Hungary first 2days

The position of the letters on this Hungarian key board are very odd indeed and its tomorrow already. we have been in Budapest for 2days, it feels like we have have been here for a lot longer, squeezing so much into such a short trip is exciting, your senses are constantly assulted, your alert and the anticipation making you do ridiculous things like walk around for hours purposlessly

I am falling asleep while feeling really giddy and this key board is really starting to annoy me, very time i try to type a y it is replace by a z...

what have we done, well aside from the work aspect which is facinating, we have met some really inspirational people. Adam, is one of the most knowledgable people we have ever met, this brother is a fountain of knowledge, a lawyer, ridiculously mobile, independent, great sense of humour oh and he is blind

We visited "the Hungarian womens association" their presendent, is a profound women, full of wisdom and drive, a former machanical engineer, a visionary, a natural leader oh and she is 76.
This trip has made me and Hayek realise just how much history we dont know. These people could easily act like tour guides, they know their country. We need to rectify this.

We were invited to dinner by the president of the Hungarian partners. He lives in obuda the older part of buda. Walahi the view was like nothing i have ever seen before and to make it even more memoriable i was having a profound conversation with another Adam, Adam Raul, on the necessity for believe and practice in faith and how one without the other is empty. We talked about the hijab, about the 5 pillars, about having a personal relationship with God.

The cheese here is sooooo nice, we had what looked to be a simple cheese and tomato sandwich but it was so tasty Hayek and i were contemplating put a few in our bag for later, it was reallz tempting. Interesting fact, cheese here is called Syat thats pronounced Shyt.

we are going to go sightseeing tomorrow, might go on the tourest bus which is pink and is called the barbie bus. First on the list is castle uria.

pre-Hungary visit

My week is about to change dramatically, I have semi packed for the gender discrimination study group I am on. I am delighted to point out that Hayak has joined the Group and I will no longer be going of to uncharted foreign lands by my lonesome. The visit is from Wednesday to Saturday so I will be back for the party in Arabic (a must)

To prepare for the study visit other then the necessary gathering of information I had enlisted Native female’s sister to braid my hair! She did an excellent job so much so that my head feels really light and airy. Weightless almost and there wasn’t a battle with the curly mass this morning. What does it look like, the best picture i could find to illustrate how tiny and intricate the braids are is this (any brothers reading this you continue at your own peril!)


Warning!! Warning!! Alicia keys doesn't wear a hijab.





Although while in Hungary am predicting a lot of getting lost and a lot of confusion. Why? Well I looked up a few SOS phrases so we can get by while one our own and the introductory paragraph

To the phrases reads like this

“You will instantly recognise that Hungarian is like no other language you have ever seen or heard before. In fact, it is not even an Indo-European language.”

Here are a few phrases


Pleased to meet you. - Örülök hogy megismerhetem.
I don't speak Hungarian. - Nem tudok magyarul.
Hi - Szia / Szervusz
Please - Kérem
Thank you - Köszönöm

Eh oh, doh, opps… ahhhhh watch this space, I have an feeling that there will be a lot to blog about when we come back, if we come back...

Journey to work

Got on the bus
Water started leaking out on to my lap!
Doh
water bottle wasn’t closed properly
Spent whole journey from south Manchester to city centre drying my lap, bag and its contents
Got of bus semi dry, mp3 players firmly on ears listening to Dauwd wharsnby ali’s widom and tea.
started walking towards the bus stop for the second bus from the city centre to north Manchester.
When some weirdo mumbles something to me, I can’t hear so I take of my headphones and ask him what he said
I wasn’t prepared for this!
The weirdo informed me that we catch the same 2 buses and he has noticed me on the phone a lot (looks like my dad description of me being glued to my phone might be correct!)
He has sat next to me a couple of times but I always have my mp3 player on, reading the news, reading a book or speaking on the phone ( it’s a boring journey.) so he felt he couldn't say hi.
We got to the second bus and the weirdo decides to sit next to me! Despite the Whole bloody bus being almost empty and proceeds to tell me about how he has been to Somalia yada yada (no he is not Somali).
Then he asks a lot of probing questions about my route home, where I work, what my working days are! (Little freak, like I was going to tell him)
The climax of weirdness came when I was reading the paper intently trying to zone him out and he turns to be saying, your bus stop is next!
For the love of God, I need to learn to drive and stop being so conspicuous ( I seriously might consider wearing all black to work!

