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Thursday, September 15, 2011

The View from the Back Window

For over a year now, I've been fortunate to call the village of Disi, located on the northern edge of the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve, home.  Disi is also home to the 3.000 member strong Zawydehs, a subtribe of the Jordanian Howeitat family, who were made famous by Audeh Abu Tayeh in Lawrence of Arabia.  Disi was settled in 1967 at the behest of King Hussein, who provided Sheikh Jaleel, the leader of the tribe, with all the accoutrements of settled life - from schools and homes to water and electricity.  In exchange, the tribe continues to give its allegiance to the Hashemite Kingdom and many of the graduates of the boys' school in the village continue on to careers in the military.  Disi has grown exponentially over the past 50 years - once home to a few tents, it now lays claim to a water station, post office, two schools, a medical clinic and the homes of hundreds of families.  One of my favorite things about my home is the sandstone mountain that acts as a back drop for life here.  Every morning for the past few days, I have woken to see the moon setting over the mountain and in the evening the sun sets behind it.  Kids play in the nooks and crannies and the names of at least one generation may be found carved in the soft rock.  Here it is!

Looking out the window...