I have been enjoying reading different blogs, from the different Arab countries. I especially concentrate on Palestinian and Saudi blogs, since I am half/half...as well as reading Jordanian, my adopted country. It is strange to read these three different communities of blogs. Bas lately I have been finding it hard to read the ones I like from three...not because I don't agree with them...on the contrary I enjoy them so much, but the issues are just so different and so diverse that my dream of Arab unity...and how similar we all are is slowly being eroded.
The Palestinian blogs are all about the occupation and how life is tough under it, I absolutely love Raising Yousuf: A mother under Occupation, I read it daily and find her style of writing and observation amazing. But her post from march 6 I found hard to read. Not because she was writing about the children who were killed-that was sad-but more this sentence: I'’m tired. And mad, at how unproductive being tired can make me, among other things. But mainly, I'’m just tired. Sometimes, it can get exhausting being here. I mean that is just such a sad statement, and yet I think I can understand...no I take that back...how can I possibly understand what she means when I don't live under occupation. Maybe that is the power of the statement is that I can't really understand it, so it touched me!
Then in the Saudi blogs, I read The Religious Policeman. He brings humour to a situation that is really not that funny. In his post about the Riyadh International Book Fair, titled : Just when you thought it was safe he says: So the idea is that she signs the book behind the partition. Presumably you toss a book over, she signs it, and then tosses it back. Sounds fun. Well, Saudi fun. I have been to Saudi, go there quite often, and the idea that there is something that we can call Saudi fun, is just the highest point of fun for me!!!! I hate the Muttawa...have a real fear of them, having experienced their 'wrath' when I was quite young and was not allowed by my mom the feminist to wear the 3abay-even though she did!!!!
Then we get to the Jordanian blogs, and here there are quite a few that I follow, but the one that I really have started to enjoy lately is And Far Away. I love her style writing, and that she writes about a number of things. Her latest one, Alone, and Not I trulyly enjoyed reading, Oddly alone. As odd as each of those letters looks like by itself- a combination of meaninglessness and idiosyncrasy. I like sentences like that...you get the point just by the visualisation.
There are a few Arab blogs, that just get on my nerves, yet I keep going back to them...they are like those crap tv movies that have no real storyline and crap nacting...bas I always watch them...till the end. The same with these blogs.
But back to the point, am not sure if it makes sense-and if we listen to iskandar-my logic does not always makes sense-bas I feel that these blogs from the three countries in the Arab world that I connect to, are so quite different...and thus are we really that similar? Can we really ever unite? Do we really understand each other as much as I thought we did when I was abroad and met fellow Arabs and we just clicked.
Ma ba3rif, but what I know is that reading these blogs in a row has shown me how different we all are, and how we are living such different lives...lives that might be hard for us to conceptualize and truly get...maybe its just me-the true child of parents who love of Nasser-bas I always thought that Arabs were one unit.
08 March 2006
Our Day
To all the women of the world, bas especially the Jordanian, Palestinian and Saudi women-hmmm...maybe all the women of this great region, I wish a great day!!!!
Today is for
us women to think about what we want from life, and to see if we are on the right path, it is also a day for us to be celebrated, and to think about ways to improve the lives of the women around us.
What is really upsetting me today, is the fact that I usually have something planned, back in the UK, female friends of mine would have dinner at home, and then just sit with bottles of wine and talk to each other...the topics would wind and twist from men, to shoes, to the latest book we have read, to politics...ending with one of them crying or all of us heading out to hit one club or another. But here in Amman, I have nothing of this sort planned...the only thing that I tried to do is go to the Feminine Short Films Festival, being put on at the Balad theatre, since it was about women by women.
Another thing that is upsetting, is the level of ignorance of the women in my immediate circle some seem to know nothing about what today is, what it stands for and why they should be out telling everyone about it.
