I was just having a conversation with my colleague 7ala about educated people and sophisticated ones and how there is a huge difference between both. In a country like Jordan; education has become a necessity like food and medicine; it seems that everyone gets to pursue higher education especially with all these private universities out there.

If we go back 40 or 50 years in time and see how Jordan or the whole Arab World was for that matter; we will find that only a minority of population got the opportunity to pursue higher education; this minority was usually from the rich class because they could afford to send their children abroad at a time we did not have universities here.

University of Jordan was founded in 1962 and starting that time, other sectors of the society had a chance to study without traveling, and education was no longer restricted to the financially fortunate individuals. By then; even middle class families could manage to send their sons and daughters to university to give them a chance at a better and brighter future than them.

I think it was initiated then that almost all people wanted to children to become doctors or engineers because those were in high demand at the time, they would graduate and find jobs waiting for them and they would make good money that will help them and their families to survive.

That generation got the most benefit out of education because they were a rare currency at that time and they did not need to struggle to find a job. The country was still less congested, they were needed and the value of our currency was much higher than now which facilitated financial growth for this group.

With time; more schools and universities were established, education was made obligatory for both genders, public schools made it possible for lower classes of the society to send their children to school. With passing years; the population increased significantly and at the same time the value of the currency was reduced.

In the last 20 years of this country's life, we have witnessed changes take place and we have proved that we are capable to adapt no matter what the circumstances were. Jordan was exposed to critical circumstances without having any infrastructure to adapt, yet the whole country and its people proved one more time that Jordanians are survivors.

One of these changes was that most of the people are educated with at least the first university degree, and just like any rule in this world; more supply means less demand and this is exactly what happened to our generation; we came at a time where there is no significant need or demand for our certificates; we now resemble those who had no education so 30 or 40 years ago.

What could be the solution? Stop people from pursuing higher education and move more towards technical professions?

Isn't it a valid point that the education fees are getting higher to push those who cannot afford it to learn something handy? Maybe it is a message to all those middle and lower class or even poor people to take their children out of schools and pushing them towards workshops and technical training centers to learn a profession that sends the individual earlier into the workforce.

To tell you the truth; I really don’t find anything wrong with this approach; if a person is not into physics, math and chemistry, why not learn something he would benefit from and give back to his family and the society as a whole. Instead of wasting the years on learning things he/she will never like or comprehend; isn't it easier if they shift towards practical education and save themselves and their folks time and money?

Yes, everyone has the right to get education, I am not defying that, but what if this education will be all wasted if this particular someone was not good at it or did not find anything to do with it when he/she graduates?

Yesterday; I read a post by the caller; she was talking about all these young people dreaming of leaving their countries to a place that would provide them with a better opportunity to work and make money, but couldn't it have been easier for some of these people to learn something that would give them the same if not a better opportunity in their own countries?

How do we manage to land good jobs in a place where everyone is educated? How can someone accept to be paid pennies after he/she worked so hard and studied harder for over 16-20 years? What is the solution?

The way I see it, it is no longer special or extraordinary to have a university degree; 30 years ago; a university graduate was someone people looked up to and youngsters saw as a role model. These days; we are like everyone else, we are all educated.

What sets the records straight is how sophisticated people are. The problem with us is that we don’t read and no, newspapers are not considered reading material!

What makes technicians, carpenters, electricians, mechanics, painters … etc. thought less of, is that when they leave school, they ditch reading and they do not develop themselves intellectually; they stop at that point and never grow up. What everyone must realize is that being sophisticated has nothing to do with being educated. Although it is easier for an educated person to grow into becoming sophisticated; it is not impossible for the uneducated to do that as well; all they need is the desire, willpower, determination and persistence and then they will become extraordinary with no doubt.

It is not a secret that unemployment is one of the major problems in Jordan. This is a topic that has been discussed many times and it touches the lives of almost everyone in this country.

The percentage of educated individuals is continuously increasing and the number of schools and universities is on the rise as well; this is one of the successful trades and business models in Jordan and despite that the education fees are exploding every year; more students are enrolling and more graduates are pouring the workforce on yearly basis. However; the business market takes its need from fresh graduates which is only a fraction of the real number, leaving the rest of the graduates to fall in the trap of unemployment and total dependency on one's parents till a miracle happens.

