Today, I woke up at 10am (amazing) in my new bedroom in Jabal Amman. I got up, washed my face and ate my flatbread with strawberry jam and "orange juice". Flatbread is actually quite good. I recommend it. A couple of us decided to take a cab to the downtown area, or the area that is supposedly the life of the district. Needless to say, we came across one Zain (a T-mobile of the East) as well as an internet cafe (from where I write this blog) and a few fruit stands. Friday is the equivalent of Saturday in the West but during Ramadan... not happening so much.
Rainbow street is the one reputed for the Souks, but I think the program got it wrong (turns out the Souks are at night). We are going to continue on our journey searching for life. Otherwise, this part of town reminds me (so much) of the South of France (and the part of Eze where our apartment is, looking up from the base of the mountain, in particular) combined with northern california. There are Eucalyptus trees on every street corner and the minute I walk out of my apartment jazmine lines the roads and is simply intoxicating. The roads are extremely hilly and all the walls, villas and houses are made of concrete painted in beige, white and other neutral colors. Some are chipping, but I find it stunningly charming. The foliage is truly breathtaking for a desert. There are so many flowers of all kinds and their smell is suffocating.
I find Amman surprisingly clean. Others have complained that it is dirty, but in comparison to New York, it is pristine (and I don't find NY particularly dirty). There is hardly any litter, and the stains from drinks spilled or the like are not going to be washed off any time soon with this climate. I'm sure I am going to sit outside in the rain for hours the first time the rain falls ( if ever). A couple of us found this adorable little place called Books@Cafe. This is a haven or comfort zone to Americans and foreigners. It is a psychedlic two floor book store, internet cafe and restaurant (complete with leather couches, english speakers, PB&J, chocolate chip cookies, pancakes, pizza, etc). "Luckily" it requires a cab ride a little bit of a walk to get to, otherwise I feel as if we would get a little too cozy retreating there. It is a nice to have a little nook not too far away in order to get away from time to time.
Next...you will love this...we took a cab to Carrefour! Talk about an adventure! Buying cleaning supplies, quilt covers, TOILET PAPER!, and all the essentials ran up a hefty bill that I believe was well worth it. The hefitest bill, I regret to say, was reserved for something we found that we just could not live without. We all thought we could give anything up for a year, but it appears as if that is just not true. Three of us chipped in and bought.... The internet. As you can see, the router we bought is working well and we are using it across the apartment complex. We are slowly finding out how to secure it so that other people don't access it and slow it down 1), 2) use something we paid 70 dinar for. Regardless, this makes for a very happy Alex, and I wish it weren't true, but it is and now I can (hopefully) get to you all more quickly (and cheaply).
On the way home, we three and our 75 Carrefour bags hopped into a cab and started speaking with a particularly kind taxi driver. He taught us a few essentials (such as right Yemeen, left Shemelle, straight....) and laughed at me when after he asked me what we were here for (in arabic, and because I was in the front seat) I said "jama'a". A new word for you - Jam'a, versus Jamaa. The former -subtle nuances- apparently means mosque, while the latter, University. Who knew? I was also corrected when I responded "madrassa" the first time I answered that question here (which means school) but does not have the same connotation as 'school ' in English. Madrassa is like "college" in French.
It's surprising, but I feel so at home. I wish you all could come home with me. Hopefully you can get some idea of life through these pictures but I just don't think it does Amman justice. You absolutely must see it with your own two eyes.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Pictures of the University, my new bedroom, a few friends and Jabal Amman
One of my minarets. 
This just made me smile. Jordan thinks it is Palestine. 
The next is a view of the city.
The next is a view of the city.
Some pics to give you an idea of where I live.
This is my bedroom after I got all settled in.
Of course, you have to have BK and McDonalds!
A couple of pictures of the university below.
A couple of pictures of the university below.
Day 4
So the big day ! We woke up at the crack of dawn today in order to be quizzed on the handbook (I’d like to point out here that I was the proud recipient of a keychain as recompense) as well as be lectured on etiquette for our specific housing arrangements. We were told many details, very few of them stuck other than no parties which = inhabitants x 2 + 1 + alcohol, and that our water is brought in once a week (we are very likely to run out unless we follow strict protocol about showers (2-3 minutes each) washers (1 load a week, total), and dishes (turn off between dish!). Heat is another issue in the apartments. We are given gas with which to heat not only our stoves, but our entire living space AND the shower. They refill our energy supply once every two months and if we run out before (again, likely) it is about 450 dinar to fill up the tank (600 dollars).
