Man I was really dragging my ass through the day today. I haven't been sleeping well the past few nights. TGIT! My night is over and I can finally go to bed. Before I do that though, I wanted to share my lovely new henna tattoos. We had a Ramadan Bazaar on campus tonight so I got my hands done. It's so pretty!

I just got off the phone with my friend in Sweden. It was SO great to hear a friendly voice. I've made tentative plans to visit him in May. He says it's the best time of year for Sweden as tourist season hasn't started yet but the weather is nice. Word! I'm just so excited to have a job I love that pays me enough to pursue my passions! It also allows me to stay in touch with my friends :)

that's him :)

A message from my US Embassy today (how's that for advance warning?):

The U.S. Embassy in Doha has learned that starting October 2, 2007, people who have not paid fines for traffic violations will not be allowed to travel out of the country.

WOW. Now that's gonna hurt a lot of people! They have cameras set up on several roads, so you don't even know you got a ticket unless you check the website. I just did, since I'm driving a rental car. Last thing I'd need is for the former driver to have a ticket and I'm the one that gets screwed!

I got in! There was room enough for me on this little island hopping cruise! I was also lucky enough to bag a last minute airplane ticket. I'll be spending an extra night in Athens so I managed to find a decent looking youth hostel to hole up in for the night. Close enough to the subway so I can get myself to the airport cheaply. I'll fly into Athens and spend 2 days there. Then I'll hit up Mykonos, Patmos, Kusadasi (Turkey), Rhodes, Crete, and Santorini.
I can't wait!

P.S. Eid ul-Fitr is a Muslim holiday which marks the end of Ramadan.

My original plans for my Eid vacation fell through. This means I back at square one for planning, and the Eid holiday week is October 14-20! Not much time left.

I found a really cool treck through China that I would love to do but the dates are about 1 week off. I've been digging and searching online for something, anything, during the actual Eid holiday week so I can get out of here for a change of scenery.

I came across a Greecian cruise that falls precisely within the dates I require. I don't know if there's still room on the trip. Of course flights from Doha/Athens are only on select days so I would have to stay an extra night. I looked and found some great hostels that have space available, so that would be reasonable enough for me to do. The flights are at great times too. I really hope it works out. it will suck having a week off and not getting to enjoy it anywhere. Everyone else has already been on vacation or has plans, I need one too!