Hospitality: Jordanian Style

To be invited into someone else's home for their unbelievable hospitality is a blessing. To refuse too often would be an offense, but too often the time to spare can be difficult to find.  When I am invited, and there is nothing pressing to get in the way, then I really am in for an experience. Today I was invited into our neighbours home. I have been too busy on other occassions but today there was nothing standing in my way. Lilian and George enjoy playing with the twin seven year old boys, who's cousin was also there to join the fun.

This is a picture of Bedouin style seating.
My hosts seating arrangement was similar.

I'm not good at small talk at the best of times, so I sit there with the Mum, who speaks only a little English, which is still more than my few words of Arabic. The children translate a little and we get by. She goes to offer me coffee, but then remembers that I don't like it. We sit in her home, in an open space with two small sofas and a larger open space of Bedouin style seating, with a partly awkward silence but mainly just enjoying the children play. The Bedouin seating is an ideal place for the children to explore their gymnastic talents as they run/ roley poley/ play fight/ attempt cartwheels/ generally play excitedly.

Our host brings us juice, without asking if we want any, and we receive gratefully and politely, and enjoy of course. I am not allowed to do anything, even to help pick up a few toys the children have left. I am just to sit and be waited on.

Her husband arrives home and I suggest it is time we left as George is very tired and needs to sleep (he was falling asleep before the visit). At this point I am invited to eat some locally made pizza. I try to explain I have already eaten, but then realise it would offend to refuse. I sit at their kitchen table and realise, from other experiences, that it is not custom to be polite and wait, so I help myself. I take one of the individual pizzas, at which point my host adds another to my plate. Now there's one dilemma I have here, I am from a culture in which it is rude to not finish what is on your plate, it shows you are ungrateful or that you did not like the food. In this culture I find the opposite is true, if you finish what is on your plate it communicates that you are not satisfied and would like more. Aware of this I planned to leave a small amount of the second pizza on my plate, but before I get to this point a third pizza is added. Such amazing hospitality, generosity, and delicious food.  However, I know that if I eat this also, which it is in my instinct to do so, I will only be given another. To avoid getting into this cycle, I finish my second pizza but leave the third, showing that I am full. This way I know that the pizza doesn't need to be wasted by me only eating part of it.

I then stand and explain that we need to go so that the children can go to bed, which they find difficult to understand as children here tend not to be put to bed/ have a bed time, especially when it isn't even a school night. I know that my children need it after a busy day and week in school and, therefore, insist that we must go now. It's difficult to leave and ensure they know I am grateful for their hospitality, but I am. I guess the best way to show it is to say yes again, when I'm invited in.

Author: A.E.

A Blog From Our Visitor (Richard's sister)

My experience in Jordan

I have now learnt that just from being in Jordan for a week I have discovered many things. For one, they are crazy drivers, especially the taxi drivers. Their tendency is not wearing seat belts, beeping all the time is a way of saying “I am here, get out of my way!” so constantly you hear beeping. The call for prayer at 4 in the morning at first was tedious but after hearing it a few times it got interesting.

Being in Jordan for less than a week has changed my perspective. The way I used to come across the Arabs. Due to the people in the UK and their perspective and stereotype of them, especially when you hear on the news about them and what is happening in the Middle East. I was nervous flying out on my own due to those issues in my head and also I have not flown on my own before so I must admit I was scared.

After meeting my brother at the airport, meeting some of his friends, seeing the family, instantly I felt protected and welcomed. I got my encouragement from God to get involved with the school, helping the children with their work, gaining their respect and just getting to know them. I could just see that within a full day of being with the children in the Montessori school, it shocked me to see how driven and inspired the children are to learn. Some children are disciplined, they know they have to listen to the teachers, obey and respect them. But some children have a tendency not to listen, they misbehave and do their own thing but mostly that is due to their upbringing. I do think that the Montessori education is the future for educating children.

Spending time with the family has brought me closer to them and brought me closer to God. I cherish the time I have had with my family and will always cherish the memories with them and I cannot wait to come to Jordan and spend more time with them.

By Stephanie Eynon, September 2012

Lilian's 6th Birthday

Someone's happy!!

Here are some snap shots from Lilian's birthday. We, with the help of others, made this a special day despite being so far from (Wales) home...

Giant cookie cake (in honour of Abigail Curtis who doesn't like cake)

Lilian's friends ready to celebrate her birthday with her

Special new dolly from Grandma and Grandad

Catch up...

We haven't written a blog in a while, life has been super busy. We have completed the renovations of the new classrooms for Grades 1 and 2 and have had four weeks of school, which I think would have always been a hectic time without a new classroom to organise, furnish, kit out with Montessori materials, and training new children who haven't been used to our system of doing things before. There have been many challenges, but God gives us the strength and solutions to get through them.

