Back in May
I blogged about my impending marriage to Azza Omar, an Egyptian I met while
living in Maadi, a leafy suburb of Cairo.
Well, given everything that’s happened in recent weeks, I can see that
an update is in order.
The
nuptials took place, as advertised, back on the evening of the last day of May,
and then the two of us set off on an extended trip that has been part honeymoon
and part opportunity to introduce Azza to her new American in-laws.
Our first stop
was in Rome, Italy, where we ate enough pizza and pasta and bruschetta to add considerably
to our beltline circumferences. In an
attempt to minimize our weight gains, we spent the daytime hours wandering the
cobblestoned streets and alleys of The Eternal City. We soaked up the sights like two thirsty
sponges. (By the way, I’ve got photos
and videos of the place that I’ll eventually post.)
After that,
we flew, with the Delta Airlines bunch, to America, making stops in New York City
along the way. We eventually ended up in
Austin, Texas, where my dad and stepmother live. Actually, they reside in a bedroom community
called Georgetown, which is just up I-35 from the Lone Star State’s capital
city.
From there,
we set off to the hinterlands, otherwise known as West Texas. Actually, what I really want to share with
you is a couple of photos I took of my maternal grandmother (aka “Memaw”) who
will (inshallah) celebrate her ninety-sixth birthday next month. Memaw—yes, I know it sounds terribly down home
to refer to her that way—resides in a little town that you’d be hard pressed to
even find on a map. If you don’t believe
me, pick one up and try to locate Christoval, Texas. (Hint:
it’s not far from San Angelo.)
When Azza
and Memaw met and hugged one another, it was like the meeting of two
civilizations that had hitherto never encountered one another. Azza is Muslim and from the Middle East, and
Memaw is an American WASP who couldn’t tell you what Islam is if her life
depended on it. Anyway, despite those
glaring differences, the two hugged and bonded like there was no tomorrow. It warmed my heart to see it happen too.
The other
photo, I suppose, is pretty self-explanatory.
