Back to the Routine

I managed to stay awake Saturday afternoon, mostly by playing Sims 4. Craig claims that he never fell asleep, but I will say that he spent a remarkable amount of time laying on the sofa with his eyes closed. When he decided that he was done "resting his eyes", we ran some errands which gave us both a bit of a second wind. That carried us about through dinner to a respectable bedtime.

Sunday was Craig's first real day back to work, as that's the first day of the work week here. I decided that I would make my first trek over to the mall. Craig had agreed on an amount that I might spend on things for the apartment that, while not absolutely necessary, would make this stay more enjoyable. As I've discussed before, the apartment has everything we really need, so this amounts to things like a lemon juicer, a wooden spoon and a plastic spatula. (For reasons we cannot comprehend, the apartment is furnished with some nonstick pans, but all metal cooking utensils.)

At 10 AM, it was 97 degrees out, with a real feel of 110. I braved the heat and headed out. Perhaps because I was expecting pure misery, my walk over to the mall was not as bad as I had feared. But inside the mall, I started shivering. Those who know me, know that I do not get cold. Perhaps the air conditioning is really powerful...or perhaps it was simply the abrupt change in temperature.

Because I had braved such temperatures to get to the mall, I decided I would stay awhile. I wandered through a LUSH store, which had very similar products to those back home. A few of the scents were different, I think, at least compared to the last time I looked in the States.

I also browsed the Sephora. While the Sephora in the Dubai mall was about "normal" sized to my recollection, this one was rather tiny in comparison to those in the States. They had one full wall of fragrances and what appeared to be the complete collection of Sephora brand basic makeup - foundation and such. But from other brands, they only carried eye makeup - eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, and more. In fact, I saw a range of brow products that I've never seen before - from eyebrow pomades to special brushes and other tools (granted, I don't spend that much time in Sephora, but how much makeup do you put on your eyebrows?).

Eventually, I decided that I would splurge and visit the pedicure place that I had gone to before. I was able to get right in and get my toenails painted, which was great. The only thing I didn't think about was how the lotion they put on would interact with my flip flops. So I slipped and slid my way down to Lulu to find a few cooking utensils and some groceries we had forgotten.

When I arrived at Lulu, it was just starting to get busy. There were still plenty of carts and I didn't have any trouble navigating the aisles (excepting that caused by my lotion covered shoes, that is). But I must have spent too much time comparing lemon juicers - as you would only expect in this store, the five different types were not actually displayed in the same location - because by the time I went to check out the lines were as long as I have seen. Given the number of school age children, either summer vacation had started or it was a school holiday for Eid.

Stepping outside with my bags, I discovered the true magnitude of my mistake with the pedicure. It had not gotten any cooler outside. The heat, combined with the lotion, made me fear losing my shoes with every step. And these temperatures do not create a place you want to lose a flipflop and step on the asphalt. Even after I was safely back in the hotel, I wondered if I should have gotten a taxi. In the future, I will at least wear sandals that have a heel strap!

I made dinner and Craig got home at a reasonable time to eat. We struggled a bit to stay awake. I gave in earlier than Craig. I haven't been able to shake waking up at the first call to prayer.

Adventures in Jet Lag

I did my best to stay up last night, managing to stay up until about 9:30. Even so, I woke up just after midnight, again at 1:30, again around 3:15, and one final time at the 4:02 call to prayer. This last time, I woke up so hungry that I knew I would not be able to fall asleep again.

I decided to get up and make a snack. I made my herbal tea, without caffeine, hoping that I would be able to go back to sleep. But neither the snack nor the tea made me sleepy and before long I heard Craig was up as well.

He was planning to go to work for a few hours this morning. Finding himself awake with no chance of going back to sleep, he decided to go in earlier than he had planned. I made him coffee and attempted to find him something to eat for breakfast. (He spent the week after I left eating the rest of his food, so more of my shelf stable goods were in our storage bins.)

I switched to my English breakfast tea and settled in on my window seat with my computer. I spent the morning writing blog posts and responding to emails related to my ancestry research. I've had such good luck with that here and making discoveries can be such a joy. I think there's something about knowing that everyone I am writing to is probably asleep that makes me more patient while waiting for a response. And we are planning a combined ancestry search and cruise trip with my parents next year, so I have a couple areas to focus my research.

