The Power of Love

I went to the Jordan Ministry of Labor full of anger/rage at some bureaucratic decision I had just learned of and went there to "demand some answers!". After 9 months of back and forth, I was livid! (Those who know my temper can tell you that I'm no fun to be around when I'm like this). I planned to use all my experience in advocacy and civic rights right then and there and hold people accountable! I first went to a woman who had been my contact there to ask who the manager was. She is a veiled Jordanian who knows very little English. I rely on Moussa to translate. She saw how upset I was (I guess because of my furrowed brow and pursed lips) and she asked me to extend my hand. This is what she wrote. My heart melted, anger left my body, love filled inside instead. The issue was not resolved the way I wanted but at that point, who cared?

King Abdullah of Jordan

This is a video of King Abdullah speaking to the Parliament about democracy in the country. It's in Arabic (sorry) - not that I understand any of it myself- but the images are very powerful. #proudtobeinJordan #mydaughterwasbornhereduringthearabspring

Zait and Zatar

This grocery store is right next to the Starbucks. This is where we get basic provisions (milk, bread, fruits and vegetables). We go to 3 other larger supermarkets for our more substantive groceries (Miles, Cosmo, Spinneys). We can't go to just one because often times there is a product that we need that is only sold in one of the supermarket and you can't find in any of the others. It's a bit annoying but its not that bad. Anyway, this one that is close to our home is Zait and Zatar which means Oil and Thyme, I think. We go every afternoon and all the employees know Maya and love to say hi. Here are the butchers (there are about 5 of them). Once, when we came back from vacation, they all huddled together in back of the counter greeting Maya with great enthusiasm. I only wish I had a camera then! 

Starbucks in Swefiyeh

Yes, I know its a simple Starbucks but its the only cafe that is close to our house (only a couple of blocks down the street) and I have been walking Maya to this Starbucks every morning since she was born. The employees there have literally seen her almost every day since the day I brought her back from the hospital. Mohammed is one of the baristas who greets Maya when she enters the store. At one point, they suggested we have a picture of Maya on the community board as their "Preferred Client"! This Starbucks has given me, personally, a sense of continuity as I have been drinking the same coffee (decaf non fat no whip mocha) for about 10 years. I only wish they had low fat variety in their selection (the stuff they have is really bad!). Other than that, it's really a meeting place in our neighborhood. Folks have meetings there as there is lots of sitting space and at night it becomes the hip hang out place for university students. Go figure! 

Amo Bader

Amo means "uncle" in Arabic. And Bader is the name of the Egyptian who works as the maintenance person in our building. Bader knows no English and we barely get by when speaking to him but he helps us with ensuring that we have timely refills of deisel so that we have heat and hot water in the apartment and also does odd jobs like taking out the trash, cleaning the garden and putting in light bulbs. Maya has really taken to Bader. She does this snorting sound when she sees him because he showed her how to do it. He swings her by the legs (as seen in the picture) and plays peek-a-boo with her all the time. The have loads of fun together. Sadly, he is leaving the building next week for another job. Maya will miss him alot. 

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.