I love our life here in Amman. Sure, it drives me stark, raving, lunatic bonkers at times, but I think I am addicted. There are times I think moving back to Mid-America would bore me stark, raving bonkers!
Where else can you wonder through ruins of three epochs of history in one afternoon? Or the remains of a home from the time of Abraham? Walk where prophets walked, worship in churches and be baptised in a place where the first worshippers met?
Where else can your kid run in an ultra marathon from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea? How many places offer desert camping or snorkeling in coral reefs within a couple hours travel time?
Where else can you run into the woman who ran for Parliament at the local kiddy play place? Where else can you join a group of women for brunch and yack with diplomat wives about raising kids cross-culturally? Or discover after six months your son’s buddy is the son of a major military attache or cousin of a queen? Or get stuck at a stop-light next to royalty? (if they don’t run you off the road first)
Where else would every person you meet have a cousin in every city you’ve lived?
Where else does everything stop the first rain of the season and even adults are seen drinking it in outside?
Where else is ‘pita bread and hummous’ a daily delight and not an expensive exotic delicacy?
Where else does one word of badly spoken Arabic elicit a roomful of oohs-aahs and encouragement to learn more?
Where else can you call for help from a creepy groper and have five men pounce on the wayward-handed one?
Where else can you walk by a neighbor you never met and they invite you for tea that minute?
Where can you get in a loud, heated argument over the prices of spices and walk away with a bargain both buyer and seller are happy with?
Where else can five cars do that graceful, double-laned left-turn backwards while three turn right, one makes a u-turn, and no one gets hurt?
Only Jordan, that’s where.
Love you forever, ya Urdun!
March 12, 2009 at 9:12 am |
LOL @ the last one HAHHAHAHAHAH
March 12, 2009 at 9:39 am |
KJ, I probably should have amended that to exclude Thursday afternoon, people DO get hurt pulling that stunt on Thursday afternoon.
March 12, 2009 at 9:58 am |
:’( brought tears to my eyes.. this is touching kinzii.. love it!
March 12, 2009 at 10:27 am |
you are sure enjoying Jordan.
I just had pita and Hummus by the way!
March 12, 2009 at 11:39 am |
Hurrah! Jordan is fabulous and I miss it even more after reading that! (Although I don’t miss the extra poundage gained through point 11…!)
March 12, 2009 at 5:06 pm |
Woohooo! Great post.
March 12, 2009 at 5:08 pm |
”Where else can you wonder through ruins of three epochs of history in one afternoon? Or the remains of a home from the time of Abraham? Walk where prophets walked, worship in churches and be baptised in a place where the first worshippers met?
Where else can your kid run in an ultra marathon from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea?”
God isn’t fair, he hasn’t provided us with any of these luxuries up here in Sweden.
”Where else is ‘pita bread and hummous’ a daily delight and not an expensive exotic delicacy?”
OHH, I miss these delicious fresh simple and did I say delicious foods
”Where else can five cars do that graceful, double-laned left-turn backwards while three turn right, one makes a u-turn, and no one gets hurt?”
HAHA
March 12, 2009 at 6:04 pm |
Love you forever, ya Urdun.
Urdun love you 2.
March 12, 2009 at 7:00 pm |
Right on point as usual! Great job.
March 12, 2009 at 7:38 pm |
Love it. Thanks for these.
March 12, 2009 at 8:10 pm |
Yay, Jano! I’ll pass the Fine. Thank you
Ma3boos, I bet you paid $7.00 for it! There are parts I do hate sometimes, but for the most part, I am content. I should probably correct myself, with my family, I’d never be bored in Mid-America.
Layla, hurry back! I’d like to hear more about your research that brought you here.
MommaBean, I’m sure you see threads of conversations and shared experiences in it! I can say with surety that your presence in Jordan boosts my contentment level.
Nizar, no, God is not fair, but He is just and good and wise in His distribution of common grace. He gave Sweden snow-capped hills to ski on, an ocean to fish in, beautiful people, some great stuff! He also gave Sweden a bunch of Jordanians and Iraqis, ma a7sano!
Hamede, aw shucks!!! A certain Urdani taxi driver didn’t love me today, but for the most part, I did feel the love!!!!!!
Um Omar, thank you! Good thing I wrote that before hitting Mecca Street at 2pm @@.
Umm F, me too. It’s things like this that give hope when the going you wrote about gets tough. When we have to walk by faith for a better future.
March 12, 2009 at 8:42 pm |
Kinzi, that is so nice of you to see Jordan like this, I hope everyone else can see it that way too
March 13, 2009 at 5:49 am |
”He also gave Sweden a bunch of Jordanians and Iraqis, ma a7sano!”
HAHAHA ^^
March 13, 2009 at 6:26 am |
Kinzi Kinz
March 13, 2009 at 8:16 pm |
I say this is where you are meant to be!
By the way, I’ve made my blog private and wanted to send you an invitation. Can you email me your email addy?
paintergal92@yahoo.com
March 14, 2009 at 2:13 am |
[...] the occasion by reflecting on their positive experiences in the country. In the words of Kinzi: Where else would every person you meet have a cousin in every city you’ve lived? Where else does [...]
March 16, 2009 at 12:38 pm |
[...] gebruik om over hun persoonlijke positieve ervaringen in het land te schrijven. In de woorden van Kinzi: In welk ander land heeft elke persoon die je ontmoet een familielid in elke stad waar je hebt [...]
October 21, 2009 at 6:46 pm |
now that i’ve read this it makes me miss it even more….
thank you for reminding me of how good it is…
October 21, 2009 at 8:56 pm |
Basel, it is bittersweet, being reminded of what we miss about home. Thank you for visiting with a fun comment!
October 22, 2009 at 5:25 pm |
although while living in jordan we always complain about it,middle class guys i suppose!it’s because we work so hard for such small penies,but now that im in the gulf,hehehe oh how i miss home
November 14, 2009 at 9:32 pm |
That was a lot of fun. When we went back to the US for a year after knowing JO very well, I definitely felt the boredom. While thoroughly enjoying living in an almost rural community in the Bay Area, I remember seeing moms walking their kids to school but ALWAYS holding that mug of coffee. I definitely made assumptions about some of them not doing much beyond that. But it really made me think of all the incredibly interesting and different things that I did and do now in JO.
November 15, 2009 at 9:54 am |
Basel, oh yes, it is our nature to complain and compare, but contentment where we are brings peace. Welcome!
Hi KF!! Wasn’t it a fun ride? Yes, in spite of all that makes us crazy, there is good here. And there.