Dannesh's Adventure

Rapping it up

2009-02-19T03:56:00.000-08:00

I am sorry for discontinuing like that... I got caught up with Family and Traveling. Since My last post I have been in Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Syria, and Back in Jordan.

I will not try to catch up for lost time with my blog. I just want to thank all my readers, supporters, and friends. It was nothing short of an amazing, eye-opening, and educational experience.

I'm thankful to be living still and hope I make it back safely to see the sunshine in CA again. I should be back within the week.

Hope all is well at your ends and when you see me around, holler at me!!

Much Love,

Dannesh

going again

2009-01-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

Yo, I dont feel Like bragging about my next adventure too much with all the Sadness Amongst Us. Gaza is on my Mind. Its the month of Muharram.

However just to keep up with the updates, I am off to Egypt 1st thing in the morning. Then Morocco, the a lil bit of Europe, N of the Med. Sea.

My father was here for a few days and we had a nice time together. He saw how I live and I was the guide to him for the 1st time ever. I showed him how to survive and get by in this neck of the woods, so it was interesting.

That's all for now.......I'll holla at you from the road!

Protests at my Uni for Gaza:

Playing ball at the Uni, My Number one Getaway!

Give me the bucket and another....

PEACE!

greatness

2008-12-19T03:12:00.000-08:00

They Say: "Behind every Great man is a great Woman"

The also say: "Many of great men son, Their Downfall came because of a Woman"

We all want to achieve the first.... But blinded by emotions it is not hard to fall into the path of the 2nd. The one thing that can throw almost any man off his path is a woman that he loves, that wants to control him Or makes him dependent on her love. Once he becomes dependent on her love, then she can control his emotions by the way she treats him.... But if that woman is a great woman, then the man has lil to worry bout, right?

What is this word "Great"? How does a man become great?

Is it a Mansion, a Benz, and A Bank Account that's Stunning with Big Numbers?

Is it living close to your family and being there for them and loving them?

Is it traveling the world and learning languages and cultures firsthand?

To me Greatness is a combination of the 3 former lines. I must achieve all 3 before I'm dead and gone. The Mansion and Benz to me means just working hard and making money. Some might disagree with me, say money is not important, but Money makes the world go round. Money is power and a Man has got to achieve more than just love, family, and travel. He has got to get down and dirty, join the competition and get a piece of the pie. Even when the pie shrinks because of the economic woes.

SCARFACE the movie taught us that "In this country first you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the girl"

Islamic teachings tell us to get married quick and young, then worry bout money later.

Pakistani culture follows Scarface's Lesson!! haha

But this is life, and these are the little challenges and questions that face a young man....

All i know is that I'm a young hustler.... I am never gonna stop hustling and trying to achieve my mini formula of Greatness. And When you see me around, if you got a word or two for me about greatness to you, please fill me in. A great man always keeps his ears and eyes open to seek more knowledge and experience.

Pics from My last Getaway: 10 days (5 in Syria and 5 in Lebanon). With 4 Amigos from Spain and myself. We rented a car and saw almost all of Lebanon in those 5 days. We spent 2 nights camping on the Beach of Beirut, making fires through the night, smoking argeela on the Beach and watching the stars from the Mediterranean coast.

I even took my Non-Muslim Spanish Amigos to the Shrines of Bibi Zainub and Sakina in Damascus. I sat with them there and told them who Zainub and Sakina were and the tale of Karbala and Imam Hussain. These amigos are some deep, open-minded and caring young brothers. They appreciated the visit to the shrines, and I appreciated traveling with them.

This is in the South of Lebanon, a few people we met in the Saida showing love for us foreigners. That's all for now, Hope I got more for you soon.

Dannesh

whhooo maaan

2008-11-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

You know, its been bout 3 months I've been on the fly. Its amazing how much I've learned, been through, and seen. I've also made some beautiful new friendships with people from all over the world.

But Life still remains to be a roller coaster. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows at times. From shear excitement to struggle within yourself to make it without the luxuries, family, support both morally and physically. But I think it only makes me stronger. Thanksgiving is coming up.... I know many don't like the history and roots behind this holiday, but all in all the message is Love, Family, Food and most of all being thankful for all of that! Don't know what I will be doing for Thanksgiving, hope you all have a pleasant one.

