June 29, 2008

Today was the first day of the second week of classes (the weekends are Fridays and Saturdays instead of Saturdays and Sundays). I'm in Level 4 (it ranges from 1-6) and I like it so far. The classes are still somewhat disorganized, but I'm learning a lot already and I think I will continue to. We spent Sunday and Monday getting accustomed to classes and making sure we were in the right ones (challenging and not too easy but not too hard either) and my friend Sophia and I went to the mall Tuesday. We got a couple cheap, cute things that we knew we could wear now that we've gotten a feel for what's appropriate at most places here. Wednesday we went to a cafe around the block from our apartment and watched a "football" (soccer game), which was very interesting because they take their football very seriously here. Whenever there's a football game we can hear the men cheering very loudly in our apartments, and sometimes we even hear fireworks (apparently they don't have laws concerning fireworks so they set them off almost every night- for weddings or any other celebration). All the tables and chairs at most cafes fill up with men who watch the game and smoke hookah (which is called argeelah, hubbly bubbly, or sheesha here). It was also nice because we ran into a few of our fellow students at the language center, (it's cool because we've been meeting people from all over the world who share an interest with us in learning Arabic) and found out about an apartment building we could possibly move into next month that may be nicer than ours and may even save us some money. Thursday a few of the other girls and I bought a 12-day-a-month pool pass at a local women's gym/pool, which is amazing to see. We get to see these women walk in in hijabs and burqas and strip down to their bikinis and act just like any American women would at a pool. We've only been there twice but we've already made some Jordanian friends we can talk to about culture. It's great to hear the perspective of a Jordanian woman, rather than what the American media tells us. We just kinda chilled this weekend because we were still getting used to being here and everything and the school trips haven't started yet, but our teacher Saleh took us to a great restaurant downtown. I got a dish called Ras Asfoor, which literally translated means bird head but actually just means lean meat (lamb) and it was delicious and very filling.

I'm still kinda getting used to things here, because they're very different from home, but I love it here so far and it's fascinating to see the similarities and differences in cultures. It seems that both cultures have a misunderstanding of each other based on perceptions of media both in America and the Middle East.

June 22, 2008

Today was supposed to be the first day of classes, but our group got here later than most people so we took our placement exam today and will find out which level we're all in tomorrow. The levels range from 1-6, and most of us are hoping/planning to be in either 3 or 4. I went to breakfast with a couple friends at the university dining hall, so we each ate for under a dollar. The food was good, but unfortunately they don't really have breakfasts foods here, so we ate things like hummus and falafel.

Yesterday I woke up early to get breakfast, but the only place I could find that was open was a Lebanese fast food restaurant called Lebnani Snack (لعبناني سناك), so I ended up eating a chicken sandwich value meal much like fast food meals in America. Unfortunately, because we're so close to the university it's not as easy to find authentic Jordanian food. Then we went to Mecca Mall, which was fun but the mall was very Westernized. There were four floors, and many restaurants and stores, but most were pretty expensive, especially for here. Three of the girls in our group have family members here, including their grandmother, so their family had us come over for a huge, delicious Jordanian meal, with hummus, chicken, grape leaves, shwarma, and many other kinds of really good foods.

Friday we got the opportunity to go to the Roman theater nearby, which was beautiful. It was kinda wierd for us because the Jordanians seemed to be very nonchalante about the theater, but because we don't have as rich of a history as many other countries, we were very impressed. (pictures included). After that we walked to a huge nearby local market, which was a great experience. There were people, clothes, electronics, and other merchandise everywhere, and no Westerners (and hardly any women) because it was a Friday.

First Day- June 19, 2008

Hey all! Hope all is well with you. I've only been here for 24 hours, but I've already had some great experiences. My flights were pretty long, and I slept and/or studied throughout most of the time. I'm very happy to say that I had no delays or any other kind of problems. I'm rooming with my friend Mary and so far things are good. Our apartment isn't perfect, but it's very livable. I have included pictures so you can see for yourself. There is a very nic man who works in the lobby that speaks English pretty well, which is obviously helpful. Once we got moved into our apartments Saleh (my teacher) took us down the street to show us some places where we could eat and some store. We're very close to pretty much everywhere we need to go. The university is down the street and through a short tunnel and there's a Gloria Jean Coffee place that has wireless internet and some employees who speak a little English nearby. We also have a Burger King, McDonald's, and Subway (apparently they also deliver here) down the street but I haven't been to any of them yet so I don't know how similar they are to the ones in America. I had to get a passport picture taken for my University I.D. at a little store here, which was interesting because the people there didn't speak very much English, but I got some pictures (which they even retouched) for 3.50 J.D. (Jordan Dinars). (I think it cost around $15 in America to get my passport picture taken, and it wasn't retouched) When Mary and I got home I finished unpacking and struggled to take a shower (which was cold) and then went to bed. We were worried we wouldn't wake up in time to meet our group in the lobby because we didn't have an alarm clock or phone that we could use, but we actually managed to wake up early enough to round up people to go to breakfast before we left for the University. The Call for Prayer started at 4:30, and since our window was open, woke both of us up. It was very long, but we managed to fall back asleep for a while aferwards. At the school we turned in our registration forms and pictures, then attended an orientation and got a campus tour. The campus is beautiful! they have all kinds of pretty flowers and trees (from palm trees to pine), fountains [although very beautiful, it struck me as odd that they would have fountains when water is so scarce in the region, but a friend and I were discussing it and it occurred to us that water is historically very important in Arabic architecture, and therefore fountains are probably very important here culturally], and beautiful buildings. This entire country is amazingly beautiful as well. Most of the buildings are stone, which makes even the run-down ones look pretty. After our tour, the four of us that came in last night had to complete registration by paying our tuition. At first we were not able to take out money from ATMs because we had paid our rent the night before and we had limits on how much we could withdraw within a certain amount of time (EVERYTHING in this country is paid for in cash), but one other girl and I were able to at the last minute. First we had to exchange J.D.s for $20 for fees (for some reason they had to be paid in American money) and pay them in one building, and then we had to pay 500 J.D.s in another building. The line in the second building wasn't too bad, but the wait in the first line was forever. Then we had to go back to the first office where we turned our forms in this morning and get our I.D.s and we were finally done registering. Then my friend and I got lunch in the school cafeteria, which was very good (and filling) and cost less than 1.50 J.D!

It's been a very hard transition, because of both culture and language (it was especially hard last night) but overall I like it very much here so far and I'm very optimistic about the experience I will have. Thank you, everyone who helped me and made it possible for me to come here.

Lauren