Abu Issa

This is Moussa, or Abu Issa (Abu, meaning "father of" and Issa is the name of his first born boy), is more than our driver (yes, we have a driver). He is, as he himself puts it, family. Moussa has been working with us for over a year now and, to me, he is like an uncle and to Maya like a grandfather. She  really enjoys being around him and he has so much fun with her.

Abu Issa speaks to Maya in Arabic and she responds to whatever he says, whether it's "where are your eyes" (she points to her eyes) or "Allah be with you" (she dutifully extends her hand).

Moussa has taught me alot about Islam. Every day he tells me a different story from the Qor'an as an analogy to something that is going on either in his life or mine. We share stories about life, family, politics and Jordan. He helps me solve problems with his many connections (and cousins) in different places. More importantly, he genuinely cares about our family and is there for us. We are so fortunate to have him in our lives. 

Sidewalks

I am not a city planner but I have enough common sense to know how important sidewalks are to making a city more pedestrian friendly. Having lived in Boston so many years spoiled me rotten. Here, in Amman, one of the things I would have liked to have seen more of is sidewalks that you can actually walk on. As you can see, people plant trees right on the sidewalks so it kinda defeats the purpose of having the sidewalk in the first place. It forces you to walk on the street and the driving here is, well, let's just say it's deterred me from driving myself around. It's a pity because the city is so magical, in my opinion and if it just were a bit more pedestrian friendly, people could enjoy its enchantments so much more. 

Dr. Ibrahim Mashini

This is the doctor who delivered Maya. His name is Ibrahim Mashini. The very BEST OB/GYN I have ever met. So caring, nurturing, professional and confident in his profession. He took care of me throughout my pregnancy with wonderful patience and understanding and helped me deliver my beautiful baby. Shukran kateer, Dr. Ibrahim! xxxx

The Farah

This is Farah Hospital, where Maya was born. Affordable, quality health care should be like this for everywhere and for everyone. The Farah Hospital is for women who are expecting children and it is the most comfortable, professional and nurturing hospital I have been to anywhere (sorry Boston!). The quality of care rivals anywhere in the world and the place looks like a 5 star hotel. I stayed here 4 nights when I delivered Maya just so I could rest and get ready for motherhood. The nurses helped me take care of Maya while I was there. The service (nurses, doctors, staff, etc) is of a 5 star hotel as well. The price is a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of what you would pay in the US for the same (or better) service.

Housing Bank Park

This is the Housing Bank Park, where I take Maya on sunny days during the winter and when it's not too hot in the summer. It's a 5 minute car ride from our home. The park is in Abdoun, which is the neighborhood next to ours. I love it because it is frequented by both Jordanians and foreigners so it's really a mix of people. As you can see, it's a very small park, with no trees but it's nice because it's one of the very few parks in the entire city of Amman so it gives Maya an opportunity to run around. One side has swings and jungle-gym (above) and the other side has grass to run around in (below). It's given me a new appreciation for parks and open space back home and in Boston. I wish folks had more places to take their children here. I think it would make a world of a difference. Not having many parks is one of the very few downsides to Amman.

B@C in Abdoun

For me, this is my equivalent to El Oriental de Cuba but in Amman. In other words, my hang out place. It's called B@C in Abdoun. B@C stands for Books @ Cafe and Abdoun is an affluent neighborhood of Amman. It's a bookstore and cafe with really nice organic, healthy food.  The environment and ambiance is really nice. The owners are really wonderful. One of the owners is also the owner of the original Books @ Cafe in the first circle. (Amman's reference points are in terms of circles or what in Boston would be roundabouts or rotary. There are 7, I believe or is it 8? I n any case, the 1st circle is in the oldest part of town and closest to the city center. The larger the numbers, the farther you go from the city center. Tony, Maya and I live close to the 6th circle).  In any event, one of the owners is a Jordanian gay rights activist. You wouldn't believe his extraordinary stories of what he has had to go through as a gay business owner in Amman. Fortunately, he has been extremely successful with both places.

I go here to write, think, meet up with folks or just plain read. There is an upstairs section (kind of like a mezzanine) where I sit in a corner and have a nice cup of coffee. 

Fuad

This is the entrance to the hair salon I go to about twice a week. It's called Muneer and my friend Ghalia Alul introduced me to the place. Why do I go twice a week? Cause I can get my hair conditioned and blow dried for USD $10! (vs. $35 in Boston) and get a manicure and pedicure for USD $11 (vs. about $30 in Boston) When I have to do a color, I get a color, highlights, cut, blow dry and a special conditioning treatment for $100 (vs. about $300 in Boston and $350 in Australia!) AND it's about a 5 minute drive from my house. 

And THIS is my wonderful, kind, talented hairdresser Fuad, who I just ADORE! He knows very little English and only speaks to me in Arabic. So I have learned more Arabic from him then from anyone else in Amman! He treats me like a queen, bringing me tea with mint as soon as I come in and just making me look and feel fabulous by the time I leave. He takes my appointments (even last minute ones) without hassle and is just a really nice guy. He loves Maya and gave her a cute present for her birthday and bought me flowers for mine! He's all of 25, I think, and will be married very soon. He's a wonderful guy.

Omran Naeb Maata St.

Many of my friends and family have been asking for me to start my blog again. So here I go at it one more time. Hopefully, it will stick this time.

So...some visuals! This is the street where we live in Amman. The neighborhood is called Sweifiyeh and its in West Amman. The west side of Amman is where the foreigners (like us) and the wealthier people of Amman live. The East side of Amman is where the poorer sections are.

We live on the right hand side of the street that you see in the picture. The street is Omran Naeb Maata Street. (Yep, say that several times fast!) We live just a few houses down from where that jeep is. The church you see is a Syrian Orthodox Church and the church bells ring every Sunday and sound really beautiful. Down the road from the church is...ta da! a Starbucks! Also, Zait & Zatar which is our local supermarket. Next door to that is Rawan, our local pastry shop and a bit down the road is Meat Master, our local butcher.

Since Maya was born, she has been walking down this street almost every day to each of these shops. Today, when she comes in, all the employees of Starbucks, Rawan, Zait & Zatar know her by name and call out to her, pick her up, and play with her. There is even a guy who works in front of these stores as a valet parking and he has conversations with Maya all the time and gives her lollipops, which I quickly hide from her. The Rawan guys giver her tiny cones of ice cream! When she is not with me, all these folks ask for her. I just learned today that the employees of Starbucks just call me Im Maya (mother of Maya) probably cause they have no clue what my name is.  On a side note: Out of respect, all the taxi drivers that we use (we are regulars with a few taxi drivers) refer to Tony as Abu Maya (father of Maya). (They insistently call me Joviana but that is another story).

Anyway, this is our neighborhood and we love it. We have nice long walks in the afternoons when we can as a family.