Ohio + Poetry Night + Miscellaneous

Bismillah Arrahman AlRaheem: In the Name of Allah The Most Beneficient The Most Merciful
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Well ppl,

6:19 am, Dayton Ohio, yes OHIO, the lovely American Midwest. I got in last night from Boston for a finance conference that will last until Saturday.

I attended my morning classes on Wednesday, did a brief french oral exam which was more brief than it was oral (Austin Powers anyone?)

Next I had lunch with a good friend of mine, headed home to iron my suits and shirts (I'm liking this ironing thing for some reason, saves drycleaning money!) and packed my bag. My suitcase hadn't been emptied since Spring Break (and no I'm not a slob, I just have to be in a clear mindset to clean my room, and this past couple of weeks wasn't really).

Checked my lone gray samsonite, and headed to security, it takes me approx. 5 minutes to get rid of all the metal on my body, and trust me I don't wear jewellery, it's just the way it is :)

When I was done with the security, I found the Finance club peeps chillin in the food court, I got a quick bite from Sbarro (which sucks in Saudi but his OK here). I met some new freshmen kids, Billy from Thailand, and Denise from Singapore and Indonesia (yes I'm very stereotypical and I prefer internationals to American kids).

We waited for the rest of the kids to arrive and then headed towards the gate. We stopped in Philadelphia prior to reaching Ohio.

IN Dayton, we checked in, and split up into our different rooms. I shared my room with Morris (New Yorker of Turkish Descent, one of my core teammates), Billy (Thai Freshman), and Danny (Indian from Ghana, also a freshman).

We unpacked most of our stuff and headed upstairs where the restaurant had some live jazz. We chilled a bit and called it a night..

I'll discuss the symposium in a special post.

Last Tuesday we held "Coffee, Poetry, Islam" as part of the Islamic Awareness Week functions. I recited some Jahilee poetry by Zuhair, as well as reading the translation to a Persian poem by the famous "Rumi." When I read the mu3allaqa I had the audience repeat the last word (like we do with shi3ir naba6ee) and they enjoyed it. I also managed to keep myself from cracking up when my colleague from Harvard was reading the Persian (because Max always does Persian impressions and i can't stop laughing). I also got bashed for reading the translation in a pseudo-British accent which I didn't mean to do, it just came naturally with the words.
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When I Die
Jalaluddin Rumi (translated by RA Nicholson)

On the day of my death when my coffin is going by, don't
imagine that I have any pain about leaving this world.

Don't weep for me, and don't say, "How terrible! What a pity!"
For you will fall into the error of being deceived by the Devil,
and that would really be a pity!

When you see my funeral, don't say, "Parting and separation!"
Since for me, that is the time for union and meeting God.

And when you entrust me to the grave, don't say, "Good-bye! Farewell!"
For the grave is only a curtain for hiding the gathering of souls in Paradise.

When you see the going down, notice the coming up.
Why should there be any loss because of the setting of the sun and moon?

It seems like setting to you, but it is rising.
The tomb seems like a prison, but it is the liberation of the soul.

What seed ever went down into the earth which didn't grow back up?
So, for you, why is there this doubt about the human "seed"?

What bucket ever went down and didn't come out full?
Why should there be any lamenting for the Joseph of the soul because of the well?

When you have closed your mouth on this side, open it on that side,
for your shouts of joy will be in the sky beyond place and time.

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-YSH ;)