Afterwards, we were briefed on the four separate housing locations (two for boys, two for girls). Since we are not dealing with boys, I will elaborate briefly on the girl housing options. The first district we were introduced to was called Jabal Amman. It is located in the South East of Amman, relatively far from the University and considered one of the more modern and “upscale” districts in the city. It is known for many things, first among them are the hospitals (phenomenal quality and on every street corner), as well as the souks in the area and the night life (we were told this is where everyone will go when they want to go out). I have the impression this is the Soho of Amman. The second district for girls was Al Rabieh, a district not far from the hotel where we were stationed, very close to the University, and also very quiet. This district is close to the boys apartments in Shmeisani and Tla al’ Ali. This is the Washington Heights of Amman.
Ten of us were grouped together, and six of the other girls not doing homestays were grouped together and we were split up into the two districts. We all live in the same complex, just in two different areas. So the suspense is killing you? Jabal Amman! That is where I am living. It is a top notch apartment, extremely spacious (I have my own bedroom), I have a kitchen, eating area, living room and bathroom and share the apartment with one other girl. She very graciously gave me the bigger room. I am certainly spoiled. I am quite obviously still in Jordan and not the U.S. but I could not ask for a nicer living arrangement in the city in this price range.
Tonight the ten of us American girls (so as to not drawn attention or anything…) walked around Jabal Amman looking for a place to eat (during Ramadan…at Iftar...without a reservation…) and ended up splitting up and eating at hotels. The people here are just so unabashedly kind, no reservations. They go out of their way to walk WITH you to places when you need directions somewhere (instead of pointing) even if they are on their way somewhere, they open up the entire restaurant if you ask for dinner (like at the hotel tonight, which was closed and locked), they open the doors for you and help you with your groceries (cab drivers), the landlord gave me his cell phone number in case anything happened, in case I needed more water, needed him to give me directions, needed my garbage taken out or needed my apartment cleaned.
On the other hand, Americans stick out, especially during Ramadan. We are wearing western clothing no matter how little skin we show, we have different mannerisms, and often we are simply loud. We are often stared at, cat called, yelled at, pointed at and it feels like a circus. I remind myself that this isn’t all bad for me considering where I live now, I am the one doing the staring, and the pointing. We are always the normative ones and here we are finally made to feel uncomfortable.
I can’t imagine feeling this out of place my entire life being a minority of any sort in my home country. It’s not that we look so differently from everyone, but you can just tell, physically, it’s uncomfortable and it gives me a whole new dose of much needed perspective. I’ve found that the best way to combat this is by dodging eye contact with the men who cat call and standing up straight and walking by, as well as smiling when it is appropriate and simply greeting people graciously, stopping to make time and act respectfully towards the people who so willingly accept you into their country. Over and over again you hear “Ahalan wa salan!”…“ You are so very welcome [into Jordan].”I’ve never met such a constant stream of kindness.
People also work without a schedule here. There is no time for things. We have been warned that professors’ show up to class when they want and this can be 10-20-30 minutes late (or later) but that we (at the lowest end of the academic food chain) must always be on time. Buses do not run on a particular schedule, it shows up at the stop when it does and it gets you to the destination when it does. If you need to go somewhere, take a cab or even better; take “Service” (ser-veece), more expensive, more prompt. It is no wonder the life expectancy in Jordan surpasses the US’.
I also did some grocery shopping today (actually bought things!). I really have no idea what it is I bought, and how much I spent and how long it will last me, but the yogurt looked good (minus the expiration date we will ignore) and the flatbread (hubs) was particularly moist. Today my food intake precisely entailed scrambled eggs and hummus for breakfast, a cliff bar at some point in the afternoon, and a piece of Arab pizza with veggies on flatbread. I think consumerism in America will affect me upon my return. Everything from my psychological reflection on things to my GI tract is digesting this information and processing it accordingly (i.e. being astounding by how much we use in the U.S. of everything, especially me, as well as simply accommodating my stomach to the realities of food rations and availability)
Tomorrow I will be exploring the district of Jabal Amman and hope to find some exciting new places to report back about. Hopefully I will get some photos up so you can see the area and the apartment. You should really come visit, I’m going to be learning to cook Jordanian food in Culture Club after Ramadan. I will greet you with the hospitality of any Jordanian; it is of the best quality in the world.
