Cookie Day...formally known as the Eid

The Eid (celebration) comes at the end of Ramadan and is marked by several traditions, such as giving presents to family members and taking cookies to relatives and close friends. Hence the name "cookie day." Because visitors might come at any time throughout the day, most women stay at home to avoid missing their guests. And when the guests come, they are served cookies and mint tea.

It was with this in mind that I headed out to visit friends yesterday morning. On the way to one of my friend's homes, I was astounded to see how many people were making their way to the mosque for morning prayer. As I looked down the street I saw a seemingly endless river of people...all flowing in one direction.
It was wonderful to spend time with friends on this day that is so important to them. We had our cookies and tea, but best of all, we had a great time together.

Slow Dancing With George

George and I had this dance in honor of Abdul Muhib, our school's former Biology teacher.

Happy Birthday, Abdul Muhib!!! Hope everything's going well with you.

Cuturally Rich Lute Music

Three friends and I attended a lute concert Saturday night. The trio performed several ancient songs, during which many in the audience sang along. They also performed many of their own oriental pieces. It was nice to just sit and relax as they played through the evening.

My Roommate's Popcorn B-Day

We celebrated Melissa's birthday not too long ago. The theme was popcorn, and I'm telling you, we had POPCORN....caramel popcorn, marshmellow popcorn, chocolate popcorn, buttered popcorn, salted popcorn, plain popcorn, you name it. The popcorn was not the be-all, end-all of the party, of course. We also played games and watched "Back to the Future Part II," which took us back to the 80's. In all, it was a fun evening with friends. Here's Melissa after having opened up one of her presents.

Happy Birthday, Melissa!