Coming Home…

Hello!!

I know, I was so promising with the whole plan of the Blogs, but as the due date of my big project crept nearer it became all consuming to do that and have a life, then all of a sudden its March, and I’m planning the trip home To be honest, there hasn’t been much going on in the past while anyways… work is still really great and I will be very sad to leave the wonderful people I was so lucky to share this time with, but outside of work it was a bit of the hum drum of winter. It didn’t help that every weekend was worse weather wise than the next – we had hail at one point, and terrible wind and rain.

When we read before we came that it would be cold, we had no idea what that would mean when you live in a stone building with no heat… it is literally like living in an ice box. There is no refuge from the freezing temperatures – even now as I sit outside on the first nice weekend in months, the inside of the house is much cooler than the balmy evening temperature outdoors. I hear once the buildings get consistent sun they heat up, then you have the opposite problem – they conduct the heat and bake you like an oven!! haha. A bit too much for my spoiled west coast self, really…

At one point in the month when the weather was ok we went to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, a very important religious site where Jesus was baptized. We just missed the pilgrimage which was there the week before, but that ok – I don’t really know what I would have done with more religious types around me than there already were on the guided tour! The Jordan River was really just a trickle a that point as it was before the rain that came for the month after…. the winters here come later and later, cauing locals to regularly pray to Allah to fix this man-made climactic crisis that affects this country so visibly.

It was a nice day trip though, and we drove between the top of the Dead Sea (where Bethany Beyond the Jordan is) through the desert mountains to Madaba, passing the gorgeous view of Mt. Nebo on the way. Unfortunately, it was less than impressive as it was quite hazy, and our hunger was out of control! Madaba was great, and we stopped in for lunch at this quaint little restaurant that is dedicated to the promotion of handicrafts and maintaining cultural heritage (as Madaba has been inhabited for 4,500 years) by the name of Haret Jdoudna – I highly recommend it. The town is very well known for its mosaics, and the most famous is the map of Jerusalem on the floor of St. Georges church.

The next thing I have seen since then of note is Jerash yesterday – the most columns I have ever seen in one place! This is an impressive roman town, with not one but 2 amphitheaters! There is an intermittent bag pipe playing display which is sort of hilarious here… why bagpipes? in traditional Jordanian dress? playing amazing grace? the things they do for tourists….

Our favorite place now to go for a drink was our discovery about 5 weeks ago – the Auberge Cafe. It is in a little alley up a tiny staurcase and is not frequented by many women at all, but they now know Jordan and I thats for sure! many of the men who go there have been going for years, and some of the best conversations and glimpses into Jordan have been in the sharing of stories and drinks with the table surrounding us in this place… I will miss it for sure.

The plan now is to finish work this week – inshallah I will go to Aqaba for Tueseday night with some women I work with as there is a project going on there that has taken them away for most of the last month. I think it could be really fun to have a night away, then I can just hop on the bus back.  

Thursday we will go to Damascus, Syria and stay there for the weekend, then we will have to come back to Amman to go to Jerusalem and spend a few night in the old city… we just felt we couldn’t not go, you know? so we will be sure to come back to Amman on the 18th to fly out on the 19th at 8:15am (ugh), but as flights don’t match up perfectly we will be forced to spend the night of the 19th in the pub in London somewhere around Earl’s Court or Bayswater or Fulham… depends on where we can find the cheapest hostel. I’m not complaining – a boisterous english pub will be a welcome sight!

The next morning we will fly to Marseille, and we will meet up with my mom and dad as they are staying at my aunt and uncles little auberge in the hills of Oppede le vieux. Check it out and keep it in mind for your next european holiday: www.belle2nuit.fr – so amazing, I can’t wait to see it – and Laurie and Roger of course. Then we will spend the week in the rolling green hills of the south of France… so lovely, it will be the first time I have been back in 8 years, so it will be nice to see some familiar sites, drink in the secenery and the vino, and show Dan some places even he hasn’t seen.

