Prayer

Today, while sitting at my desk working and listening to the Egyptian Radio live broadcast, the Maghreb Adhan came on and I found myself listening with tears in my eyes. I never realised how much I missed actually hearing the Adhan at each prayer, and the Friday Khutba. When in Tripoli I lived near a Mosque, and listening to the Adhan was really beautiful, I remember on Friday specially when all the neighbours men would walk down the road with their white robes and the children following and playing along the way, the women waving at each other from the doorways and then making the family meal which will traditionally be Couscous. So you can imagine how hard it is when because of the cold you rush from one place to the other and don't even have time to stand and say hello, or enjoy the scenery which is quite breathtaking. The views are remarkable, the sunlight is dazzling, everything is nice but the most important thing missing is the human touch. Which is something I was discussing with a friend who used to be in Libya with her family, she made her husband give up a good position with great expat benefits just because there werent enough places to go to for eating , and she didn't like that people were trying to be friendly and always inviting them over etc... so I told her that I hate where I am at the moment because of exactly the lack of what she had plenty of ! She said she preferred to be left alone, and only go where she wants. I told her that this was the way that people show you how much they care and they thought they were being friendly and they didn't want her to be lonely or to be homesick, but our discussion was just a waste of time because she really did not understand it ! This makes me wonder why ? Why is it so strange that people actually want to make you feel welcome ? why is it considered that it is an imposition ? why is it uncomfortable to some when the whole purpose is thought to be good ? I am baffled ! I do understand that a person isn't always feeling social, but not always , and being in a strange environment would actually make you want some type of human contact, other than your immediate family, but like I always say it takes all kinds to make this world .