I was a bit nervous for the birthday party Friday night. We invited quite a few people and I didn't want Zetta to be overwhelmed. Also the party was going to be after sunset, since Muslims don't eat until then during Ramadan, and this is usually when Zetta starts to get cranky.
Well we gave Zetta a late nap and she woke up right at sunset when all of our guests arrived. She seemed a bit shocked at first to see around thirty people in our apartment upon waking up, but then she started smiling and I don't think she stopped until she went to sleep around eleven o'clock. Zetta had a great time which was the most important part to me. She ate lots of minestrone soup, a whole chocolate cupcake, some banana cream pie, and also some lemon merange. She also got a lot of interesting gifts, her favorite of which is an old cell phone from her good friend Simon the German :)
The big hits of the party were: Zetta smashing her cupcake in her face for all to see; A safari game put together by Katie where each kid had their own binoculars; and a young Moroccan boy named Elias who wore a tuxedo to the party complete with a bowtie and a tailcoat. I think he was trying to impress the six and eight year old American girls :)
It was nice to be able to pay back some of the hospitality we have felt from our Moroccan friends. Aziza, who gave Zetta a one armed bear a while back, was there with her husband, son, sister, and niece. Fatima, our neighbor who makes us food ALL THE TIME, was there with two girls from our building. Madiha came from Fes. And Abdu came with his wife and two kids, Elias and Marwa.
I didn't really think about the significance of the party until yesterday night when I was trying to forget about the Notre Dame loss. But really, a birthday party with a mix of Christians and Muslims, complete with cupcakes, presents, a tuxedo and a safari! What a bizarre way to spend 9/11. Before the party I had read a friend's facebook away message: "Those we lost eight years ago and those that have departed since are not forgotten. Please honor their memory." I can think of no better way to honor the lives of those lost in the two towers, pentagon, the US soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the innocent Iraqis, the Afghan children, people who carry the name insurgent and terrorist, and the millions of Muslims who are racially profiled everytime they step in an airport... No better way than to share the hope and joy that we find in our children: A generation I hope will get it right.
salaam alikum
Well we gave Zetta a late nap and she woke up right at sunset when all of our guests arrived. She seemed a bit shocked at first to see around thirty people in our apartment upon waking up, but then she started smiling and I don't think she stopped until she went to sleep around eleven o'clock. Zetta had a great time which was the most important part to me. She ate lots of minestrone soup, a whole chocolate cupcake, some banana cream pie, and also some lemon merange. She also got a lot of interesting gifts, her favorite of which is an old cell phone from her good friend Simon the German :)
The big hits of the party were: Zetta smashing her cupcake in her face for all to see; A safari game put together by Katie where each kid had their own binoculars; and a young Moroccan boy named Elias who wore a tuxedo to the party complete with a bowtie and a tailcoat. I think he was trying to impress the six and eight year old American girls :)
It was nice to be able to pay back some of the hospitality we have felt from our Moroccan friends. Aziza, who gave Zetta a one armed bear a while back, was there with her husband, son, sister, and niece. Fatima, our neighbor who makes us food ALL THE TIME, was there with two girls from our building. Madiha came from Fes. And Abdu came with his wife and two kids, Elias and Marwa.
I didn't really think about the significance of the party until yesterday night when I was trying to forget about the Notre Dame loss. But really, a birthday party with a mix of Christians and Muslims, complete with cupcakes, presents, a tuxedo and a safari! What a bizarre way to spend 9/11. Before the party I had read a friend's facebook away message: "Those we lost eight years ago and those that have departed since are not forgotten. Please honor their memory." I can think of no better way to honor the lives of those lost in the two towers, pentagon, the US soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the innocent Iraqis, the Afghan children, people who carry the name insurgent and terrorist, and the millions of Muslims who are racially profiled everytime they step in an airport... No better way than to share the hope and joy that we find in our children: A generation I hope will get it right.
salaam alikum
Pictures and video will be on facebook eventually.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great time. I can't think of a better way to spend 9/11 either. Can't wait to see the pics!
ReplyDeleteYes, redemption can come. Reconciliation is possible, through such little things like birthday parties, and hospitality. such stories give my burdened mind hope for a brighter future.
ReplyDelete