NEWSLETTER #16 - later March 2000
You may have been reading about the Pope's visit, the first visit of a Pope to Israel since the 1960's. The Israelis seem somewhat hesitant about receiving him, but Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO, is welcoming him with open arms. Apparently every Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, Arafat throws a big street party and brags that Jesus Christ was the "first Palestinian," so it's not surprising he's taking advantage of this opportunity! As for us, we hope to avoid the Pope and his entourage - this is a small country, and things go crazy whenever public figures visit!
Our office is being downsized. Three of our foreign service nationals must be laid off by September 30, 2001. Our Commander has been pushing hard to get them picked up at the Embassy, which usually gives first preference to their own personnel. One FSN has already been offered a better position there! And after my two-year assignment is up, I won't be replaced. We'll also lose one Team Leader this year, so my boss will end up supervising quite a few people.
In our last newsletter, we mentioned that Kevin was volunteering with a Christian church to set up a food distribution center in poor areas of Tel Aviv. Apparently some people were upset about the evangelizing that was going on (in conjunction with the food distribution). The food van was promptly stolen and hasn't been recovered. Kevin volunteers behind the scenes, while Israeli citizens do the evangelizing. Christian churches in Israel remain very low-key - no advertising, no signs on the building, no outdoor revivals, etc. In addition to synagogues, there are plenty of mosques, but you don't notice many Christian churches in Israel. The cross is rarely displayed. In fact, even Messianic Jews (Jews who have converted to Christianity) often dislike the cross symbol. You don't see crosses in their church buildings, and church members don't wear crosses.
Last month, Kevin and I took a three-day Embassy-sponsored trip to Jordan. We were joined by other Embassy personnel, visiting Americans, Israelis, and folks associated with other Embassies. Jordan (unlike Israel) is considered to be a Middle Eastern country. Until the 1994 treaty, no one from Israel could enter Jordan, not even Embassy personnel stationed in Israel. Jordan at one time had a reputation like the Bermuda Triangle, because Israeli students sneaked across the border to see Petra (which we'll talk about in the next newsletter), and many never returned. We had four tour guides - two Israeli and two Jordanian. For some reason which no one cared to disclose, we went way up north to cross the border. This border opens at 8 a.m., and it took quite a while to process two busloads of people through passport control and luggage x-ray. We had to pay for our trip at the border using US dollars. Our bills were old, and the tour guide was concerned that they wouldn't be accepted, but they were!
If you're familiar with the Bible's Old Testament, today's Jordan is the land described as Moab and Ammon (founded by the offspring of Lot after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) and Edom (founded by Esau, the first-born son of the patriarch Isaac). Jordan, formerly knows as Transjordan, is a kingdom. Although Jordan contains religious sites that are important to Jews and Christians (including a competing location for the baptism of Jesus), the country is predominantly Muslim, with lots of mosques - you hear calls to prayer everywhere you go. It differs from some other Middle Eastern countries in that (a) the Government encourages tourism and (b) there is no oil. Jordan hopes to have 100% of its energy needs met by natural gas by the end of this year. It is primarily an agricultural society, although they do have some manufacturing, such as potash. Outside the cities there are sheep, goats, and cows roaming around everywhere. The new King, whose wife is a Palestinian, is trying to modernize Jordan. He's installing computers in all the schools.
The weather was somewhat cool during our visit. Although we arrived during the rainy season, it never did rain. It was always hazy from the top of the scenic overlooks.
If you ever visit Jordan, be aware that although the Arabic food is terrific, and the country is overall quite clean, you shouldn't drink the tap water. Also, you have a pay a dollar every time you use a public restroom, and there are long lines. There is usually no toilet paper. I quickly learned to search for the "stash" when the attendant wasn't looking, grab a few rolls, and toss them to the other ladies in line. Due to the tough judicial system, the crime rate is low. However, someone on the tour did have her pocket picked. At every tourist attraction you can bargain with aggressive vendors, who go into business as young as age four, selling articles such as necklaces, sand art in bottles, postcards, native musical instruments, carved figurines, film, and dull jeweled daggers "to control your wife."
