Jordan Facts and Culture

Some culture tidbits and Jordan fast facts for you!

I am fairly familiar with Middle Eastern culture and things that go along with that such as modesty and hospitality, but I was glad to learn BEFORE I go of some more specific Jordanian culture taboos:

1. One should not carry/jangle my keys in their hands walking outside because it basically denotes prostitution.
2. Don’t go outside with wet hair – especially important for me as a single woman because the understanding is that women wash their hair after…doing things that only married couples should do.
3. Loose hair means loose woman – put that hair back!

As I briefly mentioned before, modesty is extremely important especially in Middle Eastern cultures and so if you see me looking frumpy and shapeless in pics, know it’s on purpose. ;)  

In America it's good manners to look someone in the eye as you talk with them, and in the South to smile at people as you pass on the street.  With women this should be JUST fine, but to do that in my interaction with men in Jordan would be considered flirtations.  I need to watch out that I don’t freely give away hugs to everyone, either – watch that gender interaction, Cara! :P

Except for a small portion of the Red Sea, Jordan is surrounded by other counties – Saudi Arabia on the southeast, Iraq on the east, Syria on the north (close to where I will be), and Israel on the west.

There are approx. 6,249,000 million people in Jordan.

The language is Arabic, but many people also speak English. 

Jordan is 8 hours ahead of Nashville time.

Religion is an important part of Jordanians' day-to-day lives.  The call to prayer is broadcast five times a day and during Ramadan (which starts the evening of July 8^th) many businesses are closed during the day.  Most of the country is Sunni Muslim.

Ramadan is the 9^th month of the Islamic (lunar) calendar and is considered a “month of blessing marked by prayer, fasting, and charity” focusing on self-sacrifice and devotion to Allah.  Muslims fast for the entire month whenever the sun is shining – they don’t even drink water throughout the day (which grips the heart of this ER nurse a bit – can only imagine the heat exhaustion cases that are seen during summer Ramadan months!).

Fasting (sawm) is one of the five pillars of Islam.  Confession of faith (shahada), prayer (salat), almsgiving (zakat), and pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) are the other four. 

(several of these tidbits came from http://www.gomideast.com/jordan/fastfax.html)

Shakespeare I am Not

I’m not eloquent.  I’m pretty good at knowing what I’m feeling / thinking, but the art of expressing it well verbally often alludes me.  Oh to be able to comprehend and aptly share “what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Eph. 3:18-19).

This is one reason I love hymns.  Sometimes they capture what I want to say so well!  How eloquently they speak of the love of my LORD – you can almost feel the engulfing waters singing the words of Trevor Francis:

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!

When I am tempted to feel inadequate, for instance when heading to Jordan knowing only 6 words of Arabic, hoping to somehow bring glory to God in the mere few weeks I am there, what encouraging reminders from Come Ye, Sinners:

Lo! th’incarnate God ascended, pleads the merit of His blood:
Venture on Him, venture wholly, let no other trust intrude.

Let not conscience make you linger, not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth is to feel your need of Him.

I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms.

It is not my strength that brings Him glory but His strength in even my own weakness (2 Cor 12:9)!  No, I should not lean on my overseas experience or nursing skills or generally cheery disposition, but only on my beloved Saviour, who someday I shall see face to face and, while I will probably first fall prostrate before Him, you better believe I will eventually end up in His arms! :)

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

Yes, He Himself is sufficient and has given me everything that I need to obey and love Him wherever in this world I am.  How I look forward to seeing what He has in store especially in these next few months!

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  (Eph. 3:20-21)  Praise be to His name.

I Already Love Jordan

Yes, 'tis true.  From my very first Jordanian friend in Madagascar to my brief jaunt there in winter 2011, I have known that I love the Jordanian culture.

Today in the ER this was only reinforced as a Jordanian family I had just met invited me to be their friend, learn Arabic from them, come to their house "at any time," and eat Jordanian food.  I'm sure there will be many other things I learn in these coming two months, but one thing I already love about Jordan is the hospitality! :)

                             (With dear friends at Hercule's temple in Amman, Jordan, 2011)

                        (Came across some musicians in some old ruins in Amman, 2011)

                                                       (visiting in Jordan, 2011)
                           

I Peter 4:9 - "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."

A River Runs Through It...

