August 7, 2008 Surprise guest

After lunch, Ama told me that we’re going to be getting a visit from Neddia this afternoon. It took her a *lot* of tries to make me understand this. Part of the problem was that I thought she was saying we’d be going to a Neddy, which is a women’s center and/or nursery school. (I thought maybe we were signing Little Sis up for kindergarten.) When I finally understood that someone was coming over to our house, Ama tried to explain the rest. This was complicated mostly by the fact that I had no context for what she was talking about. Apparently, when I was in SouqTown, I ran into someone who I’d met at my uncle’s (3mti’s) house.

I do remember chatting with a woman on the street; I didn’t recognize her, but I did recognize her kid (that’s me – when I’m in a crowded room, I’m more likely to play with the little dudes than make conversation with the grownups), plus she knew my name, so I accepted her assertion that we knew each other. I remember making chitchat, but I don’t remember inviting her over…which apparently I did.

So she’ll be here this afternoon for kaskrut (5pm teatime), and I have no idea how long she’ll be staying. Ama used the word “hotel” repeatedly, but I don’t know whether she was saying that I’d talked with the woman on the street in front of the hotel in SouqTown – which is true, if it’s the woman I’m remembering – or that she’s staying in a hotel here in Berberville, in which case Ama will almost certainly invite her to spend the night here.

Which wouldn’t be a problem, except that I’d made plans with another Volunteer for this evening. But I texted my friend, explained what happened, and she’s being very understanding. Apparently, this kind of doublebooking isn’t uncommon, and she understands that I’ll need to put Moroccan hospitality above American socialization.