I think my time in Jordan has been so amazing, and trying, and confusing, and frustrating… and valuable. it will take a long time to even be aware of all the different things it has given me. I am not going to lie though, I am a bit excited to get back.

For those who had the chance to read my project, I hope you liked it. I am pretty pleased with how things turned out, and the final draft is being bound tomorrow. Very exciting to have completed my requirements and to be able to call myself a graduate, actually.

If anyone knows of any job prospects please keep me in mind – we are leaning towards Vancouver, but as both Dan and I are jobless we are quite flexible haha.

Cheers, sorry again it has taken me so long to write and catch you all up, but I hope to have time to do a bit more reflection in the near future…. possibly drinking wine with wifi in France, wouldn’t that be nice?

xo linds

For those looking to pass through, or relocate to, Amman….

Hello mes amis…

I have found a few places over that past week that are turning a city that I kind of appreciated in its roughness  to a jewel I am quickly coveting and beginning to see for its inherent youthfullness and cheekiness.

I am speaking of the area between 2nd circle and 1st circle on Jabel Amman (Amman hill), and then Rainbow street area as it curves around the face of this ‘mountain’, showing stunning views of the downtown area as the sun sets behind the citadel. It is a truly remarkable view from the ‘Dana Nature Reserve’ building of Wild Jordan - a trendy healthy cafe that has a glass face and is very modern in its apprearance. If you want to get some affordable food combined wih some very overpriced shopping, or even plan a trendy event with a stunning view, this is the place.

‘Mountain view’ as well is in the process of refurbishment, and is going to be the location of affordable drinks and tapas in a more loungy atmosphere. It is closer to the grit of the downtown core, and is right up from where Gafra is located… a place where most hang out to truly get a Jordanian (alchohol free) experience of smoking sheesha and inhaling cigarettes in all their glory. The shared meals here are great, and itis a place you can show up to with 12 people and they don’t even bat an eye.

‘Old View’ is another trendy coffee spot with an upper deck that is truly an amazing place to spend any time now, so I can only imagine it in summer. it is situated on Rainbow as well, down the cobble stone street (they are still in the process of trying in vain to turn this into an area where cars will no longer pass, but thats like cutting off the legs of most who live here). The hunbbly bubbly reigns supreme in this spot and is across from my favorite so far…

Books@ Cafe.

We first went to this place on a Friday night, when most of Amman is doing the obligatory family dinner, and wandered around past most of the closed shops and the hopeful looking restauranteurs of those who were open, attempting to entice us to walk through the doors. We were in search of that ‘something’, that intangible thing that a hot spot has to have… little did we know we would find it at the top of a staircase with a book store as the facade. This place is so amazing – bright bold patterns on some walls contrast with the traditional white stone of others, and the welcome site of a center bar beckoned to us from the usual combination of cigarettes and sheesha that cloaks the air around most places, making it hard to stay there for long.

The roof in the Books @ Cafe manages to be high enough to lift that suffocating layer high above ones head though, and the result is a refreshing combination of laughter, wireless internet, coffee, beers, wine, Jordanians, Travellers, buisness meetings, dates, drinks, friends, western food, eastern food, oriental specialties …. all the things you would want to be able to do, and see, and eat, and feel. Oh, and books. There are those too.

To me, so far, this is the best area and best place to hang out in Amman. If I were to move here again I would be looking for ‘close to rainbow street’ or ‘close to jabel amman’ in the description.

The News.

On a day like any other day here, I am starting the morning with a cup of turkish coffee/green tea/black tea and reading a smattering of regional and canadian news, with a little BBC at times (but usually I catch that at home after the day at work)…. I try and steer clear of CNN, though now I, like the rest of the world, am FINALLY welcoming news from America….

I watched the inauguration with my new dear roommate Jordan – an eastcoaster (from T-dot), who shares my same sarcastic humor, love of all things political, sharp wit and humerous commentary on the world as it keeps happening around us.

