"Dear Teacher": An Ambigous Offering

A couple of months ago, around the time another American woman was moving in with us, I ran into one of my university students. He stopped while I and a few of my coworkers were moving some furniture into our house. When my student saw me, he delightedly asked what I was doing in his neighborhood. I replied that this was my neighborhood as well and that we were moving some extra furniture into our house because we had a new roommate. Aboulkarim was fairly shocked: "Really? This is amazing, teacher! You are the first white person I have ever seen in our area. (This is fairly true and not an uncommon response when I tell people which neighborhood I live in).

Later, this student called me and asked if I was getting married. No, I replied a bit confused. I then remembered that it is not uncommon for a couple to get new furniture around the time of their marriage and to then have a special ceremony with friends and family to install them happily in the new house. I told him I was still single.

"So...no ceremony? No marriage?" he asked.

"Sorry. Nothing special. We just bought some new furniture. That's all."

"But your brothers and your family were there (referring to my western coworkers)."

"Well, there is another American teacher moving in with us, but she's a girl. No marriage."

I recounted this conversation to Tom, my boss, and he teased me that this student was just checking to see if he still had any prospects with me. I was horrified and told him I wanted to believe that all my students have innocent intentions until proven guilty (however naive this may be).

But then, I received a rather ambiguous visit from my student one day. (I know it may seem strange that my students know where my house is and even drop by to say hello, but as half of them are practically neighbors, it's sometimes hard to figure out where to draw the student/teacher line.) He came to my doorstep and presented me with a brightly-wrapped Christmas present. In fact, the only one I've ever received from a non-westerner. What follows below is the letter that accompanied said present. Keep in mind, my student has received most of his education in Arabic, which has neither punctuation, nor capitalization like English does. I have reproduced his letter exactly as he wrote it.

“Hi Dear Anna,

I am Abdoulkarim mohamed hassan your university student really I am very glad to be your student somtimes I think I am a very lucky student since I am your student and what is more certainly you are nice kind person and I love your personality and that forced me to give some Somali traditional gift as well as our religion tells muslim people have to make friends with other people so that I have here two traditional issa [Somali] things I would like show you how to use these the first one we say in Somalian (wanbeerand) we use it as a decoration on bedroom’s wall also we put some important things in it slight things like passport neck laces and second we say (sharaxad kuuleed) means decorating beeds and we place it in the same place a wanbeer

and I hope it will be a souvenir between you and I further more I wish you will show to your relatives as your fammly and amrican friends there fore I would like to make a good relative ship with you and a good tie since amrican people are friendly people and good personality and nice behavior

good luck in your life”

Actually, the gifts were handmade and quite nice--a traditional and colorful carrying sack made from woven wool and a small beaded wall decoration that hangs from a cord. But I think the word is still out on Abdoulkarim and his intentions. I just wonder...is it is normal for Djiboutians to enclose a picture of themselves when they give a gift? :)