Is Amman’s cultural gap shrinking?

by | Aug 18, 2005 | Jordan, my nation

Architect Mohammad Al Asad — who has always been critical of Sweifieh — has something positive to say about the busy Amman neighborhood. He wrote an article in the Jordan Times about a recent visit to the pedestrian zone at Al Wakalat street. Here is one excerpt that caught my attention:

In spite of that, the pedestrian zone was a most pleasant surprise. The fact that there were no cars and the street was for once the undisputed realm of the pedestrian in itself is a wonderful development. What makes the experience successful, however, is more than that. The pedestrian zone functioned as a truly public space in the healthiest sense of the word.

The space of the street was filled with people from all walks of life and from various socio-economic backgrounds. One could see the young and old, male and female, the affluent and not so affluent, the conservatively dressed and those dressed according to the latest fashions, all having a great time in the street. They came together in this space, shared the space, and celebrated the space, all in a spirit of mutual acceptance.

From what I’m reading here it seems like there are some real positive indications that the gap between West and East Amman is beginning to shrink. The problem with Amman has always been a lack of public activities. This kept segments of society segregated, causing a major cultural clash whenever these different social classes intermingled. From what I read, it seems things are changing and that the East is meeting West at last.

To learn more about Al Wakalat Street check out Roba and Lina’s posts.

The Skeleton Key

by | Aug 15, 2005 | Film

Skeleton_keyOne of the first things you need to locate when you move into a new neighborhood — or a new country for that matter — is the nearest movie theatre. Following this rule, we scanned our neighborhood Sunday evening and managed to find a fairly close Regal Cinema. The movie of choice was The Skeleton Key and it was actually not bad for a horror movie. The twist at the end was quite unexpected and the overall plot was not the usual cheesiness you would expect from a horror movie. I would give it 7/10. All in all, I don’t regret letting go of the 12 dollars we spent on our two matinee tickets.

After the movie we made our way to a newly discovered goldmine: IKEA. We were quite pleased to find such a mammoth store less than 10 miles from where we live. We purchased a few items, mostly kitchen utensils, wandering about until we were kicked out at close. So in a nutshell, one can deduce one thing from this post: We like our neighborhood.

First dispatch from the new apartment

by | Aug 9, 2005 | Everyday me!, The cook in me

We just finished eating a meatloaf made by yours truly
and I must say it was very good. In spite of the lack of a few kitchen utensils, I
stuck it out and made my first meal in our new apartment. Okay, enough
self-admiration, let me talk a bit about our new place. We moved last week up
north into the DC-Metro region and we are loving it. Our apartment is located in Maryland and actually in the middle
of the forest, which makes for delightful, lush scenery every time we look out of
the window.

Deer and squirrels visit us every once in a while. This is something
very unique to my Jordanian eyes. Besides being lush, our neighborhood is so close to some major shopping areas in the heart of the city. It
is also worth noting that the city itself is very ethnically diverse and extremely
cosmopolitan. You find people from all over the world, not to mention the
diverse selection of food and restaurants. The apartment is also quite close to work, making my morning commute no longer than ten minutes. All in all, we are
quite content.

As for the settling in part, well, we are not there yet. We still
need to get some essential pieces of furniture and to unpack a few more boxes.
We have the basics, though. We’re getting there. I’ll post pictures of the place and neighborhood
when time allows. Meanwhile, it’s time to refill my plate with another slice of my superb
meatloaf.

Books galore

Books galore

by | Aug 6, 2005 | Books, Life

Roba “book-tagged” me a long time ago but I never got around to responding for one reason or another. Now that I have some time on my hands here is my response:

The number of books I own: I really do not have any idea. I gave away some while we were hopping continents and I left a big chunk at my parents house in Jordan so I really can’t give an exact figure. I would say maybe 2 or 300. I really don’t know.

The last book I bought: Kissing in Manhattan. I read so many reviews hailing this novel that is supposed to be the story of New Yorkers struggling with life. Somehow this intrigued me. We’ll see.

The last book I read: How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents. I bought it after it was mentioned on Mariam’s blog and frankly I hated it. I thought it was disjointed although it had some interesting moments here and there.

The five books that mean a lot to me:

  1. The Unbearable Lightness of Being: It is an absolute masterpiece by one of my all-time favorite writers: Milan Kudnera.
  2. The World According to Garp: I read this book so many years ago that I really can’t remember much. One thing I remember, though, was that when I finished this book I had a huge smile on my face, something that rarely happens after I finish reading any certain book.
  3. In the Eye of the Sun: Ahdaf Sweif really excelled in this book. It is a book that many women can relate to in the Arab world.
  4. Love in the Time of Cholera: This book occupies a special place in my heart, as it played a central role in our early days of courtship.
  5. The Ground Beneath Her Feet: A very beautifully written love story. Although it drags forever, the writing style is really out of this world.

The book I’ve been trying to finish forever: The Lord of the Rings. I’m sorry Roba, I tried!

Okay in return I’m tagging the following people: Dalia and Aunt Karen.