The music teacher found out that I am single and is working on setting me up. She has given me information about 3 guys that teach with her husband. I "know" one of them as he was at the InterCon with me. He is way too young so that brings the number down to 2.
Thursday afternoon she called me, during school mind you (that doesn't matter here at all). I had my planning period so I answered the phone. She told me that her husband and his friend (translate guy #3) were going to be here in 5 minutes. At least school would be over then! She asked if I could stay. Well, she didn't really ask she kind of just told me not to go anywhere. What could it hurt meeting this guy? So I stayed, my taxi driver was late anyway so that wasn't a problem. I met the music teacher's (I can't remember her name) husband and friend in the parking lot and we were chatting. Well the husband said that we could finish our conversation at his house! I tried to get out of it by saying that I had plans (I did; Susan, Cassie, and I have made it a plan to go out every Thursday) and I had to get home, and my taxi driver was already there. She convinced me to come saying that it would be very quick and she would get me back in time for my plans. So, being the nice person that I am and not wanting to hurt anyone, I agreed. I told Dhammika (my taxi driver) that I would not need his services this afternoon as I was going home with the music teacher. I felt really bad because he could have been out making some money instead of sitting in the school parking lot waitng for me, so I gave him 10dhs. That's 1/2 my regular fare. Then I got in the car with the music teacher and headed to her place.
When we go to her place she gave me some wonderful juice and we chatted until her husband and Mohammed arrived. When Mohammed arrived we talked a bit about our jobs, how long we've been here (he's been here for 11 years), and our families. It was a really pleasant conversation, even though there was a bit of a language issue. His English isn't all that good, and you know about my Arabic, so we had to rely on the music teacher's husband. Not too big of a problem. We had been talking for about 15 minutes when he asked if I married him would I go to Egypt with him!!! Oh my gosh! After 15 minutes we're already talking about being married! I told him that I believe that a husband and a wife need to be together wherever that is. He didn't really like that answer and wanted a specific. But, I don't know if I'm going to marry him! So how can I be specific?! He then asked what I thought about marrying him since he is a Muslim. I tried to explain that I'm a Christian and I should marry another Christian. Plus there are huge differences in our faith. I asked him what he thought about being with a Christian. He replied that some Christians are good and some are bad. True, but what does that mean about marrying outside of your religion?? Evidently he's open to it since he kept talking about marriage!! As he was leaving he told me that I am very kind. I said thank you. The music teacher's husband told me that I need to tell him that he's kind as well. I told him and Mohammed that I couldn't do that since I have only known him for 1/2 an hour. He seemed like a nice guy, but that's too soon. Anyone can be kind for 1/2 an hour! So he left and I had a nice conversation with the music teacher and her husband where I told them that I need to take things shway, shway (slowly; a very common expression here, unless of course you're talking about marrying an Egyptian in which case things are anything but shway shway:). They took me home and I still had time to get ready for my birthday night out with Cassie and Susan.
We went to one of our favorite restaurants; The Family Restaurant. We have to eat upstairs in the woman and family room, but it's mafi mushkala (no problem; another very common expression everything is mafi mushkala or inshallah - God willing - here). The food is delicious. It's authentic Arabic and they serve a ton of food. You get chicken, rice, hummus, soup, salad, and bread all for 20dhs. And it is to die for. The hummus is sooooo smooth and the chicken is tender and flavorful! What a find!!
After dinner I wanted to go up the mountain (Jebel Hafeet) and have coffee and shisha. So we took a taxi up the mountain. It was a very long and winding road up the mountain and he was going shway shway, but not all drivers go shway shway as we saw a lot of speeding up the mountain. Anyway the views are fabulous. I don't have pictures because I need a new camera and it was dark so they wouldn't have shown up anyway. To look out and see the whole city was amazing! Everything looked so sparkly. The rock formations were beautiful as well. It's amazing to see all the different formations in the mountain. We arrived at the top and were greeted by fall weather!! It was wonderful stepping out of the cab into the cool mountain air. I almost needed a sweater! What a difference from the city below. The only things that were missing were the fall colors and the sound of leaves crackling beneath our feet. No coffee and shisha though. The coffee shop on the top of the mountain is a little dumpy place where you pay 15dhs for coffee from a Nescafe machine. I was not going to do that. And there was no shisha at all. So we just enjoyed the view for a while and headed back down the mountain. From what I understand the good coffee and shisha are at the hotel. So I will be taking another trip up the mountain to stop at the hotel for my coffee and shisha. Hopefully I'll have my camera by then. OK change that to I'll definitely have my camera by then because I have to get one before I go to Jordan.
Susan and I spent a couple of hours tonight planning our trip and I can't wait! There are so many interesting things to see and do there. We are going to go to the Dead Sea! Wow! I can't believe it. It's 2 weeks away and I can't wait!
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