Unlikely Friends & Chick-fil-A Sauce

{Conversation Partner #5}

     Noor and I are exactly the same people in two different bodies. 

     My statement above may seem a little offbeat, but it is true.  Noor and I are so similar, yet so different in many ways.  Noor and I have the same interests and personalities, but we are from different countries, know different languages, and have different religions.  However, our differences are what make our friendship unique and rewarding. 

     Because Noor reads my blog, she always asks me what I am going to write next.  So, yesterday, I told her that I was completely stumped.  I had nothing more to say for my next blog post.  I begged her to help me out and give me some piece of wisdom that I could write about.  We both laughed and she went on talking about her life and asking me about mine. 

     Soon after, she smiled at me and told me that many Saudi Arabians do not think they can become friends with Americans because their differences would come between them.  Yet, in the wise words of Noor, “I don’t understand the problem.  They can still be friends.”

     At that moment, I knew I had an idea for my next blog post (as well as a wonderful piece of insight).

     First, I second Noor’s answer.  Different people can totally be friends with each other, but there needs to be one important premise: acceptance.  Friendship cannot occur without two people 100 percent accepting each other.  To illustrate, Noor and I enjoy many of the same things, but we also differ in many of our views.  Yet, we do not judge each other for our differences.  Instead, we embrace them and see them as a way to learn from each other.

     Second, having a friend who is different from you is awesome.  For example, Noor and I went to Chick-fil-A yesterday and she asked me to get her ketchup.  Unfortunately, it turned out that she had never tried the Chick-fil-A sauces, which was a huge loss for Noor.  So, as the good friend I am, I forced her to try both the ranch and the classic sauces to show her that she was not living her life to its fullest by sticking to ketchup.  Now, she is hooked on both of them (and I am not the least bit surprised). 

     Why am I giving this silly example?  No matter how small or insignificant, Noor and I teach each other so many things.  We share our own experiences and offer each other new ones to learn from.  Thanks to Noor, I know more about Islam, the IEP program, the Arabic language, and the delicacy of Turkish and Arabic coffee.  She has helped me laugh at life’s little moments and share them with sweet friends.  She has taught me to make memories, even if they cost you some embarrassment on the way.  Lastly, Noor has taught me how to love others deeply, fully, and cross-culturally.  

     Friendship is meant to be unifying.  Therefore, it makes sense that different people can become friends.  If either Noor or I had gone into this semester with closed minds, we would have not been able to make this friendship work.  Yet, we decided to accept each other and learn from each other, which has given us both the gift of an unlikely friendship. 

     You know what?  I think unlikely friendship is one of the most amazing friendships of all.