This summer, Hossam Shayeb ‘18 returned to Palestine to for his traditional Palestinian wedding in his hometown of Ramallah. This happy occasion became even more exciting when his host parents decided to attend the wedding.

Stephanie and David, Hossam’s host parents, arrived in Ramallah to a warm welcome from Hossam’s family, who invited them to stay at their house. Once they arrived, they helped Hossam and his family with the wedding preparations and Hossam’s family introduced them to Palestinian wedding culture. Hossam’s mother, thrilled to share her heritage, gifted Stephanie one of her beautiful thobs, a traditional Palestinian dress. Together, they surprised everyone by attending the henna night, the first night of the wedding, wearing matching thobs.

Stephanie and David learned about dabke, a traditional Palestinian dance, and danced with Hossam’s family. They also tasted konafeh, the famous Palestinian dessert, and got to share with Hossam’s bride memories of his exchange year.

During the week, they went on a tour of Ramallah’s old city and tried handcrafted wine. Hossam’s mother made them musakhan, a traditional dish of chicken, olive oil, onions, and sumac, served on top of freshly baked taboon bread. They also enjoyed chicken shawarma at Bonjour Restaurant, a well-known restaurant in Ramallah.

The week was special not only for the celebration of love, but also for the reunion of hearts, bridging continents and cultures. Hossam’s host mom expressed, “This special AFS exchange student has broadened my view of the world. He changed me. He has taught me so much about cultures and people from places I didn't know or understand. It was such an honor to participate in his wedding day and to learn about new wedding traditions.”

Hossam added, "Stephanie and David mean a lot to me. Our relationship now is more than just host parents. They consider me as their son, and I consider them as my parents. It felt unreal at first having them at my wedding, and it was amazing. The pure happiness I felt, and they felt too, was unbelievable. Everyone in my hometown loved them. It meant a lot to me for them to travel all the way from Wisconsin to Palestine. I had a lot of excitement for my wedding, and they made it even better. It was just pure happiness, joy, love, and a lot of emotions, unlike anything I have experienced before."

Hossam Shayeb (YES 2017-2018, West Bank, placed by AFS-USA in Port Washington, WI)