As you can see by our smiling faces, we had a wonderful time in Ma'an today, Rabia's home town. Ma'an is located in the South of Jordan, about an hour from Aqaba. Rabia's school, the Ma'an Secondary School for Girls, hosted us, and we had an engaging time visiting classrooms, speaking with students and visiting with the school's very enlightened and progressive headmistress. Mrs. Salfa Abu Tayeh, the headmistress, is a bedoin woman of great character and strength. She believes strongly in womens rights and issues, and is an activist in this area. You can see her dedication and love of her students and teachers as she speaks. Although she speaks English well, she sometimes elected to speak Arabic and have Rabia translate. The translation was almost unnecessary, though. Her great passion for education shown in her animated face. Later that afternoon we joined Rabia's family for a traditional meal of mansef; typically goat or lamb served over rice with
a rich yogurt based sauce and pine nuts. Delicious!
As you can see by our smiling faces, we had a wonderful time in Ma'an today, Rabia's home town. Ma'an is located in the South of Jordan, about an hour from Aqaba. Rabia's school, the Ma'an Secondary School for Girls, hosted us, and we had an engaging time visiting classrooms, speaking with students and visiting with the school's very enlightened and progressive headmistress. Mrs. Salfa Abu Tayeh, the headmistress, is a bedoin woman of great character and strength. She believes strongly in womens rights and issues, and is an activist in this area. You can see her dedication and love of her students and teachers as she speaks. Although she speaks English well, she sometimes elected to speak Arabic and have Rabia translate. The translation was almost unnecessary, though. Her great passion for education shown in her animated face. Later that afternoon we joined Rabia's family for a traditional meal of mansef; typically goat or lamb served over rice with
a rich yogurt based sauce and pine nuts. Delicious! 
1 comment:
It sounds like you are having a good time in Jordan. I really enjoyed your pictures; I remember many of the sites from when I have visited in the past. I read that you tryed the traditional Jordanian coffee. It is a bit stronger than American coffee. My mom made the mistake of drinking the slug at the bottom of the cup. Yuck! Mansef and stuffed grape leaves are also really traditional dishes. The grape leaves are one of my many favorites. Before you leave you should make sure and try Kibseh (a Saudi dish), Baba-Ganush, and the traditional Kababs. There is a street in Amman full of Kabab stores that stay open 24 hours. It is near Jumruc in the south of Amman by where people pay tariffs. Amman is a very interesting city. It is the best example of the huge increase in development in Jordan. It is also very Americanized. It has changed immensely in the past three years. 3 years ago I hardly ever saw a woman uncovered, but now the percent of women that don't cover is higher than the percent that do. I'm glad you are having such a great time in Jordan. I'd like to hear more about your experience when you get back. Janin
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