The dangers of Nm

I have you ever wondered, how you started off doing something with the best of intentions and to better another’s life and continued that way but along the line you misunderstood the dynamics of A relationship and shared something with someone about that person in a jokey way because in your mind they were so close that the other obviously knew!

Doh!!

And although in your mind it was so minor that you thought a simple apology would do because if the shoes were reversed you would have taken it with a pinch of salt and thought , oh that’s okay, no big deal! (A fantastic example of how we as humans have different references point)

But instead of the expected reaction, this person is and has kept a grudge!! An almighty one to that extent that you don’t even get a SALAM anymore, and wait for it not even if I initiate it!! I mean come on for the love of God what must a person do (i.e. try to run over your mum) for you not to respond to their salam! (These things just don’t happen in my world)

And to make it just that bit more interesting they are convinced that you betrayed their trust! That you’re a core of evil and given the opportunity you would corrupt all because your so well versed in the art of manipulation that you have managed to deceive everyone into thinking that your some innocent and genuinely nice person, however because they have seen through your deceptive ways they are now immune and can see you for the evil, scheming, deceptive woman that you are! (The brother obviously has gender issues!)

Sounds like a bad novel in the making eh! I am not sure whether to smile at the comical value or be concerned by it! I think Sarah is right I really do live in a bubble; this is going to turn into one of those

“I haven’t spoken to so and so for about 10 years situations!” (Why is it always 10 years anyway?). I think that’s simply strange, what ever happened to 70 excuses?! It’s so sad

And so for the first time in my life someone thinks am a core of evil and should come with a label, I can’t be trusted, I have devious and menpulative ways of getting what I want…yada…yada !

I have got over trying to understand him though, sometime you just have to accept that people have different ways of seeing the same situation even if by your standards it would seem extreme and in someways rather worrying! I have even wondered if its an ethnicity thing! which make me feel uncomfortable because then am questions my core belive that we are all the same and culture isn't such a big deal!

I have deliberately put this person on my Du’a list because I remember once Sheikh Salem telling us that if you have bad thoughts about a brother or sister you should make dua for them because it protects you! Well since I would love to grab his head and stick it in the toilet and flush the toilet while his head is in it several times till he apologises I think he deserves a place in my dua’s.

May Allah enable us to all see the best in each other and truly become brothers and sisters Ameen

Small world

A certain Bradfodian and I went to Piccadilly train station to make a few enquires, as we stood in front of the enquires booth in the middle of the station (chatting and oblivious to our surroundings) a deep, booming, masculine voice said,

“Salam Naima”

I looked at sarah, just to make sure she heard the same thing and then slowly turned to the direction of the voice, only to see the biggest Black man I have seen in a long time, and by big I don’t mean Somali tall, I mean tall and broad, Huge is the word, partially wearing what looked like a navy uniform, something about sharks on the logo!!!

I strained my neck looking up and when I finally looked up at his face, the man was smiling down at me; there was something familiar about his smile and face. Then while Sarah and I looked on with eyes wide and a mock smile on our faces, the voice says

“How are you, how is the family?”

By now I am thinking OH MY GOD they know where I live! (the military that is!!) And in a non-genuine and slightly wobbly voice I said

“I am fine, the family are fine alhamdulilah”

When I finally mustered up the courage to ask the brother who the HELL he was, what he wants and how he knows my family… it dawns on me, I know the brother! In fact I have seen him lots of times just not in the past 4YEARS!!

