This weekend was the epic “Golden Triangle” CIEE trip. We went to Wadi Rum, Aqaba, and Petra.
Wadi Rum is a valley dessert that has large beautiful rock formations and waves of sand dunes. We spent the first three hours riding camels. Let me just say that is about 2.75 hours too long. Not that my camel was mean (I think three people got bucked off their camel) but man those saddles are not built for comfort. However the day did contain a major revelation. Believe it or not, Arabs actually know what they are doing when they cover their heads in the sun, IT MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE!! I was in the dessert, in the sun, on a camel and didn’t sweat the whole entire time because I had something on my head. I was amazed. Not that it should be all that shocking; they have been living here forever.
Our camels took us to a Bedouin camp where we ate some awesome food, danced, had some argilla, shaay (tea), and laid out in the desert under the stars. I thought the stars were good in Maine, but they can’t even compare. There were so many it seemed we could connect stars anywhere in the sky to make any constellation. There were even shooting stars. However we did have to watch out for trucks barreling towards us. Since we were near the Saudi border we had to be careful cigarette smugglers did not scoop us up or run us over for that matter. I hope it is just as beautiful when I (hopefully) go camping in Egypt with my friend Veasey.
The next morning there were maybe 25 trucks waiting outside the Bedouin camp. I was reallllly excited for this activity. It was super fun but I was expecting driving up sand dunes, maybe flipping the car over, but everything was pretty tame. Towards the end our driver finally got some pep and would drive out of the line of cars, and over plants and such. We cheered him on calling him Ricky Bobby, not really sure if that translated but he laughed, we laughed, it was great.
Our next stop was Aqaba, a port on the Red Sea. We got off the bus and went straight on to three big boats. It was a beautiful ride where we passed Israel and saw Egypt and Saudi Arabia across the way to get to the coral reef where we snorkeled. It was the coolest thing ever, just like the pictures in national geographic. I had never been before and everything was just so exciting. I saw sea urchins, a puffer fish, sea cucumber, tons of vibrantly colored fish and lots of coral.
The boat I was on had a ledge on the second floor that we could jump off of into the water. My friend Karina was a little nervous about jumping and said she would jump if I would. I instantly started counting to three and when I jumped I did a dive in the pike position. Little did I know that at that moment not only everyone on my boat was watching, but the other boat too. When I resurfaced (and got my bottoms back on super quick) everyone seemed super impressed, it was my five minutes of fame. Even getting off the boats I had people coming up to me saying how pretty my dive was. Score. Thanks Andy : )
As soon as we got off the boat we went straight to Petra. We didn’t get to see any of Aqaba except our exclusive boats so I definitely have to make a trip back. We arrived at our second Bedouin camp at 10 30 and we were starving! I shared a tent/room with my friend Emily, had some nice pillow talk with the guys next door, and then hit the hay to get ready for a full day at Petra.
Petra was cool. I personally liked the snorkeling more but I guess you can’t live in Jordan and not go see Petra.
Overall the weekend was realllly fun. I was so tired afterwards though, and I had class at 9 am the next day! I am really looking forward to this weekend so I can just sleep in. Waking up each morning has been made easier by the fact there is a tub of hummus in the fridge that I make a pita sandwich with each morning and grab a piece of fruit on the way to school. Best breakfast ever (well obviously second to chocolate chip pancakes and home fries but you can’t really have that every morning). Only one more day to the weekend!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
My Internship at Al Jidara
One of determining factors that led me to choose CIEE was that it offered an opportunity to get an internship. After a little bit of confusion and last minute running around I finally got placed at Al Jidara! Al Jidara is an economic development firm. When I first heard “economic development firm” my first reaction was uuuuh who doing what now? Al Jidara works almost exclusively with the government of Jordan, and regional and local governments, to implement programs that help expand the economy of Jordan. Usually a big international organization will have a project in the country and needs a local counterpart and Al Jidara is that local counterpart. However, since they are now expanding to the UAE and already do some work in the West Bank they will start bidding for contracts on their own instead of being just the on the ground helpers.
