I sat in on another class today and they were discussing whether or not high dowries were a problem in Yemen. They all agreed that they could be, but they disagreed about what a good dowry was. The debate went back and forth, finally they asked me what I thought. I had no idea of course. There were a little surprised that there isn’t a dowry in the US (I didn’t have the heart to tell them that most of the world had given that up a long time ago…). I also tried to explain how horrified parents would be if a man offered to “buy” their daughter. The students didn’t relate at all of course. I did concede that the man usually has to buy a ring, usually with a diamond. That mollified them a little, but they were still a little confused. In hindsight, I should have emphasized how the parents really don’t have a say in the marriage in the US. Just one more cultural bump to deal with, I think my conversation class will emphasize the differences between what is acceptable to talk about in Yemen vs. the US. Wondering how much a man should pay for his bride in the US will get him, at the very least, condescending stares….
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