Jordan: Conclusions

            I’m writing this on a plane somewhere between Paris and Atlanta. I haven’t slept in a bed in 37 hours, and it’s still only 11:30 in the morning in Texas (I’ll hopefully get in around 10:00 pm). Still, I’m fairly awake, and this seems like a good time to sum up my thoughts on the summer.

            First, though, there are a couple other things I should mention. First, thank you for your concern, and my ankle is doing much better. I walked around Paris for several hours today without anything other than normal soreness. I won’t mention much about Paris, since this post is meant to wrap up my experience in Jordan, but I will post pictures, and I will also say that I understand why everyone wants to go.

            We must have done one of the quickest walking tours of Paris ever attempted. We ate breakfast at a café, walked down the Champs-Elysees, and saw the Arc de Triomphe in about three hours. Despite the fact that we kept accidently speaking in Arabic instead of French, everything went very smoothly, and we had a great time. My favorite part, though, had to be Notre Dame – it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything so breathtakingly, elegantly beautiful. Despite our rushed pace, I stopped a moment to sit and pray before we left.

            With those subplots out of the way, I can turn my thoughts to pondering the significance of this summer. As the summer drew to a close, I noticed a lot of things I was looking forward to returning to in the US: not just family and friends, but little things like being able to flush the toilet paper, bread meaning loaves or rolls or pastries instead of pita, driving or using public transport instead of taking taxis, having WiFi at home, not getting constantly honked or whistled at in the street, tex-mex food – the list goes on.

            However, the closer I got to leaving, the more things I started to realize I would miss about Jordan: cheap falafel and shwarma everywhere, practicing Arabic on a normal basis, the half-Arabic, half-English puns that no one not in our program can really understand in context, beautiful warm weather, mountains everywhere, Arabic hospitality, and the call to prayer that woke me up at four in the morning and then lulled me back to sleep with its melody, reminding me that God is great and that there is, indeed, no God but God. I’ll miss the inherent conservatism and the religion that permeates all of life here, from the always-present steeples and minarets to the religious sayings tacked up under street signs.

            It’s been a lovely summer, and I know I’ve grown a lot. One way to measure this is to list out things I’ve come to regard as common place: navigating around language and cultural barriers, using taxis for everything, buying groceries, living with a roommate. But I think the best way to describe what I’ve learned is general independence. On the plane heading out into Paris earlier, it occurred to me that I was comfortable with the idea of going out and sightseeing in Paris and then making it back to Texas by myself. I didn’t need to, but it was a concept that wouldn’t have occurred two months ago.

            And of course, my Arabic has improved a great deal. Seeing as I couldn’t get past ‘hello’ when I left, and I can now start intermediate level Arabic at Harvard, I’ve made it quite a ways. I was expecting that more this time, so the thought of how much I’ve learned doesn’t make me near as giddy as it did last summer, but I’m still very content with the way things turned out.

            Final thoughts on Jordan itself? It’s a beautiful country, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. The scenery is magnificent, from tree-covered mountains to desert castles. The people live up to the idea of Arab hospitality – I don’t know how many times I’ve had strangers offer me food and drink just because I happened to pass by them. It’s definitely harder to be a woman here, but Amman is a pretty safe city if one takes care, as one would in any large city.

            During a practice oral exam, I was asked to explain what any visitor must do in Jordan. Petra is obvious, and Wadi Rum is a close second; the Roman ruins in Jerash and Amman are also a must-see. And of course, there are all the biblical sites I’ve mentioned along the way. There are plenty of sites to see, but Jordan is more than the sum of its sites. Buy some falafel or shwarma, visit a mosque, enjoy the scenery, or wander through a suk*. Enjoy some Arab hospitality (be suspicious if you’re a woman traveling alone, though); go to church and sing the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic; listen to the call to prayer.

