tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-266260672009-08-29T16:48:30.432+03:00There once was a peacock who flew - fancy feathers and all - across an ocean to the deserts of the Middle East...Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-69734741421971393302007-02-19T00:22:00.000+02:002007-02-19T00:31:30.668+02:00

Ok, perhaps you haven't heard the last of me yet afterall... I'm now on Facebook. Finally joined the club after being haranged by friends to be their friend online. As if I didn't already have enough web-based communities and websites to manage!

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-73248650300061772352006-12-12T15:15:00.000+02:002006-12-12T15:18:07.920+02:00

It's been a great run, but I'm sad to say after 182 posts Tales of a Peacock has come to an end.Thanks for the support!See you out there in cyberspace...

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1165787846024656372006-12-10T22:32:00.000+02:002006-12-11T00:18:44.473+02:00

I think I'm driving my family crazy already. Every little thing makes me want to say, "You know in Jordan it's like this..." or "Did you know? In Jordan it's like that..."I sound like an overly excited six-year-old who won't shut up.Everything's just so different. I can't help but compare.* * *My journey home started at 4 a.m. Friday morning where in my freezing cold apartment in Amman I

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1165761759432468332006-12-10T16:13:00.000+02:002006-12-10T16:48:57.953+02:00

Nearly home!I'm back in Canada, at my grandfather's place in Toronto (where, *gasp, he only has dial-up internet access) loving the cold weather and thankful to be done with my awfully long journey.(Yes, I know I always complained about the cold in Jordan, but for some reason the Canadian cold is so much more bearable. Perhaps it's because my parents brought me my snowboarding jacket to wear and

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1165604731865969712006-12-08T20:57:00.000+02:002006-12-08T21:05:31.883+02:00

It's been a long day: I woke up at 4 a.m. (after having had about 3 hours of sleep), took my unbelievably heavy suitcases to the airport and left Jordan, destined for Paris and then Toronto tomorrow.I'm currently in the French capital where winds and rains are wreaking havoc on air traffic. Luckily we managed to land, but suffered our own interesting delays soon thereafter.I also ventured into

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1165398671863413202006-12-06T11:47:00.000+02:002006-12-06T11:55:26.456+02:00

I've been tagged again by Jad. This time I'm supposed to grab the nearest book, turn to page 123, go down 5 sentences and post the next three on my site.So here it is:"...And if that is what happens, if I have already lost him, I will at least have gained one very happy day in my life. Considering the way the world is, one happy day is almost a miracle."From Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes. This

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1165341825560896822006-12-05T19:39:00.000+02:002006-12-05T20:07:58.143+02:00

I didn't think I'd get out of Jordan without having at least one more taxi adventure. It would have been too good to be true.That's why I just HAD to get lost going to Darat al Funun in Weibdeh. Again. Make this the fourth time I get lost going there in a taxi. You'd think I'd know the way by now, but I've never taken a direct route. We always drive around and around, asking for directions and in

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1165173631631064212006-12-03T20:06:00.000+02:002006-12-04T08:54:26.486+02:00

The countdown draws to an end and though I'm thrilled to be going home, I can't help but feel upset about everything I'll miss here. It's a very confusing time. I feel numb.I took at look at some of my earlier posts and thought now that I've got six months in Jordan under my belt I'd answer some of the amusing questions friends and family posed before I left.Are there hair salons there? - Yes,

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1165061793907727612006-12-02T14:11:00.000+02:002006-12-02T14:16:34.520+02:00

My trip here is almost done and I've been thinking about my future with blogs.Since this one was created for my adventures in Jordan, I believe it's only fitting that I put it to retirement when my journey comes to an end. So they'll be no more Tales of a Peacock in a few weeks' time.Sad, I know.In its replacement I will be launching a new anonymous site - one I've already been working on - that

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1165012544118390642006-12-02T00:02:00.000+02:002006-12-02T14:01:01.980+02:00

Yesterday was a busy day.Went to the Turkish bath, drove out to the countryside for a traditional Muslim engagement party for a coworker and partied with a bunch of Canadians at an event organised by one of the embassy's employees.Too bad I did all this while suffering from a horrid hangover. Drinking is evil. E-V-I-L.Anyway, the Turkish bath or hamam was an adventure in itself. For 20 JD you get

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1164642473333620452006-11-27T17:36:00.000+02:002006-11-27T17:47:56.696+02:00

Or that's where it would have been if I wore a bonnet.The said offender was buzzing around in my cab and annoying my driver and I for several blocks before the driver got the brillant idea of rolling up his newspaper and swatting at it - while he drove through the crazy Amman traffic.I had horrible visions of it stinging him and us crashing somewhere - a thought that was short lived because he

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1164449958572059822006-11-25T12:00:00.000+02:002006-11-25T19:12:39.256+02:00

I woke up this morning and realised it's one month until Christmas and it couldn't feel less like it.*Note about waking up - the sun shines through my curtains at 6:30 a.m. everyday. I know for certain that back home mornings are pitch black until much later than that! It's winter, isn't it? Aren't the days supposed to be really short and dark? What's up with the sun coming up so early around

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1164198551856169132006-11-22T14:23:00.000+02:002006-11-22T14:33:12.483+02:00

George Bush is coming to Jordan.I heard it from my friend back home before I heard it in the newsroom. In fact I think I was the one to break the news to most of my colleagues. Here's the story. I can see the mass pandamonuim now.Is it odd to anyone that his trip was announced so far ahead of time? Aren't his trips to the Middle East usually done last minute and as a suprise to, you know,

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1164093203349905162006-11-21T09:11:00.000+02:002006-11-21T09:13:23.366+02:00

ONE MONTH LEFT.

