The saga continues and the nature of blogging
First, there are details I left out that would have made for a more interesting story but the question in blogging (at least for me) is what do I have a right to tell, and what do I need to tell, and how much honesty do people want? and certainly those closest to me would prefer that I tell them personally and not let them find things out over an internet broadcast. So, I don't know, but here goes. I met with J.'s mother and sister for lunch (of course, J. was there too) on Thursday and this was a big deal. Her mother understands english but is uncomfortable speaking it around native english speakers; so she was quiet, but very nice. At one point I somehow (and this is so unlike me) got a bit of food on my chin which J. pointed out and I must have blushed or something. Her mother spoke quietly to her and she laughed and then told me--"she just scolded me for embarrassing you." So, I like her mother very much as God knows J. needs scolding.
J., her sister, and her mother all eat very, very slowly so a simple lunch lasted longer than I would have thought possible. When it was over J.'s mother said that I should visit their house next time, and later told J. that I seemed nervous and smart. So, she's very astute. In all, I don't think it could have gone better as I am generally shy when first meeting anyone and have what qualifies as a phobia of my friend's parents.
On Saturday J. saw me off to the ferry. I was to catch a plane in Batam, an hour's ferry travel away, and believed my flight to be at 4pm. I caught the ferry at 12:30 Batam time or 1:30 Singapore time. The plane ticket was handwritten and the numbers were difficult to make out and J. was certain that it read 16:00 and not 18:00 or 10:00. It was actually 18:00 and so I waited a long time in Batam airport reading about the Intellectual traditions in Islamic cultures. The plane again stopped in Perkanbaru and I did not get in my own house until 10:00 Medan time, some 10 hours after starting out. I hadn't eaten and the only thing open was McDonalds. God help me, I ate there and liked it.
The day before J. and I spoke to a woman at the English speaking Islamic center in Singapore and this woman agreed to let me take classes (free classes) that are usually offered on a set schedule individually in December over my break. This is also a big deal, and something I was not sure that I should blog about. What could be more personal, I suppose, but there it is. The classes are a step toward conversion and this is something I've studied for a while now, but I welcome questions and comments; I won't be offended, I like to talk about these things.
Sunday was J.'s birthday, and yes, she got a birthday week. Maybe she'll post and tell you about it, or maybe she won't; perhaps, if you scold her.
J., her sister, and her mother all eat very, very slowly so a simple lunch lasted longer than I would have thought possible. When it was over J.'s mother said that I should visit their house next time, and later told J. that I seemed nervous and smart. So, she's very astute. In all, I don't think it could have gone better as I am generally shy when first meeting anyone and have what qualifies as a phobia of my friend's parents.
On Saturday J. saw me off to the ferry. I was to catch a plane in Batam, an hour's ferry travel away, and believed my flight to be at 4pm. I caught the ferry at 12:30 Batam time or 1:30 Singapore time. The plane ticket was handwritten and the numbers were difficult to make out and J. was certain that it read 16:00 and not 18:00 or 10:00. It was actually 18:00 and so I waited a long time in Batam airport reading about the Intellectual traditions in Islamic cultures. The plane again stopped in Perkanbaru and I did not get in my own house until 10:00 Medan time, some 10 hours after starting out. I hadn't eaten and the only thing open was McDonalds. God help me, I ate there and liked it.
The day before J. and I spoke to a woman at the English speaking Islamic center in Singapore and this woman agreed to let me take classes (free classes) that are usually offered on a set schedule individually in December over my break. This is also a big deal, and something I was not sure that I should blog about. What could be more personal, I suppose, but there it is. The classes are a step toward conversion and this is something I've studied for a while now, but I welcome questions and comments; I won't be offended, I like to talk about these things.
Sunday was J.'s birthday, and yes, she got a birthday week. Maybe she'll post and tell you about it, or maybe she won't; perhaps, if you scold her.
posted by athensinternational at 4:08 PM
2 Comments:
I don't feel comfortable scolding someone I haven't met, but maybe can gently chide j to give us her version. we are all very interested. There areseveral family members who Check this site every chance possible and who are disapointed when there's nothing new.
Michael,
I know we've privately talked about conversion, but, man, I don't really think the metric system has that much to offer. Just because the rest of the world uses it is no excuse. I mean if England jumps off a bridge, are you going to follow?
Dave
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