DINER AVEC UNE FAMILLE MAROCAINE

Last night my husband and I had dinner at a Moroccan family's house. This family is Moroccan by origin but they are of French nationality. Before I came to France, I heard a lot about Zakaria from my husband. Don't worry Zakaria, he always talk good about you (smile!). In case you are wondering, Zakaria is the handsome young man in the striped, navy blue shirt.

Zakaria, his mother (Madame Latifa), his two younger brothers (Mosab and Abu Hanifa), and his only sister (Houda) live at Malakof. It is about 10 minutes drive from my husband’s studio. Houda studies at a management school in Bordeaux and unfortunately she was not home last night. Mosab is the one in the white shirt, while Abu Hanifa is the one wearing grey t-shirt.

It was an enjoyable evening with this family, despite the fact that I only know very little French and Madame Latifa can only speak French and Arabic. These boys were born in France and naturally they speak French like a French! I can understand 30% of their conversation because they tried their best to use English and partly because 60% of English words originated from French!

Merci beaucoup pour Madame Latifa! C’est très bon dîner!

MUSHMELON AND POTATO

Monsieur A and I arrived back to Nantes from our vacance (French for vacation) on 2nd August 2008 (Saturday). We left Nantes on the 26th July 2008 (Saturday), and within one week we were in 5+1 countries. We started in France, and were in Spain, Andorra, Monaco, Italy and Switzerland. It was great! J'ai eu un temps merveilleux!

After we had lunch on the day we arrived Nantes, we went to Carrefour to get vegetables, fruits, milk, rice, etc. Hmm…I feel that I can’t go without cherries, melons, avocado, etc.

Just want to show you the delicious mushmelon that we bought from Carrefour and also the potatoes that were pulled out from the garden. These potatoes were planted by Monsieur A slightly more than a month before I arrived France. The French word for potato is pomme de terre , literally translated into English, it means “ground apple”.

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

18th July 2008, 915pm: Arifah, Afiq, Atiqah and my sister-in-law sent me to KLIA. On the way, we stopped at INTI University College Nilai to fetch Afifah. My flight to Paris, transit at Dubai, is at 12.50am, 19th July. After checking in at about 10.30pm, I asked them to leave for home because Atiqah has to attend school the next day.

19th July 2008, 4am: I arrived Dubai International Airport. I was a bit lost since I was alone and it was my first time at this airport. After passing through security, I asked a lady worker about subuh prayer time. She could not understand my English very much, but from her sign language I could understand that I will be able to hear the azan when subuh is due.

4.20 am: Alhamdulillah, Praises due to Allah, Azan for Subuh could be heard throughout the airport. I managed to locate the prayer room. Hmm…ladies were sleeping in the prayer room despite being asked by an airport worker to wake up and perform prayers! From her looks, this airport worker is a Chinese origin. I was quite shocked at the way she reacted to the ladies who could not be bothered with the sound of the Azan. May Allah protect her. Most of the ladies just continued sleeping…

After I have performed my prayers, another airport worker again asked the ladies to wake up and to leave the room if they do not intent to perform subuh prayer. She threatened that she will call the security if they refuse to leave. Look like these ladies are stubborn and no threat or scolding will make them budge!

I left the prayer room, and just walked around while window shopping around the many shops in the airport. I saw that Emirates also give meal vouchers if passengers transit for more than 4 hours – I qualify actually! But the queue was too long and I doubt if I have the patience. Moreover I wasn’t hungry.

I think Dubai Airport is very huge and beautiful but one set back is that there were too many people sleeping on the floor!!!!

MAT REMPIT

Young men (most of the time, anyway) riding on motorbikes performing dangerous acts that endanger other road users – yes, they are known as MAT REMPIT in Malaysia. I wonder whether this phenomenon is unique to Malaysia only. I always wonder also, how this MAT REMPIT terminology came into existence… (Any experts from Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka out there???)

Afifah, Atiqah and I went to the Bandar Baru Bangi Post Office this afternoon. I had my car parked under a shady tree in the compound of the post office while I asked Afifah to go into the post office to do some chores. After a while, Atiqah and I saw two MAT REMPITS (sorry for giving the plural form of this noun) doing a dangerous act about 70 m away from where I was. Fortunately that road is not very popular except when they have the Pasar Malam.

In away I was glad that they both fell (ouchhhhh!!!!!) and they looked somewhat hurt. I saw them pushing the motorbike to the side and they were there for maybe 15 minutes. I was sure they hurt themselves quite badly! If Afifah had come out of the post office fast enough, I would definitely go to these two rascals and give them a piece of my mind! Too bad, by the time Afifah got back to the car, the two guys rode away, albeit much slower than they did before the accident (kah…kah…kah…) I pray that they will have some feelings of regret and that there will be lesser MAT REMPITS in Bandar Baru Bangi, well at least lesser by two!

CAN'T WAIT

What is this Emirates Airlines doing here in my blog? Well, this is a form of releasing my excitement… I will be flying on Emirates Airline on the 19th July 2008 from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Paris CDG is the largest airport serving Paris. It is also the second busiest passenger airport in Europe after London Heathrow.

My three weeks leave has been approved by the Human Resource Division, Ministry of Education. In the public service department in Malaysia, one must fill up a special request form to go overseas, even if it means going to Singapore (across Tebrau Strait) or going to Sumatera, Indonesia (across Malacca Strait). Hmm… Government servants as we are called, so I have no choice but to abide by the government rules and regulations. Well, that doesn’t hurt me as long as I get to see my beloved hubby in Nantes, France.

I am really looking forward to this trip. I have never flown Emirates Airlines before but I had no other alternative, since the Malaysian Airlines (MAS) fares are beyond my limits! When I made the ticket reservations in April this year, Emirates Airlines seem to be the only wise choice. I don’t mind the transit in Dubai, yes, during both the to and fro journeys the plane will transit in Dubai – I hope I will be able to do something interesting there. BTW, my journey home will be on the 10th August from Paris CDG Airport back to KLIA.