Jordanian Welcome!

On Saturday night around 6pm Jordan time, we arrived at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. After quickly getting some Jordanian Dinars (the currency), our visas to enter the country, and our bags, we stepped out of the terminal into arrivals and found Zaynee waiting for us. It was so great seeing her again after such a long time! She also brought along her host brother, Alaa, and his two friends to help get all our bags to the hotel, so we truly did have a Jordanian welcome! 

Homemade chapatis!

Zaynee organized a driver for us for our week in Amman, because the only way you can get around is by taxi. His name is Rhamed (which I definitely spelled wrong!) and is perfectly happy to drive us anywhere, so it seems. Zaynee gave the boys our suitcases to drive to the Kindi Hotel, while the five of us went with Rhamed to the hotel. We all chatted in the car, and Zaynee told us more about her experiences in Jordan. It seems like she is having an incredible time, mostly because of how wonderful her host family is and all her friends here.

We checked into the Kindi, which wasn't...bad. Or great. It's fine. We have a suite and isn't too over the top, but it's not like we'll be spending excess time there. As soon as we changed, Zaynee took us to a really nice, traditional Jordanian restaurant called Reem Al Bawadi and her three guy friends joined us. The interior was beautiful. When we first walked in, we came across a woman hand-making chapatis on a giant heated stone, which was amazing.

Interior of the restaurant

The table was low and square and fit all eight of us around it. In the center was a large, indented gold circle. It was like a gold bowl within the table with Arabic writing engraved. The waiters quickly filled it with delicious appetizers: tabbouleh, hummus, falafel, grilled halloumi cheese, cheese samosas, kemah filled pastries, aubergine paste, bean hummus, spicy olive mix, sliced pickles, fresh salad, and tons of chapatis and naan. It was heavenly and I ate so much before realizing this was just the appetizer portion!

Zaynee sitting next to her host brother, Alaa, and his friend Sabre, checking out our appetizers!

We also tried a mint lemonade drink that wasn't sweet (it's the green drink in the photo above!), but very tart and refreshing. That helped with preparing us for the main course. We got an enormous platter of meat--chicken, lamb, and kebabs--and even more bread and French fries (randomly). It was delicious and the perfect welcome to the country! I have rediscovered my love for Middle Eastern food!

The main course! The meat was perfectly cooked and so good!

We rounded off the meal with black tea and mint, which was surprisingly a good combination, and then said goodbye to the three boys. They went home and we made our way back to the Kindi, where Zaynee was staying the night with us.

The family reunited!

Honestly, I was so tired that I quickly unpacked, showered, and was about to fall asleep when Zaynee said she had presents for us! We all got traditional Jordanian scarves (wait for the pictures when we wear them later in the week!), hair clips from Turkey for Hanaa and I from when Zaynee went a few months ago, and Mom also got a beautiful embroidered prayer mat. It was so sweet of her to get us stuff! By then, I was ready to pass out, and did so immediately, already excited for what Zaynee had planned for us tomorrow!