Everthing Must Come to End...

Since it's the end of this experience, I thought that I would look back on a couple of things.  I remember getting onto the bus to go to the hotel, after first arriving in Amman.  A student at the front of the bus was chatting away, in Arabic, to one of the professors.  I had taken Arabic before, but never conversational.  Also, the person I was sitting next to had been to the Middle East before, and had spent a summer or two working in one of the Gulf countries.  I just remember thinking “what have I gotten myself into?”  Now, four months later, I am still not able to converse in a completely in Arabic, but I am able to understand so much more than when I got here.  This was by far one of the best experiences of my life; I stepped completely outside of my comfort zone and learned to leave in a different region with cultural rules much different from those that I was used to.  I met so many interesting people and gained a completely new insight into the rest of the world, even America. 

                                                                                                                                       

Not only did the change in regions accomplish that, but the political and social changes that were taking place in the Middle East during the time that I was here.  I was able to live this part of history and witness the effect of it firsthand.  One quote that will forever survive this experience, everyone from Jordanian residents to the students, was taken from Muammer Gaddafi; “Dar dar! Beit beit! Zenga zenga!!”  It translates to: “Home home! House house! Alley alley!”  It does not make much sense, but it was part of his speech that was broadcast when the initial change in Libya was taking place, and it was something that everyone picked up on.  I soon learned the word for crazy--since that was what everyone called him, and that word will forever, in my mind, be associated with Gaddafi.

There are certainly many aspects that I will miss from Jordan.  Outside of the obvious regional and physical aspects, there are things on a much more personal level.  I had a buddy at the Western Union, whom I would go to at least once a week to break a 50 (since it is difficult to even use a 20).  It took more than half of the semester before he finally asked me how I was and what my name was.  Prior to that, we communicated through smiles and hand motions---quite entertaining for anyone watching I am sure.  My host dad and I also really enjoy spicy food. Every night at the dinner table he would use the hot sauce and then pass it over to me without saying anything.  The café, Turtle Green, that I went to multiple times a week had an evening worker with whom I would always make awkward eye contact with.  We never had a real conversation before, but we recognized each other from the multiple times that we were there.  I also think I created the record of the longest time spent in a café.  One day I went to Turtle Green straight after class and did not leave until after 9pm.  I was there for over 10 hours!   There are also little sayings that I will miss, such as “drink hooka or a cigarette” instead of smoke as well as “touch wood” instead of ‘knock on wood”.  As annoying as the cabs could be at times, I had some of the best Arabic conversations in them.  Not only was I able to practice my Arabic, but you are also able to change who you are a little bit.  At one point, I was a Canadian wife with a little baby at home (the first time I said that I was married without a baby, and I was tisked at).  So, I slowly started to evolve it to something both realistic and acceptable.  It was interesting because we were talking to my Arabic professor about the cabs one time, and all of the girls pulled out rings that they kept in their bags to be used as wedding bands, and everyone had a different story as to where they were from and their relationship status.

Most importantly, the people that I met here were some of the most interesting people I think I will ever meet.  We were all drawn to this region because of similar interests, though there were different underlying reasons beneath all of that.   Though I have to say that almost all of the people had either Global Studies or International Relations majors; I was one of the minorities with Sociology!  This has honestly been one of the scariest, happiest, frustrating and rewarding experiences of my life.  Not only did I learn a significant amount about another region, as well as gain a different perspective on the world, but I also learned a lot about myself.  While it is certainly difficult and sad to leave here, I am so excited to return home, see my family, and continue my experiences back in the States.

Dead Sea and Last Weekend!!

 Earlier this week I came back to my home stay and there were dark pink peonies sitting in a vase on the living room table.  Peonies are my absolute favorite flower--it pretty much made my day.  I was afraid that I would miss them in the states this year, but I didn’t!  It’s the little things that make you happy.  Every time I walked by them I would stop to smell them--it was pretty much the best thing!