            There’s much more I’d like to say, but I’ve been long enough already. This summer has been an incredible blessing for me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. In a couple of weeks I’ll be back at Harvard, so I’ll resume my usual blogging then. I look forward to seeing many of you very soon! Thank you for reading this summer, and God bless. Until September!

*the Arabic word for an outdoor market

Jordan: Wrapping Up (Literally)

            A lot of things have happened since I last wrote. The thing foremost in my mind at the moment is my ankle. It behaved for all of my hiking during the holiday, my running at the gym, and most of the additional day of tourism we had on Saturday. And then, just as I was climbing down the steps of Ajloun Castle, it slipped, and I fell on it. And now I have this lovely bruise and swelling on my heel. However, as bad as it looks, it doesn’t hurt at all, and the doctor said that just wrapping/bracing it for a while should be enough, so it’s not that much of a problem. It just means I won’t be on a treadmill in the near future.

            However, that is far from the only thing that happened. I’d better start at the beginning so as not to leave anything out. I got my midterm grade back, and I got an A, so that’s good. We only had one day of school last week, and we spent most of it talking about holiday traditions, since the chapter we were in happened to line up nicely with the end of Ramadan.

            Then there was break. I ended up, last minute, joining a group that was heading up north to Ajloun for the break. We spent three nights in bungalow-type accommodations. During the day we lounged, snacked, and went hiking through the beautiful mountain countryside (pictures attached). And at night we grilled dinner and roasted marshmallows, and then sat around and talked. It was nice to have nothing to plan except for dinner, and I hadn't had s’mores for ages. It was wonderful.

            We got back on Thursday, and I watched TV for most of Friday. Having Eid al-Fitr in the middle of the session is like trying to recover from Spring Break with a week-and-a-half left of school; no one wants to do anything, but there’s no time left to procrastinate. I did do some studying over break, but it was a lot less than I’d planned to do. I don’t really regret it, though; I’ve worked ahead in the book, and I am learning. And besides, it is summer.

            On Saturday, everyone studying in the program headed up to Ajloun (yes, the place we’d just gotten back from) to tour. First we visited the Roman ruins at Jerash, and then we went to Ajloun castle. I also have nice pictures from the views there, all taken before I sprained my ankle and had other things to worry about. Luckily, that didn’t happen until we were on our way back, which meant that all I had to do was awkwardly stick my leg across the aisle all the way home to elevate it. It’s getting significantly better every day, though; I’m hoping I won’t even be worrying about it by the time I’m on my way home.

            As far as academics go, things are beginning to wrap up. One of my teachers is still on vacation, but she should be getting back soon. Meanwhile, we have a quiz in formal and colloquial Arabic tomorrow, a colloquial Arabic project due on Wednesday, and an oral exam on Thursday. And after that, there’s only finals to worry about, and I’ll be done. In a way, things are getting busier here, so there’s more and more to do. On the other hand, I’ve been here for long enough now that I’m in practice; my Arabic is in a constant state of semi-readiness. It’s like jogging; after a few miles, your body is more tired, but your muscles are warmed up, so things get easier. Especially in language-learning, where everything is cumulative, that’s a great help.

            This is especially true with my speaking skills. At the moment I’m fairly comfortable launching into a broken conversation in Arabic, despite the fact that I can’t communicate a lot of what I want to say. I just finished a practice oral exam, and it went nominally well, though I’m not sure how I did yet. I’ll be more prepared for the actual exam (which was of course the point of practicing), so I’ll let you know how it goes. But my speaking and listening improve markedly from week to week.

            Church services are great for gauging language learning, because if you've been to church enough, you’ll probably know the general ideas, and the speaking is generally slower, but still at an adult, real-life level. I love going to church in Arabic, singing the songs, attempting to decipher the sermons, and then chatting with a few people afterwards. It’s been a great way to supplement my classes with real-life experience, outside of directing taxis and ordering food.

