So autumn has definitely hit the desert. The trees don't change color but it's pretty chilly when I wake up in the morning and wearing long sleeves is finally comfortable again. I knit a sweater and hat in celebration. Soups, hot chocolate, and teas have also regained their favored status. In addition, I have the sudden desire to make homemade applesauce, homemade bread, and yesterday I even made bagels. Yep, autumn is definitely here and though I am living in a different place, some things about myself just don't change.
But, that's all sort of a side note. I really was just going to post some artwork in this post. Last month I stayed with a married couple for a weekend and as a thank you I said I would create a small series of drawings for their wall. Their only request was that it be somehow related to this region. After weeks of really having no clue of what to draw this is what I eventually came up with:
The pictures read from right to left as you would in Arabic. The idea I had was to create something that represents our progression both in language and culture as we live here longer and longer. The first picture is in black and white with no background behind the kettle and cups. The word in red is simply Arabic for "tea". When we first arrive we only understand basic words and customs such a noun and the symbol of tea for hospitality. Then as we progress more, color starts to fill out our observations. The words translated in the second picture say "Who is my neighbor?" We are able to converse more with our new friends and really start to get to know more of who they are, where they live, and how they live. The last picture has the most color and is still beyond our current level both in Arabic and culture. The words are in classical Arabic (which I painstakingly copied since I couldn't understand everything) and quote from Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Incidentally the first picture was drawn from my personal tea kettle, the second from a photo taken during a prayer drive into the desert during Ramadan, and the third from a photo on Easter morning.
