Make a Joyful Sound

Rob and I noticed on Thursday and mainly Friday nights (their Friday and Saturday nights) we heard a lot of honking on the roads. Sometimes even enough to hear in our apartment. At first it was like, well…maybe there is something going on. Accident, crazy driver, something like that… But after a couple of times and a couple of weekends, we thought maybe there is a reason. This past Friday, we finally figured it out. On our way to dinner, we saw a car with “Just Married” in the back window and the car decorated with wedding bells and flowers. The car was surrounded by honking cars wishing congratulations and followed closely by what I could only guess was the groom’s parents and bride’s parents with their flashers on. It was cute and made us smile. Then about 15 minutes later we saw another! This time it was the actual bride in a convertible, dressed in her wedding gown, hair all done up, and everything. Again, we heard the congratulatory honking and saw a few cars following behind with their flashers on. It was a sight! If only Rob and I had a car horn to honk, we would have!

Going to the movies

We figured catching a movie would be fun since we have found two theatres in each of the malls, City Mall and Mecca Mall. Both theatres played a mix of American movies and Middle Eastern movies. Our choice today, G.I. Joe. We both enjoyed watching it in the states and figured it would be fun. So we got up to the ticket box to buy our tickets for the 2pm movie and the lady asks if we want front, middle or VIP seats. VIP? In a movie theatre? We stuck with middle with no extra cost and then she asked where we wanted to sit pointing to a screen that showed the different sections available. I felt like we were at the real theatre with assigned seats and everything. After figuring out which way was closest to the screen, we chose Row 3 seat 7 & 8 (keep in mind we are in the middle section row 3 not the kink in your neck row 3). After getting our tickets, we ventured inside. The main lobby area was just the same at the states, decorated with coming attraction billboards and a snack area. We were strong and decided against the treats. Maybe next time. After finding our screening room, a theatre attendant rushed over to us. Not know if I did something wrong, I was a little confused. Maybe we were at the wrong door? Nope, correct door, he just needed to help us find our seats, flashlight in hand. We both looked at each other and laughed. The full theatre experience it shall be. Once seated, we were good to go. Kind of funny to see a trailer and even the movie itself in English with Arabic subtitles. But after a while, caught up in the movie, I didn’t really notice them. Afterwards, we both walked out expecting to be back in the states and were immediately slapped back into the reality of burkas and head coverings. It took a moment or two to get your mindset back into place but it was worth it.

You have a little something on your chin...

The strangest thing so far is they don’t use napkins in the Middle East. I know, strange huh? It isn’t like they don’t exist. They just don’t use them. Instead they use tissues! Yes, tissues. And yes, it works but just not as well.  I swear there are tissue boxes everywhere!  Just imagine eating BBQ chicken with tissues to wipe your face and hands. Thank goodness there will be no BBQ chicken eating soon but I guess if we did, we would have to have it at home with paper towels on hand.

I have to say it is kind of funny to see a man with stubble (aka Rob) using a tissue to wipe his face. Without a doubt you will find little pieces of tissue remaining after all is said and done. Then it takes another few minutes to get rid of them, usually with help. He he

It is a tissue monopoly, I say.

Treadmills

It felt great to be back on the treadmill. Training for the Dead Sea Ultra marathon will be a big task but I am up to it. After getting started I looked down at the treadmill monitor and noticed something different. Everything was in kilometers! Darn it! I was planning on running a few miles for my first workout but how much is just a few miles in kilometers? After racking my brain, of course, duh, a 5K is 3.1 miles. Even the darn speed was in kilometers; boy this is going to be fun…

After getting back from the workout, I looked up yet another conversion table. I swear I need a little calculator in my brain for all of these conversions. From Celsius to Fahrenheit, inches to centimeters, to ounces and pounds to kilograms. My mind is in overload. Although I do like the kilograms as it “looks” like I weigh less being in the 50-60 KG range. I haven’t weighed 50-60 of anything since I was in elementary school.

Police Station

Okay, so when we got off the plane, we showed we had a Visa to get into the country and then moved onto Immigration. This is when they stamped our passport with the following “Contact the nearest police station within one month”. This of course, was standard procedure, which we knew, so no freakout. Included with our tuition, Qasid will accompany you to the police station after just arriving for the 1 month renewal, 3 month and 6 month. Thank goodness they did because boy was it confusing.

First things first, both myself and Rob have never been in an actual police station. So when we arrived up to the guard station, guards holding their M16s, we were a little intimidated. Well, at least I was. But after showing our passports they shooed us right in. Now came the confusing part…which door and what now. Our Qasid administrator steered us to a back room with a line around the corner. Of course, this must be the place. After waiting 15 minutes in line, we were next up. We had to provide current residence information, why we were there and the like info. After typing everything into the computer, he stamped and scribbled into our passports. Who knows what he wrote but we were done. Or at least we thought we were… Onto the next office which I guess was the head of the police station. We filed in, gave our passports to the head guy and this is when it got interesting. I don’t know if it was because of Ramadan, or timing around lunch time, or just that we were Americans and one German…but the guy practically ignored us. After standing for about 5 minutes while he took calls on his cell phone, walked in and out of his office, and doing who knows what, I sat. I mean, for heaven’s sake, why not? Another 15 minutes passed as more cell phone calls were answered and we were ignored. Our school administrator finally got his attention to sign our passports and of course starting with mine, he got a little upset that he couldn’t pronounce my name. *sigh* I guess it isn’t a popular name in these parts but after sounding it out, he was fine. Didn’t have a problem with the other guys’ names: Robert and Steven. O’well. What can you do? We walked out; passports approved and were delighted. Now, if the next couple of times we have to get renewed go like this, I will be ready. Hopefully next time he will remember my name.

