Aqaba

I cannot believe that I have been in Amman for almost a month--so much has taken place, and there are so many changes that it is surreal!  This week was pretty interesting.  There were two demonstrations that took place on the UJ campus, one in support of the people of Libya and the other for financial reasons.  Both of the demonstrations were extremely organized and peaceful, and we just happened to be walking by when they were taking place.  I also found a new amazing little place for lunch, which sells falafel sandwiches for 25 piaster’s (that’s about 35 cents!)  It is a couple of falafel on pita bread, with hummus, lettuce and tomatoes all wrapped up--delicious!  There apparently was an extremely small earthquake that took place around noon earlier this week, but I did not feel anything, nor did I hear anything in the news, so that may have just been a rumor.  It some of the pop culture is also interesting.  The longer I have been here, the more I have noticed that they really like Celine Dion.  The coffee shop that is near the University, is always playing (so often that I usually here the same songs multiple times before I actually leave) and the beach that we were at played it, along with George Michael, quite a few times!

I took my first weekend trip this past weekend.  I went with three other girls from the program to the Red Sea for the weekend.  We were planning on taking a bus to Aqaba, which is about a 4 hour ride from Amman, but when we got to the bus station, all of the tickets were sold out!  (you cannot reserve seats ahead of time, and since we had class on Thursday we just had to go in the afternoon and keep our fingers crossed!)  We would have had to wait another three hours to take the next bus, so we decided to take a taxi there.  It was only 10 dinar a person, and the four of us piled into a taxi, the driver didn’t say one word to us the entire time, and we were on our way to Aqaba.  It took us about three and a half hours, and the entire time the highway was surrounded by complete desert, though once in a while there would be a little town that appeared.  We settled into a really cute “budget friendly” hotel that was 12 kilometers outside of Aqaba.  There was tons of greenery, and they had little tents that you could sit in that were covered and had seating with the huge pillows.

The view coming from our room

The next day, we spent the entire day at the beach.  We purchased a day pass to one of the private beaches, since it is not really acceptable to wear regular bathing suits on the public beaches, and that way we would avoid any harassment that may have ensued.  From where we were, we could see Egypt on the other side, and the Saudi Arabian border was less than 5 kilometers away from the beach that we used!  The weather was so warm, and the water was absolutely beautiful.  I have never seen such blue water--you could see right to the bottom, where there were tons of interesting fish swimming around.  We did go swimming, though the water was a little chilly, it was certainly refreshing!  We did go into Aqaba for a little while after the beach on Friday, and I saw some camels on the sidewalks!!  They are so much bigger in person than I ever thought.  They are kind of intimidating, and thanks to Blake and his use of youtube, the entire time I was walking on the sidewalk, with the camel behind me, the only thing I could think of was getting spit on by it, and how terrible that would be!  We stayed there for two nights, and then took a bus back to Amman on Saturday. It was a double decker coach bus, and the trip was about four hours, though I slept most of the time!  It was such a relaxing weekend, it was great!



The palm trees on the Private Beach



Sunday was the first day that I had to take a cab by myself.  Sarah was sick, so she didn’t go to class.  I lucked out a lot with the cab going to the university.  I got into the cab and told them my destination, in Arabic.  He then asked me where I was from.  When I responded “America” he preceded to say, “I know, where in America?”  So much for trying to use my Arabic and fit in!  But, he was really chatty, and once I said New York, he was so excited because of NYC--that’s usually the reaction that I get!  The cab driver coming back from the University was not quite as friendly, but I was able to use only Arabic and make it back to the homestay on my own!

Regional Update:

I thought that I would just update everyone on some of the stuff that is taking place in the region, since I am sure that it is in the news quite a bit.  I know that some of the other Middle Eastern nations are starting to have protests, among other things against their governments. 

There are usually protests that take place in Jordan (Amman) and they are generally pretty peaceful and well organized.  Last week there was a protest, in Zarqa, from a group of tribes that took place, and there was some violence, but the situation was resolved.  There was another set of protests this past weekend in Amman, which were for government reform regarding the economic condition.  There was some violence that took place, though it was nothing as drastic as what is happening around the region.  I have not been affected at all by what is happening in Amman, besides people being a little more tense than usual, but other than that I don’t really hear much about anything else happening.

It doesn’t seem like there should be any issues in Jordan, though I will of course be vigilant.  I just thought that I would share what little information I have, for those who were curious.

The Dead Sea and Castles!