Around 8:30, Craig texted complaining that he wasn't sure if he was hungry or wanted a nap. I told him that I felt the same but had decided I was hungry because that was something I could fix. I made myself some chicken alphabet soup. By the time it was ready, I wasn't even sure that I was hungry, but I ate it just in case.

I took a bath and got dressed. I felt like I was very busy this morning, but in retrospect, I don't think that I actually did that much.

At 11:00, Craig texted to say that he was on his way home. We debated whether I would change - I was wearing jeans and a tshirt - and I decided that I would just moments before the housekeeping staff came and changed my mind. They were remarkably quick, however, so I did end up changing before I went downstairs to meet Craig at the car.

I'm still not used to this new rental car. I hesitated some before going outside because I couldn't see Craig well enough to be sure that it was him and I didn't recognize the car. But also, have I mentioned the heat? It was hot when we left, but it's only hotter now. I really don't appreciate these temperatures.

Craig drove over to the mall. We had already discussed how his work schedule had destroyed our plan to go to Lulu earlier today. Traffic seemed lighter, but we refused to discuss it for fear of jinxing it. Instead, we discussed how hungry we were and how it felt like we had already been awake for an entire day and we should be going to dinner.

We hadn't discussed meals or made a real grocery list, so we decided to start that as we walked through the mall. Craig was adding things to the list and I had no idea where the Starbucks was, so I'll leave you to imagine how we looked walking through the mall.

I finally told Craig that I didn't know where the Starbucks was and I needed him to look up from his phone and help me find it. He looked up and exclaimed, "It's right here. Or this is where I thought it was."

It was not visible from where we stood. He pointed to a pastry shop, claiming it had been there before. I mentioned that this was the entrance I had used when walking over from the apartment and that particular pastry shop had always been there. I remembered there being a coffee shop around the corner, but I wasn't sure it was Starbucks. We walked around the corner to check - it was the Starbucks. Jet-lag has left the two of us wandering around like two people sharing half a brain.

We took Craig's coffee to the counter and asked them to grind it for a metal cone filter.  They started on that and then asked where we had gotten it because the packaging was unfamiliar. We had brought it from Los Angeles because the type Craig prefers isn't sold here. We decided to order coffee as well, hoping that the caffeine would help.

With the coffee in hand and something of a grocery list, we made our way back to Lulu. There were shopping carts available, which we took as a good sign (when it gets busy, they run out of carts and sometimes even baskets). We made our way through the grocery store as if we didn't have a list (we did) and had never been in this store before (we've been here many times) - two people, half a brain. We finally made our way to the checkout. The lines had gotten fairly long, but not as long as we've seen them in the past. Leaving, we had to push our way through crowds coming in and I noticed that they had run out of shopping carts. We had made it just in time!

We came home and debated whether we should have lunch or take a nap. We decided on lunch. We made up a plate of charcuterie and cheese:

Craig had even found grilling cheese! We decided against having wine with our meal because of the potential that it would put us both to sleep. Craig kept debating taking a nap. I am anti-nap because I haven't had good luck with naps and jet-lag here. No matter how many alarms I set, if I take a nap, my body decides it is night time and refuses to wake up.

I settled in to write this post while Craig was working on his computer. It's almost 3:00 and he's laying on the sofa doing his best impression of a person who is asleep. I refuse, so I'm going to try playing a game for awhile. Wish me luck!

Settling In - "Regulars"

We arrived in Abu Dhabi in the early morning hours on Friday. After checking into our hotel, getting room service, and unpacking enough to shower and get ready for bed, we ended up in bed around 4 AM - just after the first call to prayer, actually. Craig said that I could wake him if I woke up after 10 AM. Naturally, I first woke up just after 8 AM. But I was able to go back to sleep. When I finally woke up again, it was 11 AM and Craig was playing on his phone next to me.

We had planned to go over to the mall, primarily to go to Lulu for groceries. We also needed to stop at Starbucks because Craig brought whole bean coffee with him instead of ground coffee. Our goal had been to go over as early as possible because we know that the mall, and Lulu in particular, tends to get busier in the afternoons.

But we got a very slow start. We discovered that the coffee maker had not made the transfer from the office to our apartment, so I made instant coffee for Craig. I got a little distracted digging through boxes and unpacking. Generally, I think the jet lag was setting in.

We discussed getting a late breakfast or lunch at the mall, but the options weren't very appealing. Craig decided to walk over to Texas Chicken and get fried chicken for us. Meanwhile, I managed a shower and got dressed to go to the mall. After we ate, we gathered up the coffee and called the valet to bring up the car.