We were forewarned that working in Jordan was very different that working in the United States, that many previous students just end up frustrated. With this in mind I was surprised when we had specific job description, deadlines, and what seems like a functioning work environment. Another CIEE student, Kendrick, and I will be working on developing the content of their website to keep up with the international expansion. As it is, the website is outdated and does not have that fresh look that will attract clients. Since the company is going in a new direction, the website needs to do the same.
Kendrick and I have been researching other development firms’ websites and will be giving recommendations on changes to the content and style of the website. We’re not doing the actual HTML but rather doing research so Al Jidara can keep up with the times. I think this will be perfect actually because since I am learning the history of the company and all of their pervious projects I am basically learning the economic history of Jordan, which is such a major part of the political history. It will be great research for my thesis. I am comparing Korea and Jordan and economy will definitely be a major point so I am excited!
The work environment seems very Western compared to my expectations. Part of the deal of getting an internship is also attending a class that has a few readings, which so far have just given detailed descriptions of the disasters of what Jordan calls NGOs. Al Jidara is nothing like this. All of their work is conducted in English first of all, so frustration due to language barrier is not an issue. Everyone seems to be productive, there is no chaos, women are wearing tank tops in the office, it seems very….what I am used to (you know, with all of that office work experience I have…). Regardless I think it will be a really productive internship. We are already giving a presentation on Sunday on our recommendations of the basic structure and layout of the website. The nice thing about interning here is since people are not used to the concept of someone working for free we get much more involved in the company than the typical scanning and copying job an intern in the US might have to put up with.
I am really excited to just have another contact point with Jordanians, especially since it is in a completely different setting than the University. There is a lot to learn about life here and the more I get involved the better, more authentic experience I will have : )
We were forewarned that working in Jordan was very different that working in the United States, that many previous students just end up frustrated. With this in mind I was surprised when we had specific job description, deadlines, and what seems like a functioning work environment. Another CIEE student, Kendrick, and I will be working on developing the content of their website to keep up with the international expansion. As it is, the website is outdated and does not have that fresh look that will attract clients. Since the company is going in a new direction, the website needs to do the same.
Kendrick and I have been researching other development firms’ websites and will be giving recommendations on changes to the content and style of the website. We’re not doing the actual HTML but rather doing research so Al Jidara can keep up with the times. I think this will be perfect actually because since I am learning the history of the company and all of their pervious projects I am basically learning the economic history of Jordan, which is such a major part of the political history. It will be great research for my thesis. I am comparing Korea and Jordan and economy will definitely be a major point so I am excited!
The work environment seems very Western compared to my expectations. Part of the deal of getting an internship is also attending a class that has a few readings, which so far have just given detailed descriptions of the disasters of what Jordan calls NGOs. Al Jidara is nothing like this. All of their work is conducted in English first of all, so frustration due to language barrier is not an issue. Everyone seems to be productive, there is no chaos, women are wearing tank tops in the office, it seems very….what I am used to (you know, with all of that office work experience I have…). Regardless I think it will be a really productive internship. We are already giving a presentation on Sunday on our recommendations of the basic structure and layout of the website. The nice thing about interning here is since people are not used to the concept of someone working for free we get much more involved in the company than the typical scanning and copying job an intern in the US might have to put up with.
I am really excited to just have another contact point with Jordanians, especially since it is in a completely different setting than the University. There is a lot to learn about life here and the more I get involved the better, more authentic experience I will have : )
Monday, October 4, 2010
Blatant Racism
We read about racism and know it still exists but I have never seen it manifest itself in a single person so strongly. When I think of racism in the United States I think of opportunities that are not given to everyone and quick assumptions that are made but never admitted. No one says they are racist. I have seen racism but I think of institutions, not another human being (even though that obviously exists too).
