Oooooh, Jordan.

Rather than trying to make up for the past month and a half without an update, I'll merely share my day with you today in hopes that it gives you an idea of what life in Jordan is often like.

I woke up in Amman after a wonderful day and evening of celebration for a good friend's birthday. My friend who lives in a village near me and I both had to be at work (school is back in session, more on that later) at 8. We left our dingy but cheap hostel at 6 for the station where we are supposed to be able to get services (shared taxis) up to Ajloun. Walked around the circle, got directed to walk a couple blocks up, then got re-directed to go back to the circle only to find out some 30 minutes later that there were no services or buses running to Ajloun. A taxi driver told us he would take us for 30JD. That's about how much I spend each month on food, so no. We go to the other bus station and wait around until about 7:30 when the bus finally comes and we just barely squeeze on. The girl next to me offers me some of her cookie as me and Alison shake our heads, laugh and mutter ooooh Jordan. Even when it drives me crazy, something as simple as a girl offering me her cookie makes me fall back in love with this little country.

I get off in the town that neighbors mine at about 8:30 and am lucky to catch a service right away. However, this particular service driver happens to also deliver the newspaper. So we stop several times so that he can run to different shops and houses to bring folks their morning news. I tell him that I was supposed to be at work at 8 and am running kinda late. He laughs and tells me that he was supposed to deliver these newspapers at 6 and I shouldn't worry about it. Alrighty. He gives me a newspaper and drops me off at school and only charges me .50c when it's usually 2JD. Sweet.

I'm greeted by students I haven't seen all summer who are running around outside trying to collect all their books. No classes are in session just yet. The mom of one of my students frantically runs up to me and asks for my landlord's phone number, who works for the Ministry of Education. She explains that the Kindergarten has filled up and she can't enroll her son. This is a typical and unfortunate problem throughout Jordan right now. The Ministry is doing its best to accommodate, but classrooms are overcrowded. I heard that each of my 1st grade classes has around 43 students. There are about 20,000 Syrian refugee children in Jordan trying to enroll in public schools, particularly in the north.

I came home and napped and awoke a couple hours later to an invite to come have lunch upstairs at my landlords' house. Duwali. Delicious as always. As we were getting ready to eat, a procession of honking cars and pick-ups drove down the road honoring the newly elected mayor, a man I know nothing about other than that he is a Freihat. There are at least 5 big tribes, or families, that live in Kufranjah and I live amidst the Freihats. Thus, all of the celebrations today have taken place just a few meters outside my door.

There was an article recently in The Jordan Times that asked Jordanians if they were more likely to vote for a relative/tribe member who was incompetent or corrupt, or someone with a reputation for honesty and effectiveness who was not a relative or tribe member. A majority said that relative/tribe member is the most important consideration, significantly more so than honesty and effectiveness. The area that I live in has much less tribal rivalry than other areas of Jordan, but loyalty to one's tribe is a nation wide factor, and perhaps problem, in Jordan's political system.

The major celebration started around 7 and is continuing as I write this. We watched from the roof for a while as all the men danced and shot off fireworks in the street.

The women celebrate in a similar fashion (maybe sans fireworks and guns) at a separate party not too far away, but I opted not to go. Around 8:30 the music shut off and the party came to a temporary pause as the adhan, or call to prayer, recited from the mosques. Some men went to the mosque while others went inside the municipality building to pray and others just hung out smoking and chatting in the street. Then, men from the other tribes, 2 of whom had candidates running, came down to congratulate the family and eat some kunafa. I'm fortunate to live in an area where tribal tension and conflict is low.

It can not go unstated that the impending attack on Syria is of particular concern and focus right now. A major shift is happening. I don't know if it is a shift in the right direction or not, but I hope so. There is a lot of uncertainty in what will happen in the coming days. Other than being a home to refugees (well over half a million now), the US and Jordanian governments claim that Jordan will not be a 'launch pad' for the strikes nor will Jordan be drawn further into the conflict as a result.  My heart goes out to the millions of people whose lives have been so drastically shaken as a result of this war.

