Alahan wa Sahalan! I successfully made it to Amman. No lost luggage this time, no passport issues, visa problems, plane delays or cancellations, it was almost too easy. The direct flight from Chicago to Amman was amazing (hint hint those visiting) be sure to get to O’hare with plenty of time, Jordanians are not very good at handling lines. On the flight, I sat next to a mother and her three young daughters who were moving to Dubai from Georgia. Samelia, my seatmate, informed me that she was going into the third grade and I wondered very much whether I would rather go through third grade in Dubai or Georgia- they might be about as different as I think two cultures can possibly be. Third graders are third graders everywhere I guess- just depends on what kind of cursive you want to learn. My hotel suitemate was on the same plane over, as was another Fulbrighter here to do research. I’ve re-met a lot of the people I met at the orientation in D.C., which is nice, as well as found some new faces and stories. Everyone seems to be in the same nervous-ish state- not really sure what’s going on, but want to and try to make up some sort of plan for their time here. I am certainly among that group. What will my specific assignment be like? When will it start? Who will the people be? What will I do in my spare time? Will I be able to keep busy? When will I start language classes and who will my tutor be? The other day, I had a minor panic attack very early in the morning about all of this (I did a poor job of combating jetlag this trip and have been rising and shining before even God wants glory) so to ease my worries, I journaled a pro only list about Jordan. Certainly there will be cons, but a boy with a max. amount of wisdom once told me that I can very easily make myself sick thinking about con possibilities, so I focused on the positive. Aren’t you so proud? So this is my list, with most recent additions which are actually some of the best things!
Amman pro:
1. Arabic! Signs and things are in Arabic. And as I have been continuously working on my Arabic soul since Morocco, I feel very happy to be back in a country that appreciates and uses the beauty of this language. I may have found a language partner too, I know it’s early but he just happens to own a sweet shop that really likes to give me free samples, so the odds are good that I will keep stopping by to chat. Plus, he loves to tell me about the horror that is the U.S. Israeli support and how important it is that I convert to Islam. So I’m pretty lucky he knows my favorite topics. Tasharefnek! (nice to meet you!)
2. Amman is relatively clean and modern. I do miss Fes and all of Morocco here. You just can’t find windy medina streets and souks that compare and those were so completely unique and wonderful to me. However, there are plusses to being in a place a little more… organized? There are less unfortunate smells, less stray cats and cat calls; there are many more supermarkets, and places with fixed, marked prices. There are street signs!! And liquor stores, and hookah, and overall more things to do; things that Fes didn’t have because it was lovable, lovable Fes, but also whose absence made it a little stifling at times.
3. Food. One word: chickpea. In any form (and trust me there are more than you ever knew) Feed it to me. please. Second word: Kinefa. For anyone who has been to Morocco (esp. Erin Wall) Kinefa is Malawi on crack. It’s a special pastry dough mixed with butter and baked with this special cheese in the middle and then drizzled with a sugary glaze. Basically desert grilled cheese sandwich. This was desert free sample #4 at my language partner’s sweet shop. If Muslim’s go to a heaven where there is Kinefa I might actually have to convert…
4. Hem dul Allah I moved into an apartment! A gorgeous apartment! It was a quick decision but I have never been happier following the advice of another wise man, who told me just before I left that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. That is the voice I listened to when I told my new roommates, “Let’s move in today!” So move in we did. See facebook for pictures. I am officially a resident of the Shmesanni neighborhood in Amman. Home to banks, car dealerships, families, sport city, the Jordan Fulbright commission house, the language school I will be attending, and most importantly, ME!
I have enough couches to host everyone who reads this blog, I promise. Come to Jordan. I will add you to the pro list.
Oh also, I do have to say that the views expressed in this blog in no way represent the views of the U.S. state department.
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