I was walking one day with my two friends when a Jordanian girl cheerfully approached us. It was the first time a Jordanian spoke to me unsolicited so when she asked to be friends I said sure, why not? We hang out a lot; I have met her friends and really like her, we have tons of fun.
One day we were at lunch together and she asks me, “Would you ever consider marrying a black guy?” Not really realizing what she was getting at I just had a confused face and said of course, if I loved him. I am not one to be speechless but what she said next my brain could not comprehend. “nigger nigger nigger, they are so disgusting. So gross, ew.” I was so taken aback that I couldn’t speak for the next five seconds and when I finally could I began speaking about how no one should be treated differently because of the color of their skin and how can you expect to be treated with respect if you don’t respect others and that we are all people, no matter what we look like. Obviously my explanation was not going to change a lifetime of indoctrination but I had no idea this even existed here.
I was so confused because she seemed so normal. She is a young woman at a university; she is not stupid. How can these racist ideas still exist? And I am torn, I feel like I can’t blame her because it was what she was taught and how she was brought up. But if it is no one’s fault, how will things change? We look back on the South with slavery and wonder how such atrocities could have happened but if that was what you were taught could it excuse your behavior? Can you be held accountable for something that isn’t your fault? Or is it her fault? Should each individual that doesn’t break the mold be held accountable; if you aren’t part of the solution you are part of the problem?
Even just writing this I am confusing myself. Well not confusing myself but realizing how much gray area there really is. Sometimes I think growing up in a progressive environment simplified too much, made right and wrong too easily distinguishable, when the only way to see reality and how people think is to see it for yourself.
I was walking one day with my two friends when a Jordanian girl cheerfully approached us. It was the first time a Jordanian spoke to me unsolicited so when she asked to be friends I said sure, why not? We hang out a lot; I have met her friends and really like her, we have tons of fun.
One day we were at lunch together and she asks me, “Would you ever consider marrying a black guy?” Not really realizing what she was getting at I just had a confused face and said of course, if I loved him. I am not one to be speechless but what she said next my brain could not comprehend. “nigger nigger nigger, they are so disgusting. So gross, ew.” I was so taken aback that I couldn’t speak for the next five seconds and when I finally could I began speaking about how no one should be treated differently because of the color of their skin and how can you expect to be treated with respect if you don’t respect others and that we are all people, no matter what we look like. Obviously my explanation was not going to change a lifetime of indoctrination but I had no idea this even existed here.
I was so confused because she seemed so normal. She is a young woman at a university; she is not stupid. How can these racist ideas still exist? And I am torn, I feel like I can’t blame her because it was what she was taught and how she was brought up. But if it is no one’s fault, how will things change? We look back on the South with slavery and wonder how such atrocities could have happened but if that was what you were taught could it excuse your behavior? Can you be held accountable for something that isn’t your fault? Or is it her fault? Should each individual that doesn’t break the mold be held accountable; if you aren’t part of the solution you are part of the problem?
Even just writing this I am confusing myself. Well not confusing myself but realizing how much gray area there really is. Sometimes I think growing up in a progressive environment simplified too much, made right and wrong too easily distinguishable, when the only way to see reality and how people think is to see it for yourself.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Party in the USA
Last night I went to a Marine party at the US embassy! I had no idea that embassies could be so bumpin. We have a Marine on our program that invited some of the crowd to the party. Apparently they have parties at least twice a month. There was a dj, a dance floor, argilla, a bar, and tons of people from all over the world. It was a little weird, especially since I wasn’t drinking (can’t come home drunk or smelling of alcohol in a homestay). I had a good time though; it was so great to hear American music!