I'll be counting my blessing though. Next week I am heading out of town-- Syria and Lebanon for 10 days total. I will be with a group of Spanish youngsters, we will have some tents with us and after 2-3 days in Damascus we will rent a Van in Lebanon and cruise round the country for about a week in our van and tents! haha... what a life huh??

I'm excited, also a lil nervous at the same time, but I'll be cool. This video below is from my last lil venture out of Jordan into Egypt. Shows some Sufi Dances, the Nile River, and Some Cairo College student and their opinions in Arabic. The first question I asked was their goal in Life, one said to "Kill all of America" (yikes! It is what it is though, I told them I was Paki, not American) then I asked them about Imam Hussain (grandson of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)) as we were sitting in front of the Masjid that Egyptians claim the Head of Imam Hussain is buried. They both showed love for Imam Hussain!

Alright then, tomorrow is another fine day, class in the morning then Working at the Head office of the Micro finance Institution of Jordan Ahli Bank, in Downtown Amman. A seasonal internship, Its mad fun and I am meeting some cool individuals and learning their entire operations. It ain't NYC, It ain't Wallsteet, but it feels nice heading to Dtown and putting in Work!

No matter where I am, who I'm with and what time it is, I'm always putting in WORK! Work to better myself. Peace Mom, I know ur reading this :)

Palestine vs. America, Palestine woulda Killed him!!

2008-11-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

So here I am caught between a situation.

We have my friend: Palestinian American
His Roommates: 2 Palestinians Straight from the Streets Of Tayiba, Palestine out here in Jordan Studying
An Acquaintance: A White-American who wears his USA belt a little too tight, squeezing circulation from his guts to his brain.

So my friend was having some beef, not getting along with his roommates. He told us about it and that he was frustrated and scared of them at times because they gang up on him with their friends and all when they are a little tipsy, making fun of the "American". I didn't think much of it, but the White American man, lets call him "Nate".... was like "Lets go take care of these bullies" and "defend america!"

So I tagged along with no intention to fight, but just to roll with my boy. I was thinking "why would u fight ur roommates anyway, u gotta see them the next day and the next day" Mr. Nate had other intentions...

We walk in there, and Nate gets in the guys face with his broken, Idaho-Arabic accent tells the first one that if you got a problem with an American u got a problem with me!

Then the other Palestinian walks in the living room, tells Nate to sit down. Nate pushes him!!

The Palestinian goes into the kitchen, grabs a knife and charges Mr. Nate! this is where we all had to step in and stop the bull rush! we had to stop the angry Palestinian who just got disrespected and shoved in his own home by a random American that he's never seen before for petty roommate drama.

So then we got between em and all sat down peacefully and talked it through. The Palestinian so calmly explained to Nate that when someone comes at him in this manner, he kills him! Doesn't matter if he's Arab, Israeli, Or American, he just kills him. But now that he is a guest in his home he will respect him. Nate apologized. We got my friend and his roommates to talk out their difficulties. I gave my friend my honest opinion, telling him that you will have roommate drama as a bachelor in any country, with any types of people. The main problem between these guys was the difference in culture/habits between Arabs and Americans. I told my friend to do his best, to live it out and learn from it!

Other that that things are swell! Exams, small Trips within Jordan, Planning Bigger ones for my vacation times. Lebanon next month inshallah with a group of Spanish and Italian friends from my Classes. Getting used to a life without all the luxuries... Some pics: Enjoy, God Bless

The Desert of Wadi Rum with My Pakistani friend and the Bedouin who hosted us

On a school trip to N Jordan with some of the Arabic Language Center Amigos. Umm Qais: They say Jesus spent a night here as he was passing through on one of his travels.
The Dead sea...

This is the Mud od the Dead Sea. Good for the Skin :) Peace Yall

Cairo And Back

2008-10-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yooo, I am beat... no joke! :)

I went to Cairo on a rugged, 1.5 day journey (including a ship ride through the Red Sea and a Bus across the Sinai Desert) and arrived to a city that was twice as crazy in Traffic as New York City, With 4 times the amount of Hustlers trying to loot you, and at least 100 times the amount of Pollution in the Air. But I made it there, not only saw the city, but achieved the know-how of Cairo by learning the Map, the transport, parts of the dialect and the culture.

