Celebratory Lunch
On 25th September 2018 a group of us went to Gatwick Airport to welcome the Al Masri family to their new home in London. On Saturday 25th September we invited the family to lunch in the Parish Rooms to celebrate the third anniversary of the joy of their arrival. Rahaf and Aseel looked particularly elegant, Rahaf having painted their hands with henna to honour the occasion.
The Community Sponsorship volunteers created a veritable feast – a buffet of Middle Eastern dishes, followed by cakes and baklava, washed down by homemade lemonade and finally Arabic coffee and mint tea. Rahaf who is a great cook was clearly impressed (and touched), although she teased Peter and said he had made English not Syrian stuffed peppers, but then she wanted to know how to spell cardomon (used in the coffee) in English. The children clearly enjoyed themselves running round the graveyard, which they now know well, and being taught by Jeremy how to balance a spoon on your faces. John Barker created a box for distributing ice creams and you can see from the photo that this was a big hit.
We have received such generous hospitality from Monther and Rahaf that it was lovely to return it and to celebrate all that they have achieved, and their courage and friendship