It is nice to feel like I have a co-conspirator, like someone else is experiencing the same frustrations and revelations that I am… like I’m not going crazy. Its a good feeling to to be able to contextualize her experiences, and her specialization in middle eastern politics at mcgill contextualizes mine… the things she is finding new I am able to shed (minimal) light on… an ebb and flow of connectivity.

I have learned the art of patience here, and to minimize your expectations of yourself in the energy it takes to struggle every day to not just understand, but comprehend, contribute and be of value in an environment that is so foreign it is humbling.  Maybe  am not talking just about the dawn in Jordan, but the dawn for us everywhere as we try and find our place in the world at this crossroads.

It was nice to share the inauguration with someone who is seeing the same things I am – who feels like I feel about what this means for all of us (as global citizens) so much more acutely here.  We were not alone – my Jordanian friend was over, Waseem, and the general consensus is that everyone is so very glad the Bush legacy is over – a new day can begin possibly, who knows what it will bring.

It is the break of dawn when you can’t tell what this new ‘era’ will bring; all around you are the litters of the past invasions; not just war, but economic, commercial, consumerism… ‘westernized ideals’ instilled into the fabric of Amman by the forceful hand of America. Can we trust anyone can not be corrupted at the helm of such a mighty beast? Is anyone truly in the drivers seat, in control, responsible?

I read an article in the globe and mail that acknowledged the importance of how the people here are reacting… especially the Jordanian youth.. they are touching on the vocalization of all things obama.  Check it out for yourself here:

Many in the Arab world had taken encouragement from Mr. Obama’s address the day before in which he specifically called on “the Muslim world” to join him in “a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.”

Young Jordanians and Palestinians were ready to join him. They flooded radio programs and YouTube with their comments.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Omar Jibril from Ramallah. “The world is fed up with Bush,” said a teenaged Jordanian. “Don’t we deserve a better future?” another asked.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090121.wobama_mideast22/BNStory/International/home?cid=al_gam_mostview

 

Amid the celebration and hope for the  future, the reality of the past three weeks is still being uncovered in the rubble.  There is a constant reminder of the reason why Barak (rightfully so) has made sure the 4 phone calls to heads of state signalling prioritized contact with the middle east has been the first step after Guantanamo in the white house. The messages coming out of Gaza are still so full of desperation and hopelessness, that there is no end to the foundations of this occupation:

In Gaza, only the dead have seen the end of this war. For those who survived, there is no ceasefire in the daily battle for actual survival – due to a complete lack of water, gas, electricity, bread and milk for their children. Several thousand people lost their homes. Only scarce humanitarian aid can make it through few border crossings, and it feels like the benevolence of the killers’ accomplices is just temporary.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/21/palestine-in-gaza-only-the-dead-have-seen-the-end-of-this-war/

 

What does ‘obama’ really mean? stand for? translate to in arabic? It is an entity that is taking on so many different meanings…. bigger than the man himself. Have we all forgotten he is human?

Taking a moment to celebrate and be joyous at this time is important, but Baraks tone during his inauguration was a somber one because he is aware of the global perception of the world - that he has a small window to act on this feeling of hopefullness that is touching the lives of everyone here in the darkness, whether they are cynical of it or not. There is no expectation that he will be the one to change things, such a suggestion is almost laugable here, but people are daring to ask if he can motivate enough people to change things for themselves? 

He has a small army of Jordanianand Palestinian youth who have already been activating avenues and dialogue about peace and humanity  – they take solace in this message from across the pond, if channelling the power of his will to do so is not too heavily criticized… here, ‘westernized’ can be a dirty word.

Grass-roots actions are so tangible and creative,  like threads in a fabric of Jordanian youth mobilization, yet ultimately unsustainable if noone at a policy level is listening. So poetnially fleeting if not given the resources they need to grow.