Thrsday night I called a cab to go to the mall, (I was going to meet some friends to watch a movie) it was quite an interesting process.  One cab called me and told me that he would be there at 8:00.  Another cab called (from the same company) at 7:25 and wanted directions to the house.  Most of the small roads around here don’t have street names, so you have to use landmarks and then describe from there.  He was the nicest man, but he didn’t speak any Arabic.  We finally figured it out, and I decided that I would just leave then.  I went to my friend’s house instead, since it was so early, so I had to then describe that to the driver.  I finally make it to the house, and apparently there was another cab that the company sent that would be at the house in 5 minutes.  I then had to attempt to explain that a different cab came already and that I was already at my destination.  I guess the company messed up and sent two different cabs.  It was pretty much like a comedy show to anyone who was watching my conversations.  I have learned that hand motions do not really work that efficiently when you are communicating to someone over the phone.  Regardless, it was an interesting start to the evening.



Sweet Brown Mud

 Friday I went to the Dead Sea.  It was absolutely beautiful!  It was such an interesting experience to float that much.  I had to work to keep from turning over all the time.  I learned that my bug bites (especially the ones that I scratched) did not appreciate the high content of salt that they were exposed to.  I got a couple drops in my mouth and it tasted absolutely disgusting!   There is also this mud that you put on you, let it dry in the sun for a while and then you wash it off in the sea--it makes your skin feel so soft, it’s great!  Not to mention that you look really good covered in mud…

Floating in the Dead Sea



So, I have finished all of my Arabic exams!  I only have to use it in my daily life, but other than that, I am done with the courses.  I have a re-entry training (not exactly sure what that entails) and two more finals and I am home!  Tomorrow I am going to go to a café and study, as well as try and pick up the last couple of gifts for people.  I feel like this semester has flown by; I cannot believe that in one week I will be back in the US!!  I am sad to leave Jordan, yet at the same time I am really excited to get back home.  I cannot wait to see everyone!!  Though, I am sure that reverse culture shock will not be much fun!!

Relaxing on the Beach

Aqaba--Take Two

This week we found a little falafel/breakfast place across from one of the gates of the university.  Not only is it pretty inexpensive, with a large variety, but the falafel there are heart shaped!!

Thursday night was my host-sisters engagement party.  I have never heard such loud music, Arabic music, before.  It was interesting because the men and the women are separated for the ceremony and the party that followed.  Therefore, the women that are usually covered did not have to be covered.  It was really interesting to see everyone in dresses (some very short) and uncovered.  Though, I have never seen women move so fast when there was a man coming into the room.  As soon as a guy would enter, they would all run to grab their hijabs and stand in front of the mirror putting them on.  If they didn’t have time to do that, they would just cover their hair and hide their face.  There was a lot of dancing--which was quite intimidating because the edge of the dance area was surrounded with chairs placed in a square.  The groom’s mother was dancing, when a man came into the room, so she covered her hair.  Once she realized that it was her husband, she whipped off the scarf as she was dancing and threw it across the room.



Our hotel in Aqaba



We went to Aqaba with a group of people.  We were able to stay at a nice resort, since there were five of us splitting the room.  It was really nice to get away and relax for a little while and just lay on the beach.  I have learned that I am not one to lie out and sunbathe all day.  Luckily, they had these little tent things that we could out our chairs under--I mostly just say on the beach and read my book.  Since it was a long weekend (Labor Day here), we had trouble getting back to Amman.  All of the buses were booked until 8:15 that night, so we didn’t get back to Amman until 12:40, and then a cab back to the homestay.  Normally that isn’t late, but our program likes to schedule us for early morning classes.  Regardless, it was a really nice time, and the weather was perfect!!



One of the cafés that I work at in the morning has moved away from Celine Dion and now plays instrumental Christmas music--it is quite an interesting selection.  I cannot believe that it is May already--I feel like it was just yesterday that I got to Jordan.  This is the last week of my Arabic classes (before finals) and two more weeks of my area studies--which is crazy!!

