The past few weeks have really sped by, but I'm so happy to have a routine back! The following list is definitely not exhaustive, but the past few weeks have included:
(a) Saying sad goodbyes to Morocco, AST (especially the beautiful pool), and CLS Tangier,
(b) Traveling to Cairo to stay with my host family for a few days, drink lots of mango juice, and meet up with a few friends,
(c) Flying to Jordan and meeting my NEW host family, and
(d) Starting classes at the University of Jordan (JU).
To better summarize what life has been like since I wrote my last post, I've tried to come up with a few major themes - these may not give the best picture, but at least I'll be able to communicate a couple of major events.
I finally met my other host sister, Nada (20 years old), who was abroad in the US while I was living with them, which was wonderful. I made brownies with my youngest host sister, Nanees (6 years old), which was always a special treat, although this time I could only find an Egyptian brand. It was nowhere near as good as the "special," imported US brownie mix that I used to buy from way across the other side of Cairo - about a 1 1/2 hour commute. I went with my host mom, Amani, to the nearby mall that we used to go to all the time - it's not the nicest or brightest place, but it was just a way to go out and since it's withing walking distance, we didn't have to worry about the crazy Cairo traffic.
And then, of course, I am now living at my Jordanian host family's apartment, which occupies the ground floor of a building in a fairly upscale part of Amman. They are also wonderful, although life here is much different...two brothers (Mohammed and Nabil) around my age, although we don't really see each other much because of our different schedules; no young siblings, although I have a small niece and nephew who visit often; and a live-in maid who helps to cook and take care of the house. My host parents, Maged and Hana, are so friendly and have been incredibly welcoming, and I already feel at home here, which is hard to believe since I've been here for about two weeks.
My host family has taken me a couple of times to visit other family members, which has been wonderful because I really enjoy seeing how different families function and interact. Needless to say, family is very important here, and the hospitality can even become overwhelming.
Aside from those, I also went to a wedding with my Egyptian host family, which was the first Muslim wedding I had attended. It took place in a special hall for weddings, and there was a lot of music and dancing - although my host family and I stayed seated most of the time. I watched the bride and groom sign their official marriage contract while seated at a table with both of their fathers and a sheikh.
I have already been invited to a Jordanian wedding by my speaking partner at Jordan University - each student in my program is assigned a Jordanian speaking partner with whom we must meet at least three hours per week to practice speaking Arabic. I am really looking forward to this opportunity, and my speaking partner seems great, so I think these "mandatory" hours will be something to look forward to. The wedding is this Thursday, on my birthday, so it's a perfect way to celebrate as well. I think that most Jordanian-Muslim weddings are gender-separated, so it will be really interesting to compare my experiences.
Additionally, the maid invited me to the wedding of one of her friends who also works in Amman. Our maid, Satiya, is originally from Bangladesh, but she has lived with my host family for over 10 years, so has basically become a de facto family member. I cannot remember exactly from where in Southeast Asia is her friend, but I'm sure this will be a new experience, too.
Finally (at least for now), I'm supposed to go with my host mom to a wedding on Oct. 1...
Even though I feel like I learned and improved a lot over the summer in the CLS Tangier program, I honestly did not have a strenuous workload. I was definitely busy, and I chose to study a lot and do extra activities and traveling, but the coursework itself was not very stressful. I am actually thankful for this because I was able to not only travel a lot, but also spend extra time hanging out with the Moroccan speaking partners and other CLS students, instead of spending extra time in my room.
However, the first week at JU has been an eye-opener because the classes here are a lot more serious and "university-like," as they should be. This is my class schedule:
Su/Tu/Th: 9am-12pm - Modern Standard Arabic
2-4pm - Jordanian Colloquial Arabic
Mo/We: 12:30-2pm - Introduction to Islam
3:30-5pm - History of Arab Literature
We: 9-10am - Intercultural Communication (ICC) (an informal class to help us discuss topics of interest and solve any problems we have)
We took a 3-hour placement exam the first week, and I am taking ALL of the classes (except ICC) with just ONE other student, which is great! Lot's of special attention, although class "discussions" are a little bit more difficult, and absences are virtually impossible. The other level has five students, so we definitely lucked out. But here are some of the reasons for extra studying and challenges:
- All of the classes (except for ICC) are conducted strictly in Arabic, so this will be the first time I have taken a course (that's not focused specifically on Arabic language acquisition) entirely in Arabic.
- Projects! We have long-term projects, such as reading a short story and giving a formal presentation, as well as a research project that includes a formal 20+ page report, as well as defense in front of a panel at the end of the semester.
- 20-30 minute commute to/from JU campus. I've managed to figure out the bus system on the way to campus, but the way back is another story - it would seem to make sense that a bus on the way there means that buses will go back the same way, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I've asked around and even decided to experiment, ending up on the wrong bus and getting off partway to backtrack, but this is just a small example of the dismal public transportation system in Amman. And to make matters worse, buses are even more sparse in my area of town, so I often have to rely on taxis. Sadly, no Moroccan trains or Egyptian microbuses in Jordan.
I'm not sure how long these three themes will keep up, but I'm expecting (and hoping) for #1 and #3 to persist through the end. I'll have to see how the next four months play out. Good luck to everyone starting new academic years and working careers!
