Camping

Evelyn and I went day camping last weekend with some of the women that work at the school. One of them invited us to her family's tent for the day to join her and her family for a great catered lunch. It was so wonderful! We started out eating a traditional breakfast dish made of sweet noodles with scrambled eggs on top that she had personally prepared. It was really windy- so we had to stay in the tent most of the time. The woman sang songs with a drum providing some complicated and beautiful rhythms- the songs were interesting- even though they were in Arabic you could tell they were fun, teasing, girls-camp type songs. At the end, one of ladies, the drummer, said "let's sing something everyone knows" and she began singing "Baby, baby, baby, ohhhhhh" by Justin Beiber. Then they sang Barney's "I Love You" and we were all laughing. The dancing was beautiful. I wish I knew how to move my hips like that, shake my shoulders and hold my hands so gracefully. One of the women told this hilarious story about a trip she had taken with her husband- they really value story telling I think. Evelyn had fun playing with the other girls. Outside they look like these huge, dusty tents but inside is luxury with those floor sofas. They had a bathroom set up, generator running electricity to the tent, a TV, DVD player, sound system, mini kitchen, etc. It is big for extended families to camp together every weekend. Outside was a fire pit, barbecue and playground equipment. I couldn't take pictures of the women that invited us- they had their hair uncovered and it would have been disrespectful. All of the food was so wonderful- I think there were seven or eight dishes and the most fantastic cake. It was a really wonderful cultural experience and I am so grateful I was able to have it. Everyone was so warm and generous. Middle Eastern hospitality is something else!