Local Solutions in Jordan So Mind-blowing, Solution Mapper Faints! (and Experimenter misses out on the action, as usual...)

One minute, we are touring around Carob House in Madaba, the next Ru'a, the Solution Mapper at the Jordan Accelerator Lab faints! Serendipity, horrifying embarrassment, and a farm – just your average day in the life of the AccLab Jordan.

November 20, 2022

Before we get into how Ru’a fainted, let’s tell you how a plan for a one-hour meeting with Rakan Mehyar, the owner of Carob Farms and Carob House (his newly opened “farm-to-table community kitchen, café, and cultural space”), turned into spending a full day with him.

After getting an overview of Rakan’s work over herbal tea picked from Carob Farms and in the shade of a large pine tree, he insists on showing us around generously shares d his knowledge in farming, tourism, soil, and water. This includes some interesting agricultural solutions he is testing with his business partner Abdelgawad Lamloom. Just as we are taking a few steps into the farm beds, Ru’a feels dizzy due to shooting pain in her lower back and within seconds, faints in the middle of the farm. Rakan is kind enough to rush to the rescue, picking her up to move her to a shaded area (to Ru’a’s slight horror and embarrassment...really not a “goat*” time to faint)!

Ru'a Al-Abweh, the Solution Mapper at the Jordan Accelerator Lab

Our meeting was one way to build relationships at a deeper level without needing to rush, as we spent our time learning from Rakan.There was an explosion in our brain -the good sort; the type that carries more knowledge and wisdom than we could be conscious of. We felt that something special could come out of this, probably when we least expected it.

This is one privilege of being a part of the Accelerator Lab –a mundane meeting leading to a day full of serendipities that leave us nourished by knowledge and experiences.