This will be my last post until after January 1st.
Happy Holidays to all.

Souks, Malls and Supermarkets

Those of you who know me well know that I am not much for shopping.  In fact I usually go with the mantra, “if they don’t sell it at LL Bean, I probably don’t need it”.  However, shopping in a different country can be fun and a great opportunity to learn about the local habits.

There are several large malls in Amman, with the most well-known being Mecca Mall, Taj Mall, and City Mall.  All three have large chain supermarkets as a big draw.  Some also have cinemas and other amusements.

The first difference you notice when you enter a mall here is that you go through a perfunctory security scan.  Even if you set it off, they usually just wave you through.  Sometimes they have a girl at a small desk who takes a little look in your purse or knapsack.  As malls, they are nothing special, with the usual array of shops.  There are knockoff names such as Women’s Secret for lingerie and brands that you know such as True Value Hardware, GAP, Bath and Body Works and The Body Shop.  The food courts are also filled with familiar names such as Burger King, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken.  At the Taj Mall, which is the most upscale, there is a PF Changs.

Looking Through the Window at  Lingerie Store Near Rainbow Street

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There are several large supermarket chains here in Amman.  Miles is Ed’s favorite; I rather like Carrefour, a French company.  Safeway is the closest to our apartment, and then Spinneys isn’t too far away either.  However, the word supermarket is used very loosely, as many tiny convenience stores have a sign that says supermarket.  They would not even be a fraction of the size of a Seven/Eleven at home, but they are packed with fresh produce and the usual array of household necessities.

A Supermarket

 

Two major souks (open air markets, known as bazaars in some places) also exist.  Souk Sukkar, near the Husseini mosque is open daily and has many food stalls.  In the nearby streets there are small shops where you can find most everything.  There are stores that make your perfume to order, a shop that sells all kind of herbal products, jewelry stores, and shops selling clothing and others selling household things such as mops and brooms.  The other souk, known as the Friday market, primarily sells inexpensive clothing.  At this time of year many of the stalls were selling boots as people prepare for what they call the cold weather.  Compared to other souks that we have been in (Turkey, Morocco), this one is very organized.  Clothes are on hangers, shoes are neatly tied in pairs and the stands are in rows in a lined area that looks like a parking lot off a main street.  It recently moved to this location, much to the dismay of the vendors who held protests when the city made them move.

 

 

Fruit Stall

 

 

Friday Market

 

Jordan really has very little in the way of crafts.  There is a seasonal market that we went to when we first arrived called the JARA Souk.  For the most part though we have not seen any crafts that really appealed to us other than the mosaics, primarily done in the Madaba area, 20 miles southwest of Amman.

Selling Prayer Beads Outside the Mosque

 

Fresh produce is readily available.  There are trucks on street corners, and tent like stands on vacant lots.  Also, the small supermarkets are filled with produce and if you head north out of Amman the road is lined with farmers selling whatever is in season. 

There are more than 2000 pharmacies in Jordan, 1200 of those in the Amman Governorate which is basically the greater Amman area.  These are often very small.  You could probably fit half a dozen in our Charlestown CVS.  They are filled with beauty products and baby supplies like powder and lotion and items related to breast feeding.  Today I bought Amoxicillin, clearly labeled “to be dispensed on medical prescription”, by just walking in and telling the pharmacist what I wanted.  She did not ask me why I needed it, but she did write on the box that I should take 1 capsule four times a day for five days.  [Disclaimer, I am on my way to the dentist and I am taking it prophylactically on the advice of my long time dentist at home due to my knee replacements.]

A Perfume Store Where Your Scent is Made to Order

 

There is one more store which we frequent that is a favorite.  It is on a corner on Rainbow Street, and we go here when we can’t find something.  Sitting at a counter are two or three men who look like they haven’t moved from there in years.  One understands the English words related to products.  The ground floor is filled with gaudy decorative household items and practical things like enormous pots and sets of small cups for tea.  We have never seen the lower level, but we have quickly learned the drill.  Ed goes up to the counter and asks if they have the item we need, for example shoe polish or door stops.  The counter man shouts out in rapid Arabic and a few minutes later a thin man emerges from the lower reaches with the item in hand.  If he doesn’t have it (only once – wood glue), the counter man gives Ed explicit directions on finding a shop where it will be sold.

