Friends From Around the World

I love meeting new people and Oman is a great place to do this.  I have met people from countries I have never even heard of!  Have you heard of the Faroe Islands?  This blog post is about new friends from Ethiopia and India (countries I have heard of.)  These pictures were taken in May and June, but just now blogging about it.

 

My new friend, Tg, invited me for coffee.  She made the coffee in the traditional Ethiopian way.  Let's see if I remember the steps.  First, she took green coffee beans (who knew?)  and put them in a pan on the stove.  She roasted them for a good ten minutes, stirring constantly.  Then into the grinder.  Next, she placed some beans in the special pot, seen above in the red bowl.  She poured some boiling water in the pot, then poured some out, checking the color.  She decided the pot needed more coffee.  Then she filled the pot with boiling water, and let it sit.  She told me that we had to wait until the steam stopped coming out of the pot.  As the coffee cooled a bit, the grounds would sink.  This way she could pour the coffee without the grounds falling into the cup.
 

Tg served the coffee in the traditional way.  She filled my cup halfway with warm milk.  Then the coffee, and some sugar.  Delicious!  Let me just say, my cup of coffee at home the next morning was a letdown!
 

Here I am with my good friend, Caroline.  Caroline is the teaching leader for my Bible study, BSF.  I love coming to BSF and seeing all the beautiful saris worn by many of the Indian ladies.  So on this day, Caroline surprised me with my own sari demonstration. 
 

A sari is really just one long piece of cloth.  About 6 meters, or 19 feet.  It can be made of just about any fabric, from cheap cotton to the finest of silk.  Don't remember what this one was made of.
 

You start by placing one end at your shoulder and the other end at your waist.  Then all the fabric in between gets folded and tucked.
 

 

 

 

Ta da!  The finished product!  The whole thing is secured by a pin at the shoulder and one at the waist.  There is usually a matching short-sleeved top to go underneath.  Young girls start wearing saris at about the age of 13. 

 

 Saris are more common in the southern part of India, while the tunic and pants were more prevalent in northern Indian.  Caroline is from southern India, but she says that the tunics are becoming more popular in the south, too.  It takes about 30 seconds to put on a tunic and pants, but about 15 minutes to put on a sari!