amman

The Good:

- Rita who sat next to me on the plane giving me her number while we waited for her luggage. Come and have a cup of coffee while you're here. She lives near my aunts and uncle- in the neighborhood next door. I plan to call her and stop in if I have the car one day and am passing by.

- Eid lunch at my aunt's house. The stuffed lamb that gets put in the center of the table, the frenzy of people handing plates to those at the center of the table to have rice and lamb served to them (two pieces for Rana, they say, to welcome me back, and I happily accept). Then each person walks around the table and finishes serving themselves the yoghurt sauce on top, the mulukhiya, the salads, the olives and pickles, the meat pies, and whatever else I didn't even get to register because I was too full to make my way all the way around the table. Each person takes a seat- at the table if you are among the adults and want to sit at the table, otherwise on any of the couches in either of the salons. Aunts calling out to the younger generation- regardless of whose child- bring me a glass of water, a spoon, a fork.

- Eid visits to friends and family. Dressed up, stopping for a short visit at each house as we make our way through the ones on our list, drinking tea or coffee (Arabic for these occasions more often than Turkish- Gulfi cardamom or black Jordanian style), a Eid cookie, a piece of chocolate, and on we go.

- The hills, Mount Nebo, the Dead Sea, eating delicious food while sitting out in the beautiful breezy evening as the sun sets, with an argheelah and tea with mint.

The Bad:

- When putting my luggage on the belt to be scanned at customs on my way out of the airport, some guy walks up from another belt, puts his bag in between my first two bags, and pushes his in the way as I'm trying to lug my big bag onto the belt. When I say, what are you doing, there's a line? the guy with him says, patience, patience. That's rude, I say, it's rude, coming back to your country to have to see this, it's rude. Leaving the airport already frustrated by the special treatment that comes with some family names and some backgrounds.

The Ugly:

- Amman-style self-promotion. Nothing more needs to be said here- if you know it, you know it. If you don't, it's hard to explain because each example seems so trivial, but altogether it's hideous.