Virginity Soap Sold in the Herbal Products Store

Guess I’ll walk down to the Safeway now and get some mangos and grapefruit and maybe a pomegranate or two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



 

 

The Royal Family

Living in a monarchy is a new experience for me.  When we arrived I was surprised to see a picture of the King in so many places.  Go into a travel agency and there he is; and over the manager’s desk in a car rental office; at the little café we frequent there is a picture of the King having a cup of tea.  Pictures of the whole Royal Family are also common.  I have seen them in people’s homes, in offices at the University, on the counter in a hotel.  The Nursing Dean’s office has three large pictures behind her desk – one of the deceased King Hussein, one of the current king, Abdullah II, and one of the Crown Prince Hussein who is 20 years old.  When I was given an office at the Faculty of Nursing, there was a large picture of the deceased King on the wall. The next day it was gone.  I have not yet been comfortable enough to ask why he left me.

Flag of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

King Abdullah II is the 41st generation direct descendent of the Prophet Mohammad.  He is the eldest son of King Hussein (and Princess Muna, King Hussein’s second wife) and has been on the throne since Hussein’s death in 1999.  He received some of his education at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and also attended Georgetown University.

King Hussein is still much remembered although he has been dead for 15 years.  He was married four times, the first when he was only 19.  His first and second marriages ended in divorce and his third wife died in a helicopter crash.  Queen Noor, his fourth wife, survives him.  She was born in the US of Syrian descent and became a Muslim when she married. 

Queen Rania, the wife of King Abdullah II, was born in 1970 in Kuwait, the daughter of a prominent Jordanian family of Palestinian origin.  She is very beautiful, with long auburn hair.  It is interesting to me that she is never pictured in a hijab, yet we see most women here covering their hair.  I am always surprised that she is not a fashion trendsetter, with University girls seeing her as their role model for deciding whether to cover or not.  She has commented on the topic of hijab in an interview on CNN in 2008.  At that time she indicated that it should be a woman’s choice and that it should not be compulsory. 

King Abdullah and Queen Rania have four children, the Crown Prince Hussein, another son Hashem and two girls Iman and Salma, ranging from 9 to 20.

Princess Muna, the mother of King Abdullah II, was the second wife of King Hussein and the first to bear him a son.  She was born in England. They were married for ten years, from 1961 to 1971.  I have been told that she did not convert to Islam, but have also seen sources that say she did.  Princess Muna, now aged 73, is still very actively involved in promoting nursing in the Kingdom.  She chairs the Jordanian Nursing Council and is the founder of the Princess Muna College of Nursing. 

Countryside in North Jordan (note the olive trees)

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The history of Jordan really begins after World War I when the British and the French divided the remains of the Ottoman Empire.  England assumed sovereignty over Transjordan, Palestine and Iraq and France administered Lebanon and Syria.  In 1946, a treaty with the British gave Transjordan full independence and Emir Abdullah became King Abdullah and the country was officially named the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  King Abdullah was assassinated in 1951 at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the same one that has been in the news recently because it was closed by the Israelis.  King Abdullah’s oldest son, Talal, reigned for less than a year, and then abdicated due to illness to his son, Hussein who ruled from 1952 until his death in 1999.  Because he was under 18, his rule began with a Regency Council performing the functions of the King.



Map Showing the Borders of the Governorates (similar to counties)

 

Jordan is slightly smaller than Indiana.  Amman, which is in the northern quarter of the country, is about 32° north latitude, roughly the same as Tucson, Arizona or Savannah, Georgia.  The lowest point is the Dead Sea, at 408 meters (1338 feet) below sea level and the highest point is 1854 meters (6082 feet) above sea level.  One of our biggest surprises has been how hilly the country is.  The entire coastline is only 26 kilometers (a little over 15 miles), on the Gulf of Aqaba, which is an arm of the Red Sea.  I am looking forward to seeing the ocean.  For someone like me who is used to a daily view of either the Sheepscot River which flows to the Gulf of Maine, or Boston Harbor, I really miss seeing the ocean.  We plan to go to Aqaba when my niece is visiting over Christmas (Insha’Allah).

There are no passenger trains in Jordan.  In the late 1890s a train ran from Damascus in Syria to Medina in Saudi Arabia, but by 1920 it was discontinued.  Having taken trains in many countries, I am always disappointed to be in one that does not have any train travel available. 