But yo I am definitely beat up; While there I would leave home at 8 AM, come back in at 12 AM after seeing and doing as much as I could in one day. I had to endure cold showers in the impoverished home of the friend that I stayed with. But I made it back to Amman; clean and comfy Amman! A few bumps from falling off a horse on the Pyramids! and a few challenges to my Immune system from the Air, But I made it.

Cairo is off the hook, a great city for vacation and tourism; The Pyramids are Amazing and the feeling of riding a horse in the Great Desert around the Pyramids is Second to None....but to Live and go to School, I'm glad to be back in Amman, Jordan.

For those curious on how school is going.... Its going cool! I go to class, I keep up with whats what. I made a lotta cool friends from Turkey, Pakistan, Italy, Korea, and more. I missed a couple days for this trip, but the teachers are laid back. We don't even have any exams until the Final, at least that's what I think. They don't talk about tests. They just get up there and start dropping lines in Arabic and we gotta stay up and stay on it. Its fun tho! Fluency is no easy Task, I am definitely not fluent yet.

I have a meeting this week with the Manager at Jordan Ahli Bank, an International Bank here in Amman. I'm aiming to land a training or internship position for the next three months. The Manager was being real cool and welcoming, we'll see how it goes....

Some Pics of Cairo:

Pride for Pakistan, and visit to Palestine

2008-10-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

Man, I just swallowed my pride big time!! More than I ever have before. I just got cursed to the face, again and again, for almost a whole minute right in front of my building by an envious Jordanian kid. I didnt lift a finger, I didnt walk away, I stood there letting him curse. He said, "You're not American. Americans aren't like you. You are a Pakistani, and All Pakistani are Shi* and F***** " etc etc. I don't hang out with any of these bums, but he is one of the kids from around the ways that I used to chill with and I hadn't seen him for weeks until this. I was calm, and I know I got nothing to gain and all to lose by fighting some bum Jordanian kid, but at the same time when I think about it too much I get really heated......Cuz that guy deserved to get his tail whipped. and his name is Sadaam! go figure....

Anyway, I went to Palestine! haha. For Eid for about 5 days. I stayed in a town called Tayiba. Tayiba is the sickest village ever...... It's in modern day Israel, but it is 100% Arab-Muslim. Tayiba is a town, full of Arab Love for one another, but also full of stregth. I heard that in 2006, 23% of all guns in Israel were in Tayiba, held by the Arabs for their own protection. In 1948 the never managed to capture the town itself, and allowed all the Tayiban citizens to stay there at their homes. In the Napolean Era of France, around 1800, when he conquered the area of Palestine, they say that he could not mess with the town of Tayiba! He seized to conquer Tayiba because of the strength of the people within the village.

But I was not in any danger... According to my friend Arabs dont kill other Arabs, haha, except the drug dealers. I felt in great hands. I was with my friend's family. He has about 7 uncles that all live in Tayiba. Their roots are from that village, and they are very proud of it. I prayed eid prayer there, on a soccer field, I visited Jerusalem, including Masjid al Aqsa and Masjid Qubbat As-Sakhrah (the dome of the Rock). I also swam in the Dead sea from the West Bank in Palestine.

All the Police force, checkpoints, and authority is Israeli. I had some trouble and frustrations (4 hours at the border, then stopped at a checkpoint for an hour and turned back to go an alternate route), and I had iftar on the last night of Ramadan about 2 hours late as a result. But you know what, It felt great to go there! and the Israeli's want to give me a tough time as a tourist, because they don't want me to come again, but hey, I'll go through the BS to get to be with my Fellow Muslims in Palestine.

I am invited to a Wedding there in two weeks! I might go back already, haha, i feel part of the family.... I really wanna make it and see them all again, but we'll see. Here's some pics of it all:

Eid Prayer led by a Sheikh Muawiya! Go figure.

The Old city they call it. Everyone is allowed in the market parts, but to get to the Mosque, only Muslims were allowed in. I had to recite Sura Fatiha to one of the guards to prove I was Muslim! Just a nice neighborhood mosque with the boys. It has a tree growing from within it. This mosque dates back to the days of Salahadin.

Inside the Dome of the Rock, and the Rock itself...Chillen with my man Magd.