(a) Saying sad goodbyes to Morocco, AST (especially the beautiful pool), and CLS Tangier,
 |
| Looking out over part of Amman...and a giant Jordanian flag |
(c) Flying to Jordan and meeting my NEW host family, and
(d) Starting classes at the University of Jordan (JU).
To better summarize what life has been like since I wrote my last post, I've tried to come up with a few major themes - these may not give the best picture, but at least I'll be able to communicate a couple of major events.
1) Family First
First and foremost, my Egyptian host family. I'm am incredibly thankful to have been able to go back and visit, even though it was only for a few days. My host sister, Nouran (19 years old), asked me what I wanted to do while in Cairo, and I honestly responded that I didn't really want to do/see anything specific - just spend time with the family and see a couple friends again. That was the honest truth, too. So I spent most of my time in the apartment, but I don't regret anything. I was so happy to just have conversations with my host mom and my neighbor, and it was really rewarding to see how far the past couple years of studying have helped my language, even if it wasn't focusing on Egyptian Arabic. |
| New mural (since the last time I'd been in Cairo) on the main shopping street in Nasr City |
I finally met my other host sister, Nada (20 years old), who was abroad in the US while I was living with them, which was wonderful. I made brownies with my youngest host sister, Nanees (6 years old), which was always a special treat, although this time I could only find an Egyptian brand. It was nowhere near as good as the "special," imported US brownie mix that I used to buy from way across the other side of Cairo - about a 1 1/2 hour commute. I went with my host mom, Amani, to the nearby mall that we used to go to all the time - it's not the nicest or brightest place, but it was just a way to go out and since it's withing walking distance, we didn't have to worry about the crazy Cairo traffic.
And then, of course, I am now living at my Jordanian host family's apartment, which occupies the ground floor of a building in a fairly upscale part of Amman. They are also wonderful, although life here is much different...two brothers (Mohammed and Nabil) around my age, although we don't really see each other much because of our different schedules; no young siblings, although I have a small niece and nephew who visit often; and a live-in maid who helps to cook and take care of the house. My host parents, Maged and Hana, are so friendly and have been incredibly welcoming, and I already feel at home here, which is hard to believe since I've been here for about two weeks.
My host family has taken me a couple of times to visit other family members, which has been wonderful because I really enjoy seeing how different families function and interact. Needless to say, family is very important here, and the hospitality can even become overwhelming.
2) Weddings Galore
This seems to be the time to get married - maybe because it's right after Ramadan (no Muslim weddings take place during Ramadan), but even in the US! I am really disappointed to have missed the wedding of one of my (two) cousins last week, as well as one of my closest friends in mid-August. Congratulations, and at least I have beautiful pictures to see. | ||
| Lunch with the group of CIEE students (and director) at a restaurant in downtown Amman. | Jordanian food is delicious! |
I have already been invited to a Jordanian wedding by my speaking partner at Jordan University - each student in my program is assigned a Jordanian speaking partner with whom we must meet at least three hours per week to practice speaking Arabic. I am really looking forward to this opportunity, and my speaking partner seems great, so I think these "mandatory" hours will be something to look forward to. The wedding is this Thursday, on my birthday, so it's a perfect way to celebrate as well. I think that most Jordanian-Muslim weddings are gender-separated, so it will be really interesting to compare my experiences.
Additionally, the maid invited me to the wedding of one of her friends who also works in Amman. Our maid, Satiya, is originally from Bangladesh, but she has lived with my host family for over 10 years, so has basically become a de facto family member. I cannot remember exactly from where in Southeast Asia is her friend, but I'm sure this will be a new experience, too.
Finally (at least for now), I'm supposed to go with my host mom to a wedding on Oct. 1...
3) Getting Down to Work
 |
| The language lab at JU where we took the pre-test. |
However, the first week at JU has been an eye-opener because the classes here are a lot more serious and "university-like," as they should be. This is my class schedule:
Su/Tu/Th: 9am-12pm - Modern Standard Arabic
2-4pm - Jordanian Colloquial Arabic
Mo/We: 12:30-2pm - Introduction to Islam
3:30-5pm - History of Arab Literature
We: 9-10am - Intercultural Communication (ICC) (an informal class to help us discuss topics of interest and solve any problems we have)
We took a 3-hour placement exam the first week, and I am taking ALL of the classes (except ICC) with just ONE other student, which is great! Lot's of special attention, although class "discussions" are a little bit more difficult, and absences are virtually impossible. The other level has five students, so we definitely lucked out. But here are some of the reasons for extra studying and challenges:
- All of the classes (except for ICC) are conducted strictly in Arabic, so this will be the first time I have taken a course (that's not focused specifically on Arabic language acquisition) entirely in Arabic.
- Projects! We have long-term projects, such as reading a short story and giving a formal presentation, as well as a research project that includes a formal 20+ page report, as well as defense in front of a panel at the end of the semester.
- 20-30 minute commute to/from JU campus. I've managed to figure out the bus system on the way to campus, but the way back is another story - it would seem to make sense that a bus on the way there means that buses will go back the same way, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I've asked around and even decided to experiment, ending up on the wrong bus and getting off partway to backtrack, but this is just a small example of the dismal public transportation system in Amman. And to make matters worse, buses are even more sparse in my area of town, so I often have to rely on taxis. Sadly, no Moroccan trains or Egyptian microbuses in Jordan.
 |
| The Roman amphitheater in downtown Amman. |
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