Day 33: Echo Echo Echo

Wednesday, July 24

Listening to my "Sleepless in Seattle" soundtrack and feeling all nostalgic and thinking of my Mum.

"Men never get this movie."
*sniff*

The internet has been super sketchy at the school lately. It's harder for me to upload blogs because I can only do it at home, and because that's the only place that I have internet, I tend to do a lot of my homework at home, and therefore blogs get put on the back burner.

But after class today, I and a friend went to a nearby shop, which is fortunately open during the day despite the fact that it's Ramadan. The owner gives such good prices on things, I plan on returning on Thursday, once I've had more time to think about the cost of things and what will fit in my bags without being too heavy.

After we returned home from school, I collapsed on my bed for at least an hour. I think I was sleeping, but I'm not really sure, because out of nowhere there was this sudden and startlingly loud sound that was so loud, I couldn't imagine ever having slept before in my life. It's not even that interesting. It was a guy playing THE LOUDEST FLUTE I have ever heard in my life. He was playing it directly below our apartments in the courtyard, which, I must add, is an ECHO CHAMBER CHAMBER CHAMBER CHAMBER CHAMBER

He was out there playing, his kids following him, and he was trying to attract the attention of the friendly apartment residents. He would play, and then someone would open their window, and he'd talk to them for a minute, and then they'd throw/toss something to him/one of the children. Then they'd move on to a new area of the courtyard, blasting his horn at new and unsuspecting residents. I hope they weren't trying to nap too, otherwise that flutist should be very wary of the things that people throw at him.

Then it was dinner time, and Noura made TWO soups, one for everyone and one "light" soup for my roommate who can't eat the heavy stuff without getting sick. I ate the normal one to be polite, but once everyone left the kitchen, I tried the other soup, and OMFG IT TASTED LIKE CUP-OF-NOODLES (sans noodles) IT WAS SO GOOD. (I think it was "so good" because the flavor was so familiar, and I miss Cup-Of-Noodles.) But yeah. So I ate too much that night.

Then, after dinner I had to go out with my language partner, and the other two people whom she is partners with (who are my classmates and my friends). It was fun! First we went to a coffee shop:

Then we went to the reservoir, which is lovely and a super, super popular hang-out spot for evening-goers, i.e. everyone.

Next to the reservoir was a little fair/carnival!

It had most of the rides that you'd normally see in the average, annual carnival back home in the summer, except they looked much older and more faded. (I have my suspicions that the Middle East is where American carnival rides go to die. Needless to say, I was not willing to ride most of them.) However, with my language partner and one friend, I did ride that one that's fairly close the ground and goes around in circles, and it was pretty fun and we didn't die.

They played Gangnam Style super loudly during the ride (which was surprisingly long), and I did the horse dance as much as I was able. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, see this video, but you surely know what I'm talking about because you've already seen it. Surely)

It was a good night, though it did leave little time for homework in the end. Oh well. Sometimes, some things are more important. Like living.