House of Curiosity...

January: Gaza
January was tough, yet it was inspiring. I spent the whole month in the streets demonstrating for Gaza, I spent the evenings in a warehouse, packing, sorting and organizing….There was a sense of freedom in being part of all the mess. In the heart of the chaos, in the middle of the angry chants, I fled behind a bear’s coat, and it was then that I saw the light!

February: Armenia
In February, I got to visit a truly exotic place. Armenia… Outside the boring meetings, I got to visit the harsh mountains, be a tourist in charming Yervan and learn about the history, Ararat mountain, the culture, the food… In the evenings, we played games that we used to play as children such as (names, animals, countries all start with one letter)… looking back, the trip was not as bad as I felt then.

On my way back, my flight had a technical problem and I thought I was going to die… I sat straight in a yogi position, transmitting a “I will survive” signal to the universe a la “The secret” motif! I did not want to travel for a while after that, but then March rolled in and I could not resist the temptation of London.

March: London
I was invited to speak in a conference in London… In the last slide I told my audience about the most searched for term in the Arab world… can you guess what it is?

Even though I lived in London for 3 years, during last March, London finally made sense to me. I walked and walked and walked. I finally connected all the dots on the map. Because of this trip, I know where Covent Gardens is in relation to Trafalgar Square, and I know where Piccadilly Circus is in relation to Oxford Circus, and I know how to get from the strand to Leicester Square on foot. As I walked, I recalled Asia’s trip in London. Asia from the book “In the Eye of the Sun”.

April: Citizen in My City
The month of hard work and acknowledgements. My project of two years was coming to an end, to my sadness. I knew I was going to miss it because it was one of the richest projects I had managed throughout my career in sustainable development. The project got a regional recognition during April. Aljazeera made a reportage about it in a program called عزم المبادرة(I can’t find it online) and the LBC made another reportage in a program called Europa Jaratuna.

May: France
A trip to the south of France as part of a Jordanian delegation to exchange on citizenship. Whoever said that the french “Provence” is  one of the most colorful places on earth was right! The light there is amazing, the food is brilliant, the art is superb…. I seriously enjoyed the cities, the markets, the sea, the people, the shopping, the scenes…

Vive La France

June: Camil
Little camil blessed us with his entrance to the world… what can I say about Camil? his curious eyes and ready smile, make him a true bundle of Joy.

July: Germany
Another great youth program in Germany. It was musical, artistic and creative. The highlight of this one was spending time with my cousin Mais, who accompanied me there. Her intelligence, sweetness and love will always move me.

We created a rap song! It was a cool video that I could not upload because of the great Internet connection in Jordan. This picture was taken in the City hall. The mayor is a smart, witty and classy lady.

August: Youth of Jordan
In August I finally conquered the youth scene in Jordan… I was part of a project that worked on developing criteria for youth centres in Jordan.  I visited many youth centres in different cities and towns… I know one thing for sure, if serious changes don’t take place, we will be screwed.

This  is how it looks like! (I particularly like the little boy on the right… I think he must be saying to himself… ohh boy!)

September: Ramadan
Finally we got to chill in September. Ramadan was sweet this year, I am not sure I can remember a Ramadan that I enjoyed as much as this one…During Ramadan, I started becoming closer to Reem. Reem’s kindness and capacity to nurture is unique, her determination to give and achieve and deliver is simply impressive. But what makes her special to me, is that I have finally found my twin sister when it comes to absent mindedness…

October: Work
October was a tough month in terms of work. I am not sure I worked as much as I did in October for a really long time. But the work ended successfully. I learnt a few things during the project, which is always a good thing. When i say work, i mean a number of projects, among which is 7iber, which has been something that I love and appreciate dearly.

November: Cairo
I got to go to Egypt (I was there when the legendary Algeria, Egypt game took place). I knew this game was going to mark the beginning of a new era for the Arab world.

December: Beirut/ Research
Beirut left an impression on me. I had a great time with some of my favorite people. We also had a good discussion about the research that we have been working on last year. The research is about emerging E-identity of Jordanian youth… and the results are exciting. I am sure, we will share them soon.

With this post I say good bye to 2009, which was a good year for me Hamdulilah. I see myself waiting for 2010 with so much hope.

Happy New Year Everyone