Satellite TV

The first thing we did, or at least I did, was find the English TV channels. I mean, come on, other than Rob and I speaking to each other and the other American or English speaking students at Qasid, this was my connection back to the west. Out of 281 channels, I had 10; CNN International, BBC, a cartoon channel, a few movie channels and a few channels that showed old or delayed American shows. I have been catching up on my Dukes of Hazzard and A-Team episodes while also getting Lord of the Rings and the most recent Country Music Awards. Wild huh? After a full day of seeing and hearing Arabic, I think we both have enjoyed some connection with home.


I have enjoyed watching the older shows as most were either before my time or I was too young to remember them. For Rob, it has been like the olden days, catching up on childhood sitcoms. I am half expecting to see the Cosby Show and the Golden Girls but no luck yet. The movies have been a range of recent releases and right to video selections. The latter have been entertaining as most have popular or at least well known actors and actresses, it may have just been before their prime. All I can say is the satellite TV is included in our rent, is a surprise every time we turn it on and I am very thankful for the sense of home it brings.

Go A-TEAM!

Jerash

Today we woke up ready for a new excursion. Today was the day to explore Jerash located in Northern Jordan. This would be our first unaccompanied bus ride out of Amman, so it should be interesting. We started early taking a taxi to the bus station. Then read the signs to find the bus terminal heading to Jerash. Things seem to be done a little differently as you pay once you are already on the bus and it is totally full ready to go. Plus there are no time schedules. You get on when a bus arrives for your destination and leave when the bus is full. The guide book said it would take an hour and twenty minutes from Amman, so we sat back and enjoyed the ride. Rob befriended the gentleman sitting next to us and thank goodness he did, as about forty minutes later we were about to pass Jerash when the gentleman yelled to the bus driver to stop for us. Lucky break for us! The entrance to the Roman city was only a short ways away from where we were dropped off. So we made our way over.

To give a little background, Jerash is one of the best preserved Roman provincial cities. Inhabited in the Bronze age, the Romans conquered in 63 BC. Now the second most visited tourist attraction in Jordan, closely behind Petra.

The city itself is huge. As we walked up, the sheer size of the entrance called the Hadrian’s Arch took your breath away at 13 meters. They say it was twice that size originally, I can’t even imagine. The stones laid into the roadways were huge; some the size of couches and loveseats. The columns, we joked, were as big as double door refrigerators. How did they get them up there? I mean, the city is built in and on hills. All I can say is, I’m impressed. The city contained the huge archway, a hippodrome, the oval plaza forum, what was left of a coliseum, a church, temple, tons of stone walls, pillars, and roadways. For being such a large piece of history, I was thankful they preserved it so well. After exploring around, we headed towards the hippodrome to see the live chariot races. Yes, I said LIVE!

The chariot races and show was very entertaining. Not knowing if it would be in Arabic, I was pleasantly surprised to hear English. I guess it was the universal language for the crowd of Asian, Arab, French, American and Australian tourists gathered for the show. They started off with basic history and then moved into how the soldiers fought in war. The suits of armor seem to be very lightweight with protection mainly in the chest, shoulders, and head. I guess everything else was fair play. I, for one, would have preferred the head to toe armor but I guess that is why I am a lover not a fighter. After getting the down low from the solders, we met the gladiators. What a group of gritty fighters I might say. Check out the guy with no shirt! He was doing peck exercises and I swear the crowd went crazy. After some live sword to sword and sword to pitchfork fighting, yes, you read that correctly, we moved onto the chariot races. Three chariots racing, to be exact. Mine didn’t win but watching them race around the hippodrome was quite the sight. I can only imagine what it would have been like back in the day.

Afterwards it was on to finding lunch. The guide book told us of a local restaurant within the Roman city area but it was a tourist trap. We found a smaller place located outside of the gates where Rob bargained with the storekeeper to get a better price on lunch. Currently they were offering a $14 not so fabulous buffet. After all was said and done, we paid $7 total for two kabob sandwiches and two waters. Thank goodness for Rob’s language skills! Now with our bellies full, the last step was to find the bus station for a ride back into town. Let me remind you, they do not have signs that say “bus station” or even anything that resembles that in Jerash. Being the adventurerers we are, we winged it and just started walking. Figuring we could start in the general area we were dropped off, we were tempted by the taxi drivers but kept to the plan. Keep in mind, taxies were about $42 (30 JDs) while the bus was $1.40 (1 JD) each way. We were taking a bus back to Amman. After a short walk, we found it. What a day!

Driving

There seem to be no official rules with driving in Jordan (at least to me)…but only guidelines. They have roadways just like in the states with highways, many round-abouts, very few stoplights, and only a few faint lines on the roadways determining lanes. But it doesn’t seem to matter to the drivers; they make lanes anywhere they want. When driving back from Irbid, we were in a bus (Greyhound style), and I swear we probably didn’t stay in our “official” lane more than 30% of the time. Most of the time, it was more like straddling or even making up one all together. Smaller cars seemed to not mind and either just went around or road alongside. The even stranger thing is, we didn’t see any accidents or even near accidents. With everyone being a defensive driver, things seem to move along just fine. There are no day dreamers, texting teens, or cell phone talkers in sight. I mean, for heaven’s sake, you do any of those and take your eyes or mind off driving; you could really get messed up.