Afterwards, we were briefed on the four separate housing locations (two for boys, two for girls). Since we are not dealing with boys, I will elaborate briefly on the girl housing options. The first district we were introduced to was called Jabal Amman. It is located in the South East of Amman, relatively far from the University and considered one of the more modern and “upscale” districts in the city. It is known for many things, first among them are the hospitals (phenomenal quality and on every street corner), as well as the souks in the area and the night life (we were told this is where everyone will go when they want to go out). I have the impression this is the Soho of Amman. The second district for girls was Al Rabieh, a district not far from the hotel where we were stationed, very close to the University, and also very quiet. This district is close to the boys apartments in Shmeisani and Tla al’ Ali. This is the Washington Heights of Amman.
Ten of us were grouped together, and six of the other girls not doing homestays were grouped together and we were split up into the two districts. We all live in the same complex, just in two different areas. So the suspense is killing you? Jabal Amman! That is where I am living. It is a top notch apartment, extremely spacious (I have my own bedroom), I have a kitchen, eating area, living room and bathroom and share the apartment with one other girl. She very graciously gave me the bigger room. I am certainly spoiled. I am quite obviously still in Jordan and not the U.S. but I could not ask for a nicer living arrangement in the city in this price range.
Tonight the ten of us American girls (so as to not drawn attention or anything…) walked around Jabal Amman looking for a place to eat (during Ramadan…at Iftar...without a reservation…) and ended up splitting up and eating at hotels. The people here are just so unabashedly kind, no reservations. They go out of their way to walk WITH you to places when you need directions somewhere (instead of pointing) even if they are on their way somewhere, they open up the entire restaurant if you ask for dinner (like at the hotel tonight, which was closed and locked), they open the doors for you and help you with your groceries (cab drivers), the landlord gave me his cell phone number in case anything happened, in case I needed more water, needed him to give me directions, needed my garbage taken out or needed my apartment cleaned.
On the other hand, Americans stick out, especially during Ramadan. We are wearing western clothing no matter how little skin we show, we have different mannerisms, and often we are simply loud. We are often stared at, cat called, yelled at, pointed at and it feels like a circus. I remind myself that this isn’t all bad for me considering where I live now, I am the one doing the staring, and the pointing. We are always the normative ones and here we are finally made to feel uncomfortable.
I can’t imagine feeling this out of place my entire life being a minority of any sort in my home country. It’s not that we look so differently from everyone, but you can just tell, physically, it’s uncomfortable and it gives me a whole new dose of much needed perspective. I’ve found that the best way to combat this is by dodging eye contact with the men who cat call and standing up straight and walking by, as well as smiling when it is appropriate and simply greeting people graciously, stopping to make time and act respectfully towards the people who so willingly accept you into their country. Over and over again you hear “Ahalan wa salan!”…“ You are so very welcome [into Jordan].”I’ve never met such a constant stream of kindness.
People also work without a schedule here. There is no time for things. We have been warned that professors’ show up to class when they want and this can be 10-20-30 minutes late (or later) but that we (at the lowest end of the academic food chain) must always be on time. Buses do not run on a particular schedule, it shows up at the stop when it does and it gets you to the destination when it does. If you need to go somewhere, take a cab or even better; take “Service” (ser-veece), more expensive, more prompt. It is no wonder the life expectancy in Jordan surpasses the US’.
I also did some grocery shopping today (actually bought things!). I really have no idea what it is I bought, and how much I spent and how long it will last me, but the yogurt looked good (minus the expiration date we will ignore) and the flatbread (hubs) was particularly moist. Today my food intake precisely entailed scrambled eggs and hummus for breakfast, a cliff bar at some point in the afternoon, and a piece of Arab pizza with veggies on flatbread. I think consumerism in America will affect me upon my return. Everything from my psychological reflection on things to my GI tract is digesting this information and processing it accordingly (i.e. being astounding by how much we use in the U.S. of everything, especially me, as well as simply accommodating my stomach to the realities of food rations and availability)
Tomorrow I will be exploring the district of Jabal Amman and hope to find some exciting new places to report back about. Hopefully I will get some photos up so you can see the area and the apartment. You should really come visit, I’m going to be learning to cook Jordanian food in Culture Club after Ramadan. I will greet you with the hospitality of any Jordanian; it is of the best quality in the world.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Day 3
Ahlan!
