Drink. Drank. Drunk.

     {Conversation Partner #3}

     Culture can be defined as the “system of learned and shared symbols, language, values, and norms that distinguish one group of people from another.” 

     When Noor and I met again this past week, it was clear that we came from different cultures, if that was not clear already.  Not only do we look completely unique, from Noor’s hijab to my sorority shirt to her tan skin to my white skin, but more significantly, we have been raised in places so utterly dissimilar from one another. For curiosity sake, I looked up how many miles Saudi Arabia is from Texas.  Texas is 7,933 miles away from Saudi Arabia!  Wow.  My mind just exploded.  Texas is not only thousands of miles away from my sweet friend’s new home away from home, but it is also a place filled with completely new adventures, customs, and an entirely different language for her.  I suddenly had more admiration for Noor, better understanding the courage it took for her to make the big move to Texas just a matter of months ago.

     Common sense tells you that a place 7,933 miles away from your home is bound to be quite different in many ways.  So, it made sense when she embarked on an inquisitive question spree. {Therefore I probably should not have been so caught off guard…but I was}.

     We started off with a few easy questions.  What kind of American music is popular? {We shared a pair of headphones over the crammed lunch table and listened to everything from “Riptide” to “Gas Pedal” [no judgment…she enjoyed it].  Then, we talked about movies.  {She told me how hard she cried in The Fault in Our Stars and I shared in her sentiments}.

     And then we got to the good stuff.  Alcohol.

     Noor began by asking me about different kinds of alcohol.  She was specifically confused about one type of alcohol.  She was trying to convey to me which type it was by licking her hand and pursing her lips.  After a few too many seconds, it finally occurred to me that she was talking about tequila.  We had a good laugh and then I explained to her that you grind salt on the back of your hand, lick it, and then suck on a lime wedge.  She seemed very confused by this entire process, and to be honest, I guess I would be too if I had never seen someone take a tequila shot.

     Next, we got into the topic of being drunk.  Noor told me she had seen people stumble, throw up, and blackout in movies and was horrified that people actually wanted to make themselves feel that way.  We laughed and I agreed with her that there are a lot of bad consequences that can occur from drinking too much.  However, I explained to her why some people drink alcohol and that only those who drink too much experience bad side effects.  She seemed slightly relieved.

     Then, she cutely looked around the BLUU to see if anyone was listening to our conversation and lowered her voice an octave.  She whispered, “Have you ever been drunk before?  I promise I won’t tell anybody.”  We both burst out in laughter.
     Now, as I said previously, these questions caught me a bit off guard, but then I realized that I was being quite narrow-minded.  I admit that these questions seemed trivial and silly to me.  However, in Saudi Arabia, Islam dictates the entire culture and daily life.  Consequently, alcohol is illegal.  Additionally, American music is not commonplace in Saudi Arabia, so accordingly, Noor is unfamiliar with much of American media.

     I later asked Noor if she would ever get to taste alcohol.  She explained to me that because she is Muslim, it does not matter if she is in Saudi Arabia or not, she will never drink liquor.  Drinking alcohol is so normal and pervasive in the United States that I have never thought it would be different in other parts of the world.  We live in a world where there are 196 different countries, over 2 million cities, and over 7 billion people co-existing on one planet!  This means there are multitudes of cultures, civilizations, and societies that we are not even familiar with at all.  This is mindboggling to me. 

     A few blog posts ago, I talked about the “TCU bubble,” which I described as the narrow scope many students have during their college years.  Well, this past week I discovered a new kind of bubble that is even more all encompassing: the “American bubble.”  Sitting with Noor time and time again, I am astounded by the amount of information I do not know about her country, customs, and religion.  I am in awe by the differences in our cultures and grateful to have the humbling opportunity to learn more about them.
     My hope for this blog post is to not simply share with you Noor and I’s conversation, but to reconsider how your life would be different if you moved 7,933 miles away from your home.  To be honest, you would probably ask many of the same questions Noor asked me this past week.