At the first meeting

We reach a few minutes late.
And all the sisters were in front and all the brothers in the back and some mixing in the middle.
ARGH. We find 2 seats on the side near the open door (and breeze). Mom leaves her daughters to sit next to friends on the other side. She knows too many people.

Anyway we’ve filled out our personal details form. Some people still seem to be doing theirs.

Chennette doesn’t want to document us at our first meeting. Grr! I’ll have to use my camera phone. (Did I? I don’t recall)

Roll call – we had to submit our names beforehand.

Now we’re being read to from a book…
It’s hot. The fans are not on.
I guess it will be hotter in Saudi do I must learn.

We get dates…seems like a whole month of travel…

So tired. Meeting still going on…

11:30 Chennette made the signal to me…I buzzed mom on her phone and texted her…We left meeting early. Alhamdulillah (All praises are due to Allah).

We’re making Hajj this year

Insha Allah إن شاء الله (God willing) we are making Hajj الحج (pilgrimage to Makkah مكة مكرمة) this year.

As you may not know, we’ve tried twice before. In 2006, Chennette got typhoid fever and thus wasn’t up for the rigours of Hajj. In 2007, sister the elder and brother were both expecting babies just prioer to the time of departure and so we couldn’t just leave again.

So we’re going again, my dad, my mom and Chennette and I. Everyone in the family except Chennette and me have already made Hajj, some even twice.

Chennette and I need mahram to go, i.e., a specific close male relative. Thus Dad ahs to go with us. And mom is coming (maybe) because we’re going or because her grandchild is there or because it might be the last time she’s able (and have help i.e. us).

You go to Hajj in a group. There are many groups that leave out of Trinidad. We’re going with a group that my brother says makes VIP Hajj. I guess we’ll see. Dad says there has been so much change between when they first went in 1985 and then when he went in 1998. He wodners at people who went 10 years before that and how the facilities had changed.

Dad can’t come to the meeting. Various construction work is going on. Also, we’re missing Arabic class because of this. Maybe closer to the time of Hajj, I can write some of my posts in both Arabic and English. I can dream 🙂

I’m not sure how I will manage posting during Hajj (really before and after) but we’ll see. There are cafes. Maybe there’ll even be some picture posts as Chennette has a nice cell phone camera (Sony Ericsson K850i).

For information, Hajj is the fifth and last pillar of Islam. If you’re able and if you can afford it, you should make Hajj.

Ah well, more after the meeting. To facilitate this, I’m writing in a copy book and then transcribing. (Wow! Two meetings later and finally I remember!)

Ah! First instruction was to bring passport to meeting.

I can’t believe I’m going to an ASJA masjid مسجد voluntarily!!!