Laila

Cafes in Jordan are different. Everything about this country is different, but I’m not homesick. I have been here for 20 years and I’m still not homesick. When I first came to Jordan, I was a 20-year-old student learning Arabic. My original plan was to come to this country for a few months, learn Arabic,…

They’re Just Words…or Are They?

Dear reader, I haven’t been writing for a while because I was simply wrestling with my own thoughts about word power. I was trying to decide to myself if words are truly harmless. You see, when I was in first grade, my teacher used to tell us  that “Sticks and stones can break our bones…

The Half Empty Glass

Imagine you are at a wedding where the bride looks stunning, the groom looks handsome, the food is great and the flower arrangements on the table are beautiful, but the bride is a few inches taller than the groom. I guarantee you that a good portion of the people in that wedding will comment on…

Falling

No, this post is not about falling in love or falling off the roof of a five-floor building, although both subject matters would be dramatic enough to write about. This post, is about Amman falling into the fall season. For as long as I can remember, I have been a hater of the fall and…

Should I Stay?

Every year I ask myself at least once whether I should stay or whether I should leave. Of course, such questions are asked by my own sub-conscious, as it forces me to respond to the pressing dilemma of  whether or not I should end my long-term relationship with Toastmasters. For those of you who don’t…

Ten Things You Learn Falling Flat On Your Face and After Years of Trial and Error !

  As we advance in life the possibility  of us dealing with difficult situations increases. If we dare to take risks then the chances for hardship become even higher, and if we step out of your comfort zone or even dare to challenge what we have been taught or told by our elders, then the…

The Crippling Thought

The cab driver complains about the economy while the mother complains about the challenges of motherhood. The manager complains about the incompetent employees on his team, while the employees complain about the manager who is never content. The father complains about the high cost of education while the child complains about having too much homework….

Eight Things I Learned from My Niece

Kids teach us more than we think they do, and my eight-year old niece is no exception.  Ever since she came to live with us , I learned a lot of new things, but for this post I will just write about eight of them. 1: I learned from my niece that it is perfectly…

When Emotions Take Over !

I am often accused of being blunt, forward, and not diplomatic. But, honestly speaking that isn’t true. You see I like saying things to people’s faces and not behind their backs because to me saying something to the person and not all their friends is far more respectable. So, if someone bothered me the person…

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend-The Last Part

Today, my time is up. It is my friend’s seventh birthday and I had made a promise to myself to leave on this day if she doesn’t talk to me or even believe in me. Well, for the last few months I had officially turned invisible in her life, but as an imaginary friend I…

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend-Part Eight (One part before the last)

My friend grew taller , but I stayed the same size. She got new clothes, yet I still wear the same clothes from last winter. These days, she doesn’t speak to me at all, so my days in her room are getting quieter and longer. The last real connection we had was when her first…

Our Real Impediment

Last Saturday, me and two friends went to visit a center for people who face challenges with their vision. The aim of the visit was to know more about this segment of the community as we are planning to volunteer as organizers in a series of athletic games for this segment. These games are to…