We had gotten a parking garage key when we checked in, but we'd already left the car with the valet. Craig has figured out the parking here and is, I think, happier with self-park than the valet. But we had checked in at the hotel, because the apartment doesn't have front desk staff at that time of day, and they don't allow self-park at the hotel.

When we got to the front desk of the apartments, the man on duty there said, "Mr. Craig, is this your car?" Craig and I both stared at the car outside, trying to figure out if it was, indeed, our car. We rented from the same company, but the car was predictably different. Craig gave him the valet ticket to confirm that it was our car before we got in. But we did remark that the front desk man had recognized Craig, even though we hadn't checked in there.

From the entrance where valet brings the car, we could see the mall. We'd left it too late; the mall was packed. Craig pulled out into the street and got in the left turn lane. As we made the turn, some cars next to us made left turns from the straight-only lanes (this is an ongoing source of frustration for Craig, for various reasons, in a number of situations). Craig managed to avoid being hit by people making illegal turns.

We avoided the taxi lane - taxis going into the mall cause an enormous crush on weekend afternoons. But even the lanes for the parking garage were hardly moving. We got into one of those and marveled at the crowds for a few minutes.

Suddenly, I looked at Craig and said, "Why are we here? You said we were going to JW Steakhouse for dinner! And we don't even have a coffee maker yet, so there's no point in getting this coffee ground! We should do this tomorrow, in the morning!"

Craig considered for a moment, but we were still making no progress toward the mall. He pulled out of the lane and back onto the street. We turned around and made our way back to the hotel. "Well, thanks for coming with me to move the car from valet to self park," he said as we parked the car in the garage.

We headed back to our apartment where we continued to unpack. We are making use of the closet in the second bedroom to store our luggage and the storage bins. I also made some small adjustments with the furniture and extras, moving things into the "spare bedroom" so that we have more room in ours. This apartment is just enough different from the last that I haven't found the perfect spot for everything yet.

I called for more hangers and for a water dispenser. Craig had some work to do, so I answered the door when the hangers arrived. Perhaps two minutes later, there was another knock. A housekeeper I recognized was standing there with the water dispenser. He smiled at me and said, "Welcome back!" (I think this is the same man who recognized that I had disappeared for the road trip with Court and the girls; one of them asked Craig where his wife had gone when I was away.)

After setting up the water dispenser in the corner, we chatted briefly about our return. During check in, I had been struck by the fact that we were checking in for 51 days. Our last trip was undoubtably longer, but that number jumped out at me. He left and I returned to unpacking.

With most of the unpacking finished, I had to interrupt Craig to get help moving the larger furniture. I wanted to sectional closer to the television. And I decided on a new location for the water dispenser. Then I wanted to move the table in the living room, so we would be able to both sit and view the television (as we like to do on occasion). 

Another small change for this trip - I brought along a roll of non-slip shelf lining. I put this everywhere at home because I like how it cushions things and keeps them from sliding around. I had meant to bring some back after the road trip, but it wasn't where I thought it would be. I did find it for this trip and tucked it into the suitcase, much to Craig's confusion. But when I rolled it out in the bathroom drawers, he immediately understood. One of our frustrations on the previous trip was that the bathroom drawers were so difficult to open that everything inside slammed to the back every time you managed to open them. Now, if you organize the drawer, everything stays were you put it. It really is the little things...

Craig called down to make reservations at the JW Steakhouse. This is one of the restaurants in the hotel and it probably is our favorite place to eat that does not require a taxi ride. (Butcher & Still, at the Four Seasons Hotel, is probably our favorite, but that requires a taxi.) As an added bonus, the hotel is attached to the apartments, so we don't even have to step outside to get there.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were recognized by nearly all the wait staff. The hostess knew we wanted the "it takes two" special, though she described the other current special to tempt us. (We've actually gotten this special on a day it wasn't offered, because it is such a regular order for us.) The waitress knew we wanted "it takes two," she knew we wanted the 500 g tenderloin divided as a 300 g steak for Craig and a 200 g steak for me, after a moment's thought she remembered that we both like our steak medium, she knew that Craig wanted a large bottle of sparkling water and that I wanted still water. Craig had only to remind her that I only wanted a small bottle. And we had to pick out our starters and sides, because we get different things each time.

