Carlos-CP4

I'll have to apologize for blogging so late about this dinner. Last Saturday we were all invited by our Saudi and Kuwaiti friends from CIES to a dinner at their home. They wanted to host a group dinner for us so we could all get to know each other. I initially didn't have a partner in this group but I decided to tag along with Camille so I could get to know the other CIES students. I have to say, this night was one of the more enjoyable nights I've had in Tallahassee. The conversations were very natural and I really felt like we were all friends rather than paired off groups from CIES. We began with Arabic coffee while we waited for our meal to be prepared. Once our meal of chicken and rice, pasta, french fries, and other things were spread out on the floor, we began to eat and continue our conversations. The CIES group was very hospitable and they shared with us some things that were considered customary for hosts to do in their countries. For example, no guest is to stand up to get any food or drink. The host is to bring food and drink to the guest and that the host is also responsible for all the preparation and clean up. I had to try to keep that in the back of my head because I always felt guilty that we weren't as involved as we could have been with helping out with the dinner. My thoughts were put to ease knowing that we will return the favor soon and host a dinner of our own. Later into the night, we all began to just lounge around the living room, hanging out and talking. Songs were sung, games were played, and Abdullah actually brought a guitar for me to play! After playing for a little, Abdullah took me into one of the rooms to see if I could teach him any songs. He was a little timid, especially with his guitar playing, but it was exciting being able to help someone out with playing guitar. We exchanged numbers and I've decided to have him as my unofficial 3rd conversation partner. I look forward to jamming with Abdullah as well as meeting up with these great group of guys again.