Jerusalem Trip: Part One

Many of you are itching for details about our trip with Dozan wa Awtar.  That's the name of the choir I'm part of.  The name means "Tuning and Strings".  The choir is made up of local singers and foreigners.  For us choir-types, there is nothing more magical than getting together with a group of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses and creating a blend of sound, rhythm, and harmony together.  Creating music with my Arab brothers and sisters really does feed my soul.  This time we had the opportunity to join the lovely Hania and her Magnificat Choir, from St. Saviour's Monastery, also made up of Palestinian and and a few foreign singers.  Rehearsals included Arabic and English, with a little Italian and French thrown in.

We decided to bring the whole family, and reflecting on it now I wonder how many families with three young boys would even considering traipsing around the city of Jerusalem with a touring choir.  As Abu Tulip commented, "maybe it was crazy, but I want to live."  Staying at home just because traveling with our boys is a challenge is simply not an option.  The opportunity to see Jerusalem, and spend time with locals who love this land was absolutely worth it. 

The trip started with a 5 am wake up call.  We finished packing out bags at 11 the night before, after a long day.  Teddy Bear got his stitches out just in time for the trip, we shared a thanksgiving meal (chicken, sweet potato casserole) with local friends, and took Oliver over to visit a former classmate.  I finally called family at 11 pm to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving (seven hour time difference)  and went to bed.  We had the boys sleep in their clothes to make the next morning a bit easier.

We were the second group to arrive at our meeting place.  We piled our luggage on the bus and got moving around 6:15.  Being up so early meant we really got to take in the full effect of the adan, or call to prayer on a holy day.  It was the start of eid al-adha, or feast of the sacrifice.  Our drive to the north border took us through several small towns.  We saw the crowds at a mosque, a shrine of an important Muslim historical figure, and numerous sheep being slaughtered.

 

We arrived at the border.  This was an anxiety filled time for all of us.  Our local friends had visas in hand, but this trip was actually a postponement of a previously planned trip.  The first time we attempted to travel the visas did not come through.  This was extremely disappointing, and at that time we did not know if the trip would happen at all.  For some choir members, this was the first time for them to visit the land where their parents and grandparents, and many generations before them, grew up.  They were traveling to their homeland, a place they knew only from stories told while sitting on grandpa's knee as a child.  For us foreigners, we can enter easily on a tourist visa but are often questioned randomly before allowed entrance.  Abu Tulip was one of the "lucky" ones questioned at length.  I had to tell them my father and grandfather's name, and with the wiggly baby in my hand I think the border control officer decided I was telling the truth.  After about an hour of processing, we made it to the other side of the Jordan River.  We were immediately greeted by the Magnificat choir members.  It's hard to describe the joy-filled welcome we received.  We were quickly loaded on to the tour bus, handed maps, a refreshing bottle of water, and we filled the bus with songs and laughter.  Our first stop would be lunch by the Sea of Galilee.

It's getting late.  Part Two will have to wait for another day.   ~ Um Tulip

Hummus wars? Happy Eid and Happy Thanksgiving.

We have a busy day ahead of us, and much to be thankful for.  Today we'll get Teddy Bear's stitches out, listen to Baby Bulb grind (chatter) his new front teeth, visit friends, talk to family on the phone, and get our suitcases ready for the choir trip to Jerusalem.  It happens this year that American Thanksgiving and Eid Al-Adha are the same weekend.  Bonus for us!  Not sure if we'll end up eating regular thanksgiving fare, but we will have a great time with local friends. 

Still haven't had the energy to post anything deep, but this link about hummus made me smile.  A new favorite for us is "msabbiha" which is hummus with whole chick peas in it.  It's a little thinner, and a bit of variety from the standard fare.  I've decided the name comes from the root verb sabah which means to swim, and that the little chick peas are swimming in the hummus.  My own etymology, we'll say. 

So, whatever you eat today, be it turkey, a lamb, or hummus, sahtayn and may it be a treasured time with family or friends and may God be praised for all his good gifts! 

~ Um Tulip

We got the visas! Off to ilquds we do go...

My adopted hometown makes the New York Times

Follw this http://travel.nytimes.com to learn a little about my stomping grounds.  Grappa is a favorite.  The owner actually went to my Alma Mater in the states and once treated us to dinner.  Too bad The Good Book Shop wasn't mentioned, as it's my favorite place on Rainbow Street.  Their coffee/ espresso bar should up and running any day now.   Next time, Inshallah.                 ~ Um Tulip

and the mom of the year award goes to...

