Lunch, Weddings, and Hijabs: A Day Visiting Friends

Hello Global Voice for Autism Friends,

Today was another day of spending time with our friends here in the city of Jenin.  Sarah, Melissa, and I were invited to a friend’s house for lunch today.  As many of you have learned from reading our blogs, going to a friend’s house in Jenin is a very exciting experience.  It means that we can look forward to having a home cooked meal rather than a falafel sandwich or shawarma from a fast-food stand in the city.  Today was no different.  When we arrived to our friend’s house we were greeted by her mother, sister-in-law, and two-year-old sister. Within minutes we were brought into their dining area where a spread had been laid out for us.  The feast was a delicious traditional Arab meal, consisting of sauces, salad, and kabsah.

Our visit with our friend and her family, continued into the evening.  We enjoyed spending time with her family and were happily entertained by her little sister.  She is a very smart and beautiful little girl who loves to be around others and make people laugh.

Our friend also shared pictures from her brother’s wedding. Two separate photo albums displayed photographs from their wedding and their engagement party.  Pictured in the photos were our friend and her family dressed beautifully for both occasions.  A couple having an engagement party in the Arab culture did not surprise me, but the dress of our friend’s sister-in-law at this party was a surprise.  It seemed like it could have been just as expensive as her beautiful white-laced wedding gown, and it was pink!  That is something you do not see everyday.

In the time spent visiting our friend, we were also shown how a hijab can be worn.  Usually a hijab is worn by Muslim women after a certain age while in the presence of males outside of their family. Today our teammate Melissa, however, was taught how to wear the hijab.  We about to leave our friend’s home, and it had started to rain.  Our friend,  carefully wrap a pink scarf around Melissa’s head to keep her hair from getting wet.  I decided to record this process and take a picture of the finished work.  From the video, you can see that wrapping her hijab was quick and easy!   I think for Melissa, who is very ticklish, however, the experience may have been a little overwhelming!

submitted by Katrina Walker