Unsettled

There was a murder in Hashmi yesterday.

I know, sounds shocking, right? I've rarely heard of murders happening while I've been in Jordan (other than, say, the occasional honor killing that makes the news). Last year a student was stabbed to death during the school day at the University of Jordan. My program diligently sent text messages to all of us warning us away from class, saying, "Avoid the north gate. Tribal spat."

A similar even occurred yesterday at Plaza Mall, just up the street from where I live. Someone was shot to death for tribal reasons.

We're all feeling kind of icky, the way that you do when you hear about something bad happening so close to home. I suppose, however, that we can comfort ourselves by knowing that it was connected to a tribal fight, and neither my roommate nor I are involved with tribes in Jordan. I guess that's better than in the U.S., where shootings in malls are done at random and targeted at everyone, right?

In other neighborhood news, a Jordanian man from around these parts who had been harrassing Iraqis and behaving as a shitty person slipped, fell, and died yesterday on the pavement in front of his house. Karma, I guess.

Toy shopping

There are two new refugee families who recently arrived from Iraq with almost nothing in their hands. Some private donors sent money to provide a few toys for the kids and, after consulting with the parents, we got to go toy shopping!

Wust al-balad was, of course, the place to go. We spent almost 4 hours perusing the factory vomit, and enjoyed a few of our finds:

Dolls are hugely popular. Especially dolls that "will produce a sound with the light."

And dolls with highly unnatural hair color. It is extremely hard to find dolls with dark hair in Jordan. Light hair is really prized.

Kids are never too young to learn the value of hard work.

The box on this one says, "Let Our Children More Hardworking"

That was definitely made in China.

And finally, we have American Dream meets Jordanian Dream.

A blonde wife

A closet full of dresses

A flatscreen tv.

What more could you want?

Vomit from the Yangtze River

There must be a pipe that runs directly from China's factories right to Wust al-balad in Amman.

There are a million and one things for sale in downtown Amman that were MADE IN CHINA. Stores and the few feet of street outside their doors are crammed with cardboard boxes holding what, to me, looks like what would happen if China's manufacturing industry suddenly vomited all over the pavement.

As with everything from China, everything is produced in mass quantities, the prices are great, but the durability questionable.