The Dead Sea... Until next time... thanks for checking in, holla at me with your thoughts!1

2 Weeks in Amman, with a couple days to the South, and headed West soon!

2008-09-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

So it has been almost two weeks now since I arrived in Amman. Things are swell, Ramadan is a blessing and a major challenge at the same time. Its a major blessing because its so fun and joyous to accept peoples invites and have iftar dinner with them. I have had iftar at an Iraqi man's home, tonight at a Palestinian friend of mine's and the most exclusive one had to be the iftar dinner with Iraqi and Palestinian Refugee's hosted by the NGO Questscope. Here's a picture with some of the Iraqi Kids, They were real cool and down to earth:

So a quick update on my social life... I got rid of those "friends" i talked about in the last post. Those guys were a bunch of street kids and they helped me in the beginning and were fun to chill with, but I had a bad feeling and felt very suspicious of them, and all it took was one of them to cross me, rip me off 20 JD, about 25 Dollars, and I cut them off completely. They were calling me night and day to hang out, and I just wasn't going to have it. I didn't even try to get my money back, because I look at it like this: For $25 I got rid of those punk kids for the rest of my life. If I chased them for the money, I'd be back in that circle.

So I took a trip to one of the 7 new wonder's of the world: Petra! The Whole city is carved by Calcareous Rock, and its at least 2 thousand years old, but the exact age of the city is undetermined. Now it is run by the Bedouins. They guide the tourists and tame the camels, horses and donkeys for us to ride. They are a funny, english-speaking, sometimes arrogant, but always content bunch. I asked on of them "How do you know english so well?" He replied, "Life is school my friend". He later invited me to come stay with him and the Bedouins for a night in the future! I might, I might not take him up on that, we'll see... Check the pics:

Later that night we went further south to Al-Aqaba and swam in the Red Sea at night time. The Water was beautiful. Not cold, not warm either, but nice enough to swim.

Finally, For Eid, we get a couple days off from school. I'm going to Palestine!! No joke. I got a friend from the school here, his family lives out there, actually on the Israeli side, pretty close to Masjid Al Quds. He told me his family loves guests and would be happy to host me on Eid. So that'll be entertaining inshallah. We are going to check out parts of the West Bank, The Holy Mosque, the Coast close to Gaza, and more.... I don't know what to expect. I'll let you know when I know. But I am excited!

Peace, hope the updates are cooooool....

3 Days thus far in Jordan

2008-09-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

What a life huh Kid?

Thats what I keep saying to myself because this is unreal. I feel I can relate to my father now. My father, and many other fathers in our Pakistani community, migrated to the US in the early 70s not knowing but a soul in the new land, trying to set up work, school and shelter for themselves. Little did he anticipate the huge success he had, looking back 35+ years later.

In 3 days in this new land, Amman, Jordan, I went from being an FOB in a hotel, to a up and coming kid living in a huge fully-furnished apt. on top of a hill, with a view and internet, a cell phone, a group of friends who accompany me to iftar dinners and city adventures and necessary tasks, a full schedule with supplemental dialect courses outside the Uni, and 5-6 solid contacts in the city willing to help and hang out.

This group of friends one has to wonder about though. Everyone, including these very friends, keep saying, "Watch out for people trying to fool you, trying to take you for your money". Today, my friendship with this group, particularly with my freind Anas, a 19 year-old, sharp and well-connected Palestinian, was tested. Anas has been there for me since night one and through his connections I got the apartment for a killer deal, about $1200 for 4 months. But today I gave Anas the spying eye for a bit, meaning I kept my distance, wondering if he was one of those trying to take me. He could feel this and was offended mightily. He said to me that all I have to do is tell him to leave and he'll never come to see me again. I was upset at the time as well, but I took my time to answer him. I calmed down. I ended up apoligizing for my behavior. I explained to him that in America we are not used to treating guests with such courtesy. That in the heat of the moment, I had forgotten the help he has given me, asking for nothing but good gesture in return. I invited him to the apartment and his friends brought over iftar dinner and we chilled the rest of the night. The skirmish is behind us now, and I think it was a test in his character and my ability to trust. He still could be trying to take me for what I have, and I must still be careful, however something makes me feel that I got a good group of boys that will look out for me and make me feel right at home in Jordan. Time will tell....

