I am so happy to be retired, I lived a full and meaningful life and now I can just relax. My day consists of doing a bit of work to earn some money (soon, I can give that up as well) but we are talking like a short time amount, less work then I would do in my spare retired time – I eat well, I spend quality time with family, my parents will move down here eventually as well – and its one long chill session all day –
Right now the kids are nibbling on fresh oranges (which are super cheap here as are all vegetables/fruits – we purchased 5 bags full of fruit (and HEAVY to carry) for just 3JD – (meat on the other hand is a bit expensive).Â
I feel like I am a king or something, I wake up around Fajr time (the kids alarm is right before the adhan, and Hafsa will usually wake everyone else up) – then I hear the adhan from my own bedroom! – then afterwards (for now) go back to bed for a bit –
Then we eat either some bread, olive oil and zatar or we get fresh falafel sandwiches (Ibrahim can run down and buy 5 of them for 1JD) –Â
We have this awesome electrical tea maker, makes about enough tea for 10-12 cups in about 3 minutes – We usually leave it ready the night before – and then after breakfasts just plug it in and its set to go and we can drink 4-5 cups of tea –
All in all, it’s a nice 45 minute to one hour long breakfast around the heater – Sometimes the kids join Fatima and I (right now, everyone is allowed to sleep in since school does not start for 2 more weeks) –Â
Same with lunch, same with dinner, nice relaxed long well done meals – no one to meet, no one to talk to – it’s perfect! The phone is not RINGING like crazy! I think It rungs once or twice a week and that’s it!
We decided to NOT get internet, everyone (but the kids loves it) – that way, we treat the net like anything else – and its just rationed, and we use the net from the net café (can take laptops and plug it in to the café, where they are super nice) –Â
Long walks, short walks – but a short walk is 1 minute, a long walk is 10 minutes and we can get to about 10 masjids, super mega malls, 2 internet cafes, 20 shawarma/falafel stands, 10 sweet shoops, 5-6 grocery stores, 2-3 butchers (probably more, but we did not look), 4-5 bakeries, and that’s just from the one or two roads we use!
Clean crisp air, lots of nice fun walking, lots of hot tea everywhere – I get it each day as I pass by this guy for 10 kirsh – EVERYONE SMOKES, its not taboo to smoke any place and everywhere –Â
Life is nice, I should have left American 7 years ago – I can walk around eating, snacking, and praying all day and not have to worry about anything (its good not having any siblings, extended family or people who expect more from you then nothing).
To be honest, I don’t really feel driven much to do anything, I don’t really care if I make anything more in life, learn anything else, or do anything – I am RETIRED! I eat fresh bread every day, fresh fruits every day, I drink lots of tea (and soon coffee, since right now, we are just doing things here and there), I pray at least 4 times a day at the masjid (soon to be 5, fajr is still very hard to get up and go to (ill explain why in a bit)Â
The only problem here turned out to be AWESOME! The coldness and how you deal with coldness: Its COLD here in the winter (its mountainous) – however, because of it, hot water is SO NICE, you heat the water up before you use it, you take fewer showers, you feel better to use cold water in daily use for wudu, etc. – All day everyone hangs out together at night around the heater, during the mornings around the heater, sleeping at night is so much fun since its COLD, but then you get under two blankets with a small heater in the room, and its so HOT inside the blankets –
Now, this poses a problem for ghusl – but not so much, I like water running / flowing and in the mornings if I have to make ghusl or something, its just so cold (because you either use the bucket system but not really, or you use flowing water) but you don’t use hot water all the time unless you wake up 20 or so minutes before so you can have the heater on, etc.Â
Now when I start doing tahajjud (and waking up before Fajr in general) that problem will be solved – but right now after a cold shower you stand in front of the heater, and its just to cold to walk outside sometimes – or it takes a bit to long to dry, so you may miss Fajr at the Masjid (if you’re a spoiled used to American life person like myself) but, I should have that sorted out soon enough in shaa Allaah -
But the cold mornings feel so nice, and the hot water system is so satisfying, it makes every shower that much more enjoyable and by default you are programmed just to enjoy life a lot more and not indulge yourself.Â
Eating out SUX, all the ‘out’ food sucks to eat like food at the mall, but all the arab nice places / cheap places food is awesome and you feel like eating hummus and bread instead of some fancy French fry meal at the mall –
The entire family is ALWAYS around the living room where its nice and warm! Ibrahim right now ran down to the internet café, and we stayed a bit longer and finished our meals (and me my blog entry) – and this is just a nice vitiating retired life, oh yea its COOL for us NOT TO all have our own cell phones (in the states, even the KIDS had one – sheesh) – we decided not even to get Net / Phones at the home, no VONAGE, No VOIP, just phone cards for the weekly calls back to family – that’s it man – Good, Good Life – without any hassle/worries -Â
That’s just the good retired part that would work whether I was a Muslim or anything else - now on to the next best part of being here – the Prayer!
