(This article was originally published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)

I came, I saw, and oh my God, Jordan is changing fast. Good or bad depends from where you’re looking.

Personally, I’m not going to ride the wave of positive dreaming to the tune of merry singalongs. That’s not my job. If you want to feel good, go have a joint, or read the editorials of the oldest twin Arabic dailies. Or do both at the same time, if you want to begin to believe the latter. I describe things as I see them and call them by their names. Cup half full or half empty is not my business as long as what’s in it is drinkable – and available to all.

So apart from being blessed with the best weather in the world (that’s almost as flattering as you’re likely to squeeze out of me), I will not rewrite one of my pathetic schooldays composition pieces and paint a childish rosy picture. Back then, they used to ask us in English exams to write what we did in the summer vacation, and almost all submitted pieces across the Kingdom went like this: “I went to Aqaba. Aqaba was nice. It was sunny. The sun is good. We played in the sand because the sand is nice. The sea was also nice… etc.”. You know the ones I’m talking about. Read More »