After a holiday.....Before a holiday

PRAYER

It only took 105 days before I got down right tired of the prayer call! If you remember reading my initial post; day 2, 3, 4 my arrival in Doha, you will recall how spiritually awakened I felt by the call to prayer….yeah well now it’s just annoying rotfl (with all due respect).  The prayer call wakes me up in the morning at 4:15am (about an hour before I actually need to get up) and then is heard four more times throughout the day.  Now don’t get me wrong I still think there is something moving and dedicated about people who pray five times a day religiously.  Im just feeling like why does the prayer song/call have to happen five times a day publicly….especially in the wee hours of the morning IF every Muslim knows that they are mandated to pray 5 times. I mean how can they forget if it is in their religion….and why do they need a loud ass reminder that lasts about 3 minutes every single day? Im just sayin’

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving was exceptionally challenging this year.  Within the last few years, I came to the realization that I am a family person and most holidays I would rather spend with my family/friends than to do anything else.  I enjoy the random arguments, the catching up on each other’s lives, recalling precious family memories, and simply loving each other for our differences.  This year I skyped with my WHOLE family and it almost tricked me into feeling like I was at home.  The smiling faces, the supportive phrases, and the endless jokes showed me how much I was missed…. the 40 minutes of skyping was worth it. I’m in a new country surrounded by palm trees, a different language, and no family but I decided it didn’t mean that I had to give up on tradition.  Amanda and Mike made the best Thanksgiving dinner I could have asked for being away from homeJ I was surrounded by supportive people who just like me, were thankful to be alive and healthy another year. 

This year I am Thankful for friends:  Friends are people in our lives that never falter, leave us, or give up on us. Their mere presence in our lives can give us the much-needed boost, strength, and self-esteem to keep going. Without them, perhaps our lives will be pretty dull, boring, and uninteresting.

LIFE

Life is not guaranteed….not a question but a statement.  After facing a very unfortunate event this past week overseas, I find myself questioning why things happen to seemingly incident people.  I realize I’m not God and cant possibly explain how, why, or when things will happen, but it really does make you think about the type of people who live in the world in general.  This is the best quote that I could find to sum up my feelings…..“Be grateful for all you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need.”

NEXT HOLIDAY

My Christmas trip to Sri Lanka is 20 days away!  After lots of research here are the top things to do…PLEASE feel free to add to my list if you’ve visited before, I appreciate any and all tipsJ  

1.   Surf….I hear Sri Lanka is the beginner Surfers paradise and I intend to find out

2.   Adams Peak is Sri Lanka’s most sacred site.  I will pay homage to the first place that Adam stepped foot on earth when he was cast down from Heaven.

3.   Ride the Train. I hear Sri Lanka’s trains are like stepping back in time. They are said to chug slowly along through hills and valleys.  I’m excited for a slow journey through the country.

4.   Yala National Park.  Who doesn’t want to see leopards?

5.   Ride in a Tuk Tuk taxi and hopefully see an Elephant and Leopard