We cannot put all the blame on the business sectors; job seekers must bare their share of the responsibility and blame.

First of all; the expectations of these students are not being managed properly; there is no career consulting services in universities; one that prepares students for the real world, so the student approaches senior year with high hopes piling up in his mind and heart to own the world upon graduation.

Of course; it would be unrealistic to think that all graduates will find opportunities on the spot and start their working life immediately after leaving university; only the lucky ones get such golden opportunities and get ahead of the others. On the other hand; our typical Jordanian student does not want to put any effort to put his/her first step on the ladder and they think that graduating is good enough to be chosen for any job they apply for when by far it is not.

In our culture; there are many factors that play major roles in forming this phenomenon; to name a few; culture focusing on shame, spoiled kids, unmanaged expectations, lack of student preparation to the working life and many others.

A thought comes to my mind as I write this; we are raising our kids to be dependent, we do not teach them to be responsible since early age, accountability has no known meaning in our lives and we do not prepare them to be the future men and women. Since early age; we do everything for our children and we give them everything they need when they need it; all they have to do is ask and they get it without putting any effort or doing anything. The idea that someone has to work in order to get something is not a factor in the way we raise the future generation and by not doing so, we are preparing them to fail, not to succeed.

One of the things that we make sure our kids must know; is that there are ranks and levels in the community. Some jobs are just considered low level and they are interconnected with poverty and shameful roles; they are beneath our sons and daughters and unconsciously we teach them to disrespect those who perform them and consider them beneath us as individuals when all people are supposed to be equal. They grow up thinking of the garbage guy as someone who is needy enough to accept this role and they forget that without him, we wouldn't have a clean city to brag about.

We teach them that it is more important how people perceive you than making a living; so in their mindset; it is ok to stay jobless for years than to work in a construction site or as a waiter, driver, guard or any other low level job.

Mothers work hard to add a prefix to their children's names as if they would not be proud of them or love them the same if they grew up to be just them. Unconditional love is a concept that we don’t recognize and we grew up to believe that if I am not successful enough, rich enough, beautiful enough, handsome enough, whatever enough, people would not love or accept us and we continue to pass this myth from one generation to another.

I can continue to rant forever about this issue, but it would be pointless if no one will hear. If we continue to put more weight on people's opinions in what we do and how we live our lives, we will never rise up to everyone's expectations and standards, hence; we continue to stress ourselves with imaginary standards that we must meet, turning our lives into a rat race, but one that has no finish line.

It is not shameful to work, it is not shameful to start somewhere, it is shameful though; to continue to be a dependent person living off the effort of others, it is also shameful to look down on people who proudly handle jobs we consider beneath us because without their work, our lives would never be the same.

Today is the day you must wake up Jordan and do something to build a better tomorrow!

Ever since I was a little girl, I heard everyone around me cheering when Jordan’s name was mentioned and I could not understand what the fuss is all about. I got it that we live in Jordan and where it is located on the World’s map and most importantly on the Arab World map. It was emphasized many a time in our family that we are Jordanians and proud of it, but I couldn't understand what it means to be a part of this country or what it means to belong to it.

As I started my school, my mother used to write me patriotic speeches to give in memorial days and she used to make me rehearse it in front of her tens of times to make sure that I got all the words right and that I had the right tone of voice. She taught me where I should raise my tone and what phrases I should repeat.

I enjoyed these sessions because they always ended up in cheering from students and my teachers were so proud of me and of my talent and ability to charge the audience as they used to say.

All that was like a part of life, it was normal and I never thought about what it means to belong to this country, what does it mean to be Jordanian?

Growing up was a continuous exploration activity on my part, I kept hearing the cheers in the background but I did not know if all those who cheered understood what they are actually cheering for. I kept wondering; do they celebrate being Jordanians because they love Jordan and have the sense of belonging to this country? Or they were doing it because they were trying to prove a point to others?