This week was pretty busy.  We had off on Tuesday in honor of the Prophet’s birthday.  I also had shawarma for the first time--it was pretty good.  They cook meat and then shave it off of the skewer and wrap it up in a piece of Arabic bread with some vegetables and heat it up--delicious!  I also had an Oreo, which was absolutely AMAZING!!  I forgot how much I like certain foods, until they are not readily accessible any more--it was like a little piece of home!

We also had to go to the police station to get fingerprinted in order to extend our visas.  Though I was never planning on getting arrested, this only cemented my desire to abide by the law--no jail for me!

It is interesting to see some of the buildings being constructed in the city, because they still put the buildings together brick by brick--so they pretty much use the same technique that was used centuries ago!

Valentine’s Day here was interesting.  I thought that it was only a Hallmark holiday, and while it was not celebrated nearly to the extent that it is in the states, there were still a good number of people who did things.  Our cab driver had an entire conversation with us about the fact that Sarah and I don’t have Valentine’s, and how love should be shown every day, not just once a year.  It was a pretty in depth conversation, and since it was in Arabic, I only understood tiny parts of it.  It was mostly between Sarah and the cab driver, and then she filled me in on the things I didn’t understand once we made it back!

Thursday after classes a group of people met up with our professor at a coffee shop just to have casual conversation.  It was a lot of fun; not only did we get to talk to the professor outside of the classroom, but we were able to talk to each other.  I was able to finally get to meet a lot of the people in the program that I never really had a chance to talk to before, so that was really nice.

In the high school’s here, the students in their senior year have to take a huge exam (tawjihi), which is essentially like the SAT, but with more pressure and a greater effect.  Friday morning they posted the results of the exams, so starting at 9 am, people began to celebrate.  Celebrating here involves shooting guns in the air, honking more than usual, dancing in the street and driving around in cars while hanging outside the car window.  It was very interesting (and a little unsettling) to witness all of these festivities.  They are so much different than celebrations back in the states!  You start to get a little used to the gun shots, though it is not the best thing to wake up to at 9 in the morning--since I’m usually a little disheveled to begin with, but it was definitely worth it.  The ended in the evening with people setting off fireworks and the likes as well as really loud parties and more driving around in cars!

A bunch of CIEE people signed up to do a bike tour around the Dead Sea on Friday.  It was a lot of fun--we drove to an area near the Dead Sea and then biked around there, we didn’t really get to see the sea, but we were near it.  We biked about 30 kilometers, which is about 18 miles!!  I have not biked in so long, and never at such a long distance--it was quite interesting. It was really neat to see the different areas.  So far I have only seen the city, so this was completely different.  We went through areas with a lot of greenery, and then other areas that were completely brown.  There were sporadic “houses” that were placed all over the place--mostly where there were people picking vegetables.  There were people who had camels that were like pets.  They were tethered up where the people were working and there were other camels that were just hanging out the in the open areas.  It was interesting to see camels around, much like I would see cows on the thruway at home!  The little kids were so cute!  There was only one little boy who was throwing rocks at us as we passed (I guess the guide book was correct on that one!) though he missed me--which was really good!  I didn’t get to take too many pictures, since we only stopped three times the whole ride--but, Sarah and I are planning on going back to the Dead Sea to spend a weekend, so I will have to make up for it then!

Saturday we spent the day looking at Eastern Desert Castles. It was really interesting to see the difference between the city and the actual desert.  It was completely flat for miles on end, without anything but brown sand.  I also had my first taste of desert heat--it was a little brutal, and it’s only February, so I can only imagine how hot it will be in the spring.  We also saw the “wetlands” of Jordan, which at one time had water that would come up to one’s neck, though now there are only a couple of little ponds, and a lot of dry dead grass.

(I was going to try and add a couple of pictures, but the internet was too slow to load them--maybe another time!)

First Week at the University of Jordan!

So I finally finished my first week of school in Jordan!! It was quite overwhelming at times, but I made it through. The University of Jordan is so different from Siena, it has 30,000 people, compared to Siena’s 3, 000--surprisingly there are a lot of women that attend the university. I am taking about 12 hours a week of Arabic and another two area studies courses on top of that, so it is a lot of time spent at the school, but it will be worth it in the end. I successfully told the cab driver how to get home from the University this week, in Arabic, which made me feel pretty good about myself.

