Hello All,
First, I want to mention that I was successfully able to upload some videos to my previous blog post. I uploaded videos of the man with the drum and the Call to Prayer. Definitely check them out if you have time. Second, turns out a good amount of people read this blog, which is a tad surprising. I keep hearing from Jordanians and Americans about how they read my blog and enjoy seeing what I am up to. That is pretty interesting from my end as this is certainly a humble blog.
Yesterday was a tad bit of a slow day, since I woke up around 2pm. I left Mayada's apartment and went back to my apartment for a few hours to answer emails, do some work, and just generally hang out. I'm not sure my body likes the "sleep during the day and party at night" routine. I am struggling with this a bit and I am finding it difficult to be productive during the day to the level I want to be. I just want to sleep all the time currently. I think I will stop fasting to help me have more energy as I did not feel like peppy Natalie yesterday. I was lethargic Natalie.
Around 7:15pm I began to leave my apartment when I heard a knock at the door. I answered the door and saw one of my neighbors, a young woman. She had a bag of peaches for me and gave them to me as a gift for Ramadan. This was very thoughtful of her and really made me feel happy. It is customary during Ramadan to give food to neighbors and friends. I need to think about what I will deliver to this neighbor's house. In general when I am in Jordan, I like to give people food that is a bit different and perhaps new to them. I do this as I enjoy tasting all the new food that I typically cannot find in the United States. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.
I was a tad late for Iftar at Mayada's house as I could not get a taxi. The streets were bare and I almost had the feeling that the reaping had occurred and I had been "left behind". I continued to walk down the middle of the once very busy streets. Typically in Amman, traffic is terrible. The cars move bumper to bumper and the congestion is beyond description. The lack of traffic yesterday evening was due to the holiday as people were staying home to celebrate the first Friday of Ramadan together.
After Iftar, Mayada, Mayas, Lizz, and I went to a small souk near Rainbow Street. In this souk there are many venders selling handmade crafts. It was fun to walk around and see what Jordanians and Palestinians in the city are making. There were hand crafted soaps, lanterns, jewelry, and books. However, the most impressive thing to me were the rosaries, both Christian and Muslim, that we found in the souk. They were made out of semiprecious stones and were simply beautiful. I have never seen a rosary that was so beautiful. Lizz bought some prayer beads there as she is gemstone enthusiast. Mayas is a large fan of the handmade soups and bought some soap and Mayada helped me find a great book by Ghasan Kanafani (Arabic) that I bought for a very good price.
While we were wandering around the souk, I suddenly heard "Hello Natalie, Hey Miss Zink!". I turned around and it was Ahmed, the man that was in charge of our security and event logistics for my program last time I was in Jordan. I was so happy to see Ahmed and I gave him a large hug. After talking for a bit, Doctor Raed, the former director of the SIT program that I was a part of, came by as well and I gave him a big hug as well. Both of these men are now working for the Hashemite Foundation and they look so happy. I swear both of their smiles were practically glowing. Doctor Raed said that he is organizing a gathering for a couple of former SIT students to get together for Iftar at his house. I am excited about this and I hope to see some old friends soon. Ahmed was disappointed that I have not messaged him saying that I was in Jordan. I need to send him a message ASAP now and I can not believe I did not tell him that I was back in the country!
After the souk, Mayas, Mayada, Lizz and I went to Mayada's friend's house, Dua'a. It was nice to see Du'a again after so many years and she is just as happy and bubbly as she was last time I saw her. We sat outside on her patio and she served us some food for Sahour. We had lovely salads, dates from Mecca, and a dish called Halava, which is sesame paste mixed with sugar. This thick dip is eaten with bread and tastes like candy. Mayada told us that back in the day, the Bedouins did not have candy or cake, so they ate Halava for dessert. The Halava Du'a served was from Damascus and was considered the best Halava. Attached below is a link that has more information about Halava.
More Information on Halava
While the food was delicious, the most impressive part about the gathering was the drinks. We were served tea and coffee in the most beautiful tea cups I have ever seen! My coffee cup was a light pink with gold dots on it and the other cups were light green and purple with the same gold pattern. They were so modern, chic, lady-like, and also looked like a traditional Arab coffee cup (which remind me of espresso cups). I would have loved to have taken a picture of the cups, but that would have been so strange. Also, every time the group was served coffee, Dua'a used a new set of tea cups. It was fun to see and hold so many beautiful cups. Before I leave Jordan, I would like to buy a very nice tea and coffee set to use as a decoration on my kitchen table in my apartment. Tee and coffee in Jordan bring me such joy.
Dua'a was also very generous and served us Zam Zam water. Zam Zam water is the water that comes out from the spring beneath the Ka'ba in Mecca. The spring is believed to be in the spot where Allah made a well when Abraham's son, Ismail, was thirsty and they could not find water to give him. This Holy Water is served in a tea cup. Before you drink the water, you say Bismallah ("In the Name of Allah"). Then you make a wish before drinking the entire cup in three sips. Attached below is a link to a wikipedia page that has more information on Zam Zam water.
