The Secret Tunnel

We woke up at 6.30am at Nawatef Camp, about two and a half hours south of Amman and had a nice local breakfast of eggs, olives and pitta bread with numerous small cups of tea. Some of our friends had come with us for a weekend trip to a very beautiful part of the country and today we were going to visit Shobak Castle before heading back home. 

Flexible rules

After packing our things we headed off for the castle, which was about 20 minutes away. Shobak Castle is on the top of a very steep hill, with a narrow road leading up to the entrance. A sign says that no cars are allowed to drive up the road, but we persuaded them to let us drive up, since there were 2 babies in our group and I had driven up the road before without falling off the hill!

Going back in time

Shobak Castle was built in 1115AD by King Baldwin I and was famous for being impregnable, withstanding the siege of Saladin and his vast army for 18 months. You can easily feel what it was like 900 years ago, because it is still surrounded by bare, rocky hills, unlike other castles in Jordan which are now surrounded by towns.

Our kids always enjoy visiting castles, not because they are particularly interested in the history behind them, but because they can explore lots of old rooms and tunnels and they love playing imaginary games in them. Close parental supervision is needed in these games because there are numerous health and safety hazards in Jordanian castles. 

Secret tunnel

Since our last visit to this castle, I had heard about a secret tunnel which led out of the castle to the road at the bottom, so I decided to find it and take the kids down it. Kate stayed back with Jenson so a friend of ours came with us to help me to manage the three other kids.

I thought I had found it when we explored a long tunnel with several turns, but it came to a dead end so we came back up and eventually found the real tunnel. It descended down and down, getting darker and steeper with many broken steps.

How do you spell 'scared'?

After about 20 minutes of descending slowly and carefully, Ethan started to get scared and sat down, crying, wanting to go back but we eventually persuaded him that it was easier to keep going than to try and go back. Kira and Isaiah also started to feel scared of this deep, dark tunnel but did very well at hiding this from Ethan. ‘I’m feeling s-c-a-r...err… how do you spell it, daddy?’ said Kira.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel

A few minutes later, when we wondered if this tunnel would ever end, we saw a faint light, far below us. Eventually we found ourselves at the bottom of a ladder which led up to a hatch by the main road, much to the relief of the kids, especially Ethan.

Sometimes the problems we face in life are like this tunnel -seemingly endless and taking us down into a very dark place. We need to keep trusting in God and looking out for the faint glimmer of light which will encourage us to keep going until He brings us out into the bright light of His grace, love and peace.

Day in the Life ... of Playgroup in a New Village

Health & Safety

We arrived at the new village community "hall" and about 60 women and 100 children were already eagerly waiting for us. The building was not the safest environment for a playgroup since it was not quite finished and there were workers' tools and electrical wires lying around. After introductions and welcoming from the male village elders, the men waited around outside or in the doorways curious to see what would happen. 

Alien encounter

We began with singing songs in both Arabic and English and all the children enthusiastically joined in the actions. They were all quite well dressed but it had just been Eid, so they were all wearing their new Eid clothes for this special occasion. One parent encouraged their son to greet and kiss Ethan and said, "He's never seen a foreign boy before."! I think for most people there, it was the first time ever for them meet a foreigner. 

Misunderstandings

We then divided the children into 2 groups. One played with toys whilst the other did painting, and then they swapped around. We had assumed that they would understand that the toys we had brought with us were just for the kids to play with at playgroup, but many of them thought that the toys were gifts that we had brought for them and started putting all the toys into their bags! For these people, it was the first time that they have experienced a mothers and toddlers playgroup like this. If we do playgroup in another new village in the future, we know that we need to explain things more clearly.  We managed to recover most of the toys, but some went missing.

Our local friend had arranged for a bouncy castle for the children and whilst it was being prepared, the children asked for more singing so we repeated the songs.  

Health session

The children went outside to play on the bouncy castle and I gave a health talk to all the mothers. I started off with very basic hygiene and health information and explained some first aid techniques. I talked about what to do if a child had fever or diarrhoea and how to make Oral Rehydration Solution at home. We then gave a "health and hygiene" box to each lady. These boxes had been donated by the red cross/crescent and in each box there was toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, washing powder etc. 

Everyone was very thankful for the morning activities and we had lots of requests to return.

Day in the Life ... Eid Visiting

We've never seen the airport terminal as busy as when we arrived on the first day of Eid. The arrivals hall was full of people waiting for luggage. A number of people were trying to work out which was their bottle of ZamZam water which they had brought back from being on the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. ZamZam water is thought to be hold water and is taken from a well in Mecca, where it is believed that God provided water for Ishmael when he was an infant. 

Eventually all our luggage arrived and we were glad to be met by the taxi diver amongst the crowd of people. Even the car park was full and it took about half an hour just to exit the car park!

