Two House Number Five
Kira was invited to a school friend's birthday party and the mother gave me directions to their house, number 5. We arrived on the right street and got to the house on the cross roads that the mother had directed me to, but this was between house numbers 15 and 19 so I guessed it was house number 17. We went back down the street to house number 5. However the mother couldn't see us standing outside and said we must be at the wrong house, that there were two houses number 5 on this road!! So we went back to what should have been house 17 and walking around the corner it had a number 5 on it. So we finally arrived at the right place.
Fashionably Early
The birthday party was from 5pm - 9pm. We arrived about 10 minutes after 5pm but this was still very early compared to most Jordanians who arrived about 6pm or afterwards. Generally people turn up late to parties so the host often tells people a time earlier than they plan, so that everyone is actually there for the time that they want. Unfortunately she didn't factor in our Britishness and that we would arrive close to the time she told us!
Fun and Games
Kira and only 3 other school friends had been invited to the birthday party since the birthday girl, Dareen, had over a dozen cousins that they were obliged to invite! But Dareen seemed happiest playing with her school friends. They danced, played freeze dance, egg and spoon race, pass the parcel and find hidden objects. Another Mum offered to drop Kira home, so I left her to enjoy the cake and food whilst I returned home to join in another party ....
Hooray, they're leaving!
The family who live above us have had some relatives visiting from America, and decided to throw a big party on their last evening in Jordan, which sounds to us a bit like celebrating the fact that they were leaving!
Syrian barbecue
We were invited to join them for a barbecue in the garden. It seemed to us that it was going to be no ordinary barbecue when lots of posh tables and chairs started arriving and were set up in the garden. The appearance was like a wedding reception meal. Later, some cooks from a local Syrian restaurant arrived and started setting up a huge barbecue in our garden.
Large family
We went out to the tables and gradually the guests started arriving. They invited the whole extended family and about 40 people came. We were the only non-family members at the party, and we spent the evening on separate tables since most of the men gathered together around one table and the women occupied the other tables.
Hot food
The barbecue consisted of delicious barbecued lamb and kebab meat along with various salads and traditional Syrian side dishes. One of the dishes had a name which means 'burnt his fingers'.
Hot topics
Paul did his best to join in discussions about the troubles going on in the region, but thought it best to keep quiet on some topics about the political and religious causes of the problems, which sparked some heated debates.
Early exit
After coffee and dessert, we made an early exit just after 11pm, since we'd had several disturbed nights sleep during the previous week due to the kids being rather unsettled in the first week after our summer trip to England.
Kira was invited to a school friend's birthday party and the mother gave me directions to their house, number 5. We arrived on the right street and got to the house on the cross roads that the mother had directed me to, but this was between house numbers 15 and 19 so I guessed it was house number 17. We went back down the street to house number 5. However the mother couldn't see us standing outside and said we must be at the wrong house, that there were two houses number 5 on this road!! So we went back to what should have been house 17 and walking around the corner it had a number 5 on it. So we finally arrived at the right place.
Fashionably Early
The birthday party was from 5pm - 9pm. We arrived about 10 minutes after 5pm but this was still very early compared to most Jordanians who arrived about 6pm or afterwards. Generally people turn up late to parties so the host often tells people a time earlier than they plan, so that everyone is actually there for the time that they want. Unfortunately she didn't factor in our Britishness and that we would arrive close to the time she told us!
Fun and Games
Kira and only 3 other school friends had been invited to the birthday party since the birthday girl, Dareen, had over a dozen cousins that they were obliged to invite! But Dareen seemed happiest playing with her school friends. They danced, played freeze dance, egg and spoon race, pass the parcel and find hidden objects. Another Mum offered to drop Kira home, so I left her to enjoy the cake and food whilst I returned home to join in another party ....
Hooray, they're leaving!
The family who live above us have had some relatives visiting from America, and decided to throw a big party on their last evening in Jordan, which sounds to us a bit like celebrating the fact that they were leaving!
Syrian barbecue
We were invited to join them for a barbecue in the garden. It seemed to us that it was going to be no ordinary barbecue when lots of posh tables and chairs started arriving and were set up in the garden. The appearance was like a wedding reception meal. Later, some cooks from a local Syrian restaurant arrived and started setting up a huge barbecue in our garden.
We went out to the tables and gradually the guests started arriving. They invited the whole extended family and about 40 people came. We were the only non-family members at the party, and we spent the evening on separate tables since most of the men gathered together around one table and the women occupied the other tables.
Hot food
The barbecue consisted of delicious barbecued lamb and kebab meat along with various salads and traditional Syrian side dishes. One of the dishes had a name which means 'burnt his fingers'.
Hot topics
Paul did his best to join in discussions about the troubles going on in the region, but thought it best to keep quiet on some topics about the political and religious causes of the problems, which sparked some heated debates.
Early exit
'Kanafa' for dessert
After coffee and dessert, we made an early exit just after 11pm, since we'd had several disturbed nights sleep during the previous week due to the kids being rather unsettled in the first week after our summer trip to England.
