I just spent a wonderful weekend visiting my Host Family in Mansheiya, a village near Mafraq city. It was very refreshing and exactly what I needed. My first 10 weeks in Jordan were spent living with this wonderful family. I try to visit as often as I can because they truly are my family here in Jordan. I now live alone in a village in the Irbid region
and though I feel integrated and welcomed here, I don't feel a sense of
family or closeness with anyone in my village like I did when I lived
in Mansheiya.
My host family is made up of Ibrahiem, age 37 and Yasmeen, age 30 and their four sons; Belal, Derar, Mohammad and Obada. That is only mentioning the immediate family. In Jordan it is typical for the sons to live very close to their parents after they marry. Many sons will even build on top of their parent's homes to move upstairs with their new wife. That explains why Ibrahiem's many brothers live downstairs and on either side of him with their large families. One day Ibrahiem's sons will grow up, marry and probably build on top of their house or around it to stay near the family. The family dynamics here are like nothing I could have imagined before I was immersed into the biggest family I have ever known. Even Ibrahiem's sisters live close by with their husbands since everyone in the village is from the same tribe, carrying the same name and basically all related in some fashion.
All of the women in the family (Ibrahiem's sisters and the wives of his brothers) spend their time together chatting, drinking tea and cooking. What was once overwhelming for me to sit in a small room with 10-15 women is now very normal. And I can't forget all of these women's children who are constantly running in and out of the house. It is not unusual to count over 30 people in one room on any given day; all of the children playing and all of the women sitting on farshas, which are floor cushions that line the walls of the visiting rooms. I'm a pro at remembering names after having to learn the names of the entire Stayfat tribe in only a few days. Luckily the majority of the boys are either named Mohammad or Ahmad.
Every single person I have met in this absurdly large family has been so warm, welcoming and kind to me. Not a minute has passed that I have not felt like I'm a member of their family. They hassle me to come and visit them every single weekend as it is normal for a family member who lives and works away from the home to return every weekend.
On Friday I spent hours in the kitchen with Yasmeen learning how to make Mansaf, the national dish of Jordan and the most delicious thing I've ever had. Now I can check that off my Jordan bucket list. Mansaf is a rice dish with a salty yogurt sauce, sprinkled with toasted almonds and cilantro and served with chicken or lamb. Meals are eaten on the floor with the main dish on one large platter that everyone eats from. Drinks are always served after the meal, which I'm still not quite used to. I don't know how they don't feel thirsty while they're eating.
It is a great honor in Jordan to feed your guest so well that they gain weight so I shouldn't have been surprised that my host family weighed me when I first moved in with them and weighed me again before I left to make sure they did their job, which they did very well indeed! It is also normal to tell someone they look fat or skinny, no judgement or cruelty intended. I have heard many times that I am looking rather fat, usually accompanied with an approving look. This weekend my host family seemed very unhappy that I looked too skinny. I was forced to eat dinner twice.
Over the weekend I also met all of Yasmeen's family. My host mother Yasmeen is from Syria and recently her entire family escaped from Syria and moved to Mansheiya with the help of Ibrahiem and his family. Her parents, her Uncles and Aunts, her cousins, her brother and 6 sister's along with their spouses and children all fled Syria to take refuge in Jordan. This large family left everything behind and they are now living in a cramped, bare house with few belongings. I could see the sadness in their eyes when they mentioned Syria but they only expressed their gratitude to God and the people in Mansheiya for delivering them to safety. I can't imagine the hardships they're experiencing but I am grateful they are with Yasmeen in Mansheiya and not trapped in the refugee camps like so many other Syrians or even worse, still trapped in Syria.
My host family is made up of Ibrahiem, age 37 and Yasmeen, age 30 and their four sons; Belal, Derar, Mohammad and Obada. That is only mentioning the immediate family. In Jordan it is typical for the sons to live very close to their parents after they marry. Many sons will even build on top of their parent's homes to move upstairs with their new wife. That explains why Ibrahiem's many brothers live downstairs and on either side of him with their large families. One day Ibrahiem's sons will grow up, marry and probably build on top of their house or around it to stay near the family. The family dynamics here are like nothing I could have imagined before I was immersed into the biggest family I have ever known. Even Ibrahiem's sisters live close by with their husbands since everyone in the village is from the same tribe, carrying the same name and basically all related in some fashion.
All of the women in the family (Ibrahiem's sisters and the wives of his brothers) spend their time together chatting, drinking tea and cooking. What was once overwhelming for me to sit in a small room with 10-15 women is now very normal. And I can't forget all of these women's children who are constantly running in and out of the house. It is not unusual to count over 30 people in one room on any given day; all of the children playing and all of the women sitting on farshas, which are floor cushions that line the walls of the visiting rooms. I'm a pro at remembering names after having to learn the names of the entire Stayfat tribe in only a few days. Luckily the majority of the boys are either named Mohammad or Ahmad.
Every single person I have met in this absurdly large family has been so warm, welcoming and kind to me. Not a minute has passed that I have not felt like I'm a member of their family. They hassle me to come and visit them every single weekend as it is normal for a family member who lives and works away from the home to return every weekend.
On Friday I spent hours in the kitchen with Yasmeen learning how to make Mansaf, the national dish of Jordan and the most delicious thing I've ever had. Now I can check that off my Jordan bucket list. Mansaf is a rice dish with a salty yogurt sauce, sprinkled with toasted almonds and cilantro and served with chicken or lamb. Meals are eaten on the floor with the main dish on one large platter that everyone eats from. Drinks are always served after the meal, which I'm still not quite used to. I don't know how they don't feel thirsty while they're eating.
It is a great honor in Jordan to feed your guest so well that they gain weight so I shouldn't have been surprised that my host family weighed me when I first moved in with them and weighed me again before I left to make sure they did their job, which they did very well indeed! It is also normal to tell someone they look fat or skinny, no judgement or cruelty intended. I have heard many times that I am looking rather fat, usually accompanied with an approving look. This weekend my host family seemed very unhappy that I looked too skinny. I was forced to eat dinner twice.
Over the weekend I also met all of Yasmeen's family. My host mother Yasmeen is from Syria and recently her entire family escaped from Syria and moved to Mansheiya with the help of Ibrahiem and his family. Her parents, her Uncles and Aunts, her cousins, her brother and 6 sister's along with their spouses and children all fled Syria to take refuge in Jordan. This large family left everything behind and they are now living in a cramped, bare house with few belongings. I could see the sadness in their eyes when they mentioned Syria but they only expressed their gratitude to God and the people in Mansheiya for delivering them to safety. I can't imagine the hardships they're experiencing but I am grateful they are with Yasmeen in Mansheiya and not trapped in the refugee camps like so many other Syrians or even worse, still trapped in Syria.