Ramadan Kareem

Nearly everyone in my village, and millions of Muslims worldwide are in the midst of their holiest month of the year. They fast from dawn til dusk, which in July is from about 3am-7:45pm. Nothing goes in the mouth until after maghrib, the 4th call to prayer of the day just as the sun sets behind the horizon. I have been invited to eat iftar (the meal that breaks the fast) every night with my landlord's family. Bless them. They treat me as a daughter and sister. During the day, the boys go out and collect the fruit and prepare the meat (lets just say it's very fresh) and the women cook the meals- mansaf, duwali, kousa mahshi, tabouleh, and all other things delicious and prepare the qatayef for desert.
 

So much mansaf! (Jordan's national dish)

Qatayef- mini pancakes filled with walnuts, cheese, or cream, deep fried and then topped with sugary syrup.

Figs all night long 

 Most nights there are 11 of us eating together, but some nights more family and friends come over to join in the feast. Last night there were at least 30 people over. We place a big plastic sheet on the living room floor and bring out all the dishes. We sit around the food and fidget until finally the adhan (the call to prayer) emanates from the several mosques in town. We break fast with a date and a glass of tamar hindi (tamarind juice) and then gorge. 

After the meal, clean up is quick and immediate and everyone goes to pray the 4th prayer of the day. We drink tea and hang out and watch TV for about an hour until it is time for everyone to head to the mosque for the final prayer of the day. I have been invited to come to the mosque with them but declined. It feels strange to sit in the back of a mosque and watch hundreds of people pray and wrong to imitate praying a prayer I don't know. While everyone is at the mosque, I take time to either play with the kids next door or come back downstairs to my house to have my own time for reflection.

After people return from the mosque, the streets that were quiet most of the day become lively. Firecrackers are thrown around and little boys are running around until 2 in the morning. Friends and family go from one house to the next to drink coffee, eat fruit, smoke, and chat. Little kids run around and offer endless entertainment. Some people sleep for a few hours until it is time for suhoor, the early morning meal around 3am that prepares people for the 16 hour long fast ahead of them.

It's wonderful to feel so included. People are so generous, so inclusive and very noninvasive. They know that I am not Muslim and are fine with that. I fast because I want to share this experience with them. They include me in these things because that's not only a part of being a good Muslim, but because they care about me.

People fast for many reasons: to practice self-discipline and control, to become closer to God by devoting more time to prayer, to learn how to gain nourishment from the soul rather than rely solely on the body, and because it's tradition and cultural.

What resonated most with me was a Saudi Arabian doctor's response when someone asked why Muslims fast.

 "We fast to remember all those people who cannot eat and drink daily. We fast to feel their suffering, to remind ourselves of how blessed we are to have food and water.  We fast to feel those same pangs of hunger that our poor sisters and brothers feel daily around the world. We fast to become more generous, to practice self-discipline and to strive to become better Muslims and people."

 Muslim or not, we should all take some moments each day to acknowledge this, to practice self-discipline, to do something to help others less fortunate than us. To visit with our neighbors or call friends we have been neglecting. To focus on bettering ourselves and our emotional, physical, and mental health. And on that note, I once again wish you all a very happy Ramadan.

Q & A

I swore in as a Peace Corps Volunteer just about 6 months ago. Since then, I've received emails from family and friends with questions of what life is like as a volunteer, and what it's like to live in Jordan. Also, invitations for new Peace Corps Jordan volunteers are being sent out soon and I remember after receiving mine, rabidly searching the net trying to get a glimpse into what I was getting myself in to. So, during this particularly low-key Friday afternoon, I decided to attempt to answer a few of these, so they can be neatly compiled in one place. 

What's an average day like? 
The school and work week is Sunday-Thursday and spring semester runs from the beginning of February until early or mid June. On school days, I get up around 6:30 and walk down to school, past my landlord's pigeons, goats, chickens, and dog, olive trees, grape vines, rose bushes and lemon trees. As soon as I get on to the main road I am usually greeted with "good morning Ms Emily!" by at least a few of my students and continue the walk down the hill to school with them. I work at the girls' basic school and teach grades 1-4. The kindergarten and first grade is co-ed, and the rest of the grades (up to 9th) is all girls.  After school I teach English at the local Knowledge Station that is equipped with computers, an overhead projector, and English software. I have taught a variety of classes; a TOEFL prep course, adult beginners, 7th grade, 9th grade, and a couple other levels.