Beirut, Lebanon



Raouché (Pigeon Rocks)



This week both Sarah and I got summer jobs!!  Therefore, we decided to get shawarma and ice cream to celebrate--which was quite fitting because of the hot weather!  I finally worked up the nerve to ask my host family if I could go to their salon for a haircut. I didn’t want to intrude, but I also thought that it would be rude to go someplace else for a haircut, when they own their own salon!  So, I finally asked and I got my hair cut!  It was nothing big, just a trim and it was blow-dried out (the first time in 3 months).  It went pretty well, and I didn’t have to pay for it, which was even better!!

This past weekend a group of us went to Lebanon.  We had Sunday off for Easter, so we went for a long weekend.  We decided to fly there, about a 45 minute flight; since the alternative is to drive through Syria…even though it was such a short flight, we were still given food on the plane--much different from US airlines!!



The Corniche

  

 


We went and did a lot of things while we were there.  The scenery is so different from Amman.  Our hotel was right near the Corniche, which is essentially like a boardwalk and there are so many trees all over.  We also so Raouché (the Pigeon Rocks) which are natural formations near Beirut.  I honestly don't know much more about them, but they looked interesting!  We went to a grotto that was really interesting, and walked through the caves that were there.  Part of it was a little boat ride that took you through the lower grotto--it was so interesting to see all of the different rock formations.  We also went to walk around the campus of the American University of Beirut.  It was absolutely gorgeous!  It was so green, the buildings were beautiful and there was a view of the Mediterranean for a majority of it. 



American University of Beirut



We met up with a girl who was hosted by my host family a couple of years ago.  She was really sweet and showed us around some of Beirut, which was really nice.  It was a great weekend--the weather was beautiful as was the greenery.  Though it was still the Middle East, and less than an hour flight, I did not feel like I was in the same region at all!!





American University of Beirut



My host sister is getting engaged this Thursday, that’s when the ceremony is, so we are going to have a big party.  Sarah and I are trying to go to Petra this weekend, which would be a lot of fun!

Um Qais

The Golan Heights

The desert climate has finally started to hit us!  This weekend was when the heat first started, and today it was almost 90 degrees!  It is certainly nicer than the cold and rain, though the little wind and intense sun makes it feel warmer that it is. Luckily the houses are made of limestone, so they stay relatively cool in the evenings--which is a definitely plus!



Relaxing in the Grass



Friday a group of us went to Um Qais.  It is in the northern most part of Jordan, and it right near the Syrian border and the Golan Heights!  It was absolutely beautiful.  There were so many trees and grass, as well as some ruins from ancient times.  It was a gorgeous day and we walked around, lounged in the grass and enjoyed the sun--it was a much needed break!  It took quite a bit to get there; we had to take three buses, to different stations and it took a little more than two hours.  On the way back, the buses had stopped running at a certain part, so we had to walk (which is always fun without sidewalks) until a different type of van would pick us up and take us to the next station.  It was quite an experience!!



Ruins



I just hung out at Abbi’s that evening and we spent the next day doing work in a café and relaxing.  It was a good pace--we weren’t too overwhelmed, but we didn’t waste the weekend either.  I also sucessfully communicated with several cab drivers (in Arabic) this week.  Granted, it was the usual questions ("Where are you from? how do you like Jordan?  Which is better, America or Jordan?")  Regardless I was able to answer for the most part and understand what was being said which made me very happy.  It is rare that I can understand the whole conversation, but sometimes I can pick out enough to get the gist of what it going on--it's rare but it does happen once in a while!!  We are planning on going to Lebanon for Easter weekend, so that should be a lot of fun!

Successful Cab Ride

Today I took a taxi back on my own to my host family and I actually understood what he was asking me.  It wasn’t a very in depth conversation; he was asking why I lived so far from the university, where I was from, basic stuff like that.  I was so excited that I actually understood what he was saying, since our entire conversation was in Arabic!  It was definitely much easier for me to understand what he was saying rather than responding, but I managed to get some stuff in there (may not have been grammatically correct, but he go he point)--baby steps!

Reading in Greece

It was a frustrating day, so I thought that I would share this with everyone...I also thought that this picture was fitting, since I am "doing" my homework now!



