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Published: December 11th 2007
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Horsing Around
This is Clayton wearing a Israeli nurse's hat with a little Iraqi child when we were extras in a movie. Hey everyone, I hope that you are all doing well and enjoying the winter that is taking hold. I personally went and played soccer in shorts and a tee shirt yesterday and it was glorious. This will be my last email because I am heading back to New York this Friday after my final exam on Thursday. I haven't done anything outside of Amman since I last wrote, so I thought that I would just give you some parting stories and a reflection.
I want to start with a couple of things that I have learned after talking with some of the Muslims in Kharabsha, an area near Qasid where many of the students live. The conversation started with me describing a presentation that we had in class about the various creation stories across religions and some of the differences in the Muslim version. The are some interesting differences in the Muslim account from the Qur'an as compared to that of the Bible. First, God does not rest on the seventh day but rather sits back and looks upon his creation. Another important difference is that there is no specific story for Eve's creation instead the Qur'an says "It is
Chillin' with the IDF
Clayton sitting next to a Jordanian dressed up as a member of the Israeli Defense Forces for the film He Who created you from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her in love". There is no mention of ribs being taken, etc. The last and very important difference is that it is Satan and not the snake who tempts both of them to eat the forbidden fruit. The blame does not fall primarily on Eve but upon both of them and they are then forgiven by God and unlike the Bible He does not curse Eve with pains during childbirth for her transgressions.
This conversation led to one about man's good deeds in this life. From what my friend told me, I am fairly sure that this applies to Islam in general but might just be this Sufi belief, the soul does not ascend to Heaven immediately after death, but rests with the body until the Day of Judgment. And what keeps your soul company until that day comes are not all of the toys that you accumulated in life or the money you have in your bank account, but your good deeds. All will be counted for or against you in the end, until that point
Badass
No description needed. you rest with your actions and their results. The last and perhaps best thing that I learned that day was the respect that one must hold for one's mother. There is a hadith (story of the life of the Prophet Muhammad) which says roughly "One day a man came up to Muhammad and asked him who is the person in his life who deserves the most respect and importance. The Prophet answered simply, 'your mother' to which the man responded 'and after that?' Again Muhammad told him 'your mother.' 'And after that?' the man asked again only to receive the same answer 'your mother.' The man asks a fourth time and only then does the Prophet say 'your father.'" This is a great hadith. I love you mom.
The last main story I want to tell is about the life of the common man in Jordan. This came up when Roger and I were sitting in a shop drinking tea with the owner and discussing Jordanian's views of the US. I told the store owner that I felt that many of the people here often over-idealize the US to the point that I had a taxi driver confidently tell
Praying
This is during Friday prayer when there were so many people that they spilled out into the street. me that "there is no traffic in America." The owner of the shop responded by telling us why the people here dream fantastic dreams of the US. An average Jordanian pays about 100 JD (about $140) in rent each month for his apartment. Then he has to pay for his 3-4, often more, children to go to school, eat, have clothing, and if they are lucky, a toy here or there in addition to the needs of his wife. Then he has to pay for the heating, water, and electricity of his house and business if he has one. All of this needs to be payed for with the 200-300 JD that he makes a month. Prices are always going up, especially because of the war, but wages don't change. That is why there are riots here when the price of bread goes up 5 cents a bag, because that what many of the people eat as their main stable, and they don't have the money to pay for something more expensive. Under these pressures it seems much more understandable that the average taxi driver or shop owner dreams of the US as a paradise where everything will be great
if he can only get there. The most admirable part of the whole story was that at the end the man told me despite these conditions day after day and month after month, Jordanians don't turn to crime or extremism, but just keep working and hoping for life to get better. I hope that his last statement is true and remains so. In the end, my apartment without heating and leaky roof amongst other problems doesn't seem so bad.
I have now spent about three months here in Jordan, and I feel like every minute of it I have spent learning something, either about the language, myself, the customs, or the people here. Speaking Arabic gives me an instant entrance into the lives of people and they open up to me, inviting me for a meal, tea, or just to talk and share stories about their lives. I have been privileged enough to talk with people from many different areas of the city and walks of life and have heard a multitude of stories. Many people have shared their losses with me, especially the Palestinians living here (Jordan is made up of more native Palestinians than Jordanians) who all
have stories of the family that they will never see or the house that they used to have that was taken from them by the Israelis. I have heard emotional stories of lost love and and frustration between Jordanians or between Jordanians and foreigners, and I have heard about successes and hopes for the future. The most amazing part is that people just open up to you, having just met you and knowing nothing about you they tell you their deep hopes, loves and fears. I have rarely experienced this anywhere else and I feel like it has taken me away from the academic study of the region that I have grown to love and given a human face to the facts. So often when we read about refugees, or victims of a conflict it is hard to connect with them and really feel the pain of the situation that they are going through because there is such a distance between us and them. There a gap not only of distance but of culture, history, language, and religion. I am trying to help bridge that gap between us and them and remove the feeling of the other allows us to cause so much pain without feeling guilt or empathy. There were many times where after I have had a conversation with someone and they have given me a look through the window into their life they said to me "when you get a job and work your way up in the Government, don't forget Jordan, don't forget us". I hope I never do and one of the most important things that I have learned from my time both here and in Morocco is that in the end, we are all human. We all feel the same hopes, pains and love, that is what connects us and bridges the gap of culture or religion, or even language. In the words of JFK, "For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal." I hope that I have brought you a little closer to the people here and that you have taken something away from my blog entries. If so, then it was worth it. I hope to share my experiences with you all in person but until then...
Ma Salama
Luke, Luqa, Al-Sarih (the one who roams free)
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suzanne bolton
non-member comment
I am grateful you are my son.
Best entry yet! Great heartfelt summary. I know that you will not forget Jordan, the land, the people their hopes and dreams. May the beauty you love, continue to be what you do! Umuka (Your mother)