The roads were busy, even though it was after midnight, and our taxi driver explained that he'd done five taxi trips to the airport as well as visiting 3 different members of his family.

The next morning, as I was going out to buy some food, our neighbour greeted me from her window and asked why we hadn't come to visit them yet! I explained that I needed to buy some food but that we'd come to visit after lunch.

Later we visited our neighbours upstairs and we were given traditional Arabic coffee. They explained that since it was the first Eid after their mother had died, that they didn't give the usual sweets or chocolates or date biscuits. The reason being that the family was considered to still be in mourning and sweet things were associated with celebrations. However they did give the children some sweets!

 

We then went to visit another family and they were very pleased to see us. Our friend said, "The country feels empty when you are gone"! Everyone was wearing their new clothes for Eid and we were served coffee and sweets. We were also given traditional home-made date biscuits - which Jenson put all in his mouth at once!

The roads were busy and almost every car was full with a family dressed up going to visit family and friends.

After returning home, we went to visit our other neighbours upstairs where we drank more coffee. Some other members of the family came to visit at the same time and it was good to meet them. We also collected 2 tortoises from them, which our friends have asked us to look after whilst they are away. Tortoises are considered symbols of good luck here and our neighbours warned us not to leave them in the garden because someone might steal them!

It was a very busy return home, but great to see so many of our friends. 

First day of the new term

It was the first day of a new term so I had a new English class to teach. They were an Intermediate level class.

I started by introducing the course and giving them some information about the teaching centre, but most of them knew it already, since they had done courses with the centre in the past.

I'm more of an Arab than you!

I introduced myself and showed a photo of my family. 'Wow, 4 kids!', they said, 'you are like an Arab.' Arab families are traditionally very large but the reality of life in Amman with low wages and high cost of living means that families in Amman tend to be much smaller than in the villages. I discovered that none of the class had more than 3 children. 'I'm more of an Arab than any of you!', I joked.

In order to get to know them better and to assess their writing level, I set the the task of writing about their scariest or funniest experience. Here are a few excerpts.

'Once I was walking to home at night and suddenly I saw a big dog. I scared too much and run too fast so I couldn't remember how I get home. I tremble for 2 hours after that.'

'One of my scariest experience I forget to close the gas heater at the winter and I go to sleep then I wake with screaming of my family because my brother getting blue face then they take us to the hospital.'

'Some day I have walking in the street in the middle of a night. Suddenly a big black dog comes over then I scared like a baby and run as much as I can to home, but the dog still running for me and try to bite me but I have been in home in two second.'

'Before about 3 years I was driving my car near the university, and I was looking for place to park my car, also I was cleaning my ear. After that, the police saw me and he thought that I was using my cell phone. He has stopped me then, I have removed my hand from my ear and he started laughing and telling me that he's sorry.'

We also had a speaking activity before we finished the lesson and then I went home at 8.30pm.

Wadi Rum

I had an extra day off work at the weekend so we decided to take a trip to Wadi Rum, a beautiful and famous desert in the south of Jordan. On the way we stopped at Karak castle and did an Easter egg hunt there with the kids.

 

Us at Karak Castle

We arrived in Wadi Rum at about 5pm to camp for 2 nights in the desert made famous by T.E. Lawrence (AKA Lawrence of Arabia). One of the first sights to greet us was the rock formation 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom', so named in memory of Lawrence, whose book has the same title. Local people use his story as a tourist attraction but when quizzed about what they really think about him will admit that he betrayed them by lying about Britain’s intentions following on from the First World War.

 The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Watch out for Bedouin con-artists

Just before arriving at the entrance to the reserve, we were met by a representative of the campsite, who was keen to make contact with us before anyone else could trick us into going to their campsite, which sometimes happens. People have been known to ask tourists which campsite they are going to, and then they claim to be from that campsite but take them to a different one.

We transferred our bags into their 4x4 pickup and drove to the campsite, with the kids greatly enjoying their open-top ride in the back of the pickup. The campsite was called ‘Salman Zuweida Camp’ after the man who owns it. Zuweida is the family name of the main Bedouin tribe who live in Wadi Rum. We stayed at the same camp last year and we greatly enjoyed our stay, despite the bad weather, so decided to come back again.

Legendary hospitality

We had eaten our main meal at lunchtime by a castle that we had visited on the way, so we told Salman that we did not need dinner on the first night but he insisted that we eat some of the dinner they had cooked for the other tourists. Bedouin people are famous for their hospitality and he could not bear the thought of us not eating dinner with them. Also, Arabs tend to offer better service to returning customers, in contrast to Western culture which focuses on gaining new customers by offering them the best deals.

Did Lawrence really live here?

