November 22, 2001

The ex-pat Thanksgiving gathering in Zababdeh

Kul 'am wintum bi-kheir. On the occasion of every holiday, this greeting (literally, "all year has passed and you are well") is exchanged. People in the school were confused when we greeted them this way this morning, until we explained that today is 'Eid al-Shukur, Thanksgiving. They all asked if we were going to eat turkey - amazing what spreads from one culture to the next. We did, indeed, eat turkey, as well as stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin (well, actually squash, but you'd never know the difference) pie with whipped cream.

There were fourteen of us, the rest of the folks affiliated with the Arab-American University, though not all Americans. So our Thanksgiving was shared by Canadians, Brits, Scots, and Japanese!

An international Thanksgiving meal in Zababdeh!

After our meal, there was no football on television. Instead, we sang songs together. Marthame accompanied the keyboardist on guitar.

It was a slightly smaller crowd than last year's gathering, and Thanksgiving is always a little harder to be away from home, but it was a wonderful celebration and a good time to stop and reflect and be thankful. Especially in the midst of the turmoil here, such moments are welcome respite and sanctuary.