I'm back! I have been away for about four weeks due to our Haj trip. Actually it was more than a Haj trip, but since our main goal of this trip was Haj, I would like to name it this way. The trip was good, elhamdulillah. Sinan and I are so thankful that Allah made it easy for us and we were able to perform Haj at this age. Seriously, I think that anyone has the ability to do it should do it early in her/his life because it is really hard for old people.
We had to leave the girls with their grandparents. It was so hard on me, and I couldn't imagine being away from them for 11 days. We stayed in Amman for 3 days before heading to Madinah. It was a good chance to see our families and spend good times with them. We then headed to Madinah and spent 4 days there. Those were the best days ever. We were able to pray all the prayers at the Haram. What a pleasure! We both loved Madinah so much. Leaving Madinah and heading to Mecca was the first step in Haj. The way from Madinah to Mecca was too long and exhausting. The first thing we did in Mecca was going to Haram to perform Umra. The Haram is amazing, so huge and well taken care of. Seeing the Kaaba for the first time was breathtaking. It was like a dream. I didn't want to take my eyes away. My feelings at that time can't be described in words.
The next step was camping in Mina. Our group had two tents, one for men and the other for women. The good thing that I got to know two young ladies and spent most of the time with them. I think staying in Mina was the hardest part in Haj. Subhanallah, Haj is about being patient, and with this huge number of people who have different manners and habits, you' re about to lose your temper at any point.
The day of Arafa was one of the best days in Haj. Allah made it so easy for us, elhamdulillah. We left Arafat to Muzdalefa and spent the night there before heading back to Mina on the day of Eid. The first thing we did that morning was Stoning AlJamarat. We had to walk for about 2 hours to do that. Then we came back to the tents and cut our hairs. Most of men shaved their hairs, including my Sinan. We spent two more days in Mina before leaving Mecca to Amman. During Haj, we were not able to go to Haram as much as I wished. It was unbelievably crowded that there was no where to put a foot. We barely could do Tawaf and Sai there.
Haj was an amazing experience. It's a big challenge and it's full of lessons. Being able to do it was a blessing of Allah, elhamdulillah.
We went back to Jordan on the fourth day of Eid. We were so happy to see the girls. We missed them so much. And they also were so happy to see us. Their grandparents took care of them very well. I appreciated that so much.
The two weeks I spent in Amman after Haj were crazy busy. We had a lot of visitors who came to congratulate us for doing Haj. Also, we were so busy preparing for my brother's wedding. I was glad to help my brother buying his tuxedo and its accessories. He bought a really nice “Boss” tuxedo. By the way, I discovered that Jordan is so expensive comparing to US. You can get the same brand names for too much less (I mean regular prices, you will get them way less on sale). I didn't like that. It was not the only thing that I didn't like about Jordan this year. I felt like a foreigner in my own country too many times, if not all the time. People think, act, talk in a different way than mine. Sinan and I couldn't find ourselves with them. We were not sure where was the problem. But we were sure that we feel more comfortable here in US. I know that we have to go back there someday, and it has to be soon, but I can't stop getting worried about that day. We all were so happy when we stepped in our house; home, FINALLY!
Back to the wedding. It was great. The groom was so happy, and that made us all happy. Everything went very well, and we all had a good time. I wish my brother and his wife all the happiness.
That's it. I hope you enjoyed reading :)
Take care
