The Fatteh family journey through planet Earth.
Features
Jamal’s Birthday
Jun 13th
Jamal’s 2nd birthday finally arrived. We were hoping he would be with us when his first birthday arrived but we were not so lucky. So this was his first birthday with us.
We had a small party and just invited folks with kids around the same age. All in all, there were about 30 people and we rented the pavilion at Wonch park in Okemos which had a playground. The kids had fun, although, I do not think Jamal understood what was going on. The first 2 birthdays for any kids are mainly for the parents. He got some nice gifts and Tanya slept through most of it. It rained in the morning but by the time of the party, it was sunny and dry. A perfect day. (more…)
The Story Behind The Name Tanya
Dec 25th
We wanted a name that is easy to pronounce and also a Muslim name. 2 syllables or less is my criteria. Tanya fits the bill. It has various meanings and origins. First off it is pronounced “Ton” that rhymes with “gone” and “ya” that rhymes with “fu”n or another way of looking at it is that there is a hard T at the beginning followed by a soft o sound. The start of the name is the part most people foul up by either making it a Th sound instead of a hard T and or following it with a soft a sound instead of an o sound. (more…)
Tanya’s 2nd Day of Life with the Family
Dec 23rd
Big sister Hibah holds her little sister Tanya for the first time. Day 2 and 3 were spent in the hospital as mom went through the normal hospital recovery along side Tanya.
Everyone remained healthy and happy and waited patiently until the doctors gave us the approval to take Tanya home. (more…)
The Birth of Tanya
Dec 22nd
Tanya Fatteh was born on December 22, 2008 at Ingham Regional Medical Center. She is healthy and lively. She was born about one month early similar to her big sister Hibah, at measured in at 18.75″ and 5 3/4 lbs.
Both mother and Tanya are doing well and will spend the next couple days in the hospital for normal delivery recovery. (more…)
PK Day 8
Jul 11th
Friday July 11, 2008 Islamabad
The moment of truth has arrived. The embassy guy told me that the judge’s document was the only issue preventing the visa. Before I came they said they had the right to do a special investigation even though the central office did one already.
I only slept a couple hours and was ready by 6:30am. I wait in the main lobby. I have all the papers read — 7am I move outside and see a monster size beetle. By 7:30am, perhaps the driver overslept, so now I start thinking about a cab but I have no idea how much that would cost so I wait until 8am which was my original time. By 8:05am, I ask the hotel manager how much a cab would cost and he says around 100 rupees are less than $2 USD so I flag a cab and it costs me 120 rupees. I give him 200 for good luck. Buy the embassy bus pass and head out. Then I got into the embassy around 9am. They called my name almost immediately. Fortunately, it is the same nice guy who took my documents the previous day. We go over what I have and More >
Chronicles of Pakistan: Day 1
Jul 4th
Day 1: Friday 4th of July 2008. Bonaire and Michigan
The journey begins. I had a nice dinner Thursday night with a friend after playing basketball for a few hours before that, where I won the only game of 21 after choking a free throw on 20 but coming back to sink on 20 the second time around. After that we played 2 on 3 and, everyone won in the threesome. I figured I would stay up all night since I was leaving for the airport at 4:15am. I fell asleep on my bed and woke up around 2:30am in a panic. I couldn’t remember why I was dressed and my lights were on but after a couple minutes I figured it out. I set my alarm and went to sleep.
I was way too early for the flight but that was ok. Connections in Puerto Rico and Miami for a couple hours each. Eventually, I got to Detroit on time at 6:30pm. Hibah and Tannu were waiting so I was happy. Hibah was so cute and is always a sight for sore eyes. I drove the 1.5 hours home where we ate and played for an hour and then put Hibah to sleep. Unfortunately, I fell asleep More >
Wipeout
Feb 22nd
It was a hectic last couple of weeks.
I got the flu last week. From Monday to Sunday I averaged about 20 hours of sleep a day. I wanted but when my roommate went to the pharmacy, it turns out NyQuil is not a registered drug so they don’t sell it. I don’t know what that means but it sucks. Another student had sugar free alcohol free robitusson. That wasn’t much fun. Couldn’t hear out of one ear, snot coming out of everywhere, constant coughing, sneezing, it was a rough week.
The week before was nice though. I knew my parents were coming for a visit and I was pretty sure they were bringing Hibah since my mom accidentally asked me if they need a car seat by law in Bonaire. I wasnt sure Tannu was coming. Fortunately, she did. It is a boring island if you aren’t into snorkeling or diving so I don’t think my parents liked it.
But man I miss Hibah, I love that little girl so much. I had sooo much fun with her. We went to the donkey sactuary, played at the park, played at the beach, went swimming. Unfortunately, she got sick near the end of More >
Final Days
Dec 19th
The last night on the island was a complete panic. I took a series of 1-hour naps since I was pressed for time. Learning all of the head and neck and reviewing a whole semesters worth of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology is a daunting task. Fortunately, by my calculations, I am in the top 25% of my class overall so I have some cushioning to do a little worse on the final because I assume they will not fail over 1/2 the class even though they claim there is no curve.
Sunday morning was spent simply going through all of the U of Michigan website anatomy questions for head/neck since I had no time to actually learn everything at that point. I just wanted to be able to answer the questions and will have to learn it later.
FYI: I was taking exams a week before everybody else. The judge in NC wanted Tannu & I in NC during finals for some homeland security issues and other paperwork for the adoption of Jamal. They gave a specific day and time and if you reschedule, you never know when they will reschedule it, could be the next day or 6 months from then.
Sunday, there were More >
Mid Semester MD 1
Nov 28th
School is good, overwhelming for sure; lots to learn. I feel dumber and smarter. The island is peaceful. I snorkeled to school today. Normally, I ride my bike. It took about an hour to get to school. My roommate decided to skip class in the morning and forgot I snorkeled as he was supposed to bring my glasses and computer and dry clothes so I sat in class all wet and unable to see. It was funny (I have prescription goggles for snorkeling).
The snorkeling is amazing and the diving is supposed to be better I just haven’t gone yet. It is like swimming in a luke warm bathtub in terms of clarity with so many fish; it is amazing.
After a couple weeks here with Hibah and Tannu, I told them I think they should go back to States. There is nothing here for kids. no playgrounds, no sidewalks, and actually we barely see any other kids. I want Hibah to be around other kids. She can entertain herself with a couple toys but I didn’t want to deprive her of a joyous 3rd year of life because of my choice to come out here. That, of course, is the hardest part being out More >
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