I have to say though; I am still not over how close they drive to one another. Thankfully this seems to be a city thing than a highway thing. But none the less, it is a bit unsettling. The cars seem to be practically kissing! You can be stopped at a light and have the next car edge up to where your side mirrors are only a few inches away from each other. Nothing like the saying…To reach out and touching someone… And they do this while driving down the streets too. Thankfully, Rob and I will be either walking or taking a taxi. I think driving ourselves could get a little crazy.

Beep Beep

After being here for almost 3 weeks, I have finally gotten used to the beeping of horns. Beep Beep….Beep Beep. It seems everyone uses their horn and constantly. At first it was a little unnerving. You would walk down the street, people beeping at you constantly. Was I not covered enough? Was something showing and they were trying to signal to me to fix it? Maybe they just thought I was a cute American girl? Who knew?… But after taking taxis and living in the city for a while now, I get it. They use the horn to communicate with not only with other taxies and/or cars but also pedestrians on the roadways. The beep can mean “do you need a ride”, “watch out we are coming”, “backing up now so watch out”, the normal and ever popular “move over to the side slow driver”, or even the “hello go ahead of me I’m not in a hurry” beep. The funny thing is, it isn’t a honk like in the states. The honk is mean and frustrated. While the beep here is more like a quick hello or watch out. The sound is even a little different, more like a beeping Mini-Cooper instead of a honking GMC truck. I have to say, when you are looking for a taxi to take you to the next destination, the beep beep is always welcome.

Sherlock Holmes meets oven

I don’t know about you, but my oven at home and every other oven I have seen for that matter has had some more of degrees mentioned on the knob. Mine currently, however does not. See picture below.

So now I have had to do some detective work. Just call me Sherlock Holmes. I figured not all ovens would have the 1-8 numbering; there MUST be some sort of degree determination out there. So when we were in the Mukhtar Mall (Mook-tar), I explored the home electronics area. Ah, ha! I found it. The oven temperature ranged from 125 C to 260 C, now to correlate it to Fahrenheit and I was in business. I made the handy dandy list below.

125C = 257F = 1

140C = 284F = 2

160C = 320F = 3

180C = 356F = 4

200C = 392F = 5

220C = 427F = 6

240C = 464F = 7

260C = 500F = 8

As you can see, it must have worked as I was able to cook this beautiful meal for the hubby. He was quite happy and I was too.

Books @ Café

After reading about Books @ Café in our travel guide and hearing Rob’s great stories from his last visit to Jordan, I was excited to check it out. We did some research to locate it before arriving, figuring it was probably best to seek it out around 5pm before it started getting dark. Thank goodness we did because we got a little lost. We did thankfully find it and I was pleasantly surprised by the book store below the café. It had a small size section for fiction and offered some popular authors (Grisham & Nora Roberts), even found Harry Potter in the children’s section.

The café itself is a gathering point for Americans and other expats seeking familiar western food, great scenery, wireless internet and even a bar. The bar wasn’t open due to Ramadan but we will be checking it out again later in the year. When we first arrived the outside seating area wasn’t open yet, remember you can’t eat in public until the sun goes down. So once it opened up, we rushed out for the best seat in the house.

I decided to go totally American and get chicken nuggets with fries and a cherry 7-up. Both were fantastic. Rob ordered a burger and it came with fries and a salad also. Yum-o!

I think I will try the greek or caesar salad next time as they looked delish! We actually ran into some students from the school and chatted about plans for the upcoming Eid vacation. I have to say, Amman is beautiful at night. We even saw a few fireworks displays while sharing tea. What an experience this has been so far!

Mecca Mall

Okay, I think this is probably the biggest mall I have ever been in! It stands 5 stories tall and each level is about the size of one story of the Avenues mall. Stores range from San Valentino to card shops to Forever 21. Yes, I did say Forever 21. Who would have thought that? Definitely not me. Same clothing too, in all their Western glory. Not too sure where the girls here are going to wear tub tops or plunging necklines but I guess they can layer it up to wear it out in public. Who knows? Currently I am sticking with my modest but cute Old Navy outfits.

We were surprised to find not only do they have the normal upscale stores in the mall, but also a grocery store, movie theatre showing both Arabic and American movies, a gym (the expensive one, see prior blog), and a bowling alley. Wasn’t expecting the bowling alley were you? We just may have to check it out later in the year when we are looking for something fun and different to do.

Our goal was to check it out, find an internet provider and a cell phone. We were dying to have access to the internet at home and heard through another student that it was pretty easy to set up. To our surprise, it really was! Even easier than in the states!!! We paid for 3 months, received our router and were on our way. The cell phone was just as easy and I even got to pick out my number. We are now back into the digital world!

Yes, Mrs. Fields is everywhere!  It seems Jordanians LOVE thier sweets!

The Body Shop just like the States!

Lifts

The lift, aka elevator, was interesting on our first day. We had the option of -1, 0, 1, 2, ect. We needed to go to level 2 which we figured out quickly. But getting back to the first level (ground) took a minute. We thought 1 like it is in the states, but nope, wrong answer. I guess they figure you start at zero or ground and then work your way up. Makes sense when you think about it.

