People watching in New York

I have been to places as far away as Mongolia, Benin and Peru, and yet I had never been to New York... until now.

I'm staying with a friend on Long Island and I have to say that being in the US is not like any other travelling experience. It's so strange to arrive in a country where everyone speaks the same language, looks the same, eats the similar food and yet... everything is bigger, taller and faster than in London. I don't just mean the buildings and the cars, the people here are huge, it's like living in a land of giants!

While the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building definitely had the "Wow factor" it's been people watching that has provided the priceless experiences. Today on the beach in the Hamptons I overheard an obese man saying to his wife (who had a lovely figure) "Oh my gawd, you're going to give yourself a heart attack worrying about healthy eating." (You have to read this using a strong New York accent in your head.) He was the only one out of the couple who was at risk of a heart attack.

The thing that made me really laugh was the woman in her 60s who had brought a deck chair and a cold box and spent the day lying back and soaking up the sun. Her skin was like well worn brown leather, she had peroxide blonde hair, bright pink lipstick smeared on her lips and giant black sunglasses. This peculiar sight became distinctly amusing when she decided that some exercise was in order. What about a walk down the beach or a swim? No, this lady whips out a bright green resistance band and starts doing all manner of bizarre exercises. The funniest involved holding the band on her head while she bent and flexed one of her legs.

Only in America...

SOAS Cleaners Deported

Why isn't this front page news?

SOAS Cleaners Deported

It's a terrible day when one of the most "liberal" British universities refuses to defend the rights of immigrants.

Espoir de Demain (Tomorrow's Hope)

The fundraiser at the weekend to get Beninese orphans to school was well worth the effort and exhaustion. To date we have raised £2000 which will pay for the school fees of at least 66 children.

It was so amazing to have so many people come together for some kids on the other side of the world. It made me feel really optimistic about what's possible. It's not just about giving them an education. Going to school offers real protection from trafficking, domestic service, slavery, abuse and isolation.

What an excellent idea... an all women government

I thought this article from the the Guardian about an all women government showed the first real initiative to come out of the media for some time.

BNP adds to exam misery

How is it possible that the BNP have won seats in the cradle of democracy?

Not only do I have to sit two more exams this week but I have to look at the horrible, smug face of Nick Griffin peering out of various television screens. The idiots who pelted eggs at him during a press conference outside of Westminster have only added fuel to his fire. Don't they realise that there's no such thing as bad publicity?

This is an indicator that those who are passionate about a politics of justice and equality need to stand up and act NOW more than ever. So many people are disillusioned at this juncture by expenses, lack of leadership etc. But that doesn't mean we should hide in the shroud of apathy, it means we should act and take responsibility for the changes we want to effect.

I just thought I'd leave you with this article about women and 'having it all'. Things drastically need to change and having balanced leadership in politics would be a good start.

Exam Stress and European Elections

Well, my first exam is on Monday so my stress levels are sky high. However, political developments have kept me busy enough to avoid a complete meltdown. The European election are the first elections I have been really involved in and I loved every minute of it! I was given very menial tasks: collecting polling numbers, leafleting, ticking numbers off lists etc. However, it gives you that sense that you're contributing to something larger. Maybe one day, I'll be the person I'm trying to get people to vote for!

The other thing keeping me busy (aside from revision) is fundraising: I did an internship in a small West African country, Benin, and I'm currently trying to raise funds for an NGO called Espoir de Demain (Tomorrow's Hope) to try and get 200 orphans to school. I've read so many websites about how to deal with exam stress, but it's focussing on the bigger issues like this that helps me keep things in perspective. (I also try and avoid other stressed out people, eat lots of M&S raspberry royales -yum!, and ring my boyfriend for moral support).

I have been rather stunned by the lack of women in the new cabinet, but unfortunately the books beckon, so that rant will have to wait for another day.

Too many expenses... not enough women

Well, I'm currently revising for exams... two weeks from now and I'll never have to sit another exam in my life!!!

In the meantime I'm very much looking forward to meeting with the Downing Street Project and the WOLF network who are trying to get more women into the UK Parliament and look at more effective ways of doing politics. This is the perfect moment for organisations such as these to take the initiative given the current expenses crisis in Westminster. I'm so bored of reading about it every day. We know there's a problem, so can we please move on and work out how to solve it?

It also makes me angry that the crisis has overshadowed the hard work of Joanna Lumley to get justice for the Gurkhas. She showed the politicians how to really get things done, it was a real demonstration of what celebrities can do with their fame and fortune. Instead it was hidden on page 10 of the Telegraph behind more photos of MPs who have abused their power and privilege.

The media attention given to expenses has also served to taint the MPs who don't sponge off the taxpayer. I have been interning for Emily Thornberry who uses a substantial amount of her salary to finance her constituency office where staff work tirelessly to resolve the problems of her constituents. I was pleased this article from the Guardian got the truth out there.

Hey ho, back to revision.

Essays... and more essays

Well, back in the UK the real work begins. Like British students all over the country, the majority of my essays are due in on Monday. Is anyone else feeling slightly overwhelmed by the work to be done over the weekend?

Better get back to the books! ;-)

Secret Library in Amman

Well, I'm back in the UK now and a ton of essays await me. However, if anyone comes across this blog who's thinking about doing research in Amman, there's a large library run by the Americans that's kept a secret. I was chatting to a girl from the U.S. in Books@Cafe (which I'd highly recommend) and she told me about it.

You can't get their address off the internet (you have to phone and request it and they email it to you) and when I arrived everyone kept asking how I'd heard about them. They don't advertise and there's not even sign on the building because of "security issues".

