GOOOAAALLLLL!!!!!

At first, it was nice. Then it started to rain. Then hail. Then….GOOOOAAALLLL!! And thus began my first football game in Jordan. Probably the most exciting part of my trip so far. We had asked friend’s host-brother about football (or as you say, soccer) in Jordan, at which he decided he was going to take us to a game this past Saturday. The biggest two national teams were playing: Wahdad and Faisali. As I’ve noticed many times before, there are strong underlying tensions between these teams. Wahdad is made up of a large majority of Palestinian Jordanians, while Faisali is more Jordanian Jordanian. Thus, fans separate on the basis of nationality, making the whole experience much more strained. After passing a row of riot police to get into the stadium, cheers began erupting from the fans as our group of 8 Americans were escorted to our own section of the stadium next to the Faisali side. The game began, and our friend’s host-brother was able to get us into the fan section. They were so excited to see Americans at the game. Even more so, we had two girls with us. Fun fact, it is social taboo that girls do not attend football games. But…we’re American. The girl I was standing next to – a friend of mine in the program - got showered with gifts, was asked to take pictures, and for all intents and purposes was the half-time show. During half-time, the chant leader (a guy standing in front of the crowd staring the chants), came over and took pictures with her and kept welcoming her. It was great. During the game, my friend and I were given blue headbands to support Faisali and red kufiahs (Kufiahs are also separated by nationality: red for Jordan, black for Palestine). The guy that I was standing next to proceeded to link his arm with mine the entire game and told me when to “sit up” or “stand down.” He tried to teach me some of the chants, but that was a complete disaster because I had no idea what he was talking about. By the end of the game, it was pouring rain and we ducked out 4 minutes early in order to miss the rush of people leaving. It was such a great experience…definitely going to the next one!

Other events this week:

I went to Al-Baqa’, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan. It is located right outside the city, so a quick bus ride from the university. They quickly ushered us into the women’s school to give us a tour of the facilities and really didn’t allow us to see the actual camp. It looks like we’re going to have an opportunity to volunteer teaching English at the school, which would be a really awesome experience. I’m really interested to see what the Palestinian refugee experience is like in Jordan.

Last Thursday, we had a BBQ at our house and I proceeded to eat my entire weight in grilled lamb and chicken. SO good! It was partially in honor of our…2^nd cousin? (maybe. Not quite sure the relation….but it’s all family) for graduating from university. Awesome food, and I learned the Dubka, which is a traditional Jordanian dance. I took the fact that everyone was laughing at me as encouragement that I’m getting better.

Arabic is going....slowly. It’s so difficult at times because my host family speaks English, and it is extremely to get by speaking English because everyone here knows it to some degree. But my vocabulary is increasing. Especially after the football game – granted half the words I learned I can’t really use in the general public. I’m still really pessimistic about ever becoming actually fluent, but maybe by program’s end I’ll actually be able to understand a conversation between people.

Weather has been kind of crappy this week…rain and cold. Definitely not a fan. Although I have been praying for snow because that means no school. I think Jordanians don’t really know how to handle snow, so they just shut down the entire city when it does. But alas, none as of yet!

I’m planning to head out of the city this weekend, hopefully to one of the outlying cities that has something historic to see. But no official plans as of yet. Who needs plans, its Jordan!

A painting on the side of the Girl's school in Al-Baqa', the girls Palestinian school, which I thought was really cool. (it's in the shape of Jordan if you didn't know).

A picture of the city next to the refugee camp. Not quite sure what it's called, but I thought it looked cool.

BBQ at home. My host-brother is the guy at the grill.

The Royal Hotel, one of the nicest in Amman. I thought it was pretty cool.

A picture at the Football stadium. Instead of selling hotdogs and beer at sporting events, here they sell tea and falafel.

Riot police at the game. INTENSE!
My friend and I..adorned in red kufiah and blue Faisali headbands!

An old theater and a mosque

Week 2…still alive and kicking. First week of classes. First week of home stay. First week of real Jordanian life (or at least my attempt at it). And I’m lovin it! Granted, I have 600 pages of reading to do and a five minute speech in Arabic tomorrow… but hey, all in due time right! You’d think a kid from America trying to find his place 6000 miles away would have difficulty getting adjusted. But no, the people here almost make it their job to help you feel welcome and comfortable…even if you can’t understand anything they’re saying. Granted, crossing the streets may be a life or death experience, but other than that…

So a friend’s host family invited a group of use to go to mosque this past weekend. And I went. It was really a great intercultural experience. No worries guys, I’m not converting, but it was interesting to see a religion and culture very different than my own. The whole service: 45 minutes. The room: 400-500 men strong. The culture: very warm and inviting. The experience: priceless. The service was all in Arabic and I was proud of myself for being able to pick out some words here and there. Afterwards we went back to the host family’s home (greeted with apple pie and tea – this country’s staple) and just talked. It was a refreshing experience to talk about the role of religion in this family’s life and in this country in general. It's conversations that these that make my experience worth it.

