MANSAF (منسف)

Mansaf (منسف) is a traditional Bedouin dish, well known as the national dish of Jordan. It is usually made from lamb, or sometimes chicken, with a fermented yogurt sauce, served over rice. Mansaf is mainly a celebratory dish, for weddings, holidays, or guests. But there are some families, mostly residing in villages, who eat mansaf weekly -- on Fridays, the typical "family day" here in Jordan.


















(Mansaf made with lamb. You see those white "meat looking" pieces.....while they are pure balls of fat.)

An interesting fact about mansaf, is that it is eating by hand. For proper Mansaf etiquette, one should only use their right hand when eating. No utensils here folks! The goal is to form a ball of the rice -- again remember WITH YOUR HANDS. This is where it gets a tad messy. And the hardcore mansaf eaters...stand up, roll up their sleeves, place their left hand behind their back, and dig in!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pk2XkiOhL0 -- How to eat mansaf (funny cartoon in Arabic).

Honestly once people figure out that you are a foreigner, they automatically ask you "OMG have you had mansaf? Do you like mansaf? Come over to my house and eat mansaf!"And being vegetarian I put off eating this dish for quite sometime. Always politely turning down the invitation, but Jordanian Night at MENAXLDS was the perfect opportunity to go for it. I think I felt more comfortable because I was sitting at a table full of other vegetarians, ha. So I just ate the rice and yogurt sauce, but stayed away from the lamb and fist size chunks of fat (yuck!!!). I admit it was delicious though.















(Here I am eating the mansaf with my hands.)

Mansaf number two, was definitely more traditional. Michael's friend David was visiting from the USA, so we went to one of his student's home in Asarih -- a village just outside of Irbid, for some good home-cooked food. This time, we sat on the floor in a circle, surrounding the mansaf.

David is a vegetarian as well, and although he is a pescitarian he had decided that he would try chicken mansaf. Now I have never really been one to crave meat since turning veg almost 4 years ago, but for some reason I really wanted to go for it. Maybe it was the pressure of being the only one not eating it, maybe it was the smell, but I really think it was the culture here. I think every Jordanian would be disappointed if I left the country without ever having mansaf.























(David and Michael, enjoying the good eats!)

So long story short, Trisha ate two pieces of chicken! First time that I intentionally ate meat in four years. And I know what you are all wondering....YES I liked it! But, no I am not back to the omnivore diet, I'm still a vegetarian. It was a one time thing. I have lightened up a bit on the vegetarianism. In the states I wouldn't eat something that has been cooked with meat, but here in Jordan sometimes it's just unavoidable.



















(Chicken mansaf, a little blurry, but you get the idea.)

After Mansaf, I got to go with the mother of our host and his sisters into the kitchen, while the rest of the guests (all men) jealously remained behind in the sitting room. It was nice. I helped them clean up a bit and got to chat with them in Arabic. Made me mad though that the women kindly prepared the meal for us, then sat in the kitchen while we ate, then cleaned up after us, and never ate themselves. Score one for gender inequality.

Moral of the story, everyone should try mansaf. It's really tasty, rich, and an unbelievably filling meal. Seriously, you won't be hungry for a whole day after eating it.

Dishdasha party. ( حفلة دشداشة )

A few weeks ago I went to a FAB party for my friend Melanie's birthday. In true Jordanian spirit the party theme was "dishdasha" (دشداشة) -- the traditional Arab dress for men. It is ankle length, long sleeved, and usually a light color; white, tan, light grey or light brown, to attract less heat. The traditional Palestinian woman's long tunic is called a thobe (ثوب‎), so that's what all the ladies were rockin' at the hefleh.


















Here I am with Driss, fellow intern in Jordan from Tunisia. As you can see he is wearing the dishdasha, paired with the Jordanian keffiyeh ( كوفية). Also pictured, the infamous Diana Ross, better known as Sophie DeMartine -- BFF, modeling a Kuwaiti style thobe (made in India though, like many things in Jordan and the US for that matter.)

To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about the party theme. I really enjoy the richness of Jordanian culture and I feared that a party like this might come off as offensive. But, there was a healthy mix of Jordanians and foreigners who attended the party and everyone seemed to be more than thrilled about the dress code.























We are the definition of BEJENININ! Can't wait to wear this dress back in the states.

MENAXLDS 2010 Study Tour.

The day after I finished the conference of a lifetime, we left for the Study Tour. It is tradition that after every international AIESEC conference, the host country organizes a tour around their nation. Originally, I was planning on returning to life in Irbid immediately after the conference, but after meeting and working with so many amazing people, I could not pass up the opportunity to travel around with them. Also, because road trips are where the real magic happens.

