I have just about a month left in Jordan, and return has been on my mind a lot lately. I’m looking forward to going home, seeing my family, and catching up with my friends. But I’m also already missing so many aspects of Jordan that I won’t get to experience in the states. Here’s a quick list of what’s on my mind right now and what I’m going to miss the most:
1. My host family
These are some of the kindest, most welcoming people I have ever met. I’m going to miss sitting in the living room with them sipping tea and watching Turkish dramas. I’m going to miss the large family gatherings, with kids running around, the smell of shisha smoke heavy in the air, and too many conversations going on at once. This family has taught me more than I can put into words.
2. The constant possibility of sheep
Let me explain: in Jordan, you never know when you will open a door whether or not a flock of sheep will be outside of it. It’s always a nice little surprise, one that will sadly be missing when I return to the U.S.
3. The food
Uggh, this one I’m really sad about. Jordanian food is so good. How am I ever going to go back to grocery store hummus in the U.S.? To tell you the truth, I may never eat hummus again.
Fun fact: Jordan’s national dish, mansaf, is mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis 18, Abraham cooks a calf together with milk and bread, similar to the way mansaf is prepared to this day! You know the food is good when God thinks it’s important enough to write down the recipe.
4. New friends
Who else would be willing to do a three person Titanic reenactment on the Bosphorus Sea?
5.The cats
This one is really just an excuse to show off all of the cat pictures I’ve taken. Look at Basbousa staring at her reflection. Isn’t she cute?
6. Everything else
At this point I’m realizing one blog post isn’t nearly enough to cover everything that I’m going to miss about Jordan. So I’ll end with a final quote and gratitude for the wise words of Mahmoud Darwish, a Palestinian poet I’ve been reading a lot of during my time here.
If I were another on the road, I would not have looked back,
I would have said what one traveler said
to another: stranger! awaken
the guitar more! Delay our tomorrow so our road
may extend and space may widen for us, and we may get rescued
from our story together
Darwish, Mahmoud. “If I Were Another.” Poetry, December 2005.
Here’s to savoring every moment and delaying tomorrow just a little bit longer.