Dinner on Friday

The next night, after dinner at Halifa’s I went to have dinner at the home of the 3rd grade math teacher. This woman lives on the highest level in the furthest back corner of an apartment complex. There are clothes hanging from clotheslines between the two parallel sets of apartments and open doors with American rap music blaring. From the balcony in front of her apartment we can see the school, most of the city, and the beautiful full moon that marks the start of an important Islamic Holiday here.

This teacher lives with her youngest son, and two other teenage girls who I believe are relatives who recently became orphans. I guess I haven’t mentioned this….so I’ll explain how a meal typically works. If there is a sink, you wash your hands there. If not, someone pours soapy water over your hands wall you wash them over a bowl (usually both hands). All of the food is served in hotpots of various sizes, and it all goes onto your plate, and is then eaten with either your hands or a fork. If you are using your hand, I have been told you can use either hand or both if you wish. However, most people use only one hand, and at the end of the meal hold the carafe themselves with one hand while only washing the hand that was used for eating.

Also, the girls and women almost exclusively do the cooking, cleaning and serving. As a guest and as a woman, I often struggle to decide what I should be doing….but have almost never been allowed to help when I offer an extra hand.