Nuh? No I didn't misspell his name. Nuh or Noah as he is known in the western world is a biblical figure most of the world is familiar with. Bet what many don't know is that we as Muslims revere him as well. Yep believe it or not he is one of our prophets too. Did you know that many faiths have a Noah figure in their histories? Most cultures have a man who took animals with his family aboard a boat and sailed off into the sunrise after a flood wiped the earth clean of all the woes of mankind. He took two of every kind of animal and his family and waited til the coast was clear then opened the doors and let animals and his family re habit the earth. Well if you wanted the long version of the stories there are plenty of books on the subjects.
Me and the kids well most of us have always loved animals. Being my family was military most of my early life we had few animals. We were always moving and we always had to give up that pet cause it wasn't fair to the animal to be lugged across the country in a small car with screaming, crying kids. I think it just made it easier on mom. One less mouth to feed or need to go pee at the wrong time. Well after I got older I wanted animals. I remember having some bunnies and keeping them in the backyard. We even managed to get a hutch for them and the ground under it took years before I could plant anything again there. But they were just the beginning. Along came birds. I had a few fish but I went to the hospital to have Fatimah and came home to dead fish cause someone had put seashells in the water. They were from the ocean and full of salt and who knows what else and well you don't put unwashed sea shells in fresh water fish tanks. So for awhile I gave up on animals. First I feel kids should be old enough to properly care for pets. You have to have space for them was one thing dad always told us. Animals should be able to run and have clean homes and proper food. Well it took a few years and finally we started getting birds. Those who know us or read some of my older posts know we started collecting birds. Seems like once you have one even if you have males you will somehow acquire more. Some of the birds we got we bought others came to us are refugees or orphans. Owners who could no longer take care of them for one reason or another. But like the notorious cat ladies they can add up and surprise you at times then you have to either give some away or find a way to feed all those extra mouths.
Sadly we had to leave them all behind when we moved here and Taher was able to find good homes for them. But once we settled into routine here we began to feel the loneliness setting in that not having a pet does. So like Nuh and his ark we are on a new patch of ground and we don't have two of everything yet lol but we hope to find a happy ground between food supply animals and pets. Things are different here, there are no laws for animals and except for what is written in holy books people will do what they please when it comes to tending animals. Good or bad we have to adjust to things here and slowly we can show better ways to provide care. I'm not saying people don't take care of animals here. Don't misunderstand me, when someone has done something certain ways for centuries how do you tell them there is a better way. You can't but you can start by raising your own animals and letting others see the benefits of better care. So I started a new blog page called http://libyaswildlife.blogspot.com/ I hope to get the girls to join in and let them tell the stories of our pets and animals. See the animals through the eyes of the animals as told by us humans. The girls are good storytellers so it could be something fun. But for now its a way to document our life here.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Time To Set The Record Straight
I know when I first wrote the messages about my sons accident it was hard. Here it is 5 months later and it still is. But I have found out more about the accident and I want it to be on paper since much will never be known beyond stories that get passed down. So I need to put it down for future generations.
Here is what I know now: That morning we had gone into Tripoli to schedule a surgery for Aieysha and had gone with a cousin to the Shar AlZawiya hospital in Tripoli. We went downstairs and waited to see a doctor and him and my husbands cousin AbdulZag Faris sat and talked later I found out it was about him wanting to get married and looking for land for a house and what he wanted to do with his life. Aieysha and I sat in the women's waiting area so we didn't hear this conversation but he told me about it later.
We finally got done and headed back into Tajoura to drop me and Aieysha off at the house so he could go to work and have time to do some reading before his class began. He was teaching English in a school just inside the borders of town. About a 10 minute drive from here. He dropped me off and I told him to tell them he would not be there the following Wednesday because of her surgery. I don't remember if I told him I loved him. But I told him see you later. I guess he got on the phone with his cousin and headed out to the main road. I was first told that he was bumped from behind well that wasn't what happened. He headed down the road and got to the roundabout and turned west and headed into Tripoli. Its like I said a few minutes drive but speeds on that road can reach well over 70 mph. Its posted 50 but no one follows rules here. There are marked lanes but no one stays in lanes either and if its crowded well it will be 9 lanes not 4. But he was on his way. A few more minutes and he would have made the turn off the main coastal road and been off it but well guess God had his plans.