More information on Zam Zam Water
We sat on Dua'a's porch until 3am drinking coffee, listening to Arabic music (mostly poems by Nizar Qabbani put to music), and smoking Sheisha. In particular, we listened to كلمات "Words" from Nizar Qabbani. This poet and poem are thought to empress the emotions of a woman correctly. I will leave the poem here, in English, and let you decided.
"Words"by Nizar Qabbani
"He lets me listen, when he moves me,
Words are not like other words
He takes me, from under my arms
He plants me, in a distant cloud
And the black rain in my eyes
Falls in torrents, torrents
He carries me with him, he carries me
To an evening of perfumed balconies
And I am like a child in his hands
Like a feather carried by the wind
He carries for me seven moons in his hands
and a bundle of songs
He gives me sun, he gives me summer
and flocks of swallows
He tells me that I am his treasure
And that I am equal to thousands of stars
And that I am treasure, and that I am
more beautiful than he has seen of paintings
He tells me things that make me dizzy
that make me forget the dance and the steps
Words…which overturn my history
which make me a woman…in seconds
He builds castles of fantasies
which I live in…for seconds…
And I return…I return to my table
Nothing with me…
Nothing with me…except words "
Dua'a even had an awesome head to her sheisha; it was glass instead of clay. Even the top of the head was glass and no tinfoil was used. This was simply awesome as the coals were able to heat the tobacco, but the tobacco never got burned. As a result, the smoke and favor was smooth and light. I must find a glass head for my hookah at home. When we left to go, Dua'a gave Mayas, Lizz, and I each a nice present with a verse from the Quran printed on it. She told us that the verse from from the Quran and that we should not throw it away. Why would I throw away such a lovely gift? Dua'a was so generous! It was quite an evening and Dua'a definitely spoiled us.
Also, apparently my neighbors in the next building over are Americans and the father is the director of Royal Jordanian. I can literally see into their backyard clearly. The King and Queen of Jordan have been known to come to this house for Iftar. Mayada told me that I will know when and if this happens because there will be snipers on the roof and security people all around. She wants me to let her know if I see this as she wants to come over and watch. I said of course!! I really hope this happens as it would be neat to be so close to King Abdullah and Queen Rania.
Until Next Time,
Natalie
First, I want to mention that I was successfully able to upload some videos to my previous blog post. I uploaded videos of the man with the drum and the Call to Prayer. Definitely check them out if you have time. Second, turns out a good amount of people read this blog, which is a tad surprising. I keep hearing from Jordanians and Americans about how they read my blog and enjoy seeing what I am up to. That is pretty interesting from my end as this is certainly a humble blog.
Yesterday was a tad bit of a slow day, since I woke up around 2pm. I left Mayada's apartment and went back to my apartment for a few hours to answer emails, do some work, and just generally hang out. I'm not sure my body likes the "sleep during the day and party at night" routine. I am struggling with this a bit and I am finding it difficult to be productive during the day to the level I want to be. I just want to sleep all the time currently. I think I will stop fasting to help me have more energy as I did not feel like peppy Natalie yesterday. I was lethargic Natalie.
Around 7:15pm I began to leave my apartment when I heard a knock at the door. I answered the door and saw one of my neighbors, a young woman. She had a bag of peaches for me and gave them to me as a gift for Ramadan. This was very thoughtful of her and really made me feel happy. It is customary during Ramadan to give food to neighbors and friends. I need to think about what I will deliver to this neighbor's house. In general when I am in Jordan, I like to give people food that is a bit different and perhaps new to them. I do this as I enjoy tasting all the new food that I typically cannot find in the United States. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.
I was a tad late for Iftar at Mayada's house as I could not get a taxi. The streets were bare and I almost had the feeling that the reaping had occurred and I had been "left behind". I continued to walk down the middle of the once very busy streets. Typically in Amman, traffic is terrible. The cars move bumper to bumper and the congestion is beyond description. The lack of traffic yesterday evening was due to the holiday as people were staying home to celebrate the first Friday of Ramadan together.
After Iftar, Mayada, Mayas, Lizz, and I went to a small souk near Rainbow Street. In this souk there are many venders selling handmade crafts. It was fun to walk around and see what Jordanians and Palestinians in the city are making. There were hand crafted soaps, lanterns, jewelry, and books. However, the most impressive thing to me were the rosaries, both Christian and Muslim, that we found in the souk. They were made out of semiprecious stones and were simply beautiful. I have never seen a rosary that was so beautiful. Lizz bought some prayer beads there as she is gemstone enthusiast. Mayas is a large fan of the handmade soups and bought some soap and Mayada helped me find a great book by Ghasan Kanafani (Arabic) that I bought for a very good price.
