Mane CP#3

Conversation Partner - Entry #3 - Second meeting with Abdulrahman 




My second meeting with Abdulrahman was at the Dunkin’ Donuts again. This time we concentrated a lot on cultural differences and his connection to his homeland. He related to me that he misses his homeland a lot but he had to come to America because there are better opportunities here. I knew Ramadan was coming up. Knowing very little about it, I asked Abdulrahman a few questions to find out more. He said he and his whole family have been observing Ramadan  since he was young. He further explained that the reason why they fast is to have time to ponder about the lives of people less fortunate than them. I asked him about his own reasons for observing Ramadan, not the theological reasons for it, and he replied that he feels closer to God this way and feels like he is pleasing God by following Prophet Muhammad's teachings. He asked me if I had ever fasted before. I let him know that even  though I grew up in a Christian household neither I nor my family fast. I was born and raised in Armenia, which used to be part of the Soviet Union. So to give him a bit more context I ventured into explaining Soviet Union’s history and their forced atheism and how this forced atheism affects the ex-Soviet Union countries today. I tried to use simple vocabulary to explain complex historical themes and he seemed to understand me well. 

      There were many other cultural themes discussed during the meeting mainly surrounding the feelings behind of being a foreigner in a country largely culturally different from yours.I am also from a different country so I found it easy to relate to him. 

       Considering the word count we have to abide by for these posts and for the sake of brevity, I will conclude in saying that I enjoyed speaking to Abdulrahman and am looking forward to other meetings. 

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