!اهلاً وسهلاً

ahalan wa sahalan! (translation: welcome!)

Since I've arrived in Jordan I've found nothing but hospitality and welcoming people. Everyone--from the president of the Hashemite University, to the manager of our new apartment building, to the poor bell boy who carried our giant suitcases four times from the van to our rooms and back again--is excited to help us, and bend over backwards to make our impression of Jordan a good one. However, at times this hospitality can be a bit overwhelming, and feels overprotective...like we are always being watched, and that we will never be able to leave our little bubble of America while here, and that we won't actually be able to practice our arabic.

And this hospitality (or overprotection, iza bidik), has caused us a few problems...and its only been three days! First of all, we are not allowed to live in Zarqa, and we will no longer have Jordanian roommates. This is really upsetting! It was one of the great things about this program, that we would live in a place that was sort of off the beaten track, that we would live with Jordanians, and not speak English at all! But, they (i mean, the president and the top officials of the Hashemite University) want us to have a good impression of Jordan, and Zarqa will not give us a good impression because there is not much to do--no malls, not as many restaurants, clubs, or shops as Amman. But there is Arabic! Additionally, the president is worried about our security there. Zarqa has been in the news in Jordan a lot recently because it is so conservative, and there is a bigger chance for problems there than in Amman. We all understand and appreciate this concern, but we want to see what Jordanian life is like! It isn't in the sports complex of the university (where the president wanted us to live, and where there was no private shower--but he would "put one in" in two days), and its not having taxis hired for us from our hotel.

But Munther and Muhammad al-Masri, the head of our program here, found us a beautiful apartment in the "collegetown" of Amman. It is just across the street from the Jordanian University, close to ACOR, the location of the US Government's Critical Language Scholarship, and much nicer than any apartment I've ever lived in! And it is very very cheap, even cheaper than the place in Zarqa, and the landlord is willing to do anything for us: add more routers so we can get wifi in our rooms, put washing machines in our apartments, and hire a cleaning lady twice a week! It is very comfortable, but I almost feel a bit uncomfortable how comfortable it is! But I'm not complaining, of course, as long as I can make friends at both universities and speak arabic always!

And speaking of speaking arabic, I'm finding that I'm remembering more words than I thought I would, and that words are flowing better than I expected. Its easier to speak in the morning than at night, of course. Its really exhausting! But...I can't understand almost anything people say!!! Especially if they are just on the street. I had a few conversations with taxi drivers, and I've understood most of what they've said, but they typically speak a little slower and clearer than workers on the bus or in service taxis with a lot of people around. But its getting better, and we start classes on Sunday, and things will come back, and I will soak up a lot more, inshallah (if god wills).

I've taken over 200 pictures, but the internet is pretty slow. I will try to post some soon, and inshallah I will find some hospitality at a nice little coffee shop in Amman, or at the library at the University of Jordan (which is the largest in the country!).

مع سلامة مع الحب (goodbye with love).