Water Closets

I guess the most important question is, “Where is the bathroom?” Well if it isn’t when you are traveling, it probably should be. I, of course, got the run down on what to look for and how to ask. I didn’t know if they would have signs all in Arabic script, maybe the pictures would be different since they don’t wear short skirts so the normal pictured skirted woman wouldn’t be meaningful, or really what to expect. I did know that they don’t use toilet paper and to have it on hand at all times. I am down with that and now have it in all possible locations, purse and backpack. I have been caught once without, as it was with Rob in HIS backpack, never again I vowed.

I don’t know what I expected, maybe a hole in the ground? I have heard some countries do have those… They call them squatting toilets or something like that. Needless to say, they have regular old toilets here. Thank goodness. They do however also have a bidet. So now I am doing research on the ways of use. Not too many of those in Florida.

Basically if you are in Jordan, look for either the letters “W.C.”, the word “toilet”, or the normal pictured girl & boy. If you have to ask, just say and I am writing this phonetically “Wayne toilet?” Pretty easy if you ask me. Now the question is, will you understand their response? Hopefully they will point or maybe speak English. Everyone has been pretty helpful so far, so I am staying optimistic.

Our Favorite Restaurant

This is our beloved favorite sandwich shop about a 10 minute walk. We found it actually when we were getting the night tour with Amin during our first week in Amman. Rob always spoke of Shish Taouk (sheesh tah-vook) and kebabs and this place puts both into sandwiches. What more could you ask for?

The Shish Taouk (on the right) is basically marinated chicken cubes threaded onto a metal stick shown below and then grilled. The Kebabs (on the left) are a lamb and beef ground meat mix molded onto the metal stick below and then grilled. Both are wrapped in a pita wrap, seasoned, with either tomatoes & onions or just pickles depending on which one you order. Both are VERY yummy!

I thought it was interesting how the Sprite can had the English verison on one side and the Arabic on the other. Tasted just the same.

Gym - Sports City

It was interesting to see the difference in gym expectations and basic gym etiquette. When we toured our first gym, Fitness First, in the Mecca Mall, I had to say I was impressed. It was huge, fully loaded with machines, they even had Body Pump classes just like the states, but it seemed most joined the gym there for the status. It was way overpriced and seriously, they had a complimentary soda fountain. Who drinks soda after or while working out?!? Not me, that is for sure. They also have a DVD area where you could rent movies for 2 days. I did a double take, this is a gym…not a Blockbuster video store. Plus after seeing the breakdown for membership fees, start up fees, first and last month due, some other miscellaneous filler fee…it was just too much. I really didn’t need all the frills, just a treadmill.


Finally after checking out a few (Fitness First & Express Fitness), we have finally found one that fit our budget and expectations, Al Madina Gym. The gym is conveniently located in Sports City a short walk from the school. I think it is more like a resort style gym as it has not only the gym facilities but a huge water park area including a lap pool, huge swimming area and water park for the kids. I have to say I was rather impressed. But since neither Rob nor I are big swimmers, we focused mainly on the gym equipment. My sole focus, treadmills. How many are there available and are they in top condition. After the tour, I was impressed as they had tons of treadmills and all looked relatively new. So I was sold. The monthly gym membership (plus the American discount) made it so inexpensive, we couldn’t pass it up. The only trick now is to join after Ramadan since I won’t really want to work out without water.

Running without water = very unhappy woman

Twinkling Lights

When we first arrived, when walking around at night I noticed there were a lot of twinkling lights. You know the kind that is brought out in December for Christmas, blinking thier varying colors. These were a little different though as most were shaped as a crescent moon and star. I have seen a few icecicle light and tracer lights too. I asked Rob why these were up and Ramadan was the answer. It was neat to see other cultures using such a sweet way to express their religion.


Ramadan is 1 month long where the Muslim community fasts from daybreak to sunset. The idea is that through self-control of fasting, one can pay special attention to their spiritual nature. This also gives them time to think about the less fortunate and experience hunger in sympathy for those who go without food. It is said that this is how many Muslims learn thankfulness and appreciation for what they have.

This means no food or water during the daylight hours and especially in public. It is actually against the law to eat in public during the fasting times. So needless to say, it has been challenging to be walking so much without my handy water bottle by my side. We have been chugging water before we leave and also immediately upon return to the apartment. Due to the different hours, the restaurants and cafes do not even open until after 5pm and people do not emerge from their homes until after 7:45pm. They do have to go to work as usual but as you can imagine, people are a little cranky since they haven’t eaten all day. The rush to get home before the call to prayer to break the fast is rather hilarious. Everyone is rushing via car and you can even see kids running home to finally eat for the day.

As a foreigner, it has been very eye opening to see a whole country or even region for that matter, participating in such an event. Since we are not fasting ourselves, we haven’t felt the full effect but we have felt it a bit. Our first week, we were away from the house leaving at 7:15am until at least 2 or 3pm and had only ate a breakfast bar and yogurt. As you can imagine, we were famished. Rob was practically ravenous! I don’t know how they do it all day and especially for 40 straight days. We only have a few more days left before the Eid, the celebration after Ramadan is over, and we are undoubtedly ecstatic. I think once everything opens up, it will be a totally different Amman. I am looking forward to seeing the differences.

Lamb what?

Yes, those are lamb balls. I saw them and had to take a picture. Not too sure why or how you cook them, it must be a cultural thing. I guess that would be something on the menu from one of those crazy TV shows that make people eat horrible things.

