Masha'Allah

Beautiful country-side. The mountains of Kstan in the fall! Masha'Allah!

Masha'Allah is an Arabic phrase that expresses appreciation, joy, praise or thankfulness for an event or person that was just mentioned (definition from Wikipedia). It is used to remind people that all things come from God. People also say it superstitiously to ward off the "evil eye," believing that admiring something about another person in an envious or covetous way could cause something bad to happen to that person. So if you compliment a person or their things, always tack on a "Masha'Allah" afterwards so they know you're not saying anything out of jealousy or envy.

That's what neighbors are for

Project 365 Day 26: Our neighbors often send children over with plates of hot food fresh from their stove. It's really nice to know they think about us often. Today was a particularly neighbor-food-full day. From left to right: Lentils, Kitilk (meat and rice stuffed inside rice cakes and fried), dates, honey, fried green beans. We usually send the plates and bowls back with baked goods like pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, and banana bread.

Bubble Tea

Project 365 Day 25: I was craving bubble tea today. Reminds me of great friends back home.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Project 365 Day 24: It's my dad's birthday! In his honor I'm posting a picture of a father and daughter. I took this photo in eastern Turkey last year.

Dr Pepper Day

365 Project Day 23: I had my first Dr. Pepper in over a YEAR today! What a great taste from home! These pics are from last summer while I was traveling Highway 6 through the world's "capital" of Dr. Pepper (Dublin, Texas).

Kdish dinner

Project 365 Day 22: A typical Kdish dinner (from bottom left to right) shredded spiced lamb, deep fried egg, yogurt, and cheese. Each of these dishes is eaten with bread, which is used to scoop the food out of the bowl. No forks or spoons required!

Washing Machine

Project 365 Day 21: Our beloved washing machine. The left side is for washing and the right side is for spinning. Each load of laundry goes through each side twice. First time: Fill with water, wash with soap, drain, spin. Second time: Fill with water again, run with fabric softener, drain, spin. We don't have a dryer so then we have to hang our clothes to dry. Estimated wash time per load: 1.5 hours