Cyprus: Yes, Please

Saturday morning, Betsy, Maryam, Meghan and I left Amman for Cyprus. Qasid gave a generous week-long break for 'Eid al-Adha (a Muslim holiday remembering the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael for God) so we took the opportunity to travel. I arrived back earlier this afternoon after 5 days in Cyprus. There is too much to talk about in one blog post so I will post the highlights.

Background on Cyprus Cyprus is a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. In the 1960s and 70s, Cyprus experienced some violence between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority. Both Greece and Turkey have assisted their respective ethnic groups. Currently, the island is divided into the Republic of Cyprus in the west and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (recognized only by Turkey) in the east. The two are divided by the Green Line which runs right through the capital of Nicosia. 

Car Rental We thought it would be a good idea to rent a car. Lonely Planet Cyprus said that buses and taxis were a pretty unreliable way to see the country. Additionally, our travel plans included exploring Cyprus's mountains. So, we rented a tiny Hondi Colt. Betsy and I took on the position of driver. The only difficulty being that Cypriots drive on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. At first, driving was a little strange but after a little bit, driving on the left side of the road became comfortable. Looking back, I don't think we would have seen nearly as much as if we had not rented a car. Driving allowed us to change our plans depending on our mood or the weather. 

Pafos Our apartment was in the Cypriot city of Pafos. Pafos is a beach town on the west coast of the Island. Pafos hosts a couple of archeological sites namely the Tombs of the Kings (a serious of elaborate below ground tombs) and the Archeological Park (an expansive park with uncovered mosaics, a ruined fort and an amphitheater among other things).

Limassol  On our first full day in Cyprus, we had every intention of trying to hit the beach (because of the 80-degree weather). However, the weather looked pretty overcast so we decided to drive to Limassol instead. On the way there we stopped at Petra Tou Romiou also known as Aphrodite's Rock. According to mythology, Aphrodite was born out of one of Uranus's testicles which was cut off and thrown into the sea. This supposed location is Petra Tou Tominou where the shoreline is littered with huge rocks. The location is a popular attraction for those interested in mythology. The hillside was decorated with hearts outlined with rocks collected from the beach. We spent about 45 minutes here posing on one of the rocks like Aphrodite. Many of the other tourists found us pretty amusing. From here we continued on to Limassol, another beachfront city on the southern coast of Cyprus. Limassol was less touristy than Pafos but also contained a few historical landmarks such as the castle where Richard the Lionheart married his fiancee. We spent a few hours here before driving back to Pafos.

Troodos Mountains The Troodos Mountains are a mountain range located in the middle of Cyprus. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to hike to drive up to the mountains and scope out a trail. On our way up the mountain, we stopped briefly at a winery to sample some Cypriot wine. This was a good decision. Our hike in the mountains was 7 km and took us about 2 hours to do. It was a beautiful taste of autumn. The temperature in the mountains was down to a cool 65 degrees. I enjoyed the ability to walk outside in a skirt that showed my knees. It was refreshing. 

Nicosia The capital of Cyprus is Nicosia (locally, Lefkosia). We drove to Lefkosia after our hike in the mountains. Our objective was to see a little of the city but also to cross over to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We parked inside the Old City walls of Lefkosia on the Greek side. A quick 10 minute walk led us to a commercial pedestrian street lined with restaurants and stores. On one end of the street was the Green Line and the pedestrian crossing. Crossing the border seemed to be an everyday affair. In order to leave, we presented our passport and filled out a sheet of paper with our name and nationality. Then the guard stamped our paper and we were welcomed to Turkish Cyprus. As soon as we crossed, the dusk call to prayer sounded. We walked around the Turkish portion of the capital looking at a few of the sites and stopping in a shops here and there. Before crossing back to the Greek side, we sat and had a beer and watched the people. Thankfully, the cafe accepted Euros as well as the New Turkish Lira. Visiting both parts of Lefkosia was probably the highlight of my visit to Cyprus. The city was more European than anything else. The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. I enjoyed strolling the streets and seeing the effects of an ethnicity on a city.

