The succession of Nikolai II

Jacqui, my host here, sometimes seems more prone to catastrophe than most people, although that may simply be a matter of her greater tendency to get worked up about things. Anyway, late Friday afternoon I awoke from a nap to discover Jacqui standing in the kitchen over the lifeless body of Nikolai, her dear friend and canary. Apparently, Nikolai had followed her into the bathroom earlier that afternoon (while I was asleep) and tried to land on the shower curtain rod, slipped and broke his neck against the edge of the tub. Jacqui was (understandably) quite upset, as was Bianca, Nikolai’s canary companion (I think I misnamed her earlier as “Blanca”; she’s “Bianca,” for those of you keeping track of the menagerie). Jacqui said that she had attempted to keep Nikolai alive, but to no avail, and had been praying and mourning over his body for hours. Like I said, Jacqui gets emotional pretty easily, although that’s not to say that I look down on her for it; after all, Nikolai was the first living creature with whom she cohabited in Amman.

So this afternoon, after attending Church in Jabal Amman, Jacqui went canary shopping, and now Bianca has a new companion, whom Jacqui calls, imaginatively enough, Nikolai II.

Just thought you should know.

Arrival

Queen Alia International Airport is a far cry from JFK; rather small, somewhat dingy, and not a little chaotic. When I arrived at the terminal, I was momentarily shocked to see people smoking around the baggage claim, until I remembered that I was no longer in the United States and that smoking in public places is not only legal here but de rigueur. (Incidentally, there was a “No Smoking” sign hanging from the ceiling, but nobody seemed to pay it much heed).