It’s November now. The weather is nice enough to leave the windows open during the day. Last night, for a brief moment, I thought I felt cold. In the shopping malls, the stores are stocked with winter coats, scarves, and gloves. Keep in mind, it’s still 70 degrees. I have a hard time imagining the weather in Saudi Arabia will get cold enough to wear winter clothes.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States. It’s the first Thanksgiving I have ever spent away from my family, and I am sure they are taking it hard. I enjoy Thanksgiving. I will miss the warmth of this time. I love waking up to the smell of pumpkin pie spice. I will miss sleepily watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade while caressing a warm mug of coffee.
As a cultural lesson, and in part to fill my Thanksgiving void, I planned to have Thanksgiving in my English class. Many of my students were aware of the American holiday because Snapchat featured a video of Mr. Trump fondling a Turkey. But I wanted my students to know more. We were going to learn about the history and traditions of the holiday, along with sharing food and playing games. I perceived that my class was very enthusiastic about the change in routine. The students are usually excited to learn about new cultures. We were all planning what kind of food to bring when someone from the back of the class said, “Can we change the day?” I was puzzled. “Okay, but why?” I said. The class erupted into a sea of arguments. The only thing I could understand was “Two Eids.” I knew immediately what the students were arguing about.
In Saudi Arabia, some people are very strict about only celebrating the two Islamic holidays, Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Well…let’s say three holidays. They of course celebrate their own National Day. All three of the holidays fall within the scorching hot summer months. No one enjoys being here at that time, so people travel if they have the means to do so. For some people, anything that resembles a holiday, aside from the two Islamic ones, is haram, or forbidden. This includes New Years, Valentines Day, and Halloween. Many people do not celebrate their own birthdays. I would say that most people are very curious and open, but others are afraid of change and always make things difficult.
Needless to say, I canceled Thanksgiving to avoid any trouble.
Being away from your home during a holiday is one of the most difficult things to deal with while living abroad. Especially in a place which hardly allows you to express your traditions to others. Instead of eating Turkey for Thanksgiving, I am thinking of visiting the Turkish restaurant nearby. I never really liked Turkey, but I do miss my family.
musafira 