Final Day in Santorini



Cable Car Ride to the Boat



Yesterday morning was spent relaxing in the apartment, where I was finally able to finish Queen Noor’s book!  We were originally planning on going to one of the braches to see that black sand, but it was incredible windy and chilly, so we decided to stay in.  In the afternoon we walked to the capital where we poked around in the shops and little streets for a while--I was able to find more gifts during this week than the last two months in Jordan!  I’ll have to step it up once I get back!





Lava Rocks--near Volcano



On the Volcano!



Today we took a boat ride to the volcano that created Santorini, where we climbed to the top of the volcano.  There are craters that are still active, and luckily they decided not to go off today!  The boat also took us to some hot springs that were near the volcano.  The water was so blue, and near the volcano it has a greenish-bluish tint to it, which is due to the sulfur that is released.  It was so pretty and clear--though not warm at all!!  We then took donkeys back up to the top of the island.  My donkey was one of the first ones to get going, but as soon as we rounded the corner he decided that it was time for a break.  I couldn’t really blame him, it was quite a steep climb, but he decided when to move on his own time, without any input from anyone else.



We ate crepes in the city and then took a bus to one of the beaches.  The sand is black, due to the volcano, though it is more like tiny stones rather than sand.  I put my feet into the water, and it was absolutely freezing--there was no way that I would have gone swimming!  I walked back to the apartment from the capital, which about a 25 minute walk.  It was absolutely gorgeous--I was in awe at the fact that I was actually here for a week and that it was something that could never be completely captured in a photo.  We will have our last meal in our apartment today--after that, sadly no more cooking or dish washing until I’m back in the States!  We leave for Amman tomorrow where I have a lot of excursions to get in before I return to home, and not that much time to do it!!

Water near the Volcano--the Sulfur changes the color



Path on our walk to Thira (the capital)







Church on our walk to the Capital

The weather the past few days has been much nicer than our first day here!  Our second day we were sitting on our balcony in tank tops and we were even hot than--I felt so haram compared to my clothing in Jordan!!  We walked to Thira, the capital of Santorini, and looked around at the little shops there.  They had a lot of nice jewelry, so it was fun to window shop.  It was nice to just be able to walk around for a little while, especially because the weather was so nice!  Our land lord brought us a bottle of wine, and we have yet to drink it, so it is sitting on our kitchen table!

Homemade wine on our balcony

The Blue Dome

We have a little apartment for the week, so we get to cook and clean our own dishes.  It feels so nice to be able to do that.  My homestay has a maid, and it is so weird to not have to clean or cook anything, that it makes me feel a little more normal and doing regular things for a little while.  The sheets in the apartment also smell like grandma’s house, so when I go to sleep at night it’s like I am sleeping at her house!

Today we sucessfully used the public bus system, and took the twenty minute ride to Oia-Ia, a northern city in Santorini.  The public bus was a coach bus, that had a sign on the outside saying “city bus”.  This city is located right on the cliff of the island, and is absolutely gorgeous.  All of the hotels were getting ready for tourist season, so everyone was bustling about and cleaning.  There was also a lot of white paint, since everyone was repainting the buildings to keep them looking fresh!  I believe the white buildings with the blue domes are churches, and there are a handful of them around the island.  But, we were able to see the one that is in all of the photos of Greece!!  There are mopeds all over the city--I thought that the taxi’s in Amman would get me, but I think it might actually be the mopeds!

Abbi and I--Oia

While we were exploring, we met a guy who was from Long Island and works in NYC--what a coincidence!!  He gave us his business card so that we could keep in touch once we were back in the states, and he is actually in Forensics; consulting, reconstruction and training!!  He worked for the NYPD for a while, and is now in the private sector, he just taught a weekend course in Milan to the students there!!  It was such a coincidence not only that we met him, and that he was from NY, but that he is also in forensics!!  Exciting!

Santorini, Greece



Acroplis Building, Athens



Our second day in Athens, we went to see the Acropolis, and to our surprise admission was free, though it closed early, so we were not able to see everything--at least we were able to see some ruins.  We stayed in that night, and just went around the area to get dinner--which we stopped at the falafel place to get a little bit of Arabic cuisine!





