Hello,
I want to talk about a few different things under this solo blog post. Please bear with me as always.
Sandstorms
During my stay in Jordan, I have experienced sandstorms three different types. Each time, I have not realized that it was a sandstorm until my host mother told me what was going on. I will relate my first experience. I was walking from school to grab a cab. I felt exhausted and had a bad headache. As I was walking, dust blew straight into my eyes. This hurt pretty badly. I carried on and walked to hail a cab. The driver of this cab was slow moving and very grouchy. He just kept complaining about how he had to work and was just a pain in the butt with asking for more cash than I should ever pay him. When I got out of the cab, I told him he was grouchy in Arabic, because I too was grouchy. I slammed the door and left (because apparently I am 13). I walked to my host family's apartment and I started to really feel sick. I went upstairs, talked with my host family and ate my lunch. Afterwards, I went in my room and slept. I woke up still with a headache and still grumpy. All I wanted to do was sleep. I went to the living room to partake in the afternoon movie. My host mom looked really tired. All of a sudden she asked my host sister to bring her some hand lotion. She explained how she always feels tired and has a headache during sandstorms. I asked her if that was what was going on. She took me to the window and pointed to the sky. It just looked cloudy to me, but apparently it was all dust.
So during sandstorms, you will feel more tired, grumpy and sloth like. Your skin will also dry out. My hands swelled due to the climate change and I needed to use lotion. I also woke up the next day and immediately wanted to blow my nose. I essentially blew out sand in my mucus (more than you ever wanted to know about my bodily functions).
Here is an article about one of the sandstorms I experienced.
http://jordantimes.com/sandstorm-hits-jordan-blocks-some-desert-highways
Argeela
"Natalie, in all your smoking pictures, are you smoking weed?" No, it is argeela. Argeela is the levantine word for a water pipe. In argeela, the tobacco (shisha) is passed through water at the base of the pipe and filtered. The hookah originated in either Persia or India, no one is exactly sure.
Argeela is such a part of the culture and tradition in Jordan and the Middle East. It is such a relaxing activity. A group sits around the hookah and takes turns passing it back and forth from person to person. During this time, you usually have great conversations and its a fun way of kicking back and relaxing. The tobacco comes in many different flavors, strawberry, mixed berry, double apple, mint, grape etc. I really enjoy participating in argeela. I feel like everyone just chills. It is better than grabbing beers with friends, but is essentially a similar idea. You will find argeela is most cafes in Amman. You can get a pipe for around 4 JD, so this is a cheap activity to do. Some cafes are men's only, so you have to pay attention before you sit down. In some circles, it is considered suggestive for women to smoke hookah publicly, like the Badia. Other cafes like to be boys clubs and thus do not invite women. It is also common to play traditional Jordanian games while smoking.
Since shisha is tobacco, it is not an illegal substance. There is no high or drug like effect from it. Most people have no effect from the tobacco. However, it is tobacco so it is not healthy for you. Arguably it is healthier for you than a cigarette due to the lack of chemicals and things of that nature. Shisha is all natural and people only buy high quality. Nothing is worse than cheap shisha.
Here is how argeela works. I literally copied this from wikipedia.
I want to talk about a few different things under this solo blog post. Please bear with me as always.
Sandstorms
During my stay in Jordan, I have experienced sandstorms three different types. Each time, I have not realized that it was a sandstorm until my host mother told me what was going on. I will relate my first experience. I was walking from school to grab a cab. I felt exhausted and had a bad headache. As I was walking, dust blew straight into my eyes. This hurt pretty badly. I carried on and walked to hail a cab. The driver of this cab was slow moving and very grouchy. He just kept complaining about how he had to work and was just a pain in the butt with asking for more cash than I should ever pay him. When I got out of the cab, I told him he was grouchy in Arabic, because I too was grouchy. I slammed the door and left (because apparently I am 13). I walked to my host family's apartment and I started to really feel sick. I went upstairs, talked with my host family and ate my lunch. Afterwards, I went in my room and slept. I woke up still with a headache and still grumpy. All I wanted to do was sleep. I went to the living room to partake in the afternoon movie. My host mom looked really tired. All of a sudden she asked my host sister to bring her some hand lotion. She explained how she always feels tired and has a headache during sandstorms. I asked her if that was what was going on. She took me to the window and pointed to the sky. It just looked cloudy to me, but apparently it was all dust.
