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May 30, 2005

An Experiment

Last weekend Annie, Carrie, and I decided to experiment by going to downtown (the belad) completely covered. When we have gone on adventures to the belad before, we have gotten harassed by the store keepers because it is pretty easy to pick us out as foreigners. They automatically assume we have money to burn (which of course, we do) and that we want to buy their junk (which is much less likely).

It is noticable, however, that covered women get harassed a lot less so we decided to go undercover for our latest adventure (no pun intended). We actually did have a much easier time while we were covered. Even when we could only speak English they seemed to respect us a lot more. It was definitely worth the experiment. The experience also gave me better understanding of what it is like to be covered (and what it is like to be covered on a 90 degree day!).

Sent from: terbium

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May 24, 2005

It seems so easy!

See how easy it is to visit Amman? Just hop on the T if you happen to be in Boston! The (photoshop) lengths some people will go to try and get me to come home sooner is quite impressive. This example, provided by my boyfriend Karl, is quite creative. Althought I just happen to think that this photo proves that someone has too much time on their hands.

Sent from: terbium

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May 23, 2005

Survivor

I realized the other day that Survivor the TV reality show lasts only 28 days. Currently I still have 24 days in Jordan but when I had this thought I still had 32. Althought it feels like I'm almost done I still have a lot more to go. Judging by all the drama that happens in the 28 days of Survivor, anything is still possible here in Amman.

I still have 9 finals to prepare for (6 Arabic, 1 in class, 1 paper, and 1 take home essay). I've started my paper and thought about studying but I'm so unenthusiastic about these tests that it is hard to find the motivation. Most often I just lounge around watching bad TV.

I found out today that I am done with finals on the 9th of June. That means that I have about 8 days to do absolutely nothing. I won't be able to travel to Syria because my visa runs out next weekend. Traveling to Israel is just too darn expensive to be practicle. That means 8 solid days hanging out with the family and most likely going nuts. :)

Other than that things are pretty normal here in Amman. It has gotten really hot lately although it has cooled down a bunch today. I'm going with my family to Irbid this weekend so hopefully we will be able to relax out of the heat. On Sunday we will celebrate my birthday so that should be a lot of fun. Just a few more weeks and I'll be back in the states as long as too much drama doesn't ensue during these last 24 days.

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May 22, 2005

Social Commentary

One of the most interesting things I've done here in Jordan so far happened last week when I went to a play with my host sister and her friends. It was put on by her university at the Royal Culture Center in Amman and was really cool.

Originally, I had no idea what the play was going to be about and was reluctant to go because I never understand things when they are only in Arabic, however, that didn't matter at this play. The play had very few words and the ones it did have wern't important to the message of the play.

The play was just 30 minutes long but it said a lot about Jordanian and Arab society. There were six guys and two girls and everyone was dressed alike. They did a lot of repetative motions and at one point even repeated part of the play except that they did it faster. At one point they even pretended to hang themselves with their ties.

It was impressive to see this type of social commentary thriving in Jordan. Everyone here in Jordan does look the same and rarely do people criticize that. It was great to see youth questioning their society and looking for change. It definitely helps me see a broader slice of Jordanian life and have a little bit more understanding.

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May 15, 2005

The Juice Dilemma

So I thought I would take a moment to talk about my daily struggle in this crazy country to find juice. This may sound like a boreing topic but trust me, it's quite a struggle to find high quality juice around here.

One of the things I like best about traveling is the wide availability of fresh juices. Most Middle Eastern countries have an abundance of fresh juice stands where they squeeze any type of juice you want as you order it. Amman, however, in it's race towards modernization has lost a lot of it's juice stands. The only place you can get it fresh squeezed is downtown or in a fancy cafe where you pay an arm and a leg for it. In places like Jerusalem or Damascus you can't walk a block without almost being run over by a juice cart so you can tell that the juice scene in Amman is quite a bit different.

All of this really isn't a problem untill you look for juice alternatives. You can't find fresh juice in America either but you can find things like Tropicana if you look. Here in Amman, however, the only other option juice lovers have is Tang. There is absolutely nothing in the middle! One day I did find bottled apple juice that tasted real but it was expensive and hasn't been replaced in the cooler at the super market. I think that bottle was a fluke.

For now I've resigned myself to just drinking the best of the Tang varieties that are around. The interesting thing is that I think this dilemma can be found elsewhere in Jordanian society. I have noticed that Jordanians either study all the time or never study at all. They either eat a lot or they don't eat at all. They either crash diet or they weigh 500lbs. They either cover completely or they wear tank-tops and short skirts. There isn't any moderation in this country. Although my teachers tell me there is a middle class it is hard to believe because everything else just works in extremes.

I don't know what the consequences of this are but I do know that it means I only drink Tang. Another interesting cultural study waiting to be done.

