Imtithal and Haala

For 45 years, the three sisters lived within 5 minute walks from each other in the same neighborhood, Um Uthaina.

They didn’t have their morning coffee. It was Ramadan. They were both fasting. The only other seat Imtithal would sit in is the one near the sun in the morning when having her morning coffee with her youngest sister, Haala. For the most recent time they also have the television on a Jordanian television show that only features written advertisements and unreliable news sources about Jordan. An office for maids is offering their new countries that they are bringing maids from, Bangladesh. News about Palestine. News about a man in Zarqa accidentally dropping the gas tank on their relative which later killed them. Tourism companies promoting their trips to Marmaris, Egypt, Antalya, Turkey, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for Umra for cheap prices. The colors of the texts and borders and clipart are bold and primary. Qur’an is playing in the background.

This is some of the best times I’ve spent with my grandmother on a constant basis. She is almost always in the best mood of the day. Sitting in the morning sun, the view is of her trees that keep growing bigger and bigger, and speaking to her sister after her morning walk, talking about the daily crossword puzzle, or the newest trivia competition, along with the happenings of the past and the gossip of the present. The morning is holy for her, and because of that it is holy for me.

Photos are slightly over exposed from Imtithal’s side. Chose for black and white for this purpose. I took the photos using the silent electronic shutter and with poor focus on framing. Not really expecting anything out of these photos, but was able to get out some blog writing and my first blog post, realizing that there is value in documenting the details of the space around the photo and the moment I was taking the photo, especially when related to the events of the family.