After dropping the children at school, Paul took Ethan, Jenson and me in the car to the Royal Cultural Centre. I breastfed Jenson in the car and then Paul took the boys off for a few hours whilst I attended the prize giving ceremony for the Prince El Hassan Prize for Academic Excellence. My work at the Clinical Skills Center at the Hashemite University had won first place with a prize of 7000 Dinars for the University.
There was a lot of security around the Cultural Center but I was let in when I showed the gold embossed invitation card. There were bagpipes from the military band playing to welcome visitors and I was shown into the ceremony hall.
An attendant asked who I was and initially I was shown to the seating area for diplomats and ambassadors! I think they thought anyone who was non-Jordanian was from an embassy. However I explained that I was working for the Hashemite University and directed to another, even better seat!
Surprisingly, for this culture, the Prince and his wife arrived early for the ceremony and I was one of the people with whom he shook hands as he walked through the hall. As is customary for any ceremony here, it began with the national anthem and then a reading from the Quran. After various speeches, the prizes were awarded to the different university presidents. Photos were taken and that concluded the ceremony. The military band played whilst people left the hall, however it took a long time to leave since the Prince was personally greeting every visitor as they left the hall for the reception and there must have been over 300 people attending!
Paul came to collect me and Jenson was ready for another feed!
In the afternoon I visited our new neighbours upstairs with Kira and Jenson. It was fun to chat together with the older aunties, drink sweet black tea and try some homemade sticky sweet pastries. I was given some on a dish to bring home, which meant that I would have to think of something to take back when I returned the dish. We were also given presents as "house warming" gifts, a beautiful tea tray for me, necklace for Kira and keyrings for the boys. The elderly grandmother has taken a shine to Kira and given her a few little gifts (to which Isaiah says "where is my present?") Usually here it is boys who are favoured and given more gifts than girls!
Later the children helped me to prepare our new guest room and also Kira's room for friends from Cambridge who were coming to visit us. Paul had gone out the day before to buy 3 single beds (one for Kira and 2 for guests). It has been blessing to have a bigger house and have visitors to stay.
There was a lot of security around the Cultural Center but I was let in when I showed the gold embossed invitation card. There were bagpipes from the military band playing to welcome visitors and I was shown into the ceremony hall.
Bagpipes!
Awards
Surprisingly, for this culture, the Prince and his wife arrived early for the ceremony and I was one of the people with whom he shook hands as he walked through the hall. As is customary for any ceremony here, it began with the national anthem and then a reading from the Quran. After various speeches, the prizes were awarded to the different university presidents. Photos were taken and that concluded the ceremony. The military band played whilst people left the hall, however it took a long time to leave since the Prince was personally greeting every visitor as they left the hall for the reception and there must have been over 300 people attending!
Paul came to collect me and Jenson was ready for another feed!
Jenson - a growing boy!
In the afternoon I visited our new neighbours upstairs with Kira and Jenson. It was fun to chat together with the older aunties, drink sweet black tea and try some homemade sticky sweet pastries. I was given some on a dish to bring home, which meant that I would have to think of something to take back when I returned the dish. We were also given presents as "house warming" gifts, a beautiful tea tray for me, necklace for Kira and keyrings for the boys. The elderly grandmother has taken a shine to Kira and given her a few little gifts (to which Isaiah says "where is my present?") Usually here it is boys who are favoured and given more gifts than girls!
Later the children helped me to prepare our new guest room and also Kira's room for friends from Cambridge who were coming to visit us. Paul had gone out the day before to buy 3 single beds (one for Kira and 2 for guests). It has been blessing to have a bigger house and have visitors to stay.
Ethan playing with our friends' son Isaac
