Picking up where I left off from my blog post about Monday, we finished our amazing day at Wadi Rum with a dinner at the Bedouin Camp. It is actually a "breakfast" as Muslims stop their fasting when the sun goes down. Traditionally, this is called the Iftar (fast-breaking meal) and the one before the sun goes up in the morning is called the Suhoor. Our meal was under the stars at the camp in the desert and we were served the other traditional main dish of Jordan after the usual Hommus, salads, etc. (Mezze). While Mansaf is the Jordanian traditional dish, there is also Maqluba which is known as the "upside down cake". It is chicken (or other meat), rice, and vegetables mixed together in a big bowl. Then, it is flipped upside down onto a platter to make a big cake of the dish. It was very good and we finally ate the traditional way- no silverware. You are supposed to eat with your hands and you can use pita bread (served with every meal) to help scoop up food. After the meal, we had a fire and turned off all other light near us. The star-filled sky was remarkable as we watched shooting stars shoot across the desert mountains. i
As I went into this trip, I wanted to gain knowledge on three main areas of this new country. The history has surrounded us as we have visited many big sites like Petra and also smaller ones along the journey. Speaking of which, yesterday on Sunday we also saw the rock that Moses struck near Petra to bring water during the Exodus. We actually drank water from the stream underneath the rock. For geography, we have seen some incredible sites with interesting science behind the places. Then, there is culture! I think this trip is giving me an outstanding view of another culture in reference to language, religion, dress, way of life, etc. Culture in my view is something you can only really learn about if you can actually experience it. We continue to experience it as we tour Jordan and I think it is mainly because we are not touring in some big, publicized group. We continue to visit places "off the beaten path" and tour with the locals of the area that show how Jordan truly is the amazing place that it is.
The language of Arabic is incredible to be around for a few days as it makes me realize the difficulty of it for an English-speaking person. In writing, they obviously write right to left which is why these blog posts are probably very difficult to read :) As far as terms we have learned to frequently use, there are about 8-10 of them. However, two of them we use every time we see someone: As-salamu alaykum and shukran. As-salamu alaykum is a greeting you use to say hello or goodbye. The actual translation is something like "peace be with you". Shukran is "thank you" and is replied with al'afw. We consistently have been able to learn new words just listening to people speak around us and this is the way the Bedouins learn English. Our jeep driver/sand artist Abdullah speaks good english and has never studied it in his life. i
With clothing, most Jordanian women do wear the hijab in public (headscarf) but definitely dress conservatively. The jilbab is a traditional outfit for females that covers most of the body including the head area. In reference to visitors or non-muslim citizens, they are very relaxed on the conservative dress. Swimming is included in this as regular bathing suits are permitted. Men dress very Westernized in most areas of Jordan but the Bedouin traditionally dress conservatively. The full-covering outfit is a jalabiya or a thobe. Also, the scarf covering of the head (called a Keffiyeh) can represent symbolism with the patterns and colors of the Bedouins. The one I purchased has red and white
which usually represents Jordanian heritage. Also, on top of the Keffiyeh is a black rope-like item called an agal which keeps the Keffiyeh on the head.
Additionally relating to clothing, we learned of the Bedouin make-up while at one of the camps. They take the special reddish sand and mix it before rubbing it on their skin. All natural like everything we have experienced thus far including all of the food and drink!
Before bed I will write about today but this is it for Monday's experiences. Oh, a few random things I have noticed along our journey. One, relating to camels, we saw a giant Camel Race Track. It looked like Churchhill Downs in the desert! I guess the Princes come to watch the camels race and the winning camel is prized at tens of thousands of dollars. Also, the traffic lights change in a different way. When you are stopped, they are of course red. However, before turning green, they flash yellow for a warning. Therefore, our drivers have been saying "come on turn yellow" as they wait at the stoplight. Also, the plugs are European (thankfully we brought an adapter)and the two main sports I have heard about from the locals/kids is soccer(they call it football) and wrestling. They love Hulk Hogan here!
ZZ
As I went into this trip, I wanted to gain knowledge on three main areas of this new country. The history has surrounded us as we have visited many big sites like Petra and also smaller ones along the journey. Speaking of which, yesterday on Sunday we also saw the rock that Moses struck near Petra to bring water during the Exodus. We actually drank water from the stream underneath the rock. For geography, we have seen some incredible sites with interesting science behind the places. Then, there is culture! I think this trip is giving me an outstanding view of another culture in reference to language, religion, dress, way of life, etc. Culture in my view is something you can only really learn about if you can actually experience it. We continue to experience it as we tour Jordan and I think it is mainly because we are not touring in some big, publicized group. We continue to visit places "off the beaten path" and tour with the locals of the area that show how Jordan truly is the amazing place that it is.
The language of Arabic is incredible to be around for a few days as it makes me realize the difficulty of it for an English-speaking person. In writing, they obviously write right to left which is why these blog posts are probably very difficult to read :) As far as terms we have learned to frequently use, there are about 8-10 of them. However, two of them we use every time we see someone: As-salamu alaykum and shukran. As-salamu alaykum is a greeting you use to say hello or goodbye. The actual translation is something like "peace be with you". Shukran is "thank you" and is replied with al'afw. We consistently have been able to learn new words just listening to people speak around us and this is the way the Bedouins learn English. Our jeep driver/sand artist Abdullah speaks good english and has never studied it in his life. i
With clothing, most Jordanian women do wear the hijab in public (headscarf) but definitely dress conservatively. The jilbab is a traditional outfit for females that covers most of the body including the head area. In reference to visitors or non-muslim citizens, they are very relaxed on the conservative dress. Swimming is included in this as regular bathing suits are permitted. Men dress very Westernized in most areas of Jordan but the Bedouin traditionally dress conservatively. The full-covering outfit is a jalabiya or a thobe. Also, the scarf covering of the head (called a Keffiyeh) can represent symbolism with the patterns and colors of the Bedouins. The one I purchased has red and white
which usually represents Jordanian heritage. Also, on top of the Keffiyeh is a black rope-like item called an agal which keeps the Keffiyeh on the head.
Additionally relating to clothing, we learned of the Bedouin make-up while at one of the camps. They take the special reddish sand and mix it before rubbing it on their skin. All natural like everything we have experienced thus far including all of the food and drink!
Before bed I will write about today but this is it for Monday's experiences. Oh, a few random things I have noticed along our journey. One, relating to camels, we saw a giant Camel Race Track. It looked like Churchhill Downs in the desert! I guess the Princes come to watch the camels race and the winning camel is prized at tens of thousands of dollars. Also, the traffic lights change in a different way. When you are stopped, they are of course red. However, before turning green, they flash yellow for a warning. Therefore, our drivers have been saying "come on turn yellow" as they wait at the stoplight. Also, the plugs are European (thankfully we brought an adapter)and the two main sports I have heard about from the locals/kids is soccer(they call it football) and wrestling. They love Hulk Hogan here!
ZZ
No comments:
Post a Comment