The end of 2012 is nearing us! I can hardly believe it. I got to visit the school I'll be working at and my future apartment in Kufranjah, Ajloun this past week. I'll be working at an all girls k-9 school, with the exception of kindergarten and 1st grade which is co-ed. I met my principle and many of the teachers and they all seem wonderful. The students were excited at having a new person at their school and were all very eager to practice their English with me, introduce themselves, and ask about me. The town itself is beautiful. I got to see my apartment. The last tenant left a lot of furniture, so I am very lucky in that respect and I also have a wonderful view of the Ajloun castle, fruit trees, part of the town, and the mountain side.  I met my landlord and his family who live upstairs from me and they seem sweet. I'm excited to have my own place, but it's comforting to have a family living right upstairs from me if I need anything or get lonely.

Christmas came and went here. We had a bit of celebrating with other volunteers on Christmas day- ate pizza (comfort food!), played apples-to-apples, danced, talked, exchanged secret santas and so on. I tried to skype my family but caught them just as dinner was starting, only to get a quick glimpse of their Christmas Eve feast and a few smiling faces.  It was one of those moments when I once again realized how far away I am... I'm living on the other side of the world! As they were eating dinner Christmas Eve, I was watching the sun rise Christmas morning.

Fortunately, we did get a chance to go see the Christmas lights a few days before Christmas itself. Madaba has a big Christian population so some of the churches and shops do get decked out and I did get to see Baba Noel (Santa) speed by in a pick up truck... 

Christmas tree in Madaba

Posing in front of some Christmas lights.

Me and my host sissies

As for now, I'm done with my practicum in Ma'in so my days are mostly spent at training sessions in Madaba or having Arabic class in Ma'in. I have about 3 more weeks before swearing in as an official volunteer and then moving to Kufranjah. It's another one of those awkward in between times. I'll be really sad to leave my host family and friends in my community, but I'm anxious to set up my home and establish myself again in my new (more permanent) village.

Tomorrow my host sister is turning 6, so we will be having a birthday party for her. I just finished blowing up about a dozen balloons! The kind that you can make hats and animals out of. I'm about to google how to do that...! Saturday we get to go visit the Peace Corps office in Amman and the American embassy for a Peace Corps holiday party. I'll get to meet some of the volunteers who are beginning their second year in Jordan (the J15s) and maybe some J14s who have finished their service and are headed home soon. I'm looking forward to it.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and the last few days of 2012! Happy new year!

Pictures are worth a thousand words

Time is flying by. The past several weeks I have been busy working at the school, studying Arabic, exploring Madaba and the surrounding areas a bit, finding out where my future site will be (!), playing with the kiddos, eating too much sugar, and learning to cook all sorts of things.

My host family and I dining in Madaba

I learned to make duwali!!(beef and rice stuffed grape leaves)

Cooking is a family effort

The crew making some sabanekh

Sabanekh! Spinach and onions and spices in doughy goodness. (I rolled the ones that are slightly burnt and awkward looking) 

Showing off.

Last week, I found out where I will be permanently living, beginning January 15th. I will be working in a k-9 all girls school in a town in the governate of Ajloun. The town is about 25,000 people and everyone has been telling me how beautiful it is there. There are lots of trees, perhaps not by my Seattle standards, but by Jordanian standards yes.

I'm about 75 km away from Amman.

My Peace Corps supervisors on our site announcement day! 

In Jordan, the semester is winding down and exams have begun which means there are no regular classes. My month of teaching in Ma'in has come to a close, and we finished with an all staff Mansef lunch celebration.

Myself, Georgina and Elenoire, 4 of the English teachers and our Mudira (principle) on the right.

I have gotten to explore Madaba a bit.

Downtown Madaba- wonderful cake shop on the right and the Cap (not a typo) on the left.

Sunset over Madaba, taken from my Host-Grandma's home.

Journey from Madaba to Ma'in

From my village you can see the Dead Sea. We drove to the viewpoint after a long day in Madaba. This is the closest I've gotten so far but will get down there for a float before long.

Sunset over the Dead Sea.