Obama may not make a direct difference here, but his message of taking responsibility for ourselves is one that I have heard echoing throughout Jordan so far, in thier anger and mistrust of their ‘elected’ officials who are more than willing to stand by in the face of the past and future Gazas. Dare we say we as a generation are all one and the same in this struggle?

He will make mistakes, and he will be criticized – especially as he has taken steps towards making the governing process so much more transparent. He is  pulling back the curtain, revealing the wizard, shining a light on the strings of policy makers as they put on their production of democray throughout the world…

Even if he does ‘fail to deliver’ there is power in words, and the message is what carries the most promise for all of us to take a hard look on our part in this complicated game of blame. This is true throughout the only planet we can call home, and in Jordan especially.

One Step forward in compassion, two steps backward in disgust… the regional waltz resumes….

Bahrain: Harassment of woman human rights defender, Ghada Jamsheer 

Front Line is deeply concerned following information received 
regarding an alleged harassment campaign against Ghada Jamsheer, a 
woman human rights defender. Ghada Jamsheer is the president of the 
Women’s Petition Committee, an organisation which campaigns for the 
rights and dignity of women in the shari’ah family courts.

While Ghada Jamsheer was attending the AWID (Association for Women’s 
Rights in Development) conference in South Africa between 14 and 17 
November 2008, her home was reportedly entered by a state security 
agent and detailed photographs were taken. Her house phone, mobile 
phone, and email account are reportedly under surveillance and 
received many threatening SMS.Ghada Jamsheer and her family have also 
been threatened and followed in a car, while members of security in 
civilian clothes have been sent to her house to shout at her with 
abusive language.

Finally, she has been accused of attacking officers performing their 
duties and has been prevented from accessing the media.Front Line is 
concerned that the harassment campaign and the media ban on Ms. Ghada 
Jamsheer is directly related to her legitimate work in defence of 
human rights, in particular women’s rights in Bahrain, and that it 
may form part of an ongoing campaign against human rights defenders 
in the country. Front Line is seriously concerned for the physical 
and psychological integrity of Ghada Jamsheer, as well as that of her 
family.

Front Line urges the authorities in Bahrain to:

1.  Carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the 
harassment against Ghada Jamsheer and her family, with a view to 
publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in 
accordance with international standards ;

2.  Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and 
psychological security and integrity of Ghada Jamsheer and the 
members of her family;

3. Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in 
Bahrain are able to carry out their legitimate human rights 
activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions 
including judicial harassment.

Front Line respectfully reminds you that the United Nations 
Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups 
and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized 
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by consensus by the UN  General Assembly on 9 December 1998, recognises the legitimacy of the activities of human rights defenders, their right to freedom of 
association and to carry out their activities without fear of 
reprisals.

We would particularly draw your attention to Article 9 (3-
c): “everyone has the right, individually and in association with 
others, /inter alia: (/c) To offer and provide professionally 
qualified legal assistance or other relevant advice and assistance in 
defending human rights and fundamental freedoms”, and to Article 12 
(1 and 2): “(1) Everyone has the right, individually and in 
association with others, to participate in peaceful activities 
against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms; (2) The 
State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by 
the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in 
association with others, against any violence, threat, retaliation, 
de facto or /de jure/ adverse discrimination, pressure or any other 
arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise 
of the rights referred to in the present Declaration.”

Source URL:
http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/1769 

Once the dust begins to settle….

In the next few days and weeks, Israeli elections will roll on while Gazans will spend this time digging the bodies of relatives out of the rubble. Grief can grab us in the middle of a horrendous moment, where a single image has the power to lead our minds down corridors we would not regularly venture in to. And this has been the kind of grief we’ve all experienced these past few weeks on this side of the world. For me, the more powerful form of grief isn’t in the real-time imagery of kids with torn limbs being rushed in to a hospital, it’s in the thought process that begins once the dust begins to settle…

Slowly, the Arab street begins the process of forgetting, or simply dispersing like a protest crowd and heading back home to live their lives again. The Arab leaders will wipe their foreheads with a sigh of relief that the immediate pressure from their streets have subsided and they are safe for another cycle. International media will find another crisis to shine its spotlight on. And the world slowly forgets. And we, slowly forget.

