Who could ask for more preciousness?

Maybe I've put up too many pictures in this post, but whatever, they're just so cute! This is Goat. If I could bring one home, this would have to be the one. Mom....???

Halloumi String Pepperjack.

As soon as you grab the right spot they are in utter bliss.

Jibne liked the bow too!!

Gouda and I have quite a mental bond.

It's the best when all four cats sit on the couch between Shelley (my roommate) and I. I really feel like we're a family.

Jibne's nipples look painful!!

Here's a view of the living room. Jesse, who lives in the apartment above us, is in the chair on the right with Jibne; he adores cats. Andrew, who lives across the hall, hates cats and finds them disgusting. But sometimes even he is obviously overwhelmed by these babies' charm.

Kitties!!!

I have a lot more from the past week (their month birthday celebration and all), but they aren't on my computer yet. Five kittens were born in my roommate's bed while we were out of town for the weekend on March 9. The mother had been hanging out in the evenings with us for the past month and half, and we knew she was preggers, but had no clue we'd left the kitchen window (her regular point of entry) wide open. As we had named the mom Jibne (arabic for cheese) each of the babies were obnoxiously given cheese names. Keshkawan, the orange one that Jibne is delicately holding above, was everyone's favorite, and also the first to die, after one week. The next day I woke to hearing squeals as Jibne was trying to squish one of the gray tort(e?) twins. It had seemed like Jibne was sick, she was acting really crazed and such, so when we got home to discover that she had succeeded in squishing to death a second baby, I had a vet come and make a house call (!) and he said she had eclampsia and was delirious with fever. Oh. But after that everything was much better, and let's be honest, six cats are a bit much to try to manage, so I'm just happy we have the ones who survived.

The fluffy black boy hiding in the back is Gouda, and he's the biggest as well as the most chill and charming. He often sits for hours with us on the couch, totally content not to terrorize around like the others. In the middle is Goat, she's painfully adorable, and squeals less than the others. And then we have Halloumi String Pepperjack in front, who has great potential for cuteness, but her face still looks a little weird. She's the littlest, and the most obnoxious, but she likes to lay out of her back, belly-up, and it's so entertaining.

Just wait till you see them with their bows on!!

I'm Not Very Good At This Posting Regularly Thing

I was all set to put up the pictures from the Taj Mahal today, until I discovered that they are only on my laptop, not on the external hard drive thing for some reason. So here are some of the pictures from when Ben and Seth came in December. This was our first day in Amman, wandering around. I show you this bizarre round building, the Le Royale Hotel, so that if you happen to be in Amman in the next few months, you can easily find my apartment, right around the corner from this monstrosity.



This is the "downtown" - aka the older part of the city where you can buy cheap stuff. Most of West Amman (where everything, you know, important, is) is modern and western looking, this is the only neighborhood that looks terribly "middle-easty."

This is the al-Hussein Mosque, sort of the center of the city.

The Roman Amphitheater...looks vaguely out of place here, but charming nonetheless.

The entrance to my favorite arabish cafe, Jafra.

The inside of Jafra, at a strange angle. Were you trying to be artsy or something Ben?

Hahaha.

Thanks for visiting big brothers! Miss you!

On the Ride From Delhi to Agra

The street in front of Hotel Relax again.

I love how Hindi looks so much! It felt exciting to be in a country where I couldn't even read; Arabic doesn't feel terribly foreign anymore.

I was so thrilled they have camels on the streets. Ana uhibb jimaal. I love camels.

It's kinda small, but it says: "Don't Come That Close. I'm Not That Kind Of Car."

These were really sad monkeys. The guy with their leash held one up to my window which was opened a crack and the monkey put its little fingers in...it was half frightening and half super depressing.

Nice guys!

Marya didn't want to ride a camel. They didn't care.

Delhi

Assorted views from the terrace at our Hotel (Hotel Relax, actually quite nice apart from the dirty sheets and lack of heat at night). The people who worked there were incredibly friendly, and arranged a car to take us to and from the Taj Mahal (4.5 hour drive each way) about 30 minutes after we checked in.

Cows!

This is were we had our first chai, aka "milk tea." Life hasn't been the same since.

al-Hind?!

The parking lot of the Delhi airport is sand.

The Taj Mahal is the most incredible thing I have ever seen, anywhere.

I knocked over some potted plants on the Taj Mahal grounds, and was laughed at loudly by some Indian bitch.

Chai here is something really really special...I won't be able to go back to the chai I used to know and love. This saddens me.

Chicken tikka masala is much the same as it is in your country. But the naan is perhaps a little better.

India is the most colorful and visually spectacular place I could imagine.

There are small monkeys here. They are very cute, with precious hands and fingers.

There are lots of hippies travelling here; I've never felt so preppy in my life. Why does it seem that only strangely dressed folk seem to want to come here?

They don't speak Arabic here, but it's fun to speak Arabic to them when they try to sell you things.

I think I need to come back here.

Tomorrow I am flying to the Sikkim region. Look it up; there's mountains there.