After that, I am often invited over to my landlord's house for lunch. I'll take them up on that, sometimes go visit other neighbors, or nap at my house. I spend my evenings hanging out at my neighbors' house or my own. I do some lesson planning, but after that's done I usually spend my evenings on the internet talking to folks, reading the news, or watching reruns of US sitcoms.

What do you do for fun? 
Most weekends, there is something going on - a wedding, an engagement party, an invitation to go on a picnic to someone's farm, and more recently, graduation parties. I visit people a lot. I'm viewed as an adult here so at visits, am expected to sit around and drink tea and coffee and talk for hours with women often twice my age. This can be great for about a half hour and then I try to sneak away to go and play with the kids outside. We play football, pick fruit, play with turtles (!), play with my Iphone and take as many pictures as possible, etc.

Some weekends I will go to Amman, which is only a couple hours away from me and an easy bus ride, and hang out with other volunteers. There's a cheap hotel we can stay at for about $7 a night downtown. There was a big music festival last week that had bands performing from all over the region, including Mashrou Leila, DAM, and Alaa Wardi. Click on the links-- seriously! Life in Amman is drastically different than life in most villages. There is a huge ex-pat community, all sorts of restaurants and bars, malls... the works.

Is everyone Muslim? How prevalent is religion?
Sunni Islam is the predominant religion in Jordan. There is also a Christian population (about 8%). Although my town is mostly Muslim, the town closest to me has a large Christian population. Atheism or agnosticism is very rare here, and not well understood. Muslims and Christians work together and are seemingly pretty understanding of one another. My mudeera (principle) is Muslim but my vice-mudeera is Christian. The adhan, or Islamic call to prayer, is an integral part of the culture here and can be heard from every mosque 5 times a day. People will either go the mosques or pray at home or work, facing South towards Mecca. Of course, religious practices vary from place to place, family to family, person to person.

Do women cover their heads? 
Many Muslim women do cover their hair when in public, or when in the presence of men who are not close relatives. Some wear a hijab (head scarf)- they come in all sorts of pretty colors and patterns. Some women wear the niqab, a black veil that covers the face except for the eyes. Some Muslim women don't cover their hair at all. The burqa (the black robe that covers the entire body including face and eyes) is rare in this region, but some women do wear it. There is certainly some influence from family members or husbands, but from the women I've talked to about this it seems that how much they choose to cover, or not to cover, is ultimately their personal decision (I'm speaking about Jordan, in countries like Saudi Arabia it is different). As a non-Muslim, I am not expected to cover my hair. I do, however, dress more conservatively than I did in the states. In public, I usually wear my hair tied up and try to wear clothes that cover ankles, wrists and collar bones.

What's the weather like? 
I live in the mountains in the North of Jordan. It was cold in the winter, beautiful in the Spring, and now hot in the Summer (in the 80s and 90s). There are tons of fruit trees and pine trees. Right now, toot are in season- berries similar to raspberries, and mish-mish (apricots). Grapes will be here in about a month, and figs will be ready by October.

Do you have any friends? 
My brother has asked me this more than once. So to make it clear, yes, I have friends. All of the volunteers got quite close during our 2 months of training and I am lucky to live relatively close to quite a few of them. I still am in contact with my host family in Madaba and some of the friends that I made there. I visited them a few weeks ago and will visit again at the end of June. In Kufranjah, I've been blessed with a landlord with a very welcoming, loving family. They have 9 grown kids, the youngest is 17 and the oldest is 27, who recently announced she is pregnant. Mama Haula often refers to my as her 6th daughter. I am invited for lunch most days. I've also become really good friends with one of the teachers at my school. She makes an effort to visit me, invite me to her home, and take me to their beautiful farm about 15km away despite having 7 young kids. I love the students and kiddos in my neighborhood, and naturally make friends with them faster and easier than I do with most adults because our relationship is based off of playing rather than talking. They love inviting me to their homes. On the days that I am not utterly exhausted, I graciously accept.

