There's a little Jordanian bedouin dancing the dabke inside all of us.
No matter where we end up travelling, our Jordanian side will always find its way through the homesickness and nostalgia.
Here are some of the most powerful triggers.
1. Take me back to Amman
This song by Aziz Maraka is the song we listen to late at night when we've had enough and just miss home. Somewhere in the dark you'll find us sitting in bed crying and begging God to take us back to Jordan.
2. Cooking mansaf for comfort
We've somehow smuggled mansaf without airport security thinking it's just dried balls of cocaine. We get so excited that we end up inviting all our friends to try mansaf the Ordoni way, which means that we have to get mom or teta on Skype to walk us through it.
3. It's all about the zaatar
We have zataar on a daily or weekly basis. In a sense it's a local food we take for granted. But it's only when our non-Arab friends tell us how much they love it that we appreciate the distinct flavors and aromas the dried herb presents. This is why zaatar can become one of the best (and cheapest) gifts to give all foreigner friends who appreciate the taste. That, and it's really, really good for you.
4. Currency conversion is a piece of cake
We can turn any currency into Jordanian dinar (JD) without giving it a second thought. If you have 100,000 Lebanese liras, for example, just remove the three zeros, divide by two and voila it's 50 JDs. $100 is 150,000 L.L. which means its 50 JDs... You're a math wiz for the first time in your life! Congrats!!
5. We overuse our clothes
A day after we arrive back home our moms usually end up dragging us to Taj & City Mall just to buy us new clothes.
Let's face it, without our mothers we just wouldn't be presentable.
6. In constant seach of a Jordanian soulmate
Finding other Arabs when abroad is easy; finding Jordanians isn't. This is why we end up developing hawk-like super powers that help us identify any potential Jordanians walking down the streets. Because finding one Jordanian means finding so many others. And sometimes that could make a world of difference to someone suffering from nostalgia.
7. Marriage is always on the table
No matter how uninterested you are in your mom's potential brides/grooms she always mentions it. "Yamma I found you a bride from a good family and she doesn't mind moving to the 3'orbeh with you."
8. Jordanian pride
You wear your 'Hatta' everywhere. In the winter its a scarf, a big fuzzy blanket that smells like home, but most of all it's your support system that binds you together.