Ayat picked me up around 10am. We began with a bit of souvenir shopping then a tour of the Arab Academy for Science and Technology; it is a private university which attracts many students from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. They have two campuses, one that is in town and one that is on the outskirts of town that is very similar to a US university with separate buildings and open spaces.
I then gave my technology workshop to a group of 12 teachers in a department that teaches English for Specific Purposes. They help students in engineering, business, and travel and tourism refine their English skills for communication and presentation. The workshop went well. They brought their laptops and I was able to walk them through registration and use of a few of the programs that I showed them. They were appreciative and stayed after to discuss teaching and technology.
On the way back home we stopped for a drink: juice from squeezed sugar cane. The cane is raw and they feed it into a machine that squeezes the juice out and chills it - it is green and very sweet.
Once home, we sat down for a wonderful dinner of Mashy - this time made with grape leaves. Wonderful!!
Then... wait for it... a surprise birthday party including cheesecake with candles, a birthday song and presents. Marwa's friends Mahy and Maram were both there and even tried to teach me how to belly dance. I enjoyed the fun and music and especially the laughter. Unfortunately there are videos of the entire evening - hopefully they won't be made public!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I am so glad that you enjoyed your surprise birthday party....I know it was not much but I hope you had a good time....Thank you so much for everything and have a safe trip...I just want you to know that we miss you terribly all of us....say hi to all.....Marwa Saleh.
ReplyDelete