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1163961839627283162006-11-19T20:31:00.000+02:002006-11-19T20:51:46.430+02:00

Oh how sweet it is to go to English assignments. It's even sweeter when you're the only native-speaking English reporter there and for once you get to watch the Arab reporters fumble for words and stare blankly at the speaker when they don't understand what he's saying.It's also great to have the speaker seek you out because you are the only reporter there he feels totally comfortable talking

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1163961992488046582006-11-19T20:20:00.000+02:002006-11-19T20:46:32.506+02:00

Published in The Jordan Times, November 19, 2006Peace Corps to continue volunteer work in rural areasBy Grace Peacock AMMAN — After an almost 10-year presence in the country promoting peace and understanding between Americans and Jordanians, the US Peace Corps will continue its volunteer work in rural Jordan and consider an expansion of their programmes if requested. This, according to Ron

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1163917427998874852006-11-19T08:21:00.000+02:002006-11-19T20:20:17.456+02:00

Here's a question for all you Ammanites:Where can a Canadian girl get a bunch of good sized, good quality shipping boxes??? At home we have stores that sell them, along with any other kind of shipping materials you'd need (bubble wrap, packing tape etc.). Here, I am baffled. Aramex says they don't provide boxes and that their customers always get their own.From where? Well, the lady couldn't

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1163873805097787082006-11-18T19:26:00.000+02:002006-11-19T00:01:49.680+02:00

~ At the border between Lebanon and Damascus we disembarked from our minivan (the first I've seen in the Middle East), left it parked haphazardly in what I suppose you'd call a parking lot - though not one single car or truck was lined up parallel to another. I was baffled how we'd ever get out again.We walked up the steps to the government building to deal with the exit officials and came upon a

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1163689466479819492006-11-16T16:41:00.000+02:002006-11-16T18:34:35.450+02:00

As expected, Lebanon and Syria didn’t disappoint. We enjoyed a short and sweet flight to Beirut – the so-called Paris of the Middle East – and later drove through the mountains of Lebanon to Damascus – apparently the oldest continuously occupied city in the world – before driving back south to Amman for a total of six days and five nights of vacation. Here are the highlights of Lebanon: ~

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1163608940569549742006-11-15T18:35:00.000+02:002006-11-15T18:42:21.216+02:00

I'm back after a week-long hiatus! Here are the photos from my trip to Lebanon and Syria which I promise to post about soon.

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1162915683782687772006-11-07T18:02:00.000+02:002006-11-07T18:08:03.800+02:00

Check out my brother's disturbing-but-neat macro video that shows a lot of cool things really close up. If you're squeamish, I'd think twice. Gav, where'd you get all those weird slugs?

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1162886560470076982006-11-07T09:50:00.000+02:002006-11-07T10:02:40.506+02:00

Published in The Jordan Time, November 6, 2006Belsan students stage musical performance at King's AcademyBy Grace Peacock AMMAN — Schoolchildren from the Russian town of Beslan on Sunday thanked His Majesty King Abdullah for their visit to Jordan, saying the experience opened their eyes to the similarities between the two cultures. Eighty-eight children from the school, which was targeted by a

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1162750823724051722006-11-05T18:09:00.000+02:002006-11-05T22:33:03.896+02:00

You know, being the only English reporter at an assignment can get awfully lonely.I thought this as I stared out my window at the cold rain as we drove in the media van out to the King's Academy this morning. There were two vans full of reporters driven out. The only two other women sat beside me on the back bench of the van chatting amiacably to one another in Russian. The men around me, in

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1162633382772553562006-11-04T11:33:00.000+02:002006-11-04T11:43:02.773+02:00

I suppose I should stop complaining about being cold! Here's what's happening at home - as shown in this photo my brother sent of the backyard in Collingwood.

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26626067.post-1162632783537314442006-11-04T11:27:00.000+02:002006-11-04T11:33:03.540+02:00

Published in The Jordan Times, November 3, 2006US grant to finance clothing shop, training for women in Kafrein micro-businessBy Grace Peacock AMMAN — The rural community of Kafrein in the Jordan Valley will soon have a new, affordable clothes shop and the women will be offered small business training courses due, in part, to a $5,000 US grant from a group of American women visiting Jordan

Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456758745078103506noreply@blogger.com0