Always an adventure in Amman. I'm not sure what's going on with the jetlag business but waking up at 4 am every day most likely will not materialize into further happiness. I heard the call to prayer again and that did make me happy. I still smell of Dead Sea water. No matter how much soap and how many showers, smelling good might take a little while.
Today was exciting as we drove to the University for a tour to find out where we were going to be for the semester. It is a beautiful school, and after registering for classes and trips, we were able to see a small section of this sprawling campus. It is dense with trees that give some semblance of northern california, as well as water fountains and ornate buildings. I think I will be okay here.
We registered for classes and I also requested a "peer tutor". This entails a Jordainian student from the university hanging out with and speaking to me 2-3 hours a week solely in Arabic, and going out into Amman to use vocabulary and help me improve. In essence they buy friends for us here.
I find out about classes tomorrow and will keep you up-to-date.
Next weekend I will be going to Aqaba, Wadi Rum and Petra on a three-day excursion laden with camel rides, scuba diving, rock climbing and bedouin people. Elated. We have a selection of four trips to chose from including two "eco-walks", desert castles and a tour of biblical Jordan (which was my choice) October 24th, baby! Although, I have to admit that the charms of desert castles (including visiting a castle on the Iraqi border) are tempting, yet I abstain (it is Ramadan, afterall).
Speaking of Ramadan, the subtleties of sneaking food are becoming more and more interesting. Downing the "Ramadan survival food packet" that we are to stuff and hide away from the outside world and sneak out only when we are about to faint and/or hiding behind a big tree branch is becoming a series of laughable occasions. We have begun a sort of "Snicker solidarity" in the computer lab today using our bodies as shields from those around us observing the holiday. This turns into "Shh, quickk! just turn around for one second I have to take a bite, I'm going to die, hold on!" Followed by a "Crap, someone's coming, just down it!"
Being respectful comes with a hefty laugh, not that it is all fun and games. If you are found disrupting the sanctity of Ramadan, you can be kicked off campus or have you student ID card removed (guess who read her student handbook). We do try hard, but 7am to 7pm is a bit too long for those of us not observing and not trained in 12 hour stretches without drink and food.
I am so happy here. The honeymoon phase is still in action. Tomorrow will begin "real life". We, the apartment seekers (versus the homestay-ers) are going to have an enlightening experience I feel. The homestay get a close-up view of the every day life of the Jordanian family, while we make the experience happen for ourselves. There is so much to gain from both experiences.
I'm excited to survive without a soft cushion, barter for groceries and visit the souke this weekend.
I will keep you updated on the housing situation tomorrow as well as classes. Definetly well past bed time. The internet is impossible here, the fact that I've had it at all two days in a row is a miarcle.
Ma'sa al-kheir!
Always an adventure in Amman. I'm not sure what's going on with the jetlag business but waking up at 4 am every day most likely will not materialize into further happiness. I heard the call to prayer again and that did make me happy. I still smell of Dead Sea water. No matter how much soap and how many showers, smelling good might take a little while.
Today was exciting as we drove to the University for a tour to find out where we were going to be for the semester. It is a beautiful school, and after registering for classes and trips, we were able to see a small section of this sprawling campus. It is dense with trees that give some semblance of northern california, as well as water fountains and ornate buildings. I think I will be okay here.
We registered for classes and I also requested a "peer tutor". This entails a Jordainian student from the university hanging out with and speaking to me 2-3 hours a week solely in Arabic, and going out into Amman to use vocabulary and help me improve. In essence they buy friends for us here.
I find out about classes tomorrow and will keep you up-to-date.
Next weekend I will be going to Aqaba, Wadi Rum and Petra on a three-day excursion laden with camel rides, scuba diving, rock climbing and bedouin people. Elated. We have a selection of four trips to chose from including two "eco-walks", desert castles and a tour of biblical Jordan (which was my choice) October 24th, baby! Although, I have to admit that the charms of desert castles (including visiting a castle on the Iraqi border) are tempting, yet I abstain (it is Ramadan, afterall).
