This day started out blissfully lazy-waking up late for the first weekend after the first week of school. Doing some homework, listening to music. A generally successful pajama day. Then Mubarak left and the house erupted. My mom's friend came over and everyone was crowded around the TV watching Al-Jazeera. Props to you Egyptians, my family is one of those in Jordan who's super excited he's out. Now to see what happens next! I wish I could figure out a little more completely what's going on but I don't speak Arabic well anough yet to catch things on Al-Jazeera and when they showed Obama's speech, they were translating too loudly into Arabic for me to hear him. Though right now they're showing clips of Egyptians driving around in the streets and it looks like Mardi Gras in New Orleans and I keep hearing Allah, so all good things I'm led to suppose.
Back to my smaller, less world changing life- we proceed to get ready for a wedding whereupon I realize I'm a terrible anthropologist (Hend's dad's friend or cousin is getting married? I can't remember: my first failure, kinship is something to be paid attention to!)
SIT told me long ago when packing that I should not even bring shorts or tank tops because I wouldn't wear them anyway. Hend proceeds to dress me in a black dress and tights. This is not happening. I know for fact that the majority of women in that wedding will have hijab on and I simply refuse to show up less than completely covered up. So I change into some of my clothes that are far less cute and far more "oh you're obviously an American trying not to break cultural rules".
We get to the wedding and true to prediction, most women are all covered up save a few and the bride with her beautiful hair. I'm just going to put this on the table, when you are the only girl who has not straightened or curled her hair to an artificial shine and you're just letting it do whatever the hell it wants to (which on a normal day is a small explosion of voluminous messy curls for me) there is no way to blend in, I repeat, no way to blend it even if you try to disappear into the ground. Not that I expected hostility. Jordanians are some of the nicest most welcoming people I've met on the whole (though I'm the only one in SIT who can compare it to Texas and I have to say, Texas necessarily wins).
Back to the failing at anthropology. So far I've limited the cultural notes I've been taking in my head mainly because I thought it'd be a good idea to give myself some time to acclimate before trying to assess. I must have lost all skill I ever thought I had. Or maybe I'm too much of a girl to make cultural notes while at a wedding because I'm too busy deciding how my wedding would be different or similar. (the feminist in me cringed when I realized this was the reason I wasn't making productive notes) So then I just gave in to being the girl instead of the anthropologist, at the time, it sounded like more fun. What an interesting ceremony it was indeed. From time to time Hend and I danced and would go back to sitting down. And let me tell you, I may be a good dancer in the states but I've got some learning to do over here. These ladies are sassy! and very talented.
There was a lot of coming and going on the part of the bride and groom. Picture taking opportunities every time. It seemed more of a procession of a king and queen to me than it did a "wedding ceremony" (in the most normal american christian wedding terms you can imagine). The best part? when the husband left and the women crowded the dance floor. Of course the men of the wedding had to return eventually and when they did the wife left to put her glitzy wedding worthy hijab on and on the part of the guests there was much hijab adjusting. There was cake and the giving of gold necklaces, bracelets and earrings (from the husband to the wife, Hend tells me this is tradition) and then my mother decided it was time to go. And that's that my friends, you are up to date on my current position, blogging in the family room with Al-Jazeera as background noise.
The wedding was definitely an experience and I'm glad I could go but it was definitely not my style-there was just so much jewelry and glitz and glam. I'm more of a barefoot, plain, and simple kind of gal. I mean, when they did the whole 'feeding each other cake' part the cake had already been cut for them and put on forks, there was zero fun and silliness. Well, at least for that. I might be giving you a very incorrect picture of this. It was very fun and silly- lots of dancing, loud music and for their parts, the bride and groom looked pretty happy about everything. Do you see yet how I completely failed as a social scientist. Total. Utter. Failure. All of the assessments made were based on my own personal opinion and biases. If this was a test run, I have a lot to learn. Also, I realized while I was there that to be intimately aware of what was going on would take EONS. I hadn't ever realized the severity of the work of my predecessors in their hardcore ethnographies and research until then. It would take forever for me to understand the significance, popular opinion, and feelings about all of the things that I saw tonight-years I tell you, years.
Anyway- tonight I've forgiven myself for my temporary break from anthropological inquiry. I was right, it was definitely more fun to be a girl.
Well I can't think of anything more to say on the subject tonight. I've added the links of some of my fellow SITers blogs on the right, check them out. Their comedic timing and knowledge of Middle Eastern politics and culture is far superior to mine and they will definitely serve to give you a more fleshed out idea of life here because I can only type so much until even I get sick of my inner voice. So check them out and spread the blogging love!
