Eid Sayyid!

Sunday was the Orthodox Christian Easter here in the HJK. My family is Christian, but not too religious. They didn't go to church, nevermind all of the crucifixes and pictures of Jesus all over the house. It was cool, though. We dyed Easter eggs in the morning and then went over to some distant relative's house for dinner. It was kind of weird. There were a lot of old people and they were confused as to why my host family had a "Swedish" girl with them. HAHA. I suppose it was nice to have an excuse to wear a skirt and heels. The mansaf sucked, but there was chocolate so I don't care. Some old coot that was there told me in Arabic that I have "thick blood." I got grossed out and gaped at him disgustedly. My host mom laughed and said it's an expression that means someone is serious and not very funny. Pardon me for being freaked out and not talking in a room full of 30 people speaking a language I don't understand or like very much at this point. Uffff. Thank God we didn't stay very long and went back home. Our Easter celebration then ended that evening with my entire family and a few of their friends giving me an intense lesson on cussing people out in Arabic.

Keeping with this religious weekend, a friend and I went to Madaba on Friday. This is a very old Christian town with many old churches and amazing religious mosaics from the 6th century. While there, we also went to Mt. Nebo- the place where Moses went before he died and saw the Promised Land. We also went to the location of Jesus' baptism on the River Jordan. It was a really neat tour. A bit further down from the baptism site , we were able to put our feet in the River Jordan. Probably the coolest part was that the West Bank of Israel was just across the river- literally 10 feet away (the River Jordan is really small and drying up because of Israeli dams). It was weird sitting on the pier with my feet in the water and staring directly across at people on Israeli soil. It felt kind of similar to walking on the street in Nicosia and looking up at people behind the wall on the Turkish occupied side. Despite getting ripped off by the taxi driver, it was a really interesting day. Those were probably the most historical places I've ever been and it was a cool thing to see. Oh, and Grandma- I got you a nice gift, but you might want to consider converting to Catholocism to fully appreciate it... ;] (just kidding).

Mt. Nebo...durrr. Read the stone.

Moses memorial

The River Jordan... more like the Creek Jordan... =/

Baptism site of Jesus

See that tank in the background? That's Israel. WOW!

6th Century mosaic floor in Church of the Virgin Mary

The rest of the weekend was just pure laziness. I went to my friend's birthday party on Thursday night and wore a thong as an eyepatch (it was a pirate party). It was weird, especially since the security tag was still on them because the imbecile at the store didn't take it off. Apologies if this is too much information, but I found it too entertaining to exclude. The rest of the days I just slept late and laid around and read. It was really nice.

Today I went over to my Jordanian friend's house again, for the second time. She studies English and Linguistics at the University and we met at the language center. She and her mom and aunt are probably the 3 kindest people I have met in my life... seriously. I really enjoy going to their home and visiting with them. They treat me with such a high level of respect and kindness that it makes up for all the horrible Jordanians I have encountered. I wish more people were like them; peaceful, selfless and with genuine hearts and minds. It was a fun afternoon sitting in their garden, talking and laughing and poking around in the flowers. They always feed me WAY too much (to the point where it hurts to breathe after the meal... no joke), but I have the rest of the week to work it off at the gym so big deal. I suppose I can handle one day every once in awhile of eating enough food to feed an African country.

Things are good, generally. Though as the weather gets hotter and my bank account gets lower, "Is it May 23 yet?!" persistently flashes in my mind like a neon sign. I know that I've been here for too long when I almost get into at least one serious car accident pretty much daily and don't even bat an eyelash about it anymore. We have another long weekend, during which I will hopefully be more productive, and after that it is just about 3 weeks left to go. Finals are soon and I need to get serious about studying for them. Sometimes I need to remind myself that I am actually getting credit for this... :)

PS: Soon I will be going on a souvenir spree. Any requests? Just comment here or email me.

Ya habibi...

As promised, there will be a lot of photos this entry since not all of you have myspace and can look at the ones I put there.


