For some reason I decided not to tell anyone that my birthday was coming up. I don't know why really. A contributing factor definitely was that it sneaked (or maybe snuck) up on me more so here than anywhere else I've ever lived at any other time. This was thanks in large part to the fact that 80's and sunshine didn't really offer much in the way of putting me in the holiday spirit. And being a Christmas (or should I say Solstice) baby, that's usually the trigger for me to start thinking about my birthday. But this year, as I noticed the date on the 18th while I was signing in at work, I said to myself, "Huh. My birthday is in 3 days." The thought then hit me that it could pass without anyone around me having the slightest idea and for some reason this was appealing. I liked the idea that it would be my little secret-- that I would resist the urge to tell and get the reaction you tend to when someone finds out it's your birthday. And I decided that I'd see how long I could keep it going. Turns out I didn't tell a soul in the days leading up. It took me until my second class -- the good class -- on the day of before I finally let it slip. My students asked me if I was in a good mood and I said I was and that it was a special day. When they guessed the reason I felt I owed it to them to confirm. I was then pleasantly surprised to learn that one of my favorite students, Abdualelah (how fun is that name to say), had the same birthday as me. Other than them, I didn't tell one person the whole day. And it was pretty gratifying. Of course the next night, at the compound, after a few glasses of homemade wine with 7up ( which reduces the vinegary taste to almost nothing), I let it slip again and was treated to a few extra white wine and 7's.
It turned out that same night (22/12) I was invited to a Christmas party by one of the regulars in our group who attend the weekly dinners at the compound. I was surprised and honored. Further proof, I guess, that trying to be a positive and unassuming individual is a good way to set yourself up for positive experiences. It also helped that I had an in with the compound crowd. I was told by a good buddy before I came to Riyadh (Whatup, Mathew) that a good buddy of his was living over here teaching English just like I intended to. Mathew helped us to exchange contact information and it's through this fellow that I've been able to make so many connections so quickly. I have gotten to benefit from his year's experience and time hard spent trying to meet people and find the means to exercise a high quality of life. He's a very like-minded individual and through him I've gotten hooked up quite well. Compound dinners, weekly basketball games, and just having some chill people to kick it with outside of my work environment have been instrumental in making my transition to life here smooth and enjoyable. Being able to ask questions to people who really speak my language has also been invaluable in helping me build my understanding. So feeling very lucky indeed I headed over to the party this very eve where I was more than blown away by the spread. It included turkey, cranberries and gravy, potatoes, green beans, pumpkin pie, and a whole slew of less traditional but equally delicious sides, apps, and desserts.
One thing I've really enjoyed about the holidays I've spent away from home is the feeling of making the holiday happen. In Prague a group of us 20-something expats would get together. Someone, usually the host or hostess, would be in charge of the bird (we had two turkeys and a goose in the two Thanksgivings and one Christmas I had there) and everyone else would bring something even if it was just wine or beer. It's a cool, liberating, adult feeling to have to create your own holiday experience. I think it's a feeling that a lot of people probably have when they start a family, make a home, and start hosting their own Christmas's and Thanksgivings. And I dig it. The holiday abroad though is in at least some sense a little different. Mostly in that not all the traditional fare and ingredients for such are easy to find. Saudi though, surprisingly enough, I found out actually offers much more in the way of turkeys, cranberries and canned pumpkin than did the CZ. I concluded that this is because of a few factors: 1) that there is a larger expat population here and 2) that people fight much harder here to hold on to anything they can that reminds them of home. The experience went on to show me that while the FoxNews talking heads might like to rouse their conservative compatriots by conjuring images of "A War on Christmas," here on the front lines, in a place where any form of Christmas in public would be considered practicing a religion other than Islam and thereby illegal, it is a war that will continue to be won by Christmas every time. In the home, where it matters, holidays and traditions mean too much to people. And so in the most unlikely of places, where I didn't expect much, thanks to a confluence of factors that once again, after discovering, did not seem all that surprising, I celebrated. And it was nice. Very nice. Merry Christmas.
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