I sent a message to the women in my life, wishing them a great day...one of the replies I got was..."same to you Ms. Feminist"...and I know my friend meant it in a good way...bas I thought was a stupid way to answer a message like that on a day like today. I guess what is really annoying is that they are well-educated young women...and today is their day...they should be proud...talking about the issues that are of importance to them as women in Jordan...making people aware. To be fair, I got another rely saying "today we're proud to have a pussy!" That's the attidute!!!!!
IWD is about making people aware...making people talk...there are so many issues in Jordan that are still pending when it comes to women...from right of nationality, to the violence directed towards women, to the idea of quotas or not quotas in elections...the list is endless.
We need to activate this day in this country. I just checked out the web-page made for IWD I saw that there are events being put in the Emirates and YEMEN...yet nada in Jordan!!!
Today is for
us women to think about what we want from life, and to see if we are on the right path, it is also a day for us to be celebrated, and to think about ways to improve the lives of the women around us. What is really upsetting me today, is the fact that I usually have something planned, back in the UK, female friends of mine would have dinner at home, and then just sit with bottles of wine and talk to each other...the topics would wind and twist from men, to shoes, to the latest book we have read, to politics...ending with one of them crying or all of us heading out to hit one club or another. But here in Amman, I have nothing of this sort planned...the only thing that I tried to do is go to the Feminine Short Films Festival, being put on at the Balad theatre, since it was about women by women.
Another thing that is upsetting, is the level of ignorance of the women in my immediate circle some seem to know nothing about what today is, what it stands for and why they should be out telling everyone about it.
I sent a message to the women in my life, wishing them a great day...one of the replies I got was..."same to you Ms. Feminist"...and I know my friend meant it in a good way...bas I thought was a stupid way to answer a message like that on a day like today. I guess what is really annoying is that they are well-educated young women...and today is their day...they should be proud...talking about the issues that are of importance to them as women in Jordan...making people aware. To be fair, I got another rely saying "today we're proud to have a pussy!" That's the attidute!!!!!
IWD is about making people aware...making people talk...there are so many issues in Jordan that are still pending when it comes to women...from right of nationality, to the violence directed towards women, to the idea of quotas or not quotas in elections...the list is endless.
We need to activate this day in this country. I just checked out the web-page made for IWD I saw that there are events being put in the Emirates and YEMEN...yet nada in Jordan!!!
07 March 2006
Women Drivers
I have decided that its not that women are bad drivers, bas more like men are rubbish at driving.
If you think about it, women have to drive on the same streets as men, and so have to lower their standards of driving so as not to show up men-since male egos are so fragile as we all know-and also we have to become crap drivers so as to survive on the streets where men are the majority and are such rubbish at it. Seriously thing about it, in a democracy the minority have to put up with the decision of the majority, same on the streets, since women are still in the minority of drivers, we have to put up with the majority.
I see how men drive...in between the lanes, don't look...just come out of side streets (think they own I guess), drive really close to other cars. The classic male driver, gets upset if someone over takes them, fa they decide to compete with them-big ego again!!!!
The only concession I am willing to give on this topic is the driving of veiled woman...sorry, but I agree they are not very good...not sure what it is about...bas they are just crap drivers!!!!
05 March 2006
Borders
Last night it took us around 7-8 hours to get from Beirut to Amman. Our trip to Beirut only took us 5 hours, nice and comfortable...but coming back everything that could go wrong...well did.
First we got delayed at the Syrian borders, for a reason that I am still not quite sure about...could be because our driver had a problem...or that his friend who was in another car driving people to Amman also, was a bit drunk and was being an ass so the Syrian border people were making his life miserable (and ours by connection!)...all I know is that we stood at that border for over an hour.
