In view of the Ramadan when our Muslim students and staff observed the holy month of fasting, activities were more restricted but no less enjoyable. In fact, we had much fun by joining our Muslim friends when they broke their fast on two occasions. Two very delightful dinners were organized for August.
The first dinner on 10th August was held at Nurul Ikan Bakar, a Malay seafood restaurant along the coast of Penang. 19 students and 3 members of the staff were treated to a sumptuous feast of grilled fish, cockles, squids, and calamari. The seafood tomyam proved very delightful for the Arab boys who had never tasted Southeast Asian food before. Although the sauces were a little too hot for some, everyone was happy with the new experience.
The second dinner was held at an Arabic restaurant to offer the non Arabic students a chance to taste the Middle Eastern cuisine. Unlike the haphazard individual orders made the previous years, this time the dinner was held in style. The dishes were pre-ordered and when the students and staff arrived, the food had all been laid out thanks to Abadi from Saudi Arabia who had liaised with the management of the restaurant to make all the preparations.
Just before the Azan call, everyone was already seated and the moment the call came, everyone broke fast with the dates provided. Dinner was a noisy affair with laughter and much teasing. After dinner, students and staff took turns to sing popular songs from their country, posed for many photographs and mingled with one another. The camaraderie was truly heartwarming.
