her. No less dire than the innominate children across from her, scavenging through carrion waste, sullying their once innocent hearts. Another sigh escapes the grip of her crippling grief, consoling briefly her heart with an ever so distant hope, reminding her that ‘His’ vital spirit still surges within her. That it is not death that encircles her but the verve of life coiled in the pangs of her suffering. Trying her—painfully chiseling the breadth of her vision; shattering the shackles of this noxious love. Like a mother disciplining her insolent child, that perhaps beyond the tears and grief, she might listen. That she might learn. I wipe her tears with my fleeting thoughts, still damp from life’s somber lessons. For if she has yet to learn, she has at least taught me a lesson.
Just some words…to those of you who haven’t found out personally, alhamdulillah, Damascus University accepted me into their program and i’m really enjoying the studies – its such a diverse environment, its really cool, i’ve got a class with about four Korean girls who don’t cease to amaze me with their advanced arabic, especially when they throw a specific word my way, that I have no idea about in arabic…and that happens quite often actually.. and we’ve got a really cool American (I know it’s rarity, but nothings impossible in this world :P) whose arabic is impeccable. It’s really interesting, we have all sorts of interesting discussions of course all in classical arabic (which I completely suck at) about terrorism (all eyes on me, nah just kidding :P, but can’t help but feel people are always trying to gauge if you’re the terr0rist muslim or not so soo as they hear/see you are muslim but, can’t blame em can i?) the only terror coming out of my mouth is when i try to speak in classical arabic and butcher it with lengthy stutters and stammers ... but all in all, i am improving alhamdulillah.. ah and go figure, the marriage topic doesn’t seem to want to leave me in this university! lol, first someone asked if I was married because I was wearing a religious ring :P muhahah to which I answered with a very inviting, no :P and then we had an entire lesson where we discussed the topic, …of men and women today, nature of relationships, promiscuity and of course marriage… Anyway whats important is, Fursa sa’eeeda to you all aahah the crib here is really cool too alhamdulillah, very clean, somewhat spacious, and very hommy (that’s right homie), all in all, its all going pretty well, with exception to some really painful, possible food-poisoning episodes (couldn’t say I wasn’t warned about it though) …it’s all good alhamdulillah. I’m back to my training routine as well, haha, its sooo built into me, I feel something is lacking unless I’m throwing punches and kicks and picking up metal :P i’ve added swimming to the tab as well … but that all depends on how much of the much desired time i’ll have left to do all this. But man, things run so differently here hahah, but lol, I’ll leave that for another post… As much as I hate –me me me- posts, i thought id let yall know how its all coming.. Peace
Today’s my third day in Damascus, one of the few archaic cities still inhabited by the treacherous, all-consuming race of homosapiens. As some of you may have known earlier, the lovely, gracious Syrian Government (haha, can anyone smell taqiyya, or at least a dash of sarcasm :P), God protect and lengthen their freedom loving (copyright bush?) country. Anyway, i now officially have TWO of the three axis of evil countries on my passport, and in all likelihood, and as logical induction would suggest, North Korea is the next stop :P Haha gotta love bush’s star-wars speeches, and they say t.v. doesn’t fry your minds!
Ooo, I need all your prayers right now. So far things, after seemingly funnelling down a hopeless streak of failed and unexpected series of events, like the rejection of my groups student visas by Syria –which now that we’re here we’re being told was as a result of certain terrorist incidents that occurred by a certain Turkish (saif, you around?) student who was studying as a foreign student so apparently there was a lot of hesitation on the governments parts to admit any foreign students, particularly those of some Islamic affiliation! But alas, like many countries they don’t distinguish between the myriad of Islamic strands of thoughts and instead, when a so called ‘Muslim’ does something horrific it seems to stain and taint the integrity of every ACTUAL Muslim irrespectively. Shame… R>Anyway, so far so good, but I could still use your prayers. Whether or not we wish to acknowledge it, prayers do have a viable sway in the grandeur hierarchy of causes and destinies; this we have been repeatedly assured by scripture, and as some would adduce, by sheer experience. Certainly, what will be will be, but a prayer might certainly steer the direction of even the seemingly inevitable, perhaps not always in an exceptional, miraculous type of way, but many a times through casual means. That said, please pray for me, especially the prayer of the pure-hearted and the believers (who are supposed to be pure-hearted anyway :P) toward whom God is especially attentive.
Status: Damascus University seems to have accepted my application, they are waiting for one more document which should be ready tomorrow from the Canadian embassy :) other than that all is great alhamduillah. Next obstacle is getting my visa status changed from tourist to student, haha, we were rejected before i pray that that won’t happen again. Damascus Uni seems to really have a thorough, intensive Arabic program. I hope it works out. They have interesting requirements too, lol, like an AIDS test for forigen students (which i tested positive for! Well positive, here means negative lol thank God they had brackets explaining what they ment—i.e. positive for not having Aids). Haha at the placement test (where they decided which level they should PLACE me in) which took several hours, it got really interesting, the last part of the test was a live interview with one of the teachers and they would access your ability to communicate in fushah (traditional arabic). I’m sloppy at my colloquial Arabic let alone my traditional Arabic, anyway, the lady that was examining me seemed to really have a go at me with the best of questions! Could it get any better than this?(in Arabic of course, interviewer in plain text, thoughts delineated by asterisks) Are you married?
Err noo I am not married.
Why aren’t you married?
Humm, *looks for quick excuse* the time isn’t suitable for me yet *as if it will ever be*.
Why would anyone want to get married anyway?
*hunh? Is she serious! Drop the freaking topic lol!* oh well, *again looks for a quick excuse after a long pause and a perhaps an invisible blush* for love, for… *as she cuts me off, oo good I hope she’s leaving the topic* …
What do you think of the events in Iraq and across the arab world in the name of Islam?
*ooo, interesting topic, but sadly, I can barely speak in such terms in Arabic… and begins another struggle* :P
 This is lady Ruqiyya's shrine at the Umayyad mosque..ah, this please is so laden of unspeakable sadness...what to say, to a five year old martyr who died seeing her fathers beheaded head before her.!  Lady Ruqiyya's shrine from distance  This is the grave of Prophet Yahya (john the baptist), ah, it was so beautiful to be in his midst, alhamduillah! It really felt like something around his tomb! err despite the fact that he's sadly in the heart of the Ummayyad mosque, where the tyrant yazid would issue his oppressive edicts, the worst of which was to murder the grandson of the Prophets and his family! aww how can such beauty as Yahya's grave stands poised besides such nefarious filth!  This is the podium, awwh man the anger that surges through the heart knowing what evil used to sit on that podium and wreak oppression in the name of natures religion! err..sigh our history is sadly so dark.  leave the most important pictures for last of course :P lol in case ya'll forgotten me already haha, mind the sleepy eyes haha, its Ramadhan tooo, and God err, crazy dogs wouldn't stop barking last night!! so annoying they seem to mysteriously decide to bark just as i'm going to sleep haha, those of u know who know me well enough, know that i'm a poooor sleeper, i'd do good as a security guard of some sort, you can count on my not sleeping on the job... anyway... nuff rambling... peace to yall, and Blessed month of Ramadhan to all the believers!
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