Star Plaza Amman

... Have I mentioned my love affair with kofta? Well I have one. It's delicious. We had chicken, beef, lamb, and onions. Mostly a meat fest which was good because I don't eat that much meat at my apartment. It was my silly mistake to only buy one bottle of vodka but it still got the job done while also keeping it reasonable. A ton of charades and celebrities ensued, no little man maid this time, and we actually hit the hay at a decent hour. In the morning we ate hummus and fried ...

... Neighbors Mayors' Conference where almost 300 people (area mayors, environmental activists, and community members) mostly from Israel, Jordan, and Palestine gather to discuss the regional water crisis, why cooperation is a necessity, and how cooperation can be continually fostered at the grassroots level and the governmental level. The conference was all day and it went really well. USaid, EU, and UN reps were also present as they are all major funders of many of ...

... was to be a four hour ride. The driver awoke me at a rest stop for some tea which was actually kind of annoying. I didn't like the idea of spending any of my precious day in Jordan sitting at a bum tea stand in the middle of nowhere. As I chatted with the Egyptian guy who was working the road stop, he asked how much I pay for my education in Cairo. Money questions are always hard in the Middle East because the answer was a number that was more than he'd make ...

... are called) or playing cards. Three old men playing rummy see me looking for a table, and invite me to sit with them for a coffee. So I join them for 20 mins or so, drink a coffee, watch their game (rummy with two decks, fourteen cards in hand), have sporadic conversation. I ask if I can buy them a drink, and they say "No, we asked you to join us; you are our guest."
When I am ready to leave they won't ...

... did good. I mean no one went hungry and we hardly had leftovers. Plus Annette got to meet my friends here and they got to meet her. Whatelse? Idk, It's a good group so there was lots of eating, drinking, and laughing. Everyone helped clean up a bit before leaving and I was on a I-would-rather-wake-up-to-a-clean-apart ment-than-get-extra-sleep cleaning binge. My head hit the pillow at 5 am. I seriously feel like Matt Morey of the middle east, but he's right, it ...

... I was invited to iftar, probably because time was running short, but either way iftar-ing with a family is always welcome in my book. Everyone was really nice and just as we arrived the call to prayer came on and a glass of special Ramadan juice appeared in my hand. These juices are very sweet but I downed it and my body immediately recognized that no it was in fact not going to die of hunger or thirst. Then we ate traditional style on the floor which felt ...

Friday and Saturday = the weekend in Jordan (the work week begins Sunday and ends Thursday).

What does this mean for me on this beautiful Sunday? That I am at FoEME for my first day of work! Well, it is actually Ali and Rebecca's last day so things aren't really being handed over to me until tomorrow or so but today is my first day at the office. The staff is six and there are three interns, the other two are from ...

... of investment from the oil-rich Gulf, Iraqis, Syrians and others seeking a haven in the Middle East.
Some Jordanians are worried by this, fearing the absence of sufficient oversight will lead to more garish, concrete monstrosities. A drive around the upscale Abdoun neighbourhood reveals a rash of luxury villas alongside embassies and shopping malls. An armoured personnel carrier guards the massive, fortified US embassy, while every other car on the streets is a ...

... to see but I'm really glad that we did see it and would recommend it as it is a one of a kind and gives you a hug insight into what the area was like not that long after Jesus. We grabbed some dinner at the local pizza and kebab place which was really nice and cheap (Jordan can be really expensive!). After that Fasail took us to the local ice cream place and what a revelation that was, we can back to this place heaps of time in the 3 days we were here. The ...

... us were excited to see someone from home, so we stayed up chatting and catching up, swapping stories and sharing news. At about 1am we all realised – 1. We were really hungry, and 2. It was probably too late to find food. We rushed downstairs to speak to the hotel manager, Nijmah, to see if she could tell us of anywhere open this late. Luckily for us Nijmah was an absolute angel! Tut-tutting she ushered us into the kitchen and told ...