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May 14, 2005

Education in Jordan

One of the most interesting topics that has come up in my classes is the state of education in Jordan. The problem that we have noticed is the lack of critical thinking skills in the general population. Unlike the American system where we are taught to problem solve, Jordanians spend their education memorizing the answers to specific questions. The consequence of this is that you end up with a lot of smart people who can't even fill a stapler if they haven't been taught how!

The director at AMIDEAST says that this has even been a problem when he goes to hire for new positions. He hires great people and they work great untill they come across a problem that they haven't seen before. Even if it is a simple problem, they immediately panic and seek help.

Here, no one ever writes papers. They either take tests where they just reproduce the book or they write repors where they copy parts of several books. Plagerism isn't even a concept and is actually encouraged as a way to save time. It is amazing to watch my host sister just sit and copy down the important pages from her text books over and over and over as she studies. My previous post about my brother Mohammed is another example of this. He isn't willing to challenge his teacher because all he is expected to do is memorize the book!

The reason we have discussed this in class so often is because we are curious if this education system has had any effect on the government here in Jordan. Talking to Jordanians, when they are unhappy with the government instead of planning on changing making it better, they either plan on moving away or just living with the problem. They actually have no idea that they could try and reform the problem! In America, every unhappy 20something has big plans to reform the government but in Jordan they just resign to living in another country, most likely the US. This interesting problem might not be so aparent if students were taught to think critically of the world around them. If they had the skills to reason through their complaints and had the skills to effect change then Jordan might move toward democracy faster than the turtle pace it has been taking recently.

I'm really intereted in learning more about this topic so if anyone has something to offer, please chime in. I am beginning to think that we are on to something here that could really make a difference in the way the entire Middle East works. Of course, I may just be too optimistic.

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Sometimes I just don't want know!

It's been a nice quite weekend here in Jordan just hanging out with the family and with Annie. But of course, here in Jordan things are never actually normal.

My family and I were originally supposed to go to Irbid this weekend and visit the rest of the family but that got cancelled because my host brother has a big test on Sunday. So, Friday morning I decided to help my host brother with his studying. It wasn't going too badly till my brother showed me the pictures of NY and Chicago in his geography book. They were/are switched around! At first Mohammed wouldn't believe me until I asked him what was in the "Chicago" picture and he had to agree that the buildings are the World Trade Center buildings! I also happened to know that the "New York" picture was of the Hancock Tower in Chicago. I find it pretty amazing that no one has ever caught that mistake before, not even the teacher. Just another example of crazy Jordan.

After studying, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch filled with stuffed grape leaves, stuffed zucinni, and other Jordanian delicacies. And I say delicacies here because I have no idea what I ate the other day but from what I've heard, I don't have any desire to know. They looked a little bit like sausages so it makes me think of intestines. They were stuffed with rice and quite tasty but not somthing I'll make for myself when I get home. That is mostly because when Annie asked my host sister what I ate her eyes just about popped out of her head and she made the worst face I've ever seen. At that point I decided that I don't want to know what I ate untill I have at least digested it all and have no chance of eating it again. Sometimes I just don't want to know!

For now, I'm hanging out at Annie's house. Her Aunt (who she lives with) went to America for two weeks so I will be here off and on to keep Annie company. It is nice to be away from the family for a bit and watch what I want to on television. I might enjoy some of the shows they watch but watching Arabic music video clips is not really my idea of a productive use of my time. Not that watching Friends and Frasier re-runs is either. . .

Oh, and I got a summer job this weekend! I finally heard back from the Lemelson-MIT Project which gives out science related grants. It is a communications/media relations position and should be a lot of fun. I will even get to eat the occasional lunch with Karl, so I'm really excited. ;) I also got housing for fall semester and will be living in Grad 150 with a girl named Lindsey that I've never met before. It is the kind of room I wanted and I will be able to cook for myself so I am happy. At least I won't be living in a cardboard box!

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May 10, 2005

One Last Trip

Last weekend my friends and I took another trip to Syria. Everything went well and we had an awesome time. We hung around Damascus and took a day trip to Kallat-al-hosen which is a giant crusader castle. On Saturday we went to the Military Museum and the National Museum and saw Syria's take on history. It was quite amusing to see Syria's armory aka military museum. Basically there were just cases and cases of unlabled swords and handguns and cannons. Their take on the '67 war was also interesting although I only understood the basics because everything was in French and Arabic.

Other than that, it has been back to boredom here. I'm still looking for a summer job so if you have any leads please feel free to send them my way. I'm definitely getting ready to go home though because my head is full of all the Arabic it can handle. I feel like it needs to pack down a bit before I try to shove any more information in. However, I still have a month left and then a week of final exams so I have to keep at it for now.

Things at home are still going well. I think I am going to Irbid this weekend with them. Last night I stumped my host brother in Arabic because I am learning passive voice and he got so mad he told me he won't come visit me in America. As you can tell, I'm devastated. ;)

I am going to miss being in Jordan though. I love speaking another language and enjoying the differences in culture. I finally feel like I know my way around so it will be sad to have go. Jordan is just such a silly country that you can't help but love it. Nothing realy makes sense but it seems to work anyways. Every once in a while you just see something that you have to laugh at because it is just odd. Like when we came back from Syria and the cab driver gave us cigaretts from the duty free shop to take through the border. And a giant bag of fresh peas. Because we are American they never care what we bring in so all the drivers want us to carry their stuff through and the border guards never even bat an eyelash.