Then there was the constant stopping at different Istirahat-rest stops-a long the way...around 11ish we finally arrived at the Jordanian border...felt better just crossing the border...thought ah khalas we will be home soon...how wrong was I!!! We get past the immigration, they see our passports, stamp them...joke around with us...we get into the car and head toward customs...here there is a HUGE queue...and it turns out that they had caught people smuggling drugs into the country...or at least that is what the driver said...he then changed the story to : someone had tried to bring in 20 cartons of ciggies (we are only allowed on carton per person)...so not quite sure about the story...anyho...why we wait in the car, a man in civilian cloths comes up and asks to look at our passport...the two Ahmads in the car were asked to come down, and they were taken to this room...now not sure what happened in this room...bas they were back in 15 minutes. Turns out that they were stopping ALL the Ahmads on that day coming into Jordan...and more specifically-so you don't think that they are being unprofessional or wasting people's time-all the Ahmads who had left Jordan on the Thursday! The Ahmads told us that one of the guys who was called in was asked to take off his trousers and his wallet was completely emptied out...how humiliating for him...why should this man be treated in such a brutal way? Also the question presents itself is why the two Ahmads who were from our car were not asked to take their trousers off? (don't get me wrong they are my friends and don't want them to be humiliated) But could it be that they come from certain families, that are known and thus could cause a fuss if they were asked to do this?
Looking around I realised that people were really being searched...this one Saudi car was literally being striped apart...by the time we passed him his back seat was on the sidewalk!!! Don't think he will be coming to Jordan any time soon.
I mean I understand that after what was going to happen in Mecca Mall...its good that they are being so cautions...makes you feel safer-even though I don't know if I agree with that-why would we feel safer if we know that there are people in our country who have the power to do that to people? I for one don't feel safer.
First we got delayed at the Syrian borders, for a reason that I am still not quite sure about...could be because our driver had a problem...or that his friend who was in another car driving people to Amman also, was a bit drunk and was being an ass so the Syrian border people were making his life miserable (and ours by connection!)...all I know is that we stood at that border for over an hour.
Then there was the constant stopping at different Istirahat-rest stops-a long the way...around 11ish we finally arrived at the Jordanian border...felt better just crossing the border...thought ah khalas we will be home soon...how wrong was I!!! We get past the immigration, they see our passports, stamp them...joke around with us...we get into the car and head toward customs...here there is a HUGE queue...and it turns out that they had caught people smuggling drugs into the country...or at least that is what the driver said...he then changed the story to : someone had tried to bring in 20 cartons of ciggies (we are only allowed on carton per person)...so not quite sure about the story...anyho...why we wait in the car, a man in civilian cloths comes up and asks to look at our passport...the two Ahmads in the car were asked to come down, and they were taken to this room...now not sure what happened in this room...bas they were back in 15 minutes. Turns out that they were stopping ALL the Ahmads on that day coming into Jordan...and more specifically-so you don't think that they are being unprofessional or wasting people's time-all the Ahmads who had left Jordan on the Thursday! The Ahmads told us that one of the guys who was called in was asked to take off his trousers and his wallet was completely emptied out...how humiliating for him...why should this man be treated in such a brutal way? Also the question presents itself is why the two Ahmads who were from our car were not asked to take their trousers off? (don't get me wrong they are my friends and don't want them to be humiliated) But could it be that they come from certain families, that are known and thus could cause a fuss if they were asked to do this?
Looking around I realised that people were really being searched...this one Saudi car was literally being striped apart...by the time we passed him his back seat was on the sidewalk!!! Don't think he will be coming to Jordan any time soon.
I mean I understand that after what was going to happen in Mecca Mall...its good that they are being so cautions...makes you feel safer-even though I don't know if I agree with that-why would we feel safer if we know that there are people in our country who have the power to do that to people? I for one don't feel safer.
Wired Out!
I just got back from a weekend in Beirut-fun fun fun-and while packing I realised how much I carry with me. I don't mean cloths-that I know I carry a lot of...but gadgets! I have noticed that even though things have been getting smaller-mobiles, ipods, cameras-and we all go out and try to get the smallest the latest in gadgets...one thing that does not seem to get smaller or shorter...are the wires that come with them.