 

Bags of Olives Waiting to be Pressed for Oil

 
A bit of trivia: There are around 20 million olive trees in Jordan.  A total of 178,000 tonnes (tonnes are metric tons or 2200 pounds) were produced in one year.  There are 131 olive presses which have a production capacity of 369 tonnes per hour.  A few weeks ago we went olive picking with a group of people and had the opportunity to go to an olive pressing plant.

 

Olive Oil Factory

 

 

 

Dateline: Amman
The English language Jordan Times is delivered to our apartment six days a week.  To avail of home delivery we had to pay JD 100 ($140) in cash for a year – in advance.  Without fail it is in our paper box each morning – all 16 pages.  It contains an abundance of Middle East news as well as world news and two pages of editorials.  There are very few ads.  Last week there was even a picture of the heavy snowstorm in my hometown of Buffalo.  The Royal Family is very active in national and international affairs and many days there is at least one picture of King Abdullah or Queen Rania on page one above the fold.  I have never seen a picture of Queen Rania with a hajib (head scarf). 

Picture of King Abdullah near Rainbow Street

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Some of the topics that we have been following with interest include:
Festive firing: As of October 30, the Public Security Department reported that 3 people have been killed and 41 injured so far this year as a result of festive firing.  One of those injured was an anti-festive firing advocate, who was hit by a stray bullet in September.  His campaign, called “Do Not Kill My Happiness” attempts to raise awareness of the dangers related to shooting during celebrations.  Festive shootings involve firing into the air during weddings and other celebrations.  Seems to me that firecrackers would be safer.

Old Woman in Souk (Market)

Population information: Another topic of interest to me is population and health statistics.  We have read that 70% of Jordanians are under 30 years of age and that those over age 60 account for only 5.2% of the population.  Probably it is a good thing that there are so few elders here as The Global Age Watch index of 96 countries ranks Jordan as one of the 10 worst places to grow old.  They share the bottom 10 places with Zambia, Uganda, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Malawi. The good news is that the press is free to report this type of news.

 

 

Old Man

 



 Old Man Drinking Tea

Traffic Accidents: In the column called “at a glance” there are frequently small items about traffic accidents.  Headlines such as ’10 injured in Zarqa road accident’, ‘18 injured in traffic accident’, ‘ two people die, three injured in traffic accident’, and our all-time favorite ‘725 accidents reported in Irbid last week’.  This last item went on to inform that these accidents “resulted in 17 deaths and 657 injuries”.  Irbid governorate (like a county) is about a million population.  The Public Security Department reported that more than 142,000 traffic accidents took place in the Kingdom last year, resulting in 694 fatalities”.  This actually was a better year than the average as there were 7,869 people killed in traffic accidents over the last decade, which would be an average of 787 per year.  To put it in perspective, Massachusetts has about the same population and in 2012 there were 349 traffic fatalities.  Even more notable is that Jordan is a country where alcohol is not commonly consumed so presumably most accidents did not involve drunk driving.

 

Car Parts Outside an Insurance Company Office Building: Is this their idea of street art?

Stop Signs are Merely a Suggestion

The University of Jordan: There have been a number of articles about student protests against tuition increases.  The increases only applied to newly admitted students.  After the increase, Masters program credits are between JD 150 to 230 ($211 to $324) and PhD credits cost JD 180 to 250 ($254 to $352).  Undergraduate tuition is JD 1,128 ($1590) per year.  University officials say that there is a 27% deficit in the budget.  On a more positive note, according to the QS World University Ranking  UJ is only 8 points away from breaking into the top 500 universities in the world.  UJ professors have published around 840 scientific papers over the past academic year.  The article noted that the university “awards professors and instructors who conduct [and publish] research financial incentives”.  According to my colleagues in the Faculty of Nursing, the author of a research study published in a specific list of journals (the ISI list) receives JD 700 ($1000).

Women’s Issues: The government recently announced that the children of Jordanian women married to foreigners would be given new privileges.  However, the Prime Minister also indicated that citizenship for the offspring was out of the question, “now or in the future”.  While women are not allowed to pass on their citizenship to spouses and children, men who marry foreign women can do so.  The new privileges include free high school education if the mother has resided in Jordan for 5 years.  If the offspring have a residency permit they will be allowed to obtain a driver’s license for passenger cars. 