            It feels strange to think that by the time I write again I’ll be all packed and ready to reflect on the events of the summer, and then sign off again until the start of next semester. I like it here, and I don’t want to leave, but I’m certainly looking forward to seeing everyone again. Just one more week to go!

Jordan: Petra

            I’ve been to Petra! I’ve now spent a day hiking through one of the Seven Wonders of the World (Word^® informs me that this is capitalized) and seen Jordan’s biggest tourist draw. In addition, I’ve slept under the stars in the desert, eaten traditional Bedouin food, and learned a lot more Arabic. It’s been quite a week – the only thing I haven’t done is gotten a good night’s sleep!

            Of course, the Middle East in general isn’t the calmest place at present. Israel’s invading Gaza. Afghani elections are running amuck. ISIS is forcing Christians out of Iraq. But here in Amman, life isn’t stopping. Markets are running and people are shopping. Fathers are working, mothers are mopping, and we had school today*. Things are perfectly normal here, if you don’t look at the news. There’s a reason so many universities send their students to Jordan to learn Arabic.

            So, anyway, Wadi Rum and Petra. We left early Friday morning for Wadi Rum (Wadi means valley in Arabic, and Rum means high place – a cognate with Hebrew – so it literally means the high valley. Go figure.) After only minor mishaps, we arrived in a beautiful desert valley. I’d forgotten how gorgeous deserts could be. We went rock-climbing, walked/ran down sand dunes, and watched the sunset in the desert before being treated to Bedouin food, music, and dancing (we brought s’mores along as well, and taught a few French and German tourists what they were.)

            It was a nice experience, but I wouldn’t go back simply for the camp. The fact that the site was basically set up as a tourist attraction meant that it had very nice hygiene facilities, but a contrived feel about it all. However, I would definitely go back for the actual place. I have fallen back in love with desert landscapes, and there’s nothing like a camp in the middle of the desert with the electricity turned off for a view of the stars.

            We slept outside; people tried to tell ghost stories, but that didn’t really go anywhere. After a while, people dropped off to sleep, and one could enjoy the stars in a sort of silent solitude that was very much to my liking. I also woke up to the beginning of sunrise at 5:30, and since nothing was happening yet, I was free to wander a little ways away from camp and pray and watch the sun rising. Eventually the rest of the camp came awake, and we had breakfast, took turns getting on camels and riding in a circle and being photographed, and then headed off for Petra.

            Petra was great. I mean, nothing could live up to those tourist videos, but it was nevertheless impressive. We walked through the Siq**, saw the treasury, and climbed the 854 steps up to the monastery, and then climbed even further up to get to the lookout points. I hadn’t hiked in a long time, and I loved it; it actually wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting, the weather was nice, and the view was phenomenal. And we got free Bedouin tea at the top of the mountain – I’ve fallen in love with Bedouin tea.

            We spent all day at Petra – we actually left an hour after it was supposed to close – and had ice cream and chips for dinner on the way back. The whole weekend was kind of like a child’s field trip – we didn’t need to plan anything or worry about anything; we just did what we were told. They gave us meals; they provided water; they stopped for bathroom breaks. It was great. It reminded me of what it was like to just trust someone to provide each meal – to give us this day our daily bread. And the meaning of “footsteps of Jesus” took on another dimension of meaning for me as well. When walking in sand, it is substantially easier to walk in the footsteps of the person in front of you – the sand is already packed, so your feet don’t sink in as much. Something to think about.

            There was one more outing this week – I went to a community service event with my roommate and a few friends. We went to a Burger King, where an organization was providing dinner for a group of orphans. It was a fun time; Taiwan nominally prepared me for attempting to talk to a bunch of kids without speaking the language – and they ended up insisting on giving me food. So I went to feed orphans and ended up getting fed.

