I write this filled with emotion.  The gratitude in my heart is overflowing and filling my eyes with tears.  I feel sadness as I want more time with our new friends.  The thoughtful and sweet text messages (ok…it was basically a love fest) with Ayda and Ola this morning have filled some of the void I am feeling. 

We met Ayda on Monday night at the pickleball court where Mike was playing.  Mike was on the court playing and I was watching.  Ayda introduced herself to me and we chatted before it was her turn to get on the court.  She invited us to her family’s home for dinner on Thursday night. 

Last night’s dinner and evening was one of the most special and memorable moments of our lives.  We have had amazing interactions with people in Mongolia, Nepal, and Bhutan and now we can add this experience in Jordan to our list of favorite-ever experiences. Everyone spoke excellent English which enabled us to have deep, meaningful conversations and not lose meaning in translation.  I am writing this 12 hours after we left Ola and Ahmed’s home, and I can’t stop thinking about the evening and all of them. 

On the way to dinner, in our Uber car, I felt a nervousness that I normally don’t feel.  Would I say something unintentionally to offend them?  Would I know when it was “time to leave” or overstay my welcome? I am a touchy and feely person, will I make someone uncomfortable in any way?  My nerves were calmed the moment Ayda opened the door and gave us a big hug to welcome us.  We met her husband Hani, their three children Eyas (who is 19 and has special needs due to complications after his birth, sadly his twin died at birth), Naya who is 15, Talia who is 9 and Ayda’s sister, Ola.  They were all so warm and kind, we immediately felt at ease.  Ayda and Hani’s home is gorgeous.  It is about 6,400 square feet, has a pool on the back patio and eight (yes eight!) bathrooms.   It is common for Jordanians to have “helpers” in their homes.  Ayda and Ola’s helpers are from Ethiopia.  They sign two-year contracts.  The family provides for all their needs (food, clothes, shelter) and pays them a small amount by Jordanian standards per month.  The helpers earn enough in two years to return to their home country and have a good life.  Ayda insisted they are middle class, however, based on the other housing we’ve seen in Amman at a minimum we believe they are at the high (very high 😊) end of middle class. 

Based on the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen, we knew we were going to eat too much (which we did!).  We sat down for dinner a few minutes after arriving at 6 pm.  We wish we had taken a picture before we started eating because it looked lovely and appetizing.  The Arabic salad was fresh and tasted like life.  The grape leaves stuffed with rice, the eggplant and the lamb were savory and tender.  The rice which was abundant with carrots, peas, and nuts was garnished with juicy whole pieces of chicken.  We were all so eager to learn about each other and had many questions.  Our conversations were nonstop and full of interest and deep meaning.  We talked about what it is like to live in a country that is in the middle of countries that are in conflict.  They shared being able to see the missiles flying overhead from Iran to Israel in June.  Ola wants to have a plan B as she doesn’t want to stay in Jordan if things expand into their country.  They all feel the weight of the pain of being helpless to assist their Palestinian neighbors.  They are filled with sadness and guilt (because their lives are good).  They are friends with Palestinians who have family and friends suffering.  We talked about “what started” the Israel and Palestine conflict…it obviously goes back so much further than October of 2023. 

After dinner we moved to the patio, by the pool.  The temperature was perfect.  The moon was shining brightly (a wonderful sight after not seeing it much in Greenland or Iceland due to the extended daylight).  We drank tea together and Ola, Ayda, and Hani enjoyed the shisha (like a hookah).  Our conversations turned to our beliefs in God.  Ola and Ayda have very different beliefs.  It was heartwarming to see two sisters honoring and respecting each other’s positions free of tension or pressure from the other to think like they do.  There was no indication of right or wrong.  They are open, candid and calm with each other in a way I have rarely witnessed.  They indicated it is because they seek to understand each other’s position.  By understanding the other person’s position, they can accept the other person’s position.  Oh, how I wish everyone in the world would do this!  We enjoyed delicious mango cream cake and Turkish coffee over more deep and meaningful conversation, including marriage.  Ola and her husband Ahmed had an arranged marriage, 22 years ago.  Ayda and Hani did not have an arranged marriage, 20 years ago.

Ola talked with her husband Ahmed on the phone and he wanted to meet us.  We learned that Ayda wanted it to be a quiet night so she asked Ola to leave her children at home, thus Ahmed stayed home with their son.  Ola invited us to their house to meet her husband and 9-year-old fraternal twins.  At 9:40 we gave our hugs and said good-bye to Ayda, Hani, Naya, and Talia.  We rode with Ola to pick up her daughter Selma from her uncle’s home and meet her husband Ahmed and son Hashem at their house.  On the drive, Ola shared the suffering she endured trying to conceive.  She had a miscarriage at age 25 and was unable to get pregnant again.  She went through six rounds of in vitro fertilization.  She had decided the sixth round was going to be the last one and her prayers were answered.  We enjoyed sipping on Jasmine tea while discussing several topics, including their time in the United States.  Ahmed is a retired lieutenant in the Jordanian army and has an acute perspective on things that are happening in the Middle East.  We talked about the Iran attack on Israel from June and how they all reacted to seeing the missiles flying overhead.  Hashem shared how they all vowed to be together, so that if something happened, they would all die together (beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking all at the same time).  It was now 11:45…time to let our new friends sleep!  It was a holiday – Muhammad’s birthday.  Their work weeks in Jordan are Sunday through Thursday, so everyone had Friday off work and school or we would have been more mindful to leave earlier.  Mike ordered an Uber but it didn’t come.  Ahmed ordered a taxi for us and we were back in our apartment a little after midnight. 

We were so impressed with all four of the children.  We give their parents credit for including and encouraging them to join adult conversations.  They are polite, respectful, knowledgeable, and mature for their ages.  They asked great questions and we loved hearing their insights and perspectives on topics.  It was apparent they truly enjoyed being included in the conversations (and not a single device was seen, other than Mike’s phone to take a picture).  We believe they are being raised to be authentic and true to themselves.  We are confident they will all grow up to be incredible humans! 

We felt like we could ask any question, and we asked a lot!  However, there was simply not enough time.  The evening flew by much too quickly.  We didn’t want the night to end.  We wish we had met everyone on our first day in Amman.  Although we are leaving Amman, we trust we will stay in touch and hope our paths will cross again, inshallah (God willing).  Although we leave Amman with a void of not being able to see all of them on a regular basis, our souls are full and we carry with us a forever imprint on our hearts that will live on.  We are thankful for our special memories with Ayda, Hani, Ola, Ahmed, Eyas, Naya, Talia, Selma and Hashem and the generous gift of their time and hospitality.  We adore and love them.  We are better humans from knowing them.