Lina’s Engagement
Jessica and I went to a wonderful engagement party the other night because her language partner Lina recently got engaged to a guy named Mohammed. The women’s party was separate from the men’s and so Zuhair, Yasmin’s uncle, dropped Yasmin, Jessica, and I in front of the hall where it was being held, although it was really more like a room than a hall. The first thing I noticed when I entered the room, teeming with Lina and Mohammed’s female relatives, was that there was no air conditioning and only one fan. The room was easily 85 degrees then and as relatives and some friends continued to trickle in and then the dancing began the room got hotter and hotter.
Lina eventually came in with Mohammed and they danced for a while (again, I’m not sure why the groom-to-be is allowed in a room full of largely unveiled women.) Her dress was gorgeous and they both seemed excited but very nervous. Lina is a wonderful dancer but Mohammed seemed a little stiff. The two had never spent time alone together before they got engaged but now that they have signed what is essentially the wedding contract they can be alone together without any scandal. Although the two won’t get married until next summer, they have already signed the contract that binds them, although if one of them is very unhappy it can theoretically be broken off.
All of the girls and women here are fabulous dancers and have repeatedly taught me and Jessica how to Arabic dance. Its a lot fun, but the room was so hot that after 2.5 hours of dancing, we were literally dripping with sweat.
Tags: Amman, Jordan
Katelyn
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