Still haven't found the post office

but I have a couple of good leads I will check out tomorrow!

It looks more like Christmas than I expected it to.  The Eid decorations are still up with the lights and streamers.  The colors for Eid are very much like Christmas colors.  The streets have brightly colored lights on them.  My room mate found a Christmas tree and some lights at the little hospital store.  She also found some little multicolored lights to put on it.  It is sitting on the living room table and looks quite festive.  ( The proprietor of the store cannot openly display Christmas stuff but he has some stashed away for the asking!)

My friend, Moni, has decided to stay. They moved her to one of the brand new apartments on campus which is quite nice!!  It is nice for her.  She is encouraging me to put my name on the list for that complex but to be honest I love my little apartment and the walk is nice as well as when I leave it is like I am really leaving.  I cannot see the hospital from my apartment so I feel I have really gone home!  F complex apartments are efficiencies.  they have new two burner hotplates and a convection oven.  I need a real stove with oven...so I think I will stay put!

I have learned some very important cultural and religious aspects of the Arabian/Muslim people.  Some I have shared with my colleagues but others I will keep to myself.  you see...I understand when things are sacred to a person and you have to be careful who you share with because they may make light of something so important.  I am glad my patients and their families shared these things with me.  It shows they know they can trust me.

I have such fun with the people I am working with!  Deepak, Mahmoud, Mohammed and Ahmeen are four of a kind!  They are so funny and make me laugh every day!  Of course I also make them laugh.  We are using new Hospira Smart pumps (Plums) and I really like them very much.  Anyway Mohammed was going around collecting the old pumps and asked if I had any "non-smart" pumps in my room.  "You mean the stupid pumps?" I asked.  He looked at me and then just roared with laughter.  He used that line for all of the rest of the rooms. "Got any stupid pumps?"  Nice to know I my sense of humor translates well ;)

Merry Christmas one and all!

Christine xx