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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Diaries of a Mo'tamera (Part 1)

My daily diaries, I wrote about my Omra trip. It includes emotions, feelings, and events.

P.S sorry for parting it, but If I hadn't, I would never have time to post it!

3omra 2011 Wed. 8\6                                                                                                      Day 1 – Medina
Dear Dairy,
Today was ahh! Amazing? Tiring? Great? I’m not actually sure! I had no emotions today.
Dad dropped us at the airport, I felt as if I’ve never been to an airport before, although I remembered every now and then some shots of memories. I was confused, I stuck to grandma. And since I didn’t sleep that day, I was so tired and hungry, I couldn’t wait till I ride the plane, but I just had to wait.
After we cut the tickets and got the passports ready, we went to pray Maghreb and 3isha. It was so noisy, actually I mixed up praying! After prayer, we went to sit in some place, which wasn’t the place we should have actually sit in, so we sat some little, then they told us that we gotta go to the other place, so we all went there, but it took long ‘cause they were slow and they had to inspect each one of them. (LOL, I’m not actually sure you understood that last part, hehe, never mind)
We sat there some time until at last they told us to get to the plane. We went to the gates, and we rode some kind of co-bus, I felt it was like the metro back in Egypt, it moved fast suddenly and it had very few chairs and there were these stuff hung from the wall to hold while its moving.
And at last… we rode the plane! It was so nice, there were these screens on the backs of the chairs in front, and it had so many movies, games and fun stuff. Mine wasn’t working, so I traded with grandma (seats) but they didn’t turn it on again until we were in the sky.
When the plane was going up, I felt like I was in an amusement park. My heart was sinking down, and we were going up, up in the sky. I felt like puking at first, but then I got to it.
In the ride, well the fly J I was watching a movie, and the waiter came and gave me chicken (food) I wasn’t really hungry but it was yummy anyway, but I couldn’t eat it all.
When we arrived medina, we rode the same co-bus to the airport, and we had to wait 2 whole hours in lines to get that print. I was standing for 2 hours waiting, until at last we were done, it was about 1:30 and I was extra tired.
We rode a bus and came to the hotel, and here I am writing :D
BTW: this hotel is so nice, it’s not Movenpick, but it’s the same.
Grandma and grandpa are sleeping now, an hour before fajr, so I gotta get some rest too.
                                                                                                                                Tomorrow!                                                                                                                                                                              Rahma Fateen


                                                                                                                                           Day 2 – Medina
Dear Dairy,
This place is awesome! I just can’t imagine that I’m in the place where Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was in1 and that it’s the place where ‘aws and 5azrag’ used to fight in, and all these stuff. I start imagining myself between them, but how different it is! Different races and countries don’t fight together here, actually they are so kind.
I slept only an hour, and work up for fajr. We walked to the mosque, and how nice is the sight of a crowded mosque at fajr! This never happens in Egypt, or anywhere else!
It was my first time to pray in the prophet’s mosque, so after prayer, I sat there watching the mosque and how nice they built it.
We walked back to the hotel in the heat of the morning sun. I just can’t imagine how hot it will be at thuhr since at fajr it was steaming!
We slept two fresh hours, and then they woke us up for breakfast. It was an open buffet and it was full of different kinds of food. Don’t ask me what I ate, ‘because I just stuck to traditional food I always eat.
We were so tired I tell you, so we went back upstairs and slept till thuhr. Then we went to the mosque.
I and grandma stayed in there till after 3asr, we read Quran, I stared some at the sight around me, we drank zamzam water, and while I was pouring, some woman asked me if I was Syrian! Well, I did look like them ‘because I was wearing the two pieces veil. After thuhr we tried to visit the rawda, but it was so crowded, so we thought of going some other day, and I wish we hadn’t thought of that.
We went back home, we watched some boring TV till grandpa came with dinner; we sat watching TV, till it was time for Maghreb.
Grandpa and grandma went, but unfortunately I couldn’t go.
So anyway, I sat in my room watching TV till they came. I was going to go to the mal with grandpa after he’s done with 3isha, but he was tired, and too much TV –boring TV- made me sleep.
I did sleep come good time, till breakfast ‘because I skipped fajr!
p.s I was tired, so here I am writing the other day.

