My favorite hillRoba just killed me with her post showing a recent picture of a Jabal al-Weibdeh hill. She’s made me homesick to no end.

The reason is simple. This very spot occupies a special place in my heart. My memories of this hill go back in time to maybe seven years ago when my friend Mariam lived in Weibdeh. I remember vividly how Mariam, her two sisters Elena and Hania, and myself used to buy warm, fresh falafel from Abu Mahjoub in the same neighborhood and then sit for hours on this hill talking about our heartbreaks and trying to foresee what life had in store.

Things changed after Mariam’s family moved out of Weibdeh. Time passed and I failed to stop by this special hill for a while. Then, some years later, Jeff moved into the same neighborhood (some 100 meters from the hill!) and this very special spot came back into my life. Jeff and I used to spend endless hours there, talking about our future plans while trying to figure out the right way to organize our big fat Jordanian wedding.

The attachment to the hill grew when I worked with the crew from Irish TV, RTE two years ago during the first weeks of the Iraq War. The producer was looking for a nice spot in Amman to shoot his report from and I had the answer. I dragged them to this spot. The reporter stood on this hill with his microphone, the camera whirred away and he gave his report about the Jordanian reaction to the war next door. That day I felt just right. I knew it was about time to give this spot some recognition. I knew It was about time to give back to this place some of the joy it gave me. [Click image to enlarge Roba’s picture]