Highlights: TBW
Spices & Biscuits
Shadow Fun
Chronology: 9.30am Lisa knocked on my door with a "I know it was 'do not disturb', but..." She said Downtown would be fun for me to visit with Natasha, and today we'd go shopping in Sweifieh (sounds approx like 'Sophia' to my ear) in West Amman instead. Seems the locals (in Lisa's circle) don't think much of rubbing shoulders in the stifling heat with the unwashed. Lisa recounted an amusing story of how she'd taken a bus(!) to Downtown (!) with a Singaporian friend who 'did it all the time' -- much to the horror / amusement of Amer and his colleagues at work (who don't go to Downtown, leave stand ride a bus). Had breakfast (cereal with banana and filter coffee with ka'ak - and Lisa had me try a yummy za'atar bread-stick). // Got going around 10.45am, with Laila, on a mission to buy a belly-dancer outfit (for two parties she has coming up at a month-long summer camp, near Chicago). Stopped at a nearby pharmacy where Laila knows the lady-pharmacist, to see if they had Permethrin; but no luck. Continued to the pedestrian shopping street in Sweifieh in search of the 'Afghani' shop there (it's a chain). It was a bright white tableau in the late morning glare, and largely devoid of shoppers. Laila pointed out the Starbucks and the Cinnabon next door, the Zara, and a chain I didn't recognize where she'd recently bought a top. We walked to the end of the street, stopping in at a store that had some belly-dancer outfits but not the right one, then started doubling back. Stopped in at a diner-restaurant-juice shop for a fabulous fresh mixed fruit smoothie, topped with slices of kiwi and apple. Took photos at the Shooting Parlour next door. Went down the side-street opposite the Gap to find Afghani, and Laila found her outfit there. They also had beautiful Afghan silver jewelry studded with turquoise and coral, including some stunning ring-seals and two-fingered rings. Commented that if I had money to burn, that's the kind of thing I'd spend it on; Lisa would spend hers on crockery (eg Villeroy Bosch sets ;). The store sold patches (made me think of Johanna), including one with the Palestinian refugee character (H....). // Continued uphill up the street to the next corner, where the intersection had more the vibe of a local market neighborhood. We stopped in at the XXX Coffee for spices. What a great store! Like a Pitt-River Museum of spices (and nuts and teas and coffees)-- just more organized. A sales-guy took us around: "Here, smell this, what do you think it is?" It was menthol, in shards like pillars of endangered snow-flakes, stored in a bag in a drawer; a whiff of that went through my head quicker than a long draw on a Vicks inhaler. He drew a faint line across our wrists with a hexagon of soft amber, and we were perfumed. Sage tea is good for the stomach - and for the self-esteem. Verbena relaxes and is good for the colon. Lavender? No, no lavender here. Lisa picked up a flower-garlic-spice mix for the lovely rice she made my first night
, and a bagful of bay-leaves for JD 1.50. We crossed to the bakery opposite, to gawp at the racks of ka'ak (at least ten different kinds, some with a hint of aniseed, others with toasted sesame, etc) and buy some savory snacks (different pita 'pizzas' with za'atar, goat cheese, mince meat; triangular pockets with spinach; braids with other spices). There were also trays of baklava, and shelves of cookies; an older gentleman, presumably the owner, pressed us to taste Lisa's favorite sweet, a ball of fried dough soaked in syrup. Laila does indeed get looked at oddly; I caught a serving girl with a head-scarf scowling at her. We speculated they might think she's adopted, being with these two fair women; or maybe it's curiosity at her Looking Jordanian yet speaking English so comfortably with these tourist-foreigners. That they don't smile as they stare is somewhat un-nerving, and Laila doesn't like it but takes it in her stride. It seems Jordanians aren't taught that it's rude to stare; nor are they taught that it's polite to smile. // Once home, Laila modeled her belly-dancer outfit for us. I did some blogging. // Abdullah got home from school about 2.15pm, and we sat down to eat our treats from the Bakery. Where did the afternoon go? I helped Abdullah a bit with stripping a round wooden table in the basement. Lisa had bought it for Laila back in the day and had painted it pink; Abdullah kept asking, "Why can't I just paint over it?" No, it'll be nicer stripped. Went to the local grocery store, Cosmo, with Lisa to pick up some ingredients. Lisa cooked a tasty dinner: chicken in broth with allspice, over toasted pita squares, topped with yogurt and toasted almonds (which she'd soaked and peeled). Plus lettuce with more of the bean-capsicum-corn salad. Abdullah had his semolina cake for dessert. // Abdullah got picked up around 6.15pm to go to soccer practice, and Lisa took me on a (power) walk around the neighborhood. Well, she looked like she'd be power-walking, but my taking photos slowed us down some. A dog of friends of her's followed us on our walk, which made for a tense near-encounter with a boy herding some goats and the pack of five dogs accompanying him. We took pictures of our shadows on the hill-side and laughed. The young men of the house asked us what we were doing, and Lisa got to meet a neighbor(hood)-or family: the mother came to the gate and the two 'boys' turned out to be two of three sons all called -'aam (Isaam, Wisaam, and Hisaam). // Drove across town to pick up Abdullah and his friend Khalid (son of Ghaida) from one of the three or so playing fields in town where professional teams practice. A father who wants the kids to play more / better soccer has started a club that meets three evenings a week to practice. Khalid lives by an Orthodox church in what used to be a Christian part of town. Lisa said her neighborhood was also very Christian, and it was lucky they'd actually been sold the land to build on (given that Amer is Muslim); the saving grace was that he's a Jordanian from Karak, NOT a Palestinian. // Got home, Abduallah got his stuck contact out, Lisa sent Laila to bed, and followed soon after herself. //Tomorrow I go to Jerash with Kristina's 17-year-old son (and Kristina's driver), thoughtfully strategized / organized by Lisa.
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