The Fasting Month just came to a
close. During this month of
fasting, people often will gather to break the fast together in the
evenings. You could compare it to a Holiday
Party in the States during December; people gathering to celebrate together.
As there are now 12 tutors
associated with the Reading Program John manages here, I decided to hold a
“break fast” party for the reading tutors.
Living in a foreign culture always begs the question "How?" How do I hold a party, conduct business, or
live in a way that is culturally appropriate or even more so, communicates well what I desire?
Though we have lived here for seven years, I still find myself pulled
between the inclinations of my home culture and fitting into the Barat cultural.
I chose Wednesday, May 5th, for our
party. The main difficulties I saw were what
to provide and how? Then what time should
we gather?
Often people will break the day’s
long fast with something sweat and wet, accompanied by a savory snack. Some will directly eat a meal, while others visit the local gathering place first before eating their meal. Our local neighbors and friends are the best
resource on cultural. After consulting
on of my neighbors, who is also one of my language helpers, I decided to
provide “fruit soup” for the main opener, then boxed meals, which could be eaten together then and there or taken home for later. I still had to figure out where to order the
boxed meals.
As the time when the fast ends
each day depends on the setting sun, it is slightly variable. I wanted to gather enough
in advance to have time together, but not too much that the waiting for daily fast end was unbearable. In
addition, I have wanted to hold a while Elephant Party for some time. I figured the tutors would enjoy this as an
activity before breaking the fast.
Therefore I decided to invite them for a 5pm party.
We invited all the tutors and
John’s translation helpers. In my culture you expect only
those you invite and invitations can be exclusive. This also enable you to plan according to the
expected number of guests, whereas here there tends to be a great deal of
flex. People may express their wishes of
attending, but not show up as it would be rude to outright refuse.
A few days before our “party,” I
asked a neighbor known for her culinary abilities for help making the boxed
meals. She consented to prepare the food
and pack the boxes. John and I bought
all the ingredients and supplies she would need. She then prepared everything for the 5
o’clock party.
As a White Elephant Party was a
new concept, I provided all the gifts. It turned out to be a great activity and many laughs were shared. During the duration of the gift exchange, only two gifts were stolen. We are still unsure whether this was uncertainty due to the knew game or a cultural aspect which inhibited the stealing from a friend.
We still had additional time after finishing the White Elephant Party, so we played charades. After breaking the fast together, we ate our boxed meals as well. It was an enjoyable time together.
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