The Jordanian people are very friendly, and smiled and waved at our tour buses. They always seem to be sitting outside on the sidewalks. Jordanians are varying degrees of dark-complexion. Men usually have mustaches and beards. The security police are everywhere, and most of them look alike! They wear blue uniforms and are quite handsome! Most Jordanians are diet-conscious and fit. In spite of this, smoking is rampant. Parents encourage their children to start smoking at age eight, and by the time they're teenagers, they're using water pipes.
About 40% of the population consists of Palestinians living in refugee camps. Many no longer live in tents, and some have very nice homes flying Palestinian flags. They are considered Jordanian citizens and can vote. You can tell a Palestinian man by his black-and-white checked kafia (head scarf), instead of the Jordanian red-and-white check. There are also Bedouins, and a few people of Russian descent who don't follow the Muslim customs.
As in Israel, more and more Bedouins are settling down and pursuing a college education, although some still wander around with their flocks in the desert. Most Bedouins are Muslim. Some have beautiful homes with tents in the back yard. The latest fashion is to hire Italian interior decorators and import lavish furniture for your tent! Many Bedouin familes used to live in the tombs and caves of Petra, but the Government kicked them out to promote tourism. As compensation, the Government built them free houses near Petra, and continues to provide free food staples and schools. The re-located families drive to Petra every day to work as tour guides, vendors, and animal handlers. A few families still live inside Petra, hidden in caves and tombs away from the tourists, such as a little girl who sold Kevin some necklaces. The children ride donkeys from the tombs to school every day in the nearby Bedouin town.
One of the Jordanian tour guides was a young, single "secular" Muslim woman named Rajah. She wore American-style clothing, including slacks. She said she is an Arab/European cross, and her family accepts her working a a tour guide as long as she doesn't discredit them in any way. She told us all about the role of women in Jordanian society, which is improving. Many women now attend Jordanian universities and become pharmacists, civil engineers, and lawyers. On the day prior to our arrival in Jordan, for the first time in history women police officers were allowed to ticket male drivers!
However, there's still a long way to go. If your first-born child is a girl, this is a catastrophe. Sons are always more desirable. Religious girls start wearing head shawl around age 13 after their bat mitzvah. The really religious women dress completely in black robes and scarves. Women are allowed to smoke and to pray, but they're encouraged to perform these activities inside the home. If a girl's virtue is even questioned, she may be murdered, even if it's an untrue rumor. So, malicious gossip can literally kill someone in Jordan. If an unwed girl becomes pregnant, she'll usually be quietly killed before delivering the baby. If she manages to find refuge and delivers the baby, it's not placed for adoption. Instead, it's placed in an orphan's home and will never lead a normal life, due to the stigma of illegitimacy.
There are several methods by which Jordanians become married. One method is by parental arrangement while the couple are still children. Another method is "by inspection." This is where the man picks out a girl he likes. The man's mom and the mom's friends then come to girl's house to literally check her out, including her teeth and hair. They also want to ensure she's quiet and submissive. A more contemporary method is light dating, such as occurs at the universities, where the couple meet as adults and make their own decisions.
Jordanians usually have many children. A man can marry up to four wives, but is required to support them all equally in separate homes. Most men can't afford more than one wife, as the per capita income is quite low. Divorce is a stigma for a woman, but not for a man.
There are laws regulating a practice known as "honor killing," which relate to a married person caught in the act of adultery. If man catches his wife and kills her in a fit of rage, he gets six months in prison. If, on the other hand, a wife kills her cheating husband, she's put to death for murder.
On a more cheerful note, after crossing the border we headed south on the King's Highway, the route Moses took while leading the Israelites out of Egypt, where they had been enslaved by Pharoah. It later became a Roman road and is now a major north-south highway.
In our next newsletter we'll continue our "Adventures in Jordan!"
K&E