I hear the adhan everywhere (and Jordan is considered one of the LESS religious arab states when it comes to adhan, masjids, and prayer) – If I am at a mall, I can pray at the musalla, when I am at home – the kids will rush out to the masjid before the adhan even finishes sometimes! – (I take my time, I need to make it an ‘ordeal’, with perfume, grooming, etc.) –
 Last night I was at the Internet Café, and I remarked that most likely we should hear the adhan and be able to walk TOWARDS a masjid – Fatima said, well it may not be as ideal as you like… (shes been here longer) – and bahm! I walked outside, I asked someone which way to the masjid (first of all we heard the ADHAN), second – after I got instructions – I continued on to that way, and asked again just for confirmation from someone else. After he said the same thing, someone else piped in – WAIT, there is one closer (and that’s the one I ended up going to) but DUDE!, 2 Masjids within walking distance when just hanging out at a Café –
 Its practically impossible to not be able to pray in congregatation or even better at a Masjid in a supposedly TECHINCALLY not as religious as other religious arab states – its kinda nice!
 Lots and lots of easy prayer on time and WITHOUT having to look at a prayer time table – and lots and lots of healthy food, and just chilling.
 Life is AWESOME.
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January 20th, 2007 at 11:21 am
[...] read more… | [...]
January 20th, 2007 at 11:28 am
[...] Retirement and Prayer I am so happy to be retired, I lived a full and meaningful life and now I can just relax. My day consists of doing a bit of work to earn some money (soon, I can give that up as well) but we are talking like a short time amount, less work then I would do in my spare retired time ” I eat well, I spend quality time with family, my parents will move down here eventually as well ” and its one long chill session all day ” Right now the kids are nibbling on fresh oranges (which are super cheap here as are all vegetables/fruits ” we purchased 5 bags full of fruit (and HEAVY to carry) for just 3JD ” (meat on the other hand is a bit expensive). I feel like I am a king or something, I wake up around Fajr time (the kids alarm is right before the adhan, and Hafsa will usually wake everyone else up) ” then I hear the adhan from my own bedroom! ” then afterwards (for now) go back to bed for a bit ” Then we eat either some bread, olive oil and zatar or we get fresh falafel sandwiches (Ibrahim can run down and buy 5 of them for 1JD) ” We have this awesome electrical tea maker, makes about enough tea for 10-12 cups in about 3 minutes ” We usually leave it ready the night before ” and then after breakfasts just plug it in and its set to go and we can drink 4-5 cups of tea ” All in all, it s a nice 45 minute to one hour long breakfast around the heater ” Sometimes the kids join Fatima and I (right now, everyone is allowed to sleep in since school does not start for 2 more weeks) ” Same with lunch, same with dinner, nice relaxed long well done meals ” no one to meet, no one to talk to ” it s perfect! The phone is not RINGING like crazy! I think It rungs once or twice a week and that s it! We decided to NOT get internet, everyone (but the kids loves it) ” that way, we treat the net like anything else ” and its just rationed, and we use the net from the net caf (can take laptops and plug it in to the caf , where they are super nice) ” Long walks, short walks ” but a short walk is 1 minute, a long walk is 10 minutes and we can get to about 10 masjids, super mega malls, 2 internet cafes, 20 shawarma/falafel stands, 10 sweet shoops, 5-6 grocery stores, 2-3 butchers (probably more, but we did not look), 4-5 bakeries, and that s just from the one or two roads we use! Clean crisp air, lots of nice fun walking, lots of hot tea everywhere ” I get it each day as I pass by this guy for 10 kirsh ” EVERYONE SMOKES, its not taboo to smoke any place and everywhere ” Life is nice, I should have left American 7 years ago ” I can walk around eating, snacking, and praying all day and not have to worry about anything (its good not having any siblings, extended family or people who expect more from you then nothing). To be honest, I don t really feel driven much to do anything, I don t really care if I make anything more in life, learn anything else, or do anything ” I am RETIRED! I eat fresh bread every day, fresh fruits every day, I drink lots of tea (and soon coffee, since right now, we are just doing things here and there), I pray at least 4 times a day at the masjid (soon to be 5, fajr is still very hard to get up and go to (ill explain why in a bit) The only problem here turned out to be AWESOME! The coldness and how you deal with coldness: Its COLD here in the winter (its mountainous) ” however, because of it, hot