Blending in, sort of.

"You are Italian?" No. "Are you Egyptian?" No, I'm American. "Really? But you look Arab." These are excerpts from a few conversations I've had with folks here about my nationality during the last few weeks. Walking around in the blazing sun has given me quite the tan and I haven't exactly been shaving every day either. I know people know I'm not from here when I'm sporting the backpack, but it feels good not to totally stick out. By the way, people here are very friendly. I think being able to eat during the day again is making a big difference. I know it is with me!

Eid Al-Fitr - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Ramadan is over and Eid Al-Fitr is here, which means we can eat during the day time. We could and did eat during the day time during Ramadan, but only indoors with the curtains drawn. Eid Al-Fitr is akin to Christmas time and the run up to New Years Eve from what I can tell. Most everyone is on vacation from work and school. One manifestation of this is tons of kids and teens running rampant in the malls. Others include seeing everyone dressed in their nicest clothes and driving to dinner with family and friends. Restaurants are open, but some shop keepers close their shops for the week so things won’t be completely back to normal until Sunday, which is the beginning of the work/school week here.
It’s kind of weird to have a week off after only one week of class, but I’m using the time to study and review and also to relax and see more of the city with Melanie. We scouted out one of the bus stations yesterday and found out about the bus schedules. Tomorrow we’re planning to return and catch a minibus to Jerash, which I heard is the largest, preserved Roman city outside of Italy. I went there the last time I was here and it’s pretty cool. It’s also only half a dinar bus fare and a little over an hour away so it should make for a good day trip.
Living here forces you to interact with people in their language, which is one of the obvious reasons we’re here. The tough thing is that I’ve spent most of my time studying formal Arabic and most people speak what I will call street Arabic, which is very different. I tried speaking with a guy in formal Arabic our first week here and he told me he didn’t speak English. Hmm, ok. Well, the good news is that I have taken a class or two that covered the basics of street Arabic so I’ve been reviewing those books and picking up words and phrases from where else? – the street.
The last few days I’ve become brave and have been striking up conversations with our taxi drivers during some of the longer rides we’ve taken. They’ve been able to understand me and I’ve been able to understand most of what they’re saying to me. They’ve even complemented me on how good my Arabic is. Now granted, these are small talk conversations about where I’m from, how long I’ve been studying Arabic, etc. However, I was able to drop a “thanks be to God for our safety”, in Arabic after the driver had to break hard to avoid hitting the car in front of him after a random tire rolled into the street a few cars ahead of us. He laughed and slapped my knee, responding with, “may God keep you safe”. I wanted to ask if he could please help God out with that during the remainder of our ride, but I couldn’t think of the words quickly enough.

First Week of Class

I have completed the first week of classes and they went well. There are about eight students in my class. The class is split into two sections – grammar and skills (vocabulary and conversation). Ustath Fadi teaches grammar and Ustath Muhammad teaches skills. They are both from Zarqa and very nice. The classes are taught exclusively in Arabic, which is great for improving our listening skills. So far, I’ve been able to follow along and understand everything they’re saying and it seems like I maybe one of the strongest students in the class in terms of listening and speaking. I have to thank my great friend Derar for that.

Sunday through Thursday Melanie and I wake up at 6AM and leave the apartment by 7:15 and walk 30 minutes to Qasid. The weather is pretty cool in the mornings – around 65 degrees, so it’s great walking weather. Classes begin at 8AM and each class is 75 minutes with a 15 minute break in between. Melanie hangs out in the ladies lounge and surfs the web or reads a book while I’m in class. The Mukhtar Mall is next door to Qasid and contains a grocery store and a houseware store so we often stop in there to buy food or items for the apartment before taking a $1.10 cab ride home.
The homework hasn’t been too bad – maybe two or three hours a night. I study for another two hours just to review and try to memorize the new vocabulary and grammar concepts. Melanie and I are enjoying the English language movie channels we get here, but I try to watch at least an hour of Al Jazeera every day to practice my listening skills.

This was also a big week because we finally got Internet for our apartment. The Internet signal is wireless so all you buy is a wireless router, plug the power cord into the wall and connect the router to the computer using an Ethernet cord. The router is not plugged into a phone or cable line. No Comcast man to install or set anything up.

