Tuesday, March 22, 2011

صباح الخير

That's "good morning." I'm currently sitting in Gloria Jean's before class, drinking a cappaccino and ignoring my piles of homework. I've had a very American 24 hours: yesterday Julia, Brooke and I went to Mecca Mall and had Starbucks (tiramisu and a cocoa cappaccino) and shopped around at places like Aldo and Forever 21.

alright you all. Chill out. I'm writing a quick update just to let you know that I am alive and happy just really really REALLY busy. I've given one presentation this week, have 3 more, 3 midterms, 2 papers, and 1 book to read before spring break and before I can really sit down and just relax. I also have to work on planning spring break, which is always fun but also very distracting and detrimental to my work ethic. In case you didn't know, I'm spring breaking in Lebanon: first two nights in Beirut, then traveling up north and around to visit Roman ruins, sit on the beach, and (hopefully) a winetasting/cave exploring combo. In case you were wondering: I will be safe. I have a good head on my shoulders, I am a cautious person, and Lebanon is the least of the worries here in the Middle East. My general response about Lebanon is "at least I'm not going to Egypt" - my friends who are travelling to Egypt say "At least I'm not going to Libya..."

Basically, if you weren't aware, to put it lightly, shit has hit the fan in places other than just Libya. Syria is probably one of the least safe places to be right now. I don't know what the media is covering in the US, but some crazy stuff is going down in Syria that the government is trying to hide. All my friends planning to go to Syria are rethinking their plans. So, in essence, I have chosen the safest country outside of Jordan in the Middle East to travel to, so you really need not worry. I'll be fine. And I'm traveling with a good group of people.

I know it's been a while, but not much has happened. The highlights of my past couple weeks include FINALLY going to souk al-juma3a (the friday souk), having lunch with my Jordanian friends, and getting my residency card. The souk was a bit of a let-down, but mostly because it happened to be a really cold (read: 50 degrees) and rainy day, so everything was wet. The souk is essentially a large goodwill/flea market that's set up under tents outside. What struck me most about it was the massive amounts of shoes. Tables and tables and tables of piled up used shoes, all in varying degrees of wear, as well as curtains of hanging shoes that were mostly new. These curtains served as walls, in some instances, and I have to say I never thought I'd see curtains of shoes, of all things. The clothes were much the same: tables and tables of used clothing, most of it from the states, and it's a great game to go through and find the random high schools and colleges that you recognize. As well, we also found an entire rack of 90s track suits. I am almost tempted to go back and buy one, because I'm telling you you've never seen such a glorious mishmash of colors and patterns. They also sell a lot of lingerie there, which was a little odd. I can't imagine bargaining with a random shebab for a pink lace bra and matching thong, but someone must do it because they are clearly in good business.

Last week, on Thursday, myself and six other CIEE girls were invited over to a friend's house for lunch. It ended up being us and about 7 or 8 Jordanian girls, and it was a giant girl party. My friend's mom cooked some of the most AMAZING food ever, and there was so much of it, it was insane. The general rule of thumb here seems to be: invite five people, cook for twenty. As there was 14 or so of us, you can imagine how much food there was. It is so worth getting fat just to eat all the food here all the time. We were there for I think around 3 hours, and of course we were served coffee and tea throughout. We even got to try a little belly-dancing, but most of us failed utterly. All in all, it was quite an eventful afternoon, and one of the best experiences I've had since I've been here.

A small thing that made my day was getting my residency card. It means that I don't have to pay a re-entry visa when I leave the country, and I get into Petra for 1 JD instead of 55, which is awesome. I'm glad I ended up forgoing the CIEE trip to Petra, because 1) it's now super cheap for me to do it on my own, and 2) I'm going to Wadi Rum this weekend instead. We're going to ride camels and camp out bedouin style. You know, no big deal.

Oh, other exciting news: my host mom is pregnant. We found out the day before mother's day (mother's day is March 21st in Jordan) so it was extra special for her. Brooke and I bought soap and sweets from Habibeh's for her and our host aunt, as they are both our mothers here.

So, that's my basic update for you all. Sorry I haven't been more regular, I've just been very busy. Hopefully after next week things will calm down and I'll be able to write more often. Hope America is going well!

Ma'a Salaama!
Beth

2 comments:

  1. Syria has made the headlines today. (I read some of the front page of either New York TImes or Wall Street Journal while waiting for my coffee at Starbucks!) The MOM

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  2. Please be safe traveling - I know you're not going to Syria or Egypt or the other bad places, but I've had to do multiple summaries/timelines on all the violence and uprisings going on in the Middle East and I (maybe stupidly protectively) worry - but you're my best friend so I'm allowed.

    That being said, I totally miss you and you still haven't set up a Skype date with me. Hmph. I have fun watching your life though.

    I loooooove you!!! :) Can't wait till you come back to me (though you probably can haha)

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