My very good friend Mariam wrote a very compelling post detailing her trip to Baqaa, a Palestinian refugee camp, to have her fortune read by the infamous fortune teller Ibtisam. Mariam’s account of the trip is dead on. She fully describes her encounter with Baqaa residents who automatically direct her to Ibtisam’s house without questions, as Mariam’s appearance along with that of her friends didn’t fit such a destitute area. Why else would westernized, Ammanite girls come to Baqaa unless it was to have their coffee cups read?

Unlike Mariam, who went home disappointed after Ibtisam refused to read her cup (for lacking intention), I had the intent and my cup was fully read by Ibtisam nearly five years ago. I don’t recall all of what she told me that day but I remember two major things she saw coming in the near future: Without even looking me in the eyes, Ibtisam predicted that 1) I would marry someone out of my culture and 2) I would spend most of my life outside of Jordan.

Well, I’m not sure I believe in all of this fortune telling stuff, but what she foresaw in my coffee cup was very similar to what happened in my life. Freaky!