 

The Kindergarten is running well, without Puanana in there, heading it up, for the first time. Miss Abi and two others are working hard. One teacher, Miss Mariam has been working for Legacy with Fraser and Puanana for one and a half years, and we have a newly trained Montessori teacher, Miss Enas, who is finding her feet in our very different way of doing things. After this short time in the first semester the children are really beginning to settle down and are learning how to use our special materials and, we hope and pray, are developing a love of learning that will last a lifetime.

Author: A.E.

Leave A Legacy

Take a look at our fundraising Campaign to assist the development of the school we are working with here in Zarqa, Jordan.

http://www.indiegogo.com/Leavealegacy?a=938161#share

This image is a snap shot of the renovations which are currently underway to create two new classrooms for Grades (Years) 1 and 2.

The school also has a new Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/LegacyLearningCentersInternational

Power cuts and water shortage!

Last night, around 11pm, the temperature of our apartment was around 35*C, with the air outside a little warmer.  We were lay on our bed, enjoying the a/c, watching a DVD before crashing out for the night.  Then it happened... the electricity cut out! 

I felt my way to the children's room to where I could just about see the faint glow of their wind up torches.  I took the torches and checked the fuse box to find all was okay there, we looked out of the window to see that the whole of Zarqa was in darkness.  Oh dear, no electric means no fans, and NO A/C!! I flash the torch into the bathroom just before going in for pre-sleep wee and an ugly black cockroach froze to the spot in the middle of the floor.  Okay so its pitch black and if I move my torch the little thing will scarper and I won't be able to use the bathroom for the night out of fear, "Riiichaaaard."  Just as Richard manages, after several attempts, to splat the poor thing I catch sight of another in the open hinge of the door-frame.  The shoe isn't going to work for this one, but if I move my torch he will disappear... Richard takes over with the torch as I go to find the bug spray (remember, all of this is in complete darkness apart from the small torches we keep needing to wind up to keep them lit).  I find the spray but a soon as I spray the cockroach he runs out of sight behind the door.  I stood outside the bathroom, torch pointed at the floor to watch he didn't escape.  Richard lost the cockroach a number of times, it was like find him, spray, loose him, find him again, spray, loose him again, until eventually we (I mean he) got him!! By this point the whole apartment was intoxicated by the fumes. 

Okay, so now we can use the bathroom and get to bed.  We lay in bed creating puddles of sweat, even with the window open the air had no movement to it.  A few moments later George wanders in, wanted to cwtch up, 3 in the bed... as much as I love my son, I really did not want any skin contact in the heat of last night.  A short while later a few more footsteps and we also have a Lilian in our bed. Four in the bed, not sure how to survive this heat...help! Most of us have finally dropped off to sleep and *CLUNK* the a/c kicks back in, the lights come on, it didn't last long though. We were back to cooking in our bed in no time.  The electric was on/off several times throughout the night, but thankfully on when we got up in the morning. 

We went to school for the final day of the summer programme, all was going well until mid morning... another power cut!! No fans, no lights, no internet!! Everything carried on as normal-ish, we were just dripping with sweat constantly.  Then, to add into the mix, we turn on the tap at the school, to wash the dishes and nothing came out! Fraser went upstairs to check the 3 tanks on the roof to find that they were completely empty.  The first time this has happened in the 3 years they've been there.  The tanks are filled on a weekly basis, but it seems the pressure must have been too low and the water didn't make it up to the tanks!  To end on a positive note, the electric did come back on!  And we've got our torches ready in case it cuts out again tonight.  It's all character building apparently. 

Thanks for reading.

Visa Extension...

We have been in Jordan for 3 months!! Time has flown and dragged at the same time, as we have been super busy with school and making new friends, but missing our friends and family so far away.

Today we were due to go to Amman and extend our visas for another 3 months, after which we will need to exit the country and then reenter in order to begin the whole process again!  We were half expecting it to be an ordeal, as it was last time. But it seems that Amman is much more organised than Zarqa. So we spent half an hour filling out some simple forms and a brief chat with a member of staff, and now we have to return in 2 weeks to confirm our visa and stamp our passports (which we have been guaranteed will be fine).  We were also told that if we take a letter confirming that we're volunteering at the School we can get a visa for a year, which would take away all this back and fore visa hassle. So lets just pray they keep their word and it can be that simple!!

We're grateful that today was so straight forward and want to say a big thank you to Auntie Bekah for Lilian and George's magazines, we saved them for today and they were a welcome surprise!!