Malika al-Bing Bong (Queen of Ping Pong)

I participated these last two days in a ping pong tournament held at Effat... all women, of course. It was great. I have gotten to know, and really like, all the girls who we played against from King Abdulaziz University (all three of them) and also their coach, and I've also gotten to really like the girls on my team. There were a couple of highschools there as well who were very talented. It was a new experience for me, as they really played it up and had people cheering and screaming on the sidelines - not huge numbers, but still, it was just a ping pong match. I, of course, got hugely nervous, and messed up a bunch of times, but it was great all the way around. A good experience. And hopefully I'll play more this next semester, since I won't have smushed my toe with a ping pong table. That really ruined my season.

Mona was there cheering me on, with D today, and I got a really nifty shirt. So even though I lost badly to the King Abdulaziz girls, I think I came out ahead.

Nafla, this really sweet girl who lives in the dorm with me, got up and read (sang) a bit of the Qu'ran which was just beautiful. It was apparently the first time she'd ever read the Qu'ran in public, but she did fabulously. And we had a huge ornate awards ceremony to follow that. And pictures galore. I hope I can get my hands on some of those pictures.

And THEN, I went to get converted. One of my friends from outside Effat had arranged for me to go meet with a political science professor who is, on the side, extremely knowledgeable about both Islam and Christianity, and Judaism to some extent as well. Of course, all of this from a Muslim perspective. So we got together, and talked for three hours about God, and the purpose of life, and whether or not Islam is right for America. And I really like this man. I thought he was a little sketchy the first time I met him, since he told me he could get me into Mecca if I only admitted to believing in God, but since then I've decided either he's a really good used-car salesman, or he's not as sketchy as I originally believed. On the other hand, I think he did a fabulous job turning the conversation away from the points I wanted to make... I will have to prepare better for the next time I see him. But he said some very interesting things that will really make me think. He didn't change my mind about anything, but he did an excellent job presenting Islam in a very non-frightening way, and connecting it to the 'big picture' of God and the rest of the universe. Of course, none of this convinces me that Islam is "The Truth", but at the same time I think there's an excellent possibility that Islam, like Christianity, Judaism, Bhuddism, Hinduism, and every other philosophy of life, all are so popular because they manage to tap into something universal in humanity, either God or a force of nature one could easily describe as God.

Remind me that I have another Aramco post coming. D and I had some FABULOUS conversations (she was my roommate at the hotel in Dahran, and one of the reasons I got so little sleep was because she and discovered we had a lot in common in terms of philosophy of life).

But for now, it's Wednesday night and I'm either going to party, or sleep. These are the only things one should ever do on the first night of weekend.

Thank Allah it's Wednesday!