Badia Rundown

My recent excursion into the Bedouin villages was nothing like what I anticipated.  I went into the trip anticipating that we would live in a small hut or a glorified tent with a pen of sheep and cattle in the backyard.    Imagine my surprise when we were shuttled into a rural community with old but relatively modern houses, replete with fences and yards.

I stayed with Natalie, a fellow DukeEngager, in a small house with a family that had four children varying between the ages of 4 to 10.  The first barrier that I encountered was my poor Arabic skills and the inability of the family to speak any English.  Communication was difficult outside of the few broken phrases that I could muster - keef halek (how are you), ana tabane (I am tired), elhamdellulah (I'm full) - and from the hand gestures that I would resort to.  Nevertheless, I was touched by the generous spirit of the mother, who continuously pushed tea and food towards us and cooked delicious meals, and the playful energy of the children.

The life of the Badia is so simple, so humdrum and routine.  It is a life where both men and women are in service of Allah and their family.  The daily life of our host Mama everyday involved cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children, then visiting her mother in law and having hours of conversation or just relaxed repose for hours on end.  As the day came to an end, she would watch some television with her husband and pray.  

To be perfectly honest, I felt as if I would go insane after the first day.  The children constantly surrounded us, leaving us little space for ourselves.  After hours of tickle wars, and various other forms of play, I was mentally exhausted and prepared for some alone time with a good book.  By the end of the trip, I had finished reading an autobiography of Queen Noor - the American-raised wife of King Hussein, the previous monarch of Jordan.  

One of the uncles, the youngest brother of our host Baba, spoke English rather well and took us on a tour to the ruins by the village.  Laced with dried goat dung, it was nevertheless magnificent to see the ruins of so many churches that were so well preserved and told the story of Palestine and Jordan in mosaic detail.  With another family, we walked a kilometer or so to a Bedouin olive tree plantation, which was very beautiful as the dense foliage of the trees contrasted the barren weeds in the rest of the desert.

Despite the beauty of rural Jordanian life, and how interesting the experience was, I am quite happy to be back in Amman - where there is internet, activities, education, and indoor plumbing galore.