On the way to Salman’s house he became very quiet and then said ‘I want to ask you personal question’. I said that this was ok. ‘In Australia’, he began, ‘Is it tradition for woman to marry?’ I indicated that most women, yes, do marry, but not all. ‘You are not married’. This was pretty much a statement and because he seemed worried about this I was a little naughty and said that my husband had died. I feel very guilty about this now. At the time I felt that in Jordan it was hard for many people (especially in rural areas) to understand the concept of not getting married. For me to say that I don’t want to get married seemed to worry them. I can understand this as it simply is not part of their culture.