Speaking of Ramadan, the subtleties of sneaking food are becoming more and more interesting. Downing the "Ramadan survival food packet" that we are to stuff and hide away from the outside world and sneak out only when we are about to faint and/or hiding behind a big tree branch is becoming a series of laughable occasions. We have begun a sort of "Snicker solidarity" in the computer lab today using our bodies as shields from those around us observing the holiday. This turns into "Shh, quickk! just turn around for one second I have to take a bite, I'm going to die, hold on!" Followed by a "Crap, someone's coming, just down it!"
Being respectful comes with a hefty laugh, not that it is all fun and games. If you are found disrupting the sanctity of Ramadan, you can be kicked off campus or have you student ID card removed (guess who read her student handbook). We do try hard, but 7am to 7pm is a bit too long for those of us not observing and not trained in 12 hour stretches without drink and food.
Otherwise, today we went to the U.S. Embassy which dismantles any illusions you may have had about the powers of our Great Nation. We were very explicitly told that the ease with which you may be jailed is astounding (being in the presence of drugs (a club where you are downstairs and ecstasy is being rolled upstairs included), insulting the king, forgery) and there is nothing the Embassy can do to bail you out. Abuse and corruption run rampant in behind those bars. Have fun!
For Iftar tonight they took us to a stunning restaurant decorated with canopies, water falls, beautiful landscapes with long family style sprawls of lamb, chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, apple-yogurt dips, falafel, pita....hummus... followed by shisha (of course) and shai (tea).
They will always ask: Cahua? Shai? - Unless you plan to be up for 40 hours, chose the shai. The Jordanians LOVE zucar (sugar). They put more zucar than shai in the cup. They love honey, they love to stuff you with zucar pastries covered in honey.
Otherwise, I have to say, the highlight of today was very simple. A couple of us decided to check out the local grocery store and it took every ounce of courage I had not to whip out my camera- I am the ultra-tourist trying to suppress her energy in this country. Barrels and barrels of beans and rice, yogurt and arabic peanut butter, pepsi and cheetos with arabic writing. There is virutally no English in the grocery store on any product. New word of the day "Kem?" -How much?
Tomorrow we finally move into our apartments and homestays, bismillah because another day in that room might prove quite suffocating.I am so happy here. The honeymoon phase is still in action. Tomorrow will begin "real life". We, the apartment seekers (versus the homestay-ers) are going to have an enlightening experience I feel. The homestay get a close-up view of the every day life of the Jordanian family, while we make the experience happen for ourselves. There is so much to gain from both experiences.
I'm excited to survive without a soft cushion, barter for groceries and visit the souke this weekend.
I will keep you updated on the housing situation tomorrow as well as classes. Definetly well past bed time. The internet is impossible here, the fact that I've had it at all two days in a row is a miarcle.
Ma'sa al-kheir!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Loading pictures takes seven thousand years
Pictures from Day 2: Access to the internet is so severely limited and painfully slow, so here is a sampling of the day.
The mountains of Madaba and a few reference points.
These are some of the views of what Jordan looks like an hour outside Amman in Madaba on the way to the Dead Sea.
The mountains of Madaba and a few reference points.
More interesting than me is directly behind me a Palestinian territory border
.
.The giant landmass in the back is Israel.
These are some of the views of what Jordan looks like an hour outside Amman in Madaba on the way to the Dead Sea. A couple of us who decided to get covered in the healing mud from the afternoon.
Day 1 and 2
Marhaba ! Welcome to my blog !
I am setting this up from the hotel in Amman, so the connection is flimsy at best and I’m a day behind. I will try to update you on the past two days. I hope you keep up to date with me and my journeys, and I will try to blog about as many consecutive days as possible. I will also try to keep it light, but the days, I feel, will be such dense learning opportunities, I'd like you to learn along with me.
Yesterday (what??) I landed in Amman. I slept the entire flight. Woke up with one hour of journey left. I look up at the television, and instead of showing the plane veering towards New York, or towards Paris, the cities I was approaching were Damascus, Tel Aviv, Baghdad. The landing is the most awesome Biblical scene. The mountains are dirt and sand which form snake shapes for miles and miles. The sky is a never ending blue, melting into the dust. I’ve never seen such a landscape. Three..two..I saw my first mosque in the area with a beautiful blue roof..one.. we land. LAND. The woman behind me starts to pray, AlHamdulillah! Praise be to Allah! The boy next to me vomits. I want to pray and vomit too. I am in the Middle East.
