Its been a longgggggggggggg weekend !

Bismillah,
I feel like I haven't wrote to you all in ages. Needless to say on weekends it gets pretty hectic. So much has happened I don't know where to begin. Since I'm up for my Mid-night snack (AKA 1am,peanut butter and jelly sandwich:)) and can't fall back to sleep, I thought I would start writing it now. Alhumdulillah I've been here for 18 Days already, Subhanallah (glory to Allah) it doesn't feel that long. I miss my family and friends sooo much, but yet my heart is at ease, its an indescribable feeling that I contemplate often.
So lets rewind back to Tuesday. I started my first Quran class which is conveniently located about 2 blocks away, approximately 2 minutes walk from my apartment. I must admit I was a bit nervous going into the door not knowing what to expect. I knew that 9 times out of 10 there wasn't going to be anyone there who spoke English. That's why my smart husband :) had one of his student write in Arabic this statement: "My name is Halimah, I am from America and I dont speak arabic, I want to learn Quran". Simple yet sufficient to get my point across. So I go to the door and ring the bell. An old man sitting outside the door on a chair started talking to me, and I was totally confused, so I just handed him my paper. He then pointed towards the door and I walked in (later I realized he was just trying to tell me to go right in, because the door was open:). Anywho I walk in and I'm immediately greeted by a women. I handed her the paper and she read it then looked up at me and said, " Halimah, ameriki" with a smile. I smiled back and nodded my head and soon was led into the principals office. There to women sat, and once again started speaking in Arabic, I then said An-na la afham which means, I don't understand then I told them that I was from America. It was then apparent that she was calling for someone that spoke English, that's when I started to get super excited at the thought of actually communicating my thought through translation. Shortly after a nice young sister came into the room and greeted me. I was thrilled that she was advance in English and could understand and relay my message perfectly. I requested to be enrolled in the school so that I could learn how to read Quranic Arabic and also how to recite properly. Well Alhumdulillah my prayers were answered. I'm so thankful that the nice sister (initials MT) was there to translate for me. It's so frustrating not to be able to explain your thoughts.
So the principal told me to come the next day with a copy of my husbands work permit, and 70 riyals, which translates to only 18 dollars a month. I later found out that unlike other Quranic schools that are public, I was now enrolled in private school. My new friend MT told me that it was prince Thamers school, and that they were more dedicated to the students here. So elated at their acceptance I rushed home to tell my husband the good news.
Ultimately this is one of the reasons why I'm here. I came all the way across the world to be exposed to the language in order to perfect my recitation, and one day inshallah be able to teach what I've learned. My husband and I could have moved any where to teach English but it was here, the second Holiest place to a Muslim, that we decided to settle. Inshallah the blessing of this place will rub off on us, and we will leave here with valuable possessions carried within our hearts. Many people ask how long we will plan to stay here, and the best answer we can give is "Allahu alim" Allah knows best.
After I attended my first class, I realized the challenges that are up ahead. I know that getting Arabic down is not going to be easy, but I'm definitely up for a challenge. I thank Allah for allowing MT to come into my life. she truly is a beautiful person, and I know she'll be of much help down the road. When I told my husband about her he said " now you have a friend" LOLOL he makes it sound like I'm desperate LOLOL. Now I know the bond you share from meeting someone that speaks the same language as you, it's like instantly you share so much in common. MT also invited me to a pool party. Yessssss, LOL Muslim women can go swimming, its just separated by the sex. Typically what happens is you rent an indoor pool area for a few hours and its yours until your time is up! I remember my husband sent me a video of a place where you can rent and BBQ, it's beautiful Mashallah!!! Well Its getting super late and I think I'm developing carpal tunnel so I must go and get ready to pray. Inshallah I'll write a new blog later on today (since its nearly 4am now). Until next time...
Salam (PEACE)!