In America, we all turn our televisions on and switch to our favorite news station, be it CNN or Fox News, or 7 News. Sometimes we hear bad things about the Middle East, and how there are extremist terrorists around every corner. Clips of fighting and barren towns, soldiers running and patrolling occupy your screen. You don’t want to go to the Middle East. This may be true for war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is not true for the whole Middle East.

I didn’t know exactly what to expect but any worries or fears I might have had were quickly dispelled during our first day in Jordan.  Ra’ed, our guide, and Magdy, our driver, were kind, gentle, and funny.  Ra’ed has the Great Library of Alexandria and the Library of Congress stored up in his head, and Magdy could drive through a blizzard, on a winding  path, on the side of a cliff, with less than 3 feet of visibility and we would still get to our destination on time!

During our stay we learned many things about the history of Jordan, the people who live there, and even some things about the Muslim faith.

Interesting Facts I learned

-Muslim women must cover their hair.  It is a way of showing modesty and not attracting attention.

-An un-married woman cannot be with un-married men in her/his home.

-Muslims pray 5 times a day, always facing in the direction of Mecca.

-Muslims view everyone as brothers and sisters, even people of other faiths.

-OFF TOPIC: Names in Arabic often have meanings:   Ra’ed means “Thunder,” and Majdy means “Glory.” My name means, “Someone who pushes a cart”. Wouldn’t you rather have an Arabic name? 🙂

-No money lending because earning interest is a sin.  This also means that people don’t borrow money from banks.  Consequently there is no threat of foreclosure and bankruptcy.

-2 ½ % of your income goes to charity.

-If you have a friend who needs some money, you can offer it to him and tell him that he can pay you back whenever he can, no interest rates, no contracts, just a friend helping another.

-If you say, “That is very nice”, the person who owns that object is supposed to offer it to you. That doesn’t mean that you’re actually supposed to take it though.

-Any religion or race, it doesn’t matter, you are a brother or a sister.

Thank you, Ra’ed. Thank you, Magdy. Thank you, Magdy. Thank you, Ra’ed.

The weather in Jordan was not very good, but you two made it one of the highlights of our trip! Everyone we met was kind and gentle and many offered us gifts. We felt safe, taken care of, and relaxed. We would like to thank our guides for such a fantastic trip.

I, personally, consider both of you as extended family. If you are ever in Boston or New England, please let us know.

Cette phrase est seulement pour Blandine et toutes les personnes qui parlent française : je suis désolée mais j’ai préféré les fallafels mieux que les biscuits du beurre que nous avons mangés dans nos cours de française. 🙂