Until next time, there are some pictures for you to enjoy below! Love to all!
Back to my smaller, less world changing life- we proceed to get ready for a wedding whereupon I realize I'm a terrible anthropologist (Hend's dad's friend or cousin is getting married? I can't remember: my first failure, kinship is something to be paid attention to!)
SIT told me long ago when packing that I should not even bring shorts or tank tops because I wouldn't wear them anyway. Hend proceeds to dress me in a black dress and tights. This is not happening. I know for fact that the majority of women in that wedding will have hijab on and I simply refuse to show up less than completely covered up. So I change into some of my clothes that are far less cute and far more "oh you're obviously an American trying not to break cultural rules".
We get to the wedding and true to prediction, most women are all covered up save a few and the bride with her beautiful hair. I'm just going to put this on the table, when you are the only girl who has not straightened or curled her hair to an artificial shine and you're just letting it do whatever the hell it wants to (which on a normal day is a small explosion of voluminous messy curls for me) there is no way to blend in, I repeat, no way to blend it even if you try to disappear into the ground. Not that I expected hostility. Jordanians are some of the nicest most welcoming people I've met on the whole (though I'm the only one in SIT who can compare it to Texas and I have to say, Texas necessarily wins).
Back to the failing at anthropology. So far I've limited the cultural notes I've been taking in my head mainly because I thought it'd be a good idea to give myself some time to acclimate before trying to assess. I must have lost all skill I ever thought I had. Or maybe I'm too much of a girl to make cultural notes while at a wedding because I'm too busy deciding how my wedding would be different or similar. (the feminist in me cringed when I realized this was the reason I wasn't making productive notes) So then I just gave in to being the girl instead of the anthropologist, at the time, it sounded like more fun. What an interesting ceremony it was indeed. From time to time Hend and I danced and would go back to sitting down. And let me tell you, I may be a good dancer in the states but I've got some learning to do over here. These ladies are sassy! and very talented.
There was a lot of coming and going on the part of the bride and groom. Picture taking opportunities every time. It seemed more of a procession of a king and queen to me than it did a "wedding ceremony" (in the most normal american christian wedding terms you can imagine). The best part? when the husband left and the women crowded the dance floor. Of course the men of the wedding had to return eventually and when they did the wife left to put her glitzy wedding worthy hijab on and on the part of the guests there was much hijab adjusting. There was cake and the giving of gold necklaces, bracelets and earrings (from the husband to the wife, Hend tells me this is tradition) and then my mother decided it was time to go. And that's that my friends, you are up to date on my current position, blogging in the family room with Al-Jazeera as background noise.
The wedding was definitely an experience and I'm glad I could go but it was definitely not my style-there was just so much jewelry and glitz and glam. I'm more of a barefoot, plain, and simple kind of gal. I mean, when they did the whole 'feeding each other cake' part the cake had already been cut for them and put on forks, there was zero fun and silliness. Well, at least for that. I might be giving you a very incorrect picture of this. It was very fun and silly- lots of dancing, loud music and for their parts, the bride and groom looked pretty happy about everything. Do you see yet how I completely failed as a social scientist. Total. Utter. Failure. All of the assessments made were based on my own personal opinion and biases. If this was a test run, I have a lot to learn. Also, I realized while I was there that to be intimately aware of what was going on would take EONS. I hadn't ever realized the severity of the work of my predecessors in their hardcore ethnographies and research until then. It would take forever for me to understand the significance, popular opinion, and feelings about all of the things that I saw tonight-years I tell you, years.
Anyway- tonight I've forgiven myself for my temporary break from anthropological inquiry. I was right, it was definitely more fun to be a girl.
Well I can't think of anything more to say on the subject tonight. I've added the links of some of my fellow SITers blogs on the right, check them out. Their comedic timing and knowledge of Middle Eastern politics and culture is far superior to mine and they will definitely serve to give you a more fleshed out idea of life here because I can only type so much until even I get sick of my inner voice. So check them out and spread the blogging love!
Until next time, there are some pictures for you to enjoy below! Love to all!
At a cafe in Istiklal mall, look closely (I love cakes in the desert tooo!!)
Every morning the most delicious breakfast ever. Eggs, feta, jam, oil, thyme & sesame, tea, and bread as the ultimate food and utensil. perfect.
My beautiful sister Hend!
Little brother!!
Wedding ready? only on of us really-to the right, haha. Though I did commit to some eyeliner tonight which was a large step in that direction.
Mama u Baba! (and Al-Jazeera with some very happy Egyptians in the background)
The wedding crowd
complete with live time projection of the bride and groom on one wall!
Alrighty-roo, type more soon! Have a splendid day everyone!
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