It is unusual for us to be "regulars" anywhere. When we moved to Eagle Rock, one of Craig's stated goals was to become regulars someplace. But there are too many interesting places to try and Craig loves the variety. And at home, our schedule is too varied and Craig travels too much for us to go someplace even once a week. We are recognized at our favorite sushi place - but only by the owner, not the waitstaff; so there's never anyone to ask if we want "our usual" or anything like that.

But here, where we joke that even the best staff can only be 80% correct with anything, we have become regulars in just a few months. We are recognized by the staff at the hotel. We are recognized by everyone at the JW Steakhouse - all the way to remembering our food and drink preferences. 

Back to Abu Dhabi (Home Again, Home Again)

Packing for Abu Dhabi did not take long this time. We had a small collection of things on the desk in my craft room - primarily vitamins and specific toiletries we had ordered - waiting to be packed. And we had a small list of items we wanted to remember to bring with us. We had left two medium sized bags and Craig's carry on bag in Abu Dhabi, filled with clothing.

We had a few oversized toiletry items, so we packed my carry on bag to check. We packed Craig's international carry on bag (a tiny, four-wheeled spinner that meets international carry on size requirements) as an overnight bag in case we missed our connection in Istanbul again. My first packing attempt included a few extras, but those had to be removed to get the bag under the 7kg weight limit imposed by Turkish Airlines. With all the pill bottles and things, I had to pack a small duffle bag, which we checked as well. I hope that we will have used enough of those things that I can pack everything, including the duffle, into the suitcases for our return.

While Craig and I were busy preparing the house to leave, Mallarie brought over lunch from Spitz. She remarked upon how little we had packed for a two month trip. But, of course, we had left so much in Abu Dhabi that we didn't need to take much with us. After emptying the fridge and taking out the trash one last time, we called a Lyft to go to the airport.

We'd had some trouble checking in for our flight online (no great surprise there, in the four roundtrips we've taken, I don't think a single leg has allowed us to check in online without any problems) so we didn't have seats together for our flight to Istanbul. When we checked in at the airport, we were told to check at the gate for seats together. When we asked at the gate, we were told we should have done that during check in.

Turkish Airlines - where customer service is not really a thing.

After the typical (for Turkish Airlines) curfluffle of boarding, we were able to switch seats with another passenger so that we were able to sit together. Some highlights of Turkish Airlines service:

• Craig asked for champagne to celebrate our anniversary. (Yes, we spent our anniversary on a 13 hour flight, why do you ask?) You might have thought no one had ever asked for champagne before.
• The switch for the cabin lights must have been in an awkward location - there's no other explanation for how often the lights were dimmed, brought up, dimmed again, and changed...all before dinner service began.
• We "enjoyed" the longest dinner service I've ever experienced on a plane. Honestly, I don't know what was happening in the galley. Food kept appearing, but in far more courses that described in the menu. But drinks, even water, were nearly impossible to get.
• At some point in the middle of dinner, they suddenly decided to offer us more champagne. We had both switched to different drinks and they had already removed our glasses.
• But in the theme of removing glasses, my glass of port was not picked up until landing. The half filled glass sat between us while we slept, remained through breakfast service and clean up, and miraculously managed not to spill during some turbulence that woke me after I'd gone back to sleep.
• Upon landing, they announced that we should remain in our seats to allow a medical team to remove the "person having medical issues." But it soon became obvious that they wanted business class passengers to get off before they dealt with this medical issue, whatever that was. I can only hope they did manage that.
• Another passenger asked how far his gate was from our gate and was told "the ground crew will help you with that."
• Another passenger was hoping to make a tight connection to Berlin, but she was also told that "the ground crew will handle that."
• We didn't bother to ask about our tight connection - we merely hit the terminal at a run.

The ground crew provided no information about our flight or others. This is our third time making this particular connection - the first resulted in a 24 hour stay in Istanbul and I made it the second time because an employee took me back on the bus and drove me to another part of the airport. This time, we got off the bus and ran while trying to follow the signs. Luckily, we've now spent enough time in the Istanbul airport to make sense of the signs. Or maybe that's just me - the arrows aren't quite right, but I have figured them out to a certain degree.

As it turned out, we made it to our gate before boarding began. They were taking tickets, but the jetway wasn't actually open. We milled about for some time after having our tickets scanned, waiting for the door to open. 

