"Dishes in Amman" by Nora Grace Stoltzfus

Hello everyone!

Part of living with a host family can mean taking part in their daily lives, from grocery shopping to engagement parties. Washing the dishes is something I enjoy doing for my mother when I am home for a few days, and it is also something I have started doing occasionally for my host mom here. I have been thinking a lot about the similarities between life in Amman and Philadelphia and thought it could be interesting to share.

Dishes in Amman

It is interesting to me the things that must be done across the world

And how we find our common ground.

Across the world, dishes need washed

And floors needs swept. 

Across the world, in order to have food on the table, 

It needs to be prepared and cooked.

The laundry must be washed, dried, and folded.

It grounds me, this never ending list. 

Once completed, it must be started again

As continuous as the sunrise.

And as I stand in the kitchen, 

Looking out over Amman with dish soap on my hands, 

I am relieved to know my experiences here are more than a vacation.

They are a home visit, an invitation into 

A cycle that has been ongoing since there have been people. 

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اطباق فى عمان 

من المثير للاهتمام بالنسبة لي الأشياء التي يجب أن تحدث في جميع أنحاء العالم

وكيف نجد أرضيتنا المشتركة.

في جميع أنحاء العالم ، يجب غسل الأطباق

والارضيات تحتاج كنسها.

في جميع أنحاء العالم ، من أجل الحصول على طعام على المائدة ،

يجب تحضيرها وطهيها.

يجب غسل الملابس وتجفيفها وطيها.

إنها أساس لي ، هذه القائمة التي لا تنتهي أبدًا.

بمجرد الانتهاء ، يجب أن تبدأ مرة أخرى

مستمر مثل شروق الشمس.

وأنا واقف في المطبخ

تطل على عمان بصابون الصحون على يدي ،

أشعر بالارتياح لمعرفة أن تجربتي هنا أكثر من مجرد إجازة.

إنها زيارة منزلية ، دعوة إلى

دورة مستمرة منذ أن كان هناك أشخاص.

Nora Grace Stoltzfus is a student at Temple University, and is studying abroad on the Amideast Intensive Arabic Program in Jordan this Summer, 2023.