The terms “peace process” and “two-state solution” are once again resurrected.

And without even noticing, we push the restart button.

 

I heart The Black Iris: This guy is all kinds of brilliance…

the Author is Naseem Tarawnah - a 24 year-old male’s analog life in Jordan. From cultural journeys to poetic ramblings, this blog was created, amongst many things, to address Jordanian issues ranging from the political to the social and to chronicle the extraordinary voyage of metamorphosis that this nation has embarked upon. Naseem has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Administrative Studies, with a specialized Honors Degree in Public Policy & Administration. He is currently finishing his master’s degree in Public Policy & Management through the University of London.

Please check it out if you have a moment: www.black-iris.com

Thank you, Saudi Arabia!!

Saudi Arabia pledged 1 BILLION dollars to the rebuilding of Gaza. Thank goodness for oil – who else is stepping up to foot the bill people?

All’s quiet on the Western front.

For those who are wondering what I am doing here exactly…

I wrote this account of my first trip into the field… you notice there are no grass-roots quotes’ in this case study, because the majority of my understanding solidified in the bus ride home when I could ask what was going on…. being in a country where you don’t speak the language is like swimming in the dark.

 

Taking the trip down to the Sheik Husain Community Development Center in Irbid was a long, winding road through rolling hills of green agriculture, olive trees and small bushes that swathe the landscape. It is winter, and the temperature is balmy – one can only imagine the heat that summer brings with it, and the harshness of the land that would be revealed when the wave of green subsides to reveal the rocky unforgiving ground that forms the foundation of this governorate.

 

We come up to the gates of a glistening white washed building with the JOHUD logo cresting it, and enter the driveway lined with carefully kept flower beds and smiling women that are waiting patiently for the arrival of the Makana II project management team. Their many hands descend on the supplies in the van, eager to start the workshop that will catalyze the many issues they feel are paramount in the advancement of their township.

 

The decision to focus on the issues that will be discussed in this workshop was a democratic one – a survey of the area was done to decide which issues were of premier importance in the community, followed by a meeting to decide on which three would be the most important to bring to the attention of the service providers in this forum. The conscientious care that went into these preliminary plans, and the democratic participation in them, was evidenced by the efficiency within which the women assigned themselves to the issues and assembled at the designated tables with a qualified agenda to further this dialogue.

 

When the service providers arrived to the meeting hall full of women, their initial approach was to congregate at the head of the room on plush leather chairs. They did not rest there for long! They were warmly welcomed, then shown to their seats where their constructive input would be most appreciated – a representative from the ministry of education at the table that would be discussing the issue of youth participation and attendance in school; the civil defense and police assigned to the table that want a resolution to combat the death toll at the hands of a man-made channel where children swim daily in the hot summer months; and a religious leader at the table discussing the growing issues of  youth abuse of alcohol and the illicit channels they are using to facilitate this consumption.

 

Once the issues are in the process of being introduced, the representative for the governorate, Mr. Mufeed Ananbeh, arrives with his fleet. He quickly addresses those assembled in a fashion that evokes the ‘civic interaction’ of old – he is well spoken and eloquent, assuredly, but ultimately his approach is one that is telling of the importance of issues  as opposed to listening and interacting with his governorate. During his speech, many women in the room appear to be restless, and once he is finished the floor is finally theirs; for some, it is the first opportunity they have had to hear their own voice participate in a forum devoted to furthering their community in a meaningful way.

 

Mr. Ananbeh took this transition from lecture to discussion as his cue to leave, but Lama Zaidelkilani, the project manager, kindly requested that he wait in the courtyard to fulfill his purpose of attendance: to field the solutions to these problems, binding him to them in a recognition of shared accountability, rather than vocally acknowledging their existence in a passive manner.

