Flashes

     I know i said in my last blog that the next one will be about the similarities between Nablus and Amman, but in this visit I'm having strange feelings and I've noticed things i didn't realize before and i would like to share them with you. I will try to to describe to you the deep difference meaning of life between Amman and Nablus.

        Small things I've noticed this time of my visit to Amman but they have a huge and deep meaning in my point of view. Every time i travel in the car, i think involuntarily that we are going to face a check point. A few seconds past before i realize that there are no check points here and you drive freely to anywhere you want, the only thing that might stop you is a traffic light or if you got caught in the rush hour. In Amman, if it popped toy your mind to go to a cafe', a coffee shop, a restaurant or any place at 12:00 a.m., there is no problem, you don't have to worry about settlers who might interrupt your journey to steal, damage your car or even kill you. The roads are well-lighted and it's safe because people are everywhere, you are not alone, you don't have to be scared.

          The Jordanian flag, i can see it everywhere i looked, in the streets, at the top of schools, high buildings, restaurants, coffee shops, in the cars, on the books,,,. There is no other flag, only the Jordanian, it can be replaced with a NEW one not ANOTHER one. How joyful feeling the flying flag of the Kingdom give you, a feeling of belonging, pride and strength...

       Each time i visit anyone of my relatives, i couldn't participate in their conversations, i remain silent half of the time. Their topics are so different from ours, they discuss things we don't have back home. They basically  talk about their LIVES, their NORMAL LIVES, their jobs, for example: someone who recently graduated and found a job , other one who got married ... I listen carefully, there is no talking about martyrs or anyone who got arrested unfairly or injured !!Those few words are the basic topics in our conversations back home. A friend of mine who i met in the University is from Tulkarem once visited me at my house, the first question i asked her once she arrived is " how are the roads and check points on your way from Tullkarem to Nablus ??," even before welcome or I'm happy that are visiting me !!


        I'm spending a really good time here, but I'm cautiously  happy. I just can't be 100% relaxed and happy, it is something i can't control because it is in my nature to be prepared that at any moment i will read or hear a bad news happening somewhere to someone. That how life is in my home land and i was born and raised in a country that never experience peace nor safety. I remember an accident that is a quite funny happened to me here, i was at my uncle's house when i suddenly heard a loud fire works, i stood up immediately and screamed "SETTLERS", everyone looked surprisingly and said  :"what settlers, there are no settlers here, it's a wedding in the neighborhood, calm down,,"  

        Here, you can safely leave your house, safely drive to anywhere at any time, safely LIVE. I'm not saying that life here is perfect because people surely will face problems in their lives, it is life not Heaven, but they have a grace that makes life different, they are safe, free and secured. How lucky the Jordanian are with their king and kingdom, may Allah bless those friendly people and maintain peace among them... May Allah be with us to retrieve our freedom and our lands.......

        

From Nablus to Amman

      On Tuesday morning ,at exactly 7:05 a.m., i left Nablus on my way to Amman to visit my relatives there. This is not my first time to Amman, but i feel nostalgic each time i lrave my people and my country. I was listening to An-Najah station, the situations were tense everywhere, that made me more worry about everyone i left behind.

        Jericho is the city where we head if we want to travel anywhere in the world, i know that we are there when i start seeing these beautiful mountains below, also the palm trees and green houses. when you go to Jericho you experience the feeling of becoming diff ( Jericho is 800 feet below sea level, it is the lowest city in the whole world .) 

  

     

         The road takes about 45 minutes, then i headed to Jericho departure hall, after that, we passed about 5 Israeli check points and change our bus at each point , these are mandatory   security procedures varies between checking our passports and our Palestinian's IDs. 

        Our journey to Jordan begins by passing a beautiful valley called " wadi Shuia'b" , the geographical nature is similar to Jericho, the mountains look white too and the pressure on my ears still very high. Little by little, the geographical nature changes, the white mountains disappears, i start seeing olives trees cover the mountains and the air pressure return to normal.

      

          The road to Amman takes about 45 minutes, the roads and the general scenes are similar to Nablus, actually i feel like I'm home, the people are very friendly, the streets, the buildings and everything around me is very familiar, I never felt strange when I'm here and that is a good feeling (y). Here is a little information that will probably amazed you, Amman is only about 160 km from Nablus, if we exclude the procedures, the journey takes no more than 2 hours by car, that's another reason why i feel like I'm home, As a mater of a fact, Amman is closer to Nablus than Hebron !! Surprising right ,, My next blog will be about interesting places i will go , the friendly people of Jordan and the similarities between those beautiful two cities :) .