Jordan is really a fantastic place. Rich with a long history and dynamic people, it is still trying to define its own place in the world. I learned the other day that street names were just introduced a few years ago. Go into any taxi and tell them your street name as a destination and you’ll get a blank stare in return. Even worse, try giving them your street address number (just distributed last year), and they’ll laugh. This city is just putting itself together in so many ways. A country just created over 60 years ago is still in the making. Water comes to the house once a week and is used sparingly. Propane trucks come door to door distributing gas. Oddly enough, they play music to get your attention. Not regular music, but ice cream truck music…seriously! Imagine sitting in your house and hearing off-tone ice cream truck music, only to find a truck with tanks of propane in its bed.

And the people are proud…very proud. Streets are shrouded in Jordanian flags. They drape from buildings, light posts, windows, cars, everywhere. And people are very proud to call themselves Jordanians. Yet there are definitely underlying tensions that have not fully flushed themselves in creating a cohesive Jordanian identity. With a population of 6 million people, Jordan is comprised of almost 60% Palestinians. This makes the distinction of whether you are Jordanian Jordanian or Palestinian Jordanian very important. The same goes for the small Christian minority here, who themselves are very proud of themselves. But the divide between these two groups is strong, so strong in fact that the consequences for a Muslim woman married to a Christian man can be fatal.

But at the same time this place has a history far older than its contemporary exterior. I traveled to the Roman Amphitheater this weekend and saw over 2000 years of history at the heart of downtown. The Amphitheater was incredible…you could feel its history pulsing in the crumbling columns and historic architecture. It’s amazing to think about the sophistication of these people who built these magnificent structures without the use of modern technology. The Amphitheater has this really awesome effect down at the bottom in which two people stand on either side and speak into the walls and you can hear each other! Awesome I know!! Ok, so I think you need to actually be there to get the full effect, but that’s the idea.

I’m starting to branch out a little, exploring the city a bit. But I’m still feeling somewhat confined, if not by the huge group of Americans that I’m drawn to hang out with, than by my own inhibitions about being the awkward American. Hopefully, as I get more comfortable, I’ll be able to break out of the “American bubble” (as we’ve dubbed it). For now though, I’m having a good time.

Downtown on a Friday afternoon...lots of people and oddly enough lots of shoes.

A picture of the city from the top of the amphitheater.

The Ampitheater...really impressive.

My host bro and host cousin. That facial expression is priceless! He's like that all the time.

A little taste of home: Subway, McDonald's, and Burger King. You can't see it in this picture but the subway has a delivery truck.

First Days....First Impressions

Ahlan wa Sahlan!!! (or Welcome bil Arabiya)

So, I’ve finally made it. Yes, I’m here, safe and sound all in one piece. Granted, I almost missed all my connections (weather in San Francisco blows), but Amman couldn’t hold me back. This place is…incredible! Talk about different, talk about similar, talk about completely new and exciting. I arrived nervous about spending four months in a country that was completely different from anywhere I had ever been. But I am now settled (somewhat) in a city where traffic sucks, TV is the national past time, and people live to enjoy life…and yes eat at the local McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, or Popeyes and go to the gym at Curves. I think I’m going to learn to like this place.

A rundown of what I’ve been through the past few days. This past week has been orientation, so basically the 70 students who are in my program had been living out of a hotel trying to acclimate to a 10 hour jetlag. I've gotten to know quite a lot of them, and its really a great group of people. We had all the typical orientation meetings… health/ safety/ academics/yadda yadda yadda. Had some ice breakers to try to get to know one another. Got hijacked by Bedouins on horses during our train ride through the city. You know, all the normal stuff, right? (The Bedouin part…just a tourist attraction where Bedouins ride up to the train, “kidnap” some of the people, and then we have to “barter” to get them back while learning about Bedouin culture). One of the best parts had to have been during this past Monday during our “scavenger hunt,” an attempt to force us to get acquainted with the campus, learn the city, use its public transportation system, and meet some of the locals. A pair of students were each assigned a “guide,” a local student, to help us along our trip. Well, our guide decided to give his friend a call. We thereby jumped into his friend’s car and proceeded to tour all 23 of Amman’s hills…and by tour I mean get completely lost. We were supposed to arrive at a hotel with a set of 5 tasks completed, a power point presentation of our journey, and a set of 5 “tips” about the city. Well… our group only completed 3 tasks (one of which turned out to be incorrect), showed up an hour late, and were making our power-point in the back of the room as other groups were presenting. It was ridiculous and hilarious all at the same time… you should have been there.

