Fickle little boy and a sweet old man
July 10, 2011
Yesterday I finally got to go visit my host family for the first time since coming back. Everyone but my host father had been out of town during the week. I’d been planning on heading over anyway, but my host mom beeped my phone around 3:00 and I took that as my cue to go say hello. I found her cracking argan as I’d hoped she’d be doing. She didn’t have an extra stone for me to work with, though, so I just sat and chatted while she worked away.
After a little while Anwar the two-and-a-half-year-old woke up from his nap. I’d been looking forward to seeing him again because he was really getting to enjoy having me around before I left. He’d call out, “Lhan! Lhan!” meaning “Hind”, my local name. He’d even run up to me and give me great big hugs around my knees, or fling himself into my lap. I thought maybe I’d get a really nice welcome… but I thought wrong! He took one look at me and ran right back around the corner! My host mom spent the next while trying to trick him into coming back to our corner, telling him I’d gone home. My host dad kept telling him the truth, though, and he stayed away. Even my host mom pretending to eat chocolate I’d brought her wouldn’t get him to come over.
Thankfully that didn’t last too too long, though. By the second hour or so that I was there Anwar started talking to me again, and by the time I left he was even calling my name. It’s funny how little kids get shy again so quickly!
Today’s highlight is without a doubt the interaction I just had with my old man neighbor. I love my neighbors so much!
I went to take him some brownies I’d made (Ghirardelli, but unfortunately I don’t think they came out too well… They should still be better than Moroccan sweets I hope) and the small gifts I brought them from America. I didn’t have much to give, just a little LED light keychain and a sweat headband for him (something useful) and some little copper earrings for her. My neighbor took the light and the headband in stride and seemed much more familiar with what to do with the headband than my host father was with his. I took the headband specifically because the day I left town he had told a friend and me that he was wearing a wool cap under his other hat to catch the sweat. Talk about hot! I hope the sweatband will come in handy for him.
The real highlight was when I handed him the earrings for his wife. He seemed really happy about them and the other stuff, and he even pulled me in to kiss my shoulder! As he pulled me in I had no idea what to do, if he was going to do cheek kisses (surely not!) or what, but he kissed my right shoulder and I clumsily tried to kiss his back. I had no idea what to do, no one has ever done that to me before!
It was really great to know that he appreciated the little gifts. Appreciation isn’t something that is shown here quite as openly as it is in America (not because things aren’t appreciated, but because it’s just not the norm to be really open about it). I hope they know how much I love them and how wonderful it is to have them for neighbors. It makes me think back to when I first moved in two summers ago and how one night he scolded me (out of well-meaning concern, I’m sure) to keep my windows closed at night the way everyone else does. We’ve come a long way since then!
I never did do as he wanted, but he seems pretty happy to have me around.