Getting in the Groove in London

2008-09-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yo, I guess I was just feeling a bit jittery last post. A brother needed to settle down a little, get his mind right. I have been getting out more with the people I know out here, meeting and greeting others, and I must say It feels like a trip now! Look at this dinner to break the fast. Sharing a feast with some Sudanese brothers who have hospitality as high as the sky. They dared me to show them a big American appetite, so I did my best, but there was just too much to eat, God Bless. I'm getting warmed up for Arabic culture now with these types of dinners. I'm going to be in Amman, Jordan in a few days. I'm like too hyped! I need to take a chill pill, cuz I think I'm too wired, too pumped up. I'm ready to take on the world. I'm gonna learn this Arabic Language, eat the delicious foods, meet tons of cool peoples along the way, see the sites, and lastly: Find a way to make this money in the future. Make the connects I need to make and handle business, haha. I'm excited.... Usually when I'm this excited I play basketball to unleash, but there ain't no ballers out here, no joke. So I don't know what I'm going to do.....

Reality going over the head

2008-09-04T04:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog, haha, my online diary,

Yesterday was one of those sort of murky, missing the folks at home and sad, lonely sort of days. It was due to a combination of things. I woke up pretty sick, with a cold from the freezing london winds, i was tired, i was fasting and i was alone. I took a train to Central london, and as i was sitting on the train, i was reminiscing the Ramadan Days chillen with the Family in the warm comfort of Southern Cali.

As I was thinking about my little bros, 10 and 12, how we fight and play all the time, it just hit me that man this is only like day 5 out of 200+ days. And I was like whoa. Am I gonna make it?? Or am I gonna crack and cry like a lil punk?

I went about the day, walking through parks and museums, chillen having a peaceful time. I conversed with a couple peeps along the way, but u know, its like Where is the Love? Where is it? Its back home-- The family. Then, I told myself that this is what I signed up for. This is what I knew was coming.

So by the end of the day, I took many deep breaths and told myself: Its gonna be Alright! U gotta do what U gotta and have faith, the rest will be cool. I went back to the house, after chillen for hours in Hyde Park, I had iftar with the Homies family that I am staying with and Chilled out. Today is a new Day! Going to a different park and different Museum, with one of the homies and the cuzin today. So, this is life, and life is this... Peace

Jamming on the First night

2008-08-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

Yo, i didnt think I'd be blogging this soon. But I had to post a little taste of what I was experiencing last night. Me and the boys out in London simply went out for a drive to handle some apartment business, but when we got to the area I got to listen to the self expression of some ambitious and down to earth UK homies. Check it out:

Alright thats just a quick hit of the first night. Im sure I'll have a lot more to drop off in the next half year. It feels good to be out in the world, out of the box. I miss the peeps back home already, but I know I'll be back for them. I'm excited for things to come....

Go Time!

2008-08-23T01:34:00.001-07:00

I am getting ready to roll out of the sunny, comfortable weather of Cali, all alone into an adventure that would be a lot to handle for some. But this Cat is gonna strap his backpack, lace his Nikes, grab his camera and GO! I packed mad light: just an empty backpack for my sidetrips, my camera bag and one suitcase. Gotta stay mobile and free :) traveling man moving thru places.....

I'm gonna start off with 12 days in London. This is going to be beautiful because Ramadan starts within the first couple of Days I get there, So I get to practice part of this Holy month, involving fasting and self discipline, in a Vibrant city like London. Its wonderful to be able to check out the different Muslim Communities in the World, but to do it and practice Ramadan while the visit is gonna be special. I cant wait to see how them Brits do it. I'm staying at a couple different homies places from back in the day. One of them grew up with me, and the other actually did a semester exchange at SDSU.

Anyway, thereafter I'm gonna find myself practicing the 2nd half of Ramadan in Amman, Jordan. Thats gonna be something alright! Me, brand new in the city, culture shock and all, fasting with Ramadan, starting school, and hustling to get a place to live. I wonder if getting a crib in Amman is gonna be similar to getting one in San Diego? U know the mad run around you gotta do for a nice spot in San Diego! Haha, it'll be adventurous thats for sure.

Later on ill find myself in places like Petra, West Bank, Jerusalem, South Lebanon, Cairo, Damascus, Dubai, and maybe more.

Im mad excited! Pumped up and all! a lil nervous tho to be leaving everyone i love and care about and head out there kinda just free lancing and into the mistiness of the middle east. U never know what u might run into when coasting around the world alone... Stay tuned in for occasional posts and stories. I might even put up a cool little video clip from time to time! Alright I leave on the 28th, signing out till the next post, much love, Peace!