by Natasha Tynes | Nov 29, 2006 | Jordan, my nation
Jordan dominated the news cycle of American news stations this morning. The reason: Bush’s visit to the Kingdom to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki. Seeing images and sounds from Jordan on American morning shows while sipping my coffee in our Maryland apartment was, of course, exhilarating.
"Hey, look, Richard Engel is on the rooftop of the Intercontinental hotel in Amman," I told the husband with a huge smile on my face this morning. According to blogger Nas, a number of veteran reporters are currently in Amman to report the event including Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper.
Putting the news coverage aside, however, things on the ground seem tense. Blogger and good friend Hala described the security situation in Jordan in anticipation of the American president’s arrival as follows:
I realized today that there’s one version of Amman I like more than another. I don’t really like the Amman doted by soldiers decked out in their full gear, dotting the landscape like they belong. They’ve been increasing in number since Sunday – every day a little more obvious, every day more of them spilling out of the huge, green army buses blocking the roundabouts. Today, I see them chatting with school children on street corners, smoking cigarettes together while leaning against a post, raising their hands in greeting to a passing driver. They fit in, so easily – a part of the morning streets, and it puts me on edge. I hate it that they seem to belong so easily. Men in uniform. HA. So overrated.
Also, Reuters is reporting that Bush’s visit has angered Jordanians:
Jordanian Yusef Mustafa Nimer can barely contain his anger at U.S. President George W. Bush’s visit. "This is a very sad day. Bush has become a symbol of bigotry and injustice towards Arabs and Muslims," the 32-year-old engineer said just hours before Bush was due to arrive in Amman on Wednesday. "There he is slaughtering my brothers in Palestine and Iraq and is now hosted and feted by our leaders. I am ashamed."
I will be closely watching the outcome of this meeting, mainly because it might change the current drastic political course in Iraq but also because it is taking a place in my hometown — a place I miss, as I observe from thousands of miles away.
by Natasha Tynes | Nov 27, 2006 | Life as a Virginian, Shutterbug
We spent this Thanksgiving weekend in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley, where we gathered with family members for fellowship and divine food. It is goes without saying that gathering in the breath-taking valley adds a special vibe to this fall holiday.
No matter how many times we visit the Valley, I can never get over how beautiful it is. There is something about the mountains there — the Blue Ridge and Massanutten — that simply take my breath away.
No wonder this stunning place is listed among the 1000 Places to See Before You Die, a book I picked up at Staples while the husband was trying (and succeeding) to land a good deal on Black Friday.
Now, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. These photos were taken by the husband on two different occasions and in two different locations in the valley: Lake Shenandoah, near Harrisonburg and the Skyline Drive. Happy Thanksgiving and happy holidays.
by Natasha Tynes | Nov 26, 2006 | The Mideast
From His Majesty King Abdullah’s interview with the ABC network’s "This Week":
"We could possibly imagine going into 2007 and having three civil wars on our hands," he said, citing conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon and the decades-long strife between the Palestinians and Israelis.
I’m not optimistic either. The situation in the Middle East is getting gloomier by the day. I frankly do not see any light at the end of the dark tunnel we are currently going through. No wonder I am reading only fiction these days. Everything else is depressing.
by Natasha Tynes | Nov 21, 2006 | Maryland Crabbiness, Religion
On my way to the post office the other day, I was approached by a young man on a bike. He was wearing a helmet and a dark blue suit jacket. Pinned to his jacket was a name tag in both English and Chinese. The young man wanted to tell me about his mission: Espousing the virtues of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints and the Book of Mormon. The young man, with facial hair just barely visible, seemed a bit nervous. I thought I might have been the first person he approached. Maybe I was the first soul he was trying to save.
I did not want to disappoint him. I took the flier he offered me, wondering to myself what his reaction would be if I told him I come from the Holy Land. I put the flier in my purse and headed to the post office. I mailed my package and headed back home.
Then, in the comfort of my own room, I gave the flier a closer look. I kept looking at the image on the front side of the flier trying to decipher what kind of message it was trying to convey. Flipping the flier over, I found an invitation to receive another testament of Jesus Christ. I paused, looking at the word "another" in disbelief. As someone who believes that the Bible is the only testimony of Jesus Christ, I could not buy the young man’s mission.
But the incident stayed with me for a few days. Eventually I decided to let it go. As I currently live in a country where freedom of religion and freedom of speech are safeguarded, I should expect more similar encounters. The next time, though, I will proclaim that I come from the Holy Land.
by Natasha Tynes | Nov 18, 2006 | Jordan, my nation, Media watch
Here is a link to a feature that I wrote about a Costa Rican artist who is currently displaying her Petra-inspired artwork at the Jordanian embassy in Washington DC. The feature was published in The Jordan Times last Thursday.
Artist displays Petra-inspired paintings in Washington, DC
By Natasha Twal Tynes
WASHINGTON, DC — For Costa Rican artist Marité Vidales, a brief trip to Jordan in the summer of 2005 served as more than just mere tourism. It was in this trip where she found a muse in the Nabatean city of Petra. Her fascination with Petra started from the first time she laid eyes on it. "I have to paint something about this," Vidales told her husband as soon as they got there. Immediately, the artist and her spouse started taking various pictures of the red-rose city to document everything they saw. "As I walked in the Siq, everywhere I looked I began imagining paintings, in the niches, on the stained rocks and the textured and wind-worn columns," Vidales explained. "I imagined the colors slowly changing throughout time. As soon as I returned from Jordan, I began to paint these images, based on my photographs and memories. I wanted to reproduce and perpetuate the experience," she added.
Read the full story here.
Jordan dominated the news cycle of American news stations this morning. The reason: Bush’s visit to the Kingdom to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki. Seeing images and sounds from Jordan on American morning shows while sipping my coffee in our Maryland apartment was, of course, exhilarating. 