            I’ve also gotten a lot of studying done – I’m several chapters ahead of my class in Arabic now, and I’m making A’s in the class. I also made an A on my final from last semester, so that’s an additional morale boost to help me make it through the last few weeks. I’ve finally joined a gym, and I’m working out after class every day. So the week has been enjoyable and productive. Enjoy the pictures, and please pray for the peace of the Middle East and the safety of all those living here!

*Note: If the Loretta Lynn allusion wasn’t clear, look up “One’s on the Way” on Google

**The long, narrow gorge leading to the entrance of Petra.

Second Leg

            Well, the first session is finished – only one more to go. I still feel like I’ve been here a lot longer than four weeks, but after the weekend everyone seems to have a little more energy, and we’re ready to start learning again.

            I think part of the renewed energy we have comes from having new teachers and classes. I do have one teacher whom I also had last semester, which is really nice; I really like her. One of my other teachers has been gone for the past two days, and one I’m still getting to know, but it looks like class will be good. Our class size is still in flux; it started out around eight people, but with people still trying out harder or easier levels, it looks like it will be closer to five people in the future, which is pretty close to what it was last session, so that should be fun.

            At the moment, I’m doing well in class; I’m studying ahead and learning vocabulary on the side, and I’ve asked the teacher for extra work. Not that I’m only studying – I did in fact watch part of the World Cup final, for the first time in my life, and this past weekend I visited Jesus’ baptismal site here in Jordan. It was surprisingly close to the border – if you look in the pictures, you can see an Israeli flag on the opposite bank.

            I also got to go hiking around a town called Salt. There were some really pretty views, as you can see from the pictures, but it was also very hot. It’s Ramadan, though, so you can’t drink water in the open. Instead, you have to find some sort of hidden niche – a narrow stairway to duck into or a convenient wall to hide behind – so you can surreptitiously take a sip of water and then quickly hide the bottle away again. It feels very scandalous.

            I have, though, figured out how to start bringing lunch to school. After a couple weeks of skipping lunch or buying food in the middle of the day, I finally bought a jar of peanut butter, and I can now make sandwiches with the pita and jam provided for breakfast. It might get a little monotonous, but then, not eating lunch was getting pretty monotonous.

            Halfway through my trip in Jordan, I suppose it’s good to step back and reflect on what’s happened the past few weeks. First of all, I know my knowledge of Arabic has grown exponentially. Since everyone that is staying for two sessions is simply moving up to the next level, and new people come in to fill the lower levels, it’s easy to compare where I was when I started to where I am now. The improvement is amazing, and I’m very thankful I’ve had the opportunity to come here. I feel sometimes like I speak way too much English to actually be learning anything, but looking back, I’ve gained a lot. Let’s hope that the next few weeks will be even more productive.

            Secondly, I’ve gained a lot of cultural knowledge. Living in a predominantly Arab, predominantly Muslim country, especially during Ramadan, is a very interesting experience. I have friends here now, and I’ve learned a lot from them about the way things work here and how people see things. I feel, though, that I won’t really realize how much I’ve learned, or how much I’ve gotten used to, until I get back to the States. One of the more obvious differences, though, is the food - I could barely stomach falafel when I got here, and I love it now. I've also grown very fond of baklava.

            Finally, I’ve learned a lot about myself, and about independence. I have now taken a taxi by myself in a foreign city, without a problem – the taxi driver even told me my Arabic was good. I am buying things for myself, making decisions about classes and time management and other things, without a large support network immediately available, although my parents and many others are always happy to help. So I feel I’ve developed as a person.

            We’ll see what else develops over the next few weeks. We’re getting to the more complicated sections of grammar now – “if I had money, I would feed the poor” – so that should be interesting. And this weekend we’re going to Petra and Wadi Rum, so I’ll let you know how that goes, and be sure to take lots of pictures. Exciting stuff is happening. Until next week, then!

PS - The one indoor picture is the (supposed) tomb of Jethro (Moses' father-in-law). That visit was in a small mosque, and it was the first time I've had to cover my hair since I've been here.