The Grocery Stores & Minute Markets

The diversity of selection in the food arena has been surprising. When we first arrived, we only had access to the minute market type setup at the end of our road. There were many ranging in size from very small one room stores to a larger one half the size of a large Gate gas station. The types of food and prices were just like a convenience store, more expensive and not as much selection. But if you were like us and making burgers for the first time, you can get ketchup on the fly, but you will just have to pay extra for it.

Next door to the school we have Food & Food, located in the mall and very convenient. Lately, since our fridge has been broken, we have been buying food daily there to take home and cook. Once the fridge is fixed, we will be able to stock up like normal. The F&F is a full size grocery where as you walk in you have to check any backpacks or other items you may have purchases throughout the mall. Never had to do that in the states but that is the rule, so we go with it. To compare the level of quality is to compare it to a local Winn-Dixie before the big overhaul. It has what you need, maybe just not every brand you want. Some interesting tidbits is when you are in the produce area, you have to put your produce selection in a plastic bag and then take it over to the lady within that section to have it weighed and tagged right there. They do the same with meat also. I have to say I haven’t gotten quite used to see full pieces of meat hanging in the coolers.

Now if you are willing to walk or take a taxi, you can check out the Safeway. I love Safeway. It has both groceries and home goods all in one building and is usually 2 stories. It reminds me of a Super Target, keep in mind with that, the prices are slightly higher. You can find almost all American brands including but not limited to Dunkin Hines cake mixes, of course frosting to top your soon to be cake, FrootLoops, every salad dressing you could ever want and much much more. Now, you may pay 5 JD (about $7) for those FrootLoops…but if it is home you desire, this is the place to go. We haven’t found cow milk yet (I am sure it is out there) for the cereal but since we already expected that, we haven’t wasted the money on cereal. We have been sticking with breakfast bars, local yogurt (which is quite yummy) and coffee/tea. I have to say the fruits and veggies selection is much better at Safeway. I however have yet to find lettuce for a salad, or should I say quality lettuce.

Yesterday we explored Mecca Mall and found they too had a grocery store called Miles. It was beautiful in every way with wood floors, gleaming counters, and arrays of imported goods. It reminded me of Whole Foods or Fresh Market. To give you an idea of the price difference, we bought the best bread ever at F&F for 25 kirsh (36 cents) for 6 hoagie rolls while the same was 75 kirsh ($1) at Miles and not as good. We did however find a good array of meat products including ground beef and cuts of beef for pot roasts that were very reasonably priced. So we were excited. Hence the burgers we had last night.  I was pleasantly surprised by the low cost for cucumbers and tomatoes.  I stocked up on 6 cucumbers for a total of 23 kirsh (35 cents) and 5 tomatoes for a total of 36 kirsh (54 cents).  The funny thing is the cucumbers look more like pickles than cucumbers from the states.  You can double click on the pictures to see them bigger and the signs are in kirsh per KG.

All in all, we have been price and quality comparing. Just like anyone on a budget, we need to make sure we get the most for our money.

Nesting

I have now officially "nested" in our new apartment.  It has been a week and today I did some down and dirty cleaning (much needed if you ask me).  So I am feeling more at home and comfortable.  Without a dishwasher, dryer, and other luxuries of the states, I am going back to the basics.  I have to say lined dried clothing saves energy but doesn't have the same soft texture.  Drying dishes isn't too bad, just takes time and after cooking a big meal, sometimes you just don't want to do it.  Alas, it must be done.  Thankfully it is just Rob studying and I have the time. 

Just call me Betty, as in Betty Crocker.

First day of school jitters

We woke up at 6am to take the 30 minute walk into school for Rob’s first day of school. I could tell he was nervous and excited with first day jitters. It was so cute! I am in the ladies lounge now playing on the internet and listening to Itunes awaiting the end of class. I can’t wait to hear all about it!

So I got the update from Rob.  There are about 7 people in his class including 3 women.  He said everyone was really excited about starting the semester and ready to get down to business.  The entire class was taught in Arabic and he was able to keep up just fine.  The class is broken down into two sections, grammer and skills for a total of 3 hours, 5 days a week.  He realized after the class it was a perfect placement.  I was so happy to hear that. 

The students in the class were very helpful with information as some had been taking classes over the summer.  The women in the class were able to give us tips on a local gym to join.  So we will have to check that out later this week.  One of the guys gave us the name of an internet company to use so we can get set up at home.  I took for granted having the internet always available at home.  We hope to have that set up very very soon.

Placement

Rob took his 2 hour exam and had the oral interview earlier this week. We were so excited to find out his placement it was palpable. I of course, being the proud wife, knew he would place high. We walked back to the school late yesterday to check our email to see if they had set the schedule yet. To our disappointment it wasn’t out yet. So we waited until about 9:30pm to walk to the internet café. I can’t wait until we have internet in the apartment…


To our excitement the email was there! He is in Level 4! With there being only 4 out of 5 levels, that is pretty darn great! He was a little shocked but I think he will excel without doubt. Now it will be time to hit the books. My proud smile is ear to ear!

Breaking the fast

Amin came to pick us up with his cousin Hammad to take us to Irbid which is about an hour and 20 minutes away from Amman. The drive out was very scenic with mountain views and rows of olive trees. Not too sure when the olives bloom on the trees, but they are beautiful from afar. I have to say driving on the roads is a little scary, but more on that later. Irbid was about the size of Green Cove Springs with a downtown area with Yarmouk University (Rob’s old school in 2005) right in the middle.


