As much fun as it is to sleep in, watch movies, or go to the mall on Saturdays (or even attack the house with some good cleaning!). This month, I had a Saturday that set the bar for all my Saturdays to come. The reason for this, I am convinced, is because my Saturday was full of one crucial thing…PEOPLE!
Now mind you, I enjoy time at home, time to rest, time alone to spend with God, but I had, earlier in this month, really been missing my friends and spending lots of time with Kurdish people. We had some visitors that the language center was hosting, and it was a fairly busy time. So, after things slowed down and got back to normal, we made plans with some friends for Saturday afternoon.
I had a slow morning…got up around 8:30, coffee, the Word, did some dishes. At about 11:15, Aud and I took a nice walk around the neighborhood. Thinking about our neighbors, enjoying the weather (finally getting warmer), and talking with God. We came by a fruit/veggie stand that we pass all the time. We had been getting to know B*, the woman who runs it. As we walked by, we stopped to say hello, exchanges pleasantries, see how her family is doing. And then, she asked us to come for lunch. We didn’t have a lot of time, but nothing like a little Central Asia flexibility to keep things alive. She had offered other times, so it was the perfect opportunity on a slow Saturday.
Mmmm…her older teenage daughter had made dolma (one of my favorite Kurdish meals). So, we had lunch with them. They are not English speakers…which I LOVE! Many people know a bit of English, so it is nice to find a family that we can get to know only in Kurdish. It can be limiting, but I am so thankful for the practice. We got to meet her husband and young son, who is darling. We had a great meal and really connected with them. They showed us photo albums of their family! They had pictures of their house 30 years ago and it was the only one around, before the city was built up. It was so cool!
After we finished at their house, our friend P* came with her brother to pick us up (see picture above) and take us over to their house for “lunch”…our second lunch. (We try not to do this very often, haha). Her mom made delicious biryani! We then decided to go for a walk at the park. So we hopped in the car (P*, her sister-in-law and our good friend J*, and a sweet old lady who is like a grandmother to P*). It was a hoot! As soon as we sat in the car, the music came on and the little old grandma started singing, clapping, and dancing. We walked around the park for a bit, had cappuccinos and the little café and took a picture from a guy who printed them out right there for us (below).
Returning to P*s house, she then let us know that we were gonna stay and hang out, making cupcakes together! Fine by me J I love sitting in the kitchen with Kurdish friends learning new recipes and talking. We got to sit with her at one point and she shared a lot about what is going on in her life concerning her family and marriage proposals. In a really neat way, I was able to encourage her with words not from myself…but given for that moment. We stayed for dinner, cousins came over (usual!), and didn’t arrive home until about 11pm! What a full and blessed day!
I was exhausted, but was so excited about the time we spent with our neighbors and with our dear girlfriends and their family! I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunities I get to live life with people here, learn from their culture, learn their language, and In’shallah, influence their lives in ways that I may never see the full extent of this side of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment