The Friday Ritual

            The opportunity of living with an Omani family continues to be my favorite part of the CIL program. Every Thursday or Friday, the el-Aghbari family takes me with them to one of their relative’s houses for their weekly family reunion, including terrific food and good conversation. This is the setting I find myself in this past Friday afternoon. Before I walk in to the main door, I de-shoe and then walk behind the male members of my homestay family into the male mezhles (sitting room) as the rest of the people in the room rise out of respect. We walk single-file around the room and shake all twenty to twenty-five outstretched hands. Then I sit down cross-legged with the rest, along the wall, as everyone goes back to talking. The next person walks in and everyone routinely stands back up to greet him. As we sit down, I ask the teenager sitting next to me what’s his name, what grade he’s in. As I start this conversation, I feel eyes on me. I must interject here what an awkward feeling it is to be the only white person around. Okay, people, we get the picture, I’m white! The coolest part, however, is when Omanis try to talk to me in English, and I reply back in quick Arabic. Always catches them off guard. Without fail.

            This surprise technique always wins me a few new friends. They want to ask me how many years I’ve been living here, where I work, what I think of Oman. This interrogation process is good practice for my Arabic, but by that point, I just want food. Thank heavens, lunch is on its way! The youngest kids in the family usually bring out the food (rice, meat, beans, bread), and a group of five or six gathers around a big plate and start picking away at it. I’ve been learning how to master the eating-rice-and-beans-out-of-my-hand technique, but I still have a ways to go. I usually ask Ahmed, my home-stay brother, how he thinks I did after a meal. My average rating is about a 6/10. (There was one time, however, where I was completely off my game. He looked down at the huge mess I made and just shook his head, laughing. Didn’t even grade me that time…).

            After the main course, fruit, dates, and Omani coffee are brought out. Yes, (insert “success baby” meme) more food! As the meal is finished, I sit back, I spend some more time conversing, and then our family heads out. As we drive home in the SUV, I think to myself about how while I do like this culture and the schwarma, I’m really starting to miss American food… in particular, bacon.