We arrived at his home and met his mother and brother awaiting us to break the fast. His mother had prepared a huge meal consisting of lentil soup with lamb meatballs, spiced rice with pine nuts on top, chicken, an okra dish, white rice, salad and a special Ramadan iced tea called Tamarhind. The tradition was to break the fast first with dates to allow the body to have natural sugars first, since they have not eaten since daybreak. I had never had dates, the only experience I have had with them is through the movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” with the monkey. But I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed them. Sweet, gooey in a sense, but yummy. The lentil soup was also very good, both Rob and I enjoyed it. I will have to get the recipe next time we visit. The okra dish was probably my favorite after that. It was a baked dish with okra, tomatoes, and a little onion eaten with the white rice. The Tamarhind was a little too sweet for me but was neat to have for the first time.

After dinner we retired to the living room for conversation and TV. There are so many channels from all over the region. Most were in Arabic but some in English showing American shows, music videos, or movies. Amin’s brother works as a manager at a sewing factory in Irbid, so it was neat to hear his take on the economy and how that has affected his business. With people buying less these days, the per piece total per day has dropped dramatically. We went through all our favorite American musicians and they showed us some Arabic videos. The sound is like no other and yet distinctly Arab. The conversation took some political turns where I let Rob take over with his cultural and historic background.

Soon thereafter, Amin’s mother brought out the snacks. Fruit and sweets are their staples during Ramadan. She made these unique sweet snacks in front of us made of small pancakes rolled into opened cones, then filled with cream of wheat, dipped in chopped pistachios with honey drizzled over. I was brave and tried one, sweet and an interesting combination I must say, but not my favorite.

Since they do not break the fast until after 7pm, everyone stays up until 4am every day. It is strange to see families walking around after midnight on the streets but since they cannot eat during the daylight hours, that is when they have energy to be out and about. I turned in around 1am and let the boys hang out. The following day we took the bus back to Amman. The bus was just like a Greyhound bus but cleaner. So I was happy. After 28 hours of constant Arabic chatter, music and TV, I was ready for some quiet time. Brain overload.

Castle

The castle outside and inside

The Amman Amphitheater

Today we went on the school fieldtrip to the Ajloun Castle and the Amman Amphitheater. There was a group of about 20 students and admin in attendance. The Amman Amphitheater was located in the older section of Amman, not even 20 minutes from the school. It was built by the Romans and very recognizable pillars and structures. Most had been taken apart by groups later in history to build their own temples or structures, but what still stood was very beautiful. It was neat to see a panoramic view of the city built on all the rolling hills. You would never have thought Jordan would have mountains. I always assumed it would be flat and filled with sand. We do have the latter and a lot of it, but it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

The Ajloun Castle is in Northern Jordan on top of the Mt ‘Auf and was built between 1184 and 1888. The trip up was through winding streets, we even saw a couple of sheppard herding goats down the roads. The views on top of the mountain were amazing showing lush trees and rolling hills. You could even see some of the other countries in the distance. We went through a guided tour with an archeologist who lived there on site. He was very knowledgeable about the history, also too much so. But it was neat to hear all the history behind everything, just wish more of it was in the shade. I was mainly enthralled with the beauty and stonework of the structure. They even had the real stone cannonballs and locals dressed up in period dress.

It was nice to get to know some of the other students on a more personal level outside of the orientation. It seems some are well traveled to the Middle East, some can speak other languages, all the women are very nice and social (so I am happy), and everyone is ready to start classes. We even got some more information about other options for apartments. Since ours has been frustrating at times, we want to see what is out there where other students are living. We will keep you posted on the progress.

Tonight we are off to Irbid to visit with Amin’s family and break the fast.

The Jingle

As you know, we have been doing a lot of walking. So the other day on our way back to the apartment, I heard “the jingle”. You know the one, the jingle you hear when you are a little kid and go running! The ice cream truck! The only problem was, it wasn’t the ice cream truck at all…it was the propane man. Confusing huh? We later found out there is a truck that goes around to every neighborhood with propane canisters in the back bed of the truck, so if you run out, just run out the door and flag him down. Now, this sounds pretty convenient but he goes at a pretty steady speed. So I don’t know how you would get down and out of your building before he drives by. Maybe I will just wait outside until he comes by to flag him down? I guess when the time comes; I will have to figure it out.

Finding another way

Today’s goal was to find another way to the school. We originally took a taxi to school, so we took directions while in the taxi but of course this was the best car route and probably not the best walking route. So we asked around to other Americans who lived in our building to see if they had a better one. Thank goodness they did. The only problem was, they gave general directions and not exact.

So basically we have to cross over a main highway ramp and then take a main street towards the school. Well…on our first try, we took the wrong ramp. About 10 minutes later we noticed this wasn’t the way. But there was some good that came out of it. We found the sandwich shop we went to when we were with Amin and were so excited we were giving High-Fives. There aren’t many restaurants around the area we have explored so this opened us to some new cafes, sandwich shops and stores.

After getting back on track, the trip to the school was 25 minutes but all flat. Thank goodness. We explored a Safeway in that neighborhood to compare prices to Food & Food. They were more expensive but had better selection. We won’t be able to buy anything to cook or store in the fridge until both are fixed. The maintenance guys came again today at 3pm to look them over. They may need to replace the fridge totally and they took the oven door with them. Kind of strange to see an oven with no door. Hopefully this will all be resolved quickly. We both are ready for some real meals. For now, PB&J, tuna sandwiches, restaurant sandwiches, breakfast bars, yogurt, and water have been our staples.

Today for dinner we walked down to the restaurant we rediscovered and got take out. We weren’t able to eat there since it is Ramadan and only 5:30pm. So we took ours to go, walked the 10 minutes back, and enjoyed. It was great to have a hot meal. The bought two types of sandwichs. Basically one is chicken shish tawook and the other ground lamb kabob with pickles, tomatoes and onions, wrapped up in flat pita bread and then grilled like a long panini. I was a little nervous the first time I had it but it was delish. We also bought falafel with dipping sauce which is fried ground chickpeas. Tasty little niblets, I must say. I am sure they will know our name by the time we leave Jordan.

Tomorrow we are taking a field trip to Northern Jordan to see an anti-crusader castle. I can’t wait!

Our First Full Day

Our friend Amin

Today was new and exciting. I am so thankful to have an adventurous spirit as I think I could easily become overwhelmed and scared with everything being so new and different. We ventured out to find Qasid and explore the neighborhood in the morning. The apartment is about a 3-5 minute taxi cab ride to the school and about a 25 minute walk. We decided to be safe and taxi it there to get an idea of the route as we had no official directions. Thank goodness they started numbering the buildings and naming the streets within the past year, as I don’t know what we would have done without them. Even then, the taxi went so quickly, I was scribbling down the road names as fast as I could. Once we arrived, we had a short interview with the school admin who gave us some ins and outs of the city, local customs, dos and don’ts, and just calmed our nerves. We were also able to get online for some quick emails and blog updates. When surrounded by a foreign language, I tend to seek out English writing and feel “at home” once I see it. Needless to say, emails and letters from home will be like gold!

Afterwards we ventured next door to the local mall and our first grocery store experience at Food & Food. Top on the list was towels! I have to say it is interesting to see the difference or even lack of difference in the grocery stores. They had the meat section, veggies, homewares and such just like at the local Publix but they also had even more houseware items than expected. I guess more like a Super-Wal-mart type setup but on a much smaller scale. We did find western brands of just about everything, Dove soap, Dove and Pantene shampoo, Tide, ect. Of course the prices were a little inflated but not too bad at all. The grand plan was to walk home afterwards, so we didn’t want to purchase too many things since we would also be lugging our backpacks 20-25 minutes. The mall itself was pretty neat, 5 stories, with a food court, bowling alley, clothing stores, toy stores and grocery. We left feeling happy and content with a few more things crossed off our list.

Remember I took notes on our taxi drive there right? Well, we did the 3 turns, then after about 20 minutes walking uphill (seriously the whole way was walking uphill practically), we got a little nervous. Were we walking in the right direction? Mind you, all the buildings and I mean ALL look exactly like in color and stonework. After questioning ourselves, we decided to hail a cab. Of course you need to know how to get home to give directions. LOL So it was an interesting situation. As soon as I saw something familiar, we had him stop and we got out. About 55 minutes later, we figured out where we were and how to get home. We made a great team, Rob’s language skills and my navigation/sense of direction skills. Needless to say, shortly thereafter, we went back out after dropping our bags to make a homemade map.

Keep in mind, we are in the middle of Ramadan, so there is no eating or drinking during daylight hours. This means the grocery store is open but no restaurants; we can eat before we leave the house but not while we are out and about, and even drinking water outside is disrespectful. So Rob and I were thirsty, hungry, and ready to get home after all was said in done at 2pm. The best part of it was we both kept our cool, treated it as an adventure, and went with it. We were in no hurry and we figured we would figure it out sooner than later.

Afterwards, Rob’s friend, Amin, came to visit at 9pm after he broke the fast with his family in Irbid. We had such a great time on a personally guided tour through the city via car. He took us to a local café where I had tea and the men smoked. We sat on the veranda overlooking the city and it was just beautiful. Afterwards he took us to the Safeway (mega grocery store) where I swear they had everything and anything we would need with all the western brands available. We also needed to pick up a new adapter, since ours already broke! But it is very inexpensive, so it was no big deal. We are going to invest in a surge protector too.

I have to say, I was so impressed when I saw a flat escalator (no steps) going up to the 2nd floor allowing you to take your cart up with you. I mean, seriously, why doesn’t the states have this? I took a picture below. You don’t even have to hold onto it on the way down, it catches and it is all good. What a concept!

Be mindful, we started the tour at 9pm and once all was said and done, it was about 2am. It was a long and exciting day with so much to absorb but exciting all at the same time.

My first Arabic OJ. It was pretty good.

The flat escalator! What a concept.

Comforts of Home

When we moved into the apartment, we were amazed by the vastness. It was a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom flat with a large kitchen and small porch. Thank goodness there was a king size bed for Rob! We were worried. The only thing was…we were missing some comforts of home. Funny how you don’t realize what is “really” included with a “fully furnished” apartment. Case in point, we have no towels. Kind of hard to take a shower without one or even wash your hands. So we got creative and put that on the top of our shopping list. Another thing missing was the top sheet on our bed (actually on all the beds). We have a fitted sheet and a comforter but no top sheet. Thank goodness we brought a sheet with us and even better it is a top sheet for a king bed. Score one for Team L. Another interesting missing item was a shower curtain and curtain rod. We do have a squeegee for the marble floor available, so we were just careful we didn’t get too much water on the floor and then took care of it later if we did. I seriously didn’t realize how much water splashes out during a normal shower. Of course there are some small items that need to be fixed or adjusted, so hopefully they will be taken care of sooner than later. Otherwise, the apartment has been great!!

