April's Adventures

The Gregorian calendar month of April is almost perfectly aligned with the Islamic calendar month of Ramadan in 2022, which began on April 3^rd in Jordan, a day later than many other Islamic countries across the world. As I work and study alongside Muslims daily, I found it easier to partake in the fasting alongside them, as a sign of respect. I usually finished my working day just before iftar (the fast-breaking meal at sunset), so it seemed customary to eat with colleagues and friends, instead of trying to hide my food consumption. The month of April was also the first time since 1991 that the religious occasions of Ramadan, Easter and Passover have occurred at the same time, and I took pleasure in being able to celebrate all three with my friends of various religions.

The new month has brought a rather glorious change in weather to the Kingdom, and my friends and I have relished in the chance to see the sun nearly every day. Being a capital city, Amman has many international and independent hotels, many of which provide the opportunity to purchase day passes. The first weekend of the month was spent in such a manner, and despite only being 10 floors up, the pool felt a world away from the bustling streets of the city.

On the first evening of Ramadan, my flatmates and I broke iftar in Downtown Amman, in the hope of seeing others also break fast and the hope of celebrations. It wasn’t before long that we realised the first week of Ramadan is usually spent with family and friends, and not necessarily in restaurants, as the desolate winding streets of the area showed. Nonetheless, the kofta and galayet bandora we ordered was still definitely up to scratch. This was of course followed by the customary Ramadan dessert of atayef, only from Habiba.

Before long the salty banks of the Dead Sea beckoned to me, and a relaxing weekend at the Crowne Plaza was enjoyed under the sun, away from honking car horns and shouting vegetable sellers. There is one thing you need to remember about the Dead Sea however, and it’s don’t get it in your eyes. I don’t know whether the man did not read the sign, or did not understand it, but I’m sure diving in and then swimming five lengths to the safety rope and back is allowed, but the lifeguards didn’t seem to care. Oh, and he finished by shouting to everyone floating “I’ve cried enough in my life, I have no more tears left to cry”. Can you remember when I said it was relaxing?

As Ramadan carried on through the month, the one thing that was missed was the absence of cafes. Many cafes adjusted their opening hours to just during darkness, in accordance to when Muslims are permitted to eat. Along with that, the closure of alcohol shops for the whole of the month hit some expats hard, and I was rather surprised when what I thought would last me a month in fact lasted me not even two weeks. Do I have a problem?

Passover was celebrated by Jewish people across the world on Friday 15^thApril, and a friend of mine hosted several of us for the celebratory dinner. Coming from a city with a relatively low Jewish population, and with a pretty normal secondary school religious education, my knowledge on the subject wasn’t the best. Not only was the food amazing, but the traditions and celebrations I learned about made me enjoy the celebration even more, and I feel as though I came out of it with a greater understanding of Judaism.

A mere two days later, groups of Christians internationally celebrated Easter Sunday, including those in Jordan. My friends and I attended a church in Swefieh Village, an area in Amman, in which we sang hymns in Arabic, saw the church scouts march through the streets with their flags and banners, and gained a rather few palm leaves on the way. The day was a holiday for all celebrating catholic Christians in the country, as was the following Sunday for those of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The inclusion in this country can be felt every day, and little things like this, which allow those of other religions to celebrate their holy days freely without work constraints, is something that other nations should echo.

We frequented many different restaurants during the evenings of Ramadan, and my friend and I ate at ‘Jozhind’ in Jabal Lweibdeh, a restaurant that I couldn’t recommend enough. Although a small establishment, the four-course meal was genuinely some of the best food I’ve eaten whilst in Amman, and I’d do anything to have the risotto again. Alongside the four courses, coffee, tea and date juice were served, all for 17JD per head. As it was Ramadan, the restaurant had a different set menu every evening, and it is usually only open for lunchtime service. It’s just off of Paris Square if you want to check it out!

One of Amman’s most beautiful and elevated monuments is the Citadel. Atop a hill overlooking Downtown and the hills of the capital city, stand the ruins of a former city that is said to be one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited places. There is a price for entry to the Citadel (3JD for tourists), and there is far more to see than you expect. From Downtown you can see the Roman Temple of Hercules, and it is not until you reach the top of the hill that you realise how much there is to see. From the museum to Roman irrigation systems and toilets, there’s a lot to see – it just takes a while to walk up the hill!

A slight increase in temperature in Amman always means it will be a great deal hotter nearer the Dead Sea, and in order to get away from the city, we booked a villa in the area for the day. The villa was rather cheap when split between the lot of us, as around 15 of us sped off to peace. Where we hired was amazing, included a pool and three bedrooms. If it’s your kind of thing, I’d recommend hiring one closer to Amman, as there was no way of telling whether we were near the Dead Sea or the Saudi border.

I ended the month with a trip to the Ma’in Hot Springs, which are a stone’s throw away from the Dead Sea holiday resorts. I stayed in the resort at the springs, which has a pool filled with natural water from the springs. This may sound idyllic, but it has a lot of algae, which I understand is natural and unpreventable, but just be aware that it is no normal swimming pool. I also went to the natural public springs, which is about a five-minute walk from the hotel. You have to pay 15JD to get to these springs normally, but if you’re at the hotel you’re covered by the price of that. The springs themselves get hotter as the day goes on, as they are heated naturally, so be aware! Regardless of that, they are beautiful, and were definitely a place of relaxation.

A new month approaches yet again, as does my last full month in Jordan – which is scary. Eid Al Fitr is celebrated at the beginning of May, to celebrate the end of Ramadan. I write this awaiting the arrival of two of my friends who studied in Amman before Christmas and am eager to tick off everything on my list before the dreaded flight back to sunny Sunderland in early June.