I was packing my suitcase, and as I was taking my, camera, phone and nano with me, I had to make sure that I had the chargers also...how awful to travel and realise you forgot the charger for one of these...and be stuck without a camera when a Kodak moment arises (and these moments always come when your digital has run out of battery)!
So I am packing, and I saw how big and annoying these chargers are, I mean look at the Nano, its TINY...but the charger is double its size...why? Then the phone...cute and small fits in my back pocket-always seem to loose it in my big hangbag-yet the charger could not possibly be lost since it is bulky! Then the worse is the camera one, my camera is quite swanky-ha-and I love it...takes great pictures...makes anyone and anyplace look brilliant...but the charger and the STUPID base that comes with it...is just fucking annoying.
But I love gadgets, and I guess the consequence of that is that I have to carry chargers...would make more sense to make one charger that works for all your little gadgets...ma3gool no one has thought of that yet???
I was packing my suitcase, and as I was taking my, camera, phone and nano with me, I had to make sure that I had the chargers also...how awful to travel and realise you forgot the charger for one of these...and be stuck without a camera when a Kodak moment arises (and these moments always come when your digital has run out of battery)!
So I am packing, and I saw how big and annoying these chargers are, I mean look at the Nano, its TINY...but the charger is double its size...why? Then the phone...cute and small fits in my back pocket-always seem to loose it in my big hangbag-yet the charger could not possibly be lost since it is bulky! Then the worse is the camera one, my camera is quite swanky-ha-and I love it...takes great pictures...makes anyone and anyplace look brilliant...but the charger and the STUPID base that comes with it...is just fucking annoying.
But I love gadgets, and I guess the consequence of that is that I have to carry chargers...would make more sense to make one charger that works for all your little gadgets...ma3gool no one has thought of that yet???
02 March 2006
The Child Within
As we rush thought our hectic days, many of use are so busy being 'grown ups' taking responsibility and fulfilling obligations that we forget there is still a part of us that is essential to our well-being and happiness...the child within! It is my belief that child deserves to be, and should be, acknowledged in order to maintain a healthy balance in our day-to-day lives and also to remind ourselves of the fun and joy that exists in each one of us.
I was watching a group of kids the other day, while waiting for my food at Zuwadeh, and I realised that kids just run around...they don't seem to have a purpose to what they doing...they just run...till they get tired then they stop...take a few breaths...and off they go again...I mean do you get it, they just ran. Not for reason, not because they were trying to loose weight, nor because they were playing a game...nope they did it because they wanted to. As I have grown up I realise that I do less and less things because I just felt like it. I remember when I was a kid and my dad would ask me what are you doing? Or why are you doing that? My answer was also: Mazaj!!! How great is that, to do something not because you are bored, or that you have to, or that you want to, but only because you felt like it...or even better for no apparent reason whatsoever.
I am a true believer in nurturing the child within. My friend wrote me an email today telling me how she gets all excited about slightly childish things, like going to the aquarium to see sharks, watching murder mysteries, playing silly board games...and I was thinking about it, when it comes to this one friend in particular that is one of the things that I most love about her. We do stuff together and its like watching little children...you know how kids get when they first walk into a place, or do something for the first time...the look of amazement and pure disbelief I find to be one of the most beautiful things in the world. I decided quite awhile ago that I would also try and keep that child within me alive, there are chocolates that I eat only because I used to love them when I was a kid-milky way-and I buy the Kinder egg, not so much to eat the chocolate, but to put the toy together, and I keep the ones that I love...and also now collecting sets of them-if you haven't noticed some come in sets of threes-I get so disappointed when it turns out to be one that I have done before, or that it is one that do not need to be put together-that is when I eat the chocolate!!!!
I also love swimming like a mermaid-you know what I mean-love to see how long I can hold my breath under water, and if I can reach the bottom of the pool at the deep end-and of course you have to be competing with someone for this to really nurture the child within!
But seriously, I think everyone should do stuff like that...remember things that they used to love to do as kids, and work on them again...it will really make you enjoy life that little bit more.
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