A love for Foreigners...

... Or being foreign.

Though several weeks from my last blog post, the international capacity of Soom Foods is still very much a hot topic on my mind.


First and foremost:  Jackie and Omri's wedding was AMAZING.
In the picture to the left, Omri had just broken the glass, a tradition in Jewish weddings that brings memory to the destruction of our Temple, but also announces the marriage of the couple.

Our mother's arm in the air (left) and Jackie's elated face (white dress, center) do not begin to do justice to the joy that followed: the food was delicious, the bar tenders worked (very) hard, and the DJ blasted music until 2:30 in the morning.

But, alas, the wedding is over, and work continues.  While Omri and Jackie enjoy two weeks in Italy, I am preparing for our trip back to Ethiopia and maintaining communication with our options for Tehina production here in Israel.

It is amazing to communicate with people of very different places and cultures.  Lucky for me, English is the international language, and business is conducted accordingly.  The Israeli sales associate at the Tehina plant works for two Arab brothers that started the Tehina conglomerate.  Our meetings are conducted in English, with bits of Hebrew I am blessed to know fluently.  In Ethiopia, all meetings are in English, only surrounded by the Amharic greeting, "selam-no" and good-bye, "ciao" with thank you, "ahmesugenalew" (a-mi-sa-genalo) dispersed amongst the conversation.

I genuinely enjoy spending time and speaking with people who's first language is not English.

This past year was spent as an English teacher in Israel, followed by a month of traveling throughout Europe.  Besides colleagues on my program, my cousin whom I traveled with for a week, and the occasional American I befriended, I mostly found myself surrounded by people who's first language was not English.  For instance, four of my seven days in Berlin was spent with an amazing group of ------>
people from France.  I actually loved sitting amongst their French conversations, deciphering their broken-English translations when they remembered to fill me in.

Why do I enjoy foreigners?  Actually, I think the question is: Why do I enjoy being foreign?
 I'm not sure...  I have the upmost respect for people that conduct business in a learned language; and I'm glad to have had experience in understanding English spoken by non-native speakers.  It has greatly prepared me for doing business internationally.

I'll end here with an example of a sign-off from a friend and work-partner in Addis Ababa:

Have a nice day!