Getting to Know Hanan Part 2

           Hanan continues to be amazing company. Our second visit was another great learning experience. Since we had connected really well on our beliefs, personalities, and love for fashion, I was excited to meet with Hanan a second time. She suggested we meet at Pizza Snob, even though she does not eat a single thing she does not cook herself. Since Hanan is Islamic, they practice cooking food in a different way. Islamic people have to drain the blood of any animal they eat with their own hands. They believe that if you do not drain the blood, then it is “bad,” as Hanan put it. After I researched what she described, I discovered why the Islamic people use a specific slaughtering method. The Arabic root word for slaughter is “Zakah,” which means “to purify.” The animal’s blood has to be drained completely before the head can be removed. This method is actually pretty hygienic, which prevents a person to get diseases or toxins from the animal’s blood. This way of killing the animal helps keep the meat fresher for a longer period of time and the animal does not feel pain when the killing occurs. The Islamic people also believe that eating any carnivorous animals such as a lion, tiger, or leopard will affect how they behave. If they eat the meat of these ferocious animals, they also believe that they themselves will become violent and ferocious. Muslims are allowed to eat cows, goats, chickens, fish, etc. because these animals are docile. Even though I ate while we talked, Hanan was not judgmental at all and even told me that I needed to eat more.

            Even though Hanan sometimes struggles to find the right English word, she is still so caring and interested about my life. She remembered that the first time we met, it was big and little week for my sorority. I tried to explain to the best of my ability what bigs and littles were. I told her that I would be getting “two freshman babies.” She kindly asked how they were doing and if they were settling into college well. She then began to explain to me why she was upset that day. One of her friends from the Intensive English Program was getting a divorce, and Hanan was sad for her friend. One of the biggest things I have learned from Hanan is that every person has a story, no matter their ethnicity, religion, or their country of origin. I believe that a lot of Americans, including myself, put all other human beings into a small, metaphorical box that we do not peek into. Too often I find myself just going through the motions in my little TCU bubble. My routine is the same almost every day; I wake up, have my oatmeal and coffee, go to class, exercise, accomplish my homework and studying, and then go to bed. I do not usually spend my time pondering how other people across the pond also spend their day. This thought process facilitates the issue of me not understanding that not every non-American person lives the same lifestyle as me or each other. Hanan has really opened my eyes to beginning to truly understand the breadth of cultures and how they all differ from one another.

            At the end of our visit, Hanan invited me to come to her home. She said she wanted to have a girls’ night and cook me a true Arabic meal. Hanan’s personality has also began to shine through as we have talked and gotten to know each other more. Hanan can be extremely sarcastic. She also loves to make fun of my American antics and how I generally meet her stereotype of American people: blonde and blue eyed (side note: I have brown eyes). I also learned that Hanan had never been to a TCU football game in her two years at TCU. I invited her to come to the West Virginia game with me and my friends, and she was beyond excited! We are both so happy that we are building a relationship that will last, not just fulfilling a requirement for a class.

P.S. Here is an awesome article written by a TCU student who also talks about the TCU bubble in a different light:

http://sds.tcu.edu/privilege-in-the-tcu-bubble/