I Survived Irma!

It's been a busy week! First there was preparing for the storm, which included stocking up on water and food and making sure the hurricane kit had everything in it. As the storm approached Florida I made the decision to take my mother to a special needs shelter as she is on oxygen and has medical equipment that needs electricity - plus the shelters are built to withstand category 5 storms.

In the end, my sister insisted that mom go to her house. At first I argued with her about it, but then after discussing it with my son we decided to let my sister take care of my mom during the storm. Actually, we were kind of surprised she offered, especially since we could count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times she's shown up in the past year. So off mom went on an adventure with my sister. 

I continued to sort out the hurricane supplies, while Adam and Jenna cleared the yard of all the yard furniture, planters, barbecue grills, garbage cans - anything that would blow around and cause damage. They even cleaned out the garage so Adam could fit his boat inside. Adam turned the canoe in the back yard over and filled it with water that  later might need to be used to flush toilets.  

I was also busy with my city's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). We organised the evacuation of the people with special needs. First we had to call them all to see if they still needed to be picked up (some had other plans and some had died or moved away since signing up for the service). As the storm got closer it was time to pick them up and bring them to the shelter. Without the help of the  county school buses and drivers the evacuation would never have been possible. 

It was an interesting experience. We evacuated people from all walks of life, mostly elderly in wheelchairs and walkers who live alone and have no one to look after them. Each bus had a driver and driver assistant, one firefighter and two CERT team members. Our bus picked up two busloads of special needs passengers and their belongings - some of them we had to help pack.

One poor lady had four bags full of adult diapers. A little old man held his chihuahua on his lap and cried. A 98-year-old woman showed me a locket with her late husband's picture - all her kids have died before her, she has no one left. One woman brought a big cake with her to share with all the new friends she would make at the shelter. They all joked and said we should get matching Irma tattoos. One lady said she was finally happy to have something interesting to write in her diary. Overall it was a positive experience. I hoped they had homes to go back to once the storm was over.

Irma gradually arrived. I must have had hundreds of people sending messages and asking if I was OK on Facebook. It was hard to explain that the sky was still blue and the sun was shining. The storm was downgraded to Category 3, then 2 and was moving about 9 miles an hour. By Sunday evening the winds started to pick up. Around midnight the power went out and by one o'clock Saturday morning the storm was hitting it's hardest. Soon after I lost mobile service. It was dark outside and impossible to know what was really going on - lots of wind and things banging around outside. I lay in bed listening to the power of the storm and finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning the electricity and phone service were still off, but the winds had died down. I was scheduled to do a twelve hour shift at my city's Emergency Operations Center. I dressed by the light of a flashlight. It was still dark as I opened the front door to see what things looked like outside. I could see the neighbor in his front yard with a flashlight. The old oak tree in his front yard had blown down. I called out to Adam to go see if anyone was hurt.  Luckily, the tree had fallen toward the street and the house was spared. The road was partially blocked on both sides of my street. Adam jumped in his truck to have a quick check of the neighborhood and returned to report that there only seemed to be trees down and no major damage. I headed off to the EOC.

The roads were littered with debris and some houses showed signs of damage. None of the traffic signals were working. There was hot coffee at the EOC! The building had a generator and was built to withstand Cat 5 storms. At some point during the storm someone had gone out to remove the satellite antenna as it was blowing so hard they thought they would lose it. Then a huge tree fell over and pulled up the internet and phone lines that were buried next to it. The only mobile provider that was working was Verizon, so those that had that were creating a hot spot and tethering to it in order to run the EOC's computers. For a while I manned the Citizen Information Center (CIC), but the phone line was down and as most people didn't have phone service they couldn't have connected anyway. Finally, the decision was made to close the Center and move it elsewhere. It was disappointing, but so much valuable information was learned from the experience and would be extremely useful later on.

On my way home I drove around town. Most of the damage seemed to come from old trees, mostly oak. There didn't seem to be anyplace that had power. The beach roads were closed to traffic so I headed home. 