So during sandstorms, you will feel more tired, grumpy and sloth like. Your skin will also dry out. My hands swelled due to the climate change and I needed to use lotion. I also woke up the next day and immediately wanted to blow my nose. I essentially blew out sand in my mucus (more than you ever wanted to know about my bodily functions).
Here is an article about one of the sandstorms I experienced.
http://jordantimes.com/sandstorm-hits-jordan-blocks-some-desert-highways
 |
| See how "cloudy" the sky looks? It is not the clouds but it is dust in the air |
Argeela
"Natalie, in all your smoking pictures, are you smoking weed?" No, it is argeela. Argeela is the levantine word for a water pipe. In argeela, the tobacco (shisha) is passed through water at the base of the pipe and filtered. The hookah originated in either Persia or India, no one is exactly sure.
Argeela is such a part of the culture and tradition in Jordan and the Middle East. It is such a relaxing activity. A group sits around the hookah and takes turns passing it back and forth from person to person. During this time, you usually have great conversations and its a fun way of kicking back and relaxing. The tobacco comes in many different flavors, strawberry, mixed berry, double apple, mint, grape etc. I really enjoy participating in argeela. I feel like everyone just chills. It is better than grabbing beers with friends, but is essentially a similar idea. You will find argeela is most cafes in Amman. You can get a pipe for around 4 JD, so this is a cheap activity to do. Some cafes are men's only, so you have to pay attention before you sit down. In some circles, it is considered suggestive for women to smoke hookah publicly, like the Badia. Other cafes like to be boys clubs and thus do not invite women. It is also common to play traditional Jordanian games while smoking.
Since shisha is tobacco, it is not an illegal substance. There is no high or drug like effect from it. Most people have no effect from the tobacco. However, it is tobacco so it is not healthy for you. Arguably it is healthier for you than a cigarette due to the lack of chemicals and things of that nature. Shisha is all natural and people only buy high quality. Nothing is worse than cheap shisha.
Here is how argeela works. I literally copied this from wikipedia.
Bowl
Also known as the head of the hookah, the bowl is a container, usually made out of clay or marble, that holds the coal and tobacco during the smoking session. The bowl is loaded with tobacco then covered in a small piece of perforated aluminum foil or screen typically glass or metal. Lit coals are then placed on top, which allows the tobacco to heat to the proper temperature.
There is also a variation of the head which employs a fruit rather than the traditional clay bowl. The fruit is hollowed out and perforated in order to achieve the same shape and system a clay bowl has, then it is loaded and used in the same manner.
Bowls have evolved in recent years to incorporate new designs that keep juices in the tobacco from running down the stem. The Tangiers Phunnel Bowl and Sahara Smoke Vortex Bowl are two examples of such bowls.
[edit]Hose
Technically if the pipe has a hose it is not "hookah"—the term historically referred to a straight-neck tube[citation needed]. Today the hose (one or more) is a slender flexible tube that allows the smoke to be drawn for a distance, cooling down before inhalation. The end is typically fitted with a metal, wooden, or plastic mouthpiece of different shapes, size, color or material type. According to J.S. Gamble in A Manual of Indian Timbers in 1902 (Page 668), the bark of the white Himalayan birchBetula utilis ssp. jacquemontii was used to make early hookah tubes.
[edit]Purge valve
Many hookah are equipped with a purge valve connected to the airspace in the water jar to purge stale smoke which has been sitting unused in the jar for too long. This one-way valve is typically a simple ball bearing sitting over a port which seals the port by gravity alone and will open if positive pressure is created by blowing into the hose. The bearing will be held captive with a screw-on cover. The cover should be opened and the bearing and seat cleaned of residue and corrosion regularly to ensure proper sealing.
[edit]Water jar
The body of the hookah sits on top of the water jar, or sometimes referred to as vase, or base. The downstem hangs down below the level of the water in the jar. Smoke passes through the body and out the downstem where it bubbles through the water. This cools and humidifies the smoke. Liquids such as fruit juice may be added to the water or used in substitution. Pieces of fruit, mint leaves, and crushed ice may be added.
[edit]Plate
A plate or ashtray sits just below the bowl to catch ashes falling off the coals.
[edit]Grommets
Grommets in a hookah are usually placed between the bowl and the body, the body's gasket and the water jar and between the body and the hose. The grommets, although not essential (the use of paper or tape has become common), will help to seal the joints between the parts, therefore decreasing the amount of air coming in and maximizing the smoke breathed in.
