The Restaurant Surprise...

The Restaurant Surprise... 4 March 2010

Sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile, I've been going "on the cheap" this week in an effort to save money, i.e. I haven't done anything really fun, but more blogs will be coming this week! I just wanted to share some photos/videos of a really cool experience I just had. Heres the setup:

My host sister got a big bonus and decided to take the family out to a really nice dinner. (AND BOY WAS IT NICE) We went to the restaurant Burj Hamam in a really nice hotel nearby and everything was absolutely fantastic. Outside near the lobby of the restaurant, I saw a really cool staircase leading down. It had a huge crystal chandelier hanging above a magnificent staircase with crystal-looking handrails. The entire thing looked like it was a princess's dream.

During dinner, I heard some really loud drums coming from the restaurant and my host sister grabbed me and told me to come watch. What I got to see was the procession of a Jordanian wedding (Muslim), which is so much cooler than American weddings. In this video, try to pay attention to as many people as possible. The bride, groom, wedding party, dancers, and musicians. Everyone is involved and its such an interesting cultural perspective. Some parts seem Western, but some aren't. Enjoy!

Love,

T-Bone

FUN FACTS:

It is commonly known that when Muslims say the name of the prophet Mohammed, it is commonly followed by the phrase "peace be upon him." This is a sign of respect and veneration towards the prophet, but did you know that Muslims say this after the names of EVERY PROPHET in Islam! i.e., Peace Be Upon Him, or "Sala Aalihu wa Salam" as it is pronounced in Arabic, follows the name of Moses, Abraham, and Jesus as well? All are considered prophets in Islam and deserve just as much respect as the prophet Mohammed...may peace be upon them. This just goes to show....we are all branches of the same tree

I told my host mom, whose English isn't that good, that I would be going on a trip with CIEE this weekend. (CIEE is my study abroad program) She responded by saying "Ah, you go on trip with CIA?" not knowing what she said. Knowing that this slip up could get me in unwanted trouble, I clarified the difference between the CIA and CIEE. We had a good laugh about the slip up.

I got to participate in a discussion at the University of Jordan today. There were international students there from Germany, USA, Spain, China, etc. who spoke about what it is like to be in Jordan learning Arabic and what experiences here have been like so far. It seemed to go over very well, my part at least. I started off in Arabic but switched over to English because I told the students it would be easier for everyone. I began by saying that my experience in Jordan has been nothing but positive and that people here have been so nice....except the cab drivers. (That got a good laugh) Honestly, some of the nicest people I have ever met are in the Middle East. I told the packed auditorium that my goal was to take everything I have learned here and educate those back home who know little or nothing about Arab culture.

During a questions and answer session, a professor asked me what exactly I was going to be telling everyone back home. My response, which I ardently believe, is that we are more alike (Americans and Arabs) than we think we are. Aside from different languages, looks, and customs, both Americans and Arabs love their children, want their kids to go to college, want their families to live happily, and are kind, peace loving people. Period.