On Tuesday, I was called in to start bringing home the special needs evacuees. First we had to drive around to see if their houses were safe and if there was power. No one would be allowed to return until their homes had electricity. Most of the areas were still without power, but we were able to bring a few of the evacuees home. They said that their experience at the shelter had been mostly positive. They had been put up in classrooms that were furnished with cots and given three good meals each day. Medical staff were available and anyone that had any problems was taken immediately to the hospital. There were plenty of people there to offer them assistance getting to the bathroom and in and out of bed. They were just tired and wanted to be home. It was rewarding to be able to help them.

Power came back on at our house on Tuesday evening. My mother came home Wednesday, just in time for me to take her to her doctor's appointment. We're still putting things away - there is a stockpile of water bottles in the corner of the dining area, all of the things we removed from the closet under the stairs needs to be put back. Thank God we didn't have to use the safe room (closet) under the stairs! All the disarray makes my mother confused. She keeps asking what happened to her house. It will take a few days more to get back in to a routine. It's expected that by Sunday all of the electricity will be back on in our area..... and school starts back up on Monday. 

It's been an adventure. I've lived through a hurricane and survived to tell the tale. ... but I am not getting Irma tattooed on anything!

Eid Wishes

Wishing a safe and peaceful Eid to all who celebrate. 

May Allah accept your fast and shower you with blessings. 

End of May till the first half of Ramadan

I've been pretty busy the last few weeks. I'll try to fill in all the blanks with some of the pictures I took along the way. First I'll start by sharing my quick trip to the lovely Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. I was there last June and found myself back there again for a short work related trip.

It took a while to get to Guadeloupe as there are no direct flights from where I live, so I spent a few hours in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico might become the 51st state soon, at the moment it's a US territory. My cell phone worked there and they use dollars. My hamburger and French fries in the airport cost $25!

Last year I stayed in an all inclusive resort... this time I stayed in a studio apartment. If I have to go back again for another short stay I will go back to the resort simply because it had a restaurant and I didn't have to go anywhere to hunt down a place to eat. But there were some bonuses to my accommodation. My little apartment had a view of a small cove with a lighthouse and I didn't have to deal with a tourists on their holiday. The weather was a bit hazy, the landlord said it was the result of desert sands that blow across the Atlantic from north Africa. 

Guadeloupe is a French overseas territory, people there speak French, the currency is the Euro and it's part of the European Union. I went to the supermarket and found pretty much the same things I would find in a Tunisian supermarket. I bought the makings for a Tunisian breakfast... bread, cheese, tuna, olives and some juice. They even had harissa, but I decided to get some spicy creole mustard instead. I had a nice relaxing breakfast on my little balcony overlooking the cove and watched the boats. 

After my work was finished I spent the rest of the day with friends. We visited an interesting museum, Memorial ACTe. I was quite impressed. The museum is a memorial to slavery and the history of the slave trade in the Caribbean. There's a lot to learn, you could easily spend a few hours there. 

One of my friends had some things to do that would take her to different parts of the island so she asked me if I would like to come along for the ride. Yes! I taught her a new phrase 'riding shotgun' and I explained it's origin. What a beautiful place! There is an active volcano on the island, but it hasn't erupted in forty-one years. Sugar and bananas are the main exports, the vegetation is lush, mangos hang heavily on the trees and passion fruit vines drip over everything. Butterflies, humming birds flit from flower to flower.

Towards evening we headed to my friend's weekend home on the side of a hill overlooking the sea.  The view was breathtaking. 

We headed to her kitchen where she taught me how to make a popular Caribbean dish called Chicken Colombo and tender smoked Marlin drenched in olive oil, peppers, shallots and lime juice.

Chicken Colombo

Smoked Marlin

 My visit to Guadeloupe was much too short. It is definitely worth visiting as a tourist. I was told to watch for deals on flights from Norwegian Airlines which offers direct flights from New York for as little as $79 - and accommodation in Guadeloupe is reasonable too. The only thing I found expensive were the taxis, but you can rent a car for about $24 a day. Yes, I'm adding this to my list of places to revisit.

Ramadan started a few days after my return to Florida and two days after that it was Memorial Day. I took my mother and kids to visit my father's grave. He's buried in Bay Pines National Cemetery. Every Memorial Day the graves are decorated with flags. It's really a sight to see the flags stretched out across the cemetery - there are over 38,000 graves there and each one has a flag on Memorial Day.