Well, orientation had to finally come to a close this past Thursday, at which point we all found out our living arrangements. About half the people live in gorgeous apartments (when I say gorgeous I really mean it...these places are huge) and the other half in homestays. Turns out, me and another guy in the program are living with a host family (which I am EXTREMELY excited about)!! The family consists of a Mom, whom I now call Mama B (no Mom, she won’t replace you, don’t worry), and one of her sons who lives in the home. It turns out this woman has been hosting students for the past 5 years through this program and has subsequently brought in most of her family and friends as host families. Therefore, I have host-nieces, host-cousins, and host-friends. Just one big happy family! But this woman is great. The orientation tried to scare us with huge culture shock and completely different cultural norms. But these people are very willing to make it as easy and smooth a transition as possible. I have a midnight curfew (which is awesome compared to the 10pm curfew of most families), am allowed to bring guests over (a no-no for most Muslim homes), and can drink and smoke as much as I want….just kidding Mom! But this family is really willing to put in the time and effort to make my experience here the best it can possibly be. I’m extremely excited, Monday night is my “nephew’s” first birthday party, and we’re having it at my house. This kid is adorable. The hugest eyes you’ve ever seen. (pictures of the family are coming…don’t worry). And my Mom is apparently one of the best cooks! She’s making us this great meal tomorrow night… not exactly sure what it is, but I’ll let you know.

So, I guess the real work starts today: class. 4 hours of Arabic today. Fun, I know. During the week we have 16 hours of Arabic. If I don't know this language by the end of this semester, then there's no hope… But we also have Colloquial, which turns out to be completely different from formal Arabic. Fun… right? So basically I’m learning two languages this semester. Cross your fingers guys. But I start the rest of my classes tomorrow (the ones in English – political science-y stuff).

A couple things I’ve learned since I came here:

1) toilet paper…doesn’t belong in the toilet, but in the trash can right next to the toilet. The sewage system isn’t all that great. I think this one’ll take a little time to get used to.

2) Traffic SUCKS! For those of you who thought that I was a bad driver – which is a small minority I know – I dare you to come to Amman. There are no street lights, no lanes, no rules. It’s more of a game of natural selection. And for pedestrians attempting to cross the street, Good Luck!

3) ‘Arguileh (or hookah for those of you in the states) is more a way of life. One of the cool things for us young folk to do here is hang out for a couple hours at a café, playing backgammon, smoking ‘Arguileh, and just kinda hanging.

4) Watching TV counts as family time. The longer you watch, the closer the family. Needless to say, my family and I were REALLY close after Friday.

5) There are a lot of underlying tensions here. Palestinian/Jordanian (over 60% of the people here are Palestinian), Catholic/Muslim (hijabs are more the rule than the exception). It’s really interesting to see the interaction between cultures.

6) Hummus, falafel and shwarma really are eaten at about half the meals. We went to the best Falafel place in town...this dirty place downtown called Hashems. It's rumored that the King

frequents this place around midnight sometimes. It was pretty amazing!

7) Pictures of the king are EVERYWHERE! You can't walk into a building without seeing his eyes staring at you. Kinda Big Brother-ish, but he seems to be a good guy.

Here are the Bedouins that were supposedly "kidnapping" our train.

My attempt at riding one of the horses... as you can tell, very successful.

The city of Amman. From this picture, all the buildings seem like they look exactly the same. Well...they actually do. White stone is definitely in here.

Hashem's restaurant, best falafel in town. The falafel is served on sheets of paper on plastic tables.

The front of school. Biggest university in Jordan... 40,000 students!

A view of the city from downtown.

A couple of buds at a local cafe.

Well, I hope this provided you with a little entertainment out there. Or at least helped your procrastinate somewhat from the work you’re supposed to be doing. I miss you all, but I’m having an awesome time out here! Keep in touch, let me know what your lives are like!

Ma Sallemah (good bye)

Andrew