Well, even with the window closed the 6 am prayer woke me up once again. I don't know if it is because I am a light sleeper or if it is actually that loud. I don't know, maybe I'll get used to it and be able to sleep through it at some point. I planned on making eggs and having some leftover rice and chicken from last night only to realize that while I do have the stove top, I don't have pots or pans to cook anything in. However, we do have a pretty awesome toaster, so it looks like it's peanut butter toast for me this morning.
We don't really have any plans for today. I think we might try to go downtown today if we can get Jeremy to go with us and help us find our way around. If not, we might give it a shot all by ourselves. I don't know yet. It's about 11 am here, so we are just chillin' out now.
This place is so amazing. Even in the very short amount of time that I have been here, I am growing very fond of it. The culture is just so radically different, yet so fundamentally similar. Yes, I know how weird and impossible that sounds, but I am having that thought so often. Why am I saying this now? Well, my apartment is very close to the local mosque and now they are playing the Friday sermon over the speakers. While I don't understand a word of it, it is amazing. The bustling neighborhood I am living in is silent and the sermon is all you can hear; the powerful voice blasting over the loudspeaker is overwhelming. The passion, the power, and the energy in the voice is so, so... I don't know. I can't describe it. Just no words come to mind to describe this. This is why I am here to attempt to figure out and learn as much as I can. So much of this place feels so similar to me and just like, the voice, I can't describe it. This is a place and a culture everyone should experience at least once in their lives. I don't know if what I just said makes sense to anyone, but it makes sense to me.
So I didn't get to go downtown today, but I would say it was still a pretty productive day. I took a nice walk around my neighborhood and met a few Arabs that seemed really nice and spoke some English, but not too much. Even better though, my Arabic is getting better. So that's great.
We went back to Jeremy's house for lunch. It was pretty good. It was breaded beef bits and cucumber and corn salad. After that we chilled out at his house and talked about what the classes are like. He gave us a brief overview of some culture missteps that would be best to avoid, like shaking hands with a woman. Also, he told us some simple phrases that we are going to need to know. It was really nice to sit and relax for awhile.
I have a new roommate! His name is Safe. He is from Baghdad. He speaks pretty good English. It's not the best, but we can communicate, so it's all good. Plus, he can help Kirby and I with our Arabic. That's a major plus.
We went to pick up some really authentic Jordanian cuisine today for dinner and it was quite authentic. The meal was mostly different types of bread with a few different fillers to put in the bread. The bread reminded me of a really thick and chewy quesadilla shell. The fillers were really good. One was a spicy beef mixture that was very similar to taco meet with some Middle Eastern flair. The next was, or at least I was told and not inclined to believe, an egg and tomato mixture. It was very tasty, but I really have no idea what was in it. It was good, but I ate so much.
Once again I am shown that it is truly a small world. It really is. Today, while at Jeremy's, I met two guys who I have links to. One was from West Chester, Ohio. That's not too far from New Richmond. Then, the second guy I met, named Brennen, graduated from Campbellsville University, the college I attend. I just think that it is truly amazing that I can go 8,000 miles away from my home and still find people with that kind of link to me. It may be a small world, but I still wouldn't want to paint it.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Day One
Well, it is day one in Amman for me. I landed at around 5 pm (or 10 am back home) and met my guide, Rami, and my roommate, Kirby. They seem pretty cool. Last night Rami took us to this chicken wrap/sandwich thing place and I ordered what is called a "shwarma." It was pretty tasty, but I have my doubts that it was all chicken.
I slept like a baby too. It was by no means the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, but it wasn't the worst either. So I have no complaints. One thing I found so amazing, yet very annoying was the 6 am prayer loudspeakers. By the way, when I say loudspeakers, I mean LOUD. They go off all throughout the city and I left my windows open, so I heard it loud and clear. It's about 9 am on June 2nd and someone is coming to take Kirby and I to breakfast. I sure hope so too. I'm hungry.
Jeremy, one of the teachers here, came to pick us up and took us to his house for a breakfast of eggs and fruit. Then we met Laura, the third student in our group, and went to pick up supplies. It was pretty easy to get what we needed. It seems to me that English is very much ingrained in society. I mean, all the boxes had both English and Arabic translations. Well, we are going back to his house soon for lunch. It should be pretty tasty, at least, I hope so.
