Mmmmmh mumtaz!

We’ve all read stuff about Arabic culture and traditions, those typical things you’d find in any traveller’s guide; experiencing it, however, can result very different from what you’d expect. On the topic “home dinner”, the real thing is surprisingly nice – or is it nicely surprising?

6.15 pm, in the building’s corridor, not really sure of the apartment and unwilling to knock at the wrong door, we call Amjed on his mobile. Behind a neat row of shoes, the door opens on Amjed and his three sons, all grinning from ear to ear. Wow, this makes us feel like very special guests! We’re only one step into the apartment, and I’m shown the way to the living room, while Richard follows Amjed into the guest room, a nice furnished room for men meetings located straight after the hallway.

I meet Ghada, Amjed’s wife, a very nice lady. She’s wearing casual clothes and her hair’s simply tied up. Thanks God, she speaks a bit of English, but not quite enough to have a good conversation. To my rescue comes Sara, their elder daughter of 12, who comes to me and asks my name in English. We then have a nice chat about her life, her school and her friends, while Ghada finishes preparing dinner. 

When asked if she finds Saudi Arabia different to her native Jordan, she answers:

- A lot! First, in Jordan, there’s no sea! (One point for Saudi Arabia)
- What about your school? 

- It’s very easy here! (That would probably be another point!)

But she adds:

- In Jordan we can go to the supermarket; here we can’t! (Jordan, one point!)

(The last point probably relates to her mum not being able to drive, and to her not being able to walk anywhere from where she lives.)

Watching the little boys play around (1 and 2 years old), I learn some Arabic words (“no”, “enough”, and also “money”, as little Abdallah tears off a 1 riyal bill and sings around “Masari! Masari!”). Then my private teacher Sara shows me how to write these words, a very sweet private lesson!

And then it’s time for dinner; Ghada puts on her abbaya, headscarf and face mask before the men are allowed to come to the dining room. The mansaf – typical Jordan meal made of rice, lamb meat and yoghurt sauce – was simply delicious! Time for me to practise my Arabic, slipping a few “mumtaz” (excellent) into the conversation to congratulate our host on the meal.

After dinner, we split again for a nice cup of green tea in our respective guest/living room. A couple of neighbours join us, man and woman entering through different doors, so the man enters directly to the guest room without seeing the women in the living room. We keep chatting about life, children, the great recent events in Egypt, until it’s time to say goodbye.

Walking back home, half an hour was hardly enough for Richard and I to share our new experiences!