The Long Goodbye

Although I have three weeks left in Jordan, I've begun winding down my various activities, which mostly means roping other people into taking over my classes.  When I told my class at the Chaldean Church that I was leaving, they were really sad.  One student led me out of the room during a break, while they very noisily planned a surprise party for me.  My Arabic isn't perfect, but it's good enough that I can understand when a group of seniors are arguing over who will bring what to a barbecue in my honor.

So the big day came last Friday.  Various Iraqis had told me times ranging from 10:30AM to 1:30PM as the starting time.  I knew I wanted to get in on the cooking, so I came at 11.  We cooked semach masgoof, basically a big grilled fish.  A student I'll call Yohanna, with whom I've cooked/eaten previously, was in charge of the grill.  

After a long sear, Abu Iskander added a spicy tomato sauce.

When we finally started to eat, I was simultaneously in the best and worst possible situation.  There was this mass of great food, but I was surrounded by a roomful of people who think of me as a son or grandson and want to fatten me up.  As I ate, the pile of food on my plate got bigger, not smaller, as everyone added a large portion of fish, briyani, salata, and tabbouleh to my plate.  My plastic plate began to bend and crack under the mound of delicious Iraqi food.


After everyone was stuffed, we went into the church, where I gave out "diplomas" for the three month course in English that they had just completed.  Seeing how happy and proud they all were was really gratifying.  This is probably the last of my teaching during my Watson year, but it really has opened doors for me in the Iraqi community.  I can just hope that the communities I visit in Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco are as open and welcoming as the Iraqis in Jordan have been.