The airport has windows in the shape of a chapel. Every possible porter is in my face. Bags? Teeps, teeps! No teeps? I’m running out of teeps money…
The drive over to hotel, there arevsigns “Saudi border --> , “Iraqi border -->". I’ve now met five other students from New York. They will keep me sane. The night we use to get to know one another, to have Iftar, breaking the fast of Ramadan, and to begin our nausea of hummus. I’ve now had hummus for every…single…meal, including breakfast. They say we gain weight here? Please… At night a group of us explored the city a bit. We found a hookah bar, obviously, and paid the 2.75 dinar (stunning) for the “Hubbly Bubbly” as they call it here.
The next morning, I am awake at 4:45am. I’m not angry, I’m not anxious, I’m smiling and fifteen minutes later, I hear the trance-like sounds of the call to prayer. He repeats the call three times, and I am awake until it is time to get up at 6:30am registering my coordinates. After hummus, that is, breakfast, we drive through Amman and the bordering cities for an hour and a half. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan houses approximately 6 million people (one million of which are “guests” (which means they well eventually leave, hopefully)- Iraqi, or “refugees” (which means they probably won't)– Palestinians.)
3 million of these people reside in Amman proper. Half the country resides in Amman… We drive through the smaller cities, noticing the goat herders, the radish cultivators, the closed shops for the holiday, until straight ahead, an enormous body of water appears out of nowhere. The landscape is rocky cliffs with indentations so profound and rigid and peaks so rounded and tall that it gives the impression of being on a ski cliff that God poured sand upon.
We drive down to the lowest point on Earth. The Dead Sea. 400meters below sea level. Across us is a mass of land, we can see the minarets. The minarets are my favorite part of Jordan. They are erected above every building on the cliffs, above every cliff top. They are beautiful. These minarets are not on Jordan’s territory however, those are Palestinian minarets. We are looking at Israel. If we wanted to, we could float out to Israel.
We are currently at the Dead Sea Spa Hotel- luxury. We are using their access to the beach, and, more importantly, the mud. A couple of us pay one dinar to be covered in the magic mud. We bake in the Jordanian sun overlooking the Palestinian territorties that Jordan is proud to support. I find this ironic. Regardless, we are told by locals that the healing powers of the Dead Sea mud are found only on the floor of this quickly disappearing body of water. By 2050, if patterns do not change, it may be gone.
Jordan’s water problem is no joke. We do not flush toilet paper (often times, we simply use the female bidet), we do not shower daily, we do not do loads of wash the same way...i.e. in the sink. We are rationed water. The water which naturally flows into the Dead Sea is dammed so as to cultivate every last pivotal drop for the thirsty population. The U.S. population growth is somewhere around .88, which over time, means a decrease. In Jordan, this is a 2.2% increase in population. Imagine if a population of 303,000,000 had to accommodate such a growth.
Anyways, we learned many lessons about the demographics and delicate balance of life here in the Middle East. There are many minor but significant nuances to learn about interacting with people, ways to treat people and the modes of thought. The western logical thought pattern does not apply. Using “logic” as we know, does nothing, using personal contact, personal connections, asking about the family, the children, building bridges, this is how you get ahead here. This is a topic I would love to elaborate upon but I’m not certain how much you can read before you sign off in serious misery at the length of this post.
Tomorrow we find out more about housing, classes, life. We are visiting the University as well as the Embassy for a security briefing. This should please my father.
Inshallah, I will post more tomorrow, and my arabic will improve so I can use more than my ten words I repeat non-stop. Hopefully, I will come to show you how the "marginality" in my title does not apply to one select group. Instead, I will try to show how being marginalized, ostracized or even lauded for being a foreigner occurs and how to cope. Maybe I will never learn the coping strategies myself and maybe that is okay, but I'm certainly loving the challenge.
I am setting this up from the hotel in Amman, so the connection is flimsy at best and I’m a day behind. I will try to update you on the past two days. I hope you keep up to date with me and my journeys, and I will try to blog about as many consecutive days as possible. I will also try to keep it light, but the days, I feel, will be such dense learning opportunities, I'd like you to learn along with me.
