Fashion is very important in Amman. I have not seen one girl dressed in just jeans and a long sleeve tee. They are very put together. Marina, my host sister who also goes to the university, says that there is pressure to dress well and impress the peers.
Most girls at the university wear the hijab, the veil that covers only their hair. However, I don't have to look far or long to see girls with their faces covered as well. Some wear the full gown with the gloves, not showing any skin. But what I have noticed is that the hijab is very much a part of their style. The scarf coordinates with the rest of the outfit, and girls will wrap it in various ways, creating a ruffled edge, adding in sequined pins, and so on. The veil is clearly a part of their wardrobe selection, and it makes a fashion statement.
It is interesting being in a country where the dress standard is so different. I am very conscious of when I am showing my forearms or even my collar bones. Walking next to some of these girls, I feel half dressed. And dressed poorly in comparison. Whereas, in the U.S. I would not think twice about a t-shirt or shorts. And the shoes they wear! I don't understand how they walk on these sidewalks and roads with 4 inch high heels. I get blisters from my flip flops and would probably kill myself trying to navigate the streets in treacherous footwear.
Side note, the card reader does not work. I will have to keep looking for something with which to upload my pictures. Going to a flee market today!
Salam!
You can do it! I expect full stilletto functionality by the time you come home for Thanksgiving! If I can trek all over New England in high heels five days a week visiting every doctor ever born , you can go to class in them. Plus, your three year old niece wears them from the time she's home from school, to the time she goes to bed. And my heels are about 14 sizes too big for her. On another note, we miss you and love you more than all the huumus in the Middle East!
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