Jordan - October 2022
"Welcome to Jordan", everyone said on every street corner. And I really felt welcome.
What I remember most about Jordan is its people! A people of good manners, generosity and hospitality. No prejudice towards the foreigner... fully aware of their own value and the weight of prejudices related to their culture, they were smiling and welcoming. Almost as if to show that being Muslim is not what the media portrays it to be.
But I already knew that.
A dynamic and magical journey, discovering one's soul. Between history and adventure. Dancing without fear, to improvised music and traditional songs. Smiles and applause. Having lunch with our hands, sitting on the floor, without shoes, at the home of what was then our family. A breathtaking Petra and such a rush of adrenalin that we didn't want to sleep anymore.
Chickpea hummus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and mint tea as sweet as the hearts of those who made it. And then... there was the desert.
Have you ever seen a full moon and sunset in the same sky? This is what Wadi Rum looked like. A panorama to take your breath away. When we arrived at the camp we sat around the fire drinking tea and roasting marshmallows. Next to me was Bashar. Sweet, polite and with a piercing smile.
The Jordanian sky above us and the full moon that like a beacon illuminated the desert. I looked at him surreptitiously and when I met his gaze I smiled embarrassedly as I looked up at the moon. Two completely different cultures... but we were two human beings, with the same heart, the same smile and the same dreamy eyes.
That night I fell asleep under the stars and the next morning... desert tour standing on a jeep. A morning of glances, smiles and chatter... then a hug, a few tears, a kiss with my hand out the window and a bitter goodbye.
To Jordan and its people... for teaching me through every glance the humanity my heart needed.
Taly
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