How are the guys? Is harassment an issue? 
As I've alluded to, gender segregation is very prevalent here. At all parties and social gatherings, women are usually upstairs and the men downstairs and they don't interact. My landlord's family has 4 boys and since I am over there all the time, considered part of the family even, I hang out with them and it's fine. But I would never, ever go and spend time there if the girls weren't home. Not because I don't trust them, but because it would be inappropriate and awkward.

Men in the street here are for the most part okay. There is staring and occasional vulgar words thrown in my direction. Public shaming is one of the biggest embarrassments here, so a piercing glare or "haram" (forbidden) will shut them up.

I get asked if I'm married all the time by moms and grandmas in my community. I say no. Then they ask if I will get married to a Jordanian or an American. I usually tell them that I am in Jordan to work and learn, am not ready to get married, and want my parents to know my to-be-husband. This sometimes works, but women still tell me how great their sons are in hopes I might change my mind. On one occasion a woman I'm pretty close with became very persistent in her attempt to get me to marry her son. It got awkward. But stopped. 

How is your Arabic?
It's fine, but I get frustrated that I can't express myself fully. I can have conversations with people and get my basic needs, for the most part. On June 15, all volunteers return to villages around Madaba for 2 weeks of intensive Arabic lessons. I'll live with a host family again and have Arabic lessons every day. After this, maybe I won't have to resort to charades and pictionary quite as often, inshaallah.

Are you homesick? 
Rarely- it's the people I miss (who are scattered all over the place anywho) and the internet makes keeping in touch with them- and even seeing their faces- pretty easy.

So.... you live in the Middle East... 

I live in the northwest, near Jerash on the map.

Yes, I live in the Middle East. Globally speaking, Jordan is in a tough neighborhood.

From Al Jazeera's homepage

However, I feel completely safe in my village, on the buses to other villages, and in Amman. But the fact that there is a war going on about 75km North of me is something I think of tirelessly. It's Atrocious. Horrendous. I'm not sure if there is a word strong enough to express it.

Final death toll for Thursday 06/06/2013; More than 140 were killed in Syria yesterday. The dead include: 44 civilians, 52 rebel fighters, 2 defected soldiers (1 officer), 11 unidentified rebel fighters, and at least 35 regular soldiers. --  Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

About 1500 Syrians are coming to Jordan every day. There are well over half a million refugees living in Jordan, some in the refugee camps but a lot in villages throughout the North of Jordan. I was talking to a friend the other day and she thinks there are at least 500 Syrian families living in our village. Some Jordanians here "rent out" their roofs to Syrian families. The effect that this influx of people has on Jordan is intensifying more each day. Despite the foreign aid Jordan is receiving, prices continue to rise. Today, there were many protests throughout the country because of a recent spike in electricity prices.

I routinely look at the news, often multiple times a day, in hope that I'll stumble upon some indication that things will begin to settle down soon. Peace talks are being discussed, foreign aid is being sent over-- steps in the right direction I guess. The optimist in me thinks that these actually can make a significant difference. But the sad reality is that things aren't going to get better soon. Certainly not overnight.

There are certain places that Peace Corps does not let us go within Jordan. One is anywhere near the Syrian border, including the Zatari refuge camp where 120,000 some Syrian refugees are living. Another is Ma'an, in the South of Jordan where there has been ongoing violence between two tribes that has escalated these past several months. Peace Corps sends us weekly emails highlighting all local and regional news. When there are any security concerns we get text messages letting us know what is going on and we've been trained multiple times on what to do if something were to suddenly occur that would threaten our safety.

Most countries in the region are off limits to travel to as well: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Iran and now Turkey. I had made summer plans to travel to Istanbul, but have to cancel or alter plans now for obvious reasons.

I have these 2 quotes taped on my wall side by side each other and my giant world map.

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind.... This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

"It takes a great deal of courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still to love it." -– Oscar Wilde

And I leave you with that. If you have any other questions, please leave them in the comments or email me. 