Our destinations were as follows; Madaba, Mount Nebo, Wadi Rum, Petra, and the Dead Sea. Alhum'dulelah for just receiving my residency card before the conference, because as a resident of Jordan the entrance fees to tourist sights drop dramatically. And we all know how thrifty -- cheap, I can be. For example, Petra costs a foreigner ~33 JDs for a one-day entrance pass, but as a proud bearer of الإقامة (residency) I pay a mere 1JD to enter! Muuuuhahahha!

















Madaba is known for its Byzantine-era churches and in particular a mosaic map of the Holy Land, dating back to 6th century AD.

Here we are at Madaba attempting to spell "AIESEC" .... I was part of the 'S' holler!

Above is the view from the gates of Mount Nebo (جبل نيبو‎), incredibly breathtaking if you ask me. Mount Nebo is significant in both Judaism and Christian faiths. According to the final chapter of Deuteronomy, Mount Nebo is where Moses was given a view of the promised land. It is also rumored that God buried Moses on this mountain.

And a bejenin picture of Ali and I, doing my signature dance move from the conference. Priceless.























We spent the night at a large camp in Wadi Rum. The first time I ventured to the red sand desert of Rum, I stayed in a secluded Bedouin camp, about 8KM off the beaten path. Unfortunately, when traveling in such a large AIESEC herd (we were 80+ people) things tend to get a bit more complicated.

Thus we stayed in a more touristy camp, to accommodate our large numbers. It had it's perks though, including relatively clean bathroom facilities, an enormous empty fountain-like thingy -- perfect for large dubkeh circles. And patios for dining, carved into the rock formations.
















Although different than my 1st Wadi adventure, still had a great time around the camp fire. And if I remember correctly, there were some ghost stories being told, quite authentic.

After waking up, we made our way to Petra. At the time had been in Jordan now for almost 7 months and still not seen it's most well known destination. Thus, my excitement was through the roof. One busted tire later and we were safely inside the ancient Nabataean city of Petra. Built in 6th century BC it is well known as one of the original 7 wonders of the world.
























As I reached the beaten path of the siq, I choose to part ways from the group and venture on my own. Don't get me wrong, I am a social person, but after being with people around the clock for the last 10 days, I needed some time to decompress and Petra provided the clarity I needed.























The first main attraction in Petra is the treasury, known as الخزنة‎ bil Arabi. The treasury is magnificent, towering over you like a metropolitan skyscraper.

After gazing in awe at the unfathomable architecture, for what felt like hours, I continued down the siq towards my next discovery.

Look at the beauty of the rock. I'm sure my friend Nora, an avid-geologist would jizz in her pants at the sight.

At the end of the siq you reach an opening into the plains where the amphitheatre is located, cut into mountainsides. Unfortunately, this site is in such bad shape that it has been fenced off to prevent further damage. This large open space was littered with shops, restaurants, vendors, and at least 1,000 tourists. It was quite an eyesore. When there are so many people it really takes away from the historical beauty. Your experience seems less genuine and unique when everyone else is doing it too.

To be honest, I am a snob when it comes to tourists. Although I am one of them, I never like to be associated with them. Especially here in Jordan, because although I was touring Petra, I am not a "tourist" in this country, I am a resident and I work here, and I don't want to be pegged as otherwise.























After navigating the mob, I climbed countless flights of stairs to reach Urn Tomb, the first of the Royal Tombs at Petra. After looking around and snapping a few pics, I sat on secluded ledge to just look out upon the old city and soak it all in. We only had 3 hours at Petra and I think I spent 1/3 of my time up here, just getting lost in my surroundings. It was so peaceful.

Before floating back down to earth, I ran into some AIESECers on cloud 9.



After sorting out some "transportation issue" we were ready to make it to the Dead Sea by sunset....until BAM our bus break down on the side of the road, just about 30KM outside of Petra. Quite the wet blanket to a perfect trip. It took a lot of problem solving, but we made it work and another bus came down from Amman to retrieve us. I thank all the delegates who maintained a positive attitude throughout this mishap.

Alhum'dulelah the bus company offered to take us the next day (Sunday) on a trip to the Dead Sea to make up for it. Sunday, a work day in Jordan, was supposed to be my first day back at work, but I ended up wiggling out of that to accompany 40 international delegates to the Dead Sea.


It was a lovely, relaxing last day to finish my chapter on MENAXLDS.

MENAXLDS 2010 in Jordan.

Last month (from March 9th-21st) I experience my first AIESEC international conference, MENAXLDS 2010! MENAXLDS is an annual conference hosted in the MENA (middle east and north Africa) region. The conference is mainly focused on improving exchange and developing leadership, two main pillars of the AIESEC way.

