It's cooled off a bit here so more and more people in the village are gathering in the late afternoon to visit with one another before starting dinner. My friend, Sarah*, and I were walking home one day when we came upon Sarah's friend, Samia*. Samia smiled broadly and greeted us each with a handshake and a kiss on each cheek.
We exchanged pleasantries when Samia asked if we would like to join her for tea the next day. We agreed on a time and went on our way.
At 2:00 pm today, I met Sarah and we made our way down the street toward a house that we though was Samia's. We looked around the building, but all the doors were shut and no one was around. Thankfully a woman and small boy appeared around the corner. I inquired where Samia lived and she pointed down a different street.
We took our plate of cake and began walking from house to house looking for anything that would indicate we were close. Soon a few women spotted us and we asked them about Samia. They pointed up toward a balcony where Samia was smiling and waving.
We walked through a small wooden door up the concrete steps into a simply furnished home. Samia greeted us along with her daughter and two grandchildren ages 2 and 10 months. (The baby just kind of stared at us.)
She had her daughter bring out two chairs on the balcony while the remaining folks sat on a bed. Samia popped up and brought a bowl of fruit and 2 cups of steaming tea. The tea had loose leaves in it so once the sugar is in you stir once or risk a mouthful of bits and brown teeth.
The sugar had a few ants in it so I deftly attempted to dodge them while scooping and distracting the hostess with questions. I think I succeeded. (John said that poached ants are quite tasty.)
We tried to understand all the Arabic that was flying around us and we managed to catch some phrases here and there that allowed the conversation to flow back and forth although it was a highly unfair verbal ping pong game.
Samia pulled out a stack of photos of herself, her daughters and her friends. Photos are a big deal here and Photoshop is HUGE. If one image of a person is good, then four of them in a collage must be great. After we looked through the stack, Samia told us that her husband died 17 years ago. Since then it's been just her and her 3 girls.
She put away the photos and came back with a small silver plate with salt and cowrie shells on it. Her daughter asked if we wanted to participate. I told her that I was unsure of what she was doing. She explained that Samia will toss the shells and then predict the future for my daughters…Who will they marry? How many babies will they have? and so on…
I smiled and told her thank you but that we pray to God and He guides our days and our lives. They both smiled and said, "Kwyees! Kwyees!" (Good! Good!) Samia put away the plate and offered us more tea. We thanked her politely and then began to make our exiting statements.
I told her that when we return for tea the next time, I would bring pictures of my family and hometown in America. She was pleased.
She shook hands and kissed each one while making our way down the steps. Samia yelled down to us to be sure and come back. We will definitely return to these wonderful ladies who share their tea and open their hearts.
*Not their real names
No comments:
Post a Comment