Two Pennies Short

As I was hanging out in Aram’s shop last Thursday, I realized just how much I don’t understand the culture here in the Middle East. Just to remind you, Aram is the local Klash maker here in Iraq that has partnered with PLC to help kids in need of heart surgery. One of my favorite things to do is hang out in his shop because it’s where I’ve had some of my best experiences here in Iraq. It’s where I tried sheep brains. However, last Thursday I experienced what it is to commit a cultural faux pas.

While drinking tea and sitting around, I saw Aram looking at the pennies in my penny loafers. Thinking it would make good conversation, I started explaining why I put them there. I told them that it was an American penny and it was Abraham Lincoln’s face on the coin. A look of shock hit both of their faces. Awara looked at me and said (half jockingly), “How can you insult the name of Abraham like this? He’s a prophet.” Immediately I reacted defensively and began to plead my case. I explained that no, the face on the penny is not the prophet; he’s the U.S. president that abolished slavery, and with every explanation I just dug the hole deeper and deeper. So, not knowing that feet can be so disrespectful in this country, I had not only insulted the name of the prophet mohammed but also the name of the president who helped abolish slavery. And to top it all off, the coin says “In God We Trust.” Well, now I had insulted God himself. Mostly what they were doing was giving me a hard time, but at the same time, both Aram and Awara were genuinely offended by what I considered stylish. I tried explaining that it was a cultural difference and that putting the pennies in my shoe was not disrespectful, but they weren’t having any of that. To them, insulting the name of God by putting the coin in my shoe was an absolute truth. In order to not further my insult any more, I obliged them and removed the pennies. So what does Aram do? He sprays glue on the back of the pennies and sticks them to his wall! Good Times.

Best wishes,

Preston