We bought the router and the service at Mecca Mall, which is easily the largest indoor mall I’ve ever been in. We met a really nice guy about 27 years old who spoke perfect English. He said he and his wife had just moved to Amman that day. I asked where he was from and was surprised to hear he was from Ramadi, Iraq. They had lived in Lebanon the past year and decided to move to Jordan. We chatted for a bit and then Melanie and I went to Miles, an upscale grocery store in the Mecca Mall that reminded me of Fresh Market back in the States.

We returned to Mecca Mall today and bought Melanie a cell phone and some more groceries. I’ve been eating well thanks to Melanie’s great cooking. We are looking forward to the end of Ramadan so that we can check out some of the local restaurants. Today is Thursday, which is the end of the work/school week here and we have next week off for Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and a return to eating, drinking, and life as normal during daylight hours. We are looking forward to eating, relaxing, and exploring the city more.

Level 4 Arabic

Whoa! I just found out that I tested into level 4 Arabic classes at Qasid Institute. That's a level higher than I expected so I guess I may know more than I think. Anyways, I am very excited, happy, and looking forward to starting class tomorrow. Things are going well here. Each day is a new adventure, walking to this place or that place to buy things for the apartment or discovering a new restaurant within walking distance of our apartment. We probably walk at least an hour each day to Qasid, which is a 30 minute walk or to some other random location in search of food or supplies. I feel like my street Arabic is improving each day as I try to speak with random shop keepers. It doesn't always go flawlessly by any means, but I manage to get my point across and I feel more comfortable speaking with locals each day.

I think Ramadan is great in the lesson it seeks to teach people, which is to identify with people who are poor and have to do without food each day. However, I am looking forward to being able to each and drink during the day in public. Most shops stay closed until about 5PM, when people being buying supplies to break the fast at approximately 7PM. Then, people stay up until about 3 or 4AM. We found this out a few days ago when my friend Amin said he was coming to visit me at 9PM. I thought that was a bit late for a visit and Melanie was in her pajamas already. When he arrived, he said we were going out so Melanie and I got dressed and Amin and his cousin, Hammad drove us all around Amman until about 3:20AM. He showed us some cool places, including the Safeway, which has about any American food item or product you might want. They also introduced us to a good sandwich restaurant that is within walking distance of our place. When I was here last time, I only ate chicken kabobs or ground lamb kabobs. These guys at the restaurant have made sandwiches out of my favorite meals, which I think is great! Well, we are at an Internet cafe, although we hope to have our own Internet soon. Sorry I haven't spoken much about our apartment. Check the link to Melanie's blog for information on that kind of stuff. Good night.

We're Here!

Melanie and I arrived safely in Amman yesterday afternoon. Once we cleared customs, a driver from Qasid met us and took us to our new apartment. The place is nice and has satellite TV so we do get a few English channels including CNN International and BBC Worldwide. We just met with the student relations manager at Qasid and he made us feel very welcome. Melanie will be able to come with me on the school sponsored excursions, including one on Thursday so I am happy about that. The apartment does need a few small repairs, which should be done within the next couple of days and we do need to buy some bath towels and a few other items to help us get settled in.

Yesterday we were both feeling a bit homesick and overwhelmed, but we're doing much better today. It's a bit harder to think and speak Arabic in country on the fly, but I've done ok so far. I've been able to buy food and tell our taxi driver where to take us and was able to help him find the school even when he seemed to be getting lost. I know it will get easier with time and practice. I think I'm still getting used to the fact that we are now here. The weird thing is all of the memories coming back from my last trip and how familiar the terrain, people, and even smells are. Hard to explain. This will certainly be an adventure for us. Melanie is hanging tough and I'm trying to make sure this is going to be a great experience for her too. She will be able to use the school's internet lounge while I am in class. The student relations director also gave us copy of a brochure to a nearby gym that we'll have to check out so Melanie can begin her training for the Dead Sea marathon. That's it for now. We're definitely not in Jacksonville anymore, but I feel like we're doing well and going to be fine.

My Wife Is The Greatest!