Tales of a Thirty-Something

Fatimata- I have to write about her.    She is one of my nieces, as well as one of my favorite girls.    She just has so many wonderful characteristics that most 4(ish) year olds don’t have.    She is so loving to me, babies, animals, and the other kids (most of the time). At the same time, she strives to always get whatever it is that she wants, and she’s not afraid to fight for it.    She knows what she wants, and despite her small size, she’ll force her way into it.  She’s kind to animals (which is abnormal here), but she doesn’t stop just because of other people. She eats dirt/rocks (which actually might just be a sign of iron deficiency), but she does so with zest. So much spunk, in such a small package.   My favorite quality about her, though, is her “I-don’t- care-what-anybody-thinks-of-me,- I’ll-do-what-I-want” attitude.   Most of the time, she’s just plain weird, but I love it. The other day, I saw her spinning in circles and eating by herself.   I can’t help but smile at t

First off, here is a list of things I miss from America (outside my friends and family of course): Parks Live music Taking a shower and putting on pajamas Real toiletries Mountains Being able to go anywhere on a moment’s notice (aka the ease of transportation) Clean feeling/smelling sheets Going out to breakfast Good beer Alas, I have conquered my first Ramadan!   Not an easy feat, I’ll let you know.   Now, I didn’t know much about this “holiday” until I experienced it.   It’s a month-long, fast that ends with a day of big eating.   Those who are fasting are not to eat or drink anything from sun-up to sundown.   I’ll be honest; I only did it for about 4 days…2 of which I was sick.   Also, I cheated…I drank water.   For the most part, though, nothing happens during this month.   My villagers pretty much just sat around and spat all day (apparently, they avoid even swallowing their own saliva).   The eve of the first day was so funny.   The minute the sun went down, everyone cheered the