He is my uncle’s best friend’s nephew (such an ethnic relation) and he is supposed to be on a ship somewhere as part of the Norwegian navy, not wondering around in a Manchester train station!

What a small and strange world

untitled

Difficulty upon difficulty!

Headache upon headache!

Decisions upon decisions!

Trust

Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.

The beautiful game

Yes YEs YES!!! The world cup is finally here, am so excited it’s the best sporting event in the world. I think work should make special provisions for people to watch the morning game!

It only takes place every 4 years!

I am sooo saddened by the fact that Senegal didn’t qualify this year...nOOOOOOOOOO

To stay or not to stay...

The unexpected Sheffield stop of is turning into a long affair! My uncle wants me to stay over tonight because we haven’t had time to catch up yet! Since I haven’t left the house other then to sit in the back garden, to top up my tanJ I can’t be blamed for the lack of time I have spent with him

My uncle is one of the most interesting people I know and I can talk to him about anything so it’s understandable why I would love to stay up all night and talk with him.

And he has promised to drop me of at the train station in the morning as I have work tomorrow but after the London fiasco; I am having images of walking into work at 9:15 am instead of 9am which I really don’t want to!!!! I have just about managed to close that chapter.

But then again I could always book a taxi if my uncle is being his usual laid back self! It would also give me more time to stare out of the window /sit in the garden and reflect. I am in a very introspective mood all the greenery is helping me reflect and listen to my inner voice…

Beenish is here and we have been trying to quantify this year, how we have grown and our priorities changed, we can pin point some of the change because we can see it in each other but some aspects we can’t.

This really has been a year of change, a crash course in so many things for both of us! I feel different, less confused, surer of myself and wiser, I know my own mind, I am learning to identify my weakness and work on them. One of them is taking my own advice, listening to myself and acting upon it. Intention without action is rather empty!!

Another thing I have learnt is that I don’t take risks with my emotions, I have never had to. There is a first time for everything, have you ever felt an immense rightness about an action because you’re imbued with the knowledge that no matter what happens its all good Alhamdulilah.

Meetings&family

I am supposed to be in London for a scout’s regional meeting but am stranded in Sheffield! What happened?

FAMILY!!!

My lift to London (my uncle) is visiting his friend and despite reassuring me that he would drop me off at the meeting on time when I offered to take the train! To top this of i forgot my contact case in manchester and i sat on my glasses a while ago so am sat here practically glued to the TV because I can’t see very well, having my hair straightened (by my cousin) and waiting for the England v Paraguay game!

My auntie is insisting that she is going to teach me to make dinner, am actually looking forward to it my aunties is an amazing cook mashallah! mmmmmmmmmm

They moved home and this is the first time i have seen the new house! the view ppl, all i did last night was sit on hte sofa watching the view through the massive window! I didn't realise how much i missed them till now, definately going to make this a regular thing again!

OMG!!!

Micheal Own just scored

go to go!

Fletcher moss park

This Friday, Sarah had heard from her housemate that Didsbury has amazing botanical gardens and while it wasn’t kitcheners botanical l island in Luxor (Egypt) it was beautiful! The usual suspects are growing there where 5 of us this week, with Native female and MD who although was immersed in a novel was at least physically there for the whole day, unlike me who had to change her plan to go to London for a scout regional meeting to instead going to Sheffield with a 2 hour notice!

The Sri lanken strikes again

Not only have I been mugged, traumatised, injured and been forced to miss a friends wedding on saturday, missed Arabic on sunday and had to spend hours upon hours in a police station being probed mercilessly about the mugging!

To add insult to injury literally, instead of a few caring words of concern from my colleagues as I returned to work today, a certain Sri lanken, has started questioning the legitimacy of my having had Monday of work!! Subhanallah,

Longdendale trail

The day after the mugging Sarah and I decided (along with MD who we couldn’t locate in the end, as she was phone less) we would go out and keep the Friday tradition untainted by the mugging experience. So went to Piccadilly and asked one of the attendants if he knew anywhere near by for us to go on a day trip.