Women’s Issues 2: The secular legal age for marriage for both male and female is 18.  However, Sharia (religious) judges have the discretion to allow girls younger than 18 to marry with the consent of the father.  As a result, 13% of marriages involve a girl younger than 18.

Street Litter

Littering: In the first nine months of this year, the Greater Amman Municipality reported almost 52,000 litter violations.  Most of these were for throwing trash from vehicles.  The municipality has ten camera equipped cars that roam the streets recording littering from cars.  These photos are transmitted to the Traffic Department.  Littering is punishable by a JD 20 ($28) fine.  From our observation, they have a long way to go to improve the litter situation.

Princess Muna: Princess Muna is the mother of the current king, Abdullah.  Recently she received the President’s Special Award from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for her lifetime support of nursing.  On a personal note, recently I was introduced to her when she attended a meeting at the university.  We chatted for a few minutes about Sigma Theta Tau International, the honor society for nursing and the class that I am teaching this semester.  I have never met a princess before.

Some Trivia: The most common name for boys in 2013 was Mohammad, with almost 11,000 baby boys given that name.  Mohammad is believed to be the most common name in the world, with an estimated 150 million men and boys bearing that name.

So, you can see that our JD 100 investment has been worthwhile.  But I have to say, I am looking forward to the first Sunday that we are back in New England and I can sit out on the deck with the Boston Globe – the magazine section, travel, arts, book reviews….



 

 

 

A Walk in our Neighborhood

Walking has always been one of my favorite pastimes.  Not only have we lived in interesting neighborhoods, but we have had the pleasure of wandering the streets of cities and towns in many countries.  Luckily, our neighborhood here in Shmeisani is an interesting and safe walking area.  The back streets are not too busy, especially on Friday and Saturday mornings.  Of course one needs to walk in the street due to the sidewalks that are obstructed by trees and cars, but that is beginning to seem normal now.  Often, when Ed and I go out for a ramble, he brings his camera because as he says, “you never know what you will see”. 

 

From our front door the first choice is up or down hill.  Up the hill for a few blocks then down the other side will take us to the Safeway Supermarket which is open 24 hours.  Here Ed is able to buy his favorite breakfast food, Lender’s frozen bagels.  Upstairs, not open 24 hours, is a department store that has almost every household item that we have needed, including a battery for Ed’s glucometer and blank DVDs for him to store his growing number of photographs.  There are a few other shops near the Safeway, including a car rental and a Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Around the corner brings us to the very busy Al Shareef Nasser Bin Jameel Street which is lined with small shops on both sides.  Here one can get a haircut, buy a new argileh (water pipe), have a meal, or buy a bottle of rum.  (A one liter bottle of Captain Morgan Spice Rum costs JD 35, or $49; the same would be $20 at the New Hampshire liquor store).  To cross this busy thoroughfare, one must walk a short distance to a pedestrian overpass.  You do see some suicidal types running across the street, but that would be like crossing Route 1 in Saugus.

Click on pictures to enlarge them

 

Spices in the Safeway Supermarket

 

Our favorite cashier at the Safeway

 

 



 

The Colonel is everywhere

 

Walking in the direction of Safeway is usually to accomplish an errand.  Our preferred walking route is into the smaller streets behind our building.  Within a couple blocks we will pass several small markets.  The closest one, Lymoneh, was recently sold to a Jordanian who spent a number of years in Fort Worth where he owned a convenience store.  There are also two hospitals in our neighborhood: Specialty Hospital and Al Jazeera.  At Specialty Hospital one of the most prominent signs in the lobby is the IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinic.  I have been told that IVF is common here.  The head nurse of the IVF clinic at the University of Jordan Hospital told me that “it is not expensive, about JD 1000 ($1400), for one treatment”.  Considering that I have been told a new nurse makes about JD 450-500 per month, it sounds pretty expensive to me.  However, children are very important here, so a marriage that did not produce offspring would be a problem that needed intervention. 

There are also many small pharmacies in the neighborhoods.  Many of the drugs, especially antibiotics, which are sold by prescription in the US are over the counter here.  They are also quite inexpensive.  Flagyl 500mg 14 tablets costs only JD 3.61 (just over $5).  It is interesting that in the US we worry about over-prescription of antibiotics leading to drug resistant organisms, but here anyone can self-prescribe antibiotics and take them whether they are indicated or not.