It turns out, lunch was really good. We had chicken stuffed in pita bread with tomatoes, onions, and an awesome cucumber sauce. I was told it was more of a Greek food than Jordanian, but it was really good. After we hung out for a little while, Kirby and I came back to our apartment, which is really pretty nice. We just kind of chilled out for awhile. We don't have much to do right now because classes don't start till Sunday. Saturday we are going downtown to visit a history museum, I think. As of now though, Kirby and I are left to fend for ourselves.
Dinner was awesome. It was some chicken and rice dish and I have no clue about the sauce, but it was good! Kirby and I just started walking around the main street and the food looked pretty good. I mean, we can only speak a couple words of Arabic, not enough to really order correctly, so as of now we have to go to places that have a lot of pictures so we can point to what we want to order. The people here are so friendly and helpful though, so it wasn't too bad to get what we wanted. Also, I have just noticed by reading through what I wrote that I am eating a ton of chicken, but it's really cheap and tasty, so it's okay.
After we ate, we wandered around the rest of our neighborhood. I am in the Northern part of the country, very close to the University of Jordan, the area called Juebaha. I don't know what it means yet, but I am hoping to find out. Walking around wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for all of the hills. This area is so hilly, it's crazy. In our walking, we found a pretty cool little mall. Well, it's called a mall here, but it's more like a really nice indoor flea market. On our way back, we found a little ice cream stand and got some ice cream. It wasn't anything special or different, just cool and refreshing after a long walk around the neighborhood.
So what is going through my head right now, after my first day in Amman, Jordan? Well, it's really hard to explain how I feel. This place is really amazing. The food, the people, and the culture are all different than what I am used to and I feel so blessed to be here right now and know that it was the right decision for me to come here. But, on the other hand, I do miss my family, friends, and girlfriend and it is very hard to Skype or e-mail back and forth because I don't have an Internet connection in my apartment. So I have to go to places and pick up a Wi-Fi signal. Plus, my computer is being difficult so I haven't been able to get on Facebook yet, but that's not a big deal, I guess. Not to mention the problems with the bathroom! It's really weird. Let's just leave it at you can't flush the toilet paper in Jordan at all and there is a water hose thing attached to the toilet. That's all I'm going to say about that.
I hope to, at some point, get much deeper into the cultural aspects of Jordan. I don't think that would be appropriate right now because I haven't been here long enough, in my opinion, to have any commentary on the social workings of Amman. I hope to have a much greater understanding of this amazing place. That's all I have to say for day one.
I slept like a baby too. It was by no means the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, but it wasn't the worst either. So I have no complaints. One thing I found so amazing, yet very annoying was the 6 am prayer loudspeakers. By the way, when I say loudspeakers, I mean LOUD. They go off all throughout the city and I left my windows open, so I heard it loud and clear. It's about 9 am on June 2nd and someone is coming to take Kirby and I to breakfast. I sure hope so too. I'm hungry.
Jeremy, one of the teachers here, came to pick us up and took us to his house for a breakfast of eggs and fruit. Then we met Laura, the third student in our group, and went to pick up supplies. It was pretty easy to get what we needed. It seems to me that English is very much ingrained in society. I mean, all the boxes had both English and Arabic translations. Well, we are going back to his house soon for lunch. It should be pretty tasty, at least, I hope so.
It turns out, lunch was really good. We had chicken stuffed in pita bread with tomatoes, onions, and an awesome cucumber sauce. I was told it was more of a Greek food than Jordanian, but it was really good. After we hung out for a little while, Kirby and I came back to our apartment, which is really pretty nice. We just kind of chilled out for awhile. We don't have much to do right now because classes don't start till Sunday. Saturday we are going downtown to visit a history museum, I think. As of now though, Kirby and I are left to fend for ourselves.
Dinner was awesome. It was some chicken and rice dish and I have no clue about the sauce, but it was good! Kirby and I just started walking around the main street and the food looked pretty good. I mean, we can only speak a couple words of Arabic, not enough to really order correctly, so as of now we have to go to places that have a lot of pictures so we can point to what we want to order. The people here are so friendly and helpful though, so it wasn't too bad to get what we wanted. Also, I have just noticed by reading through what I wrote that I am eating a ton of chicken, but it's really cheap and tasty, so it's okay.
