Freedom part 2

Well as some of you know I am back in the States. I know some of you are shocked ……to tell you the truth so am I. six months ago I would have wanted to smack someone  if they told me I would walk away from my life in the Gulf. Although I was unhappy in Doah, it was my home.  My true intention was to stay there for a few years ONLY because of my children. My two younger kids where doing things many people can only dream of. But we plan and Allah plans and I honestly believe this is from Allah.

I will have my tests I feel them already. Just not being among the majority in my dress makes me feel uncomfortable. I guess I just took it for granted and never thought about the freedom I had until it is taken away. In the Gulf I was free to dress as I wanted without feeling like an outsider. Here I am back to feeling like the woman people want to run away from.  Alhumduillah it is not that bad and I am ok with it because I am doing it because i feel I have to in order to obey Allah period. So the looks are ok.

The freedom to buy food. MAN, I truely forgot about having to read everything and having to go to the halal market for meat. what a horrible inconvience.  It is crazy. I love going into Wal-Mart and seeing all the things I grew up loving and the things I really missed. I complained many times about not having the choices I used to have………Funny thing is I guess I was remembering wrong becuase Even though the stores are HUGE I cant buy most of the things there. So I guess that freedom is all about how you look at it.

The freedom to pray almost anywhere. The thing that got me in the Gulf is how there are places to pray all over. Every mall has a womens section to go pray. All the supermarkets have a room to go pray. I dont think I have ever been out and not been able to pray if I chose to UNLESS I was driving and wanted to stop in a Mosque. The strangest thing is most of the Mosques do not have womens sections. Now in UAE I really didnt have a problem but in Qatar and Egypt I did. At home all Mosques have a womens area, it may not be what you want it to be but at least it is there. So I guess there is another freedom that will have alot to do with perception. Yes, I can pray at a Mosque here but thats about it……….

So yes, I have given up alot of freedoms to come back here for this short time. I gave up being able to blend into the crowd. I gave up all my halal food, I gave up hearing the Athan. Inshaallah I will get them back and more very soon.

~ by livinglifeandlovinit on February 10, 2009.