For delegates, they spend their day in sessions either as part of the LDS (leadership focused) or XPRO (exchange focused) track. But as for the CC members, it was our responsibility to ensure that everything happening during those 7 days was logistically running smoothly.

Being an intern here in Jordan connects me to AIESEC in a much different way than what I am used to as a full-member back at Madison. Don't get me wrong, I am more than enjoying my time here, but basically I was desperately missing contributing to AIESEC directly, through means of intensive labor, ha. Thus, near the end of December, I applied to be a member of the CC (congress committee or planning team) as a delegate servicing (DS) teamster.

I was responsible for marketing the conference to members in the MENA region and across the AIESEC global network. I was also a "buddy" for all the international delegates (outside MENA) -- India, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, United States, the Netherlands, and Greece.

This meant that I needed to help them prepare both logistically; registration, flight confirmations, airport pickup, pre/post conference hotel stay, etc..., but also culturally; language, food, dress, cost, traveling the region, keza keza.

I really enjoyed this work, one because I would do most of it from my computer ha, but also because it gave me an opportunity to share my experience and what I have learned in Jordan thus far, with other internationals.







My BEJENININ CC TEAM!




























MENAXLDS 2010 started out with a BANG! A.K.A. Opening Ceremony. Above I am standing next to the welcome banner, beside my company's logo, CCC (Consolidated Contractors Company). CCC has been a loyal sponsor of AIESEC Jordan, including their generous donation towards the conference.

Next we moved right on to Mecca Mall -- one of the two major malls in Amman, for Global Village. This Global Village was like one that I had never experienced. Having so many internationals in one public space was amazing. We had live rap performances, 2 comedy shows, and danced to Tunak Tunak right in the middle of it all.
To top it all off, I yellahed on the dubkeh (of course, ha)!

Thanks to the delegates from the USA -- shoutout to Julia and Claire!! .... we had a sweet Ameeeerika table too!
























The next few days were spent DOING WORK! Wake up calls in the AM (which I love by the way), manning the help desk during sessions, nap if I was lucky in the afternoon, and partying at night.

Being a lover of theme parties, I provided the themes. So we ended up having three great parties during the conference...DISCO night, Karaoke Night, and a White Tee party! Not much different from being at an AIESEC US conference, except there was a lot less drinking, which actually allowed people to spend more time during the evenings having genuine conversations and networking. All and all, not a bad trade off.
















Our next special event was Jordanian Night, where I had a rendezvous with my friend and fellow AIESEC Madison member, Rashaad. Also know as "the beast from the middle east" hhahha.

As most of you know (and previously mentioned) I quite enjoy theme events, so I went all out. Sporting my dress that I bought from Jerusalem and a head piece purchased in the souks of Amman (although this is not technically tradition Jordanian fashion, so you know.)















The food was delicious. We had a wide variety of salads to begin with. And then the national dish, Mansaf. This was Trisha's first Mansaf btw. And even though the dish is covered in meat...I still ate it. Well ate around it, but it was actually good none-the-less. And a dessert of fresh fruit, tea, and agila.

The conference came to a close with the Gala Dinner and Award Ceremony, a crucial moment for AIESEC Jordan which we shared with our partners, both companies and organizations, families, and friends.


The ladies of the CC Team pictured here. Tala, Shatha, Shatha, Walaa, Rana, and Farah, M.I.A. Rand :)

As the conference came to an end, I was so happy about the accomplishments my team and myself achieved. MENAXLDS 2010 was only the 4th installment of this international conference. Similarly, AIESEC Jordan has only been in existence for the same amount of time. Thus, producing this conference in such a young and inexperienced AIESEC region and country was a HUGE challenge, but no doubt successful! The most important thing for me was that the delegates had an experience of a lifetime and I am confident we delivered that and more.

I was the only non-Jordanian member of the CC team, which did have it's disadvantages. Like not being fluent in Arabic for starters. But also my lack of knowledge about AIESEC in the MENA region. Many of the CC members were new to AIESEC and for most this was their first time being on a conference planning team or doing AIESEC work for that matter. So although I was new to the area, I think I was able to utilize all my experience in the organization and bring my international perspective and work ethic to the team. And actually take more of a leadership role in the conference than I attended, which I admit was a challenge, yes, but a growth experience and utterly amazing.

This is our amazing conference chair Ewelina (from Poland), a fellow intern and friend.

For all of you who attended MENAXLDS, whether as a delegate, FACI, CC member, partner, or attendee for the special events, I thank you. This conference was one that will go down in the history books and an experience that will remain with me for eternity.

Oh and you can't forget the USA role call to YMCA! What a showstopper!