Being in Haifa

It is been a while since I sat down to write. This is exam week for the girls and they have been studying hard. I know it seems like they just finished taking the last set of exams. They are very big on exams here!

It is getting hard for me to write as it is so amazing how many things happen. I am not sure where to start. First I thought I wish my English was better or that I had more time or that I was a better writer. I am not good at any of the above and when people asked me why I went to chemical engineering my answer was that my English was much worst than my math but in this case it is not the reason why it is hard to write. Thinking about it, it is like trying to describe being in love. When you write about it people think you are crazy, as nothing logical about it, yet it makes so much sense. If a psychologist checks you they will think you are irrational yet everything feels right. Doctors will thinks you are sick as your heart rate is off the roof, but you feel great. Being here in some ways like that. Every time I write I feel like in no way I can describe or explain things or give you the true feeling of being here. When I write I am sharing with you at those few minutes what come to mind but I don’t think I can every explain the beauty of being here and some of the tests and difficulty that comes with it. But one thing that is clear is that I am continuously growing much faster and much intensely than ever before.

Now that I said that, I feel like I can tell you a little about my week. I can start by saying that it was a week I am sure we will never forget. We went to the Baha’i Archives with the kids for the first time. Five years ago, my mom, Naim and I came with the kids but they were too young to attend the archives visit. Nadia just turned nine years at the end of September which was perfect timing. It is something that each Baha’i has to experience for themselves.

The kids’ school studies still occupies most of my and their days. They are reading in Arabic very well now. When I tell Nadia I am proud of her when she reads, she says what good is reading if I don’t understand what I am reading. It is hard for them to be patient but they are doing great. Yasmeen has an amazing Arabic teacher who has been coming twice a week for an hour to give her private classes at home while I am working with Nadia. This way we can get couple of hours of family time without studying. Since the day is shorter with the start of winter.

Early last week a tennis trainers came to the Arabic school to talk to the kids and test them in tennis. Nadia came home really excited said that the guy thought she was really good. To make a long story short, out of hundreds of kids from the school for 4th grade and under, they picked Nadia and 4 other kids, where they will give them full scholarship to train with the best trainers here in a tennis club. Someone from the US had donated the money for this program. After the trainer called me, Nadia asked me if I will take her. I said I will think about it. She looked at me and said “but Mom, you can’t say no, they will even give me shoes for free.” How can I refuse such an argument? So now Sunday and Wednesday we have tennis for Nadia. We were thinking to put Yasmeen in the regular program. They said they will give her a month of free classes and then we can decide. Her heart is in music and basketball, but we will see.

I am starting to get more involved with some project work while the kids are in school. I have tons of things to get ready and prepare in the house before having to do all the drop offs and pick ups of the kids, but I know that I am much happier when I am using my technical training.

I forgot to tell you, but I got a dish washer. Yes, I was doing the happy dance after I got my first load done. We have this small room next to the kitchen in which we managed to fit the washer, dryer and dishwasher all jammed in there and you can only open one at a time. You can run only one at a time and the heater can’t be on at the same time, because if you try any of the combination the fuse will open and we have to go outside to switch it back on. So, multitasking is not even an option for the household that required electricity. And God forbid that you need to bake and run the heater and the washer at the same time, then the fuse for the whole house will open. Whoever designed the panel for this house was thinking of an old lady with no electrical equipment.

In less than week, my sister Nesreen will be here with her family. Nadia has a paper next to her bed with the number of days left and Yasmeen has marked on her school calendar how many days are left for them to come.

Hope your day is full happiness.