Across the universe

Today this is gonna be a random post. Just so you know...

My mom came to town and visited me for the past 2 weeks, or to be more exact I was with her not more than 5 of those days but still it was ... not sure how to describe it exactly... unexpected. Having her here and suddenly changing back my routine, figuring out about the typical places she ought to go to get to know Jordan in a condensed way (falafel, hoummus, mansaf, citadelle, museums, arabic tents and pateos,...) when those were sometimes places I never went before, realizing that the way she perceives this place, my life here or so many things will always be different from the way I see it and live it each day.

She is the most adorable person on earth, don't get me wrong, she really is but she made me realize how privileged I am at 24 to have been and done so much and that I don't ever wanna wait till I'm old and rich to travel and walk each mile of those places I still want to go to or live in. I'd rather do it right now, with 1JD in the pocket and a falafel sandwich in my hand. Besides people, there's not much else I need... maybe a cat now!

And we went to Syria! "She measures time not by days and months and years, but by the empires she has seen rise and crumble to ruin. She is a type of immortality..." now imagine this told by a deep and mature voice, a bit National Geographic channel style, and we're talking about Damascus by the writer Mark Twain.

To be honest it didn't look that old but it's got a charm of its own, I loved the long, narrow souk streets, the thousands "you are welcome!" and the bargaining, the tasty food in the courtyards and the mix between mosks, churches, roman archs and ancient city walls. I only missed the mint tea and walking for miles, coz there is no better way to get to know a place.

And then after 2 days I felt at home coming back, suddenly having to say goodbye to my mom when entering the cab that would take her back to the hotel that didn't allow us to cancel the reservation and in the rush emptied of emotions over practicalities, not like the day I first saw her here and made me drop some shy tears...

For some reason I will miss her a bit more now but she didn't fit exactly with the landscape, she will always feel home to me but here I feel I am part of the picture now too. It might be because of the cat (which by the way is now also staring at this screen), but tonight I feel like a beduin, don't know if there is really a fixed place for me.

And things too changed in just 2 days here, there were things I missed and people who came back, there's a different mood in some but the cat recognized me... I wrote today that there is no other place I'd rather be right now and it still feels right.

I guess travelling makes me good, now I gotta go take the cat to sleep.

Good night = Tessbaa- l-khair!