Oh, and my birthday is coming up! It's the 29th and my host family is insisting I 'make' a party at home. (they haven't quite figured out that it is 'have' a party in english) I'm sure it will be fun though!

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May 3, 2005

The Holy Land

This past weekend I went with Annie and Rob and Elyssa to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter. We, of course, saw all of the different sites and had a great time.

After only 4 1/2 hours at the Israeli border waiting for Annie (who has an arab name) and Elyssa (who has been to Syria and Lebanon) to clear, we grabbed the only taxi that was left and arrived in Jerusalem around 8:30pm. We were so hungry and tired by this point that all we did was eat and head to bed. We did have time, however, to take a look around our super-cool hostel. I definitely wasn't anit-establishment for this place. The walls were covered in awesome art work and posters calling for the end of the occupation of Palestine and for a peaceful solution. The best was the instructions on how to say "I'm and Anarchist" in Arabic scrawled across the bathroom walls. The beds wern't that comfortable but it was worth it just for the experience.

On Friday morning Rob and I got up early and took a short bus ride to Bethleham. Well, we actually took the bus to the check-point right outside of town and then had to walk the rest of the way because East Jerusalem cars aren't allowed through. It was a creepy experience to be waved through the check-point because we happened to have US passports while everyone else was being stopped and throughly checked out. We even got to see the 30 foot high wall that Israel is building around the West Bank close up as we passed through it.

In Bethleham we saw the Church of the Nativity and The Milk Grotto where supposedly Mary nursed Jesus while they were hiding from Herod. We also walked to Shepard's Field where the angels came to tell about Jesus' birth. The sites were really cool and it was interesting to be in a real West Bank town and see the poverty for ourselves. People were just desparate to sell us anything they could for rock bottom prices because so few people come to visit anymore. We ended up with some great deals because of this but it is sad that the poverty is the reason why.

At one point, I ended up leaving my wallet on a bus and thought I had lost it for good. However, a wonderful shop keeper took me back to the station and talked with the people there, found the bus I was on, and go me my entire wallet back. Not a single dollar was missing. The man said he was willing to do that because he knew that if I had been in his shop when I lost my wallet I would have blamed him and he would have lost the little business that he has.

Back in Jerusalem, we walked around the souk looking at all the cool stuff they had for sale. Of course I bought lots of silly stuff and had a great time talking to the shop keepers. Shopping is always an adventure around here because it takes forever to make a deal. No one has much business so they are willng to bargin forever and always ask you to have tea (especially if you speak Arabic). I'm sure that I saved huge amounts of money just by mentioning the fact that I am an Arabic student. Most often that little fact would drop the price by about 1/3!

The next day we got up late and headed up to the top of the Mt. of Olives. We hiked down from the top (well, walked because it is more of a hill of olives than a mountain) and saw the Tomb of the Prophets, Mary's Tomb, The Garden of Gethsemane, and other cool churches along the way. The Mountain is awesome because it overlooks the entire city and you can see most of the important sites in the city.

After coming down from the mountain, we walked the Via Delorosa, or the path Christ took carrying the cross. The end is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which we got to explore. It was Orthodox Easter so the place was packed but it was still amazing to see everything. I felt a little akward to be surrounded by all these people who were kissing the pictures and rocks inside the church but as I climed down to the farthest corner of the church I ran into a man that was explaining why he, and most other protestant religions, don't take part in the kissing of idols. I only listened for a minute but he talked about how the reason that we no longer keep kosher or worry about crazy rules is because they always seem to get in the way. Instead of focusing on what is important, the Word, we focus on a concrete image that cannot actually help us. It was a great reminder that what I was seeing was awesome but not anything truly important. It is more important to hang on to God and not some picture of what we wish God was.

After the church we headed on over to the Wailing Wall and go to go right up to it. It was a beautiful sight with the Dome of the Rock in the background and everyone coming together for the end of Shabbat.

The next morning we went to a Lutheran church that was very similar to my church at home and headed back to Jordan. We took an Israeli bus (which Annie was not too happy about because of how dangerous it could be) with about half of the IDF and a bunch of settlers. It was definitly interesting to see a settlers road where Palestinians aren't allowed to drive at all. Seeing it first hand makes the tragedy of the entire situation that much more real.

Getting back into Jordan wasn't hard at all. We had no problems getting back to Amman this time except for the fact that we were starving. Food is so expensive in Israel (about the same as America) that we decided to wait until we got back to eat anything substansial. Believe me, those falafal sandwiches have never tasted so good!

I really hope that everyone gets a chance to travel to Jerusalem at some point. It really is important to see this stuff first hand so that hopefully one day everyone can live in peace!

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