Winning is cool………..No, winning is VERY cool, but it’s even more cool when you lose to a great and talented competitor who then show’s their character by telling you how good you were and how much your competition scared them. A good win is when you can’t tell who the winner will be because the competition was so tough.
The last four days I spent in Amman, Jordan in a District competition for Toastmasters International in three of the four main areas of competition. I competed in Table Topics which is the art of speaking on your feet, Evaluation Contest as an Evaluator, and finally International Speech Contest. Each one of these was tough and the competitors were talented. There were people representing the following countries: Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Oman. And the nationalities represented were from the countries already mentioned plus, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Iraq and the USA. Boy did I have a great experience. My wife calls it my hobby, but I have to admit that it’s more than a hobby to me. I love speaking and I love helping inspire people. Those who know me know I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut, but with luck, I’ll turn that into something constructive as I go along in life.
The people I met were wonderful. I have official invites to go to Lebanon, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain, not to mention coming back to Jordan. I have made some new friends and hope to be able to nourish them and grow them.
On to Jordan!
What a wonderful place. Amman Jordan, is a wonderful city. It has a long history that appeals to all those who are Christian, Muslim or Jew, not to mention almost anyone else.
Amman, Jordan is a hilly, pleasant, green (not in the “green movement” way) city that is open and welcoming to all. I listen to the people and I hear any one of the many languages spoken here which are, Arabic, English, French, Circassian, Levantine Arabic, Chechen, Turkish. If you don’t hear them, you meet people who speak them. I look out my window at the Landmark Hotel and see the ancient contrasted with the modern. There are old dwellings butted up against new buildings and there are satellite dishes on all the rooftops. In the distance I can hear the call to prayer by the Imam at one of the many mosques, but there is an absence of standstill in business that accompanies the call to prayer in the more conservative neighbor of Saudi Arabia.
Here in Amman you also see the contrast of the West meeting the East. It’s a country that is very open and comfortable with its Muslim and Christian roots and openly allows the practice of both. As I go down town, I go to Rainbow Street, a fun little shopping area that give you the feel of the modern and the ancient. If you walk far enough down Rainbow Street, you see the old area where the city began.
The cobble stone roads make for a clip-clop sound as the cars gently roll over the stone, but then you look up and see the huge TV screen outside of a movie theater showing a new release from Hollywood. There’s a small little sitting area where the locals have gathered and there are five guys in their 20’s or 30’s sitting playing the guitar and chatting and there are other locals mixing with tourist. From here there is a lookout point where you can see in the distance some of the scenes of Amman. You can see the Citadel of the Roman fort, and some of the mosques which names I don’t’ recall right now. I go down to one of the local Sheesha or Hookah as it’s known in other parts of the world. I don’t’ smoke, but everyone around me is smoking some Sheesha and enjoying dinner. It seems to have no boundaries between women and men with both participating as a social process. The smoke fills the air as more and more people gather to watch the European Cup between FC Barcelona and Manchester United. Both clubs garner huge fans here in Jordan and watching the game is something most everyone is planning on doing.
The crowds are getting big and I’m getting tired so I flag a taxi and head back to the hotel. It’s only one time, but this one time gave me just enough good results to want to return to Amman sooner rather than later. What a beautiful place.
The last four days I spent in Amman, Jordan in a District competition for Toastmasters International in three of the four main areas of competition. I competed in Table Topics which is the art of speaking on your feet, Evaluation Contest as an Evaluator, and finally International Speech Contest. Each one of these was tough and the competitors were talented. There were people representing the following countries: Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Oman. And the nationalities represented were from the countries already mentioned plus, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Iraq and the USA. Boy did I have a great experience. My wife calls it my hobby, but I have to admit that it’s more than a hobby to me. I love speaking and I love helping inspire people. Those who know me know I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut, but with luck, I’ll turn that into something constructive as I go along in life.
The people I met were wonderful. I have official invites to go to Lebanon, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain, not to mention coming back to Jordan. I have made some new friends and hope to be able to nourish them and grow them.
On to Jordan!
Here in Amman you also see the contrast of the West meeting the East. It’s a country that is very open and comfortable with its Muslim and Christian roots and openly allows the practice of both. As I go down town, I go to Rainbow Street, a fun little shopping area that give you the feel of the modern and the ancient. If you walk far enough down Rainbow Street, you see the old area where the city began.
The crowds are getting big and I’m getting tired so I flag a taxi and head back to the hotel. It’s only one time, but this one time gave me just enough good results to want to return to Amman sooner rather than later. What a beautiful place.
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