Laura’s abroad in Amman, Jordan, until Dec. 19.

Sometimes when I reflect on my study abroad experience here in Jordan, I just laugh at all the bizarre situations I get myself into. For example, somehow I ended up practically alone on the dance floor trying to do my best imitation of Arabic dancing at a Palestinian wedding here in Amman.

My neighbor took me to the wedding and she warned me that it would be very conservative. I wasn’t quite sure what she meant but, upon arrival at the wedding hall, I realized that all the women were being ushered to a room upstairs while the men were sent to a separate banquet hall. In the women’s room, the bride, bedecked in a billowing white dress, sat upon her throne in the front of the room beside the groom, who sported a beard about a foot long. She looked a bit bored, to be honest, as she surveyed the dozen or so dancing women below her.

More than 100 women were seated at large tables around the dance floor, chatting, sipping juice and pointing to the younger women on the dance floor. Most wore hijabs and dishdashes (the long cloaks), but the women in the bridal party were all in satiny dresses that would have looked right at home at a 90s prom. Some of the women wore dresses revealing more skin than I’ve seen on an Arab woman since I arrived in Jordan. About a dozen women danced with their arms outstretched, gracefully twisting their wrists and swiveling their hips. Soon the bride came down and joined her sisters and friends while the groom looked on. The three camerawomen followed the bride everywhere, and their live video feed was shown on a floor-to-ceiling screen next to the bridal platform.

The sister of the bride is a friend of my neighbor, so when she saw us seated at a table, she came over to chat and then pulled me up to the dance floor, despite my protests. I must admit that I was quite terrified because I knew I couldn’t bust the same moves I do at the Keg. I have some knowledge of ballroom dancing, salsa and swing, but there wasn’t a guy (besides the groom) in sight. So, I tried my best to imitate the women’s graceful dancing. But as soon as I got to the dance floor, it cleared out, and I ended up doing an almost solo performance while the hundreds of women looked on, many of them pointing and probably wondering why there was an awkward American on the dance floor. The bride’s sister did her best to assure me that I wasn’t completely embarrassing myself, but I was flushed red for the rest of the night.

Thankfully, my dancing was interrupted by the cutting of the cake. A giant, three-tiered cake was carried up to the bride and groom and together they cut it — with a sword. Next was time for the presentation of the gold, which is when the groom bestows gold jewelry upon his bride. The groom, with the help of his mother and sisters, placed each item of gold on the bride and then the bride’s sisters each presented her with a small gift of jewelry. Then the whole family posed for pictures with the groom and glittering bride. My neighbor explained to me that this tradition started because the gold was the bride’s financial security in case she ever got divorced or her husband died. When I was in the northern Badia with the Bedouin tribes, the new brides I met were eager to bring out the boxes with the gold necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings that their husbands gave them.

At the end of the night, after the women had danced for hours, the knock came on the door that the men were coming back in. The women put back on their hijabs and covered up their revealing dresses. Then the doors were opened and then men filed in, shaking hands with the groom. My neighbor and I excused ourselves and left. I had a lot of fun, but I really hope that the camerawomen edit out my little performance from the final wedding video.

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