In reference to the list I posted last, the desert and camel stuff was all in Wadi Rum, in the south of Jordan. It was a fabulous trip. The first day we went on a crazy Jeep ride through the desert- flying over sand dunes and everything. There were 60 of us on the trip, so I imagine we looked like the Mujihadeen tooling through the desert while standing in the beds of the jeeps screaming and wearing kuffiyehs. This when many of us got to experience a real, huge sand dune for the first time; thus making it a "legitimate" desert in my opinion. Sand dunes are one of the funnest things ever. We were running, diving, jumping and rolling down it and it was a blast. We also got to watch the sunset from the top of it and it was an amazing sight with all of the red sand and mountains in view.

Wadi Rum

Sand duuuuune!

Sunset from the top of the dune

After that, we went to our desert Bedouin camp. It was a really cool set up- a big fire in the middle with a guy serving tea and argeelah, with low benches and tables set up around it in a circle. The tents were set up in rows behind this seating area, and the paths they cleared in the sand were lit by small lanterns sitting on the ground. The food was wonderful- lots of fresh vegetables and salad and really nice kebabs. There was music and dancing to keep people entertained. Bedouin tents are really neat. They are a system of poles and really thick tarp-like rugs that they weave out of goat fur. The point is to make it as easy as possible to transport, since they are nomadic. They were rather big inside and they put beds directly on the sand. It was fun, but so cold in the evening. After we ate and sat around for a bit, a few of us decided to take a walk through the desert in the night with no flashlight (unfortunately the moon wasn't bright the night we were there). Probably pretty dumb, but it was fun. We attempted to make a fire from twigs and camel dung but were unsuccessful. The desert is so beautiful at night. The stars are very clear and bright, and we all saw many shooting stars. The next day was full of camel riding desert adventuring.

Clare and Rose at the Bedouin camp

Camel caravan

The following weekend, some friends and I took an informal trip to Irbid and Umm Qais in northern Jordan, near the Syrian border. Umm Qais is an old Roman town with lots of ruins and nice fields to walk through. It was unbelievably relaxing to climb around on old columns and olive trees while looking at Palestine and the Sea of Galilee in the distance.

Crazy bent trees of doom ftw <3

Olive trees in Umm Qais

Palestine!

Ruins at Umm Qais

Amphitheater at Umm Qais

The next day, our group went to Wadi Mujib, a valley near the Dead Sea. We went on a 7 hour hike through the canyons; most of which was spent floating and walking through the river. At one point we had to rappell down a 60 ft. waterfall. It was fun, but one of the scariest things I've ever done. I'm not sure if I would ever do it again. I love being in the water, so it was a great trip. I didn't take my camera, however, because it totally would have gotten ruined... but here are some pictures I stole from google.

The waterfall at which I almost met my maker...

That week was not so great. Either something I ate or something in Wadi Mujib made me and several other students really sick. I was vomiting and experiencing some other nasty physical side effects for a few days. I got a bad fever almost out of nowhere and my host mom had to take me to the hospital to get some shot. It was worth it because my fever went away soon after, even if I couldn't sit comfortably for awhile. Thank heavens for my host mom! She took excellent care of me. Making me eat, drink and take my medication on time. I'm lucky that I have her here. But, I felt better by the end of the week and was able to have a good weekend. Friday I randomly decided to get my hair done with my host mom... and Grandma, you will be pleased with the results! :P



On Saturday, some friends and I spent the whole day at the Dead Sea- perhaps the most interesting body of water of all time. It is so weird how you float in it. We went out really far where you can no longer touch the bottom and were floating in positions as if there was an invisible chair there. I was also floating with my body perfectly straight, not touching the ground at all. It was the weirdest thing.... but very relaxing and fun. Because there is so much salt in it, the water feels really oily and has a very glossy appearance on top. It is very serene because you can just lay there and float and there are no waves or maritime creatures lurking in seaweed to attack your feet. Of course we went all out like true tourists and covered ourselves with that glorious black Dead Sea mud for a skin treatment. We looked like Kenyans for a few hours, baking in the sun with the mud on. It really is good for your skin, though. After washing it off, my skin was so soft and clean looking. And if that wasn't enough zany shenanigans, we were then entertained by a group of 40 or so old Italian people who were yelling, floating in the sea and just being awesome in general. At one point, a group of men from the group were all floating side by side, linking arms and singing songs in Italian at the top of their lungs. They totally made my day.

Hijabis have fun, too! :P

Katrina and I floating along...

