December is a good month to escape the Scandinavian cold, and this year it was a trip to Jordan. Apart from the benefits of immersing oneself in a new cultural experience is the added bonus of meeting people from so many other cultures. Here are a few cultural insights and some new words to add to an ever-expanding global vocabulary.

Jordan

The phrase most spoken in Jordan must be 'Ahlan wa sahlan' which means 'welcome'. But it is a phrase, like phrases in all cultures, imbued with deeper meanings and cultural insights. "Ahlan" means "family, kinfolk," and "Sahlan" means "easy." So really it means 'come in relax, make yourself at home, be part of the family.' It is a phrase much in keeping with Middle Eastern hospitality. As a visitor you cannot say 'Ahlan wa sahlan' - this is reserved for the host. The visitor replies: 'ahlan beek' (or 'ahlan beeki' for a woman). 'Thank you for allowing me to be part of your family.'

Curaçao

At the sacred site of the Lost City of Petra, we meet Nicole from Curaçao and her daughter Helene. 'Curaçao?' I ask, 'Is that Dutch Antilles?' 'Not any more', says Nicole. And I get a brief history of Curaçao from someone who knows.

Rumania, Sweden, the World… 'our way is the right way.'

In December the King of Sweden presents the Nobel Prize for Literature to Rumanian author Herta Müller. In her work Herta Müller is deeply critical of the present day regime of Rumania - 20 years after the fall of Ceaucescu and the old school communists are still running the country, she laments.