 

Jerash

Last weekend I visited Jerash, one of Jordan's tourist highlights, a city about an hour South of me. Archeologists have found artifacts that date back to the neolithic age (about 6500 years ago) but the city that remains today was developed about 2000 years ago. In 63AD, Jerash became part of the Decapolis under Roman rule. It became a huge trading hub and thus flourished, emperor after emperor building something more astonishing than the last. During the 3rd century, Jerash was at it's peak and had an estimated 20,000 inhabitants. However, the Persian invasion, the Muslim conquest, and a couple of earthquakes lead to the city's decline during the 8th century.  It was left uninhabited, buried in sand for about a thousand years until a German guy discovered the ruins in 1806 and an excavation project started during the 20th century.

Hadrian's Arch: built to commemorate the visit of the Emperor Hadrian to Jerash in 129 AD

Fountain constructed in 191 AD

I still can't wrap my brain around how they carved those.

As I walked down the colonnaded street I couldn't help but imagine what I'ld be doing if I was living here 2000 years ago. My friend Judith and I decided we'ld likely be practicing our carving and etching skills. If people are still around 2000 years from now I wonder what they will find left behind by us? I wonder if they will find it as epic as we find this. Maybe. But I imagine they'll have to dig through a lot more than just sand to find it.

Weekend update

After being sick almost all of last week, I am once again reminded to never take my health for granted. It was nothing serious, but unpleasant to say the least.

I recovered in time for the weekend. Friday consisted of Magluba for lunch with my neighbors followed by not one, but two weddings. 2 servings of kanafeh, 2 bebsis, and being forced to show off my best (read: not good) Arabian dancing skills 2 times. I think I may have mentioned this before, but in Jordan, weddings are gender segregated, meaning the men hang out in one room while the women in the other. Both rooms consist of mainly the same thing-- eating and dancing. The groom comes in at some point and him and the bride dance together. After the celebration, guests leave honking their horns and shooting fireworks or guns into the air in honor of the new couple.

Saturday I went on a quick shopping trip to Ajloun with my neighbor in search of new shoes and summer PJs. Bargaining is normal here, but I hate it and am quite terrible at it. Heba, on the other hand, is wonderful and got a pair of 15 JD shoes down to 10 and a pair of PJ pants from 4 JD down to 2.5. A good shopping buddy indeed.

I was happy to be back at school today. I'm finally getting to the point where I know and feel comfortable with most of the teachers and that my Arabic is descent enough that I can have conversations with them and they sometimes understand what I'm saying and vice-versa. I continue to love the kiddos, especially as I get to know them better.

Now that spring is here, I run into people I recognize in the streets more often and they are excited to invite me into their homes to meet their families and feed me.  I never cease to be amazed by Jordanian hospitality and generosity.

And here, a few photos of mornings in Kufranjah

Good morning goats

morning commute

morning assembly

 1st grade charmers 

Obama visits Jordan

Early last Saturday morning I had the privilege of seeing President Obama, John Kerry, and US Ambassador to Jordan, Stuart Jones, speak in Amman. His talk was brief but poignant. Rather than talking more about politics, crisis, Syria, Israel, Palestine or Turkey, he talked to us and recognized the work of all those in the room that morning. Both President Obama and John Kerry took time afterwards to shake as many hands as possible-- mine included!

"I'ld like to introduce you to the very best embassy in the world." - Ambassador Stuart Jones

"We're blessed to have a president who also lived abroad as a young man. He understands what this is all about. And I think that's what gives him a very special connection to people all across this planet. It's why he has restored America's reputation in the world.... He has the vision that I know brings every one of you to this job." - Secretary of State, John Kerry

"I'm not gonna give a long speech, mainly because I've been giving long speeches everywhere.
The main thing I want to communicate is that when I come to a country, when John comes to a country, we get some attention, we get our faces in the newspaper, but... we leave. And, people's real impressions of what America's about, what our values are, how we treat each other, how we work together; those impressions are made by you.... your interactions with the people here in Jordan, with people here in the region. Your kindness, your generosity, your professionalism, your effort. All that, all that creates ripples of hope and friendships between the United States and other countries that will make all the difference in the world." - President Obama

"I know the work isn't always easy... I know that the hours are long and the pay is mediocre, but, my sense is the reason you do this is because, not only do you care deeply about our country and what it stands for, but you also recognize the common humanity in all of us." - President Obama 

On Friday, Obama had a meeting and press conference with King Abdullah. Please take the time to watch it here or read the transcript here.