water is SO NICE, you heat the water up before you use it, you take fewer showers, you feel better to use cold water in daily use for wudu, etc. ” All day everyone hangs out together at night around the heater, during the mornings around the heater, sleeping at night is so much fun since its COLD, but then you get under two blankets with a small heater in the room, and its so HOT inside the blankets ” Now, this poses a problem for ghusl ” but not so much, I like water running / flowing and in the mornings if I have to make ghusl or something, its just so cold (because you either use the bucket system but not really, or you use flowing water) but you don t use hot water all the time unless you wake up 20 or so minutes before so you can have the heater on, etc. Now when I start doing tahajjud (and waking up before Fajr in general) that problem will be solved ” but right now after a cold shower you stand in front of the heater, and its just to cold to walk outside sometimes ” or it takes a bit to long to dry, so you may miss Fajr at the Masjid (if you re a spoiled used to American life person like myself) but, I should have that sorted out soon enough in shaa Allaah - But the cold mornings feel so nice, and the hot water system is so satisfying, it makes every shower that much more enjoyable and by default you are programmed just to enjoy life a lot more and not indulge yourself. Eating out SUX, all the out food sucks to eat like food at the mall, but all the arab nice places / cheap places food is awesome and you feel like eating hummus and bread instead of some fancy French fry meal at the mall ” The entire family is ALWAYS around the living room where its nice and warm! Ibrahim right now ran down to the internet caf , and we stayed a bit longer and finished our meals (and me my blog entry) ” and this is just a nice vitiating retired life, oh yea its COOL for us NOT TO all have our own cell phones (in the states, even the KIDS had one ” sheesh) ” we decided not even to get Net / Phones at the home, no VONAGE, No VOIP, just phone cards for the weekly calls back to family ” that s it man ” Good, Good Life ” without any hassle/worries - That s just the good retired part that would work whether I was a Muslim or anything else - now on to the next best part of being here ” the Prayer! I hear the adhan everywhere (and Jordan is considered one of the LESS religious arab states when it comes to adhan, masjids, and prayer) ” If I am at a mall, I can pray at the musalla, when I am at home ” the kids will rush out to the masjid before the adhan even finishes sometimes! ” (I take my time, I need to make it an ordeal , with perfume, grooming, etc.) ” Last night I was at the Internet Caf , and I remarked that most likely we should hear the adhan and be able to walk TOWARDS a masjid ” Fatima said, well it may not be as ideal as you like (shes been here longer) ” and bahm! I walked outside, I asked someone which way to the masjid (first of all we heard the ADHAN), second ” after I got instructions ” I continued on to that way, and asked again just for confirmation from someone else. After he said the same thing, someone else piped in ” WAIT, there is one closer (and that s the one I ended up going to) but DUDE!, 2 Masjids within walking distance when just hanging out at a Caf ” Its practically impossible to not be able to pray in congregatation or even better at a Masjid in a supposedly TECHINCALLY not as religious as other religious arab states ” its kinda nice! Lots and lots of easy prayer on time and WITHOUT having to look at a prayer time table ” and lots and lots of healthy food, and just chilling. Life is AWESOME. [...]
January 20th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
How much do you need approx a month for rent, food, utilities, and extra money to spend?
January 21st, 2007 at 8:39 pm
nice…i need to retire :/
January 22nd, 2007 at 2:12 am
Alhamdulillah Sas your description of life over there is wonderful. I hope that I will be able to make a similar move in the near future. Being so independent of technology must be a nice change. Keep us informed about your Arabic skills insha Allah! We miss you brother! Barak Allah Feekum.
January 23rd, 2007 at 11:57 am
Hmmmm..fascinating…btw..can you get me some info on Markaz al-Albaanee, I think its in Ammaan. Also, are Shaykhs Saleem al-Hilaalee, and Shaykh Alee Hasan al-Halabee over there(and are they taking students)? If Ammaan is that chill..the lifestyle should be alot more accomodating for taking a family than say Dammaaj…well duh! anyways, hit me back bro and let me know the details (living expenses and all that).
January 29th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Bro.. I’m curious: how can you be ‘retired’ at this age?
I’d love to ‘retire’ and move to Jordan too!
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