Birthdays Galore: Zainub's Birthday

Week 50

December 8, 2014

December 14, 2014

1.     Preamble:

Our farm life continues to be on hold as we celebrate birthdays after birthdays. This week we will be celebrating Zainub's birthday on 12 December followed by Eemaan's and Hamza's on 14 December. We as such will be issuing two blogs this week. The first edition will talk about Zainub while the second edition will be reserved for both Eemaan and Hamza. Eemaan was born in the year 2000 and Hamza, a year later in 2001. Both of them are special as they respectively were first of our grand children. There would be interesting stories about them but now it is the privilege of Zainub to be our guest of honour!

2.     Family Event:
2.1.  Zainub's Birthday (Born: 12 Dec 2012):

As I prepared myself to write about Zainub, youngest of the two daughters of our youngest son Taha and Shaema, I asked Taha to send me the latest pictures of her for this blog. Following my request Taha and Shaema posted a couple of snapshots of her on the Facebook. The best picture that I could choose was the one used above as her portrait for this B'day celebratory note. Even though I had selected it, I couldn't make up my mind whether she was smiling or preparing herself for a crying binge. In the end I hesitatingly convinced myself that she was trying to manage a grin on having been prompted for this specific camera shot. Lovely isn't it! It certainly is!  It is unique and rare, so very different from a plain smiling face. Having decided that alright, I'm still perplexed however, what to call it, a grin, a sneer or an agitated,/distressed/rattled/fazed pose? Only the proud parents can possibly have the last word on it, I suppose!

Zainub has large almond eyes, identically the same as those of her big sister Ammanah. She has curly hair and looks so different from that of a Pakistani child. To me she looks like an Arab child,  perhaps an Egyptian!  I remember an Egyptian lady scientist from my days of RISO. She like us all foreigners, stayed at the RISO Guest House. She had a baby girl accompanying her. The little girl was of the same age as Zainub and looked exactly like her. Her name was Boosey. She was a bit more social however and got easily mixed with all the scientists of various nationalities. She must be over  forty years old now and should have children of her by this time! I wonder how she looks like presently?Just a curiosity to visualise how our Zainu would be like, when I will be there no more!

Zainub is a little shy but can get friendly after only a while. She is the darling of us all as the following pictures with Ammi (Dadi) and Mama (Shaema) suggests:

And those with Baba (Taha), Mama and Aapi (Ammanah) tells:

One of the most cherished and beautiful family video, which for technical reasons can not unfortunately be reproduced here, is the one in which Zainub shares a small water tumbler with Ammanah and when Ammanah goes out for a brief while to perform a chore of hers, she occupies the whole space in the small tumbler, completely refusing to withdraw from the occupied territory on poor Ammanah's return. The video makes us laugh so loud that  fast asleep neighbours (if there ever were!) would have jumped out from their beds wondering if the doomsday had arrived! Again, If there ever was the need to depict a 'Jew occupying a Palestinian's home' and adamantly refusing to vacate it, this video would surely serve the purpose.

Having accidentally stumbled into the word 'Jew', I may mention that all growing up children to start with are Jews (sorry about that!) in that they refuse to share their candies with anyone including their playmate buddies but our Zainu in all this wide world is a born Mussalman at heart too masha Allah! She very gladly would share what ever little she might have and quite often not even keep a little bit for herself. Here, a true example of benevolence and compassion! Wonderful! Isn't it?

Living so far away, what present can I wrap for you my dear little Zainu, except the words in this blog, which perhaps you will be able to read a few years from now! Both your Dada and Dadi wish you a very 'Happy Birthday' with abundance if goodies scattered and balloons flying, around you. Lots and lots of kisses with a tight hug, our little Zainu!

So long!

PS: Quite unfortunately, I don't have any snapshots of you (Zainu) with your loving Nana and Nani or even with your Dada. Had I them, those surely would have been included. Let's leave them for your next b'day insha Allah, only a year from now!