LA HABRA : King Hussein Grants Boy’s Wish

Andrew Hijazin wrote a letter to King Hussein of Jordan in October much the way many children write to famous people everywhere.

The 8-year-old boy’s request: four airline tickets to Amman, Jordan, so that he, his parents and his 5-year-old brother, Michael, could visit his grandmother and the country she lives in.

“Your Majesty, I would love to visit my home country, Jordan, and see my grandmother and see you,” Andrew wrote. “My dad can’t afford the tickets. . . . Please help me and send me four tickets.”

Andrew never once doubted that Hussein would fulfill his wish.

Ten days later, his parents were shocked to receive a letter from the Royal Hashemite Court asking Andrew for the names of his relatives in order to send the airline tickets.

“I knew that the king would write to me and take us to Jordan,” said Andrew, a third-grader at Las Positas Elementary School.

The family returned from the Middle East this week after spending a month visiting with Andrew’s grandmother, Jameleh Hijazin, and touring the Arab kingdom. They did not get to meet Hussein because he was too busy with peace treaty negotiations, the family said.

But the King’s staff treated the family to entertainment, feasts, stays in luxurious hotels and chauffeured sightseeing in a Mercedes-Benz.

Andrew’s mother, Najat Hijazin, said she still can’t believe Hussein’s generosity. “It was a fairy tale about a little kid’s wish that came true,” she said. “And I almost didn’t mail Andrew’s letter.”

Andrew said he was inspired to write the letter one night as he watching Hussein on television and thinking it would be nice to see his paternal grandmother. Andrew had met her when he was 2 years old but did not remember her.

“All of a sudden, he pulled out his pencil and started writing,” Hijazin said. “I thought, ‘Oh, yeah, right, like the king is going to answer you.’ I thought it was hilarious.”

When the reply arrived, she said, she was so astonished, she cried. “I thought, ‘This is a miracle,’ ” she said.

While in Amman, Andrew delivered a ceramic paperweight he made for the king and decorated with the Jordanian and U.S. flags. And there was one more letter for the king, thanking him for the trip.

“The best part was seeing my grandma, who is pretty old and a little bit sick, and meeting all my cousins,” Andrew said. “I want to go back again.”

“It was very fun,” said Andrew, naming the cities he visited--Petra, Aqaba, Al Karak, Jerash and several others.

“We went everywhere, and I learned about (cultural) dances and the history of all the towns.”