Dead Sea mud

Today was an interesting day at good old JU. Some friends and I came back from lunch and noticed there was a big commotion at the main gate of the university. There was an ambulance, people everyone and rocks all over the ground. We found out from another student a bit later that there was a fight between two tribes over a girl (which happens all the time at the university). This was a really big fight, though.... and a rock fight, nonetheless (hence why there were rocks all over the ground). It was premeditated because there aren't any rocks around the main gate- it is all paved. It's kind of sad, but you have to laugh a little. A massive rock fight between two huge groups of people? Come on... I'm laughing right now as I write this. I wish I could have seen it all going down. My friend said there were people climbing on this massive fence and throwing rocks.

Today was the Orthodox Palm Sunday, which means this coming weekend is Easter! I'm excited to see what is involved with this. We were invited to a relative's house on Sunday for dinner, so it should be fun... especially since I have become an excellent fake Catholic :)

Also, we have a new member of the family. Her name is Sasha and she is a husky puppy. Here she is doing what she does best, attacking feet and biting everything.

"Rawwwwr!"

Well, my time here is winding down and I will be back in America in about a month. Time has gone fast and there are people and things I will miss, but in general, I can't wait to come back. I don't want to stop traveling and doing weird things, but 4 1/2 months is PLENTY of time here. It is getting frustrating and stifling... and there is a lot that I dont' write here because I don't know who is reading and I don't want anyone to worry. Maybe the truth will come out in the next entry. Perhaps I shouldn't judge an alien culture through my own cultural lense, but I think this is just innate to human nature in helping to find one's place in a confusing environment. Though being completely out of my element more than once has been very illuminating, I don't anticipate ever returning for purposes other than vacation or tourism. This isn't an environment where I can thrive, be and develop myself. It's just not my "place." But, nonetheless, I'm glad I did this.

Mezhnoon times in the good old HKJ...

Well, the last few weeks have been that of many firsts for me. For example...

- I rode a camel in the desert for an entire afternoon.
- I rolled/dived down a sand dune.
- I camped in the desert in a Bedouin tent.
- I was within walking distance of Palestine and the Sea of Galilee.
- I forded a river in a canyon.
- I rappelled down a 60ft. waterfall
- I saw a French man get naked and change his clothes in the middle of a parking lot. I guess he forgot he was in the MIDDLE EAST...
- I discovered that drinking Arabic coffee is probably not a good life choice; especially after a weird dinner.
- I tasted the Dead Sea a little. I mean, just a small drop on the tip of my finger. It was -the- worst thing I have ever put in my mouth, hands down. Imagine the saltiest thing you've ever had and multiply that by about 3 million, then add a sour, dead taste to that. A voila...
- I went to an Arab hospital and got a shot in my backside.

This is just a small taste of what has been going on the last couple of weeks. I will update again in a few days with more information and of course photos (none of the shot, though. Sorry :P).

The aftermath of Spring Break...

I apologise for my laziness in updating this blog… I have been rather busy, but still I don’t have a very good excuse.

Anyhow, as many of you know, I went on Spring break about 2 weeks ago. Since most travel in the area was banned, tickets to Egypt were outrageous and I’m not interested in the Gulf States, I ended up going to Cyprus with some friends. Cyrpus is an island in the Mediterranean and it is in the EU (al-hamdulallah!). The best part is that it is only an hour flight from here. A trip there was just what we needed. It was amazing to get out of this oppressive environment, wear a tank top, laugh loudly in public, eat amazing Greek food, smile, drink European Fanta and real wine, walk around late at night without having to worry, not have to deal with creepy cab drivers, lay on the beach and swim in the Mediterranean. It was extremely relaxing, to say the least… and exactly what I wanted.

