Diplomatic bazaar!

No pictures to show, as usual, but I definitely wish that I did!

Yesterday I went to the Diplomatic Bazaar put together by Princess Basma, who is the aunt of the current king Abdullah II. She had quite a show of security with her. It was a bit irritating to dodge around the crowds that tried to take pictures of her and the security guards who held them back. But people in suits didn't stop me from enjoying myself! All the proceeds went to Mubarrat Um Al-Hussein, which is a charity that benefits rural women and children in Jordan.

I think all the countries that were represented at this bazaar are the countries that have embassies in Jordan, although there were a few key ones, like Britain, missing. Ah well. Outside there were tables under little awnings that sold food representative of their country. Of course I went straight to the Filipino one! I bought some dessert that is similar to buko pandan, sort of like coconut fruit salad, only yummier than it sounds! I was quite pleased. All these tables were outside a series of large warehouses, the main one of which was filled with more tables of countries and even more people. It was so amazing! I loved seeing what each country chose to represent themselves with. Iraq's table had awesome leatherworks, Sudan had tons of tribal masks and carvings and France, for some reason, had watches! I couldn't possibly describe everything that I saw, which is why I really wish I had a functioning camera. But no worries. It was enough to see it with my own eyes.

Most everything there was quite pricey, since the crowd was made up mostly of ex-pats. I'd never seen so many of them in one place! Not just Americans, but Scandinavians, Greeks, Indonesians, Chinese, Germans. It was almost as interesting to just listen to each language as you passed by. It was very sweet to see people bonding over their common heritage. "Oh, you're Greek? Me too! Here, buy some cheese!" Most everyone at the tables were from the country they represented. It was a cultural smorgasbord! There were a surprising amount of American kids there. Wow, if I had the chance to live in Jordan as a kid. I hope they know how lucky they are!

Anyways, that's pretty much all I have for now. The week has just started and I'm looking forward to my second choir practice tomorrow. I finally talked to the director at UJ although he's preoccupied with an upcoming concert this Thursday, so I'll email him for their practice times afterwards.


!حتى المرة الجاية
Van

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Part of trip: Jordan: Take One

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