Estrella

Dumpster diving.   Begging.   It’s all here in Jordanian society.   But I don’t see anyone going really going hungry because of the family and tribal system in Jordan.   Jordanians are the richest people on Earth in terms of always having someone to depend on and to look for strength and community; they are never forsaken by faith or by family.   Being a tribal society, there is always someone in Jordan to help someone else from the same tribe.   It is in the hospitable nature that Jordanians help each other and treat other with kindness before everything else fails. I live in West Amman, which is where privileged, rich Jordanians and the upper middle class live.   Just reminding myself of this reality makes me realize that there still is poverty in East Amman and unfortunate situations.   I have not personally traveled to East Amman, but you can only imagine that there are some who don’t have basic internet in their homes...

She walks by, and the men on their cigarette break jeer at her.   "Hey beautiful!"   "Hey sexy!" they say.   The hissing sounds made to call cats are now for her.   Yet, she giggles to herself, making the men continue their calls and words out to her.   " ايش عسل " (Iesha assel!) which means "Hey honey!"   She wears skinny jeans, a long sleeved shirt and some makeup – nothing really revealing – even if she does not wear the hejaab (head scarf) .   Another girl is behind her and passes the same men.   The men begin their jeering at her, calling her inappropriate names.   They say her eyes are beautiful, observing that her mascara highlights their color.   What is she wearing?   An all black robe, a hejaab (head scarf) and a nekaab which covers here entire face except her eyes left open to the public.   Different appearances, yet same treatment from the men on the street.   Welcome to the streets of ...

Last week, I spent seven days in Istanbul, Turkey with my dad.   For a moment, I thought I was in Western Europe, and I was literally on the European continental side most of the time while I was there.   Yet, the tall, winding minarets of the mosques reminiscent from the Ottoman Empire and its magnanimity reminded me that this place – Turkey – was different from Western Europe, most assuredly because of it’s dominant religion – Islam.   We met Muslim Turks that drank wine as well who prayed daily.   This behavior can also be found in other Islamic culture states, but it seemed to be more accepted in this state.   Turkey is 98% Muslim, but they are also very nationalist and proud of their Ottoman history and former President Ataturk's achievements in secularizing the nation. This new culture wasn't Middle Eastern culture but not Western culture either.   That's the beauty of engaging and encountering a new culture – it changes y...

Recently, I visited Istanbul, Turkey, and I committed a cultural faux pas of extending my hand to a Muslim man before he extended his hand to me.  I was with my dad in a carpet shop, browsing as a tourist, and I became so comfortable to extend my hand to shake one of the shop owners’ hands after he shook my dad’s hand to be confronted by the comment, “I can’t.  I pray.”  I understood completely why he did not shake my hand, but of all places for this to happen, I did not expect it to be in Turkey. This cultural faux pas was not a major cultural faux pas, but it took me aback, especially in such a secular country like Turkey.  I had been living in Jordan for the past three months, and I had been such on guard and a cultural awareness of appropriate and haraam (forbidden) customs in the country and religion.  Yet, when I became a tourist, I seemed to forget cultural mannerisms in a new country especially which was contributed to the fact that I did n...