Thursday, June 22, 2006

Summer Vacation

I finished work today around 2:30 and as I was walking out of the school, I asked the vice-principal, "I don't know what I'm going to do during my summer vacation. I'm used to schedules and timetables and now I have free time to do anything." He said, "Do you have a balcony?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Good, sit on your balcony." Then he said "Now go home!"

No alarms. No bells. No getting clothes ready for school. No asking Mira if her homework is finished; and if it is in her backpack. It sounds awfully boring, but quite relieving, to be honest.

From now on it's a pot of hot coffee on the balcony in the morning with Hassan, asking him how his "boys" are doing and what he did the night before. Mira rolling out of bed with her hair all curly and tangled, and listening to her never-ending mantra of "What are we going to do today?" Ahhh, I'm sure by the time August rolls around, I'll be parked outside the school ready to start working all over again.

I never had a job where I had summers off. Sure, when I was a child and we had summers off from school, I thought all parents had summers off too. It wasn't until I was in sixth grade that I realized my Dad worked everyday of the year -- day in and day out -- year after year to provide for his family. What a tremendous accomplishment. Thanks, Dad.

I am very fortunate to work in a school environment where I have time to spend with Hassan and Mira (well, I'm with Mira every day at school). Insha'Allah we will be in Alexandria for a couple of weeks. Actually, if we make it a week we'll be happy.

Our schedules will be changing too. We will be going out at night because it is too hot in the day, and we will be sleeping into the late morning. Since I am a time-oriented person (never was when I was a child), I have to get adjusted to putting my time management skills aside and just go where the wind takes me.

Ma'salaam,

~Marian

1 comment:

Marian said...

Thanks for appreciating the blog entry. You will be with me through this blog, and hopefully the entries throughout the summer. Ma'salaam, Marian