Saturday, July 10, 2010

sitting on his masbaha

9/10/2002:
Day 2 at school. just about a dozen students here. only 3 or 4 teachers. PPIs came and went... didn't even see Auntie. i did a little work with the few students that were there about HIV/AIDS. presented the poster ("Abstinence - Fidelity - Condom") and asked for entries on any/each. looking forward to doing more extra-curricular / outside-of-the-classroom activities. keeps both the students and i happy.

nice day today. especially the afternoon. Maggie passed by. we sat and talked on the veranda. about home and here. been missing DC recently... family and friends, too. of course. spoke to Rama and Tala earlier. unfortunately the call was cut off. got a card from Nunu here at the Wum post office. hoping to speak to mama and sort out her visit. sent her a letter today.

cute little story... was praying 'isha [evening prayers] at the mosque. not many people there. rain was threatening. this little man who i see in the market from time to time was praying to my right. between Uthman and i. the man was so short that it felt like there was a gap between the two of us.

finished prayer and no sooner had i turned to sallem [ending prayer with "salaam" to each side] to my left than the little man was tapping me repeatedly on my arm. thought he wanted to shake my hand. i was thinking "chill little man, chill." looked at him and he mumbled something. didn't hear. leaned over... he was pointing under my leg and said something about "tasbeeh."

i was sitting on his masbaha! [prayer beads]. so i lifted my leg and he grabbed the thing and started "sabih-ing" away. Uthman and i looked at each other and smiled. little big man.

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