                                                                                                                                           Day 3 – Medina
Dear diary,
……….. I slept too much, but I don’t know, I still feel sleepy.
We went to breakfast the first thing when we wore up, and I still ate the traditional meal  :D
We went back upstairs and I took a quick shower.
Then grandma and I went to visit the prophet (pbuh) from the outside at the men’s place, because its always crowded at the women’s place.
So we visited the prophet (pbuh) from a far distance, and we visited ‘al baqee3’ and I was going to sit in the library, but I wasn’t allowed ‘because it was inside the mosque. So I went back home and I started writing.
Here I am writing while watching TV.
While watching TV, I slept, grandpa came, and I just woke up.
We waited for about five minutes, I got prepared. Then we all got out for shopping  :D
We walked all the way to Movenpick, where there was the mall under it.
When we at last arrived, I wasn’t really in the mood of shopping, but then after a while, I started getting a lot.
I finished shopping for my siblings, I hope they like the gifts I got them. On our way home, grandpa got the food, and we ate in the hotel.
After eating, I sat there digesting, watching TV while grandpa and grandma went to pray. When grandpa came from prayer, we sat there watching Egyptian football match.
Then we slept J
                                                                                                                                                Tomorrow!
                                                                                                                                              Rahma Fateen
               

Day 4 – Medina
Dear Dairy,
So today was eventful. I woke up as usual, went for breakfast, and yes, I did eat like usual :P
Then we went back upstairs. I already slept a lot, so I sat there reading Quran and the athkar till grandpa and grandma went for thuhr prayer. When they left, I sat there watching TV, and I found everything so boring, I started eating, then I started making duaa’ that I will have time to pray in rawda.
After Asr, grandpa and I went some more shopping. I bought gifts for my parents and we went to buy food. Today our meal was delicious!
When they went to pray Maghreb, I took a bath and at last… I went to the mosque!
The good thing about it is that we, Alhamdulillah were able to enter the rawda! But you know, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. ‘Cause once you enter, I bet you won’t be able to get out if you changed your mind. It’s so crowded. I felt like we are in the sea, and each one who pushes is like the waves, and we just go. It was so crowded *for the fourth time LOL* I don’t think a place can ever get more crowded than this!
Alhamdulillah, we were able to pray 2 rak3as, although once you sit, you will find 10 people above your head and some other stepping on you while praying, but it was a good chance, ‘cause not everyone who goes in is able to pray in there!
Alhamdulillah again, ‘cause we wouldn’t have been able to do something like this if God didn’t want us to. One thing, people there, would pray like all the time possible and never care that others want to take a chance, and that was a reason why it’s always crowded.
And I couldn’t really pray well, nor make good dua’a ‘cause people were stepping on me!  But I should not forget that there are others who aren’t even able to go inside, I shouldn’t be selfish. J *good me*
I went back home, expecting grandpa to be sleeping and dreaming, but he was awake watching TV!
I gotta sleep now ‘cause tomorrow we will visit places in Medina early in the morning, even before breakfast. So I gotta get some rest after this fight and all this struggling!
                                                                                                                                            Good night!
                                                                                                                                                                Rahma Fateen   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                Day 5 – Medina
Dear diary,
Oh my, did I do so many things today?!
We woke up for fajr, got ready and went to the mosque. We prayed, and sat there some while, and then we went home and got ready for a long day!
After getting ready and all, we sat in the reception waiting for the bus. We read the athkar, and the bus came at last. (Of course after waiting 15 minutes)
First we went to Qiba’a mosque. The man explained why we go there on the ride. I took some pictures, but not as much as I always do, ‘because I forgot my camera, and I was using my granddad’s J . We prayed there 2 rak3as, because it’s like an Omra (in agr) then we bought dates, a lot of dates. Then we went to the mountains of Ohod. I wanted to climb it, but no one was excited as me *I think so* so, we just visited the martyrs and went back home J
