So what about the role of women in society here? Let me skip all of the questions you may have because I don’t have the answers. I haven’t talked to anybody, man or woman, about the topic. All I know is what I’ve seen on the street, which is a variety of dress ranging from […] Read More…
Monthly Archives May 2007
Women in Jordan 28th
Deep Water 27th
Today, day 2 of my Advanced Open Water course, I went on a deep water dive as part of my training. My instructor took me down to 28 metres (~92 feet). As we swam down I had a dizzying feeling of slight panic at how far underwater I was. It was strangely similar to the […] Read More…
Diving in the Red Sea 27th
From India / JordanWe pulled up on a beach owned by the prince of Dubai at about 9:30 yesterday morning. It was a barren piece of sandy land in the middle of an even more barren landscape of brown scorched hills by the Red Sea. Some evidence of its previous life as a public beach […] Read More…
Haircut 26th
For a couple of years I’ve wondered in the back of my mind what I’d look like if I shaved my head. I had it done once when I was about 7, and I expect the results to be equally as bad now. But there’s only one way to confirm my suspicion. Today, far away […] Read More…
Diary Notes from Jordan 25th
From India / JordanDay 3We left Amman today to head south. Our days in Jordan’s capital city are remembered through a haze of nargileh (water pipe) smoke and falafel binges (total consumed so far: 21). We visited some of the Roman ruins scattered throughout the city, as well as a huge blue-domed mosque. Also enjoyed […] Read More…
On the Road Again 19th
After a 6 week pause in India I hit the tarmac this morning, touching down in Jordan. The temperature was below 25C, a very nice change from the 40+ searing heat of Delhi. I’ve yet to do much apart from sleep (the 6:30am flight was precisely timed to prevent me from resting more than an […] Read More…
Motorbiking Part 2 18th
When Sunil, one of our guards, got married last year, he received a new motorbike as part of the dowry from his wife’s family. His happiness with the bike rivaled his happiness with the marriage, and I could see how proud of it he was when he showed it to me. When he invited me […] Read More…
Household Staff 9th
Most people, when they think of living in a place where they can employ people to serve them, picture a life of luxury. It’s not easy to explain that when coming from a society which places a large emphasis on independence and the value of do-it-yourself, reality can be different than what you would assume.Let […] Read More…
Family Feud 5th
I’m through with film. I’m switching to a digital SLR. This won’t interest most of you, but I know my siblings, at least, will give me some amount of shit and it’s easier to start the process now so I can get it over with. Despite being technophiles in many ways, certain modernities incur their […] Read More…
Delhi 4th
From India Picture…I was holding onto my seat white-knuckled as we drove from New Delhi airport, dodging the cows wandering along the road, weaving around the huge trucks sharing space with cars, scooters, auto-rickshaws, bicycles, and people just walking alongside the traffic. This is the vivid memory I have of arriving in India for the […] Read More…