Food in Cyprus During our stay in Cyprus, we made breakfast at home and packed sandwiches for our lunch. We ate out a few times for dinner. Perhaps the best meal in Cyprus was at Mother's Kitchen. We found a recommendation for this restaurant in our Lonely Planet guidebook. The restaurant was located down an alleyway in Pafos. We arrived at the restaurant at about 6pm and were the only people there. A 55 or 60 year old Cypriot man greeted us and sat us at a table in the back of his restaurant. The restaurant looked as though it was an expansive kitchen/ dining room. Oh, and there were about a dozen cats being fed at the same time. We all ordered the special. The special that night was beef and chicken slow cooked in a traditional Cypriot oven with potatoes and vegetables. The meal was excellent. There was more meat in that dish than I usually eat in a week or two weeks in Jordan. Needless to say, after dinner we decided to walk for a while to help the food settle. The second restaurant of note was St. George's Fish Tavern, another recommendation from the Lonely Planet. The tavern was right on the ocean with a beautiful view. I ordered fresh salmon. I was happy to have plain grilled fish. I think it tasted better because I was watching the sun set over the ocean. 

Other: There was a strange smelling tree in Cyprus that made everything smell like yeast. Also, Christmas decorations were already up. They seemed pretty tacky considering the 80 degree weather and Santa in full winter clothing. We ate bacon our first day in Cyprus! There was a toaster in the apartment we rented. It was nice to be able to wear skirts that showed my knees. I loved the clean air and the smell of the ocean. I forgot how much I liked to drive! Essentially what I am getting at is that I had a really good time in Cyprus. And now, there is less than one month between me and Oxford, Ohio!

Maryam, Betsy and Meghan

Travel partners!

Ruins in the Archeological Park

Aphrodite was born here!

Pedestrian street in Lemissol

Dinner at Mother's Restaurant

The Hammam PLUS Gold Shopping

Yesterday, Shadea and I went to Al-Pasha Turkish Bath (click for pictures from the website) . This experience should be on everyone's bucket list. We arrived for our 2pm appointment and were immediately ushered into a locker room where we changed out of our clothes and into bathing suits. From there, a woman led us through the hammam. How can I accurately describe it? The hammam had about 10-12 marble tables around the perimeter where women were being either scrubbed or massaged. In the middle, was a stone hot tub. On one side of the hammam, there was a small alcove for showering. The ceiling had stained glass pieces that softened any natural light shining through.

Our first stop was a cave in the back of the hammam. A woman gave Shadea and me a washcloth that had been sitting in the refrigerator before pulling back the curtain that covered the entrance to the cave/ steam room. The steam room was suffocatingly hot. The steam made it almost impossible to breath and even more difficult to see. The cave had two levels. I tried sitting on the higher of the two but I only managed for a minute before I had to sit lower. After about two minutes, Shadea and I tried to leave but the same woman told us that our time in there wasn't up and turned us around back into the steam room. She placed the cloth over Sheada's hair. I followed suit. Somehow that helped. Another few minutes passed and a second woman brought us cold hibiscus juice. It was the consistency of a slushy and tasted like a sweeter cranberry juice.

After another few minutes, our time in the steam prison/cave was up. After rinsing off in the shower, the hot tub was our next stop. For all I know the water in the hot tub could have been boiling but it didn't feel as hot as the steam room. We soaked for 10 minutes or so before I was called to be scrubbed. Before I forget to mention, the marble tables are a "no-tops-allowed" zone.

So, on to the scrubbing. The woman threw some warm water on me and then grabbed a slightly rough cloth and started scrubbing literally from the bottoms of my feet to my head. At some point, she lifted up one of my arms said "look!" and pointed to the skin that was no longer attached to my body. Once she was satisfied with the amount of skin that had been removed, she got a loofah and some soap and cleaned me from head to toe. Finally, I was rinsed in warm water and then sent to the showers to rinse off again.

After my shower and another brief intermission in the hot tub, I was called to another marble slab for massage time! I don't know how long I was on that table being pushed, pulled and bended but I do know that it wasn't nearly long enough. I could have stayed for another hour at least. But, that wasn't an option and I was sent to the showers for a final rinse. After this process, all I wanted to do was sleep- I was so relaxed! Sleeping, however, wasn't an option. We were on to gold shopping!

So, after paying the 25JD for the hammam experience, Shadea and I took a cab from Rainbow St. to meet Akrum. Akrum is the antithesis of any negative stereotype of young Jordanian men. He is so kind, thoughtful and incredibly helpful. Case and point- he agreed to go shopping with Shadea and me!  We were scheduled to meet Akrum in Jabal al-Hussain, the commercial area of Amman. There, the streets are lined with clothing shops, restaurants, and, most importantly in this story, dozens of gold shops.

