Due to a leaky toilet, I had to move rooms today. I was bummed out because I really liked the room, however the toilet was either unable to flush, or able to flush but pouring water everywhere. So, I had to suck it up and move, because a functioning toilet is a necessity. I was very fortunate in my room change...my new dorm is HUGE!
So if you want to visit, I have room! I even have a separate kitchen area!
The big cylinder looking thing in the top center is the water heater. I have to flip a switch to take a hot shower, then turn it off when I am done.
Some other cool things from Jordan that I've noticed:
1. There is actually a fairly large Christian population! I have seen multiple churches.
2. Weekdays are Sunday-Thursday. Weekends are Friday and Saturday.
Mass is at nighttime because people can't go in the morning since they have to work. Friday is the holy day in Islam, so it makes sense that the weekend starts then.
3. Jordanians are very fashionable- especially the women! I brought plain-looking, modest, comfortable clothes and I feel like I look like a slob compared to the natives. Even the women who wear more traditional clothing look like divas.
Amman is 7 hours ahead of Washington, DC. As such, my day is about halfway over when my friends and family back at home are waking up! It's very strange. It's 10:30pm right now and I was bummed that not many friends are online to chat...That's when I realized it's only 3:30 and everyone is still at work!
In regards to my education, I started class officially today. Yesterday was placement exams...it was perhaps the hardest test I'd ever taken. I didn't even finish it. Luckily, everyone else felt the same way, so I didn't feel as bad. I am in the intermediate level class with 8 other students. One of the girls in my class, Silvia, went to college with a friend of mine from Morocco! The cool thing is, she goes to New College of Florida, so it's an even smaller world since that school is not very well known. So Stephanie, Silvia, and I are the only Americans. Our Danish friend Saria is also in our class. One woman is from Turkey, and she does not speak much English, so we communicate with her in Arabic. Another girl is from Switzerland, and the other is from the Czech Republic. There are 2 guys in the class- one is from Scotland and the other is from Canada. The Canadian was apparently born in Potomac, which is only 20-30 minutes from home! Class so far is good. I mean, I've only had class for one day, so I don't have much basis to judge. Tomorrow we are starting to use the infamous Al-Kitaab 2, but we are starting from chapter 1, meaning that this will be the 3rd time that I'll be going through the opening units of that book. As a result, I may have to move classes, but we'll see. We have class for 4 hours a day, but it's totally tolerable. We have class in 45-50 minute increments, then we have a 15 minute break. I think this is genius, since going much longer in one sitting can really fry your brain. Class starts at 9am and goes to 12. In that time, we study Modern Standard Arabic. We then have an hour off, then come back for dialect class from 1-2.
Today was a pretty low-key day. I just went to class, had lunch, went to class again, came back and took a nap and washed my clothes. Our hostel has a dryer! It isn't that great, but it's a hot commodity, as a lot of places don't really have dryers. Aside from that, I hung out with Saria and Stephanie and we practiced Arabic vocab and just talked.
The three of us went to the grocery store before sunset to get a few things. Stephanie and I decided to buy Kinder Joys; a chocolate candy that has been rejected by the FDA. It was delicious! It comes in the shape of an egg- one half has the chocolate, the other has a toy. I got some crappy plastic that makes a "treasure chest" with the case. Stephanie could make hers into a car with her egg case.
The white stuff is white chocolate. Milk chocolate is underneath. The two things in the middle are chocolate balls, but have the texture of the stuff in a Twix bar. For some reason I can't think of the word at the moment.
My godbrother, Fawaz, and his wife Lena are in Jordan! Unfortunately, I have not seen them yet, but I hope to soon!
I also don't know when the wedding is. I am really excited about it, though.
Stephanie and I also plan on traveling on the weekends. More on that when we actually sit and make a decision...
Three things I am bummed about:
1. I haven't found anywhere to bargain, yet. As such, I have presents for nobody, including myself. I have an itch to fight for prices and I just can't scratch it, yet!
2. People can totally tell I speak English. Not all of them know I'm from the United States, because a lot of people ask. I pretended one time that I didn't speak English and it worked well, but it doesn't help much that Stephanie and I are both very loud when we speak, and we speak English to each other. When I talk to people, I speak Arabic, but they respond in English. That's annoying, especially since I am clearly a competent Arabic-speaker.
3. The call to prayer isn't very loud, so I don't hear it as often as I thought I would :-(
Aside from those 3 bummers, (and the previous toilet issue), life is good! The food is AMAZING! I don't think I'll ever get sick of it. (But we'll see how I feel by the time I come home.) Also, apparently the tap water is highly chlorinated so as to avoid impurities and prevent bacteria growth. I still will not drink it. My tap water-drinking experience in Morocco scarred me for life. Besides, the water is so chlorinated that it's easy to form kidney stones. Word on the street has it that passing a kidney stone is more painful than giving birth. I haven't done either at this point in my life, but I really don't want to have a basis of comparison.
More later!
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