 

 

Al Jazeera Hospital

 

 



 Sign on a medical office building - note the floor designations on the right

 

Our closest market

On the back streets, within a few blocks, there are five or six hotels and one mosque.  We can walk to the Royal Cultural Center where we saw a ballet performance.  Unfortunately, cultural events such as concerts and dance performances are quite rare.

Small businesses are also tucked in some buildings.  When I was looking for a hairdresser, I asked a young girl who was walking on a nearby street.  She at first started to tell me where to go, then walked me to an unmarked doorway.  There I was welcomed by a hairdresser who had one chair.  I would never have found it on my own.  A haircut cost JD 5 ($7).

A drycleaners in what would normally be a garage

Things we do not see on a walk:

·     A post office – recently we asked our downstairs neighbor where to find the closest post office.  Although he has lived in the building for 25 years, he did not know.  Snail mail is virtually non-existent here.  Please remember that when you do not get a Christmas card from us this year!

·        A fire house – but we have not read in the newspaper about any fires either.  The concrete and cement block construction is probably a factor.  Certainly the fire risk that exists in Charlestown with the densely populated wood frame houses is not an issue here.

·        Fire hydrants – since there are no water mains (remember, buildings get their water delivered weekly by truck and stored in roof tanks).

·        A library – we have yet to find a public library.  I do miss my three regular libraries, each with a different ambiance.  Little Wiscasset, with the creaky floors, the Charlestown branch of the BPL with the best head librarian, and Milton, so convenient on my way home from work and with a great selection of compact disks.

·        Dog poop – we have only seen five dogs since we have been here.

So, off we go for a walk.  The weather has still been beautiful in November, with daily highs in the 70s and nighttime lows in the 50s.

 

My Academic Life in Jordan

Although my Fulbright proposal had been to teach Quality and Safety in the Clinical Setting or Global Nursing, I am currently co-teaching Qualitative Research Methods to doctoral students.  While that is my only official assignment for this semester, already there have been many opportunities to be involved with the nursing department.  One of my favorite activities is participation in the formation of an honor society that will later become a chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), the Honor Society for Nursing after the one year required waiting period.  I have been included in the planning meetings as we prepare for the induction of the founding members.  Theta at Large chapter of STTI, the chapter to which I belong in the US, has generously agreed to provide some start-up funding for the University of Jordan chapter. 

Last week I was asked to guest lecture an undergraduate nursing class on the Joint Commission national patient safety goals.  Many of the concerns for patient safety that we have in the US are the same as the ones that the Jordanian students identified.  Patient falls seem to be less of a problem in Jordan, most likely because it is common for family members to stay with patients.

The Nursing School Building

note the numbers are also in Arabic script

(click on the pictures to enlarge them)

A few weeks ago I attended a video conference with Lund University in Sweden.  The University of Jordan has an excellent video conferencing facility.  Masters students at both universities made presentations about their thesis work and the audience at each site asked the students questions and made suggestions.  After the program concluded, the presenting students and the faculty were guests at a lovely luncheon served in a faculty restaurant on campus.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could have our Curry College masters students showcase their clinical projects in an international forum such as this?

I have been asked to co-supervise a doctoral student in his dissertation work.  He is at the proposal stage, planning a study of the best method to improve the knowledge and skills of nurses for advanced cardiac life support.  Each draft that I have read refines his study.  I can’t imagine how hard it must be for him to do this in English.  In addition to methodological suggestions, I am able to work with him to improve his writing.

Peer Tutoring

One morning I attended the thesis proposal hearing of a Master’s student.  The process here is that she does the proposal with the supervision of one faculty member.  She does not interact with the three person committee (one external member and two UJ nursing faculty members) until the hearing.  The committee had read the proposal and were there to provide direction for her study.  After she gave her presentation, the committee quizzed her.  While they were polite, I thought that they were very tough on her.  I also thought that her supervisor should have suggested many of the changes prior to the hearing as the project was much too complex for a master’s thesis.  After well more than an hour of grilling her, she was excused from the room while the committee discussed the proposal.  She did finally receive a limited approval, with revisions required to be read by one committee member prior to full approval.  Her supervisor took notes and will work with her to incorporate the suggestions.  And then in true Jordanian fashion, the tray of sweets that the student had brought was passed around.  Although I have not met with the student, I was asked to review her proposal and add my suggestions.  Having recently spoken with her supervisor, I think she is still recovering from her traumatic day.  She handled herself well under the interrogation, but still needs some time to re-group and refine her proposal.

