Last evening we visited our Egyptian family friends to celebrate their daughter’s (Sarah) 5th birthday. Earlier in the week, the mother (Eman) stopped by the school to give Pat with a present in honor of Egyptian Mothers Day. During the week, we went shopping for a present for Sarah and also for two gifts for Eman and her mother. We looked all around, unsure what to buy, not knowing what would be considered appropriate or not. We finally decided on scarves as both Grandma and Eman are scarved.
We arrived at 7:00 PM on Thursday evening for the celebration. In addition to Hosny, Eman, Grandma and the three children (Ahmed, Mohammed and Sarah), Eman’s sister who lives across the street and her three children were also there. We had a wonderful time visiting with them and enjoying the birthday celebration. Everyone brought gifts for Sarah and helped her unwrap the presents. “Happy Birthday” was sung in both English and Arabic and there was cake, rolls, cookies, jello, sandwiches, soda and tea.
Eman’s sister who lives across the street lives in an apartment house with her husband and children. Her husband has 7 brothers and 1 sisters. They also live in the apartment house along with their children. Some of the children are older and are away at college. It is not unusual for families to share an apartment house. In this type of arrangement, the children have “built-in” playmates. There can be conflicts but for the most part, the families prefer this arrangement.
Spending time with the El Gazar family has been one of the most rewarding experiences for us while teaching overseas. We have learned much about the culture and lifestyle of the typical citizens of this warm and hospitable country.