We went right away to eat breakfast. Once we arrived, I realised that people wake up late, so it was kinda crowded *because until we arrived it was almost the closing time of the buffet*
And you know what? I saw this man, wearing a super cool t-shirt. It was written “I like you” on it, and beside it, the ‘like’ thumb which is on facebook. I loved it. I wanted to give him thumbs up for the t-shirt, but I didn’t see him again.
Of course after this huge meal *I ate a lot because I thought I was hungry after that trip* we were all so tired. I felt like half of the day was over, but nope. That’s the bad thing I hate about starting my day early, I feel like the day never ends.
I slept so much, I tell you. I even skipped Thuhr prayer in the mosque, I prayed at home.
I took a quick shower. And then called my mom from Egypt. I wanted to ask her about my other grandma, she’s coming today, and I dreamt that she dies. :’( The dream was awful, I was crying with tears in the dream, for real. And whenever I remember it, I feel my eyes heavy. I didn’t tell mom about it, I was afraid to cry on the phone. I didn’t even tell grandma or grandpa. The dream was so bad, I don’t want to remember.
I asked my about my mark, I got 96% J Alhamdulillah
After grandma managed to get ready, we went to pray Asr. And there, I saw some woman wearing channel sunglasses and holding a Dolce and Gabanna bag. We were inside the mosque and there was no sun, so obviously, that woman was showing off her glasses, she didn’t even take it off while praying!
I went back home alone, and then grandpa and I went to buy food for dinner. We ate from Hardees J
After eating and digesting, we went to pray Maghreb, I planned I’d stay there for Isha too. Before Isha, I was sleepy, I couldn’t do anything, but after Isha, I got enough energy to do the surprise J
We wanted to sit somewhere away from the crowd, we kept walking, until some woman (one of those who organize people to visit rawda) told us to go sit with our country, she thought also that I was Syrian, but we told her we were Egyptians, she lead us to the place where Egyptians sit to visit. Although all the time we hadn’t planned to go visit today.
We got bored waiting for them to open the door. We started to head back home, the same woman stopped up and told us that they are opening now and that they will let Egyptians so first. We just went, we thought it would be crowded as usual, but because we were from the firsts we entered and prayed in a quiet place, and we didn’t get pushed or stepped on even once! And this time, I did pray pretty well, Alhamdulillah J
On our way out, grandma thought of praying qiyam, so we did and then went home.
I’m planning to find this woman tomorrow and thank her, ‘cause if she hadn’t told us, we wouldn’t have prayed freely in the rawda, nor prayed qiyam,. I’m so grateful to her; I just have to thank her in any possible way. *all women who organize in the mosque are niqabis, so it’s hard to know them from each other, and I guess it’ll be hard for us too to find her* Alhamdulillah J
                                                                                                                                GGG!
                                                                                                                                                                        Rahma Fateen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! I envy you!! I really wanna make an Omra. but the prob. is that my dad never made an omra so it will be hard to go to places cuz we never went there! I hope we got inshallah! :D

Furree Katt said...

you're really lucky and blessed to be able to go for Omra! ♥
and you're such a cutie. thanks for following my blog :)

Rahma Fateen said...

@Soraya: I envy you more! It doesn't matter, you will get to know the places when you go ;) ISA ♥

@Furree: Aww, Thanks, Alhamdulillah ♥
you're way more cuter.
your blog deserves following! and thanks for following mine! :)

InternationallyBeautiful said...

Luckyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!! >_< Mabrook btw :) on making 3umrah I beg my dad to go and I get the same typical answer: "Ensha2allah habibti ensha2allah" but I hope you had a great time :) I commented before as anonymous- I'm half Egyptian btw :-) and also proud ;]

Rahma Fateen said...

Thanks!
yeah, Inshaallah you will go :D
I did have a great time, Alhamdulillah.
oh, yeah! and I checked your blog after that, its so cool!
All Egyptians are proud now! haha :)

Yours Truly said...

Salam,
Loved the post! This reminded me of my umrah trip. Any trip I have ever made to the holy cities are always SO memorable, and AMAZING.
I hope yours went well tooo! x

Rahma Fateen said...

WA,
Aww, thanks! Of course they are! Glad you had nice time, and yeah I did too! Alhamdulillah!
Part 2 will be published soon isA!