Early in the month, I got invited to a friend’s graduation party from law school. She wanted full-arab dress so us Americans went all-out with makeup and our flashiest thobes (full-length Arab dresses). My cousin also happened to be visiting and got to come experience a girls party + barbecue. Many people have not wanted to have big celebrations in solidarity and respect for the war in Gaza, so this was the first true “girls party” I’ve been too!
A few weeks earlier, I got to go visit a friend I met in the fall in her hometown for the first time! My roommate and I drove up for Arab brunch then went to the souq (“market” in Arabic) to shop and walk around. Our friend did all the bargaining (bless her) and got me an amazing deal on a more traditional style thobe! The most common traditional Jordanian/Palestinian thobes are a modest, black dress with red embroidery called tatriz, however different regions, tribes, and cities often have their own unique variations on colors, patterns, and styles.
In August, we went to see her again for dinner with the parents and a sleepover. Her mom made us lots of quintessential Levantine food like magluba (meaning “upside down” in Arabic), which is a chicken and rice dish cooked in a pot and then turned over, and a semolina pudding topped with sugar syrup, coconut, and pistachios called layali Lubnan (meaning nights of Lebanon). It was a great time of relationship-building and meeting the family, as well as a true test of my Arabic. I came home the next day feeling accomplished but tired and took a long nap.