Business class on this flight was practically empty - just us and one other lady. Perhaps because of this, the flight attendants took several "breaks" during dinner service. Or perhaps that's just the Turkish Airlines customer service we have come to expect. Oddly, they did not ask us for our choice of entrees before service began, but somehow they were able to serve hot entrees immediately after we made our selection. Lucky guess? Or had they heated up a few of each because they had extras?

Other than a touch of excitement during take off - we must have hit turbulence or a microburst, because the plane wobbled most distressingly just as we left the ground - the flight was uneventful. We did end up switching seats when my wine glass leapt off the tray and landed upright on the floor. The flight attendant stopped by to ask if everything was alright and did bring us a single wash cloth to deal with the spill. Then he suggested we move to another aisle because business class was so empty. It wasn't until some time later (Craig was asleep) that he finally returned to clean up any wine that hadn't evaporated.

We did not have high hopes of getting our checked bags in Abu Dhabi, given the tight connection in Istanbul, but we had to wait and see. Both our bags actually made it! So we collected our things and made our way to the rental car counter. With our bags in the car, we were on our way to our "temporary third home" - our apartment at the Marriott Downtown.

We arrived to find that we had already been checked in by someone from the office. He had also brought over the suitcases and storage containers left there. (Most likely because we arrived on a holiday weekend and this saved him having to go into the office the following day to meet us, but I don't appreciate the effort any less.) With all the suitcases and bins, it did appear that we were actually moving in here.

For reasons that are not entirely clear to us, we have a two bedroom apartment this time around. It is very similar to our previous apartment here, except that it's on the other side of the building. So I don't have a view of the mall and the busy intersection from my "window seat". But we do have more furniture, including a chaise longue in front of the window - so I didn't have to take apart the sectional to create my window seat. We've also got a table and chairs both in the living room area and in the kitchen. And, of course, we have a second bedroom with its own full bathroom, which will be great because we have guests coming a couple times during this trip. It'll be nice to offer them something more than a sofa and half-bath in the living room.

We ordered room service for our first meal here, because we had arrived at the apartment sometime after two a.m. Not being very hungry, we decided we would split an order of butter chicken. Being very thirsty and unsure when we would get a water dispenser, we ordered two liters of still water and one liter of sparkling water.

When our order arrived, Craig had just finished his shower (so the water was off, but he was hidden). The man took a long look around the apartment, taking in the fact that it is a two bedroom apartment, with enough suitcases and boxes for an entire family, then looking back at the single service on his cart. After a moment, he asked, "You are traveling alone?"

I could only laugh, though I did manage to tell him that my husband and I were planning to split the meal as we weren't that hungry. He set out the single set of silverware with one glass...and three liters of water. The rice and butter chicken are in serving containers, but they did not send up a plate. But, we have a full kitchen so we were able to easily make up for the lack.

I am a little disappointed, though, that I didn't think to order appropriately to provide certain "extras" that I had taken for granted in our last apartment. It will take a bit to collect such things again.

Travel Journal

Are you taking your children on a road trip or vacation this summer? My collection of printables will help you create the perfect travel journal for your kids!

You can start with my Printable Kids Travel Journal, also available in pink or blue. This includes a title page, a colorable map of the U.S. for tracking travel, a trip overview page, a trip planning or dreaming page, and two different options for daily journal pages.

You can add a fun activity pack (also available in pink or blue). This includes: (1) a colorable title page, (2) an A to Z puzzle that prompts your child to describe themselves using every letter in the alphabet, (3) an All About Me puzzle that guides your child to describe various aspects of their life, (4) A Few of my Favorite Things puzzle, which encourages your child to identify things they like (this is particularly fun to look back upon years later), (5) a page to draw or color your own puzzle, and (6) a variety of Family Puzzles (for four, five, and six person families), which encourages your child to identify various family members and each of their traits.

Add a few calendar pages (also in pink or blue). These monthly pages provide a place to mark important upcoming events or simply mark or color the progress of days.

Or you might consider a customized travel journal, created just for your trip! This option allows you to change writing prompts, create a custom title page, and so much more!

Make sure to check out my shop - PuzzlePrintables - for even more options and additions! Or use the links above to put together your perfect travel journal today!

Home Again - Kansas edition

After a week in Los Angeles, Dani and I were heading to Kansas. That, of course, is my second home. Dani and I had moved our flight so that we didn't miss Craig entirely. With our original schedule, we would have flown out Thursday morning when Craig arrived Thursday afternoon. Instead, we had a couple of days together before we went to Kansas.