 

A day in the life

It's hard to believe I've been at site for [only/ already] a month and a half. As I expected, and as Peace Corps spent 2 months telling me during PST, it's been an adjustment and every day has its ups and downs.

Here's a quick summary of what I've been spending most of my time doing.

The school week here is Sunday-Thursday and I teach English at the all girls' basic school, just down the hill (actually, down 3 very steep hills) from my house. I co-teach grades 1-5 with 3 different Jordanian English teachers. As there is just about everywhere in the world, there is a shortage of jobs here so Peace Corps does not send volunteers in to take jobs that other people are qualified for. Rather, my Jordanian counterpart and I work in the classroom together. I help introduce different ways of teaching (ie songs... so so many songs) and give the kids a chance to hear and interact with a native English speaker. Many of the Jordanian teachers have their degrees in teaching, know the students, can translate in Arabic when needed, and have worked at the school for several years. One of my counterparts has worked there for 30-some years and recently announced that this is her last year! Happy for her, sad for us.

There are 6 or 7 periods each day and I usually teach about 4 of them. During off periods I am supposed to be lesson planning, but often get called in to drink tea and eat with the principle and vice-principle and whoever else has a free period and sometimes get impromptu Arabic classes.

The kids are great most of the time. Today I spent my off day working on Classroom Rules signs. Kids are very enthusiastic to participate for the most part, but raising your hand, listening to others while they speak and not shouting are still hard concepts to grasp-- even for the older kids. I'm supposed to model "positive discipline" (not yelling) but have slipped up on that here and there.  They're so cute though. And it's always exciting that moment when it finally clicks. They all greet me "Good morning Miss Emily". It being a small town, I run into the kids a lot and sometimes at 4 in the afternoon they'll say the same thing-- still cute, but we gotta keep working on greetings and times of the day.

School campus

Sundays and Tuesdays I work at the Knowledge Station (a community center with a computer lab) and teach 2 after school English classes, for 3rd-5th graders from 2-3:00 and for 6th-8th graders from 3-4:00. More and more girls show up each time- it makes me happy to know they like it so much that they're telling their friends.

On Mondays and Wednesdays I teach a TOEFL (test of English as a foreign language) class for adults. Most masters' programs require you to pass the TOEFL exam to be accepted to the University. The test is really hard and it reminds me of the SATs. The class started out with about 12 students but has dropped down to 4. Most who signed up really need a grammar or conversation class before they can really get much out of the class. It's a lot of work at my end- lots of preparation because there is no fixed curriculum for it yet. I prefer working with the kiddos and once the TOEFL course winds down (in a couple of months) I think I will mainly focus on after school programs for kids and maybe a couple of laid back, drop in conversation classes for adults.

So, weeks are busy. I come home around 4:30 most days exhausted. I often get invited to go have lunch with my landlord's family so take them up on that and then usually take a nap. After lunch we'll go watch TV and lay on the farshas and then someone inevitably puts some sort of magical blanket on me that puts me into a deep sleep. They tell me it's addi (normal/no problem) to sleep there. It was awkward at first waking up to either no one in the room or to like 8 people in the room, but now it really has become addi. When possible, I do try to make it all the way down stairs and next door to my house to nap.

As the weather begins to get warmer, I am trying to do more exploring outside in my free time. The other day after class I got invited to go to a teachers' house who lives in a town nearby. We walked through Wadi Kufranjah, a beautiful valley with almond trees, a river, wild flowers. It's so close to my house and I had no idea!

All in all, life is good. Starting a new job, moving, and learning a new language are 3 tiring things. Doing them simultaneously is extra tiring. Thus-- I feel like I am tired all the time. Even with constant tea, nescafe, turkish coffee, arabic coffee, bebsi (there's no p sound in arabic so Pepsi is bebsi ;) and so on, I still feel tired. I'm hoping another month or 2 the learning curve will start to level out a bit, and as the days will get warmer and longer, my body and mind will start to adjust.