Akrum took us from shop to shop where we looked through earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces and anything else you can think of that might come in gold. If we were interested in the price of something, we (or sometimes Akrum) would ask the shop keeper to weigh the item. From the weight, he would calculate the price of the day. These shops don't even consider carrying anything less than 18 carat gold. Most often, the jewelry is 18 or 21 carats.

In several of the stores, we saw girls about my age with their families. Akrum explained that, more than likely, these girls were about to get married. They were there with their mothers and the mothers of the groom to settle the dowry- in gold. Akrum went on to say that men are getting married later simply because marriage is so expensive due in part to the tradition of pre-marriage gold.

While Shadea and I were looking around for our respective jewelry, Akrum was shopping for 'Eid gifts for his sisters. So, brothers, take a leaf out of Akrum's book. He got his sisters each a gold initial for 'Eid.

After we were finished shopping, we got knafeh. Knafeh is a Arab pastry made from very fine pastry, sweet cheese, honey and usually pistachios. There are several different types and all are worth sampling multiple times. The knafeh and conversation was the perfect end to a great day.

A Jordanian Father...?

There are two things that happened yesterday that I would like to share:

First, during a cap ride from Abdoun to 7th circle, I had the nicest exchange with my cab driver. I got in the cab and told the older driver where I was headed. He asked where I was from and once I told him I was American, we launched into a conversation about Arabic and English. He told me I was a clever girl for learning Arabic so well- after this statement, I couldn't help but to like him. He shared with me some essential phrases in Arabic and asked me for advice about learning English. He said I was funny (obvious truth). Then, he proceeded to tell me about his 6 children (4 boys and 2 girls all my age or older). Here's the kicker: he tells me that while I am in Jordan he will be like my father- that if I need anything I am to call him. If I have any questions about Arabic or about anything else- I should call him. I probably will sometime.

Second, we had a few guests over for dinner. Two of them were Fulbrighters that had been deported from Syria not 48 hours ago. Their crime? Who knows. It was interesting talking to them about their experiences in detention and leaving Syria. Surprisingly, they had been contacted by the foreign minister who told them that they could return to Syria and the deportation would be erased from their records. At the time I spoke to them, they were debating whether or not they should return to Syria versus staying in Jordan. Kind of a surreal story, isn't it?

48 Minutes in Palestine

On Thursday, Betsy and I went to the Royal Cultural Center to see the play "48 Minutes in Palestine." From what we had heard the play would be in ammiyya. We made sure to arrive plenty early. Our previous experiences dictated that if we didn't arrive early enough we would end up sitting on the floor. So, in the 30 minutes before the start of the play while waiting for the doors to open, Betsy and I glanced through the play's program while doing some people watching. The most eventful site was a man with a comb-over/ mullet- you can use your imagination. Needless to say, I took at picture on my phone. At about 5 minutes until the posted start time, people began crowding around the door. We took the hint and joined the crowd. When the doors opened, we weaved through so as to secure two of the seats that had backs- the rest were simply benches. After finding our seats, we waited a few minutes for the play to start. 

As it turns out, the play was not in Jordanian ammiyya. It wasn't in fousha. In fact, there were no words at all. In the end, however, the play was more powerful in its silence. The opening scene involved a woman sitting on a mat on the floor (her bed) writing in a journal. Surrounding her was a circle of rocks which depicted the boundaries of her house. In addition to the mat, she had a chair, a backgammon board, a basket of fruit and a flower growing out of a pile of rocks. A minute or two into the play, a weary looking older man arrives outside her house and wanders in. She gives him much needed water. After drinking the water, the man presents the woman with a piece of paper- a marriage contract. Metaphorically, the contract represented the British White Paper. She is immediately displeased and drags his suitcase out of the house. He brings it back in and this struggle continues. Finally, the man wins and begins unpacking his suitcase and scattering his belongs around the house. She tries to put his things back in his suitcase. In essence, the play continues like this. There are struggles back and forth for power. Little by little, the man wins more space in the house. The woman is relentless in her struggle. She refuses to accept the arrangement. Every time the man takes more space or does something unjust, you just want to yell out for her- to help her. Each time the woman would retaliate at the man, the audience would applaud for her. The play ended, 48 minutes later, with the woman standing defiantly outside of her house on the pile of rocks where her flower used to be. The man is inside with all of her former belongings. I enjoyed the play. I enjoyed listening to the crowds reactions. The silence was powerful. I wanted to call out on her behalf- the man was being such a bully!