Only the Americans would have an enormous collection full of unique books on Jordan and keep it a secret because they're so paranoid about security!

I have to say they were very helpful, so I'm not willing to spill the beans here, but if you get in touch I'll send you the details.

A Meeting with Toujan Faisal

This evening I had the honour of spending two and a half hours with Toujan Faisal. The first woman elected to the Jordanian parliament, and a tireless campaigner for democracy, she is charismatic, intelligent and truly inspirational.

Her insights into Middle East politics are both startling and accurate, revealing and analytical. She realises the value of participating in elections and has fought the corruption of the political system at every turn. She has had an apostasy case brought against her, been imprisoned, gone on hunger strike, and put her life on the line for her cause on several occasions.

Such is the strength of her ideas that even the Islamists, who brought the apostasy case against her and are her political opposites, now want to use her platform for reform.

I have always been passionate about women's political participation but from her I learnt that while there is corruption, it doesn't matter who is in power. Democracy is the only way to ensure everyone has a voice, and until democracy is in place women's voices will not be heard unless they sink to the level of the men who have gone before them.

She reminded me of the proverb:

"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Political Participation of Women in Jordan: Optimism dashed

After meeting with three NGOs on Thursday I was feeling pretty positive about the political opportunities for women in Jordan. There are a lot of problems that prevent them from becoming politically engaged: the tribal system, a very conservative culture, an electoral system that discriminates against them and a lack of confidence amongst women themselves in their ability to take on positions of responsibility.

However, there is also a quota of six seats reserved for women in the Parliament, which is very impressive for the Middle East region and some fantastic NGOs working very hard to support the women who do want to run in elections. Although there are lot of challenges, I came away on Thursday feeling that change is possible.

Yesterday I took a day off from research and went the Petra. The hotel organised a driver and from him I got a real insight into the mind of a Jordanian man. He thought that women's education was a bad thing and that the introduction of mobile phones was dangerous because it meant women could talk to each other and share ideas. He also did not have a problem with polygamy (as long as you did not exceed four wives) because it is sanctioned by "the Muslim religion". "The man is always on top, he always has the last word." The rest of what he had to say ranged from sexist to the down right bizarre.

The point I want to make is that the interpretations of Islam vary widely and some women view it as potentially incredibly empowering. If change is to happen in Jordan, it will occur within an Islamic framework, but when some men use religion at every turn to justify the unfair treatment of women, it feels like an uphill battle.

Only at the British Council...

Yesterday I visited the British Council in search of more resources. It's a very impressive building in the heart of Amman. In all my years traveling I am happy to say I have never had cause to visit a British Embassy... except for on one occasion in Benin where there wasn't one. In emergencies they said to go to the one in Lagos, Nigeria... yup, because Nigeria is where you really want to go if you're in trouble.

Anyway, the gentleman at the desk was very helpful and said he would go and do a search of my subject: women's political participation in Jordan. They have a small library so I was hoping there might be a find.

I had to try very hard to stifle my laughter with the list he came back with:

Women in Love by D.H. Laurence

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

and...

Cat woman!

I think he realised this wasn't what I was looking for but he kindly took me to speak to someone who works on a program that is related to my research and was very helpful. It just goes to show, you never know what's round the corner.

Amman taxis

Someone asked me today what I was doing in Jordan. I explained, I'm doing a Masters thesis and I'm really interested in women's political participation. I wanted to write about the UK (I'm British so that's the context I know the most about) but my degree is in Development so I needed to focus on a developing country. I work for a couple of Middle East charities and my boss suggested Jordan as it's very safe, many people speak English and most people are helpful. As I was explaining her eyes got wider and I realised I sounded a little crazy, but here I am nonetheless, in Amman, harrassing NGOs and research centres for interviews and advice.

I arrived at the airport on Sunday night feeling a little bewildered and overwhelmed. After buying a SIM card I went outside to look for a taxi. Someone thrust a piece of paper into my hands, someone else took my suitcase and before I knew it I was in the back of a cab. I remembered how in my guide book it had said "make sure taxis are metered" but when I asked the driver he said the price was 22JD, "look at the piece of paper". Oh well, rule number one out the window. I anxiously clutched the panic alarm my Mum had given me before I left as we drove, in the pitch dark, around the winding streets of Amman. After asking a few people for directions we arrived, to my great relief, at the Shepherd Hotel safe and sound.

So far most taxi drivers have been very helpful, despite my lack of Arabic and complete disorientation. However, it was an exchange with one today that I felt must be shared. I've traveled all over the world and generally attract attention in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America because I have blonde hair... but I've never recieved a proposal like this!

The taxi driver collected me from my coffee shop and jokingly said "next time I come for coffee with you". "Sure", I laughed and gave directions to the NGO I was meeting. I complemented his English and he explained he had studied opthalmic and pshychiatric nursing in London. He said he liked London, as well as Israel and Turkey because they were much freer. "Great" I thought, I'm going to hear about the political constraints of Islamic states. I could not have been more wrong. "You see," he said "there I can suck my girlfriend's tongue and she can suck my tongue. In Israel it is very free, there are beaches where we can go nude. "Do you want me to be your boyfriend for the rest of your trip?" I politely declined and showed him the wedding ring I'd worn for just this kind of occasion. "Oh," he said, "maybe you can give my number to your friends instead."

I knew where we were going so I wasn't scared and in fact wanted to laugh at the situation, given that he had to be about 65. I declined his second offer and thankfully we shortly reached my destination. Oh, the things one experiences in the name of research!