Larnaca

The waterfront in Larnaca

Felix on the beach in Larnaca

My friend and I mostly stayed in Larnaca, but one day we made a day trip to the capital, Nicosia. Here, it is important to note that Cyprus is split. Turkey controls one side and Greece has a lot of influence and pretty much controls the “Cypriot” side. Nicosia is very interesting because it is divided; and is the only divided capital left in the world. At some points you will be walking down a street on the Cypriot side of Nicosia and you just can’t go any further because you have reached the border. It was really interesting standing on the Cypriot side and seeing the Turkish flag just ahead of you. There is an actual wall separating the two sides, complete with barbed wire on top and below it, UN buffer zone between the two sides and a passport checkpoint before you enter the Turkish occupied side. My friend and I couldn’t figure out where the checkpoint was, so we stopped a woman on the street to ask for help. She was Slovenian and worked at a restaurant there and was very kind... not to mention overjoyed because I spoke Russian with her. She said she goes to the Turkish side to buy cigarettes because they are cheaper and she offered to drive us through. After that, she was walked with us for awhile and told us about that part of town, where the markets were, etc. She bid us farewell and my friend and I just wandered around for a bit, taking it all in. The feel of the occupied side is completely different than the Cypriot side. All of the signs are in Turkish, the prices are in Turkish lira, and it looks much different… it had a completely different atmosphere. We were there on a Sunday so it was kind of dead anyhow, but in general, it looked very poor, run-down and decrepit (with the exception of a couple of nice squares complete with Ataturk statues… :P ). It was really interesting, though, and made me wonder if Turkey is actually like that and how much money Istanbul puts into that side of Nicosia. I can’t describe how surreal it was walking through a UN buffer zone with an actual wall and barbed wire in sight with “no photography allowed” signs. It was also surreal to think about the division of the capital and the politics of it all… it is difficult to describe, but it was kind of a mind-blowing experience for me. The cool thing is that over the weekend, the Cypriot and Turkish officials made some kind of agreement and they knocked part of the wall down the day after we were there to make a new checkpoint. It isn't as epic as the entire wall coming down (which is what I though actually happened) but it is still a good sign that they've even reach an agreement on anything.

Downtown Nicosia

Downtown Nicosia

Turkish occupied side of Nicosia

Turkish occupied side of Nicosia

Another interesting point about Cyprus in general is the amount of immigrants there. There are tons of Russians, first of all. TONS. We met and hung out with some British kids who lived and studied art in Larnaca and they referred to Cyprus as “Cyprussia.” I thought I was seeing things when I looked across the street from our hotel with in 10 minutes of arriving and saw a sign in Russian. But, a lot of the signs in business and hotels in Larnaca are also in Russian, and there are many Russians working in the stores, markets, etc. There are also a lot of Southeast Asian immigrants. Sri Lankans, especially. I really noticed this in Nicosia when I saw more immigrants than Cypriots. There were a ton of Thai people, Sri Lankans, Cambodians, Nepalese, and so on. Regardless of opinions on immigration and such, I found it interesting that Cyprus is so diverse...especially since it seems like kind of a random country to me. The countryside was absolutely amazing as well. The bus ride from Larnaca to Nicosia was wonderful… nice mountains, lots of green, olive and Cyprus trees and cute clusters of villas all around. I definitely plan on going back someday when I have more time to see more of the island (especially the baths of Aphrodite). It was a great trip and I finally got my first taste of the Mediterranean climate, lifestyle and attitude. I really loved it and can imagine living somewhere like that. And no, I didn’t get sunburned TOO badly, either… ;)

In all honesty, coming back to Amman was quite depressing. Oh how I miss the West sometimes! It is really difficult to be relaxed here and the realities of daily life in an Arab country are sometimes very intense to deal with. Since break, there has just been a deluge of tests, papers, quizzes and projects in school, but it is all going well. We have a trip to Wadi Rum tomorrow and Saturday which includes a 3 hour camel ride and camping in the desert. I am so excited. Maybe I’ll stop being such a slacker and update this when I return, instead of waiting for 2 weeks after the fact. Haha, yeah right…

On a more random note, something I have noticed when dealing with my professors, is that people outside of America- students and scholars- really place a lot of emphasis on knowing hard facts. It seems like only ideas and concepts are stressed in America, but not necessarily facts in addition to this. Maybe it is just here. Any thoughts on this? Please share.

I also need to say that I –hate- how Arabs suck their teeth when you say something stupid or wrong, or if something bad happens. It is just normal part of non-verbal communication here, but for the life of me, I can’t get used to it. Everytime someone does it I feel that one vein in my head getting closer and closer to popping and I just want to slap them across the face with a raw T-bone steak or something.

Anyhow, I hope everyone is well. I will make an effort to update this sooner. I miss you all a lot. T-minus one month and a half…J