Before the party we went out to a Chinese restaurant that was delicious! Believe it or not the most expensive thing we got was all of the water they kept filling our glasses with; 16 JD worth of water! That is $22.50!! Even with that cost though it was still a relatively cheap meal, especially for the outstanding, fancy atmosphere of the restaurant. Our taxi had a lot of tassels hanging from a blue light in the back. One fell off and stuck to me as I got out and it now is a charm on my phone to help distinguish from the other 134 phones we all have on the program. That is my memory of the night because pictures are not allowed anywhere near the embassy.
The party seemed to have more Jordanians than Americans but the Marines will be having a ball to celebrate their birthday on November 10th. The guy from the program said a lot of them will be looking for dates so fingers crossed!
Before the party we went out to a Chinese restaurant that was delicious! Believe it or not the most expensive thing we got was all of the water they kept filling our glasses with; 16 JD worth of water! That is $22.50!! Even with that cost though it was still a relatively cheap meal, especially for the outstanding, fancy atmosphere of the restaurant. Our taxi had a lot of tassels hanging from a blue light in the back. One fell off and stuck to me as I got out and it now is a charm on my phone to help distinguish from the other 134 phones we all have on the program. That is my memory of the night because pictures are not allowed anywhere near the embassy.
The party seemed to have more Jordanians than Americans but the Marines will be having a ball to celebrate their birthday on November 10th. The guy from the program said a lot of them will be looking for dates so fingers crossed!
School is in Session
I have finished my first week of school! It has been a hectic week of running around campus, trying to find the right room, good food, and learning Arabic. I have Arabic class everyday. Three times a week I have Fousha, which is modern standard Arabic, for three hours. Fousha is what the news is written in but no one actually speaks it. Two times a week I have Amia, the Jordanian dialect, for an hour and a half. However, since I am in beginner one, we have been doing Amia all week so we can communicate. Many students here who have studied Fousha for four semesters or more have the same vacant “I have no idea what you just said” look that I have when we talk to people because Fousha is apparently useless when it comes to conversation. I am learning a ton though and my family is beyond helpful.
Everyday at home we have Arabic hour and I have a quiz. It is so nice. I can already tell that I am learning a lot more, a lot faster than some of the people in my class. Maher, my host brother (but he is in his thirties, married, kids) threatens to kill me when I don’t study. Additionally, my Arabic teacher, Muna, threatens to eat any students who don’t do their homework. Two days ago though Muna said she would never eat me because I knew a lot of the vocabulary the class could not remember.
I am still learning the alphabet but it is really exciting. I leave class everyday feeling very accomplished because I am able to read that much more. However on our second day of class we had not learned enough letters to read the word “women.” My friend Ashley and I were looking for a bathroom around the university and could only find a women’s room that was completely blockaded on our floor. We went to the next floor and found some bathrooms missing the woman and man pictures. Since on the floor below the women’s room was on the right we assumed it would be on the right on this floor too (which I maintain is legitimate). While Ashley was in a stall (there were no urinals) a boy walked in and just stared at me for a second. He walked out, checked the sign, walked back in and started talking to me in Arabic. I gave him my vacant-i-have-no-idea-what-you-are-saying look but I guess I hadn’t perfected it by then and he just kept on talking. I started talking in English, he went out to check the sign again and then said “for men.” Luckily we had a sense of humor and could not stop laughing, even for the rest of the day. Needless to say, we immediately learned the word for woman and check twice every time I walk into a bathroom.
I am also taking a class titled America and the Arabs. My professor seems like a great guy with a sense of humor. We hopefully will be meeting many important people in the Jordanian government, such as the minister of foreign affairs, the ambassador to Israel, and also go on field trips, like to refugee camps. Additionally, I am supposedly going to be in an internship but it seems some of the paperwork is holding me back because someone from CIEE quit over the summer and lost resumes and what not. Hopefully CIEE can get its act together so I can work for some non-governmental organization as my fourth class.
It can be overwhelming being here but overall I am having such a great time. I am meeting some awesome people, both from the US and from Jordan. Sometimes my head hurts from Arabic overload/ having such a different life but I find that taking a nap is a wonderful remedy. Going to the gym is also a great way for me to just let my brain relax. It is a lot of work to learn Arabic but I can’t wait till I get to the point where I can forget how to make the vacant face.
