For the past five days or so, we have been spending most of our time with la Familia, mostly with my sister and her family as they leaving for a vacation at the end of this week so we might not see them for some long time. However, I managed to scratch few things off my Jordan to-do list, which included eating mansaf (can I really avoid that?), having Rimini pizza, meeting up with friends and cousins and of course playing with my nieces. I still have a plethora of things to do here. I hope that I will make it before we leave.

I have not been really out much so I cannot offer any real punditry on Amman’s changes over the last four months. However, I could not help but notice one major development since my absence: the explosion of private radio stations. So far, I have heard of Mazaj, Beat, Play, Mood and Sawat al-Ghad. They are being advertised everywhere: newspapers, glossy magazines and on bulletin boards. I still can’t believe how many music choices are currently on offer to radio listeners in Jordan. Somehow, this variety feels over the top for such a small country.

Meanwhile, construction is still in full swing. Apartment buildings – many of which are hideous – continue to mushroom all over the place. No one can deny that Amman is expanding at a dizzying pace. But in spite of this sudden renaissance, will this culturally enriched city manage to keep its soul, one to which I’ve grown so attached? I wonder.