Turkish Coffee and Chocolate Cake

Last week I was walking to the corner grocery with Ethan when a 62-year-old Iraqi woman stopped in her tracks and said, "I like you--you come to my house for tea." So today, I did. I am smiling as I think about her. She is sharp and vibrant. She actually looks almost identical to my late Great-Grandma Schell. Maybe that is why I felt so comfortable accepting an invitation from a complete stranger. Ethan and I made our way to the top floor of our apartment at 10:00 this morning. When we arrived to her flat we were introduced to her sister who is visiting from London and battling cancer and a Palestinian woman with her 3-month-old daughter. Miriam, the host, was quick to point out that we were to greet each other with three alternating cheek kisses. So after one awkward practice, I was greeting like a pro. Then it was to the sitting room for tea. Miriam loaded my plate with all sorts of pastries and cookies and said, "You are thin, you can eat." I laughed and said, "I am not thin," and she said, "OH, you are fat? then you can still eat." So we did. Next came the tea, then the candy to go with the Turkish coffee and finally chocolate cake for dessert. Turkish coffee was actually pretty good. I was expecting it to taste like espresso, but it was more like very black coffee with a strong smell of clove. It is served in little glasses, so I suppose there must be a lot of caffine in it. I liked it. But most importantly, I enjoyed friendly conversation and learning about their families. It was interesting to hear their stories of immigrating from Iraq 15 years ago and how they had to leave everything behind and completely rebuild their lives from nothing. It was also interesting to hear about how their families remained so close even though they are dispersed throughout the world and about her family's struggle to find the balance between their culture and the environment of their new homes. If all I get out of living abroad is a morning coffee with a kind elderly woman, it would have been worth all the effort. I had a fantastic time.