MommaBean of “A Tale of Three Beans” tells us more about herself, why does she blog, freedom of speech in the Arab world.

Q. Tell us more about MommaBean
A. Hmmm… more about MommaBean. I’m not sure what more there is to tell. I suppose for those who haven’t read my blog, I could give a brief introduction. I’m a zany American in my mid-thirties. I grew up in the Southern US, but have lived in many different parts of the States. I married a wonderful Palestinian from Amman nearly 12 years ago. We have three awesome beans. My husband and I started our own little company last year and have fun expanding the range of offerings in Jordan.

Q. A Tale of Three Beans, what an interesting title of a blog, tell us more about it
A. My blog was originally designed to keep family and friends in the US updated on our lives in Jordan. Although I spend less time actually talking about the beans than life in Jordan, it really still is a tale of my three beans. Those who are familiar with my blog will know that it’s a random stream of consciousness kind of thing that touches on nearly every topic, including the beans.

Q. You blogged lately about why do you blog, would you like to share with our audience
A. This is an interesting question. You know, I tend to steer very clear of political topics or issues. I consider myself a bit of a “froofy” blogger. What I mean is that I talk about life, my life in specific. I talk about things that amuse me like rampant misspellings on costly signs and things that annoy me, like rude drivers. So, although I often dance around hot topics, I rarely tackle them head-on. However, Fouad’s plight, down in Saudi Arabia really moved me. As I’m sure you know, he was imprisoned on “non-security” related charges. Some of his friends organized We Are All Fouads week, which prompted the series I wrote. I blog for the conversation, both with myself and with my commenters, I blog for the sense of community with other bloggers, and really I blog because I have something that I need to say, not that anyone wants to hear it but… .

Q. You are a working mother of three lovely beans, how do you find time to blog?
A. Ouch, this kind of feels like a loaded question, teehee. I’m honestly not sure how anyone finds the time to blog. But, I guess the fact that I have three kids and a fledgling business is the reason that I blog less frequently than I would like. I grab a few minutes here and a few minutes there (usually either during a slow moment at work or late at night after the kids are in bed). I also have an awesome support both at work and at home, which gives me more free time than I might otherwise have.

Q. Being an expat in the Middle East, do you believe that your blog helped you in understanding the new culture? Maybe helped others to understand you more?
A. I think that blogging as a recent addition to the country has helped me understand myself more. I also learn a great deal from the various people who provide feedback and insight to me. However, I learn much more about the culture by reading my favorite blogs than by writing my own. I certainly think that people who read my blog have the opportunity to understand me better.

Q. Do you believe that Arabian blogs could help in changing the dark image of Middle Eastern and Arabs in the world?
A. I think that some of the blogs can go a long way towards changing misperceptions about the region (and predominant religion). I think that one thing that comes across in many of the blogs is how much alike people are. I mean, I read Rambling Hal’s blog and I SO recognize so many of my friends in the US in her. She’s universal. I also think that blogs like Nas’ Black Iris can help people understand more about the issues. So, I think that both kinds of bloggers can help improve the perception. However, I’m sure there are some blogs out there that would only reinforce the poor perception (just as there are many American blogs that highlight the worst of our culture). So, with this access to information comes the necessity to filter it properly for the right message.

Q. How do you evaluate the freedom of speech in the Arab world, especially after jailing few bloggers?
A. Wow, that’s a tough question. I’m honestly not very qualified to evaluate at all. However, there are clearly limits to how free speech is, depending on the country. In Jordan, we enjoy more freedom than many countries, but there are still limits. I know there were bloggers who ran up against this a couple of years ago. But the reality is that Arab society is evolving. We have no way of knowing how the imprisonments today will affect freedoms tomorrow. History may view those who raised public awareness with their imprisonment as the turning point. We are all writing history each day.

Q. How do you describe the blogging scene in the Middle East compared to the USA?
A. This is an interesting question. I have to say that I didn’t start blogging until we moved to Jordan. Today I follow maybe 10 blogs in the Middle East and maybe 3 blogs outside (in France, Mexico, and the US). So, I really can’t speak much to the blogging scene anywhere else. It does seem to me that the blogging scene reflects society pretty faithfully here. The majority of bloggers are young, as is the society. It seems like most (at least English language bloggers) are Middle Class or higher, reflecting the relatively high cost to entry of the internet. In the US, there are public libraries offering free internet access, making availability wider. I’m not saying that it makes participation any wider, but the opportunity is certainly there.

Q. Some people expect that blogs will die soon, what do you think?
A. Sure, I think blogs will die very soon… as soon as books and writing die. Most people who predict the impending doom of blogging aren’t bloggers. Funny, I think many people involved in the technology revolution would be likely to predict the demise of books. The reality for me is that I want to read my books on paper and keep my journal online. I don’t expect to see either go away anytime soon. I do, however, think that some blogs will die. Blogs are kind of like living beings. For all of us, we go through dry spells. But, we come back to it when we’ve got something else to say. But some blogs will outlive their usefulness and just die out slowly. I guess, in the end, blogging is likely to die when there’s nothing else to be said…

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