Flying to Amman: The long layover

Before we piled in the 4 suitcases into the truck, we weighed them one last time. It became a kind of joke after our scale drama last night. Should we take out a few more things just in case? Why not. Who needs a fitted sheet for an unknown size bed? Surely not us. We now are a top sheet family only. A few minute removals, for the just in case factor and then we were off to the airport. The drive seemed to last forever. I guess that is normal when you are driving into the unknown. The trip there always seems to be SO long while the trip back, so quick. I guess I will find out how quick the trip back will be in a year.

To our delight and much relief the bags weighed in within limits. 46, 46.5, 69 and 69. The limits as you can guess were 50 and 70. So that gives us some (not much) lee way to reconfigure if our carryon bags are too heavy. Much to our dismay, the Royal Jordanian website has a carryon bag weight limit, so it shall be interesting if they enforce it. I may be going into the bathroom to stuff some smaller books down my pants to make things “fit” but hopefully it won’t come to that. I would prefer the non-lumpy look when boarding a 12 hour flight. My full size camera and laptop are the main weight culprits and there is no way I will be leaving them behind.

Flight #1 from Jacksonville to NYC has arrived and will be boarding shortly. Onward! Well the flight from Jacksonville was bad at all. We even had small tvs in the seats in front of us so we could watch ESPN College Game Day and a game. How I will miss my football.

Once we arrived at the New York City JFK airport, we knew we had a long layover, 9 hours to be exact. So the plan was to pick up our baggage, use the wi-fi in the terminal we arrived in, then eat in the same terminal as we were told the food was better there than the international terminal, and then head over to the terminal 4 (international) later that day. Well....that wasn't how it went at all. As soon as we got off, we shortly realized you can't go down and get your baggage and come back up to partake in the amenities. So onto plan B. I was not leaving without food, so we figured, it they took it from us, so be it. Now stocked up with a greek salad and a sandwich (double meat of course) for Rob, we went down to claim our baggage. Remember, we have 2 50 pound bags and 2 70 pound bags. Thank goodness all had wheels but dragging, 2 bags each, with our carryons on our back, and food in tow, it was quite the sight. We lugged all via foot to the terminal next door to find out we couldn't check in or check our bags until at least 4 hours before our flight. Keep in mind our flight left at 10:30pm and it was 2pm.

The plan now was to hunker down in the food court area, eat lunch, and relax. I have to agree, the international terminal was not as posh and didn't have the best food selection, but we survived. After much people watching, it was finally time to check in. As we held our breath with each bag weighing, we were delighted to find they were all under the limits, our checkins did not get weighed and we were good to go. We practically did a happy dance.

The flight over was actually non-eventful. We had 2 small meals. One at midnight for dinner and another around 5 am for breakfast. Not much to talk about but food none the less. They played 3 movies but I slept most of the time and caught bits and pieces in between. Wish I could have read more on the flight but they kept the lights out most of the time. O'well.

The flight has arrived and as we taxi in, it really hits me...I am in Jordan!

The day before

An emotional and exhausting day it has been. We have weighed, re-weighed, and weighed every piece of luggage. The last scale shenanigan ended at 10pm. I am now very frustrated with the airlines for having weight restrictions and I haven’t even gotten on a plane. Shesh! I guess this is what I get for trying to pack a year within 2 bags per person. It was funny how we each thought that would be more than enough, but you wouldn’t believe how much stuff really weighs. My original carry-on bag was 7.5 pounds empty. Empty, I repeat. So needless to say, that is not taking the trip over.

As we had our last meal with my family: steaks, sweet potatoes, veggies and salad, I savored every last bit. Beef, I hear, will be rare, while lamb, chicken, rice, and hummus will be the norm. The little things mattered like Ranch dressing, our special Vegan butter, and my mango adult beverage. Rob said he was steaked out, having it so many times during our 3 week stay. But I am sure we will be craving an Outback special soon enough.

The Countdown

It sure seems like there isn’t enough time in the day. With only three full days and a wake up on Saturday, time is quickly passing through our hourglass. If only we could add maybe a few hours on the end? Although of course the stores wouldn’t be open to buy that all important last minute item and the bank wouldn’t be available to make that last minute deposit. As we near the end, our list seems to STILL be growing. Who would have thought?!?

I don’t think it has truly hit me the happy hour tonight with old co-workers will be the last time we see them for a year. My dinner last night with a dear friend was our final goodbye hug for a year. Of course we have had our friends and family download Skype to keep in touch, we will still have email, FB and the like. But the emotional connection of lunch with a friend, the embrace before parting ways, or as simple as watching a football game with family cheering loudly stuffing our faces with chips and wings cannot be shared over the Internet. I shall miss all of those immensely.

When we board the plane, I am sure all of those emotions will hit. I guess with all the coordinating and organizing I have pushed the emotional feelings of leaving to deal with later. Later is upon me now and I am not looking forward to it. I guess that is life before a big adventure.