The Fatteh family journey through planet Earth.
Jamal
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…)
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 >
The Story Behind the Name Jamal
Jun 14th
Since we found Jamal early on his life and since he was abandoned at the hospital, he was John Doe. As a result, we got to name him.
How We Came Up With the Name
As is the rule for all my children, we want names that are two syllables or less, easy to pronounce, and Muslim names.
If you know me (Saif), you know I’m an avid sports fan. More than that, I am avid Georgia sports fan which includes the Atlanta Falcons, Braves, Hawks, Thrashers, Georgia Force, Calgary Flames (true fans can figure this out), and Georgia Bulldogs. (more…)
The Birth of Jamal Fatteh
Jun 13th
Jamal Fatteh was born today. This article was written well after this day for a good reason. I’ll tell the story of his birth and you’ll see why.
Jamal was born with another name and other parents, probably somewhere in Multan, Pakistan. He was probably well fed and loved. For an unknown reason, he was abandoned in a hospital after when only a couple months old. His birth parents never came for him even after we published an article in the paper. Another couple had the opportunity to bring Jamal to their house but they decided on another child, so we were lucky enough to have him paired up with us and so we continued the paperwork portion of the adoption process.
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