Santorini--from the Ferry



We had to leave the hotel at 5:50 this morning to catch our ferry to Santorini Island.  We successfully navigated our way through the metro, including three line changes before we arrived at the port.  Then we had a 7 hour ferry ride before we reached the island.  It was a relatively large ship, and the water was pretty choppy, so you could still feel the waves.  That didn’t bother me at all; it reminded me of being on the water at the lake house, which I love!  It was really neat, getting off the ship everyone went down to the level where the cars were kept, and a drawbridge lowered when the ship hit the shore.  Then, everyone walked or drove off of the ship, right onto the island--I felt like I was in the belly of a warship and people were getting ready to go into combat!!





Our Apartment Complex



It was pretty overcast and chilly when we got to the island.  The owner of the apartments where we are staying picked us up from the port and drove us to the apartment complex.  He then brought us maps and told us about the area and places that we could go throughout the week.  He’s really nice, and definitely goes out of his way to make sure that we have everything.  Since we have a kitchen, we walked to a little mini-mart and picked up supplies to make meals.  The apartment is adorable and has an amazing view of the water and the houses around it.  The sun is starting to come up now, and hopefully the rest of the week will have nice weather, so that we can go around the island as well as relax here.

View from our Balcony



It's All Greek to Me!!

Finally made it to Greece!!!  On our flight to Greece, Abbi sat next to this guy who was a Greek diplomat working in Jordan.  He was really nice and made us a list of things that we should do and see while we were there.  I was also sitting next to a guy who was from DC and just spent a couple of weeks in Jordan--small world!  When we got to the airport I was throwing out marhaba’s (hello), shukran’s (thank you) and asif’s (sorry) like there was no more tomorrow.  I sort of learned some Greek words, efharisto (thank you) and parakalo (sorry), so I now I am just all sorts of confused!

Abbi’s host sister recently married a Greek guy, so they picked us up from the airport and took us to his mother’s house.  We spent the rest of the day with them, and Batool and Alkis (host sister and husband) took us around Athens and then to our hotel--they are so nice!!



Our lovely hosts after lunch

The hotel that we booked has really sketchy, two person elevator.  It’s extremely claustrophobic and the first night we got in with our bags and it wouldn’t close.  To add to the interesting-ness of the elevator, it also has one of those doors that you have to open before you get in and then another set of doors closes once you are in there.  The most interesting part is that the hotel that we booked is right next to a street that has a bunch of Arabic restaurants, with the names written in Arabic!!!  Something that I can actually read!!

Our first day here was pretty overcast and the weather was pretty gross, but we still walked around.  We went to some of the monuments and looked at them, as well as walked through the market.  It’s been nice--relaxing while at the same time we are able to see some of the sights of Greece.  Hopefully the weather starts to get a little bit nicer and that the temperature picks up.  I’m just happy to be able to see trees and grass!!

End of Midterms!

I cannot believe that March is almost over--this month flew by!!  I am almost finished with my midterms, which feels great!  Just one more presentation in Arabic tomorrow and then Greece, which does not gel real at all!!  I am still in shock when I realize that I am living in the Middle East, and have been doing so for two months!!  I rode a camel in the middle of the desert last weekend--that’s crazy! 

Abbi, the girl I am travelling with, and I realized today that neither of us speaks any Greek.  I barely even know what it sounds like!!  I figure that as long as I get a few basic words-- yes, no, please, thank you-- than we should be good to go!  Go figures, I come the Middle East for a semester, take intensive Arabic (which I still struggle with) and I leave for a week to a place where I don’t know even a little of the language!  This will make it that much more interesting!  I am ready for a week of relaxation and exploration in a beautiful new area!  Can’t wait to get there!

Wadi Rum







I'm in the little group on the to right



I spent this past weekend in the desert; camping in Bedouin tents and riding camels.  The desert was absolutely gorgeous--it can neither be captured in a picture nor described in a way that would do it justice.  The first day was pretty chilly, not what I was expecting in the desert.  We rode on the back of pick-up trucks for four hours, making stops at different parts of the desert.  I ate my lunch on top of a huge rock mountain, looking out onto the desert.  We got to climb a bunch of different mountains and rock structures, which was really cool.  We watched the sunset and drank tea with the Bedouins before driving to our camp site.  Where I dumped a mini desert out of my shoes!







