Blessings from Fellow Travelers.

Today I made my bi-annual pilgrimage to the mecca of all things great in Palatine, Illinois: Bead World. Owned by a Greek/French Muslim and his wife, a store that once catered to the hemp fad of the 1990s (a fad which I embraced whole-heartedly) is now full of Turkish evil eyes, Chinese jade pendants, antique bangles from Afghanistan, hand-painted Iranian stones, prayer beads from Italy. They also run the cheapest piercing business in town--$17 will get your nose pierced, slightly extra if you want your nipples done.
I've been coming here since high school--always meaning to get just a bead or two, or maybe some new nose studs ($4.25 a pop, you can't beat it). When I enter the store, though, my raccoon instinct for shiny things always kicks in, and I end up leaving with something new for my collection of over-sized jewelry.

Today I found this large turquoise disk, and a hand-painted pendant the size of a drink coaster. Having gotten into conversation with the owner a few times, I now go there as much to hear stories of his travels as I do to restock my supply of over-sized earrings.
I was not disappointed. I asked him if he knew the story behind the painted pendant I had found. It turns out it was from Iran--but this was only the prelude to his discussion of the various merits of open air markets in Yemen vs. Damascus, stories of ingratiating himself with jewelry vendors all over the world for all the languages he speaks, for his shared religious ties with many. When I told him that I was leaving for Egypt on Friday to work at the A., he immediately gave me his business card. I'm now, in addition to unpaid intern, Arabic student, and to-be teacher, a freelance jewelry dealer. He says if I see anything interesting to send him an email--he travels all over the world to buy his jewelry, gems, and pendants by hand and bring them back to his store.

Now with the traveling blessings of Mr. Pafralides, my nerves are a bit calmed. That, and having new pieces of foreign, XL jewelry certainly never dampens my mood.
Tomorrow: Wisconsin.
Friday: Egypt.