April 3, 2012#
December 3, 2011#
Choosing not to Choose
By Raghda Butros
When I was four or five, I was plagued by a question that Arab adults love to torment children with: “who do you love more, your mother or your father?” This is a question for which there is no right answer, and one which, it would seem, is only intended to make you squirm. I would opt for the safe and truthful answer, that I love them both the same. But that never really satisfied anyone. “No,” they would say, “you must love one more than the other, now which is it?” And so began a life filled with similar questions intended to force me to make impossible choices.
November 30, 2011#
Bring Back the Benches
How long will we, the citizens of Amman, sit idly by as our most basic rights to public space are taken away, in some cases, right from under our very noses? Is it a wonder that people abuse public space, when they know for a fact that it truly does not belong to them, and will be taken away at the whim of a business lobby group or an inclusion-averse public official?
How can we teach people not to litter they say? How can we teach them to respect public space? The answer is, you can’t teach something you yourself have not learned. Until those in charge of our cities and towns put people first and interests second, the people of those towns and cities will put themselves first and public space second. It is a simple equation.
October 8, 2011#
Exclusion and the Average #JO
by Raghda Butros
The average Jordanian is 22 years old, consumes JD 250 per month and is 70% likely to be unemployed
Lining the streets of Amman on any given evening, are scores of hapless young men watching people, cars and life go by. They will sometimes attempt to go to the Mall, in order to watch people, particularly women, go by. In this case, even if their pockets permit, the security guard at the door (presumably once a young man himself) will not. If they can afford an evening out, to the movies or a coffee shop, a strange phenomenon comes into play. It is akin to Russian roulette, and no one knows who will come out alive. This also holds true for places, which should, by definition, be public and free.
If you are a young man in Amman, the unwritten guidelines that govern your access to places in our city seem to revolve around: Your overall “look”: hair product, brand of jeans; the amount of money you are estimated to carry; your presumed place of habitation; the likelihood your father is “important”; chances of you belonging to the same town as the guard.
Continue Reading
September 7, 2011#
Raghda Butros’ Top Ten Ammanis
As published on BeAmman.com
| We would like to identify 100 unique Ammanis that locals and visitors to the city should meet.We are starting with ten selected by our ownRaghda Butros and would like to see this list grow to reach 100. We know that there are thousands of special Ammanis that deserve recognition, so send us your Ten and let’s take it from there! | حابين نلاقي 100 شخص عمّاني لازم يلتقي فيهم العمّانيين وزوّار المدينة عشان هم بيمثلوا روح المدينة والأشياء الجميلة فيها. أول عشرة رح تشاركنا فيهم رغدة بطرس وبنحب نشوف هذه القائمة بتكبر بمشركاتكم. أكيد عمّان فيها آلاف العمّانيين المميزين، وبمساعدتكم بنقدر كلنا نتعرف عليهم ونتواصل معهم. الدور هلّق عليكم تشاركونا وكل حدا يبعتلنا عن الأميز عشرة برأيه. | |
|
The 100 People you have to Meet in Amman قائمة رغدة بطرس (10 أشخاص) Raghda Butros’ Top 10 |
||
Fatima Shamayleh (on the left) ( فاطمة الشمايلة (على يسار الصورة |
||
August 25, 2011#
A Day off the Beaten Track in Amman
by Raghda Butros
If, like me, you like to look beyond the ordinary and explore outside your bubble, then please join me on a day off the beaten track in Amman.
Start your day with an early morning stroll alongside Khrifan St. To get there, take the Al-Bouhturi St. exit from First Circle, then head to Omar Bin Khattab St. At the inte
rsection of Omar Bin Khattab and Al-Mugheerah bin Shu’ba St., take the small staircase next to the Afaneh Center building. Once at Khirfan St, keep the beautiful old row houses to your left and the gorgeous view of Ras El-Ain to your left. Make sure to chat to the kids, who are always happy to share a story or kick around a football with you.
August 22, 2011#
Public (Dis)Places
As Amman continues to experiment with new public places around the city, challenges of public space design and management are bound to arise, but it’s essential to learn from each experiment and create models of success if we are to come to a happy medium which strikes a balance between preservation and participation.
August 21, 2011#
Kites and Call to Prayer-Summer Reflections
By Caitlin Ajax
The first thoughts I had about spending my summer in the Middle
East occurred to me almost half a world away in some spare moment between dank
classrooms and stacks of books at the University of Montana. I don’t remember
exactly when I first considered interning in the region a viable possibility,
but I’m almost positive the idea solidified itself in my mind around the same
time I also realized the Arabic language was something I would not be content
having “studied in college”-I wanted to master it.
August 18, 2011#
Harrassment/Gender Issues Facing Amman
by Caitlin Ajax
Currently Hamzet Wasel is running a series of gender workshops
for both men and women designed to bring about dialogue and understanding about
gender issues in Jordan. I think it is fair to say that one of those issues,
perhaps one of the more pressing issues, is that of harrassment. Since being in
Amman, I have experienced my fair share, though after hearing stories about
peers’ travels to the Middle East I was expecting this to a degree. Still, I
admit I was suprised at how often I’ve had to face it, and I most always take
good care to not dress or act invitingly.
August 15, 2011#
Workshop #2 and care of the Jordanian people
by Caitlin Ajax
Today was the second day in which I taught an English language
workshop for women in Jabal Qala’a. Despite being constantly challenged with my
Arabic abilities and designing effective lesson plans, I would say with utmost
certainty that these workshops are shaping up to be extremely successful. The
goals of these women primarily revolve around everyday English conversation
skills, and with the conversation exercises, drills and games I have been
trying, it seems as though all participants are happy with their progress!
There are definitely still a few obstacles to work through it terms of teaching
technique, class participation, etc., I feel as though I am truly contributing
to something positive and greater than myself. I have the opportunity to
positively impact the lives of several others in a sustainable way, and Jabal
Qala’a workshops take place only one day a week…this doesn’t even include all
other Hamzet Wasel programs and one-on-one English tutoring I help with.