The call to prayer

This is the mosque next to our house.  We hear the call to prayer several times a day, even in the middle of the night, although it is beginning to be normal now.   Devout Muslims pray 5 times a day and can pray anywhere if they cannot go to a mosque, but we see lots of people streaming in and out of this one at prayer times.  The call to prayer can be live or recorded (but always live in Kuwait-the government pays them here) and the man who does the chanting is called a muezzin.  This is what we hear:

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar,

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar.

Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah,

Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah.

Ashhadu anna Muhammadar-rasoolullah,

Ashhadu anna Muhammadar-rasoolullah.

Hayya ‘ala-ssalah,

Hayya ‘ala-ssalah.

Hayya ‘alal-falah,

Hayya ‘alal-falah.

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar.

La ilaha illallah.

In English:

Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest.

Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest.

I bear witness that there is no deity (worthy of worship) but Allah.

I bear witness that there is no deity (worthy of worship) but Allah.

I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger.

I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger.

Come to the prayer, Come to the prayer.

Come to prosperity, Come to prosperity.

Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest.

There is no deity (worthy of worship) but Allah.

Washington, Oregon, and Idaho 2016

We got to spend 6 glorious weeks in the Pacific Northwest before our big move to Kuwait.  We saw lots of family and friends, drank a lot of beer, ate a lot of food, and spent time outside enjoying our beautiful home. 

We started our summer with a trip to Sequim, WA to reunite with a group of friends from Paraguay. 

We did some hiking, ate some great food and held an international beer tasting.

We then took a camping trip to Eastern Washington to the Quincy Lakes Wildlife Refuge. We also drove to Central and Southern Oregon for some time with Jenn, Danny, and Sophia, and Kristi's family. 

To celebrate our 4th anniversary, we took a backpacking trip to Surprise Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.  The weather was perfect, with plenty of ripe huckleberries.

We went to a Sounders game while in Seattle and watched them lose to the LA Galaxy.  This has been a bit of a rough season, but the crowd was no less supportive or energetic than if we had been winning.

Our final stop before our flight to Kuwait was a family trip to Idaho to see Matt's cousin Scott get married.  We hiked, fished, and spent a lot of time catching up with family.

Tour our new apartment!