[edit]Diffuser
A piece attached to the bottom of the stem, usually made of plastic and in a grid pattern, to make a smoother smoke and a subdued noise. By breaking the naturally larger bubbles coming up the water from the pipe into smaller bubbles, it lowers the amount of suction or "pull" needed to continue bringing smoke to the chamber. This also cools the smoke down more efficiently. It is used as a luxury item for a premium smoking experience and is not a required component.
[edit]Consumable Items
[edit]Mu‘assel
Tobacco or Mu‘assel (Arabic: معسل which means "honeyed"), is a syrupy tobacco mix with molasses and vegetable glycerol as moisturizer and specific flavors added to it. Typical flavors of mu‘assel include apple, grape, guava, lemon, mint, as well as many other fruit based mixes. Non tobacco based mu'assel is also available in certain area where tobacco smoking is not allowed.
[edit]Charcoal
Charcoal is the source of energy to produce heat that will be transferred to the tobacco inside the bowl. Since the glycerol is used to moisturize the tobacco, then to produce smoke, the charcoal should be able to generate heat above the boiling point of glycerol that is 290 °C. Therefore, charcoal for hookah smoking must be hard, high density, easy to ignite, and burn longer with persistent heat.[45]
[edit]Operation
The jar at the bottom of the hookah is filled with water sufficient to submerge a few centimeters of the body tube, which is sealed tightly to it. Deeper water will only increase the inhalation force needed to use it. Tobacco is placed inside the bowl at the top of the hookah. Often the bowl is covered with perforated tin foil or a metal screen and coal placed on top. The foil or screen separates the coal and the tobacco, which minimizes inhalation of coal ash with the smoke and reduces the temperature the tobacco is exposed to, in order to prevent burning the tobacco directly.
When one inhales through the hose, air is pulled through the charcoal and into the bowl holding the tobacco. The hot air, heated by the charcoal vaporizes (not burns) the tobacco, thus producing smoke, which is passed down through the body tube that extends into the water in the jar. It bubbles up through the water, losing heat, and fills the top part of the jar, to which the hose is attached. When a smoker inhales from the hose, smoke passes into the lungs, and the change in pressure in the jar pulls more air through the charcoal, continuing the process.
If the hookah has been lit and smoked but has not been inhaled for an extended period, the smoke inside the water jar may be regarded as "stale" and undesirable. Stale smoke may be exhausted through the purge valve, if present. This one-way valve is opened by the positive pressure created from gently blowing into the hose. It will not function on a multiple-hose hookah unless all other hoses are plugged. Sometimes one-way valves are put in the hose sockets to avoid the need to manually plug hoses.
Like the cookie monster says "Cookies are a sometimes snack", argeela is too. I do not smoke it often, perhaps once every three weeks for an hour max. I do not want to smoke too much because I know of the health effects. I do want to talk about it because it is part of the culture and traditions in Jordan, and healthy or not I do enjoy and participate. It would be hard to avoid hookah in Amman. It is everywhere. Even when I go to my host mom's sisters host, it is expected that I will participate in the Argeela because it is a social thing. However, if anyone were to offer me a cigarette, my host mom would never let me smoke it (she is a heavy smoker). The argeela is viewed in better light due to tradition and its way of bringing people together
I am the proud owner of a argeela. Mine will mostly be sitting on a bookshelf as a memory, but I will occasionally bring it out to be used. Most hookahs are not as pretty as mine. I bought one in between a touristy argeela and a real Jordanian argeela. I bought it from a shop near my house. The man also delivers argeela to your home. I love Amman! I also bought this is Arabic, so its a language experience as well. It will come to MEIS house next fall :).
This is it for now,
I am the proud owner of a argeela. Mine will mostly be sitting on a bookshelf as a memory, but I will occasionally bring it out to be used. Most hookahs are not as pretty as mine. I bought one in between a touristy argeela and a real Jordanian argeela. I bought it from a shop near my house. The man also delivers argeela to your home. I love Amman! I also bought this is Arabic, so its a language experience as well. It will come to MEIS house next fall :).
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| My Argeela is full glory. You wrap the hose around the base of the hookah for storage. |
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| I have a very pretty hose |
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| My pink, silver and gold argeela. |
This is it for now,
Natalie
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