After we ate, we wandered around the rest of our neighborhood. I am in the Northern part of the country, very close to the University of Jordan, the area called Juebaha. I don't know what it means yet, but I am hoping to find out. Walking around wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for all of the hills. This area is so hilly, it's crazy. In our walking, we found a pretty cool little mall. Well, it's called a mall here, but it's more like a really nice indoor flea market. On our way back, we found a little ice cream stand and got some ice cream. It wasn't anything special or different, just cool and refreshing after a long walk around the neighborhood.
So what is going through my head right now, after my first day in Amman, Jordan? Well, it's really hard to explain how I feel. This place is really amazing. The food, the people, and the culture are all different than what I am used to and I feel so blessed to be here right now and know that it was the right decision for me to come here. But, on the other hand, I do miss my family, friends, and girlfriend and it is very hard to Skype or e-mail back and forth because I don't have an Internet connection in my apartment. So I have to go to places and pick up a Wi-Fi signal. Plus, my computer is being difficult so I haven't been able to get on Facebook yet, but that's not a big deal, I guess. Not to mention the problems with the bathroom! It's really weird. Let's just leave it at you can't flush the toilet paper in Jordan at all and there is a water hose thing attached to the toilet. That's all I'm going to say about that.
I hope to, at some point, get much deeper into the cultural aspects of Jordan. I don't think that would be appropriate right now because I haven't been here long enough, in my opinion, to have any commentary on the social workings of Amman. I hope to have a much greater understanding of this amazing place. That's all I have to say for day one.
Introduction
Mahabra! That's hello in Arabic and, unfortunately, about all of the Arabic that I currently know. Normally this would not be a big deal, but I am going to spend ten weeks in a country that speaks Arabic: Amman, Jordan.
My name is Logan. I am a 6'2'', white, curly blond-haired, and blue-eyed boy from New Richmond, Ohio and I am going to Amman, Jordan to study and learn the language and cultures of the Middle East. I understand that I am by no means going to "fit in" in Amman. I'll actually stick out like a sore thumb, but that's alright. There's not much I can do about that.
Why am I doing this? Most of the people that I have told about my trip get this surprised look on their face and say, "Why in the world are you going there?" For me, the answer is pretty simple. That question alone is the reason why I am going. There is such a negative connotation towards everything in the Middle East in America and I hope to change that. Every time that I would hear an anti-Middle Eastern statement it was made more clear to me why I was going there.
I am posting this blog to keep my friends, family, and anyone else who might be interested informed on what I am doing over here. I hope at some point to have some social commentary on the people and the culture here in Jordan. Really though, I am using this as an online journal to chronicle my everyday activities and to get whatever thoughts that might be running through my head out.
Also, I won't have the best Internet access while in Jordan. So if my posts don't show up everyday, I'm sorry. I'll do my best to get something posted everyday while in Amman, but I can't make any promises.
My name is Logan. I am a 6'2'', white, curly blond-haired, and blue-eyed boy from New Richmond, Ohio and I am going to Amman, Jordan to study and learn the language and cultures of the Middle East. I understand that I am by no means going to "fit in" in Amman. I'll actually stick out like a sore thumb, but that's alright. There's not much I can do about that.
Why am I doing this? Most of the people that I have told about my trip get this surprised look on their face and say, "Why in the world are you going there?" For me, the answer is pretty simple. That question alone is the reason why I am going. There is such a negative connotation towards everything in the Middle East in America and I hope to change that. Every time that I would hear an anti-Middle Eastern statement it was made more clear to me why I was going there.
I am posting this blog to keep my friends, family, and anyone else who might be interested informed on what I am doing over here. I hope at some point to have some social commentary on the people and the culture here in Jordan. Really though, I am using this as an online journal to chronicle my everyday activities and to get whatever thoughts that might be running through my head out.
Also, I won't have the best Internet access while in Jordan. So if my posts don't show up everyday, I'm sorry. I'll do my best to get something posted everyday while in Amman, but I can't make any promises.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)