Bay Pines National Cemetery

During April and May I attended the Citizens Academy which was a seven week course that covered different aspects of my city. We learned about City Hall, The Department of Public Works, the library, the Parks and Recreation Department, fire department, sheriff's department and we also participated in a mock city council meeting. I met all kinds of interesting people from my community, but best of all I learned what it takes to run a city. I wasn't able to be there on the day the certificates were handed out because I was in Guadeloupe at the time, but I received the certificate and a shirt after I returned. 

A week into Ramadan and I was back on an airplane, this time for a five-day trip to New York City. This was my first time visiting the Big Apple and I was excited to be in such a big and busy place. Unfortunately, I had some work to do so I wasn't free until the afternoons and all the museums closed at 5:30 so there wasn't much time to see the sights, but I fit in what I could using subways, trains, buses and a lot of walking too.

One thing that surprised me was that most people there tend to wear black or dark colors. When you get on the train you see people jammed in, all dressed in dark, drab coats and jackets. I had packed a bright turquoise suit jacket to wear for one of the days of my trip.... it stayed packed!

My subway and train adventures took me to the Grand Central Terminal. The terminal has intricate designs both on its inside and outside. In addition, it contains a vast interior main concourse. The terminal is one of the world's most visited tourist attractions, with 21.9 million visitors recorded in 2013.

Grand Central Terminal.... someone needs to get up there and clean off the grime and pollution.

The view from my hotel room window... a bit noisy. I was near two subway stations.

Looking down the tracks from the platform while I waited for the train.

One place on the top of my must see places was the New York Public Library. Actually I went there twice, the second time they had to throw me out so they could close the doors for the day. The New York Public Library is the second largest library in the United States (the largest is the Library of Congress) - it's also the fourth largest library in the world and has over 53 million items. In the front of the library entrance steps are two lions named, Patience and Fortitude. 

Next to the library is Bryant Park which is one of the busiest public spaces in the world, visited by over 6  million people each year.

Bryant Park - I like the vertical lines in this shot; the trees and panes of glass in the building.

Bryant Park - stop the hustle and bustle and do yoga.

View of some of the buildings surrounding Bryant Park

 The pointed building in the middle of the picture below is the Chrysler Building which was built in 1930. I was working one day in the building directly next to the Empire State Building. The windows in the buildings are very big so inside the rooms are filled with natural light. It felt weird to me to look out and see people in windows going about their lives and know that they could look right back at me. I was told that everyone feels that way when they first arrive in the city, but it soon wears off and you don't notice it anymore.

Fifth Avenue

 One afternoon I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sadly, I didn't have much time, only 2 hours - it needed at least two days! It is the largest art museum in the United States. Its permanent collection contains over 2 million works. I wandered from room to room, looking at as many exhibits as I could and wished that time would stand still.   

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Display of armor 

After the guards threw me out of the museum I took a walk through Central Park. Right smack in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city is this peaceful refuge. I rested my tired feet for a while, relaxed and watched people pass by. I am totally convinced that every city should have a park in the middle of it. (Someone needs to tell them that in Libya!)

Central Park

 I headed back to my hotel, which although it was close to the subway, didn't seem to have any descent restaurants nearby. I had decided to try my best to keep up with my Ramadan fasts, even though technically you are exempt from fasting if you are travelling, but that would mean having to make up the days later. So when sunset, the time to break fast neared, I would head for my hotel and pick up something to eat along the way. 

 One day I had some work outside of the city and took the train to the village of Tarrytown. The train traveled alongside the Hudson River for most of the way. An interesting thing about the train was that two of the cars on each train are reserved for the Quiet CALMute program. Customers on those two cars are not allowed to use their mobile phones, must disable any noise on their electronic devices, speak only with subdued voices and use only headphones at a volume that other passengers are unable to hear. It made for an enjoyable ride, I watched the scenery of the Hudson River pass by the window. 

The Hudson River

 Five days passed all too quickly and it was time to return home. I was weary from my busy trip and needed a day to recover. When I looked at how many steps I walked each day I discovered that I had been walking over 6 miles every afternoon. The pavements in the city are hard - my feet hurt. Next time I go to New York I am going to bring a good pair of walking shoes!  

It's Me....

I've always said that naming my children was harder than giving birth to them. Their names were important - more than likely they would have them all of their lives. It was hard to decide what they should be called. My name, or at least what I am called, has evolved over time. 