Yesterday (what??) I landed in Amman. I slept the entire flight. Woke up with one hour of journey left. I look up at the television, and instead of showing the plane veering towards New York, or towards Paris, the cities I was approaching were Damascus, Tel Aviv, Baghdad. The landing is the most awesome Biblical scene. The mountains are dirt and sand which form snake shapes for miles and miles. The sky is a never ending blue, melting into the dust. I’ve never seen such a landscape. Three..two..I saw my first mosque in the area with a beautiful blue roof..one.. we land. LAND. The woman behind me starts to pray, AlHamdulillah! Praise be to Allah! The boy next to me vomits. I want to pray and vomit too. I am in the Middle East.
The airport has windows in the shape of a chapel. Every possible porter is in my face. Bags? Teeps, teeps! No teeps? I’m running out of teeps money…
The drive over to hotel, there arevsigns “Saudi border --> , “Iraqi border -->". I’ve now met five other students from New York. They will keep me sane. The night we use to get to know one another, to have Iftar, breaking the fast of Ramadan, and to begin our nausea of hummus. I’ve now had hummus for every…single…meal, including breakfast. They say we gain weight here? Please… At night a group of us explored the city a bit. We found a hookah bar, obviously, and paid the 2.75 dinar (stunning) for the “Hubbly Bubbly” as they call it here.
The next morning, I am awake at 4:45am. I’m not angry, I’m not anxious, I’m smiling and fifteen minutes later, I hear the trance-like sounds of the call to prayer. He repeats the call three times, and I am awake until it is time to get up at 6:30am registering my coordinates. After hummus, that is, breakfast, we drive through Amman and the bordering cities for an hour and a half. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan houses approximately 6 million people (one million of which are “guests” (which means they well eventually leave, hopefully)- Iraqi, or “refugees” (which means they probably won't)– Palestinians.)
3 million of these people reside in Amman proper. Half the country resides in Amman… We drive through the smaller cities, noticing the goat herders, the radish cultivators, the closed shops for the holiday, until straight ahead, an enormous body of water appears out of nowhere. The landscape is rocky cliffs with indentations so profound and rigid and peaks so rounded and tall that it gives the impression of being on a ski cliff that God poured sand upon.
We drive down to the lowest point on Earth. The Dead Sea. 400meters below sea level. Across us is a mass of land, we can see the minarets. The minarets are my favorite part of Jordan. They are erected above every building on the cliffs, above every cliff top. They are beautiful. These minarets are not on Jordan’s territory however, those are Palestinian minarets. We are looking at Israel. If we wanted to, we could float out to Israel.
We are currently at the Dead Sea Spa Hotel- luxury. We are using their access to the beach, and, more importantly, the mud. A couple of us pay one dinar to be covered in the magic mud. We bake in the Jordanian sun overlooking the Palestinian territorties that Jordan is proud to support. I find this ironic. Regardless, we are told by locals that the healing powers of the Dead Sea mud are found only on the floor of this quickly disappearing body of water. By 2050, if patterns do not change, it may be gone.
Jordan’s water problem is no joke. We do not flush toilet paper (often times, we simply use the female bidet), we do not shower daily, we do not do loads of wash the same way...i.e. in the sink. We are rationed water. The water which naturally flows into the Dead Sea is dammed so as to cultivate every last pivotal drop for the thirsty population. The U.S. population growth is somewhere around .88, which over time, means a decrease. In Jordan, this is a 2.2% increase in population. Imagine if a population of 303,000,000 had to accommodate such a growth.
Anyways, we learned many lessons about the demographics and delicate balance of life here in the Middle East. There are many minor but significant nuances to learn about interacting with people, ways to treat people and the modes of thought. The western logical thought pattern does not apply. Using “logic” as we know, does nothing, using personal contact, personal connections, asking about the family, the children, building bridges, this is how you get ahead here. This is a topic I would love to elaborate upon but I’m not certain how much you can read before you sign off in serious misery at the length of this post.
Tomorrow we find out more about housing, classes, life. We are visiting the University as well as the Embassy for a security briefing. This should please my father.
Inshallah, I will post more tomorrow, and my arabic will improve so I can use more than my ten words I repeat non-stop. Hopefully, I will come to show you how the "marginality" in my title does not apply to one select group. Instead, I will try to show how being marginalized, ostracized or even lauded for being a foreigner occurs and how to cope. Maybe I will never learn the coping strategies myself and maybe that is okay, but I'm certainly loving the challenge.
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