Memorial Day

Today is a day to honor all those who have fallen in battle for our country. I say it is also a day to honor all those who risk their very lives for our country now as well as all those who have risked their lives in the past. To all servicemen and women, especially my cousin Don, I am proud of you and I support you in all you must do to keep freedom free! As for me, today will again see me running into Sailors and Marines. It's Fleet Week here in Manhattan and they are everywhere, exploring the city and enjoying a little time off.

Today I will meet up with a new colleague from my new school, Kimann. We met briefly at the job fair while she was accepting the position. I'm excited to talk to someone in the same position as I am, finishing up here and yet thinking about there. I'm sure we have lots of the same questions and we can compare the answers we've found so far. It will be great also to go to Doha already knowing people. My friends, Mike and Rose, work there at the school already but they won't be there until a week after I arrive. Have fun on vacation, Mike and Rose!

So I am trying to learn Arabic. Yikes. It's a difficult language, especially the written script. So a letter has three ways of being drawn: one way if the letter starts a word, another way if it's in the middle of a word, and yet another if it ends a word. So there are really three alphabets in there. Wish me luck and great memory!

My friend, Kristy, is going to take me into many Arabic stores in Astoria later today. It will be good to learn which foods are which before I get to Doha. I really appreciate knowing this kind of thing because I don't want to end up buying or eating something strange and awful. :-P I'm going to look at my Arabic letters again before we go and maybe I can sound some things out.

Happy Memorial Day to all, and please remember what it's all about!