It kept going through my head; if you really loved your country, you would do things that make your country a better place to live in, you would love it enough to preserve it, you will care about its future that you will give your all to make it a place that will host the future of your kids and the generations to come. If you loved your country enough, you would work harder on yourself to give it back some of what it has given you. Your country, any country in the world, needs its sons and daughters to be doers, not just cheerers.

The first time I realized how much I loved this country was when I lived abroad. Every step I took out of the place I used to live in was a step into the unknown. It almost felt like walking in the dark without any lights to make you see where you are putting your feet. I realized that what I missed the most was the feeling of being a citizen, a national of my own country. I felt that a part of my dignity was lost when I decided to leave my home, my family and my whole country behind.

I thought I was making a smart thing by seeking a better opportunity in a country that imports our talents and brains. I kept fighting the sinking feeling that I made a horrendous mistake when I left my world behind and sought the unknown. I cannot begin to describe the depression I had to go through, the ongoing phone calls that sent me straight to bankruptcy, when one day and out of nowhere, an idea popped in my head; what was I trying to prove and to whom? Why am insisting on torturing myself when I know exactly what is wrong? I was homesick; it was that simple, and at that very moment, I knew how I felt about Jordan and I knew how much I have been unfair to this wonderful country, and at that moment in particular, I decided I was coming home no matter what the cost was. Less than a month later; I was home.

The minute I set foot in the airport, the air smelled different, the colors looked different and even the frown on the police officer’s face looked good and I realized that I had missed everything about Amman, right down to the gloomy faces and lack of sense of humor. Although I don’t believe that this is true, but I missed it anyway.

On this day; the Independence Day, I declare my love, commitment and dedication to you, Jordan.

To Jordan … With Love!

كلمة حلوة وكلمتين ... حلوة يا بلدي

نظرة حلوة ونظرتين ... حلوة يا بلدي
 

كل عام وكل الأردن بألف خير

It is summer time again and the season is taking people by a craze. A lot of people, couples mainly, have been waiting impatiently for the summer because it is the time of the year when families reunite and the fun begins; there is no better time to tie the knot and finally get married.

Not a single day passes by without receiving an invitation card to attend a wedding of a relative, friend, coworker or even an acquaintance. The funny thing is that you are always expected to attend because this is what the social etiquette tells us to do. Once you subconsciously make the decision to attend, you need a new dress, a beauty salon hair style and makeup and above all, you need to extend a suitable gift.

All this is great when you really care about those getting married, but what happens when you know them only casually, or they are family friends that you probably won’t ever see again in your lifetime? What then? Should you or should you not go?

Every time I attend a wedding, I come out with the same conclusion; what a waste of money!!

So what does make a typical wedding in Amman???

Let’s forget about the residence and its furnishing, rent and whatever a house needs for a moment, and let’s just focus on the wedding party itself.

In order to have a wedding like the daughter of aunti Suha or even a better one than that of the son of 3ammo Jamal; you need to make sure that you have the following:

You need a royal wedding dress. When I say royal; I mean it, you hear me? I mean it! It has to be of silky fabric and hand decorated. The corset and skirt need to make you look like a princess; anything less than that and you will look so poor and as if you had rented the thing, shame on you!

For your groom; you need a suite of a tycoon. Shoes must match. It has to be the right size; that’s why you have to have it tailored especially for him. All accessories must be bought from global brand names because people can tell the difference you know! The tie, cufflinks and tie pin should all be original.

Now you need someone like Marwan Kheir to give you the princess look. The wedding dress will not do you much good if not matched with a great hairstyle and a makeup that hides all your face imperfections and make you look like a movie star.

Let’s talk about the party!

First of all; it has to be in a five stars hotel, because that’s where your friend Soso had her wedding last year. Flowers should be everywhere and it must be natural flowers; we don’t want people to think that we are vulgar and do not know how to plan a great wedding party. As for music, it must be the best DJ in town or better yet; get one of the hot shot performers out there; Haifa would make the wedding memorable if only she was not more beautiful than you; people will forget about you and will keep staring at her and we don’t want that on your own wedding, so it is much better to get a guy. Also a belly dancer is out of the question because we don’t want her to steal the lights now, do we?

