"An Evening Out and an Evening In" by Nora Grace Stoltzfus
This past week, I not only got the chance to explore Amman but also to experience an intimate part of Jordanian culture. During a walk with my classmates and professor, we briefly stopped at the Jordanian Royal Film Commission. A classmate had pointed it out to the group, explaining that she and her roommate had found it earlier that week. She explained that the Commission was founded in 2003 to help aspiring Jordanian and Middle Eastern film creators achieve their dreams. In addition to financial assistance, the Commission also has a large library of digital films in Arabic and English for anyone to watch for free at their library. A student membership, at only 10 JD, also lets students to borrow films to take home. Finally, they also do outdoor film screenings and premiers.
To my surprise and delight, there was a film screening that night. I was able to return and watch it. The movie, called A Cross in the Desert, was filmed right here in Jordan and tells the story of a Eastern Orthodox saint who spent 40 years in the Jordanian desert. The audio was a mix of Serbian and Arabic, and had both English and Arabic subtitles. It was easy to see why the film has won awards internationally - the cinematography and acting were incredibly moving and stunning.
In addition to the movie, I was also able to attend the engagement party for one of the daughters of my host family. I didn’t take photos, as most of my participation in the party was in the women’s only section. The women’s party started out with dancing, with tea, coffee, and mamool cookies being served. For those who don’t know, mamool cookies are dense, flaky cookies filled with dates. After a while, the future groom appeared and there was an exchange of rings. After that, he danced with the future bride and the female family members present from both sides of the family. After he left, the party picked up and the future bride and her friends danced for a while to both popular modern and classic songs. My roommate and I were also able to participate in this, and were invited onto the dance floor. Although we didn’t know the dances, we were still made to feel welcome.
After about an hour, most of the friends left as male family members began to appear. My host father and several other men danced for a while, even doing a shortened version of dabke (the room was a bit crowded at this point).
Although I was not able to take any pictures, I was able to get the names of some of the songs and I have included a link to the playlist at the end of this post. I was a bit excited when making the playlist, as I already knew some of the songs from my previous explorations of Arab pop.
I deeply enjoyed both the movie and the party, and was grateful to been included. They both gave me a closer look at a culture I am unfamiliar with, in a nuanced way that goes beyond classroom learning or even walking down a street. I can’t wait to see what I get to experience next!
Check out Nora’s full playlist on our Spotify here: Jordan Engagement Party Jams
Nora Grace Stoltzfus is a student at Temple University, and is studying abroad on the Amideast Intensive Arabic Program in Jordan this Summer, 2023.