Studying

I have also been invited to a class where two Master’s students gave a presentation on the adaptation of Orem’s Theory to Jordanian nursing.  They were very professional, with PowerPoint and other visual aids.  Now I have been asked to help the professor and the two students turn this into a manuscript, Insha’Allah.

One of the bigger projects that I am working on is a research study of Jordanian nurses health promotion activities related to smoking cessation.  I am doing this in conjunction with my teaching partner and the Dean.  The fun part is that we are asking our doctoral students to critique our proposal and to help us develop our questions for the focus groups.

Doctoral Students

The doctoral students are a delightful group.  Only one is a full time student.  The others are doing what many of us have done – juggling doctoral studies and jobs and families.  The last few weeks they have been doing presentations on different qualitative research methodologies.  After their Power Point presentations, they lead the class in critiquing an article that is based on the methodology that they presented.  While our class is in English, sometimes there is a burst of Arabic when they don’t have the English words to express their thoughts.  

Smaller activities have included reviewing manuscripts for faculty and reviewing and revising some IRB documents.  Perhaps the best part, though, are the casual conversations with faculty who stop by my office to chat.  I learn so much from them, and hope that the learning is mutual.  All in all, my Fulbright experiences are definitely living up to my expectations.  I am hoping that sometime in the next few weeks I will get an opportunity to go to the clinical setting with a faculty member and to visit the nursing labs as well.

 Sculpture at the Entrance to the University of Jordan Campus

a coffee pot is symbolic of welcome

Learning about Islam

The taxi driver saw Ed looking at the digital counter strapped to his right index finger.  Typical of the openness of people here, he said to Ed, “it is for Thanks God”.  And he clicked it.  His goal was to say thanks God (presumably in Arabic) 10,000 times (he did not specify the time frame, but Ed is convinced that he meant in one day).  While we frequently see men carrying prayer beads, it appears that the counter is a more modern way to pray.

One of the best aspects of traveling or living in another country is the opportunity to learn.  We have found people here very willing to answer questions on a variety of topics.  Although we have spent time in other countries that are primarily one religion (Iceland and Ireland come to mind) and we have traveled in other Muslim countries and visited mosques, living in Jordan has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Islam.  We have also learned many new words to describe important aspects of the faith.

Seventh Day Adventist Church in Amman

There are Some Christian Churches

Islam is the second largest religion in the world (after Christianity), professed by almost 25% of the world population. In Jordan there are almost 6000 mosques.  Islam is a monotheistic religion as are Christianity and Judaism.  The basic pillars of the faith are: declaration of faith in Allah, praying five times a day, giving money to charity, fasting, and making the hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca at least once if at all possible.  Of particular note is the lack of proselytizing.  While many other religions believe it is important to convert others to their faith, as evidenced by Catholic missionaries, Jehovah’s Witnesses knocking on our door, or Mormons doing their two years of missionary service, Muslims seem content to practice their religion without trying to convert anyone.  However, conversion is simple.  It is not required that you study the Qur’an or go to Islamic classes.  It is only required that one perform the Shahadah, which is professing that “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger” three times, sincerely, and in front of witnesses.

Sign on a Mosque

The First Part Says "In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful"

 

 

Minaret at a Mosque in Jerash

 



Prior to praying or entering a mosque, ritual washing is practiced and shoes are removed.  Mosques will always have stools and faucets for washing.  For times when praying is not at a mosque, washing also occurs if possible.  However, if it is not possible to wash, one can certainly pray without washing.  Around puberty is when it is expected for children to participate fully in prayers.  Typically boys will start to go to the mosque with their fathers around the age of 8 and girls will be introduced to praying at home at the same time.  Girls are exempt from praying during their menstrual period because you must be clean to pray and this is considered a period when the girl is not clean.  Since we have gone onto winter time the third prayer of the day, ‘Asr, is now at 2:24 PM (It changes by a few minutes every day).  Since my class starts at 3 PM, there is now time for my colleague and the students to pray before class.  I have encountered my colleague, who dresses Western style and does not wear a hijab (head scarf), in the ladies room prior to prayer time.  She takes the ritual washing literally and can manage to put her feet in the sink, one at a time, to be clean for prayers.  I have seen prayer rugs in many of the faculty offices.  Thinking that women tend to stand to pray, I asked our Administrative Assistant if the prayer rug near her desk was hers.  She said, “yes, everyone uses them; prayer rugs are unisex”. 