My mom and my sister, Ann, picked us up at the airport. We had lunch together in Kansas City, then we dropped Ann and Dani off at their house. Mom and I made our way to her house, where Dave and family were waiting for us. I stayed one night at my mom's house before braving the construction dust and moving into my own house. After so many nights away from home, I just wanted my bed.

Craig and I, perhaps ridiculously, have the same bed in Los Angeles and Kansas. We recently found a perfect pillow* and Craig had sent one of those to the house in Kansas as well. We've fallen in love with the bamboo sheets my sister-in-law recommended, so Craig sent a set of those to the farmhouse while I was there. Now I only need to find the perfect comforter** solution and my bedroom will be finished.

Of course, the best part of visiting the farmhouse is that it is always Christmas there. In addition to the items Craig sent, I found a number of things we had ordered for the house after our last trip. (We have a habit of doing this - ordering the things we've missed just as we leave.) Given the length of time between trips, we often forget what we've ordered, so opening the boxes is something of a Christmas surprise every time.

The first surprise - a box cutting knife (shown here with the knife I had used to open all the boxes):

Next up, a small strainer (purpose still unclear).

Finally, a gift from friends:

I was thrilled to see the progress on my den turned playroom, though it isn't as close to finished as I would like. But mom and I went to Toys R Us, shopping for a birthday party, so I picked up a couple things on sale for my new playroom. It will have a lego theme, so I got this storage bin (you can also see the markers I picked up on sale, because, well...sale...markers...).

My trip was a little short, but it always feels that way. I was able to catch up with several friends, but I missed some others. There's never quite enough time for everything and everyone that I want to see. But we are going back for a longer stay in August, which I am very much looking forward to.

*The perfect pillow for Craig and I is, in fact, a single Casper pillow taken apart. Craig likes to sleep with only the inner pillow, while I prefer only the outer pillow.

**In Los Angeles, we switch between a summer-weight down comforter (for winter) and a light quilt (for summer). Given the difference in weather between Kansas and Los Angeles, I doubt the same solution will work both places.

Home Again - Los Angeles

My trip from Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles was about as uneventful as you might expect some thirty hours of travel to be. Craig dropped me off at the airport. Turkish Airlines provided the expected level of customer service (that is, primarily, figure it out yourself and take care of it yourself). The lounge in Istanbul was crowded when I arrived, but it cleared out some during my seven hour layover. A few highlights:

When we landed in Istanbul, the woman sitting across the aisle from me took off her seatbelt before the seatbelt light went off. We had not yet reached the gate; I could see that we were still some distance away. When the plane jolted forward to the gate, the woman literally fell out of her seat. We were in business class, so there was some actual legroom. And this lady fell completely out of her seat and ended up on the floor. I've never seen such a thing, but I guess there's a reason they tell you not to remove your seatbelt before the light goes out!

Walking through the airport in Istanbul, I noticed a number of people who seemed to be walking very quickly. While I vaguely wondered where they were off to in such a rush - "were they late for a flight? I thought the gates were in the other direction" - I suddenly realized they weren't pulling ahead of me. They weren't actually walking any faster than I was, as I meandered toward the lounge. This was my first moment of reverse culture shock - I had become so accustomed to how slowly most people walk in the UAE.

Arriving in Los Angeles, I had my second moment of reverse culture shock. So many of the people I saw outside the airport were practically naked! Perhaps we were having a warm spell or maybe everyone was dressed for summer vacation, but I haven't seen that much uncovered skin in months!

I also found myself a little bemused by the sameness of attire in Los Angeles. That might seem odd, if you imagine people in this region clothed in identical black abayas. But the reality in the UAE is actually far more varied. There are plenty of women in black abayas (and men in white dishdashas), but even among those there is as much variety in detail as you will see among jeans and t-shirts in the States.  More striking, though, is the variety of national costumes people wear in this region. There is similarity in the level of modesty, but not the color or even general shape of the clothing here. Perhaps it is merely familiarity with the clothing in the States, but everything looked so similar.

It was nice to be home, but the week ahead was quite full. Dani flew out to join me for a couple of concerts. We were able to go to a few of our favorite restaurants, as well. There were plenty of household chores to keep me busy - the mail, even with Mal going through it as it came in, was incredible. But I was able to find some time to catch up with friends and family before it was time for my next trip...