 In the morning, we went on a jeep ride around the sites of Wadi Rum, including a huge sand dune, a rock bridge, ancient rock drawings and the remains of ‘Lawrence’s house’ although many people are dubious about whether or not it really was his house. We all squished inside the pickup when it started raining but the upside was that lots of waterfalls started running down the rocks, which we have never seen in Wadi Rum before.

 

Rock bridge

Bringing the British weather with us

I asked the driver how many times a year they get rain like this, and he said maybe once or none. It had not rained like this since our last visit a year ago so it seems that we keep bringing the British weather with us. When we got back to the camp, the rain had leaked onto Isaiah’s bed, so they replaced the mattress and sheets and we moved the beds away from the leaky edges of the tent.

At night, the rain intensified but we enjoyed sitting in the new waterproof dining hut which they have built, talking to Salman and his relatives who help him run the camp. At night I did not sleep much due to the heavy rain and the dripping sounds around us.

Camel ride, Bus ride

In the morning, the sun was out and it was incredibly beautiful, with a few clouds still hanging around the tops of the rocks. Kate, Kira, Isaiah and Ethan had camel rides while I stayed with Jenson. The kids had a bit of time to play on the rocks and in the sand before we headed back home in our minibus.

Wadi Rum has been used as a filming location for several films, including 'The Martian' with Matt Damon which was released a few months ago.

Three-day Funeral

Sadly our landlady died in her sleep last week. We're not sure how old she actually was, since she was born before birth records were kept. However she thought she was about 85 - 90 years old.

The tradition here is that the burial takes place after the next noon-day prayers, however the burial was delayed since four of her children live in America and were travelling to attend. During the first day close family members visit and Kira and I went upstairs to pay their respects, since they consider us as part of the family. We sat and talked and were offered bitter coffee and dates. Some of the ladies were reading portions of the Quran or using prayer beads. Everyone was wearing black, grey or white as a sign of respect.


Bitter coffee and dates

It's not here, it's upstairs!

The following day the family put a sign on the gate giving notice of the funeral. Kira made an arrow sign which we put on our front door since a number of guests rang our bell instead of going to the entrance of the rest of the building. I was invited upstairs again for lunch. The food had been provided by a restaurant and was Ouzi - rice, meat, nuts and peas wrapped in pastry - with yoghurt. Before the lunch, women were reading portions of the Quran or using prayer beads again.

'Keep going till we reach at least 10,000'

One of the women was counting up how many prayers they had collectively made because they wanted to reach about 10,000. Another woman was encouraging the ladies to quickly read parts of the Quran before the burial. I asked someone to explain about this custom and she said that if the complete Quran was read and more prayers offered then they believed God would be more forgiving and count it towards the old lady's good deeds which hopefully would outweigh her bad deeds and therefore enter her into heaven.



Ouzi

In the evening Paul went to the men's part of the funeral. This was held in a community hall next to the mosque. He talked with family members and drank coffee with them.

Where do I sit?

On the third day, I went to visit again with Kira for the final part of the funeral. On this day the wider community visit so there were lots of women. We sat and were given bitter coffee and dates again. I wasn't sure if there was an etiquette about where to sit, so asked the lady next to me what I should do. She told me that there was just one special couch for the closest family members and then everyone else could sit where they wanted. However often places further into the room are for more honoured guests. The tradition is to only stay for about 15 minutes to enable other women to have space to visit also.

A week in the life of ...

I was driving home from work at about‭ ‬7pm on a Sunday.‭ ‬Suddenly,‭ ‬a woman stepped out in front of my car and I did not have time to stop.‭ ‬She was speaking on her phone and did not even turn to look before I hit her.‭ ‬She was thrown forwards about‭ ‬5‭ ‬or‭ ‬6‭ ‬metres and then landed on the road.‭ ‬The first thought in my mind was that she was dead,‭ ‬but then I was relieved to see her move.‭ ‬The police arrived very quickly because the accident happened right in front of a police station.‭ ‬The police told everyone not to try and move her,‭ ‬but she sat up of her own accord,‭ ‬so some people helped her to her feet and took her straight into Amman hospital which was on the other side of the road,‭ ‬opposite the police station.

Amman Hospital

Sign this‭ – ‬don't worry about what it says‭!

