A smoke-free oasis

I have always been fascinated by first time stories, whether hearing,reading or gossiping about them. Stories like first school day, first vacation, first book, first salary, first loss, firsr date, first touch, first kiss, first heartbreak, first break up and the rest. They make good listening to especially from individuals who lived through them. Some of these firsts ( positive or negative) will never leave our memory. When you finish reading this piece, do not forget that this is the first time you hear about it, from me!

A little warning: It might not affect the course of world history, but it is definitely a sign of change in the social fabric of Jordan and its capital Amman, for the better. This is why I am bringing it up!

This story is about smoking or non-smoking habits in Jordan. For many non-smokers like myself, it is great news. Not because now I can sit for the first time in my life for a couple of hours reading or chatting with my friends - free of being submerged by endless waves of all kinds of heavy unpleasant and hazardous smoke, but because it is a landmark social change by all means. Finally , some people are taking notice of this complicated situation: The first smoke-free café in Amman is on the map now! But before I tell about this unbelievable discovery and happy event, let me make this little introduction.

Today, the 27th of January 2012 was a rainy cold day in Amman but it was also one of my good days. After scoring almost full points in Tennis ( in the early morning the sun was shining) and Cards later, my friends advised me to buy the lottery ticket. I looked for the lottery street- vendor but he was not at his stall because of the weather. I cannot blame him, except for depriving me of a very slim hope that the ticket I could have bought from him, would have been a winner. Talking about superstition? It is good sometimes, because you need to loosen up, once a while, on being too realistic, pragmatic and serious. It is useful to turn the tables, trust me!

The day was still in its first half, i.e. around early afternoon. Then a friend of mine, George, invites me for lunch. If I had to follow the set schedule of my day, I could not have laid my eyes on my lunch until at least 2 hours and half later! Hunger was calling loudly and the answer could not wait . It was a gift from heaven.“ I am coming,” I shouted on the phone. When I arrived on the premises, I realized that I was still wearing my training suit and Tennis shoes! Too late to do anything or think about options!

A third friend, Omar, joined us just as we were pondering to order coffee. The three of us being non-smokers, this friend broke extra good news. “There is a new place smoking-free ( café) in town”, he told us. The decision was made in one second. Few minutes later we were sitting in this neat cozy café. Intentionally, I withhold the name of it, but I will provide other details.

The tea served comes with the tag: “Defining Tea”! And it was, believe me a new experience of having a cup of tea in all my life in Jordan! The tea remained warm until the last drop! Desserts were home made. It was tempting to try the coffee, but we preferred not to lose the flavor of that tea.

Through the Georgian widows , the rain was softly but thickly hitting the sidewalk. Two cats were in the midst of pay-courting and mewing near a garbage bin. And above all, inside, no sign of smoke, no smell of cigarette: Completely clean air at the quiet tunes of music. I wished I was in the company of my ex-girl friend!

But where is this place? Good question. I will just give some hints. You should be in one of the most popular hangout neighborhoods in Amman where many aspects and features are reminiscent of a European city. You should be couple of hundred meters or more from the first circle. Then you take right and look around for a minute. There are three similar outlets at this corner. Look inside from the sidewalk and notice if clients are smoking or not. If all of this was not enough, step inside and ask for Nickolas. If they tell you Nickolas was there, you are there too! Remember, I am the first to tell about this place and you will be the first to tell your non-smoker friends about it. It will be their oasis in the jungle of human smoke chimneys in this nice part of Amman.