culture while she was there Every time I hear the call to prayer while'm here I could wish something good for someone That's very sweet of you dear said Aunt Ella as she placed a bowl of cereal and dried dates in front of Amanda There are a lot of people who could benefit from your good wishes 99 Amanda poured milk over her cereal her mind already making up a list of wishes she could make for other people On the drive from the airport she had seen an old woman squatting near the door of a small village store her hand raised to beg for coins She would be the first person Amanda would make a wish for Her friend's little brother was quite sick she would make a wish for him too Would you like to explore the town a little today asked her aunt who was spooning a runny yogurt over her cereal After she finished with the yogurt she added a large handful of dates We could check out some of the shops that sell local artifacts Sure I want to buy a post card for my best friend Donna She will freak out when I tell her about this place Oh and one for Mom and Dad too Are there any kids my age around here The words flew out of her mouth Amanda was getting more and more excited with each passing minute Would there be enough hours in the day to do everything she wanted to do and see everything she wanted to see Yes there is an English girl named Leah Ander son She lives on the ninth floor on the opposite side
of the building Her mother and I teach at the same school She has been waiting for your visit I think she’s lonely said Aunt Ella Should we ask her to come along We could finish the day with a stop at the beach club That would be awesome I'll have a shower and get ready right away Amanda tried not to wolf down her breakfast but she wanted to get going A half day of her vacation was already gone kk k Leah turned out to be Amanda's exact opposite in looks She was tall and thin with long blonde hair She had eyes the colour of the Persian Gulf fair skin and rosy cheeks She was what Amanda always wished she looked like Instead she was short for her age with straight short brown hair cut in a bob She wasn't really plump but she wished she could lose her baby fat as her mom called it Amanda had hazel eyes and tanned easily She also wore glasses which she hated Hello you must be Amanda I m Leah How very lovely to meet you said the blonde girl her accent crisp and British Amanda thought she sounded like Hermione in the Harry Potter movies and liked her immediately Hi there it's great to meet you too I'm glad you can come shopping with us Do you have your stuff for the beach Yes said Leah as she held up a backpack Thank
you for asking me to join you If you girls are ready then let's get going said her aunt as she plopped a hat on Amanda's head You will need one of these while you're here as the sun can get pretty
Chapter 3 As they drove through town Amanda was capti vated with the Arabic signs on the shops and the people dressed in their traditional robes She had so many questions to ask and so much to learn about this place They parked the car and strolled down the street Her aunt explained that they called the shop ping markets sougs They walked past many fabric shops with rows of silks and cottons in every colour and design imaginable and shop windows dripping with gold jewelry Wow Lots of bling thought Amanda She noticed a sweet spicy scent in the air Many people smiled and said Hello Some stopped and shook her hand and asked her where she was from They were all so eager to welcome her to their country Amanda couldn't imagine anyone mean or nasty living there They went into a small shop called Aladdin's Trea sures which was so full of stuff you could hardly turn around without bumping into something Richly pat terned prayer rugs in colours of red green wine and brown looked like magic carpets They covered the walls and hung from the ceiling creating a kaleido scope of colour Gold ceremonial daggers called khan jars were secured inside a glass cabinet Rows and rows of wooden carved camels of all shapes and sizes shared the shelves with shiny brass Aladdin's lamps Amanda was enchanted with all the intriguing items old and new from many different
