I realized the other day it has been a long time since I posted any new blogs.  It’s hard to believe that November is half way over and this year will soon end within a little over a month.  It’s been a crazy yet exciting year and while I’m fairly certain that at the beginning of the year if you’d told me I’d be living here I would have laughed.  But even through all the ups and downs that have brought me here I wouldn’t change it for the world.
With Thanksgiving soon approaching it made me realize how different my holidays are going to be for the next couple of years and how much I’m going to miss the crazy traditions I had back home; like waking up at 3am to go shopping or watching Elf the day after thanksgiving, but I’m excited to begin new traditions here and then take them back with me.
This month has been fun and full of new experiences.  Remember that list from the previous blogs?  Well add watching a live turkey get prepared for Thanksgiving and dance at a Tatooine wedding to the list.  I don’t know if I mentioned it the other blog but I went to the women’s salon type thing the other day and got an amazing pedicure and my first ever facial (it was so relaxing…..add those to the list too; I never thought I’d get those done once I left home).  I’ve included some pictures in this blog (hopefully they show up correctly). The one of my hand is from an Eid visit we went on a couple weeks ago.  The girls did henna for our hands and I got my first ever real henna on my hand.  It’s a local tradition here to do henna for holidays, weddings, or really any special occasion.  Speaking of weddings, the other picture is of me in my wedding outfit for the wedding I went to.  While I was there my roommate and I, along with a few other friends, were actually taken to the dance floor and we danced for the first time at a wedding here in Tatooine and it was so much fun.  I also got another henna design for my hand while I was there.  At weddings the family walks around with henna and they put dots in the middle of the hands of the single girls ( supposedly it means you will be married within a year; so I’m not sure how that will play into my life personally J but it was fun to get it done none the less). 
Tomorrow I officially graduate from the first month of language and then I begin the second part where I begin to talk a lot more.  Language has been hard but I feel like I’m learning a lot and I’m trying to remember it won’t all come at once (but you guys probably know how I am with patience).
Well that’s all for now; as always there’s more to come (and next time I won’t wait as long to post).