Lesley you visiting me here or I visiting you while you are in the middle east would really be great. Where would you go? Israel? (I thought I read somewhere once about a jewish grandmother or mother talking about your family). I still have not been to Israel, would like to go and visit Jerusalem and the West Bank. In distance is all very near, but getting there, is a bit of a hassle, there only a view places where you can pass the border. But the positive thing is, free traffic of humans and goods is possible between Israel and Jordan.
Polly, well yes maybe I should, I have been thinking about it, but than, you know how it works, voices starting nagging about, why on earth should I write a book, who will read it. But than while I was still in Amman, that was still not it. It is now when I finally dare to make the choice to come here, thinks seem to really fall in place (but again a long way to go)
my blog brandy
http://harmamargrieta.wordpress.com/ but have not been posting a lot lately (actually nothing at all), but maybe I should start posting again and write about my adventures here in Petra.
Really it are two totally different worlds, Amman and Petra, here I meet the famous Arabic hospitality. Probably the seem all over the world difference between countryside and city. My upstairs neighbors keep on bringing me food (what is a bit difficult of course I do accept it, but as you all understand I can't eat it, it is always sweets of bread full with gluten sigh...) and today, I went to Petra and on the way back the last part you can take a horse, first I said no, but one kept pushing, so I said yes, we talked a little and I told him that I was staying at a friends place, and he knew her and than from a stranger you become a friend. So he took on the horse all the way to his house, invited me for tea and food (where again food is a problem, sigh....), I met the whole family (that Arabic men I really do like, that respect the single woman, do not try to get closer to her, but invite her in the family). A very interesting family, I first met the first madam (the first wife), nice lady 5 children, 7th on the way and than I met the second madam (second wife), another nice woman with three children. All living in the same building. Separate apartments, but same house. Well yes what to think about it. This was really the first time I was in a two wives household. But they all seem very ok with it. It is really so different than our western opinion or view on it. For them it all seemed a very natural and normal situation. And it is really amazing how much hospitality they show. They invited me to spend the night there. Well as a European girl, that is a bit too much for me, I need my time alone and like my own house and bed. It is quite an effort to refuse all those things and still stay very polite and insult them (what is of course really not my intention).
But there is really one thing I need here, and this is a letter in Arabic, that says that I really really really appreciate their hospitality and the food they are offering and that I would really really really love to eat it, but, that I am for medical reasons on a very strict diet (doctors prescribtions) and if I don't follow that I get very very very ill. And than again ten times sorry and how much I regret it. May sound over the top, but if you see how much hospitality is offered, you will understand it. Because their English is small, and my Arabic is also small. But I am able to say something, and I get the feeling if I continue with the new language classes I am doing and keep on hanging out with these people, I will be able to have simple conversation in a couple of months and actually able to talk in lets say half a year. It is not impossible anymore.
What a day. I was planning on leaving tomorrow. But now it looks like I will go to Amman on Saturday and I think will return to Petra for another week or so (I can stay here till the end of January). A bus ride is only 6 to 7 jd (or dollar or euro) so cheap.
"As the sense of identity shifts from the imaginary person to your real being as presence awareness, the life of suffering dissolves like mist before the rising sun"
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
