“Helu-wat” (an Arabic transliteration of course..) means sweet ones- referring to a group of girls…

I am telling you this because I have started (well the last 3 weeks anyway) visiting a group of girls (helu-wat) at their work on Tuesday afternoons to work on my Arabic and build relationships. It has been a great experience so far. There are about 6-10 girls that come a sit & visit with me… most of them speak little to no English! So this can be a bit of a challenge at times. There is lots of laughing, silence, pointing, acting, etc… This week they even wanted me to teach them some ballet! I have a feeling they are going to want a weekly lesson. The girls are very patient with me and have encouraged me to visit them everyday! I can’t do that, but I have made it a goal to go at least once a week.

In June my friend and I are throwing one of the girls a bridal shower because she is getting married in July (I am sad because I will be in the states for the wedding…). We are going to try and show the girls what an American bridal shower is like- who knows we may even play a game or two!

Another thing that I enjoy about these visits is the “cappuccinos” the girls make when I come. I also try to bring some sort of dessert to share with them.

Here is a picture of one of the many plates of cookies I have made since we have been here. Never knew I would be baking cookies so often here! (good think I love to bake!)

p.s. I am sure most of you don’t care what this looks like, but I am sure the moms will appreciate it!

sorry for the glare! it is Saran wrap- they love this stuff here..

Hope to share more stores about my time with these girls in the coming weeks.