 

These are not exclusively women’s issues; they are issues that affect the whole community negatively – particularly the future of many of these women’s children. These women are the backbone of the district, and they are affected most distinctly by the degeneration of cross-cutting problems as they have been continually overlooked by the institutions whose representatives are present in this round-table as simply ‘women’. Now, they are defining another reputation for themselves beyond the traditional roles assigned to them by the past. They are creating their collective future. They are all too aware that this is an important opportunity they have been given, and the strength of their message will be in the way they communicate their goals and aspirations.

 

For that reason, the passion that emanates from many women as they assert their opinions in a workshop forum, expressing their concerns to the representative service providers, is unmistakable. It is not about the issues they have brought to the table, but the way the issues have been materialized in this tangible setting, that is remarkable and speaks to the very heart of Makana II.

 

The workshop is very successful, and the governor waited patiently while the discussions of the mutually agreed upon solutions are verbalized from where they have been posted and displayed on the wall. “It is about action for the future, not what has happened before this time – we need to put blame aside to mutually decide on a way to solve these issues,” explained the project manager and facilitator for this forum, Ms. Lama Zaidelkilani, to a woman who was expressing her dissatisfaction about how these issues have perpetually been ignored by some of the service providers present, and ultimately the governor himself.

 

On the whole, though, the women seemed to be satisfied with the outcome, and understanding of the realistic nature of change in institutions. Their resolve to be active participants, watchdogs and facilitators in furthering these solutions is strong – they are in it for the long haul. They recognize their expertise and their unique perspective and contribution to the dialog on issues such as these, and their silence is a thing of the past.

 

The conclusion to all issues was a variation of awareness raising campaigns that would be tailored to the context, and those representatives of services that were present at each table were expected to take the initiative in championing the Makana women’s perspective to their institutions. Now these concerns were not only the responsibility for women to bare them, but the accountability is shifted to all parties present. This is a recognizable effort to minimize the negative repercussions that have traditionally accompanied women speaking out on matters that extend beyond the walls of their home, and to legitimize their actions by substantiating them with the supportive sustainable dialogue with the very institutions they have previously perceived as barriers. By encouraging the channel of communication on all three issues in the same forum, they also showed their multi-faceted concerns in linking all of the service providers together in their mutual interest for the community.

 

A fourth issue that had come up was not discussed in the forum was indicative of the true nature of Makana II… that women are not able to help others in a true position of strength until they meet their own needs and strengthen themselves. They want to build a second story on the CDC t house a meeting room and fitness center they can all enjoy and promote as an income-generating business. They had a representative in to begin the process of doing a feasibility study and lay the foundation of the income-generating project for the women to begin their small business – the training on book-keeping and management all offered as part of the program, and a micro-loan that they will use to cover start-up costs.

 

Mrs. Faida Awamreh, the director of the Sheik Husain CDC, is clearly one of the pillars of vigor in all these initiatives. Her smiling face and humor are the pretense to her inclusive professional approach, and embodiment of the common interests she prioritizes and mobilizes on a daily basis.  When she points to the potential location of the fitness center as a crown on her CDC with her descriptive hands, she paints a picture of a necessary and welcome addition that will form the future as part of the fabric of community spirit.

 

Her ability to make a difference is given to her by Makana II and other projects such as these that are focused on amplifying the internal drive of so many of these women. They may be born with the will to make a difference, but unless they are given the tools and the forum so many are never heard from, and the community suffers as a result. During the process of training and facilitation that has been supplied to them through the Makana II project, they have been given their productive voice, but they are the ones who are now using them for the positive impact they wish to have. Makana II has supplied the foundation and the tools for these women to shape their communities, and to fill the gaps between grass-roots initiatives and top-down governance.

 

 The Makana women in the Sheik Husain CDC are the seeds of change being cultivated in their rocky, unforgiving governorates soil. Their purposeful and practical approach despite the challenges in promoting change bespeaks the ongoing grass-roots possibilities Makana II enables to come to fruition.