While we were wandering around the souk, I suddenly heard "Hello Natalie, Hey Miss Zink!". I turned around and it was Ahmed, the man that was in charge of our security and event logistics for my program last time I was in Jordan. I was so happy to see Ahmed and I gave him a large hug. After talking for a bit, Doctor Raed, the former director of the SIT program that I was a part of, came by as well and I gave him a big hug as well. Both of these men are now working for the Hashemite Foundation and they look so happy. I swear both of their smiles were practically glowing. Doctor Raed said that he is organizing a gathering for a couple of former SIT students to get together for Iftar at his house. I am excited about this and I hope to see some old friends soon. Ahmed was disappointed that I have not messaged him saying that I was in Jordan. I need to send him a message ASAP now and I can not believe I did not tell him that I was back in the country!
After the souk, Mayas, Mayada, Lizz and I went to Mayada's friend's house, Dua'a. It was nice to see Du'a again after so many years and she is just as happy and bubbly as she was last time I saw her. We sat outside on her patio and she served us some food for Sahour. We had lovely salads, dates from Mecca, and a dish called Halava, which is sesame paste mixed with sugar. This thick dip is eaten with bread and tastes like candy. Mayada told us that back in the day, the Bedouins did not have candy or cake, so they ate Halava for dessert. The Halava Du'a served was from Damascus and was considered the best Halava. Attached below is a link that has more information about Halava.
More Information on Halava
While the food was delicious, the most impressive part about the gathering was the drinks. We were served tea and coffee in the most beautiful tea cups I have ever seen! My coffee cup was a light pink with gold dots on it and the other cups were light green and purple with the same gold pattern. They were so modern, chic, lady-like, and also looked like a traditional Arab coffee cup (which remind me of espresso cups). I would have loved to have taken a picture of the cups, but that would have been so strange. Also, every time the group was served coffee, Dua'a used a new set of tea cups. It was fun to see and hold so many beautiful cups. Before I leave Jordan, I would like to buy a very nice tea and coffee set to use as a decoration on my kitchen table in my apartment. Tee and coffee in Jordan bring me such joy.
Dua'a was also very generous and served us Zam Zam water. Zam Zam water is the water that comes out from the spring beneath the Ka'ba in Mecca. The spring is believed to be in the spot where Allah made a well when Abraham's son, Ismail, was thirsty and they could not find water to give him. This Holy Water is served in a tea cup. Before you drink the water, you say Bismallah ("In the Name of Allah"). Then you make a wish before drinking the entire cup in three sips. Attached below is a link to a wikipedia page that has more information on Zam Zam water.
More information on Zam Zam Water
We sat on Dua'a's porch until 3am drinking coffee, listening to Arabic music (mostly poems by Nizar Qabbani put to music), and smoking Sheisha. In particular, we listened to كلمات "Words" from Nizar Qabbani. This poet and poem are thought to empress the emotions of a woman correctly. I will leave the poem here, in English, and let you decided.
"Words"by Nizar Qabbani
"He lets me listen, when he moves me,
Words are not like other words
He takes me, from under my arms
He plants me, in a distant cloud
And the black rain in my eyes
Falls in torrents, torrents
He carries me with him, he carries me
To an evening of perfumed balconies
And I am like a child in his hands
Like a feather carried by the wind
He carries for me seven moons in his hands
and a bundle of songs
He gives me sun, he gives me summer
and flocks of swallows
He tells me that I am his treasure
And that I am equal to thousands of stars
And that I am treasure, and that I am
more beautiful than he has seen of paintings
He tells me things that make me dizzy
that make me forget the dance and the steps
Words…which overturn my history
which make me a woman…in seconds
He builds castles of fantasies
which I live in…for seconds…
And I return…I return to my table
Nothing with me…
Nothing with me…except words "
Dua'a even had an awesome head to her sheisha; it was glass instead of clay. Even the top of the head was glass and no tinfoil was used. This was simply awesome as the coals were able to heat the tobacco, but the tobacco never got burned. As a result, the smoke and favor was smooth and light. I must find a glass head for my hookah at home. When we left to go, Dua'a gave Mayas, Lizz, and I each a nice present with a verse from the Quran printed on it. She told us that the verse from from the Quran and that we should not throw it away. Why would I throw away such a lovely gift? Dua'a was so generous! It was quite an evening and Dua'a definitely spoiled us.
 |
| Gift from Dua'a with a chocolate bar (blue rectangle) |
Also, apparently my neighbors in the next building over are Americans and the father is the director of Royal Jordanian. I can literally see into their backyard clearly. The King and Queen of Jordan have been known to come to this house for Iftar. Mayada told me that I will know when and if this happens because there will be snipers on the roof and security people all around. She wants me to let her know if I see this as she wants to come over and watch. I said of course!! I really hope this happens as it would be neat to be so close to King Abdullah and Queen Rania.
Until Next Time,
Natalie
No comments:
Post a Comment