NOT ME.  The past few weeks have been hectic, at best.  The Mom Crowd's latest post is titled "7 tips on running a marathon."  For those of you for run, well, good for you.  I've never understood the motivation to run, only to end up back where you started.  For me, being a mom of three active boys is running a marathon in and of itself.  I feel like every day I'm just racing to get to the finish line, which happens to be my bed to fall into, only to be woken up a few hours later by a teething baby.

The past two Fridays have been very bad mommy days for me.  Last Friday, while doing my hair, I gave baby bulb something to play with.  It was the bottle of my vitamins.  He likes shaking the bottle like a rattle.  Bad choice.  Yes, it had a child safety lid.  Apparently, it was either not closed properly or my curious nine month old figured out how to get it open.  What I do know is I looked down a few seconds later to find him attempting to get one of those pills in his mouth.  I still can't be sure if he actually got one or two down his throat, but I caught him in time to know it wasn't more than that.  I immediately called the Poison Control number (thank you, internet and Vonage) and was able to learn that based on his weight and the mg of iron in my vitamins, he would be fine.  However, ten pills could have been fatal!  I shed several tears that day, held my baby close, and all was well. 

This Friday, it was Teddy Bear's turn for near disaster.  We were at a small playground where I was participating in a garage sale.  Managing three kids and trying to sell some zero to nine month baby clothes while Abu Tulip was working was a bad idea.  I left my table briefly to run my oldest next door to his soccer game.  I asked another mom to look after him, but there was just too much going on.  A bunch of  little boys on a merry-go-round and my three year old fell and split his forehead open.  I didn't even see him fall.  A parent brought him to me, and I knew immediately he needed stitches.  So off to the hospital we did go, and three stitches later Teddy Bear is a happy boy.  He even wanted to get back on the merry-go-round when we returned.  Friends helped look after my boys and table, and we were back in under an hour.   As Friday is a day off, the roads were clear and the ER was almost deserted.  Arab Medical Center staff were kind and efficient, and I was so thankful my first experience in the ER with my own son went so smoothly. 

I know I have too much on my plate right now, and am struggling with what to do.  I am teaching English part time to rowdy fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, and am starting to see so much progress in their learning.  I sing in a choir which I love, and next weekend we will be traveling as a family with the choir to perform in The Holy City.  Along with playing piano for church, and teaching Sunday School in Arabic, I'm wiped.  The boys need their momma, and I need a break. 

My friends with older kids all smile with that knowing look - those treasured, hectic days of raising young children.  "It's all a blur," they say, "but I wouldn't change it for the world."  I'm trying to enjoy those special moments with my boys.  Their laughter, especially Teddy Bear's knock knock jokes and Oliver's Down by the Bay rhymes are getting me through the days. 

What about you?  When the laundry is piling up, your son needs help with his homework, and you still haven't cooked dinner, what helps you to get through the day?

~ Um Tulip

Who does what

Don't normally post silly forwards but this one caught my eye. I'm grateful for a husband who makes me coffee each morning. I'm not a morning person, by any stretch of the imagination. Abu Tulip is heading to a work conference next week and I'll be alone with the kiddos for five days. Along with figuring out how to manage them on my own, a big worry is getting my coffee fix each morning in the midst of feeding and clothing three little boys in time for school.

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."

The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."

Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."

Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."

So she fetched the B ible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says........ ..."HEBREWS"

Cincinnati Chili

For those of you from Ohio, the idea of putting Chili on spaghetti noodles is, well, normal.  I didn't know about ordinary chili until I was in high school, as Cincinnati style chili was a staple growing up.  Leftovers the next day were always coney dogs.  When we travel, I always bring Skyline Chili spice packets back with me to make at home.  However, here in Amman, there are two chains, Chili House and Chili Ways, that are much like Goldstar Chili and Skyline in Ohio.  Except I don't think they have oyster crackers. 

This Wikipedia article gives some info, the most important bit is that four Jordanian brothers started Goldstar in Cinci in 1965.  Chili House was started in Amman in 1985.  Obviously, it's all in the family. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Star_Chili

I actually prefer Skyline to Goldstar, started by Greek immigrants in Cinci in 1949.  I even had a cook-off with a friend here in Amman a couple years ago.  He was from Cinci and preferred Goldstar.  Needless to say, his favorite place to eat in Amman was Chili House.

So, Mommabean, you are invited to our home for chili.  Ahlen wa sahlen. 

~ Um Tulip