Thalj thalj thalj

It does indeed snow in Jordan! All the warning I received about how cold winter can be prove true. It was windy, rainy, and cold all week but Wednesday night, it finally came... the thalj (snow)!! Around 11:30 our neighbor ran over and told us to look out the windows and sure enough, quite a bit had accumulated on the ground. We put on all the clothes we could find and went outside to play with about 15 other kids. Snowballs, snow angels, little snowmen-- the whole shebang. Eventually fingers and faces got cold and we came inside for warm milk with cinnamon and all snuggled up under about 10 blankets in the living room (the room where the heater is). I stayed up talking and giggling with my neighbor Amany and the girls until about 1:30-- the latest I think I've stayed up since I got to Jordan.

So it begins!

Amany & Emily

My neighbor Amany and me (repping my Seattle Sweatshirt!)

Yes, I got hit as this was taken.

All in all, a very fun night, and a fun next morning when there was even MORE snow on the ground and more people out playing.

Eventually I got cold so retired and went to my neighbor's house to play bananagrams and drink Shai with some other volunteers and my friend/Arabic teacher Sodfa.

Our last day in village is tomorrow (Saturday) and we get picked up Sunday morning. We will spend a few days in Madaba and have our swearing in ceremony on Tuesday.

As always, it's going to be hard saying goodbye. I've only known these people for a little more than 2 months but how quickly they became like family! Speaking of which, Jana, who recently turned 6, likes to ask about my family in the states and look at pictures of them. She knows that I have one sister and one brother and a mom named Mary and a dad named Jim and on and on and on. Last night before we went to sleep she asked me how many sisters I had. I told her I have one sister named Elizabeth. She said laaaaaa endick huwatt katheeeer!! ana u noor u amany u sodfa u ma'ali u farah u dania u um bashar u umi u...". Pretty much, nooo you have many sisters, and listed all of the girls here I've become close with.  It may sound corny when an adult says it, but coming from the mouth of a 6 year old it feels so very sincere.  I love my Seattle family more than anything or anyone, but it's comforting to be able to form a sense of community, to the point where one considers you family, no matter where you are.