Today Rayan, Hanah, and I decided to meet at Sweet Sammie's. Our visit was short and sweet (literally), but I still learned so much.
Somehow we got to talking about different coffees and different countries' reputations when it comes to the preferred strength of their drink. Rayan and Hanah "take shots" of coffee, and they make it in a thermos-looking contraption. They told me that they only drink coffee on weekends because it is so strong...and they DEFINITELY don't drink it at night. Their coffee isn't ground and they don't add any sweetener or sugar. They said that they will have me over to taste their coffee sometime soon!
Many people in Saudi Arabia become addicted to their coffee, such that they are unable to respond to anesthesia....crazy right?! The doctors have to ask if they're addicted to Saudi coffee, and if they say yes, then the doctor will give them more anesthesia so that they can undergo surgery. The other option is not drinking coffee for 24 hours prior to surgery. Hanah told me that her dad, if he could, would not only take one shot of coffee in the morning but would drink the whole thermos. However, since he has gotten older and his heart doesn't work as well as it used to, he is unable to drink the coffee anymore. People with heart disease are very much discouraged from drinking the coffee there.
The conversation changed eventually, and Rayan told me that they are not allowed to drink alcohol or eat pork in their religion; they eat kosher. Also, if they want to eat lamb, they must kill it with a knife. He said their religion is very similar to Judaism.
Then we started talking about schools. They are from a town with about 3 million people, but ironically Rayan's elementary school was right across the street from Hanah's house. Also, they went on vacation to the same city in the summers, and Rayan would pass the apartment where Hanah and her family stayed for the summer all the time!!! So cool!
I asked about the school system there, and they told me that there are no co-ed schools, but that they think it's better that way. Even the universities for males and females are separate, unless you go to school to be a doctor...then males and females will be together. I cannot even imagine what college would be like without guys to balance out the girls! Thank goodness all schools aren't like that here in the US!
It is amazing how much I learn about Rayan and Hanah's culture every time that we meet! It really makes me think about how different my background is from theirs but how cool it is that we can share our different experiences and learn from each other.
PS-They loved Sweet Sammie's:)
Hey Ashlyn, sounds like you are really getting to know your partners. I personally do not drink coffee but I think that is interesting how strong and even addicting their coffee is in Saudi Arabia! Although I understand why they prefer non-co-ed schools, I too cannot imagine going to a school without both girls and boys. I hope you continue learning more neat things about your partners! Oh and by the way, Sweet Sammie's is delicious so good job picking that as your place to meet!
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