Along comes the villain of the story... I guess he was in a hurry well aren't we all. He was headed East on the opposite side of the median and was weaving in and out at high speeds like everyone else going wherever they were headed. I guess he thought he could make that squeeze between cars and well maybe if things had been different he would have, I see it enough each time we drive. Well today was not a lucky day. He clipped a car and sent it like a bullet over the median right into Suhayb. Think about it what speed does it take to make a car a heavy car fly over a median into oncoming cars and just tear through them like they were butter? I don't know I'm not into physics. You can see the pics. But it hit my car with force and I was told they rolled a few times before settling near the seaside ledge. They said he was injured in the head, and lower abdomen someone told Fatimah his legs were severed but I didn't see that in the doctors slim report of the accident. I didn't get a report like we would be use to in the USA. Nor did his father or I get to view the body. I don't even know who saw him or identified him. People stopped talking about it. So much death here people just move on. But anyways not only was Suhayb killed instantly they said but the man in the other car was cut in half they tell me he was trying to buckle or was buckled and the seat-belts tore him in half at the scene. They said the man stopped to help. Not much to do was there? Did my son take his last breath before you saw him or did he die in someones arms? Did he say his last rites? Was there time? I don't know and sometimes this haunts me. Did he see the car coming or was it so sudden that he didn't know until it happened? A police officer who was nearby at a border post said he came to the scene and saw the name Faris and called a family just up the street asked him if he knew the person. It took him a few minutes but he said oh yes they are related to me. I'm told he knows more. There is still a court case but I have no clue what is going on. Justice here is way behind. They got lots to deal with death by car accident takes a backseat to murder and finding bodies in mass graves. I was told it was quick.
This is the little boy who asked me could he be a Prophet one day. I hope he did leave a message for all of us. Love each other while you can. Every day someone dear to someone of us passes on. What messages do they leave behind?
Here is what I know now: That morning we had gone into Tripoli to schedule a surgery for Aieysha and had gone with a cousin to the Shar AlZawiya hospital in Tripoli. We went downstairs and waited to see a doctor and him and my husbands cousin AbdulZag Faris sat and talked later I found out it was about him wanting to get married and looking for land for a house and what he wanted to do with his life. Aieysha and I sat in the women's waiting area so we didn't hear this conversation but he told me about it later.
We finally got done and headed back into Tajoura to drop me and Aieysha off at the house so he could go to work and have time to do some reading before his class began. He was teaching English in a school just inside the borders of town. About a 10 minute drive from here. He dropped me off and I told him to tell them he would not be there the following Wednesday because of her surgery. I don't remember if I told him I loved him. But I told him see you later. I guess he got on the phone with his cousin and headed out to the main road. I was first told that he was bumped from behind well that wasn't what happened. He headed down the road and got to the roundabout and turned west and headed into Tripoli. Its like I said a few minutes drive but speeds on that road can reach well over 70 mph. Its posted 50 but no one follows rules here. There are marked lanes but no one stays in lanes either and if its crowded well it will be 9 lanes not 4. But he was on his way. A few more minutes and he would have made the turn off the main coastal road and been off it but well guess God had his plans.
Along comes the villain of the story... I guess he was in a hurry well aren't we all. He was headed East on the opposite side of the median and was weaving in and out at high speeds like everyone else going wherever they were headed. I guess he thought he could make that squeeze between cars and well maybe if things had been different he would have, I see it enough each time we drive. Well today was not a lucky day. He clipped a car and sent it like a bullet over the median right into Suhayb. Think about it what speed does it take to make a car a heavy car fly over a median into oncoming cars and just tear through them like they were butter? I don't know I'm not into physics. You can see the pics. But it hit my car with force and I was told they rolled a few times before settling near the seaside ledge. They said he was injured in the head, and lower abdomen someone told Fatimah his legs were severed but I didn't see that in the doctors slim report of the accident. I didn't get a report like we would be use to in the USA. Nor did his father or I get to view the body. I don't even know who saw him or identified him. People stopped talking about it. So much death here people just move on. But anyways not only was Suhayb killed instantly they said but the man in the other car was cut in half they tell me he was trying to buckle or was buckled and the seat-belts tore him in half at the scene. They said the man stopped to help. Not much to do was there? Did my son take his last breath before you saw him or did he die in someones arms? Did he say his last rites? Was there time? I don't know and sometimes this haunts me. Did he see the car coming or was it so sudden that he didn't know until it happened? A police officer who was nearby at a border post said he came to the scene and saw the name Faris and called a family just up the street asked him if he knew the person. It took him a few minutes but he said oh yes they are related to me. I'm told he knows more. There is still a court case but I have no clue what is going on. Justice here is way behind. They got lots to deal with death by car accident takes a backseat to murder and finding bodies in mass graves. I was told it was quick.
This is the little boy who asked me could he be a Prophet one day. I hope he did leave a message for all of us. Love each other while you can. Every day someone dear to someone of us passes on. What messages do they leave behind?Another Precious Gem
This month seems like its going to be a long one. I lose an Aunt, a ex brother in law, and now a distant cousin. She died on the 18th.