Everyday at home we have Arabic hour and I have a quiz. It is so nice. I can already tell that I am learning a lot more, a lot faster than some of the people in my class. Maher, my host brother (but he is in his thirties, married, kids) threatens to kill me when I don’t study. Additionally, my Arabic teacher, Muna, threatens to eat any students who don’t do their homework. Two days ago though Muna said she would never eat me because I knew a lot of the vocabulary the class could not remember.
I am still learning the alphabet but it is really exciting. I leave class everyday feeling very accomplished because I am able to read that much more. However on our second day of class we had not learned enough letters to read the word “women.” My friend Ashley and I were looking for a bathroom around the university and could only find a women’s room that was completely blockaded on our floor. We went to the next floor and found some bathrooms missing the woman and man pictures. Since on the floor below the women’s room was on the right we assumed it would be on the right on this floor too (which I maintain is legitimate). While Ashley was in a stall (there were no urinals) a boy walked in and just stared at me for a second. He walked out, checked the sign, walked back in and started talking to me in Arabic. I gave him my vacant-i-have-no-idea-what-you-are-saying look but I guess I hadn’t perfected it by then and he just kept on talking. I started talking in English, he went out to check the sign again and then said “for men.” Luckily we had a sense of humor and could not stop laughing, even for the rest of the day. Needless to say, we immediately learned the word for woman and check twice every time I walk into a bathroom.
I am also taking a class titled America and the Arabs. My professor seems like a great guy with a sense of humor. We hopefully will be meeting many important people in the Jordanian government, such as the minister of foreign affairs, the ambassador to Israel, and also go on field trips, like to refugee camps. Additionally, I am supposedly going to be in an internship but it seems some of the paperwork is holding me back because someone from CIEE quit over the summer and lost resumes and what not. Hopefully CIEE can get its act together so I can work for some non-governmental organization as my fourth class.
It can be overwhelming being here but overall I am having such a great time. I am meeting some awesome people, both from the US and from Jordan. Sometimes my head hurts from Arabic overload/ having such a different life but I find that taking a nap is a wonderful remedy. Going to the gym is also a great way for me to just let my brain relax. It is a lot of work to learn Arabic but I can’t wait till I get to the point where I can forget how to make the vacant face.
I feel lucky to be alive everyday...
because of the taxi drivers. The driving is actually crazy. I could probably stick my arm out the window at any time on my ride to school and easily touch an enormous bus or truck. Taxi is my only way of transportation because there are no buses that go to my part of the city, Shmeisani. A significant portion of our orientation revolved around dealing with taxi drivers. Though there are creeps everywhere in the world I have had a great time in taxis so far. For instance last night we had one driver blasting Michael Jackson the whole way home. This morning a driver was telling me about how much Arabs love Americans, but not American policy and continued to discuss the problems with supporting Israel. Even on such an emotional topic the taxi driver was very specific in separating the American people from American policy.
I haven’t felt any hostility from being American either. I went into a store one day to buy water and saw a picture of Saddam Hussein hanging behind the register. The man asked if I was American and I said I was. He then made machine gun motions and sounds. Even then, he was respectful to me and we had a nice conversation. I feel perfectly comfortable telling people I am America; I have received only positive reactions (well, minus the machine gun part).
Even being a woman here is a lot easier than I was expecting. I knew women were relatively free but I was still mentally prepared for a semester of lock down. I mean there is always having to deal with catcalls, but really that is harmless; eventually it just fades into the background. The hardest thing about coming here is not being nice. When someone says hi to me I naturally want to talk to him and smile and get to know him better. However, this sends the wrong messages to creeper guys so I have been working on my mean/don’t talk to me face. It is hard but I have found that you just have to find the right setting (aka not a man in a car or in the middle of the street).
