Rememberies

Two posts in two days? It's a veritable frenzy!

I saw something tonight that made me think of Dad. Then I remembered something earlier this week that reminded me of Mom. And so on, and so forth. I decided that I'd like to share those things with you.

Dad: My host dad was driving around the city tonight on a sort of tour, and he asked if I had been over the Abdoun Bridge. I had not. Driving over it was fantastic! The sidelighting that illuminated the roadway kind of obscured the view, but I'm sure that it's amazing - at least the little I could see of it was. It just opened three years ago - check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdoun_Bridge

Mom: Rasha taught me how to play backgammon the other night. She said that her parents play it every day, and was surprised that I didn't know how. I'm sorry for the time (or times?) that you wanted to teach me and I refused. It's actually fun. I promise I'll play with you when I get back!

Molly Wacek: My family's maid is Indonesian. (Yes, we have a maid - this is straight swanky.) Reminds me of you enough to begin with, but tonight she made some Indonesian noodle dish. Oh. Man. It was so good. Noodles and oiliness and carrots and onions and some other stuff and I don't know all what but it was a great introduction to Indonesian food.

(Oh, and also because of your twin.)

Anyone who lives/lived in Boone: SO MANY of the fast food restaurants here are two-story. And we're not talking some piddly loft up top. I mean two-story playspaces and balconies and nice seating... I haven't been inside one yet, but I can see it all because of the plate-glass fronts on the suave new buildings. The ones that aren't two stories are sprawling behemoths. Sorry, but your Wendy's is no longer impressive.

Whoever brought Church's Chicken to that 8 AM art final freshman year of high school: Even though it was ridiculous to bring chicken that early in the morning, I remember you. Here we have the Church's Chicken logo on a restaurant called Texas Chicken. Perhaps there's a religious reason for the change, but that's a stretch. And even the way that they changed it - why Texas? Seriously? If you want good fried chicken, go east and head into the REAL South.

Anyone at VCU who appreciates Throwback: Pepsi here tastes better; my host dad and sister and I had a discussion on it. I can't read most of the ingredients on the bottle, but I can see the word sugar... meaning not high fructose corn syrup... meaning that all Pepsi here is pretty much Throwback. I have yet to see Mountain Dew, so I can't give a report on that account. They may not have that at all.

Anyone who went to Belize: Remember Mac's? Remember Coke Light and how it was so much better than Coke, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero rolled into one? (I love you, acesulfame K.) I can't remember seeing a single Pepsi in the whole country. Well, take that and rewind it back. I haven't seen Coke since leaving the US, and I really miss it. It's like being at VCU, but I can't just go off campus to get a Coke. At least the Pepsi here is better than the Pepsi at home, even though it's not Coke.

Thomas, Scott Brownlow, other graphic design people: There's a homemade banner near the main gate of campus advertising classes in different technology programs. I'm not sure if these are through the university or private, but the sign cracks me up every time. Among other things, it advertises: photoshope.

Thomas: Every time I see dejaj. Every single time.

Sarah Khaddage: Every time I eat at Lebnani Snack. Which happens to have been the past two days. I hear they make a mean fruit cocktail (already tried the other food - shwarma good, fries not so much), and I mean to try it sometime soon. A nice post-class treat.

Ben White: Every time I see Desperate Housewives. Trying to sound out the Arabic subtitles about cheating husbands and coke-dealing tenants and questions of paternity... fun.

John Deemy: Argileh. Need I say more? Interestingly, if you say "hookah," they have no idea what you're talking about. Say "Hubbly Bubbly," though, and they all understand.

West Grace security: We "have to" show IDs before entering the campus gates. "Have to" means show them a piece of paper that looks like the university ID. And if you're white, you pretty much just walk through. No questions.

Thomas: The disproportionate amount of attention given to pale, blond people here. Some of the kids here could pass for real Arabs - a Lebanese parent, Mexican heritage, even just dark hair - but if you're transparent like us, there's no escaping the stares. Also, Rasha has already confirmed that you look like my brother.

Amy Sailer: Scarves! Thanks again for that Peruvian scarf. All the girls here dress really well. More so the American students, because a lot of the Jordanian girls wear long plain dresses with their hijabs - we're not talking burqa, just a natural cultural choice.

Anyone who went to Brazil: Gas trucks. Do I really need to say much more? Between those and the call(s) to prayer, it's never too hard to wake up in the mornings. Unfortunately, none of them have that perfectly haunting melody...

Gram: Citrus fruits. I've only had one type here at home, and I can't remember its name for the life of me, but it's fantastic. Amazingly easy to peel, and very sweet - but there are lots and lots of seeds. Some of us were having a citrus conversation tonight about our host families' fruit selections. A few mentioned very large, sweet grapefruits - and then someone pulled out the word pomelo! Then someone else started talking about this mix between and tangerine and an orange... and of course, I talked about everyone's favorite citrus fruit. Tangerine + pomelo = tangelo. It really made me want some fresh-squeezed Florida juice.

Kristi Doherty: I got my first pedicure ever yesterday, and with the guidance of some friends, chose bright blue shiny polish. It's surprisingly non-tacky. And the way it worked out, it just made me think of you. Seems like something you'd wear - bold and strong and beautiful.

As a side note to everyone, it cost 3JD. $4.20. For serious.

Peter: I have a friend who said the word "pop" today. Gross.

Thomas: The majority of the American students on this trip have Macs. Last week in our hotel, we all crowded in the one room off the lobby that had a good wireless connection. On couches all across the walls, you could see Mac after Mac after Mac. I do believe the count at one point was ten to three, Mac to PC. Who knew that internationally-minded students were so... Mac-y?

Phyllis: Rasha calls her car Berta and says that she has a problem with sometimes stopping in the road. I love you forever, Phyllis. Forever.

(PS: If I didn't mention you, it's not because I'm not thinking of you. Trust me on that account.)