anastasia ivanovskaya
about me

Hello, my name is Anastasia, I'm a marketing specialist living in Amman, Jordan. Trying to study Italian and Arabic. Interested in local restaurants and events.

My Life in Amman

My name is Anastasia Ivanovskaya, and this is a blog about my life in Amman. I work as a marketing consultant, so most of my time I'm busy with marketing plans and strategies, creating websites and helping local companies to do their marketing better.

I have made this blog to share my knowledge and experience about living in Jordan. If you are planning to visit Jordan, choose a place where to go out in Amman, or what to eat, that's the right place to check on. I'm not related to any travel agency, and I'm not a tour guide or a freelancer, desperate to monetize the blog.

I'm also an expat who doesn't speak Arabic, yet wants to change this situation and find some time for studying. All Arabic posts are related to colloqial Arabic (Ammiya) and Levantine dialect in a Jordanian modification. If you have started learning Arabic recently, or just thinking of it, maybe my experience and my mistakes related to the language self-studying can be helpful for you.

I also study Italian and I'm fond of Italian food. I like to cook and experiment with different Italian and Arabic recipes.



Ajloun Forest Reserve Jordan

Ajloun Forest Reserve in Jordan

I went to Ajloun Forest Reserve, it was great to take an easy hiking trail in Jordan and to explore the country more as a daily trip. From Amman to Ajloun Forest Reserve is around 1 hour 30 min, you will pass by Balqa, Zarqa and Jerash areas.

Arabic course Amman

Where to Study Jordanian Arabic: Misbah Center

I’m writing a set of posts where to study Jordanian dialect in Jordan. Today’s post is about Misbah Center in Jabal Al Weibdeh. Check them, to study colloquial Arabic, using a progressive Growing Participator Approach.

Arabic course Amman

Jordanian Arabic Courses: Deewan Institute

Due to COVID-19, many language schools in Amman are closed or moved online. I've explored and found several schools that have Jordanian Arabic courses, and one of them is Deewan Institute in Jabal Al Weibdeh.

Breakfast Namliyeh Weibdeh

Breakfast in Amman: Namliyeh

My breakfast at Namliyeh in Jabal Al Weibdeh was great: they serve toasts with handmade jams out of fruits and herbs in Jordan, and I wish I never wrote this article, as I wish I could keep it as a secret, to surprise all my friends with this place.

Jordanian Arabic Words Course

Jordanian Arabic Most Used Words Free Course

I have decided to help people who study Jordanian dialect and make a free course with top used words in Jordanian Arabic (3ammiya). There are over 1000 words in there, and there’s an audio made by a native Jordanian speaker to each word.

Jordanian Arabic in 100 Days Amman

Jordanian Arabic in 100 Days

This year I’ve started with 100 days of Arabic. The name of the course is “An Introduction to Speaking Practice” and entirely focused on speaking skills. The primary idea is about getting a certain topic, build a set of dialogues for it and learn them by heart.

Prince Hashem Bird Garden Amman

Where to Go in Amman: Prince Hashem Bird Garden

This weekend I have visited Prince Hashem Bird Garden (حديقة الأمير هاشم للطيور) in Amman, Shmeisani area. This is an amazing place to watch different kinds of birds, including rare and endangered bird species in Jordan.

how-make-fattet-makdous

How to Make Fattet Makdous

Fattet Makdous is a layered cold dish with eggplants (makdous), yogurt, minced meat and tomatoes. Fatteh can be translated as “crushed” or “crumbs,” as it includes pieces of fried pita bread. They make it all over the Levant region, in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon but originally fattet makdous is Syrian.

jordanian-arabic-difficulties

Jordanian Arabic, Week 10: Refining The Difficulties

The language marathon is almost over. Honestly it’s a bit discouraging to see how other people with English or my favourite Italian are improving, and how slow I am with my Jordanian dialect. I feel I’m staying the same, and often comparing how I might succeed with my Italian or refining German or Turkish within the same period and started to hesitate if my goals were set right, or not.