Now, what about the buffet? It has include various dishes because people have different tastes, we don’t want them to say we are mean, so make sure you include Jordanian, Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian, Italian, Chinese, and maybe some Indian and don’t forget about desserts. Speaking of desserts, the wedding cake should be different because it reflects your taste and identity so don’t be typical!

All that and I still did not mention the ring/”shabkeh” and the bedroom furniture as these should be out of the way by now!

Is the period of 4-5 hours worth all that? Do people get high on spending their money that way? Does all this make him a better guy or her a better lady? Will this help them face the first few months of their married life when they get to know each other? Will that make them a happier couple?

No wonder that more guys are choosing to wait longer before falling in the trap of marriage and no wonder that more girls are entering the world of spinsterhood! I say it is a trap because that’s all what guys see, they do not see a woman they love and want to be with her no matter what, rather they see an empty bank account and probably a load of loans to be paid back; trust me, this is no way to start a life!

If love really existed between couples, none of these empty “keeping up appearances” actions would make any difference to them. They would take the money they have and go launch their life as a couple on a far island where they can spend a few days away from people and really make happy memories and lots of pictures to document them.

To me, a wedding is nothing more than dressing simple, having your closest family and friends around you and then a great long honeymoon, now that’s what I call a great wedding and that is exactly why I have boycotted all the weddings I get invited to, unless it was someone very special or if I had to attend.

"5/2/2006  

The General Assembly of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) elected today HRH Princess ‎Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan as the 13th FEI President. The other contenders for the position ‎were HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Freddy Serpieri (GRE).

The voting took place over two rounds; Princess Haya received 82 votes in the 2nd round.

‎“I promise to do everything in my power and to work tirelessly to serve the institution and the ‎people who have done me the honour of placing their trust and belief in me. Our beautiful, noble ‎sport is seeped in tradition, history and grace. I will do all I can to protect and advance it, in all its ‎forms,” HRH Princess Haya said. ‎

HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein (JOR) is the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan and wife ‎of HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. She has been ‎riding internationally since the age of 13. In 1992 she won the individual bronze medal in Jumping ‎at the seventh Pan Arab Games and the following year she was elected Jordan’s athlete of the year. ‎After years of intensive training in Ireland and Germany, she qualified for and took part in the ‎Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney in 2000 followed by a participation in the 2002 FEI World ‎Equestrian Games at Jerez de la Frontera. She has represented Jordan at the FEI General Assembly ‎on several occasions. HRH Princess Haya is member of the IOC Athletes and Culture and Olympic ‎Education Commissions and president and founder of the International Jordanian Athletes Cultural ‎Association. She is the first Arab and first woman to ever become Goodwill Ambassador for the ‎United Nations World Food Programme. ‎

HRH Princess Haya has been elected for a term of four years, i.e. until 2010." ‎

This is really a breath of hope to all of us in the Middle East in general and for us Jordanians in particular. We all know and acknowledge that Oprah is such a media giant and her influence cannot be doubted or ignored; I personally admire and adore this strong lady and think of her life legacy as a role model to all women out there. Queen Rania, our Queen Rania, was interviewed by Oprah and from what I read; the show was a great success and I cannot wait to see it myself.

Unfortunately; we did not get to see the show, but our fellow bloggers in the New World had this chance and gave us great feedback on their blogs; refer to Memories Documented for more details.

The reason I wanted to post about this despite I did not watch the show, is that I wanted to emphasize my deep admiration to our beloved Queen Rania. I adore her personality and her approach to raising awareness both internally and externally. Indeed; she is the best ambassador any country can wish for and we are blessed to have her as our queen.

I must say that having a young king and queen has its great advantages and we are reaping the benefits already. The positive change that the country has witnessed in recent years has put Jordan on the global map and instead of being just another third world country; Jordan is recognized as a leading country and plays a major role in the region’s stability.

I read in the Arabic Magazine “Laha” that Queen Rania has been elected as one of the most 100 influential people in the world for 2006, and I am so proud of her and happy that she is showing the world the beautiful face of Jordan and Jordanians.

