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The Fetal Diaries #41: The Arab in Me.
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I was at work today, working on the children’s clothes, when I heard this child screaming, “Ana! Ana! Ana!”
As a TCK that spent some of my childhood in the Middle East, I quickly turned around, assuming it was an Arab family coming, because “ana” meant something like “I” or “me” in Arabic. So I looked over to the aisle beside mine, and saw, just as I thought, an Arab man, and two of his children, possibly Jordanian or Lebanese.
I smiled to myself, as I glanced at the older son, running around, his light brown curls bouncing up and down, calling his father (”Baba!”) over and over, pulling at his shirt cuffs. I figured he might be asking for something. Sure enough, the kid picked up a toy and walked around with it as his dad talked on the phone.
Of course, because the boy was still so little (I’m thinking about 3 or 4), his tiny legs couldn’t keep up with his dad, plus the toy’s box was just about as big as his whole torso. So a little bit of difficulty running around with that (which was, btw, tres adorable). Anyways, his dad notices that the little boy was a little far behind, so he pauses talking on his phone, and turns around, calling, “Taal, Majd!” (trans: “Come/Hurry Majd!”) By that point, I was so tempted to say hi to the little boy (Majd), but knowing Arab parents, they can be a little suspicious of strangers talking to their children, and so decided not to.
They eventually left a few minutes later, and I went home about an hour later, catching one of my closest friends from the Mid East online. He repatriated back to Sweden a year before I left Abu Dhabi, but we still talk a lot, so I told him what happened. He asked me why I didn’t try to talk to them, and I answered that there really was no point, since it would be rude to talk to the dad, since he was on his cellphone, and well, walking up to his son could cause a little suspiscion.
He said that it would have been so worth it if I had gotten to talk to them, and I agreed. I then randomly told him that I wanted to eat some shwarma (roasted, almost shredded, spiced meat wrapped in Arabic bread along with chips/fries/whatever you call it and possibly some pickles or onions and whatever you feel like putting in there). He laughs, and I told him we should both go back.
He goes, “Oh, I’m going back there either after Christmas this year. Or the Christmas after that,” with a sad smiley after the second sentence (because he wants to go back sooner than later). Lucky boy! What I wouldn’t do to get back…
Reminds me of that time my dad asked over the dinner table if we wanted to go back home. My younger sister goes, “Ha! The Philippines? I’d visit, but I wouldn’t live there,” and I nodded in agreement. My dad then says, “No, I meant Abu Dhabi; who wants to go back?” My sisters and I all raised our hands, all grinning, going, “Me! Me! Me!”
We might as well say, “Ana! Ana! Ana!” like little Majd.
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August 21st, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Hey! I did this tonight! I was help walking my friends’ dog and one of the one I was with ran and started jumping up on a Chinese woman deep in conversation. I apologised (dui bu qi), and she responded in Chinese, then got soooo confused. First positive reaction I’ve gotten from my Chinese–and funny one. She did a huge double take and tried to figure out how to respond (which language?, which language?, which language?)…
Hehehe!
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August 21st, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Haha really? Man, i’d love to see that! Confused chinese woman because cait’s talking to her in chinese! High five cait! I love doing that.
There was one time back then when i was still in abu dhabi, i was hanging out with friends. There were filipinos like me, an indonesian girl, a swedish guy (same dude i mentioned above), and a romanian girl.. We were walking around near my school when we see an arab man. We all greet him in arabic, and he laughs, because none of us were arabs yet we pronounce the arabic words so well.. Looking back now, it must have looked funny, all of us non arabs talking to him in broken (yet well pronounced) arabic. I mean, to many arabs, as long as you can do the ‘throat thing’ you can speak arabic well automatically. Never found out if they say that to be nice or if they mean it but we did say words and phrases the right way, and spoke english with a bit of an arabic accent anyways, so i guess we pulled it off well. Haha.
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August 22nd, 2008 at 1:15 am
Cute! Love this! 5 stars!
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August 22nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Awww thanks ElizabethD!:D
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August 25th, 2008 at 12:10 am
Aww, that is so cute!x3 But you’re making me hungry with talk of shwarma. *drools* Haven’t had a shwarma in months!xD
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August 25th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
hey Fetus!!!!
One one hand, I hope you move back there! If you love it so much, you should be there
On the other hand: stay in Canada!!!! I’m moving next year and I want to go visit you
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August 26th, 2008 at 1:01 am
Another good post from Kristine. Keep writing.
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August 27th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Maira: I don’t think I’ll be moving back there anytime soon.
I wish! Moving back to Calgary is more plausible. If you do visit western Canada, that’d be nice 
Ayako: Thanks
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August 27th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Ya aslan!! I love this story, gave it 5 stars sis
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August 27th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Ya habibi! Haha, thanks kuya
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