General Life Updates

The following are a few general life updates and anecdotes:

Qasid: Classes are keeping me undeniably busy. There are days when I feel like I am trying to stuff so much Arabic into my brain that when I try and use the language, all of the information tries to spill out and I end up sounding ridiculous. We are learning vocabulary, grammar and writing style in my MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) class. It is a lot to think about. When I try and speak, I try to find the right combination of all of these factors which can be difficult especially when I am put on the spot. My ammiyya class is useful. Although, I am not a fan of it being for two hours in the evening. Media is good. I try to listen to and read the news in Arabic which helps with this class.

I have told Qasid that I will be staying for another session. I feel I have so much more to learn! I would absolutely benefit from another term focusing on Arabic. If I have any intention of sitting in on classes at the University of Jordan, I need to make sure I can understand what is going on.

Change: I don't think I have ranted about getting change yet. Here's what made me think of this: a few days ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop in Shmeisani doing some homework. I looked out the window to see a man standing on the side of the road waving a 10 or 20JD bill at passing cabs. He didn't actually want to be taken any where. He wanted change. After a few minutes, a cab pulled over and handed him change through the window. Here is the story with change: a bill over 10JD can't be used any place that isn't a bank or large store (i.e. Safeway, Food City). Bills 10JD or smaller can *generally* be used at dukans (small shops that line the streets) and hopefully there will be change. Occasionally, if you have a 5JD note and you went for a longer cab ride, you might be able to get change from the driver. I have made several trips to the grocery store for the simple necessity of getting change for the bills given to me by the ATM. This is simply a phenomenon that I don't understand. Everyone wants small bills, everyone uses small bills. I know that cabs and dukans have change sometimes. It just seems like everyone is hoarding their small change! I don't understand. You would think that if everyone uses small notes then there would be plenty around to get change with. I'm still trying to figure this one out. In fact, this morning I will probably have to go to food city to buy something I don't need so that I can get change. Kind of absurd isn't it?

The Weather: I am not going to write on this topic for very long. Suffice it to say, it is the beginning of November and today's high will be close to 80F. What is that?? 

Graduate School: I am working on graduate school applications for the Fall of 2011. It will be interesting trying to take the GRE again in Jordan. It is possible although not entirely convenient. Also, thank goodness for skype! I have been using skype to make various inquiries at graduate schools. 

Elections: Parliamentary elections in Jordan are next Tuesday. Elections here are... different. For starters, campaigning is limited to about a month before the election. I remember that overnight signs had been plastered on every possible location in the circles and along the streets. TV ads for candidates are pretty much nonexistent. Candidates use text messaging to campaign. Additionally, candidates can be contacted by texting their phone number. Betsy texted a few candidates asking to meet with them. She got a response from one of them who was willing to set up a meeting with her. In terms of casting votes, loyalty belongs to the clan. You vote for the member of your clan that is running for office. Additionally, it is not unheard of that two people from the same family will run for office, and for fear that the vote might be split, the clan will tell one of the two to withdraw their candidature. British Peter has been doing his internship work for the British Embassy on the elections. It is an extremely interesting topic especially considering the clan nature of Jordan and some of the tactics that are used to secure votes. Interestingly, I saw signs with two different Al-Lozi names (also the name of my Arabic instructor at Miami). I inquired with him and, sure enough, they are both his cousins. Running for the same office. For Jordan, how unsurprising.

Upcoming Travels: On Friday, I am going to one of Jordan's wadis to go hiking. This will be an all day adventure that will involve hiking and wading though chest-deep water. I hear there are waterfalls. It would be nice if the weather would stay around 75 or 80 degrees for this trip. 

In a little less than 2 weeks, I am off to Cyprus! We have rented a car and an apartment for 4 nights. I don't have a great idea about what to expect. I am truly just excited to go. 

Once I get back from Cyprus, it will be less than 1 month until I get to go home for 2 weeks for Christmas! I am even more excited about this. I cannot wait. I am anxious to see home and everything about it. I have plans to fill one suitcase with food for the trip back- instant oatmeal, fruit snacks, peanut butter and splenda are all on my list so far.