Anne's Excellent Adventure

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu everyone!

Insha'Allah I hope you are all in the best of health and iman!

On Monday, I returned from a lovely weekend in my adopted hometown, Boston. I set out on Thursday and stayed until Monday, and Alhamdulillah I was back in the life I feel most comfortable in, able to practice Islam freely and proudly. I almost didn't get to go, since just a couple days before I came down with a nasty stomach virus, complete with puking and a fever. But, Alhamdulillah, ALLAH knew how much I wanted to go, and granted me a full recovery just in time! I'll break down my time day by day.

THURSDAY: My dad dropped me off at the incredibly sketchy bus station bright and early. As soon as he was out of sight I put my khimar on and waited for the bus while eating one of those frozen ice cream cones from a machine (there was no other food around besides candy :P ). When I arrived in Boston, I decided to take the T right to my favorite masjid (yes, I love it so much I go there to hang out). I prayed dhuhr, had a delicious chicken panini in their cafe, and browsed through their clothing and bookstore. One of the main reasons I had come, though, was to obtain my shahadah certificate. Insha'Allah when I go on hajj I will need proof that I'm actually a Muslim (since I have a "non-Muslim name"), and many masjids have official certificates that they give out proving that one has taken their shahadah. I had actually never said my shahadah officially in front of an imam and witnesses, so by getting this certificate on July 15, 2010, I "officially" converted, Alhamdulillah! (NOTE: One only really needs ALLAH as their witness to become a Muslim, and I have been practicing for almost two years Alhamdulillah, so this was really just a technicality.) I even got a copy of my certificate; Masha'Allah, it's really nice, with a whole line about how I officially accept the shahadah and will live as a Muslim to the best of my ability, signed by an imam and the two other witnesses that were there (Subhanallah, they were coincidentally both affiliated with my college; one is the husband of the Muslim chaplain at my school, and the other is the aunt of one of my classmates).
Afterwards, I left the masjid to meet up with my good friend Saosan, whom I would be staying with for the weekend. Masha'Allah, she's on a flag football team, and I went to a playing field at Harvard to watch one of her games. Subhanallah, it was an absolutely gorgeous day, and I was just as happy as a clam lying out in the sun watching football and drinking a cherry Slurpee. We then returned to Saosan's house, ate dinner (her family is from Bangladesh, and her mother makes awesome food), and chatted through the night.

FRIDAY: Saosan had to go to work for the day, so I took the T into downtown Boston to hang out. On Fridays there is a section of Boston called the Haymarket that holds a lively farmer's market; the produce, meat, cheese, and fish is fresh and super cheap. There are also literally five halal restaurants/markets crammed into a single block there, so I looked through those and grabbed a slice of halal pepperoni pizza from the restaurant (good, but sadly not as good as pork pepperoni). Quincy Market is right nearby, so I walked over there and browsed through the stores in that area. It's really touristy there and everything is overpriced, but it's fun for people-watching and looking at all the merchandise they have. I went into a used bookstore on one of the main streets, and there were a ton of really old books, manuscripts, and pieces of art for sale. I even found a complete hardcover set of Sahih Bukhari for $100! (I was very tempted to buy it, but it was too expensive and I didn't want to lug it around with me all day.)
Around lunch, I went over to the masjid again for jummah prayers. While I was there, I saw the Muslim chaplain from my school and her gorgeous baby son (Masha'Allah, he is seriously one of the most adorable babies I have ever seen!), as well as other people I hadn't seen since school ended. When prayers were done I walked over to the Somali clothes shop down the street and bought a beautiful, plain purple jilbab with a matching thigh-length khimar, as well as a plum purple maghneh. I was super excited to find these things, since maghnehs and long khimars are very hard to find, as are plain, non-black jilbabs.
At around 3:00, I took the commuter rail to the town where Saosan works. I thought that the walk to her office from there would be relatively short, but it turned out to be at least a mile and a half down the road. I was an idiot and was wearing like four layers (a long sleeved shirt, leggings, a maxi dress, a button-up denim jilbab, and an elbow length khimar), so I was sweating like nobody's business on the walk. I was also wearing really bad sandals, so by the time I made it to her office my feet were killing me (and still are, actually). We then went over to one of Saosan's friend's houses for dinner and to get our legs waxed. We watched "Sister Act" and "Encino Man" (which is one of those So Bad It's Good movies). This was one of the highlights of my trip; the food was good, the company was great, and good times were had by all.

SATURDAY: I fasted on Saturday for the last of my make-up days from Ramadhan. Saosan, her mother, and myself were invited to a "dawat", which is basically a huge party where the entire Bengali community meets up for some occasion (this time for a high school graduation party). I borrowed one of Saosan's exquisite shalwar kameez to wear to the party, and felt like a princess in it. There was so much food there with leftovers despite all the people; I was practically shoveling food into me after it was time to break the fast.
Earlier in the day, Saosan and I went to the grocery store (we sure do know how to have fun, lol) to pick up some things for a cupcake recipe Saosan wanted to try. While we were waiting in line, a woman behind us asked if we were "sisters". We said that we weren't related, and she said "No, like SISTERS". I thought she meant that we were nuns, and she said, "Are you Muslims?" We responded yes, and she said that she was born in Iran and started talking to us about her life there. It was really nice talking to her, especially since I love pretty much anything to do with Iran.
After the dawat, Saosan and I went to the masjid for a qiyaam in honor of Shabaan and preparing for Ramadhan. Masha'Allah, a brother gave a really nice lecture on how to prepare ourselves for this upcoming blessed month, and I really liked how he asked the audience for tips on how we prepare. I would have liked to have done more in the way of spiritual activities, like reading the Qur'an together, but by the time we finished with the lecture it was already late and we needed to get up soon for night prayers and fajr. Also, I was reunited with Laila again after two long months!!! I was so happy to see her, but again, there wasn't much time for us to catch up.

SUNDAY: Everyone woke up at around 3:00 for night prayers, du'a, and fajr, after which we promptly fell asleep. In the morning, we all went out to breakfast at this cute little restaurant near Northeastern University (I had crepes with strawberries and Nutella...so, so good). Saosan and I then went back to her house and just hung out for the rest of the day, watching movies and talking.

I was so sad to have to leave; I just feel so comfortable in Boston and able to completely be myself without any guilt or fear. Insha'Allah, there are only 45 days left until I return to school, and Insha'Allah I hope to visit again sometime during Ramadhan.


On another note, could everyone please take a moment and make du'a for fellow blogger Aalia of "Chasing Jannah"? She is going through an incredibly trying time right now, and she really needs your prayers. Ya ALLAH, please bless Your servant Aalia, please comfort her and keep her patient during this time, please reunite her with her son as soon as possible, and please reward her for her steadfastness. O Controller of the hearts, keep our hearts steadfast in Your religion, Ameen!