A disturbing accident took place in Madaba last Wednesday afternoon! This 2.5 year old boy took a fatal action on the roof top of his family residence while he was accompanying his mother. The shocking news state that this boy approached a wire protruding from the high voltage lines only to be electrified in a way beyond repair; he lost his right arm from the shoulder and doctors are debating to amputate his left leg as it is burned to the bone. [Source]

As I was hearing this piece of shocking news on Al Wakeel’s Radio Show; Bisara7a Ma3 Al Wakeel, I felt sick to my stomach for the negligence and carelessness we have; exactly whose responsibility is it that Barakat is lying on a hospital bed in the ICU, armless and might also lose his leg? Is it the responsibility of the Electricity Company? Or the house owner? Or the mother herself who is in a state of nervous breakdown till now?

On the show; it was mentioned that the high voltage lines are as close to the roof of the house as 35 cm only. It was also mentioned that the boy reached it with his bare hand and in another story; he was holding a pipe.

It is also worth mentioning here that this is the third accident of this kind in Madaba this year only, so do we see a pattern here?

I wish Barakat to get well soon and may God bless his family with patience and endurance.  

Tonight I attended my second book club session; the moderator has chosen the Foresight Art Center to hold the session and I would like to thank her for a wonderful choice. This is my first time I visit the center and I made sure that I go at least half an hour earlier to make sure I find the place and take a tour before everyone else arrives.

I am glad that I did this; the minute I entered the center I felt something different; something magical that captivates you and before you know it, you are wondering from one painting to another, from one corner to another admiring the art work and masterpieces exhibited there.

I took lots of pictures and I promise that I will post them, however; my aim here is to talk about a magnificent corner in the center that took my breath away. It is the works of Lama Hourani. 

For those of you who do not know Lama’s work, I quote from her website and promotional brochure: “Lama Hourani’s timeless, evocative jewelry grows extensively from the abundant natural bounty and rich cultural landscape of Jordan.”

“These pieces of jewelry are not only a matter of working with decorative pieces, but a new way of exhibiting our heritage and ensuring its continuation generation after generation. It’s the molding of elements that are familiar and that are an expression of our common identity. This body of work is not only a celebration of life and times in Jordan, but symbols of our understanding of the world.”

I leave you with some of the pictures I took of Lama’s work; it is definitely worth visiting and taking a look for yourself! These pieces make great gifts and souvenirs, and the most beautiful thing about them is that each piece is one of a kind and unique; this alone gives the piece an extra value and beauty aspect!

The New 7 Wonders Foundation has launched the first-ever global vote to choose 7 wonders out of 21 nominated ones. Petra is one of the nominees and therefore; this is a call to all of us to vote for our heritage to be one of the chosen 7 wonders.

The voting has already started and it will last for a full year. The results will be announced in Jan 2007, so do cast your votes now.

You can find all the information on how to vote on the official website for the foundation; click here to visit the website.

To give you an idea about what the nominations are and they are listed here by code as on the website:

CODE 01: Acropolis - Athens, Greece

CODE 02: Alhambra - Granada, Spain

CODE 03: Angkor – Cambodia

CODE 04: Chichen Itza - Yucatan, Mexico

CODE 05: Christ Redeemer - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

CODE 06: Colosseum - Rome, Italy

CODE 07: Easter Island Statues – Chile

CODE 08: Eiffel Tower - Paris, France

CODE 09: Great Wall – China

CODE 10: Hagia Sophia - Istanbul, Turkey

CODE 11: Kiyomizu Temple - Kyoto, Japan

CODE 12: Kremlin / St. Basil - Moscow, Russia

CODE 13: Machu Picchu – Peru

CODE 14: Neuschwanstein Castle - Füssen, Germany

CODE 15: Petra – Jordan

CODE 16: Pyramids of Giza – Egypt

CODE 17: Statue of Liberty - New York, USA

CODE 18: Stonehenge - Amesbury, United Kingdom

CODE 19: Sydney Opera House – Australia

CODE 20: Taj Mahal, Agra – India

CODE 21: Timbuktu – Mali
 

As you can see; the competition is aggressive, so we better do our duty and vote for Petra to make it to the finalists.

Please spread the word, you can find the instructions and the numbers to vote here.