Prayers at the mosque are led by an imam; he will also deliver the Friday sermon.  I have been told that the imams are paid by the government.  They have no special education or qualifications such as would be typical of Catholic priests or Protestant ministers.  A recent article in the Jordan Times said that 23 imams were suspended “for violating the regulations”.  While it did not elaborate on their offenses, the article continued that “the ministry wants mosque sermons to promote Islam”.  I suspect that in many other countries the sermon is more political than religious, but Jordan works hard to be the moderate peaceful country in the Middle East. 

Fasting is done primarily at Ramadan from dawn to sunset.  During that time no water, food or smoking is permitted.  Asking my colleagues about this, I am told that if a person fasts, he will also abide by the smoking prohibition.  I wonder if cigarette sales plummet during Ramadan.  Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, the dates for Ramadan move forward each year by about 11 days.  While the date for the start of the fasting period is set, it in fact only begins with the sighting of the moon.  In 2015, it is scheduled to begin at sunset on June 17 and run for 30 days.  This will correspond with the longest number of hours of daytime, at a very hot time of year.  One must be very serious about his religion to abstain from food or drink during that time.  Small children, pregnant and nursing mothers, and those who are ill are exempt from the expectation.

My vocabulary is expanding.  A qibla indicates the direction to face when praying.  Muslims the world over face Mecca when they pray.  We have noted these on the ceiling in two of the hotel rooms that we have occupied.  For meat to be considered halal, it must be slaughtered by a Muslim, in a specific manner, with the butcher saying ‘Allahu akbar’ (God is most great) prior to death.  I have also been told that the head of the animal should be aligned with the qibla.  My fashion vocabulary is also expanding.  An abayah is the long black garment worn by women.  When you see women walking on the street at night in busy traffic, my heart skips a beat.  They are virtually impossible to see and I expect that momentarily there will be another traffic fatality.  Some women wear a niqab, typically black, but sometimes white, which covers their face from just below the eyes.  When eating, they lift it slightly and sneak the food under the veil.  I have also seen women in an abayah and niqab wearing black cloth gloves.  The long white robe that men wear is a dishdash or thawb, and the headdress is a kaffiyeh often held in place by an igal (agal) which is the rope circle.

 

Qibla on the Ceiling of a Hotel Room Indicating the Direction for Mecca

 

Woman in an Abayah and  Niqab

 

Old Man in a Kaffiyeh

 

So, the opportunity to learn more about the culture and religion continues.  It makes me even more aware of the importance of providing our students with opportunities to learn about the people of the world.  I am grateful for the many experiences that I have had, traveling and meeting people from many different cultures.



Musings on Being Connected

What does it mean to be connected?  Connected to whom?  Is it important?  How are we connected when we are thousands of miles apart? 

In the late 1980s Ed and I went off sailing for 2-1/2 years.  In the dark ages (before internet), when you were gone, you were really gone.  Sure some sailors used satellite phones, but they were unreliable and VERY expensive.  Our longest passage, from Fogo, in the Cape Verde islands to Barbados, was just under 14 days.  During that time the only sign of human life that we saw was the jet contrails from trans-Atlantic flights.  We did not see any ships as we were not in the shipping lanes.  Two days out from Bridgetown, we picked up a radio station.  As we listened, the reports of traffic congestion made us even more aware of how disconnected we were. 

At that time we were connected to the people back home primarily by postcards and letters and the very rare phone call.  We once made an $80 phone call from the Gambia in West Africa to California to order essential boat parts.  Phone calls to chat were clearly out of the question.  My sister received our mail in the US and periodically we received a packet from her, often at an American Express office.  When we arrived in Barbados on February 14^th, the packet contained our Christmas mail.  We sat on the boat, in the blazing sun, and enjoyed greetings and news from people that we had not seen for close to two years.  And we felt connected.