He draw us a map, cut across the queue for us and issued us tickets and took us to the platform. It was lovely especially with a rather bleak view of the world that morning very endearing.

This place we recommended was Hadfield, which is in the peak district and has the Longdendale trail which apparently was the location of “the league of gentleman”.
Amazing picturesque place even if for some strange reason there were a lot of chav’s about that day and since our mugger was a chav Sarah and I were a tad weary at certain points.

Especially when we found ourselves about a mile and a half into the trail and as far as the eye could see we couldn’t spot a single human being. This lead me to point out that for two people who were mugged last night, it could be perceived as brave or just pure recklessness. This
earned me a whack for my morbid imagination.

We got home about 9pm (earlier then the day before) and as I crawled into bed I got a harsh lecture from my mum about my recklessness! I went to bed well chastised, tired and ribs which hurt like hell. But the scenery and the since of control over my own life (which the little loser had me questioning!!!) was well worth it.

Newsflash

All good muggings begin with a kebabish baby chicken! MD, Sarah and I happily decided to have a night out after MD finished work at 9pm. We left at 11pm and walked leisurly to Falafel to take some salad out for Herbi.

MD and Sarah walked me home and just before we got to my house we stopped at the bus as we chatted, at this point I was protesting loudly as I was getting teased. So there we stood, 3 girls, under a light bus shelter about 5 doors away from my house, feeling safe and content. When a lone scaly man walked past us on the other side of the street, looked at us we looked at him, didn’t think anything thing of it, turned back and continues our loud, jolly conversation when he crossed the road, pulled up his collar over his mouth and nose. Stood next to MD and said

“Give me your f*****g bag”

When MD, Sarah and I looked at him rather confused, not connecting the events and just looked at him blankly, when he repeated himself again loudly and moved towards MD looking dazed handed her bag over to him, I looked at him and said

“Are you serious?”

He took MD’s bag and walked off 3 paces or so then turned around (he must have realised there where another 2 girls with bags) and walked back to me and Sarah and repeated his favourite phrase

“Give me your f******g bag”

In which case I was getting annoyed and was coming out of my daze and turned to him, saying

“Are you for real?”

He grabbed my bag and for a while we shouted at each other and played a tug-of-war with my bag, he pulls me into the empty street, When MD started screaming and Sarah got on her phone to call the police and ran to the nearest house with lights on trying to alert the neighbours.

He started to become agitated because of the noise and the fact that our tug-of-war was detaining him. He looked around and panicked, kicking me in the ribs! I have no idea how, why or what possessed me but I made a fist and swung at his jaw! He blinked several times, looked around dazed and then pushed me with his arm on my shoulder, bruising my collar bone, which ticked me off again, he snapped the bag from my grip and started running, I ran after him and bunched him somewhere on his back, I continued running after him till he went around the corner, at that instance I came back to my sense and walked back to MD and Sarah.

To find Sarah on the phone to the police. The rest wrapped up quite quickly, we walked across to my house as the police told us to wait there! We came in and sat on the steps of the stairs ….and the rest is history…well tell we go to Police station on Monday and give our official statements that is.

At about 3 am I couldn’t sleep and Sarah called, we strangely had a really good laugh at the situation, its was hilarious! In a psychotic sort of hysterical way or so it should have been, there was even a time when we felt sorry for him, I mean the poor scaly didn’t bargain on 3 women who would make enough noise to walk everyone in the neighbourhood accompanied by an angry Somali who punched him and chased him, he went through of that and didn’t even end up with enough change for a joint so am informed!

My ribs and collar bone are bruised but it’s quite comforting to think that he might be taking painkillers too! I never really understood the need for a mahram when you’re in groups, but that scaly only saw 3 girls with bags! Food for though!