They asked me to sign a piece of paper which was all in Arabic to promise that I or my insurance would cover all the costs of her treatment.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬I thought it wise to phone a local friend to come and translate it for me first in case it said anything else I would not want to sign.‭ ‬My friend arrived and then I signed the paper,‭ ‬once I was sure what it said.‭

Even if a pedestrian falls off a building onto your car,‭ ‬it is still your fault

Then I was taken across to the police station while my friend stayed at the hospital to monitor the lady’s recovery situation and to talk to her family who had also arrived at the hospital.‭ ‬I also called someone from my work to come and help talk to them and to the police on my behalf.‭ ‬I was well aware that the law in Jordan states that in any car accident involving a pedestrian,‭ ‬it is always deemed to be the driver’s fault,‭ ‬no matter what the circumstances.‭ ‬The police reiterated this point to me by telling me,‭ "‬Even if a pedestrian falls off a building onto your car,‭ ‬it is still your fault in Jordan but,‭ ‬God-willing,‭ ‬you will be OK.‭” ‬I was also aware that many drivers end up in prison in situations like this in Jordan,‭ ‬and began preparing myself for this possibility.

Caught by my Angel

Miraculously,‭ ‬the woman did not have a serious concussion or even any broken bones,‭ ‬leading me to think that she might have been caught by my angel.‭ ‬My local friend did a great job of reassuring her family that my insurance would cover everything and at about‭ ‬11pm they came over to the police station to sign a form stating that they did not wish to press charges against me.‭ ‬If they had not signed this form,‭ ‬I would have had at least a night in jail before going to the court the next day.‭ ‬In the room where I was waiting,‭ ‬about‭ ‬7‭ ‬prisoners were being held in a metal cage which was barely big enough for them.‭ ‬Someone explained to me that they were illegal immigrants.‭ ‬I was grateful that I was not told to wait in there with them.‭

Are you guilty‭?

The next morning,‭ ‬my friend and I went back to the police station and then to the court with one of the police officers.‭ ‬The judge took down all the details needed to open a case file for the accident.‭ ‬She asked me if I‭ ‬admitted that I was guilty of hitting the woman with my car,‭ ‬but was not interested in any of the circumstances of the accident‭ ‬-‭ ‬in Jordan there is no point in asking this because of the law.‭ ‬She set a date for a hearing‭ ‬2‭ ‬weeks later and then we left.

We went straight from the court to visit the lady in hospital and to give her a gift.‭ ‬My friend was advising me on the local customs in this situation.‭ ‬After‭ ‬2‭ ‬days of observation,‭ ‬she was released from hospital and I went to pay her bill which seemed extortionate but no one was surprised because they all knew that it would be covered by insurance.

Cultural expectations

My friend advised me that we should‭ ‬also‭ ‬visit her family so we went‭ ‬2‭ ‬days later,‭ ‬bearing‭ ‬3‭ ‬big boxes of fruit and more chocolates and spent some time with her male relatives.‭ ‬This was important,‭ ‬he said,‭ ‬because the family could decide to change their minds and press charges or demand a lot of money from us at any time before the next hearing.‭ ‬Usually,‭ ‬in Jordan,‭ ‬I would have needed to take many people with‭ ‬me from‭ ‬my tribe,‭ ‬but they settled for this since I am British.‭ ‬I found out from her brother that he had a similar accident‭ ‬15‭ ‬years ago and he was the driver.‭ ‬He had to stay in prison for several weeks until the matter was resolved between their respective tribes.

Kate also visited‭ ‬them the next day together with the kids and two other friends.‭ ‬The lady said that the first thing she thought after finding out that I was British was,‭ ‘‬Oh no‭! ‬If he is British,‭ ‬how are we going to manage to resolve this between my tribe and his tribe.‭’ ‬We are thankful that our local friends helped us to know the right thing to do in this culture and that her family are nice people. Some families in Jordan would have seen it as an opportunity to get lots of money from a foreigner. It was also quite amazing that the accident happened in what might be the only place in Amman where there is a police station opposite a hospital, which made the whole process much easier.

Two Christmas parties in one day

Over Christmas we are having six Christmas parties at our house for different groups of friends that we know here. On Boxing day we had two parties; in the morning we invited our neighbours from upstairs and in the afternoon we hosted a party for a family that we know in south Amman.

First party

Most of the preparation had been done the day before, so we just had to make flasks of tea and coffee and get all the food out before the neighbours came down at 11 o'clock. After our neighbours arrived we had some drinks and snacks before starting some games. This year, instead of 'Pin the beard on the Santa', we played 'Pin the star on Bethlehem' and 'Guess how many ornaments are hanging on the tree.'

Pin the star on Bethlehem

Kate's amazing Christmas desserts

Then Kate brought out the desserts, including mince pies, Christmas cookies and chocolate log roll that she had made.

Christmas cookies

Following on from desserts, Paul and the children did a dramatisation of the Christmas story in Arabic including Kira singing 'Angels from the Realms of Glory' in Arabic.

Mary, Joseph and the donkey

After clearing up there was very little time to rest before getting ready for the next party, which was the same all over again with the addition of the chocolate game and a star-making craft activity.

Star craft activity

!!!!!Competition!!!!

Can you guess how many ornaments are hanging on our tree? Email your guess to us.