Ramadan Wrap-Up

Whoops, sorry about the absence! The combination of Ramadan (aka. barely being able to get anything done), apartment searching, and then moving made for a busy past few weeks. Right after I moved, my friend Kristen came to travel around with me in Jordan and over the border for two weeks! Suffice to say, it's been a busy month and I have a lot of posts to write!

The last time I left off, it was still Ramadan, which ended up being a little different than last year in that my host family only went to relatives' homes a few times this year and mainly ate at home. I think it's because my host family had too much going on with the son finishing tawjihi and the second eldest daughter getting engaged. To be honest, I didn't mind because I love eating dinner with just my host family, listening to their animated stories and conversations, and learning more about the family's dynamic (they are very close).

The second week of Ramadan looked pretty similar to week one...

Friday: Iftar at home
Saturday: Iftar at home
Sunday: Iftar at home
Monday: Iftar at home
Tuesday: Iftar at my friend's host mom's house
Wednesday: Iftar at home
Thursday: Iftar at home

ALL THE DESSERTS - From my friend's host mom's iftar
(I couldn't resist posting again!)

The third week of Ramadan was a little more happening thanks to an awesome meal at Sara Fish Restaurant with friends downtown as well as my host family's big iftar for their relatives...

Friday: Iftar at home (anxiously awaiting tawjihi results)

Saturday: Iftar at Sara Fish Restaurant with friends

Sunday: Iftar at home

Monday: Big Iftar party at home for ALL the family's relatives!

Tuesday: Iftar at home

Wednesday: Iftar with the eldest daughter at home (she avoided going to a relatives' house and taught me to make mutabbel instead!)

Thursday: Iftar at an Uncle's house (last iftar with my host family!)

Delicious Mezze Platters at Sara Fish Restaurant

Yummy potato goodness

Our ginormous fish (see hands for scale!)

Amy and I at Sara Fish Restaurant (courtesy of JV)

You know there's going to be a party when the red chairs come out

So many family members, so few chairs!

The fourth and final week of Ramadan was anything but similar since Kristen arrived to visit Amman and travel around with me...

Friday: Post-iftar dinner at Jaffra with Kristen and her Chinese friend David (whom we both last saw in CHINA when I came to travel with Kristen as she was leaving her Peace Corps fieldsite)

Saturday: Post-iftar dinner at Al-Quds (Kristen loved mansaf!)

Sunday: Iftar at Sara Fish Restuarant

Monday: Iftar dinner at Hashim's (famous for their falafel)

Tuesday: Dinner in Wadi Mousa (after visiting Petra)

Wednesday: Iftar in Wadi Rum (at a Bedouin camp!)

Thursday: Dinner at my apartment in Amman

Friday & Saturday: Dinner across the border

Sunday: EID AL FITR!!! (End of Ramadan!!!)

On the way to pick up Kristen at the airport, we came across this
low-blood sugar driver right before iftar, driving down the wrong side of
the road (which has a median as you can see). To his credit, he had
his blinkers on while he was doing this crazy maneuver.

Kristen and her friend David who has worked in Amman for 3 years

Fork and knife at Sara Fish Restaurant (round two).
Please note the fork on top reads "Welcome" in Arabic which I loved,
while the knife on the bottom has the Royal Jordanian airline logo...

View from the Sara Fish Restaurant balcony where we ate iftar,
overlooking Hashim's where we ate iftar the following night

Close up of the families patiently waiting for the ithan

Fish salad?!

I had to call to make reservations and I was surprised at how accurate
 they were with my name which is really hard to say here

And thus ends Ramadan, which was my third one (during summer!) in a row. I was elated to come back to Amman after our trip and realize I can freely drink water in public during the day, and I can go to any restaurant at any time to get food!