A visit

Tonight while my roommates were resting and relaxing at home we had an unexpected visit from our downstairs neighbor. This country and culture is all about hospitality, you're to be ready for guests and to entertain at any minute. So, since our neighbor came to visit we opened our house to her and let her in. I had just gotten out of the shower and had wet hair, and my pajamas on....so, I quickly threw on a jacket and brushed my hair and tried to make it look decent....yet, still wet. While I was doing that, Jayme was in the kitchen frantically preparing coffee and treats for our guest, and Sarah was with our neighbor, Um Aboud, in the living room chatting. Um Aboud became a very good friend of Lorie's while she was here. I heard all about her from Lorie before coming here and looked forward to meeting her. I was happy for the chance to get to sit and chat with her.
After I was done trying to look freshened up I sat and chatted with Sarah and our neighbor....a few minutes later Jayme joined us with coffee and candy. The four of us sat around the living room for about an hour and chatted about the sights in Jordan, and about her family. Family is VERY important in the arab culture, so people love to be asked about them and tell all about them. It's rather interesting to hear about the family dynamics here and to listen to a mom talk about her children with pride in their voice. Um Aboud can speak very good English, there were only a couple of words that she just could not come up with.... she taught us a couple of new words in Arabic, and showed me how to write my name in Arabic. It was fun. Although the visit was unexpected and thrown together in the beginning, we had a pleasant time with our neighbor and I hope to get to know her more throughout our time here.