I also discovered my new favorite drink, which is mint lemonade. It is so minty and refreshing, it’s great--and it is apparently pretty popular in Jordan, so I should be able to find it all over the place, maybe I can even bring some home!! We also ventured to City Mall, which is 4 stories tall, and absolutely huge!! There is also a Wal-Mart equivalent inside called Carrefour, which we went into to get some snacks. Everything here is so much less expensive than in the US. I had lunch at the University cafeteria the other day, babaganoush, bread, an apple and a huge portion of rice, for 70 piastres!!  So, lunch was essentially less than a dollar--bargain!!

We are still learning with the taxis--they know that we are not from the area, so they like to take us the long way to get to places!! Even with that, our most expensive cab ride was about 3 dinars (1 dinar is about $1.43) and that was mostly because we hit a lot of traffic. Even though there are so many people in Amman, it is surprisingly not built for people to walk around--there are randomly placed sidewalks, which just end whenever they feel like it. So, by the time I get home, I will be able to hail any cab--lookout NYC!!

I found out today that I will be staying in the same Arabic level that I was originally placed in, so that's a big relief. We are supposed to have a big birthday party n Saturday, and apparently it involves really loud music and dancing--it should be quite and experience!!

Oh, I also joined a gym this week, so not only will I get a workout, but I will be able to shower everyday now!! It's very exciting!!

One Week Down!

I moved in with my host family on Thursday.  They seem like really nice people, who are genuinely glad to host students.  They have hosted American’s for a couple of years now, so they know what to expect.  I am rooming with another girl from the program, which is really nice, since she speaks Arabic and has family in the city.  If she wasn’t here I have no idea how I would survive!

We went to her grandmother’s house for lunch the other day, which was really nice.  It is good to know other people in the city, in case we need an escape.  The apartment is pretty nice, though it is extremely cold in Amman right now, and since the houses are made of limestone, they are freezing.  It’s like being at the lake house in November, but without any blankets--[erfect for sleeping!

I start classes on Sunday, so that should be an interesting process.  I have to take a 20 min cab ride to school in the morning, so it will be an early start!!  We are still trying to figure our way around the city and such, so hopefully next weekend we will be able to venture and go somewhere!

Oh, they also have a show “Arabs’ got Talent”  It is almost exactly like “America’s got Talent” except it’s the Arabic version.  It is pretty interesting to see, even though I don’t understand most of the things they are saying.  They have quite a few American songs on the show, so that’s pretty interesting. 

Even though I have been here for less than a week, I am already looking forward to an American home cooked meal.  The food here isn’t bad by any means; it just isn’t what I’m used to!  That will make my meals over the summer taste that much better!!

University of Jordan and Orientation

Since I have easy access to the internet, I thought that I would write again.  Today we spent most of the day at the CIEE office and at the University.  It was nice to see the office, and it seems like a place where I will be able to spend a lot of time to do work and stuff.  It was a little intimidating when we had a crash course in how to hail/communicate during a taxi ride in the Jordanian dialect.  It was mostly intimidating not only because I had no idea what to say, but also because I have never really had to take cabs on my own.  I will be staying with another girl, so first the first week or so we are planning on riding into school together. 

I also found a couple other people who are in my area studies courses, so that will be really nice.  We are starting to talk about travel plans, and other people also want to travel a lot within Jordan, so maybe weekend trips.   Also, no one really wants to travel on their own over spring break, so I will definitely have someone to accompany me.

The facilities in the hotel and in my home stay are quite similar to the one’s at home, which is quite a relief.  Though I did encounter a squatty potty, which is very prevalent on campus, and I have come to the conclusion that I will walk across the street the use the facilities in the CIEE office.

So far here everything is going well, things are slowly falling in to place, and I’m sure that after a week or so of classes that things will start to feel like a regular semester.  Oh, there are also palm trees outside my hotel window, which is pretty neat.  Though, the weather here has been pretty chilly.  I’m hoping that it will warm up soon, though I am sure that once that happens, I’ll be wishing it was cool again!

Finally there!

So, I finally made it to Jordan and had my first full day here!  It is quite a cultural adjustment, but it is nice.  I found out a little more information about my host family, and I will be staying with another girl from the program, which is really nice--at least we can stick together and figure things out together.  The weather hasn’t been that great, it is actually kind of chilly and rainy, which is bad because it was wet while we were touring the city, but good because we are in a drought and need the water!!  There is a possibility that it might snow tomorrow--I thought I left that behind in NY!  We’ve had a busy day visiting the Citadel and touring the city on a bus, among other typical orientation things.  I have limited interned access at the hotel (I leave Thursday afternoon) and I believe that I have internet at my homestay!   So far everything is good --an adjustment, but once I get a routine then everything will fall further into place!