Our humble abode in the Bedouin Camp



The camp itself was really nice, a lot better than I was expecting.  The tents were divided into three separate rooms, with two beds, mosquito nets, chairs and candles.  The tents were right on the sand, so there were carpets that were place down so that people could walk easily.  There were actual beds, not just sleeping bags, which was a lot better than I was expecting.  It gets so cold in the evening during the desert, and once the sun went down it was absolutely freezing!  It’s a good thing that there were a lot of blankets and I brought a lot of layers!



Sarah and I with our Camels



The next morning we got up early and took a three hour camel ride!  It was so much fun and quite an experience!!  It was so relaxing and peaceful to be on the camel.  They smelled a little bit, but not nearly as much as I was expecting them to, which was a plus and I did not get spit on by a camel, which was a very big accomplishment!  Though, I have to say that all of my clothes smelled like a camel, which was really gross--nothing some detergent won’t be able to fix!  They led us on the camel for a little while, and then I was able to guide my own.   We had a little kid who was our guide, and wanted to make sure that we were having a good time--it was really cute. He would just turn around and smile at us and say hello.   My guy liked to snack a lot, so he stopped at almost every bush to get something to eat, and then would get going again.  One of the camel guides told his CIEE student that he would like to be my husband--so, if all else fails, I can marry a Bedouin and live in the desert!  While riding a camel was so much fun, I have never been so sore before!!  It was definitely worth it; a once in a lifetime experience!



Nabil and I-- The Siena Crew





Sarah and I in the Desert





Only one week of midterms and than spring break!!  Look out Greece!

So much food...

This week was not nearly as exciting as other weekends have been, but it was nice to relax.  I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at the Embassy, which was quite interesting and fun to say the least.  I spent all day on Friday procrastinating finishing my papers, and relaxed and read a book for fun, which was really nice.

One thing that is really interesting here is what is considered meat.  I am not a huge meat eater, I prefer to eat vegetables, and when I have meat I prefer chicken, and not lamb.  Here, they do not consider chicken to be meat, so everyone is so perplexed when I only take chicken, and not the lamb.  They always proclaim “you don’t like meat?”  Every time I answer that I have meat, and then I remember chicken doesn’t count and have to explain it all over again.  They also really like spinach.  I am not sure if it is in a lot of Arabic dishes, or if it is just my host family.  Regardless, I will return to the states like Popeye--look out!!

Sarah’s family has taken me in as another family member, so I go to their house for lunches on the weekend.  Friday I went to her great-uncle’s house for lunch and to meet her great-aunt who came from Egypt.  We then spent the evening relaxing, and we watched the movie Rabbit Hole, which was really good.  Saturday, I had to finish my papers--it felt so good to hand them in!  Then I went to another lunch where I ate way too much food!  We watched the news of Libya and the no-fly zone on the TV.  It is interesting to see the difference in what is covered between the al-Jazeera and the western news stations.  The videos are not censored nearly as much as in the states, so it is interesting to see the difference.

Monday was mother’s day in Jordan.  So, after class we went to a French bakery and bought two cakes; one for teta (Sarah’s grandmother) and another for our host mother.  We then stopped by her grandmother’s house and ate finger foods, cake and fruit.  We then went back to my homestay, and ate dinner and then more cake.  Everyone had the same idea for my host mother, so we had four different chocolate cakes.  Here it is impolite to refuse food, so I sampled four different types of cake, on top of all the other food that I ate--I feel like I am going to explode.  It’s a good thing that I am going to the gym tomorrow!!

The weather here is starting to get warmer, which is really nice.  It is so much nicer to be outside when it is sunny and warm.  Just two presentations (a weekend of riding camels!) and a week of midterms and then spring break!!

Happy Mother's Day from Jordan!!