Do You Remember...

Dear Three,

Sometimes, small children, you leave a place and never remember what you left behind. However, if you are lucky enough to return to that place, sometimes you are also fortunate enough to get a glimpse of the things you thought you had forgotten.

Today’s blog post is dedicated to all the little things that you thought you had forgotten…or perhaps that you never even realized you had noticed when you lived here.

When we left England this morning, here was the last sign we saw outside our gate as we boarded. 

Touching, right?

Okay, perhaps you don’t remember that particular sign, but I will bet that you remember this one, and I would also bet that you were missing that prayer room/toilet combination that is ubiquitous here.

And speaking of toilets, how about that butt sprayer. I know Silas misses that one. A lot.

And do you remember the feeling of elation you get when the driver picks you up from the airport in his brand new, leather-interior Mercedes?

Yeah, I didn’t really remember that leather-interior part either, but I certainly appreciated arriving at the airport to find the driver waiting, sign in hand.

Here is the school where we are staying. 

Since the sun sets here at around 6:30 p.m., by the time we got to the school at 7 p.m., it was dark, but this was our first view of it of the summer. I bet you have been missing the early sunsets of the Gulf but not missing the muggy, swimming-through-air feeling you get day and night during July and August, when the temperatures seem never to dip below 85 degrees, even at night.

Here is a sound that I had forgotten—had you?

 Yup, the guilty sound of exceeding the 120 km/hour speed limit.

We had to stop to fuel the car. Do you remember the Maha men who drag themselves through the heat to fuel fill the tank any time you tootle up? 

And the smell of gasoline that escapes and fills the car during fueling since there is no cover between the pump and the open gas tank? Ah memories.

The last stop of the evening was at one of your faves. I tried to also get a shot of the Christmas light-wrapped palm trees but I was too far away.

  

And I saved this one for last since it will probably make Tian cry. We ate the whole thing for dinner. Sorry.

Until next time,

Yo Mama