I still can’t wear tank tops or anything above the knees but it almost feels normal now. I would be very uncomfortable wearing a tank top in public. On the positive side I wear beautiful scarves everyday. It does get super hot sometimes but you wouldn’t believe the temperature difference between the sun and the shade. Additionally it is going to start cooling down soon so I won’t be missing my American clothing (or lack thereof).
Speaking of weather, I was caught in my first dust storm two days ago! It wasn’t really a storm with swirling winds; just suddenly there was dust in the air. A few of my friends and I were out to dinner on a rooftop. By the end of the meal we could run our fingers over the table and see how much dust had accumulated. Gross. When we left we could taste it in our mouths and had to wrap our scarves around our heads just to walk around. It was pretty wild. I welcomed it though because it blocked out the sun making it much cooler : )
I will be able to post pictures! Off campus there is a knowledge society that has tons of computers, wifi, study rooms, a copy store, food, and you sign in with your fingerprint! I will be able to upload pics without worrying about slowing down the internet at home. A few more days and they will be up.
I haven’t felt any hostility from being American either. I went into a store one day to buy water and saw a picture of Saddam Hussein hanging behind the register. The man asked if I was American and I said I was. He then made machine gun motions and sounds. Even then, he was respectful to me and we had a nice conversation. I feel perfectly comfortable telling people I am America; I have received only positive reactions (well, minus the machine gun part).
Even being a woman here is a lot easier than I was expecting. I knew women were relatively free but I was still mentally prepared for a semester of lock down. I mean there is always having to deal with catcalls, but really that is harmless; eventually it just fades into the background. The hardest thing about coming here is not being nice. When someone says hi to me I naturally want to talk to him and smile and get to know him better. However, this sends the wrong messages to creeper guys so I have been working on my mean/don’t talk to me face. It is hard but I have found that you just have to find the right setting (aka not a man in a car or in the middle of the street).
I still can’t wear tank tops or anything above the knees but it almost feels normal now. I would be very uncomfortable wearing a tank top in public. On the positive side I wear beautiful scarves everyday. It does get super hot sometimes but you wouldn’t believe the temperature difference between the sun and the shade. Additionally it is going to start cooling down soon so I won’t be missing my American clothing (or lack thereof).
Speaking of weather, I was caught in my first dust storm two days ago! It wasn’t really a storm with swirling winds; just suddenly there was dust in the air. A few of my friends and I were out to dinner on a rooftop. By the end of the meal we could run our fingers over the table and see how much dust had accumulated. Gross. When we left we could taste it in our mouths and had to wrap our scarves around our heads just to walk around. It was pretty wild. I welcomed it though because it blocked out the sun making it much cooler : )
I will be able to post pictures! Off campus there is a knowledge society that has tons of computers, wifi, study rooms, a copy store, food, and you sign in with your fingerprint! I will be able to upload pics without worrying about slowing down the internet at home. A few more days and they will be up.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Argilla
It has been pointed out that not everyone knows what hookah/argilla is! My bad. I am just going to use argilla from now on to keep up with the Jordanians. Argilla is a large water pipe to smoke shisha out of. Shisha is flavored tobacco that is very wet and sticky. The shisha is put in a little bowl at the top of the hookah and then the bowl is covered in tin foil. Holes are poked in the tin foil and coals go on top. There is a hose that attaches to the base, which is partially filled with water. When someone sucks in it pulls air from the top so the charcoal will heat the shisha and create smoke. The smoke goes down to the base and is cooled off by the water. The result is very thick clouds of smoke. It is hugely popular in my house, meaning multiple times a day. In the US I think of argilla as a very social activity; multiple hoses per hookah and passing back and forth every few puffs. Here it is very individual. It seems everyone has their own and if you are sharing a hose one person will sit on it for a very long time before passing. They keep giving me funny looks every time I pass it back so quickly but I was just trying to share. Here are some pics : )
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