Feb 17th was the anniversary of the Uprising in Libya and I went out to be part of the celebrations. I don't have the images downloaded to this comp but I will try and post some soon but I did post one on my Facebook page. I got the privilege to sit next to the mother of one of the martyrs of Tajoura during the program. She saw me sitting on the curb near her and asked a young boy to give me his seat. I kissed her on the cheek and told her thanks. She knew me I guess I am still trying to find out if she is a neighbor. I found out her name and her sons name he is a Tarhuni. We have a few families nearby with that family name. As we sat they brought to her the new photo of her son they used in the ceremonies and I asked to photograph it. I looked at the image and saw the date of his death. 10/17/2011. Yeah Suhayb's 21st birthday. I sat and cried. She had apparently came to the funeral. She seemed familiar. I hope I can one day have enough Arabic I can visit some of the people who lost family and tell you their stories. Someone needs too cause it seems like people are just numbers or someone on TV that you don't know but you heard about and forget a few days later.
Well it was like that two days ago. A cousin of mine posted a Amber Alert for a young girl missing in Missouri and said she was related. I didn't really know how but I looked and saw the father of the girl was a Barfield. I asked her if he was related and she told me yes. My mothers great grandmother is a Barfield and we found each other online just before I came to Libya. We keep in touch in those odd hours of the day or night. Being on different sides of the earth its hard to keep up with stuff going on. But anyways this little girl was snatched just right next-door to her house in broad daylight with view of a neighbor. I mean yeah people watching!! Sadly, she wasn't found in time. I don't know all the details and I will probably hear them soon enough you know how media is. But for now all I care about is this poor little girl was at the hands of a murderer of children.
I like to believe that she didn't feel much and God took her quickly. The part I am happy about is they did catch him. He is in jail but you know the system. You hope justice will prevail. If not like a few Dictators around the world lately God will be waiting for them. There is a joy in knowing they will suffer much longer. God doesn't have lawyers who can get them off on technical, his prisons are eternal torment no one to say he isn't being treated kindly there. He will get what he deserves. Little Hailey I sure wish your parents will know that one day he will serve his sentence. They say books are written and like I have said some days its not that they are gone but how they died that makes it feel so wrong when we lose someone. These are one of the days we ask God why??
Feb 17th was the anniversary of the Uprising in Libya and I went out to be part of the celebrations. I don't have the images downloaded to this comp but I will try and post some soon but I did post one on my Facebook page. I got the privilege to sit next to the mother of one of the martyrs of Tajoura during the program. She saw me sitting on the curb near her and asked a young boy to give me his seat. I kissed her on the cheek and told her thanks. She knew me I guess I am still trying to find out if she is a neighbor. I found out her name and her sons name he is a Tarhuni. We have a few families nearby with that family name. As we sat they brought to her the new photo of her son they used in the ceremonies and I asked to photograph it. I looked at the image and saw the date of his death. 10/17/2011. Yeah Suhayb's 21st birthday. I sat and cried. She had apparently came to the funeral. She seemed familiar. I hope I can one day have enough Arabic I can visit some of the people who lost family and tell you their stories. Someone needs too cause it seems like people are just numbers or someone on TV that you don't know but you heard about and forget a few days later.
Well it was like that two days ago. A cousin of mine posted a Amber Alert for a young girl missing in Missouri and said she was related. I didn't really know how but I looked and saw the father of the girl was a Barfield. I asked her if he was related and she told me yes. My mothers great grandmother is a Barfield and we found each other online just before I came to Libya. We keep in touch in those odd hours of the day or night. Being on different sides of the earth its hard to keep up with stuff going on. But anyways this little girl was snatched just right next-door to her house in broad daylight with view of a neighbor. I mean yeah people watching!! Sadly, she wasn't found in time. I don't know all the details and I will probably hear them soon enough you know how media is. But for now all I care about is this poor little girl was at the hands of a murderer of children.
I like to believe that she didn't feel much and God took her quickly. The part I am happy about is they did catch him. He is in jail but you know the system. You hope justice will prevail. If not like a few Dictators around the world lately God will be waiting for them. There is a joy in knowing they will suffer much longer. God doesn't have lawyers who can get them off on technical, his prisons are eternal torment no one to say he isn't being treated kindly there. He will get what he deserves. Little Hailey I sure wish your parents will know that one day he will serve his sentence. They say books are written and like I have said some days its not that they are gone but how they died that makes it feel so wrong when we lose someone. These are one of the days we ask God why??
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