Today, connections are so much easier.   I want to talk to my sister in Arizona.  No problem.  For about 31 JD ($43.70) per month we have a fast internet connection in our apartment and for a nominal charge with Skype I can dial her anytime.  Well not really any time.  We are ten hours ahead of her and although I have no doubt that I am her favorite sister, she does not want me to wake her at 3AM to chat.

Jordanians are totally connected by their cell phones.  Jordanian government statistics report that 98.5% of all households have a mobile phone.  Another report indicated that there are more than 10.7 million mobile phone subscriptions, which is a penetration of 146%, indicating that many businesses have switched from landlines to cell phones.  One of the first things that we did was to get onto a phone plan here.  Without a mobile, you might as well not exist.  Although I have exchanged phone numbers with a variety of people, I am still surprised when it rings. 

Bedouin Girls and Camels

Bedouin Woman and Susan

Learning to speak a few Arabic words has also helped us to connect to my new colleagues.  After almost two months I can Insha’Allah with the best of them.  I have learned to never say “see you tomorrow” without adding Insha’Allah (God willing).  I feel very connected to my teaching partner, Dr Inaam.  From the first day we worked together to plan our qualitative research course, I felt connected.  We come from different cultures, different religions, but as nurses and educators, we have many similar ideas and attitudes.  I am confident that my connection with her will last long after I have returned to Boston.

Connections can also occur with people who only speak Arabic.  Only a few blocks from our apartment, on the route that we take when we walk to Fulbright House, a man in a traditional robe and red Jordanian kaffiyeh is always sitting near the sidewalk.  The first time we saw him, Ed had his camera.  Ed pointed to the camera and then to the man.  At first we thought that he was saying no to the picture; in fact he was getting up to pose.  Now when we see him, there are smiles all around and he shakes hands with Ed.  As is customary among Muslim men who do not shake hands with women, he bends his right elbow and places his hand palm down near his heart.  The connection is made between two nationalities, between two religions, between two (or three if you count me) people.

Man in our Neighborhood

Bedouin Man in Tent with Tea

Email is also a wonderful connection.  Because I am only on leave from Curry College, I still receive all of the general distribution emails.  I feel connected to my colleagues when I see ‘baby news’ and notices for events that I would attend if I were in Boston.  Personal correspondence by email also keeps me connected.  It ranges from the trivial things that we would say in passing to the important messages that will impact my life when I return.  Occasionally we have the fun of real time email, when two of us are on line at the same time. 

Luckily we do not have to rely on snail mail here as they do not have postal delivery to the home.  If you want to receive mail, you need a post office box.  (Fulbright House has a PO Box, but we have been told that mail can be a bit unreliable so I have not even bothered to give it to anyone.)  There are no mail boxes on the houses or mail slots in the front doors.

There are so many ways to be connected that it is virtually impossible to keep up with them all.  Some prefer Facebook or Twitter.  I prefer to write my blog and to email.  We are still connected this way with people that we met when we were sailing, long before anyone ever dreamed of the internet.

Connections to the bigger world are pretty easy as well.  Want to read the Boston Globe?  No problem, just a bit slower than flipping the paper pages.  Headlines, as defined by MSN?  No problem, right there when I log on.  We can even get Netflix by going through a secondary site.  Radio comes to us via internet.  Just as at home, we can listen to our favorite London classical music station. 

The English language version of the Jordan Times, delivered daily except Saturday, connects us to the world through the lens of the press.  We receive news of the Middle East in a way that would not be seen in the US press, not better or worse, just with a different focus. 

At times I am nostalgic for the post cards that connected us in the past.  When our parents were alive, Ed and I sent postcards from everywhere.  We saved a few stamps from most of the countries we visited when we were sailing (occasionally we forgot) and made a poster when we returned home.  One of our favorite post office purchases was 200 miles upriver from Banjul in the Gambia.  At a small table in front of a shack, the postmaster sold us stamps with Mickey Mouse on them.  We skeptically handed in our postcards, expecting that it was unlikely that they would reach our parents in Ireland and the US.  We were wrong; they did arrive.  Here we have never even seen a post office but we haven’t tried to find them.

Connections here, connections to family and friends back home.  So easy and so wonderful.  Thanks to all who have emailed.  We appreciate the time that you take to stay connected with us.