This last month have been quite silent on this blog, but full in real life!  I've been so intrigued by the ways that God has decided to grow and bless me.  Last week was just delightful because I love rivers and got to go out on a couple good ones!

"The pink ladies" pictured above are some of my awesome ER nurse friends.  People sometimes freak out about the raging Ocoee river, but what better people to go with if there's the potential of getting hurt?!  They are hilarious as people and competent and caring to work with.  And cool enough to set up a white water rafting trip. :D

Sarah and I braving the front of the boat that only got nigh-capsized a couple times. ;)

The water was a bit chilly, but felt good after we had been out in the sun!  Sweet Karen decided to stay in the boat all nice and safe. :)

Mission accomplished!  I think Karen's smiling so big because none of us were thrown out and drowned.  It was a fun day had by all. :)  I don't have any pics of the other river (The Narrows of the Harpeth) because I didn't take my phone or camera out on the water, but it was a pretty one, as well!  We took kayaks and a fishing pole with us for a nice, leisurely float which turned out to be quite lovely, indeed.

Jordan update: I believe I have all but one item bought for my trip. Crazy that I leave next week.  So excited! :D 

Would write more, but know I should be good and get some sleep before my early shift tomorrow - and the next day!  May our precious LORD bless you all with His joy inexpressible! :)

Yes, I Recognize My Weirdness

 

You can treasure the weirdness that is Cara or you can think "crazy woman!" and run away, but I am self-aware enough to know the truth of my strangeness.  In many ways.  This unconventionality is partially manifested by the fact that I have a desire to go to places most would not.  The dark, repulsive, forgotten places on this earth tug at and call out to my heart.  For some time now I been praying about going to a tumultuous country like Syria or Afghanistan because they are so very desperately needing medical personnel and people who will love them hard. It's easy to love people who love you, but loving those that are harder to love is simply a delight.


"Watch out, here I come from a corn field to love you, dear people!"

Many tell me this is odd.  "Stay where it's safe," they say. "Stay where you can make money and be close to your friends and family," they chime.  But a "safe and easy" life is not what God has drawn me to.  Normality I can never claim.

Talking with workers in the aforementioned countries, I discovered that going to one of them as an American woman might just cause more problems than help, what with needing 24-hour bodyguards and whatnot.  Thus I began praying about how I could be of help to those who have been ravaged by these terrible wars.  Working with refugees in a surrounding country was an idea God nearly instantly brought to my mind.  Three days later, a doctor friend who works with an NGO wrote me asking if I would consider coming to northern Jordan to work with Syrian refugees!

"Consider it?" I thought, "By jove, God's already got me loving the idea!" 


An idea I didn't completely love?  Eating caterpillars and locusts in Zambia.   Ate one but not the other.  You can guess which one. ;)

Well, now the tickets are bought and I'm heading that way!  I'll be working with a hospital near a Syrian refugee camp for a couple months and yes, would most definitely appreciate your prayers!  I am excited to see what God is going to do both in me and through the medical work and relationship building over there.  I have a feeling I have a lot to learn. :)

 
An unconventional relationship-building time in Mada - switched places with a pousse-pousse driver for a day.  Weirded him and all his buddies out, but they loved it!  I'm sure while thinking "Crazy American girls..."

Another reason I want to go to these places is because Jesus Christ has changed my heart.  By His grace He has instilled such a love for the people of the world within me.  It's not a "normal" love, not one I could ever conjure up by "being a good person."  No, there is no good inside me but for that which God by His mercy and grace has bestowed for the glory of His name.

Look at what the love of God can do in Matthew 5:43-48!  Look at it's nearly unbelievable description in I Corinthians 13!  Look at what it led Christ to do for us unworthy, sinful people!

As a Hindu noted in The Life of Pi,

"Humiliation?  Death?  I couldn't imagine Lord Krishna consenting to be stripped naked, whipped, mocked, dragged through the streets and, to top it all off, crucified - and at the hands of mere humans, to boot.  I'd never heard of a Hindu god dying. ... Why would God wish that upon Himself?  Why not leave death to mere mortals?  Why make dirty what is beautiful, spoil what is perfect?"

  "Love."

 So why am I going to this "dangerous" place?  Why do I even care?  Why do I love?  Because Christ first loved me, and that, that has made all the difference in the world.  I John 4:19.