A Class Update and an Adventure with Lena

Now that I have actually had class, I can say that I like it. The teacher isn't using the textbook that I used throughout college, so I'm especially happy! We are instead using a book that seems to have been developed by the center. Whatever, I like the structure of it, so it's all good!

The class size has changed since day one. There are 5 of us in Modern Standard- the 3 Americans, Saria, and the Scottish guy, Nick. I like it better because we've formed a closer-knit friendship. We've gotten lunch together the last few days. Yesterday, we went to a place called Lebnani Snack. The shawarma was awful. We went again today for lunch, but I wasn't hungry, so I just got strawberry mango juice.

Yesterday, Stephanie, Saria, and I met up with my friend Lena from home. She invited us to see a Flamenco dancing show at the Al-Hussein Cultural Center with her, so we decided to take her up on the offer!

Theatre etiquette in Jordan is different than American theatre etiquette, fo' sho'! People were taking pictures with flashes, which is an American no-no. A lot of people also talked, and many forgot to turn their cell phones on silent or vibrate. As a performer in my younger years, I always knew flash photography could be distracting, simply because I was told and because I can put two and two together. I never actually experienced the distraction until yesterday...and I was in the audience!

Catching a cab back was a nightmare. We were going to eat shawarma on Rainbow Street, but it was getting late and we didn't let the ladies at the hostel know in advance that we'd be late. So, we ate at a Turkish restaurant right next to the hostel instead so that we'd get back before the 11:00 curfew. We will hopefully meet up with Lena again tonight to celebrate the 4th of July.

Another observation for the record: there are a decent amount of pale, blue-eyed Jordanians. I'm still clearly a foreigner, but I blend in better here than I did in Morocco.

So since today is Independence Day, and we have plans to celebrate the freedom of our country this evening with Nick and Silvia American-style. We'll see how well "American style" goes, so I'll have to let you know after tonight. Why is the Scot celebrating with us, you ask? Why not?