Arabic maamoul recipe

How To Make Arabic Maamoul: Easy Recipe

That was my first attempt to prepare Arabic maamoul for Eid, and it was great and not so complex. I know that it’s easier to buy maamoul in any shop in Amman, the prices vary from 20-30jd per kilo, and I don’t know anyone who really bakes it for holidays, or for serving coffee to their special guests.

Jordanian Arabic grammar

Jordanian Arabic Grammar: Weeks 6-7

What a long pause I've taken with writing about Arabic in here, mostly by the reason of describing the post-experience from a week of a language marathon. And the previous 2 weeks were devoted to Jordanian Arabic grammar. I love grammar rules, I'm not a person who conquers languages through conversations, I believe in hard work, grammar books and reading in a foreign language.

Jordanian Arabic minilex

Jordanian Arabic Minilex: Week 5

It has been one of the most productive weeks of the Arabic language marathon, as I’m the person who really enjoys to make lists, arrange lists, enhance lists and rearrange them. The task was to prepare a list of the most used words in Arabic, so I was preparing a minilex in Memrise.

Jordanian Arabic about myself

4th Week of Jordanian Arabic: About Myself

The fourth week of studying Jordanian Arabic has ended and the main task was to make the video with your monologue in Arabic. And I thought the phonetics week was hard! First of all, I’ve never recorded myself on the video in my entire life, and it was a torture even to think about it!

arabic jordan listening

My Third Week of Arabic: Listening

As the previous week was related to Arabic pronunciation, this week of the Arabic language marathon is about listening. It's the hardest, most annoying part of the practice, and I have to go through it, even I don't like it much.

gifts amman buy

Arabic Phonetics Week: What I've Learned

Last week of my language marathon was related to Arabic phonetics. The first task was not a hard one: to divide Arabic letters by sounds similar to your native language and special sounds. I've divided them into three groups: sounds that are closer to Russian sounds, English sounds and Arabic unique letters. Check what I've got.

gifts amman buy

Best Gifts to Buy from Amman: My Choice

Chosing gifts and souvenirs in Jordan is a real challenge if you are a tourist. Well, to be honest, it's not as pushy and annoying as in Egypt, yet you still feel you are overpaying everywhere, especially in Petra, or Amman downtown area. I have chosen a few proven places in Amman where you can get the best gifts for reasonable prices.

jalaad cultural center

Where to Go in Jordan: Jalaad Cultural Center

I would admit I felt (and still feel) myself awkward, each time I have to reply in Arabic, even with primitive daily words. I came here to work for a short period, and one of my conditions was about not-to-study-arabic-whatsoever. I remember how during my first week in Jordan one of my colleagues gave me a lift home, I asked him how to say "a car" in Arabic. And then I was just staring through the car window, and telling to myself "no, I'm not going to study this crazy language".

learn arabic jordan

Studying Spoken Arabic in Jordan: My Summer Plan

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ramadan places amman

5 Things to Do During Ramadan in Amman

It's hard to be a foreigner in Amman and not to get overwhelmed during Ramadan time. You feel a constant pressure when you are not fasting, like you don't belong to the rest of the society. The kitchen in the office is mostly closed, to drink a glass of water is turning into a challenge. Moreover, we finally have summer temperatures in Amman, and it's really affecting your mood and regular activities.

top italian movies

Top 5 Italian Movies to Watch

I began studying Italian in the end of August 2017, and I would say it's one of the most awarding and easy languages - especially in comparison with my questionable Turkish and hopeless Arabic. One of the activities was to watch an Italian movie evey week. Therefore, I have a list of Italian movies I can recommend for your evening time.

study jordanian arabic

My Attempts to Study Jordanian Arabic

I would admit I felt (and still feel) myself awkward, each time I have to reply in Arabic, even with primitive daily words. I came here to work for a short period, and one of my conditions was about not-to-study-arabic-whatsoever. I remember how during my first week in Jordan one of my colleagues gave me a lift home, I asked him how to say "a car" in Arabic. And then I was just staring through the car window, and telling to myself "no, I'm not going to study this crazy language".