Officially, my name is Therese Martin, when I married my husband I decided that in traditional Muslim fashion I would keep my surname because after all, I only married him, he doesn't own me. Keeping my name meant keeping my identity. Since I was a child my family and friends always called me Teri or sometimes Teri-Anne. Therese was always kept for official things and that turned out to be quite useful. For example, if anyone ever telephoned asking for Therese, I immediately knew it wasn't friend or family and I would reply "Can I take a message?'  However, after I moved to Libya things changed and I became known as Khadija.

The name Khadija needs a bit more explanation. When I became Muslim (in 1982) the mosque prepared a certificate for me and at that time asked me if I would like to choose an Islamic name as some people like to do so when they make this life changing event. I thought about it for a while and chose the name Khadija. I never had my name officially changed, but  I  began using the name after I traveled to Libya. Let me explain....

Khadija is the name of Prophet Mohamed's first wife. She was a very successful and wealthy business woman and merchant. Her caravans equaled the amount of all the other caravans of the Quraish put together. The Quraish was a tribe comprised of 14 clans that inhabited Arabia and controlled Mecca.  Khadija was known by the by-names Ameerat-Quraysh ("Princess of Quraysh"), al-Tahira ("The Pure One") and Khadija Al-Kubra (Khadija "the Great"). She never traveled on her caravans, instead she hired others to trade on her behalf for a commission.  She hired Mohamed who was at the time 25 years old - this was before he received the Message. She was so impressed by Mohamed that she proposed marriage to him even though she was about 15 years older than him. When Mohamed received the Message she became the first Muslim woman. She remained married to him until her death 25 years later. He never married another woman until after she died even though polygamy was usual at that time. 

Khadija was a woman before her time - wealthy, successful, educated, married a handsome man much younger than herself, the first Muslim woman... What better name to choose?

After I arrived in Libya I found that people had trouble pronouncing my name. When they called me Teri they rolled the 'r' and it sounded like the word they use when they are on a donkey and want to make it go faster - Terrrri! Terrri! So I tried Therese, but they mangled it and made it sound like they were saying 'idreese' which is the Arabic word meaning 'men'. That's when I decided that I would just have everyone there call me Khadija and it worked perfectly!

Later on, I met another American woman in Libya who was also called Khadija - but she had taken it one step further and had her name legally changed to Khadija. Every time anyone in the expat community talked about either of us they would ask 'Which Khadija?" and if it was me the response would be KhadijaTeri. When I started my website (a few years before I started blogging) I called it Khadija Teri. I'll answer to Teri, Khadija or KhadijaTeri, but I still save Therese for formal occasions. Many Libyans know me as Mrs Khadija - the American woman that teaches English and does IELTS preparation courses. I have had hundreds of students over the years (something I am very proud of).

This calligraphy that spells out Khadija Teri was made by a blogger called Libya Gharian... sadly his blog no longer exists, but I am honored that someone took the time to create this especially for me and I keep it on the sidebar of my blog. 

Ramadan Mubarak

Today is the first day of Ramadan. I have been looking forward to Ramadan for months. It is as though it is a respite from all of the world's problems as I plan to avoid watching the news and instead look inwards and focus on my spiritual life. I'm looking at it as time to recover from everything that has been thrown at me this year. A lot of prayers this month for myself and my family and many, many, many prayers for Libya and Libyans. 

Best wishes to all for a peaceful and safe Ramadan. 

Ramadan Kareem!

Almost like being in Libya

I came across a page that someone created on Facebook where they are uploading 360 degree images of Libya. So far it looks to be primarily from the Tripoli area, but hopefully the collection will grow. No mention is made on the page as to who is the creator. I think it's a fabulous idea!

I added the link to my Link List and a sample below. You can find the Facebook page here: 360 Around You

Click on the picture to go to the 360 image

A Day Away

We took a day off last week to spend some time at the Rainbow River in Dunellon, Florida which is about a two hour drive from where we live. The water is a refreshing 71F  all year round. We swam and snorkeled and the kids went off in the kayaks to look for alligators - and found one! They said it was a small one, but I could hear a larger one downriver on the other bank where there was some tall grass growing. 

It was a lovely day. Sometimes you just need to get away for a while.